Why was he alive?

This was the question he woke up to, the sole question that rang in his head like a consistently pushed doorbell. It was the sound that stirred him awake, it was the sound that continued to ring after his death. The sound that followed him to the afterlife.

And so it was with a twitch of his eyelids and flexing fingers did he finally truly regain consciousness, a raspy groan escaped his mouth as he began to sit up from the now dried and rough pavement, the aching of his back only increasing from the 'accommodations' of where he slept.

Trembling as he took a knee, he clutched his stomach with a cringing grimace on his face, besides the throbbing pain from his sides and head, the intense emptiness and grumbling of his stomach was as light as one would expect a sledgehammer to be.

But there was a silver lining to the situation, right?

He rubbed his throat, he opened his mouth only for a poor attempt of a humane sound to weakly crawl out, he gave a frown. Not only did an intense desire for any sort of food come to thought, but the itchiness and dryness of his throat also came to mind.

He looked at his palms, his eyes dazed, the nausea from the heat mixed with his dehydration and lack of nutrients already affecting his mind. But within a few moments, he concentrated on his thin and bony hands, small, too small to be his. An idea of what had happened spawned into his mind.

Was it reincarnation?

It only took a moment of thinking for him to find evidence of his theory, the unknown memories lingering in his head, the oddity that was the whole town, the two psychopaths outright murdering the mob he was chasing.

It was the only thing that he could make sense of. A cracked and hoarse self deprecating chuckled emerged from his lips, it was almost humorous in a way, he was given a new life so to speak and it took only a single moment for him to be almost hunted down and killed.

At any moment, he could've died, and for what? Because the former owner was misfortunately being chased by some gang? What if he hadn't met the two sociopaths, would've he just dropped down and died? Or perhaps be beaten into some corner by the gang members, allowing the hunger and hydration to race against which would have the honor of killing him first.

Within his hunger, anger resurfaced once again, forcing himself to push himself off from the ground and into a somewhat standing position. He was visibly swaying, clutching his stomach, as if that would help with anything.

But before he could even take three steps forward, he almost stumbled onto a body, and much to his horror it was a dead one. To his credit, he didn't scream nor did he actually fall, but it certainly drowned out the hunger, filling it with the nauseating smell of rotting flesh.

He gazed at the body, wide eyed, pain filled expression, there was no doubt the man was dead. With a stump for a limp -the severed arm being to the side, blood spilling- the man known as Jay didn't die a painless death. As for what killed him, be it shock, pain, or the blood loss, Ludvik didn't know.

He clutched his knees, bending as he held in the puke from escaping, forcing the burning vomit down his throat once again. At least it temporarily lifted the smell before assaulting him again, it gave him a quick breather.

The scent was pungent, it immediately assaulted one with its revolting yet sweet scent. If he was forced to compare it to something else, a garbage bag with a few pieces of burning candy would be what he would reply with.

It was enough for his sense of hunger to evaporate into thin air, becoming a thing of the past as newfound strength surged into his body: it was as if all the fibers in his body were willing to do anything to get away. And he wasn't one to complain against that.

So it was with the steadiest steps he could take, did he finally leave the dark alley. And never once did he turn back, be it of the memories it invoked from the night before or the haunting appearance and smell of the corpse, they were enough incentive to do so.

Much to Ludvik's credit, it didn't take all that long for him to find some form of a shopping district within the town, even as small as it was. The scene though, did cause a frown to spring onto his face.

Ragged blankets could be seen laid out on the side of the street, cracked dust, moldy food, and scraps of unknown items could be seen on most of them: anything that could be sold for even a piece of lien was there.

Although it was cheap, suspiciously so, there was one slight problem: he was flat out broke, not even a single lien to his name. Hell, he barely even knew what it was due to the fractured memories of the boy.

A sharp grimace overcame his features, the fear and disgust was numbing, if he didn't get something to eat and drink soon, then he feared he would meet his death in this god forsaken town.

His eyes scoured the street, searching for anything he might've missed. Four men, three of them looking relatively young yet ragged, while one sat with a dazed look, drunk, and very very old.

Some passersby gave casual glances but continued to walk away, onto some other more 'established' shopping areas. Wherever that was, either way, even if he knew he wouldn't even be able to afford the pebbles outside of them.

And so if he couldn't afford mere rocks, then how was he going to get any sort of resources? Simple, by stealing.

His eyes were locked onto the old man's set up, two loaves of moldy bread, a half filled bottle of water, two weird yellow crystals -must be precious- some red powder material, and some scraps that distinctively resembled children's toys.

