► Year 844, Southwest of Wall Maria
Narrator POV
It was a sunny day in the Southwestern part of Wall Maria near the forest of Giant Trees, more commonly known as the Titan Forest. The trees were easily seen from afar in the landscape, standing as high as the Walls. The sky was a bright and beautiful blue with white and fluffy clouds slowly travelling from one side to the other. The air was still wet from the rain of the night before, and the forest looked alive, waters drops shining on the leaves and bushes. Animals lived their lives in peace, this is a part of the land not invaded by human hands, so nature has all the rights.
Everything was peaceful when suddenly a loud noise echoed in the forest. Birds in the trees all started to fly away from the middle of the forest, and the animals beneath them followed. The animals all cried at the same time, running to safety from whatever made the noise. Black smoke slowly started floating in the middle of the forest, creating a tall black tower. The animals weren't actually escaping from this explosion as one would think, but from the bloodlust that emanated from the same place. Something was there, a beast thirsty of blood, and it terrified the animals, both herbivorous and carnivorous ones.
In the place where the smoke came from, we could see a little boy with night black hair and yellow eyes slowly exiting a hidden entrance that led underground. He seemed to be around 10 year old and was quite tall for his age with his height of 1m42. His name was Lex Nacht.
The most noticeable thing about him however was the amount of blood that covered his body. He had multiples wounds, but it was clear that not all this blood was his. Not a piece of flesh could be seen, all but his hair was red. What was really terrifying however, was his eyes. Under all that red blood, two shining yellow dots could be seen, and the shadow created by all this smoke only made it more visible. His eyes were piercing, violent, held no mercy, and the bloodlust only amplified how dangerous he was. He didn't need to prove it by attacking, just looking at his eyes could make wolves run.
His body was slim, but had firm muscles. He wasn't weak and knew how to fight, that much could be seen from how he looked and how he stood, there was no opening in his stance. Even here, in the middle of a forest with no weapons, this little boy was not the one in danger. All around his chest and back, his arms and legs, wherever there wasn't clothes, there were scars.
He slowly walked, exiting the tunnel, and turned his eyes and head, looking around, exploring this new world. He didn't seem to be in a hurry, he was completely calm. As he continued to walk and look around, he created a trail of blood under his feet, and we could see the damage behind him. At the entrance of the tunnel were dozens of bodies, red covering the walls, multiple holes created from gunshots, and fire.
Minutes after the boy started to walk away, a figure slowly exited the tunnel, limping with an arm over a wound on his stomach. He looked half-dead, and was looking around completely scared to see the boy again. When he saw nothing, he started to walk in direction of Wall Rose.
???: Fucking bastards, letting the boy live... How many times did we suggest to just kill this piece of shit?! Fuck! I must get back and tell them, now that he is out, we must hi–
Suddenly his thoughts were interrupted as a voice sounded behind him. It was a low and almost distorded voice, yet still quite high-pitched, like belonging to a child, but that didn't change anything to how cold it was.
???: Well hello there...
The man stopped suddenly, his eyes widened and he stopped breathing. He started to sweat and slowly turned his head. Behind him, sitting casually on a rock was the boy covered in blood, with a sweet smile on his face and bright yellow eyes that slowly and calmly observed the man.
He didn't move at all, like nothing was wrong, like he didn't feel nor cared about the liters of blood on him. The man was petrified, he was dead. There was no negotiation, no chance of running away, and absolutely no way in hell that he could fight him.
The boy was just waiting for him to do something, with this innocent smile on his face. It was even more horrifying for the man: the boy never smiled. Never. He didn't know what to do.
Man: A-Are you... going t-to kill m-me ?
Lex: Obviously. Are you stupid ?
The boy deadpanned like it was the most obvious thing in the world. He didn't seem to be bothered at all by what he said, like he was talking about the weather.
There was just silence between the two. The smell of burnt flesh started to spread around them, with the smoke still going higher in the sky. The animals were long gone, and there wasn't any human around to do anything either.
Man: W-What are you waiting for?! Just kill me already then!
The boy just stared at him, before a soft chuckle escaped his mouth.
Lex: Heheh... I just wanted to talk you know? Being alone is quite troublesome. Trust me, I know... And since you're going to die anyway, I just thought we could chit-chat a little.
The smile never left his face and his eyes were fixed on the man. He wasn't as nice as he may have looked. He wasn't just a little boy now, he was a predator, and as such his eyes were never distracted from is prey. He didn't even blink once since the start of this conversation, and he didn't need to, he was able to keep his eyes open for quite some time before feeling the need to blink. He didn't let the man have a chance to run, he kept his eyes on him.
As for the prey, he didn't know what to do anymore. He was dead, he knew it, but he couldn't accept it. He wanted to find a way, so he looked for possible escape routes. He thought that if he could distract the boy a little, he would be able to run, so he hesitantly opened his mouth.
Man: F-Fine... What do you want to talk about ?
Lex: I don't know. Surprise me
The man gulped, it was now that everything would either go really good or really bad for him. He already knew what to do thanks to the information he got before, he just hoped that it would work. He started to look behind the boy, as if someone was behind him, and opened and closed his mouth a few times before faking a shocked expression on his face and whispering a name.
