When he started regaining consciousness, his eyelids felt heavy. Dave felt as if a semi-truck had gone over his body, which might explain why he couldnt feel his legs and arms. It took some time, but eventually, his senses kicked in. For some reason, the first thing that his senses picked up was the smell of piss and shit in the air.
Slowly, he opened his eyes, his vision adjusting to the dim light. He found himself in an unfamiliar, poorly lit room. With some effort, he turned his head around to take in his surroundings.
There was a bronze jug and glass by his bedside, probably filled with water. The ceiling was not modern or decorated, he could see the bare stones above, revealing the crude construction of the floor above. His bed was not very comfortable, it was coarse, definitely not like what he was used to.
Where the hell am I?
Slowly, Dave pushed away the blanket from his body, only to realize with a jolt that he was completely naked. He pushed himself up and sat up straight on the bed. His arms looked disturbingly thin, as though he had withered during his time here. That could only mean one thing: he'd been in this place for quite a while.
Did someone rescue me from the execution and bring me here? He thought.
Then realized that It was not possible. No human technology could reverse the effects of being burned inside out.
Pushing his thoughts aside he tried to stand up. The unforgiving cold stone beneath his bare feet sent a chill up his spine, but his focus remained on the door in front of him. Staggering with every step he took, he somehow managed to reach the door, rotate the door knob, and pushed open the door.
The door creaked loudly as he pushed them, to reveal a hallway bathed in sunlight streaming through barred windows. The walls were lined with iron hold holding stubby candles, with veins of hardened wax covering the holder. A series of poorly drawn portraits hung along the corridor, but there wasn't another person in sight.
Should I call for help? He thought. But decided against it, as he realized that it was better to investigate on his own first.
There was a similar door to his, just a few steps away from him. He staggered his way to it, and pushed it open, only to see a woman working inside. The woman with her back to him was busy spreading a sheet over the bed. Her clothes were dull and poorly made, she looked rather sickly and thin.
"Ah!" she screamed with surprise, as she turned around to see him.
"Master Adui," she said, in shock. Then she put one of her hands between her eyes and his crotch, "You are awake," she said in a rather nervous way.
Dave on the other hand was taken aback. The woman's words made sense to him, even though the language was unfamiliar. The accent and dialect were unlike anything he had ever heard, yet he understood her perfectly.
He opened his mouth, to speak in the language of the woman, "Where…" Before he could speak anything else, he staggered and fell to his knees. Without missing a beat he asked, "Where is this?"
The maid's eyes widened with surprise, she started "MASTER! MISTRESS! HUBERT!" and then she went past him, leaving him on his knees. Too weak to follow or even make sense of her reaction, Dave collapsed, his body utterly drained. He lay there, staring blankly at the stone until darkness took over his eyes once more…
***
When Dave opened his eyes again, he found himself lying in a brightly lit room.
Was that all a dream? He thought. But then he found himself staring at the same ceiling that he had seen before. As his eyes regained their focus, he clocked that there were several people in the room with him.
"I dont think that this barren heap of shit gained back his intelligence," came a rather young and arrogant voice sneered. "He is a burden now and he will be a burden in the future as well," That voice infuriated him, for some reason. Still, curious about what was happening, he pushed himself up slowly, his muscles trembling from the effort, to look around the room.
It was then he was greeted by four people in the room. There was this middle-aged man, wearing shabby brown robes, with a few strands of grey hair on his head, standing on one side of the room, silently. This man had a rather short stature and looked kind of like a rat.
Then there was a strong brawny tall middled aged man, standing beside the foot of his bed. Wearing silks like that women wear, that man was giving him vibes, like he was a pervert. And then the middle-aged woman sitting on the other side of his bed, wearing silks as well. She looked like the typical alcoholic woman who was having an existential crisis.
Last but not least, there was an arrogant-looking teenager with long silky hair like the brawny man and woman staring at him from the other side of the room.
"Finally," the youngster spoke in a sarcastic tone, "The prince had woken up.. Quickly bring out the mead, it's time to celebrate,"
"Quiet now," the brawny man said, and then the youngster became quiet. Then the man then looked straight into Dave's eyes and said, "Is it true? Can you speak now?"
What the hell is that supposed to mean? The question confused him. Of course, I can speak. What does he mean 'now'?
Deciding to keep his answers short, until he understands what is happening here, he spoke, "I.. Am able to speak," he said in the unfamiliar language. Everyone in the room was surprised to hear his voice.
"Good," the brawny man said, "A burden finally lessened from this household."
"Burden will be a burden, no matter how skilled they get," the youngster from behind commented.
"This might be the miracle of Lord Itab," the woman spoke and then started praying while looking at the ground, weirding him out further.