He seemed weak enough, trembling bones of fragility, lingering puffs of white hair, aged skin, they all forebode a favorable outcome if Ludvik were to do it, but could he? Could he really rob a harmless old man? A disgusted feeling swirled in his gut, but he had no other choice. It was either that or death, and he didn't feel like running after some white rose again.

And that was if he was lucky enough to be given another chance.

He gnashed his teeth, the revulsion that swelled up inside of him only increased. Should he beg for it? How much could one single piece of the bread really hurt? But what if the old man said no? Wouldn't that mean he would be cautious of Ludvik whenever he was around, in case he was going to resort to stealing? Which he was.

Ideas continued to spawn but he couldn't focus, his stomach continued to gnaw at him, almost driving him insane by the longing sensation. If he could just take a single bite, no, two, then he would be free from the unbearable pain.

He swallowed his saliva, maybe the bottle of water too? He shook away his thoughts, the sooner he acted rather than daydream, the better. He was already starting to get weird stares, not like the ragged clothes attracted any, homeless adults and children were rather common it seemed.

He moved a bit closer to his target, saturation smeared on his palms, a gulp of nervousness. Anxiety shot through him, criminal activities was something he had never done, much less blatant robbery of the elderly.

Without much further thought, Ludvik leaned into the direction of the older made for a burst of speed, the hunger that weighed him down now pushing his body further than previously before, giving people a vision of a gust of wind or a detailed blur rather than a little kid.

Some viewers were alarmed while civilians of the town barely spared it a glance, it seemed to be nothing new. As Ludvik continued to run, all of his energy going right towards his legs, he finally reached the 'camp' of the old man, but even then he didn't spare Ludvik a look.

But the small white haired boy had no time to think, as he finally reached the elder he reached out and gripped the hard crust of the loaf, it was like a brick in a way but the boy's joy was evident.

And just as the transmigrator ran a single step past the width of the cloth of the much older man: his eyes snapped right open, in a single moment the broken toys came alive and struck with the sharp edges of their bodies.

Be it simple yet broken figurines, cotton dolls, or wooden rocking horses, they all came alive as if they were possessed. As they all dove right in, Ludvik had no time to question and satisfy his immense confusion regarding the show of power.

While it seemed like his day couldn't have gotten more confusing, it had. While he had started to sprint away, the moldy green loaf of bread in his hand, he thought he would be chased until he could escape -or be captured- but the toys seemed to have had other ideas.

'Huh? Are they even chasing me?'

Ludvik immediately stopped in place as he heard panic shouts from behind him, taking a look he saw the toys begin to attack others in a correlated fashion to one another. But what were they attacking?

Just as he was confused, the old man's angered shouts resounded "Chase him you idiots! He's right there, now where are you going, you thief?!"

Ludvik gaped, what the hell was he screaming at? Was he not only old but blind? He started to feel guilty, but when he gazed at the spectators the guilt turned into astonishment. It seemed as if everyone was watching the show, but they weren't looking at him, none of them were.

In the midst of his puzzlement, a small pale hand grasped at his wrist and pulled. Just as he shouted in confusion, the familiar sound of fracturing glass made its way into his ear, eyes widened, face in despair.

There was only one woman, one person, that he knew could cause a sound like that.

Before he could regain his bearings, he found himself staring in a dark alley. It was eerily familiar to the one he found himself sleeping in before, but there was a massively clear distinction from it. There were no corpses to be found, no nauseous scent to be smelled.

Taking a step back from the small figure, a single word was uttered by him.

"Y-you…"

Despite the food he held in his hand, Ludvik couldn't find himself to enjoy it, the fear in his eyes was almost palpable as the mismatched color eyes gazed deep into his own. A smile laid on her lips and it was only now did he really get a good look at her.

With a trio of brown, pink, and a dash of white streaking her hair, it wouldn't be odd for many to consider her appearance rather stronger. That wasn't even considering her abnormally short height and heterochromia eyes which coincidentally matched her eyes, or maybe she dyed her hair after her eyes, who knows.

The psychopath ice cream girl known as Neo also sported a garb that reminded him of the man named Roman, a white cropped wide and broad tailed jacket with strawberry colored outlines, pink cuffs to match with it and a single button to hold the jacket, there was little to no chance that she didn't copy the look from Roman.

But without a doubt, Ludvik would've thought she was an extremely cute girl, "would've" being the key word there. Seeing said girl doused in blood and seeing her slay a dozen men changes that a bit.

It took every bit of courage that Ludvik had to give a clear sentence "Why are you here, what do you w-want with me."

The girl known as Neo twirled her umbrella, her glistening eyes showing obvious amusement. It was clear to Ludvik that she found some entertainment with his trembling form, irritation and indignation formed within him at the thought, but when he met her eyes he couldn't help but lower his head.