Man: L-Lily...?!
The moment the name escaped his mouth, the boy's body tensed and he blinked before turning around in confusion and with a slight despair. He didn't realize what he was doing until he did it. When he turned around, all he could see was the entrance to the Laboratory, his hell. He saw the smoke, the fire, the blood and the bodies of the scientists and guards that tortured him for years. In his head, memories came crushing at him. His life in the Underground city, his mother, Eve, how they died in his arms, how he was taken away, how they used him as a toy and a lab rat for years. He didn't know how long he was lost in his memories, but he eventually regained his senses, his head immediately turned back at an extraordinary speed, and in front of him was nothing. The man was gone.
He started to shake, his whole body tensed. His hands formed fists, and his nails were planted in his palms, blood slowly dripping. He closed his eyes and growled. He slowly stood up from the rock, and breathed heavily. When he opened his eyes, the yellow that was a little dull just before was shining brightly. He has been tricked. This piece of garbage used his mom's death to escape. His eyes were burning.
Burning in hatred.
He was often confused about his feelings. He just forgot what they were at some point, he didn't know what each emotion meant, and he didn't know if he was feeling them or not anymore. And then he would feel them in his visions, which left him wondering on his own emotions.
Eventually, his brain decided to divide his emotions so that he wouldn't lose his mind while wondering about it. Like with a switch, he would go from a "normal" kid to a cold-blooded monster. One second he would be able to smile and joke even if it was fake, and the other he would pierce your chest and remove your heart from it with his own hands. He learnt to feel again bit by bit while he was waiting for the opportunity to escape so that he could live to the fullest.
But right now, at this very moment, he knew. He knew very well what he felt and what it meant. His mouth opened, and out of it came a shocking roar that echoed in the entire forest. The hatred, the rage and the bloodlust were all mixed in his roar, and it made it even stronger.
Lex: RRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGHHHHHH!!!
All the animals left in the forest started to hide behind the trees, under the rocks, in the water, everywhere. The instinct inside of their head was screaming at them to do so. If they came in contact with the thing that roared, only one thing could happen to them. Death. So they hid, they ran, using everything they had. It was possible to see wolves run with deers next to them. A temporary truce was installed in the forest for all animals. They had one thing in common: they wanted to live.
As for the prey that was the target of the roar, he was running for his life with tears in his eyes. He still had a hand on his stomach and was letting a trail of blood behind him, but that didn't matter. He couldn't stop, not anymore, not after what he did. He already knew what would happen but he had to try anyway. When he heard the roar, he was already away from the boy, and he didn't stop for one second, but he almost tripped from the killing intent he felt. He was terrified of what would happen to him, and could only hope that he would be able to run in time.
When he saw the horses that they hid in case of danger, he started to feel hope again. He ran as quickly as he could and mounted a horse before running away faster than ever. He saw it. His chance of escaping. He started to smile when he felt eyes staring at the back of his head. He gulped and was petrified, but eventually he managed to slowly turn his head and he looked up in the tree.
The boy was crouched high in the trees, with branches and leaves in front of him. He was hidden, but he could see them. His eyes. Inbetween the leaves, two piercing yellow dots were looking right at him, right at his very soul. At this moment, he forgot the one thing that could have saved him : never look at the boy in the eye for too long. He suddenly tensed, and his body stopped moving, like he was paralysed, and then it hit him. The pain. He started to scream in despair and fell from his horse.
Never in his life did he scream so much, the pain was just too much for him to endure. He always wondered what the persons who looked at the eyes of the boys felt, but now he wished he didn't, it felt horrible. Was that what the boy felt all this time ? Was that what they were doing to him ? How was he able to live with it, to not scream, to not become crazy. If he wasn't dying, he would almost be amazed by the boy.
As for the boy, he was slowly walking toward the man, eyes still burning in a yellow fire. He kneeled next to the man still screaming in pain and seized his head by the chin and turned him to look at his eyes. He stared right at him and suddenly felt his consciousness fade.
The both of them stopped moving, one laying on the ground, the other kneeling, both of them staring at each other's eye.
Lex POV
I slowly opened my eyes and saw that I was in the Void. I stood up and walked toward the body of the scientist. Thinking he could run, after what he did, not on my watch. Not now not ever. However, before making him pay for his crimes and sins, before liberating the world from him, I have to see if he knows anything valuable.
I finally stood on top of him and turned his head toward me. Eye contact. I learnt that it was the key to most of my abilities linked to the Void. Maybe with training I could develop them further, but for the moment it's good enough I guess. I opened his eyes, stared at them, and I felt myself fading again. Now that I am in the Void, I have control.
One of the most practical things with the Void is that time seems to stop flowing in the real world when I am inside. I can take the time to do what I need to and return to the forest before someone or something finds me, though it depends on how I feel. Everything in the Void is about willpower. If I was weak, I wouldn't be able to do anything, but right now I am feeling really good and I can feel it, the power inside of me.
When I opened my eyes again, I was not myself anymore. I already did it so many times and it is still weird. I am reliving his life, all of it. Years and years of being someone else, not having control over the body you are in. It is confusing, frustrating, a strange experience, but I have to do it nonetheless. I could see him in his childhood, his life choices, I could feel what he felt. From his birth to his encounter with me. I want to be able to chose how much I see, but I am not able to do that just yet, more things to train later.
