Be sure to read the prologue before this chapter, it's not long and is the introduction to this chapter.
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Upon opening his eyes he was shocked to see a village, "Wha?... Where am I?" he looked down at himself and saw what seemed to be a younger body than what he was used to. His clothing was ragged and beaten, his body also carried faint bruises and marks.
"AGH!.." A sharp pain coursed throughout his brain and memories flooded in.
Hotaru Kentochi was the original owner of his new body. 5 years ago his father killed a portion of the village and to avoid being punished by the village he killed himself in front of his own child. And because the village couldn't get his father they chose to torment his child, and now 5 years later he is still ridiculed and labeled the child of a murderer. Often beaten and bullied by other kids and sometimes adults, he lives life in constant fear of one day being killed in his sleep by his village.
"H-Hotaru...Is that me?" He stood up from the old-looking wooden floor and looked around his small house shack.
"I feel much younger and look much smaller, he's currently 14 right now. And what a horrible life what father kills himself in front of a 9-year-old. Damned coward.." Daniel, now Hotaru opened the chipped and wooden door to his very small shack that could barely be called a home. Villagers instantly turned their heads to see the young teen stepping out his door for the first time in days, he looked fairly skinny and very pale. His dark hair looked dirty and his silver eyes looked like they held a deep grudge against them.
"Mom...It's him.." A small boy tugged on his mother's clothing and stared down the young boy. "Cover your eyes don't look at that monster, there's no telling when he'll turn like his father.."
The villagers had a hateful look on their faces as they stared him down, "Is this what this young boy had to deal with all this time?..how could they treat such a young boy like this? he's also really skinny I'm surprised he's lived this long.." Reality then hit him as he realized why the previous owner of the body died, "So that's why he died...due to hunger." Hotaru sighed and tried to ignore the stares as he walked by everyone.
Hotaru walked into the nearby forest a man yelled, "I HOPE YOU DIE IN THERE!" He just ignored him and kept walking.
Inside the forest, he saw some nearby berries and ate them. "These are so good! I'm glad they're not poisonous." After eating the entire batch of berries he walked over to a large tree stump and took a seat.
"If I want to survive in this unknown world, I have to get stronger...that reminds me. Just what world is this? I could look into this guy's memories but it might not tell me much."
Inside the village, an old man with a short beard and long mustache was talking with two other men.
"We need to get that boy out of this village, it's causing too many problems and the people are complaining."
"I understand sir, but didn't you make a deal with his father to protect him if he died?"
"I did, but that was years ago the boy's 14 he can take care of himself..." The old man replied.
"I understand, so when are we executing this plan?"
"Soon." The old man closed his eyes and turned to walk, the other two also started to walk after him.
"That boy is dangerous...what if he just snaps like his father and kills us all?! My children are terrified!" a woman yelled at the old man, complaining about Hotaru.
"YEAH! Kick him out of the village already it's been 5 years he can live on his own somewhere else!" A villager added.
"Sigh~ we understand and have decided to remove the boy from our village. We already showed him mercy by not killing him, so it's only for the best." His old and weak-sounding voice resonated throughout the villager's ears and they soon smiled and celebrated.
"FINALLY! That monster child can just die off somewhere else.."
Currently, Hotaru is in the forest completely oblivious to the village's plans to remove him from the village.
He was currently struggling to even run, "Jesus...how weak is this guy? Even me in my old body could run this short of a distance!"
Hotaru ran through the forest, ducking and dodging trees. But from running only a short distance he was tired and couldn't run anymore.
"Gah! His stamina is horrible along with his strength and speed!" Hotaru would pick up a heavy branch and try to curl it like a weight but struggled to even lift it from the ground. "I need some meat on my bones or something! I can't even lift a branch."
After struggling for a full hour he finally gave in and headed back to the village, his body exhausted.
But approaching him was the village chief and some villagers behind him. "I'm sorry boy...but from this point on you are banished from this village."
Hotaru was shocked by the sudden banishment, 'It's only my first day here..'
"What...why?"
"I think you know why..." the old man replied.
"JUST LEAVE ALREADY!" one man in the small crowd said, before chunking a glass liquor bottle at him.
Hotaru covered his eyes as the glass shattered beneath his feet. He then looked up to see the villager's eyes, they all hated him and despised him for something his father did.
"I never did anything wrong! SO WHY? IT WAS MY FATHER'S DOINGS! I never did a single thing for 5 years! that should tell you that I'm innocent!" Hotaru lashed out at the people but this only made them scared.
"L-LOOK! HE'S BECOMING JUST LIKE HIS FATHER! EVERYONE RUN HE'S GONNA KILL US ALL!"
The people ran and screamed, and the children suddenly started to cry.
Hotaru just looked at the ground, "....Sigh~" he then turned back around walked back into the forest, and just left the village.