The pictures of blood and the pierced corpses floating within his mind, against someone like an adult, he had absolutely no chance, nevermind Neo who clearly wielded some superpower and held a weapon, even if it may seem harmless.

So it wasn't much of a surprise -okay, it was- when a two dimensional box with bold letters appeared before him, a clear and distinct sentence written within.

[A little jumpy, aren't you?]

She took a step closer, he took a step back and the mirth in her eyes only intensified. He glanced back at where he was dragged from, with his speed, could he outrun her? But before he could discard or continue on with the thought, a large gray wall materialized before him, blocking his only exit.

His nerves froze, and he slowly looked back towards Neo who took several silent steps that he hadn't heard, and with her hand raised and palm laid out a second gray text box appeared before him with a command.

[The bread.]

He gnashed his teeth, reluctantly handing the bread to the smiling ice cream girl, which made him even more pissed off and most importantly, hungry. Why the hell did she need his stolen loaf of moldy bread? With her power, she could steal anything she ever wanted and more.

As he grumbled, he stared in shock as Neo pulled a rich bright red apple from thin air -he choked it up to her superpower- and tossed it in his direction. Before it could rotate twice in the air, it was swept by his desperate children-like hands.

The glossy red skin looked too appetizing, the hardness of the fruit bringing itchiness to his throat and intense hunger to his abdomen.

Without hesitation nor even the time to bother if it was poisoned, drugged, or in a ripe condition, his teeth bit into the exocarp of the apple. The sweet taste practically exploded in his mouth, bringing newfound and pleasurable flavor with every munch. He didn't know when but at one point tears even started to drip onto the fruit..

Back in his own world, he ate apples on a rare occasion, not finding much desireness for them. But at the moment, within his hands, the apple was better than any five course meal could ever hope to be.

Sparing a glance away from the apple, even as he continued to chew on its contents, a single box met his eyes.

[See? Isn't that better?]

He swallowed the mesocarp of the fruit with a satisfied gulp, an expression of gratitude overlapping his fear. He took glances at the apple and the smiling killer before continuing to eat, and it was like that that minutes passed by in silence.

Although Ludvuk was rather unnerved by the silent and spectating Neo, he made no move to comment until he finished the apple, even eating the seeds and stem: as far as he was concerned, as long as it was remotely edible, it would be going into his stomach.

After he was finished, he looked at Neo and moved his lips, making a move to speak before stopping. What was he even going to say to her, thanks? Please don't kill me? Instead, he opted for another direction.

Staring up at her -despite her small stature-, he voiced his true thoughts "Last night, why didn't you kill me?"

Due to the somewhat fulfilling juices of the apple, he was able to speak normally, granted there was still some hoarseness and raspiness within his voice along with some pain: but it was more bearable than last time.

Neo struck a pose of ponder, tapping her index finger against her chin with some shaking of her head, before shrugging and sending a text box in his direction with a smug yet sharp expression on her face.

[If it was up to me, you would be dead but the choice wasn't really mine to make. Nothing I can do about that.]

At her casual reveal, a shudder ran through Ludvik's spine. He now felt a certain appreciation for the weird eyeliner guy, but her words did make some sort of sense.

Although surprising, that seemed closer to the truth than her letting him go because she took a liking to him. With the way she stared at him before, it was obvious that if her 'partner' didn't let him go, then he would've met a gruesome fate. Nevermind the reason why Roman had allowed him to leave, it still left another question.

Feeling more confident now, as it seemed like he had some temporary protection, he decided to bolden up and ask "Okay then… why did you help me, why-why did you give me the apple?"

This time, the answer came quickly.

[I wanted some entertainment.]

Ludvik stared at the textbox for a second before feeling a twitch of annoyance come to his eye. He was saved because she was feeling bored? Really, that was the whole reason? He didn't know whether to feel annoyed or grateful, perhaps both.

But was that really the reason? Although he felt suspicious, he couldn't really come up with any other answer, he didn't suppose he simply caught her fancy, so being entertainment sounded like the most plausible answer.

So he awkwardly stood there, what was he supposed to say to such a reply? Thank you for being bored? It sounded awkward even to him, a foolish comment that no doubt would earn him a mocking smile.

"Oh, I see, well still, thank you…" He inwardly cursed his lack of social skills but even so, he continued to speak "It seemed as if that old guy stopped looking for me, can-can you lower the wall?"

Neo leaned against the side of the dark alley and snapped her fingers, her amused smile only growing as Ludvik turned his back against her, walking towards the exit of the dark alley.

Although he didn't obtain the info that he had wanted, nor on where he exactly was, he at least had some strength, strength that would be of very much appreciated need. But just as he took a single step outside of the dark alley, something unexpected happened.