Once I finished and I saw what I needed to see, I woke up in the Void again, in front of the body. At first I was a little overwhelmed with the amount of information that flooded my brain, but I have already grown used to it by now. I just sat there in silence, calmly stacking the years of mind age that I just took, putting useful knowledge to use and erasing what isn't important. After a little less than an hour, I finally could stand up and looked at him again. Overall, he isn't that bad of a person. He is kind to his family and friends, he sometimes donates to orphans. But he is corrupted. He didn't do bad things, but he didn't stop people from doing it either, he experimented on me and thought of me as a freak that needed to be killed, never once imagining what it was like to be me. His crimes could be atoned with a quick death, but he defiled her name. He used her like they used me, and that is an unforgiveable crime, a sin. The greatest sin.
I closed my eyes to go back to the real world. I learnt to enter and exit the Void at will, even though it hurts everytime, I have to get used to it and I felt worse so it's passable. This not only allows me to control my abilities, but also makes me stronger, so it's a win-win situation, with a lot of pain involved, but still.
When I exit the Void naturally, I am welcomed by the warm light that creates a safe way out. When I force my way in and out of it by myself, my body burns and aches. That's how it works in the Void, like I didn't suffer enough in my life, or was it lives ?
And here is the pain. It suddenly felt like my whole body was burning and needles were planted everywhere at the same time. My brain was pounding as well, like I had a major headache. I felt like hours have passed when it has only been a few seconds and suddenly the pain stopped with a thud.
I finally opened my eyes again, and this time I was in the forest again, with the body of the man in front of me. He isn't dead yet, just unconscious, and I already decided on his punishment. It's an ability that I never used before but I have a grasp of it already, so it should be fine. And I need to test it on someone sooner or later, so I guess I will use him, besides since he insulted Mom, he more than deserve this pain. Using my eyes again, I depict myself sending him in an endless nightmare loop where he will live his fears again and again until death comes. His body is completely immobile now, and nobody will be able to wake him up unless fate wants otherwise.
I tried to check on him to see if it worked by looking at his eyes, and I can feel it, the fear, the tears, the power that clouds his mind. If he ever manages to get out of this alive, he should be clean of sins by then I suppose, I should test that later, see what happens when someone gets out.
When I stood up, I felt something on my face and lifted my hand to touch my cheeks. I look at my hand and see blood. My eyes are bleeding again. Great...
Lex: *sigh* I overused my eyes today, I need to rest...
Unlike when I spoke to the man, I notice that my voice is much softer and quieter, this is the result of the switch, I don't need to scare the animals when they did nothing wrong by leaking out killing intent. I had the voice of a kid again, it is always weird. With all the time I passed in the Void and in the visions, I often forget my own age. The only indications are the date in the real world and my physical appearance. I don't even know who I am. How pathetic...
I looked around and finally took the time to appreciate the landscape. When I left the laboratory earlier, I was focused on this survivor, but now I can explore. I walked toward the horse that he wanted to use to escape. What a beautiful animal, she has a pure white fur and looks gentle, slowly and gracefully eating the grass. I lift my hand to caress her neck and I can feel a smile on my face, a genuine one, how rare... How pleasant... It's been a long time since I genuinely smiled, I like the feeling.
Lex: I wonder if humans have changed, even a little bit... Have I changed ?...
I don't really know what to feel right now to be honest. I am finally free, I can do whatever I want, I can go around and save people like I promised my mom and Eve. But I wanted to die and I can go in peace now if I want to, nobody can stop me. What should I do now ? Live or die ?
Well, it doesn't really matter for now I guess. I will first see what it's like to live up there, maybe the world isn't as corrupted as I first thought. I have to see it with my own eyes, I can't trust the Void with the world I live in. A possibility is just that, a possibility, one among many others. First, I want to know everything about this forest.
Once again, I feel a smile on my face. Maybe this journey will be pleasant. Maybe I will have fun and meet good people. Maybe life isn't so bad after all. Maybe I am not as empty as I thought I was. With that I start to walk in the forest, feeling it's existence, the trees, the plants, the dirt everything.
●──● Timeskip 1 month ●──●
Narrator POV
It has been a month since Lex escaped the Lab and started exploring the land around the forest, and multiple things happened.
During his short stay in the forest, he learned and sharpened the basics of survival with the help of the memories he collected during his life. He taught himself how to use the environment, use his senses, live low on food and water, hunt, cook with nothing at hand, live with the wildlife... It was one of the most pleasant experience for him, because he finally felt alive.
He wasn't in pain all the time like before, he actually felt happy. The last time he felt this happy was when he was with his mother and his friend, with people that he loved and that loved him. In the middle of the forest, alone, he felt like he was in peace. In peace with nature, with the trees, with the animals, with himself. For once in his life since he lost his loved ones, he didn't want to die. He liked the fact that he was alive, and that meant a lot for Lex.