Before he could ask what any of this meant, his gaze fell on his arms. They were thinner than he remembered, and their skin had darkened to a rich brown, matching the complexion of those around him. He never noticed that his skin color had changed.
Not only that, his hands, were smaller, almost childlike.
Have I transmigrated? The thought sent a jolt through his body.
He had read many stories about how people would get another chance of life if they died an early death. But he would have never ever thought that he would get that chance as well.
"Who are you people?" he asked, "What is this place?" Making the people in the room stunned by his question.
***
After two whole weeks of living in this place, Dave had peace with the fact that he had transmigrated.
The sad truth was that he had transmigrated into a very shitty world. This world resembled medieval England, complete with knights, nobles, and a king who ruled over everything. Diseases ran rampant here, and people had no idea about what hygiene is, or about pregnancy prevention methods
He now belonged to the Baron Hampshire family, the fourth of eight siblings. His "new" parents were the brawny man and woman he had seen during his second awakening, while the arrogant youngster making snide remarks had turned out to be his eldest brother.
Most people stank of a nauseating combination of piss, sweat, and other bodily odors. After just a short time enduring the absence of toilets or even a basic bidet, Dave had already felt like throwing in the towel.
He wanted to end for himself. One of the reasons is, that there was no thrill of killing anyone here. With a lack of proper forensic methods, there was no way the fools of this world would catch him. There was no intellectual challenge, no cat-and-mouse game to excite him. Without the rush of the hunt, he had no desire to unleash his dark side.
Sitting in the garden area of the manor, Dave was looking at the sunrise with his emotionless eyes. He had no reason to hide his true nature here. He wasn't just bored, he was fed up.
Now I get it. He thought, This is my purgatory. I have nothing to do, nor something to kill. It all made sense now.
His thoughts were disturbed when he saw people from the nearby village dragging with them a rather large boulder. About 21-24 people were dragging a 4-5 ton rock behind them. The worst part was, they were not using any proper method to drag it as well. They just have ropes attached to the boulder, and they were just pulling it.
Wouldn't it make more sense if they slid the rock on a bunch of logs? That would be more efficient.
Curiosity piqued, and he wondered what the boulder was for. Why are they bringing that thing here?
"Good," he heard a voice from behind, Dave turned to see the Lord of this household, his father, "Bring it in," The hard-working individuals complied. After the boulder was brought in, his father Lord Harold Hampshire paid the villagers some bronze coins and they went their way.
What a cheap bastard, Dave thought, frowning. There's no way that job was worth only a few bronze coins.
Bronze was the lowest denomination of currency in the world. Above it were silver, gold, and finally platinum. While a few bronze coins could sustain a small family for a month, splitting that among two dozen laborers was borderline insulting.
A few of those coins could get a family of four to get by for a month or so. But when comparing the amount of people doing the job, and the pay that would be divided amongst them, this was very low.
"Oye, Adui!" he turned towards his father, "Get inside. I am practicing here,"
He stood up and started walking at a leisurely pace. "Get moving you barren fuck!" his father yelled.
What the fuck do they mean by barren? He thought. He had his eldest brother call him that, along with his father and his mother. It was an insult, he knew, but what it meant was beyond him.
Maybe barren meant that I could not father any children. It was a plausible theory. He was an eleven-year-old boy, and according to this world's standard, he was eligible to get married. Usually, nobles marry around this age.
But as someone with a 21st-century mindset, Dave had no intention of engaging in anything remotely resembling a relationship with a minor. As for whether he could father children, he didn't even want to think about how these people might have come to that conclusion.
As he got inside, he was about to head to his room, where he would confine himself till it was time for supper. But a loud bang from outside made him stop in his tracks. He immediately turned around and peeked at the garden.
What he saw left him stunned.
His father stood in the garden, repeatedly punching the enormous boulder the villagers had brought earlier. With each strike, a faint blue glow emanated from his father's hands. The glow wasn't just confined to his fists, it radiated outward, diffusing through the entire garden a shimmering hue that had definitely not been there when Dave had been sitting outside.
His father was persistent with the punches, and soon he could see cracks forming on the boulder.
Not only are his arms not getting fractured, but his punches also have the power to form cracks in that boulder. That rock seems like granite, and could be said that it is one of the hardest rocks.
Dave was utterly captivated. His scientific curiosity, dormant since his arrival in this world, sparked to life. How was his father doing this? What was the mechanism behind the blue glow and the superhuman strength? His logical mind craved answers.
Then, as his thoughts deepened, an idea crossed his mind. A darker, sinister idea.
What would happen if I killed someone close to this so-called superhuman father of mine?
He mulled over the question with a slight smirk creeping onto his lips. His father's rage would undoubtedly be explosive. That possibility alone was enough to entertain him, making him smile for the first time since his arrival in this world…