[Do you really want to return there? With all those prowling gang members and bandits?]

The single text box that appeared before Ludvik, causing a halt in his step, his eyes gazing at each word among the sentence with intensity. It didn't take long for another box to replace it, with a new set of words.

[Wouldn't it be nice to have something else besides moldy bread?]

He scrutinized the message before turning back towards her, eyes narrowed in concentrated confidence and unwanted hunger "just what exactly are you getting at?"

[Don't tell me you're actually satisfied with an apple? What about tomorrow, a piece of moldy bread? Why settle for simple stuff when you can get an entire fiest?]

Ludvik took a gulp, although such a thought was one he was willing to play with and one he was willing to pay a heavy price for, it doesn't necessarily mean it would be able to become a reality.

But most importantly…

"Why, why would you help?"

And what was Neo's response to the boy's question? Was it a detailed response? Or perhaps a lie? All he obtained were six simple words in a box.

[That would be telling, wouldn't it?.]

000

Neo

She didn't understand Roman.

He was sadistic, cruel, and a downright ruthless businessman that is far more than willing to cross the moral line. Although they haven't been partners for as long as one would've thought, she would like to think she had a grasp of his actions and overall personality.

So it came to a shock to her when Roman allowed the kid to leave, as young as he seemed -eleven to thirteen of age- Roman wasn't above killing a child to suppress certains leaks of information. Was it because Roman knew the white brat wouldn't say anything? Because he was counting on the idiocy of a kid to keep the details away from prying eyes?

That wasn't the style of the Roman she knew. He would've chopped him to pieces for even a scrap of lien or even a napkin to wipe the blood from his stained shoes, but he didn't. He allowed him to leave.

At first, she did question why.

But the more she looked at him, the more she understood. An orphan, a thief, they were all traits that were far too nostalgic for Roman's liking. Her lips quivered at the idea, Roman Torchwick, the soft hearted man with a sense of sympathy

It made her cackle.

Seeing the child's questioning and wary eyes gaze up on her, it made her all the more amused. She did come searching for him for a purpose. Was it because she had the chance to actually look down on someone, and she meant that quite literally? There was a possibility. Or maybe those defiant eyes that reminded her all too much of her? Swaying her heart and allowing the rare side of softness to show?

Nah, she just found his reactions funny.

"So what do you want me to do?" And her lips arched into a smirk of satisfaction at the kid's abrupt high pitched voice, his stuttering replaced with a hint of bravado, as forced as it may be it was still there.

'That's more like it.'

She was more bored than anything, although she couldn't touch the kid, that didn't mean she couldn't teach him any thievery tricks, or at least enough for him to develop on his own. She could see it now, the next Roman Torchwick!

The thought of seeing Roman's face in despair almost sent her into a giggling fit, if the kid could grow into a half decent thief like Roman then he would owe them a large favor in the future, something that could come in handy due to her profession. Of course, that was the lie she would be spouting to Roman, she honestly just wanted to see his reaction when he finds out he has another potential rival.

Of course, that would be years from now, but even then, it's a long term investment plan for a small reaction. Totally worth it. And she was telling the truth to the brat, she was bored, immensely so.

As she nodded to herself, the 'brat' known as Ludvik stared at her as if she was crazy, not like he didn't already think that. But he continued to keep his silence, as shady as her deal seemed, he had no chance surviving in Wind Path all alone. He knew that, she knew that.

It was honestly a bit cute to see his struggling expression, as much as he may hide it.

[As long as you don't screw up and get arrested, you'll be fine.]

She could already see her words filling him with hope, of course, if hope meant absolute uncertainty and regret. As she twirled her parasol over her shoulder, walking past the boy named Ludvik, she hummed a cheerful tune as his footsteps followed her own.

She always wondered what it was like being the tutor instead of being the one tutored. But instead of history and basic world knowledge, it was going to be about thievery and murder. So many things to teach…

She was going to love this.

000

Ludvik

He was going to hate this.

And he was right to think so, leaning against the wall of the dark alley, ignoring the smell of slick and vile waste of a dumpster behind him: he never thought he'd be in such a position, well, he never thought he would be reincarnated -he still presumed- so there's a first time for everything.

[I wonder if you would jump into the dumpster if it weren't for the apple I gave you, food for thought. Pun intended by the way.]

Neo's taunt caused his gaze to harden and focus to narrow down on his target, said psychotic female merely continued to send him text boxes, replacing the former that was near the corner of his vision.

[Remember~, use the collision as a distraction but don't go too deep into the guy's pockets, I wouldn't want you to touch your first -and definitely not last- dick.]

What a lovely image he just gained.