After that, Lex started travelling with the horse he found the day he escaped, he had a new friend, a real friend. He named her Snowflake because of her beautiful white fur. He and Snowflake would travel, stop to eat, drink and rest, and then travel again, in search of interesting things to see and do, of people to meet. He never forgot about what he had to do, and he would go and meet other human beings to judge the worth of mankind. He really wanted to save people like his mother and Eve wanted him to, but he wanted to do it his way. Not every person was worth saving according to Lex, and he would save the innocents only.
He knew that not everything was all white or all black, humans were grey. Good and evil were two sides of a coin, in a balance that cannot be broken. But at this point of his life, he has suffered more than he has felt joy, and as such his mind is clouded by this pain. He lost his beacon of light when his mother died. When he had found hope again with Eve, he lost it. Then he was locked up and experimented on for years and years. Even if he had thousands of years of visions, he would still be a young boy, a lost one.
All he really needed was to slowly erase the pain by having happy memories, but he didn't have those for now, so he was taking it slowly.
After a month of travel, he finally found his first village, his first reconnection with human civilization. He was now on his horse, slowly advancing toward the village.
Lex POV
After I left Snowflake near the stable at the entrance of the village, I started to walk toward the main street where I could already see multiple people living their lives.
When I looked around I could see and feel the life of everyone. They were all so similar and yet so different from each other, and they were all connected. It was like a gigantic web of life connected to multiple dots of different shapes and colors, slowly flowing without anyone noticing it. It was really beautiful.
At my left and right I could see different stands with merchants selling their goods to the villagers with smiles on their faces. Fruits, vegetables, meat, toys, clothes, accessories, everything really.
Lex: I will need clothes and food soon, but I don't have any money to buy anything. What should I do ? Would someone be willing to give me a job even though I am a child ? Do I have to steal again ? Mom always said that I should never do that...
As I was silently listing what I needed to do, I continued to look around while walking. I can feel the happiness from where I stand. The adults laughing and drinking, the children running and playing with each other and their mothers. I think I needed that. To be surrounded by joy, even if I wasn't personally part of it. I like it, maybe those villagers aren't corrupted by the cruelty of the world. Maybe the humans really changed.
Then I noticed two people walking next to each other with rifles in their hands. So the Military Police Brigade also has soldiers in a deserted village like this, though there isn't much of them so I guess we aren't close to where they normally do their job, or there isn't much crime here. I will need to head to the Districts of the Walls sooner or later so I will get to see them anyway.
The soldiers could easily be seen among the villagers because of their uniforms. They had white shirts with white pants, brown boots that reached the knees with brown straps around the thighs, waist and going up to the chest. Over the white shirt was a lighter brown vest with the symbole of their military branch on their front pocket, shoulders and back. The MP (Military Police) symbole consisted of a shield divided in four with a cross surmounted by a green unicorn head with a white mane.
???: Hey, did you hear about what happened to the Mosterner's ?
Lex: Hmm?
My attention was piqued by the conversation that two men were having a little over the street. My boosted senses are really useful honestly, though it would have been better if I didn't have to feel like my head exploded the first months. Hearing almost everything can be tiring, and I had to learn to limit my senses to not be driven to madness.
Man-2: No, I just came back from Trost to sell some goods. What happened ?
Man-1: This morning they were found dead in their house. The officers came to investigate and they found out that they died fighting with wounds and all. They didn't find the little Mia either. God help her, poor girl. They told us to look for her.
Man-2: And they don't have a single clue ? What is the point of them being here if it's just to say that they died and that we must look for the girl ourselves. Poor Mia, Gods.
Man-1: I don't know, they wouldn't say anything else, but I think that they just don't wanna bother. Useless bunch I tell you. All that training in the military camps and they end up as lazy as dogs. I think that Mark is looking into it as well, I hope that he will find the culprits quickly.
Man-2: Yeah, a good lad that one, strong too. I will look around as well to see if I can find anything. That girl doesn't deserve any of this.
Lex: ...
My eyes are narrowed now, and I can feel my blood boil. I nearly forgot, all this happiness drowned me and I forgot. Humans never change, they just hide deeper. Fuck.
Before looking for a job I will have to see if I can find this Mia. If this is like the Underground city, then the fuckers who killed her parents will try to sell her to some fat assed nobles. I walk toward a wall at the side of the street and lean against it in order to not be in the way.
First I need to find the said house, and I can't just go around and ask, people would suspect me and I would have troubles just walking around. I close my eyes and inhale calmly before extending my senses around the village. The easiest way is by looking for the smell of blood. I can find multiple traces of blood in the village, the smaller ones being simple wounds like cuts, not worth the effort. This big smell of blood however is more interesting, but is it the house ? Maybe it's the said killers. I guess I'll just have to check it for now.
I lean off the wall and start to walk toward the biggest source of blood I could find. People around look at me weirdly when I passed by. Fair enough I suppose, my clothes are shattered and dirty, it's like I have lived in a forest for months and it isn't entirely wrong.
I swiftly climb onto a roof to have a better view of the situation once I am close enough, and I can see it. The house isn't different from the others, but the windows are shattered and there is a smell of blood. Some soldiers are around as well.
Lex: I need to find a way in. Maybe I will pick a scent.
I look around and find a back entrance with nobody around. I silently get off the roof and sneak around the soldiers. I look around to confirm that there is nobody and go in. There is a lot of blood on the floor but no corpse, so I guess they already took them. I close my eyes for a moment and put my right fist on top of my heart while silently praying.
