The woman, Anna, looked at Max in the most disgusted way possible, as if looking on a dead ant.
Max looked rolled his eyes, taking a look at his deathplace, and slowly thought of all his memories. Some things he had probably forgotten that came back to him at an instant.
An ember, an orphanage, a meal, a school, a friend, and a magical world.
This is not how it should end, fuck off. I won't let this be my last-
He noticed.
Anna's disgusted face hadn't twitched one bit, there was no wind hitting him, the tiny snails and other insects on the floor took no steps. And most important, his body could not struggle.
Among the frozen world, a woman with paper-white skin, and white hair, one of extreme beauty, youth and elegance, walked into the alleyway. By looking at her alone, Max could say that she was not of his world, or of this. She looked like a paper cut-out of a masterpiece painting, inside Post-modern art. She sounded like a gentle flute inside an Electronica song. She felt like cotton in a world with only stones. She smelt like chocolate in a world where nothing exists.
She was extraordinary. And he wanted to protect her.
With all of his power, he tried to move, to do something. To tell her to get away from this place, to run away. He wanted to protect her, to stop Anna, to help Ruyie.
But she continued walking towards them.
She wore a long black dress, that hid all of her body, but still showed her figure, with a white robe around it. It was as if she was attending his funeral.
Whereas Anna and Max where on the floor, with Anna holding a knife in his stomach, the beautiful lady stood above. She then kneeled and touched Max with her hand. With little distance from their faces, they studied each other. The monotonous woman had naturally white hair, her eyelashes and eyebrows were also white, her straight, long white hair went down to her legs like water. There was not one imperfection on her.
She gave off maturity, and beauty.
And she stared into his eyes curiously.
"You." Her voice sounded very weak, in fact it sounded like she had never spoken before, but she whispered that, into his ear.
Then she stood up and drew her hand out. With her left hand tensed, Max felt an immense aura around him, a feeling similar to that of Ruyie's magic, but far more eloquent, and far more peaceful. If Ruyie was fighting with his magic abilities, then the maiden in front of him, was magic itself.
The world felt monotonous, black and white.
He then felt nostalgic and memorable feelings.
First acceptance, then resistance, hope, fear, terror, and anger. Within such a short period of time, less than half an hour since he had been summoned into this world, he experienced it all.
"Oi chap, you alright?"
His eyes were closed. Unlike last time he had an idea of what would happen when he opened it this time. A green and yellow alligator-man. He had returned to the past.
He was alive.
He felt like there was a hole in his stomach, a large hole. He could feel his blood rushing up his throat.
"Oi chap, what your problem!?"
He opened his eyes. The clothes the creature was wearing was red. He was bleeding. No that's wrong. He just coughed up blood on the thing. The infuriating pain caused Max to fall on the ground.
I've come back to the past. I'm alive. He thought.
As he looked up, he saw the large shadow of an alligator-man, looking down at him. The thing looked furious.
"I'm sorry please forgive me."
"Okay chap, it fine. Are you?"
Max touched his stomach, there were no holes, but it felt horrible. He felt like death.
"I'm sorry. Can I ask a question?"
"Okay chap, what is it?"
"I'm a foreigner, what are you?"
"I Fulvara. Who are you?"
"I'm Max, but sorry, you got the question wrong. I've never seen a non-human before. What…are you?"
"O- Okay chap. I a Scorpianoid. Not human but happy Scorpianoid!"
"Oh okay. Thank you, are you a benevolent person?"
"Ha ha! Of course, I am!"
"I'm really poor, and I have nothing to eat. Could you spare me money?"
"A poor traveller? How odd you are chap. I'll give twenty pers, nothing more. That good?"
"Twenty Pers… is that – no never mind. Thank you."
Fulvara took out a large brown coin bag, and gave Max two silver coins.
"Friend, when you become rich and great and you can pay back, please come my Bar. It big in Third district."
"Oh okay, I will. Thank you Fulvara. I'll repay you one day."
"Bye friend!"
Max walked away from the Scorpianoid.
I'll get a magic book, or a weapon. Then I'll kill that bitch.
There was no hesitation in his mind. The only thing he would do is confront the Red Shadow again.
If this is an Isekai world, then I have to be the main character. I'll fucking get everything. I'll beat everyone.
Not one doubt.