And that wasn't even how pockets worked, unless this world was vastly more different than what he thought? He hoped they at least had the standard sized pocket, the thought of grabbing that almost made him contemplate thievery altogether.

[Joking… unless you're into that?]

It hadn't been an hour yet, and Ludvik could already feel a migraine coming.

At first, he feared her, her strength and 'superpower' made the distance between the two in both strength and experience a large ravine that he had no hope of crossing. But the more he interacted with her, the more she realized she was a sadist who enjoyed pissing others off, finding amusement in their torment.

But further than that, she was a child, at least mentally.

Although he's more annoyed than fearful of her due to his revelation, he didn't voice any complaints nor comments to her. This hasn't gone unnoticed though by the ice cream themed thief as another bold formed letters appeared near his vision

[You're no fun.]

He could almost hear her pout, and although it sounded cute he didn't particularly forget who he was speaking to.

"Just tell me what to do."

His annoyed and exasperated comment didn't go over Neo's head, wherever she was. Which made Ludvik question if she was truly somewhere nearby and not simply standing next to him, he still didn't know how her superpower worked.

[Fine fine, stone faced little brat, just watch the target. Don't be too obvious, not too close either, use an excuse to accidentally bump into him. This is basic thievery, something even commoners can do.]

For a moment Ludvik genuinely thought Neo was taking her position as 'mentor' seriously. Perhaps he was wrong about her? Maybe she would really teach him to live, with honest and righteous intentions?

[Oh and don't touch-]

Nevermind.

"Don't touch the dick, I know."

It was with a strained voice that he finally acknowledged Neo's vulgar commentary, earning what was most likely a distant smirk and snicker. For some odd reason, the thought made his left eye twitch, something he seemed to be doing a lot lately.

Taking a deep breath, he reassured himself that if there were any complications, Neo would intervene, probably. Most likely not. But he would be willing to tell himself anything to calm his nerves.

Sliding off of the wall, Ludvik approached the stumbling drunken target. Neo suggested something easy and there weren't any lack of bars in the town, so there was bound to be a few drunkards in the morning from either drinking the entire night or recovering from their hangover.

Either way, easy targets.

Watching the man slowly draw nearer to him, unsteadily at that, it gave Ludvik a boost of desperately needed confidence. Picking his pace up, he harshly bumped into the male, and as fast he could at the moment of contact, his hands sneaky reached into the male's area of cash.

A brief moment of hesitation and worriness flashed in his gaze, plastic cards could be felt on the tip of his fingers, he was so close but uncertainty gnawed at him. All he needed to do was grab them and quickly pull back, all things considered, it was relatively easy.

But just as the tip of his fingers latched onto the plastic cards, a palm held its grip around his wrist, tightened around it and harshly pulled it out. Ludvik's stomach dropped as he attempted to break himself free, but against the man's adult strength it was pointless.

The man turned to look at the younger boy and growled, his eyes although dazed, still poised into a rather intimidating glare.

"Watch where you're going you little shit."

Although Ludvik shakily glared back at the older male, attempting to look as tough as possible, the man was too hungover to really care. If he was more sober, there was even a chance that things would've ended differently, but in the end he didn't care enough and simply pushed Ludvik away before walking off.

Ludvik gnashed his teeth, looking at his palm with a sense of annoyance and irritation. If it had been anyone else, anyone more sober, there was a chance he wouldn't be standing. All because of his hesitation and quite frankly, skill.

It annoyed him.

And Neo's 'helpful' commentary messages weren't helping.

[Wow, that was awful.]

Ludvik grumbled under his breath "I know."

Standing still in the middle of the street, he narrowed his eyes down on the corner of his vision, fully expecting a sarcastic or mocking remark from the psychopathic murderer. But was quite surprised when another message appeared, one that didn't ridicule his very existence.

[Hmm, we should get you a weapon, just in case something like this happens again. Wouldn't want you to be defenseless in the streets, especially in this place.]

Once again, hope rose in Ludvik, was she finally taking her position seriously? Although he felt gratitude that she took said 'position' for basically nothing in return, he would at least want the advice and help to end up with him in one single piece.

No, maybe she's luring him in, she's going to say something that is completely unrelated to the mission and or make another vulgar joke. His shock only increased as the message that popped up next… was neither of those things.

[Meet me in the abandoned construction site, the one near the outer edge of the town. You should know it, if not, think of it as another task. A thief must always have his resources and information, it's crucial. I've got something in store for you.]

Could it be? Neo was slowly becoming a somewhat representable mentor? A person he could rely on in the darkest of times?

[Don't worry, it won't even hurt a bit…maybe.]

Nevermind.