Lex: May your souls rest in peace. I swear I will find your daughter and save her for you.
I open my eyes again and observe the scene. A lot of broken objects are scattered around and some of them have some dried blood. So the couple really fought them with what they found, and managed to wound them as well. That makes it easier for me, good job. From the way everything is placed, I can guess where the killers came from, how they moved around and how they killed the couple, but all of that is quite irrelevant at the moment. I need to focus on Mia
Now is there something that belongs to the daughter ? If I can get her scent I can just go directly for her. Gosh I sound like a dog...
As I was looking around, I sensed someone approaching behind me and swiftly hid in the corner of the room. I hear some noises before a young man gets in and starts looking for clues as well, like I did. Maybe he is that Mark guy. I silently watch him for a few minutes and decide to interact with him. If he knew them, he can help me find something that belonged to Mia, and then we can easily save her, though I could do it alone, it could be good to see if there are strong people I should know about. I can use some help later when I deal with the real danger.
Narrator POV
Mark heard about what happened to the Mosterner's and their daughter, and he was angry. Their village was really peaceful, and everybody knew everybody that lived in it. He was especially found of Mia and her family. They were really good people, helping when they could, and Mia was just a sunshine in the village. She was seen running around with her friends, smiling and laughing all the time. And now he heard that not only were they killed, but Mia was missing, and the officers were just pretending to care, and that pissed him off.
He came to their house to look into it by himself, because he knew that the soldiers wouldn't help, and he was quite confident in his own abilities. He was a strong young man, trained by his mother and father at a young age on how to use his body to move efficiently and how to fight. He dreamed of being a scout once, but let that dream go when he decided to protect his village instead. He wouldn't give up until he found what happened and then, he would deliver justice for Mia and her family.
He was looking around the house for any clues or indication of where Mia could be so that he could go save her when he heard a voice behind him.
Lex: Found anything ?
His reflexes kicked in and he quickly turned around with a high kick directed to the head of the person behind him. His senses were triggered, and he knew that he would have to fight. At the moment his kick was about to reach its target, Lex's hand grabbed it and stopped it quite easily. Mark's eyes widened at the strength of the grip of this young boy in front of him. His instincts were telling him to run but he knew that he couldn't right now, so he decided to buy time by talking.
Mark: Who are you ?
After seeing how Mark reacted to the situation, Lex found himself smiling and gently released the leg that was just in front of his head.
Lex: Not bad at all, he can be useful. Hey ! You can call me Lex.
Mark stepped back a little after his leg was released by the boy and looked at him. He was young, 10 or 11 year old give or take, though he was quite tall. He had night black hair and beautiful yellow eyes that were looking at him calmly, with a smile on his face. He had a simple white shirt and black pants, both in pieces, revealing his pale skin, some scars and some dried blood too by the looks of it.
He looked innocent and he was young, but Mark knew that he couldn't judge him like a normal kid. Why ? Two reasons. First, the way he stopped his kick was way too easy. He knew how strong his kick was, and the boy didn't even flinch when he grabbed his leg midair which shows that he is just as strong as him, if not more. Second, his stance. He wasn't just standing, he was ready to fight if need be, and he could fight well. There was no opening to exploit, no way to surprise him with a fast attack.
Mark: Why are you here ? What do you want ?
Lex simply smiled and looked at Mark for a while. He was a fighter too, quite decent, and he was still young. His stance could be better but he surely had the advantage against most people in this village.
Lex: I came to investigate and find the missing girl. I propose that we work together, what do you say ?
Lex decided to see how Mark would react to a situation where he has to make decisions. He didn't know yet what he would do in the future but he needed allies, and Mark was a potential ally. It was some kind of test to see his abilities. He didn't really look for quantity even if more people would be nice, but he still had time for that, no, what he needed now was a few qualified people.
Mark looked at the boy with narrowed eyes. He was just too suspicious, coming in here with ripped clothes and blood, stopping his kick and asking for help. But he needed to find Mia, and if the boy could find her, then it would be for the best. Besides it is quite evident that he isn't from the Military Police Brigade by his clothes, though it could be a disguise. If worst come to worst, he would fight after he found Mia.
Mark: Alright, how do you propose we find her ? I looked around and there is nothing, and I'm sure you looked around too seeing that you're here, but since you didn't leave I guess you're not that advanced either. How are we supposed to find her even if we cooperate ?
Lex's smile became a grin and he seemed pleased. Not only is this Mark a good fighter but he's also smart and make quick decisions in difficult situations. This is a tragic event, but he was glad that he found someone like that, he could be quite useful later and he seemed nice too.
Lex: I have quite an advanced sense of smell, I came here because I smelled blood and I heard what happened by some villagers talking. I can find Mia should we find something that belonged to her. You can think of it like how a dog would find someone by sniffing around, though I advise you not to call me a dog because I can and will hurt you.
Mark: ...
Mark looked at Lex like he had three heads and came to his senses after a few seconds.
Mark: Alright, I can find something that belonged to Mia, then you can use your do–
Lex's eyes narrowed and the air in the room became slightly colder. Mark quickly realized his mistake and corrected himself with a drop of sweat on his forehead.