He went to the magic book stall, again. The one that belonged to the woman who denounced him as a spy. In Isekai stories, a Magic book, and those sorts of abilities were crucial, in that doesn't even matter. When Ruyie used his abilities, he seemed to have so much strength. He wanted that power.
"Hi there, I have twenty Pers. Can I buy any books here?"
"My, my. Welcome." The woman who once gave despair to Max, casually looked around her stall. "Most things here are quite official and expensive. Afterall I'm a friend of McLie, but if you want something second hand and shabby, I have…" She then took out a book from under the stall. "…this one. Of, course if I was you, I'd save up and come back later. Is it immediate?"
It was as shabby and odd as she made it out to be. It was a dirty, black book, with white threads holding the thing together. It looked like it had come straight out of a fire, and looked completely unreliable.
Why am I getting this again?
"Yeah that's right… oh and this is combat right?"
"This is a mixed book. I've glanced at it once or twice myself, of course. I don't know its quality however."
"I'll take it."
"Eighteen Pers please."
He then proceeded to take out the two silver coins he had, in return she gave him two small coppers ones.
"You do have an unruly amount of magic circulating around you, but you seem to not let any of it inside you, you don't happen to have Magic Deficiency Syndrome, do you?"
"Huh?"
"Well, at this distance, the Mana around me, seems to be getting attracted by you."
"Oh well… it doesn't matter does it?"
"Oh no. If you have any questions about the book please come back to me."
The lady gently smiled as he walked out, and towards the place where he once died.
***
The boy known to Max as Ruyie was already in the alleyway. He looked around lost, until Max walked in.
Ruyie was standing at a door, with his hand out, ready to knock, but somehow hesitant.
"Uhm… Hey Ruyie!"
"Sham-shir!" Ruyie casted the spell immediately, almost as by nature.
"Who the fuck 's you, and why'd'ya know me name?"
"Hang on hang on!! Listen out to me. The Redshadow is looking for the letter you have… I need your help to get away from her!"
"The fuckin' what? Red fuckin' Shadow my ass, she can fight me." Ruyie grow more hostile. "More 'mportant, who th'fuck's'ya and why'd you know about the letter!?"
"I'm Max…"
"-"
"…a friend of Marionette."
Ruyie's face suddenly became less aggravated. "Oh that makes sense 'n shit. Okay. I catch your drift an' shit."
"Okay good, let's get out!"
"Yeah… AL SHAM!"
What the fuck. Huh? Wait, what!?
A combustion of fire was violently thrown at Max. Ruyie jumped at Max with the wild magic-knife known as Sham-shir, and was about to spill Max's brains out, before he reflexively rolled to his side. The weapon went up in flames after it hit the hard floor.
Max opened the magic book.
Wait, I can't read this. I also can't use this. What the actual fuck was the point!?
The stupidity of his decision hurt Max's head.
"WAIT LISTEN PLEASE. I DON'T KNOW WHO MARIONETTE IS I'M JUST TRYING TO STOP THE RED SHADOW FROM KILLING US. PLEASE HEAR ME OUT!"
Ruyie got on top of Max and held his fist above Max's throat.
"what'ya 'n about?"
As Ruyie said that, a despicable shadow loomed on the two of them. The horrid woman that Max knew as Anna, had appeared before his own unlucky eyes.
"Anna…"
"How fascinating. Truly how fascinating. Pleased to make myself your last memory. I
am Anna the killer." She smiled the same killer smile as last time. "I have no idea –"
"– I don't give a shit." Max said ferociously. "You��re not fucking killing me. After all I'm so lucky to have a second chance. Tell me Anna, don't you think you're name is both embarrassing and delighting? To be called a edgy name is both cool and ashaming, so you probably would have a love-hate relationship with it. Anyways, I'm Max Spaur, I'll be ending your crimes today!"
"Infuriating, HOW INFURIATING YOU ARE."
"Hey Ruyie, do me a favour and summon your sword."
The two had both stood up, and faced Anna.
"m'kay. SHAM-SHIR!"
"Can I do it too? I don't know much about magic."
"Ya', It's a pretty common spell an' all, just say it out and 'magine it, innit?"
"I see. You go in, and I'll provide support."
"m'kay… this 's pretty fishy an' all that though…"
"…Me name's Ruyie, and I'm the second in command of the Black Knights. Prepare yourself an' all that now."
The pain in Max's stomach had disappeared.