000

Neo

In retrospect, she should've expected far less from him. Seeing her small stature angrily pout as she repeatedly tapped her foot against the cracked stone floor, she truly seemed like a child at that moment, not like Ludvik would ever have the gall to say such a thing.

For now.

But either way, did she honestly expect a 'child' of his age to be able to find some construction site in a town he didn't know? Granted, to her it seemed like he lived here his entire life, but the reality of the situation was far more complicated.

Thankfully, a man with mismatched eyes was able to provide some helpful information, giving him a paper version of a detailed map on the way, even showing some concern for his well being and giving him a few lien.

He was sweet, he liked him. And it also made him wonder if having two different colored eyes was a natural trait in the world, something to ask his kind sociopathic teacher about later, if he didn't die of course.

Which forcefully drew all his thoughts back to the main problem, the pouting -presumably young- Neo.

[You sure took your sweet time.]

Ludvik gave her a look before asking in a tone of curiosity "You do know there are more than just one abandoned factory in this town, right?"

Neo actually paused in her continuous tapping against the floor, before she shrugged, a condescending smirk laying on her face. Or maybe that was just her typical expression, he really couldn't tell.

[Not really my problem, should've run faster or at least know the layout of your own hometown.]

For some reason, he fully expected that.

[Still, making your mentor wait in the cold construction site all by her lonely self? What if I had been harassed by a drunken man looking for a good time, poor me would've been completely defenseless.]

Ludvik glanced away, he would've felt more bad for the poor bastard that actually attempted to force himself on her, castration and dismemberment would've been the least of the man's worries.

"He would've been dead."

He knew enough about her that he fully expected her to play with her victims before she killed them, it would've been disturbing and frightening if the so called murderer wasn't a girl who just a tad bit taller than him despite her age.

In response to his comment, Neo gave a grin, they both knew his words were factual.

[Good answer.]

"Anyways, aren't I supposed to be getting a weapon? For self defense?" Ludvik shifted the conversation topic, just because he wasn't all that bothered with the thought of someone being killed, he didn't particularly like to remain on the conversation topic.

It seemed enough to snap Neo out of her distracting thoughts,

[Hm? The weapon? We'll have to see what you're good with first and what you're best at, don't want you to cut off your hand or unable to see a weapon just because you can't even pick it up.]

The young boy made a move to argue but knew it was pointless, he was weak, pathetically so. Even against his own peers from his own world, he would be outclassed, nevermind the world where an ice cream girl had the power to do… whatever she does and an old man able to control toys.

If she was going to see what he was good at, then did that mean he would be using guns and the like? He had shot a miniature form of one, non lethal, and he wasn't even good at that so what he was proficient with was anyone's guess.

"Are…Are you going to give me a weapon?" His question was received with a shaking of Neo's head, her sadistic gleam only being added with a smirk as she took a step back. He was starting to get a bad feeling about this.

[It's simple, we're going to be having a friendly and very safe spar that totally won't end up with injuries.]

Seeing Ludvik's increasingly concerned and distraught expression drew a small giggle from Neo, a message was thrown at him, one that made him slightly more relieved but also ever the more curious.

[Awww, don't worry, I won't be using my semblance or my weapon.]

Semblance? Was that the name of her weapon? No, she clearly stated "semblance" and weapon into two seperated categories, so then was her power called "semblance" or was it a "semblance."

That was the second thing he needed, information, badly.

So it was with a blush of embarrassment did he finally ask, fully prepared for what's to come "What's a semblance?"

Much to his shock though, she merely seemed surprised by the question, no mocking or smug expressions on her face, either way she still managed to answer it.

[A semblance is a power developed by your aura, some unlock it due to their strength, while most civilians don't. Simple as that.]

Ludvik looked away as he mumbled under his breath, but loud enough to be heard "What's an aura?"

For a flicker of a moment, as Ludvik glanced back to his -somewhat of a- teacher, a flicker of sympathy was seen. Of course, before becoming consumed by her smug smirk, although he was thankful for the message.

[In simple terms, an aura is the manifestation of the soul. I guess you can call a semblance a higher level of projection.]

The boy's eyes sparkled, did that mean magic existed in the world? Just the implication that souls existed had him intrigued, but in some way he wasn't all that surprised, it would explain his very existence.

As if knowing his curiosity filled thoughts, bold letters strung together to form a sentence in front of Ludvik.

[We can talk about the basics later, but for now you should probably have your aura unlocked before we continue. Wouldn't want you to be decapitated just because of your lack of aura.]

Neo closed in the gap between the two with small strides, and without caring for the boy's reaction, she grasped his face with both of her palms: a pink aura enveloping her soon after, something the silver eyed boy assumed was what she had called an 'aura'.