Mark: D-Developed... sense of smell to find her. Yeah, that...
Lex made an eye-closed smile and followed Mark as he sighed in relief and started looking around for something that belonged to Mia. They were silently moving in the house and finally, Mark stopped and crouched to reach for something that was on the floor. He stayed like that for a little bit before turning around and extending his hand to Lex.
Mark: Here, this is Mia's favorite toy. She had it on her almost all the time so her smell should be on it.
Lex looked at the toy horse. It was a plush of a white horse with big blue eyes and a smile. The horse was wearing a cute shirt and little socks. He could smell something on the toy, something different from the materials used for the toy. He guessed that was Mia's smell so he put the toy in front of his nose and inhaled while closing his eyes.
He put his arms at each sides of his body, with the toy still in hand and extended his senses like earlier, this time following the smell of Mia. He could feel it, the smell left a trail from the house to somewhere else and was mixed with a few other smells that he supposed was the killers'. He looked where the train went and found Mia not far outside the village moving away quite quickly. He opened his eyes and looked at Mark to find him waiting nervously, probably wondering if he could really find Mia.
Lex: I found her, she's outside of the village. I think that she's in a carriage and we should be able to catch up with them if we take horses. I have my Snowflake at the entrance of the village, what about you ?
Mark looked surprised that Lex really found Mia with just a smell for a moment, but even though he still had his doubts, he knew that he had to act anyway. His face turned serious and his eyes showed determination.
Mark: I have a horse near the entrance as well, let's go before they get too far for you to find them.
Both of them left the house quietly and then ran to the entrance of the village. The people that looked at them were worried because they all knew Mark, and if he was in a hurry with such a serious expression on his face, then it meant that something important was happening. They didn't know the boy with him, but if they were together, then it meant he was good too in their charts. Some men and women that didn't have anything to do actually followed them to help if they could. Lex noticed that and couldn't help but feel glad that they would help each other without questions like that. Humanity was not entirely corrupted, there are still good souls.
Once they got to the entrance, they both ran to their own horses and mounted them in a hurry. Mark advanced near Lex and waited for him to go but Lex just waited and looked toward the village.
Mark: What are you doing ? Let's go !
Lex just smiled at him.
Lex: Wait just a second.
Mark turned his gaze toward the village to see the people running toward them and was curious of what they were doing when Lex started to talk loudly for everyone to hear him.
Lex: We're going to get Mia ! We know where she is and that there are people with her ! If you want to help, you can follow us, but be aware that this isn't a safe travel, you can be injured and you can be killed !
Everyone was a little stunned by the words that came out of the kid's mouth but some of them already expected it and walked to their horses. Mark saw this and understood what was going on quickly, but he was a little worried about it, so he came near Lex and whispered to him.
Mark: *whisper* Are you sure about this ? They don't know how to fight...
Lex: *whisper* I know, they won't have to. You and I are more than enough.
Mark: *whisper* Then why ?
Lex just smiled at him, still watching the people that mounted their horse, and once they were done he suddenly turned around and caressed Snowflake's neck gently.
Lex: Let's go for a ride Snowflake.
Lex then started to ride toward Mia's smell with Mark and 5 other people following closely behind him. They rode like that for 20 minutes without stopping when they started to see something in front of them. Lex started shouting.
Lex: We're close ! You will all follow them from a distance to not get caught ! When they stop, surround them and stay hidden, should one of them pass us, try to deal with them until we get to you, though we should be fine ! When you hear a whistle, you can all come out ! Mark, you're with me !
Lex then derived from the group and started to go faster, his gaze still on the carriage in front of them. The adults were surprised that Lex commanded them but still listened since Mark trusted him. Mark himself was a little surprised but still followed Lex, thinking that if he could find Mia, then he could think of plans to get Mia without getting anyone killed.
Their horses started to outrun the carriage since they weren't going too fast, and Mark got worried of what they were doing.
Mark: Lex ! They're behind us !
Lex: I know what I am doing, just follow me !
They were surrounded by a forest with a single road that the carriage was currently using. Lex and Mark want forward and forward until the carriage wasn't visible anymore. Lex suddenly stopped Snowflake and quickly jumped and ran toward the tree nearest to the road, Mark closely following.
Mark: What now ?!
Lex: Now, we stop them. When I damage it, push the tree !
Lex stopped in front of a tree, the road right behind him, and inhaled. He clenched his fist and arched his right arm back. Mark was on the other side of the tree, still doubtful of what they were doing. Lex closed his eyes and inhaled one last time before suddenly opening them and throwing his fist toward the tree . His arm came crushing at the tree with incredible force, and a loud noise echoed, surprising Mark. Lex slowly pulled his arm from the tree where now stood a hole that cracked the base of the tree. When Mark saw the tree swaying slightly, he understood that it was his turn and put both his hand on the tree, inhaling before pushing with all his might with a scream.
The tree, already damaged, started to fall once Mark pushed it and started to slowly fall across the road with a loud thud that made some bird nearby fly.
Mark: Now what ?!
Lex: Now, we wait and we strike, I got the right.