A crimson hue streaked against Ludvik's cheeks, making a blush form as he gazed at Neo, her expression closed in concentration. A warm sensation filled Ludvik, whether that was the aura Neo was talking about or something else, he didn't know.

'Ignoring the fact she's a killer, she's… really cute.'

He pushed down his thoughts, content with reveling in the warmth of Neo's aura that surged into him, it was like a wave striking a dam inside of him. A minute passed and no changes were made, Neo frowned as she pushed forth a quarter of her aura.

This time, the warmth and intensity nearly increased by triple, the foreign energy that was inserted into him rushed towards the barrier and struck with all its force. Slowly but surely, cracks were starting to form.

He could even compare it to a creaking door that was slowly being pushed open, it was a sensation unprecedented to him, foreign and unknown, he loved it.

'Is this how it is for everyone?'

Ludvik was quite shocked, seeing the expression of struggle on Neo's face, he wondered if everyone had to go through this sort of process. No sooner after his train of thought, nearly all of Neo's aura had been pushed into him for one last strike.

A large bam echoed into the boy's ears, like a spear piercing through some large dam. And with that came the rage of water, coursing through his body like thin lava.

A dark hue outlined him from head to toe, engulfing him in entirety with the blinding onyx light. Not soon after, the shimmering ink light vanished, leaving traces of the aura on his body though, traces that he could almost feel stick to his skin. He could even feel the generator of aura, his soul, almost pulsating inside of his body, ready to activate at a moment's notice.

He took the time to give a glance over to Neo, with a thin line of sweat covering her forehead, and judging by her panting expression, the entire process of unlocking his aura had seemingly tired her out.

Without a moment of hesitation, Ludvik crouched slightly and carried her with her arm over his shoulder to a support beam, leaning her against it to catch her breath and rest. And as he did so, he looked at his palms.

Aura was the manifestation of the soul, and from what he could gather that although the aura was finite it did have the ability to regenerate over time.

But as for the uses and implications of aura, he had no idea, nor did he know how to obtain the power of a so-called semblance. That didn't matter for now though, for the first time in his life, he had power.

Clenching his hand into a fist, joy arose in his heart. He had power, he had power. As he repeated the words in his head, a crawling sensation of happiness and hope blossomed, this world will be a new beginning.

[You done inner monologuing there?]

At the sudden pop up message that appeared on his hand, Ludvik jumped a bit in surprise. He felt like he was never going to get used to that. But either way, he was happy that his… mentor had finally obtained some form of her former strength.

"How are you feeling, has your aura regenerated yet?"

To his concern, Neo flashed a small smile and nodded in confirmation to his question.

[Yeah, my aura has regenerated enough. Besides, I won't need it against you.]

Standing up with a small groan, she stretched her legs and arms before taking a closer look at Ludvik. Her eyes widened, clear shock evident on her face. The message she sent next made it quite clear on the reasoning as to why.

[Your aura, it's… wow.]

As she continued to gaze in amazement, Ludvik fidgeted a little. Was his aura special? If it was, she would've said something but it seemed to be a larger reason than that. He decided it was something to discuss later, he was really itching to use the whole aura thing.

"So are we going to figure out which weapon best suits me or not?"

His words seemed to be enough to snap her out of her thoughts, enough to regain her bearings at the very least. In answer to his words, Neo backed up a little bit, positioning her weapon to the side as

[Hmmm, how about… now!]

Just as Ludvik was about to react to Neo's message, a single kick found its way towards his chest, sending him flying through the air backwards with a low grunt: his aura taking most of the damage. To his credit, he only winced slightly before all the pain vanished from the impacted area.

He marveled at the discovery of aura that shifted around his body for the briefest of moments, he was lost in thought at the view.

'So this is aura.'

[Don't tell me you're getting distracted now.]

Just as soon as the sentence popped up, a single high heel kick penetrated through and aimed for Ludvik's face. He narrowly avoided the attack, grazing against the dark hue that defended him, he had no time to recover before a leg sweeped his own.

Falling onto his back, he rolled in time to avoid an oncoming heel stomp, the consequence of which caused the floor to be punctured, deeply. Ludvik paled at the sight, was she actually trying to kill him?!

Before he could voice his own thoughts, Neo ran at him halfheartedly, hooking onto his arm with her own and spinning around his body; from the corner of his shoulder to grappling onto his head and throwing him onto one of the support beams.

Pain shook his body, but with a shimmer of onyx light that overcame his body, the pain and damage vanished like it had never existed. Neo narrowed her eyes, interest was clearly seen as she charged at him.