Mark nodded and hid behind some bushes at the left side of the road, with Lex doing the same on the other side of the road. They both waited in silence, not making any noise that could reveal their position. After a while, they saw the carriage come closer and closer until it stopped in front of the tree and some voices could be heard.
???: There is a tree on the road, we can't get across without moving it !
???: Oh for fuck's sake, why the hell is there a tree here ?
???: Don't know, don't care, move it already !
Lex and Mark saw three people climbing off the carriage and moving toward the tree. Mark then looked at Lex and saw him show three fingers at the men, and then two at the carriage. Understanding that it is the number of ennemies, he asked him how they will attack, and Lex pointed at him and then at the carriage, before pointing at himself and the tree men by the tree. Mark nodded and started to discretely move around the carriage.
While Mark went to the two persons in the carriage, Lex slowly observed the three men. He had to be quick and to strike precisely if he wanted to avoid death or an injury. He concentrated and prepared himself for the fight, his yellow eyes starting to slowly become brighter.
The three men started to push the trunk of the tree to let the carriage continue on its way while Lex continued to observe them. Two had a gun on their waist, the other had a knife, but they were all focusing on pushing the tree so if he was fast enough he could get to them before they reached their weapons. He breathed steadily and focused on his next course of action, his hands stretching. When he saw them aligned he took one last breath before jumping in.
He suddenly jumped out of his hiding place, running fastly toward the closest man while they still didn't see him. He stretched his right hand and in a quick motion took the gun from the waist of the man before swinging his left fist toward the man's jaw. The man started to fall from the impact while Lex used him as a stepping stone to jump over the second guy and falling right on the third man's head with both his feet, throwing the first man's head to the ground at the same time. While the first and third men were falling still confused and stunned, Lex turned around, his left hand stretched out and hit the back of the second man's head with the handle of the gun. He kneeled and took the second gun before kicking the third man with the knife in the stomach, causing him to growl. Lex took a few steps back and cocked the guns toward the men, waiting for them to move.
The first and second one seemed uncounscious while the third one was in so much pain from the kicks that he couldn't do anything but whine on the ground. He still aimed at them when he heard some crushing sound behind him and then silence. He kept an eye on the guys while he used his senses to see that Mark beat the other 2 and was getting out with Mia. He started to talk without looking back.
Lex: Hey, Mark ! Got some rope ?!
Mark turned his head to see the kid with two guns and three grown up adults on the ground. He couldn't even find it funny.
Mark: *sigh* Yeah yeah ! Coming !
Mia: *whisper* M-Mark, who's this ?
Mark: *whisper* Some kind of super-dog kid I think. His name is Lex.
Lex: I heard you, bastard !
Both Mia and Mark chuckled before they went looking for ropes. Lex simply sighed and smiled a little bit, it was fun to interact like this with people, he missed it. He put one of the guns in his waist and bringed his hand to his mouth. He loudly whistled to say that they took care of the danger, and he didn't need two guns anyway, one was more than enough.
After a few dozens seconds, the 5 people that came with them appeared, followed by their horses, and all looked in shock to Lex aiming a gun to the three men.
Lex: Can any of you bind them ? Let's see what they have to say before we give them back to the useless officers. One of them has a knife, take that away from him.
Two of the men that came chuckled and started to walk toward the unconscious men at the same time Mark and Mia came back with ropes. A couple adults saw this and rushed to hug Mia with some tears, happy to see that she was safe, while Mark threw the rope to the men so that they can bind the prisoners and walked toward Lex who was putting the second gun away.
Mark: So, good fight ?
Lex glared at Mark after hearing him talk.
Lex: Don't think for a second that I forgot your super-dog kid shit.
Mark chuckled nervously before he saw the grin on the kid's face.
Lex: And it was a shitty fight, they were done before they could do anything.
Mark: Yeah, well super-kid isn't so wrong now is it ? How are you even this strong ?
Lex: I drink milk.
Mark: Oh yeah, now that explains it.
Mark retorks sarcastically, causing the both of them to laugh a little. It was quite a peaceful mood between the two, as if they were friends since a long time ago. They were both looking at the tied up bandits.
Mark: Now what ?
Lex: Now we interrogate them, then everybody goes home.
Mark: Where's your home ?
Lex: I travel, might stay at your village for a bit though, to gain some money and live like an actual human being.
Mark: Wanna stay with me ? I can introduce you to some people and give you a roof to stay under while you're here.
Lex: That would be really nice of you Mark, thanks.
Lex smiled a bit at Mark's offer and started to think about how he would enjoy his stay here.
●──● Timeskip 5 months ●──●
Narrator POV
After arresting the kidnappers, Lex and the villagers managed to interrogate them and discovered that they were comissioned by some random noble kid to take Mia because he took a liking to her, the parents being " mere collateral damage", which earned them some punches from everyone. They managed to get both Mia and the money from them without getting anyone injured and gave the kidnappers to the Military Police Brigade when they got back to the village.
After that, Lex learned to live among humans again for 5 months and deepened his understanding of his own emotions. He got little jobs, helped people with their chores and basically became known in the village as the nice boy. Everybody knew that he was also strong like Mark since he was the one to help Mia, and he kinda became her guardian after that. They always saw the two kids together and some adults were shipping for them, but they all knew that Lex would eventually leave since he wanted to travel, so they just let the kids be.