Almost instinctively, the frightened Ludvik shot his hands up. With a raise of Neo's hand, a punch was sent coursing through and it almost seemed like it would slam into the young boy. But before she could even react, a spheric shield came forth into being.

Neo's momentum was too aggressive to be stopped, even for her, so it was with a loud bang that the fist clashed against the condensed energy like-dome. Neo narrowed her eyes, she gnashed her teeth as she continued to push her right clenched hand deeper into the barrier.

It was almost as if she was moving within water, it weighed her down and it almost seemed as if she wouldn't be able to shatter it; of course, not until a shimmer of a rosy pink aura enveloped her hand.

Like a hot knife, it pierced right through the black curtain but in consequence of doing so, a mini explosion of air resounded, pushing back both of the fighters a fair distance, but it was obvious to see who was more impacted.

Clutching his shoulder -mainly the one he used to activate the shield- Ludvik glared at Neo and indignantly shouted "That wasn't fair, there was no countdown!"

Neo merely shrugged, the slightest of smugness lined on her lips as a box materialized before Ludvik.

Once again, the female lifted her shoulders in a patronizing 'what can you do about it' one that came with a message.

[There's no countdowns in a real fight~]

Ludvik tossed an unamused look at the small girl, his eyes narrowing in clear disbelief, her words although rang true held no significance to the fight; It wasn't a spar of sorts, it was a mere evaluation of where he stood and the most optimal weapon that suited him.

He knew arguing against the naturally smug killer would be pointless, so instead, he opted to argue about the one fact of the matter that she couldn't ignore or get out of.

"And you said you weren't going to use your aura."

Neo pouted before sighing in defeat, raising her arms in surrender as she did so before flopping them back down to her sides.

[Fine, fine, you win that round but it was only because of your aura!]

Ludvik rolled his eyes, that was akin to him saying Neo won because she had skills, it made no sense to put blame on such a thing. But either way, the boy allowed the matter to be dropped as he switched the topic of conversation.

"What's so special about my aura anyways?"

Neo huffed, reaching for her dear parasol as she explained to satisfy his curiosity, and it did.

[It doesn't have any special properties, those are in mere folklore, but it's so dense and there's just too much of it. If you compare it to a normal person's it'll be like a drop of water compared to a bathtub filled with it. Most people can't even use their aura in the way you just did.]

Ludvik's rather dull expression morphed into a small grin, so on top of being reincarnated he was given some sort of advantage over others? He felt a form of satisfaction from that, an immature joy.

"So why was I able to summon that shield thing? Is it because of my large amount of aura?" This was indeed another question he had, when he had summoned the barrier it was mostly instinct. He wasn't sure if he would be able to perform the feat again, not any time soon at least.

[Not particularly, some of the higher tiers of Huntsmen and Huntresses are able to perform the same achievements but that's most due to their control of aura. While in your case it'd due to the ridiculous amount of aura you have, so instead of refined and controlled, it was more chaotic and unstable than theirs.]

In a rare moment of professionalism, Neo managed to explain even further on what exactly Ludvik had performed. In layman's terms, it was using brute force to forcefully activate the shield rather than controlling his aura.

'It would explain why I feel tired.'

The use of his aura had somewhat drained him, but if he was really using his aura recklessly then it would explain it. But in all honesty, he felt as if the whole situation in which he used his aura was due to Neo's boredom, he began to doubt if her true intention was to even gauge him to see which weapon suited him best.

Either way, a weapon is better than none at all.

"Now that you've tested me out, shouldn't I get a weapon now?"

Neo hummed at the boy's comment before a small grin crawled its way to her face, twirling her parasol. She turned her back towards him as she used her 'semblance' to send a message to him, one that had him a bit worried.

[Heh, don't worry, I know a guy. Pretty sure you know him too, maybe.]

Watching as she practically skipped off, urging him to follow her, her giddiness was easy to see. An uneasy sensation swelled within him, having a psychotic murderer giddy isn't exactly good for anybody

"...".

Why did it feel like he was going to regret this?

000 000 000

AN

Ah yes, the torture of Ludvik finally begins, I will be having a lot of fun with him. Unlike a certain other emo boy, stupid talent... Anyways, Ludvik may not seem like much, but expect great things out of him.

His aura, being one of those great things, there's a whole reason for that but that's for later. As for the techniques shown, there is a good explanation, of which was explained by Neo. It adds more diversity than for the aura to simply be a translucent piece of armor (Among other things), it won't get too crazy, hopefully.

Oh, and if you want to chat with me and a bunch of other great authors, then feel free to enter the discord server' owned' by Shiro and company. Be warned, stupidity, degeneracy, and porn are guaranteed

discord .gg/wd3tUYWVCd

And that's all for now, have a great day everyone.