He collected as much money and information as possible, and trained the whole time, trying to improve his general power in fighting. Today was the day he would leave the village, and after five months spent here he took a liking to the nice villagers. They were all good to him, gave him presents when he helped them and just generally showed him a happy life. He was really grateful to Mark too all things considered, since it was thanks to him that he could live in peace for a while. After he packed everything he needed in a backpack, he slowly made his way to the entrance of the village while saying goodbye to everyone around him by waving or hugging some of them.
He changed his clothes since the last time too. He was wearing blue pants with black military-type boots, a white shirt with an opened black vest on top of it and a red scarf as an accessory around his neck, which he sewed himself with the help of Mia. He kept it because it was quite confortable and made him look good too, plus he was secretly happy that he managed to make it himself and wanted to keep it as a trophy of sort. His last accessory was the silver necklace that he kept hidden under his scarf to avoid losing it.
When he arrived at the entrance of the village, he could already see a big group of people, including Mark and Mia, all looking at him, waiting for him. He smiled and slowly walked toward them.
Lex: Hey.
Mark: So you're on your way huh ?
Lex: Yeah well, I finally got tired of your face.
Mark started laughing with a couple of other villagers, they were already used to Lex's humor, and were actually fond of him biting back every time he could, saying it made him look cute. Mia, who was behind Mark started to walk in front of Lex. She was a petite girl with light chestnut colored hair in a ponytail and beautiful blue eyes. She was wearing a little red dress with a white belt around the waist. When she finally arrived in front of Lex, she practically jumped at him to hug him tightly. Her eyes started watering.
Mia: *cry* D-Don't go...
Lex looked surprised for a second before he slowly wrapped his hands around the girl, rubbing her back to calm her down. He had a slim smile and started to talk to her.
Lex: *whisper* Hey Mia, it's okay. You're fine, you have Mark to look after you and the village is still here too. And besides, it's not goodbye, we will see each other again you know. I will visit you as soon as I come around here, pinkie promise.
He extended his right hand to Mia, showing his little finger to the girl. Mia took a step back and looked at the hand in front of her before looking up at the boy, and then down again, eyes still in tears. She presented her own finger to conclude the promise and slightly smiled before hugging him again.
Mia: You promised ! No going back ! If you don't come you're a liar !
Lex chuckled and hugged her again with a small smile of his own.
Lex: Yeah, I don't want to be a liar so I'll make sure to come back. And by the way, I have something for you.
Lex gave her a small box with a red ribbon while Mia was looking at it intently. She started to open it and looked inside, where she saw a necklace much like his but with a different design. The necklace he gave to Mia wasn't silver but gold, and it looked like a little sun, opposite to his moon necklace. She looked at it with awe and seemed really happy.
Mia: Thank you ! Thank you ! Thank you !
Lex: No problem Mia. Now we are connected by our necklace, so don't lose it okay ?
Mia: I won't ! Promise !
Lex smiled at her and finally started to walk to Snowflake, hugging and saying goodbye to everyone. After minutes of goodbyes he was on his horse and looking at Mark who was standing next to him.
Lex: I'll be going now Mark, don't forget what we talked about.
Mark: I know, I know, no need to remind me every damn hour, super-dog.
Lex: *groan* Mark, I swear to all the Gods that ever existed that I will be the one to kill you one day.
Mark: *laugh* Hahaha ! Sure, sure, whatever. On a more serious note though, don't worry, I know what I have to do. You can just travel as you want, I'll take care of it. But come back though, if you make Mia cry, I will make YOU cry.
Lex: *snort* Yeah, like you can do that. But I won't, don't worry.
Mark: Well, until next time then !
Lex: Yeah... See you later Mark.
Lex and Snowflake then started to ride away from the village, waving to the villagers that were still watching him leaving with a smile. He really liked it a lot in here, and he would make sure to come back no matter what. And here started his travel.
●──● Timeskip ●──●
Narrator POV
After a week and a few days of travel, Lex could now see Wall Maria since it was close to his position, and it's exactly where he was going. He intended to start his travel by going to the South District of Wall Maria, Shiganshina, and then he would go from there and see what he could find about the War to come.
He was now riding closer and closer to the Gate that would lead him to Shiganshina when he noticed a cabin surrounded by a fence on his right, about a few kilometer from where he was. By using his advanced sight to look closer, he managed to see three adult men at the front door with one of them knocking.
For a moment he thought he recognised them, but the movement of his horse and the distance prevented him from being sure, so as the paranoid 10 year old kid he was, he decided to see what this was about since delaying his journey for a few hours wasn't going to be a big problem for him anyway.
●─────● ꕤ ●─────●
Hi there ! First chapter is finally out and I hope that I am doing fine so far.
I try to make the reading as pleasant as possible, so if you encounter any mistakes, any discomfort or just something you don't like, please do not hesitate to tell me about it.
I will try to make it so that all the chapters of the story will make approximately 10,000 words just like this one because I don't want to rush the story. If you have an opinion about this, you can talk to me as well.
Anyway, thanks for reading my story.
Hope you enjoy it and tell me what you think about it so that I can improve it with you.