The Child From Another World
There was a child. Within the child, there was a soul that didn't belong in this world. Despite that, the child was born with it, retaining memories of its past life.
The child was born into a well-off family, and it was living in comfort for a few years.
That was until a brilliant light engulfed the Fittoa Region, the homeland of the child. Suddenly, and without warning, he lost consciousness.
When he awoke, he was in an unfamiliar land. He fell out of the sky, and various tree branches broke his fall. He was bruised and battered but was still conscious. Due to the fall he had suffered, he looked disheveled. He saw that he was in a sparse forest that seemed to be only populated by trees.
The child was worried about monsters, the amalgamation of mana-evolved animals, which were prone to attacking humans. Yet, he could see no monsters approaching him. Once the initial fear passed, he turned to confusion.
What happened? Where's the rest of them? He thought. For him, it felt as though he had instantly been deposited in the forest. Six months had passed since he had last been in his homeland, but the child had no way of knowing this.
The child got up and brushed himself off. He exhaled and decided to move about the forest. He assumed that he wouldn't be able to come into contact with anyone if he stayed in the forest alone. He was still confused but was processing the reality of his situation.
After a few hours of wandering, he came to the edge of the forest. He widened his eyes in shock at the view in front of him. Far off in the distance was a massive city. He had seen cities before, but none as sheerly majestic as the one he was seeing now. The city was made up of two rings of city districts. In between the two rings was a beautiful large lake. At the very middle of the vast cityscape was a white cathedral-looking building, one that looked like it was a hundred meters tall.
This was the Capital of the Holy Country of Milis, Milishion.
The child had never heard of this city, as he hadn't ventured outside of his homeland. Now that he was seeing a new location for the first time, he was drawn to it. He began walking towards a road that led inside of the city. The road was lined with small buildings and stalls.
After a couple of hours of walking, the child arrived at the road. As he entered the road pathways, he was surprised by the amount of people that were there. The people paid no attention to the child and simply passed him by. They were all too busy to think about him.
The child's stomach growled. He hadn't eaten, and he was hungry. He spotted a store that was selling food and approached it. The man who was running the shop glared at the boy.
"You got any money, kid?" He said harshly.
The child did not have any money on him. He shook his head at the man, and he scoffed.
"Then scram. I don't have the leeway to be giving away scraps to beggars."
The boy was taken aback at those words. He was about to give the man a piece of his mind, but then he looked down at himself. He was no older than five years old in this world, and his clothes only suggested that he was poor.
"...Alright. Then, could you tell me where this is?" The child asked the man.
"Hmm? This place is Milishion. How come you didn't know that?" The man looked confused that the child didn't know about the Capital. It was the largest city in all of the Milis Continent, after all.
"Milishion? Is that somewhere near the Asura Kingdom?" The child was grasping at straws. He had no idea what had happened, and a city name didn't help him figure out where he was, either.
"Asura Kingdom, you say? Why would…" the man cut off his own words. He had heard rumors and evidence of the mass teleportation, and he had seen his fair share of families torn apart thanks to it.
"Could it be, you're a victim of the Fittoa Mass Teleportation incident?" The man stopped speaking in a harsh tone and instead looked at the child with pity in his eyes.
The words echoed inside the child's mind. When the man saw the confusion on the child's face, he explained what had happened.
The Fittoa Region had vanished in a massive mana disaster half a year ago. Every last resident was teleported to places all over the world. The search for the missing people had only just begun.
The child widened his eyes at the information. When he first came to this world, the child was devastated. He had left his family and friends behind, and he had no way to go back. He spent the first few years of his life completely confused, and with no one to confide in. He was afraid that his new family members would be disgusted at having a child who had years and years of memories.
He was forced to adjust to his new environment and swore to one day find a way to return to his world. Yet, before he could have the chance to grow up and search for a manner to return, this happened.
With this development, there would be no way for him to ever return.
The child fainted from shock in front of the store owner.
The child awoke in a white void. The ground was covered in a deep mist. The child leaped up in surprise when he realized he was in his form from his original world.
"...Is it over?" He asked nobody in particular.
A voice rang out from within the mist. "I'm afraid not."
The child looked around the void and saw a figure—one with an unsettling grin, and a face that the child could not see well.
"...Then, what is this place?" The child asked the figure.
"This is a dream. Don't misunderstand, your body is still perfectly intact. I just wanted to talk to you a little."
"Who are you?" The child asked.
"You can call me the Man-God." The figure said. The child could sense the figure growing closer to him.
"A god, you say? Have you come to take me back to my old world?" The child backed away from the figure.
"Sorry to break it to you, but I can't do that." The figure shrugged.
"Then, what business does a so-called god have with me?"
"I know someone who can take you back to your world. It's your one desire, isn't it?"
The child went silent. It was like the figure could read his mind, and it was unsettling. But if what he was saying was true, the figure could be essential in trying to go back. The child had no idea where to start.
"You do?" The child asked tentatively.
The figure grinned. "And I can help you meet them. I am a god, after all. You just have to follow my advice."
"I'll do it. If there's some way to get back home, I'll follow your advice. No matter how long it takes." The child declared with determination in his voice.
"That's the spirit! You came in here all glum looking and honestly, I wasn't appreciating the vibe. Good thing you lit up."
The child stared in silence at the figure. "Alright, I get it! I'll get to the point. Just a disclaimer, It will take a long time. But for now, you need to visit an inn. It's right around where you're going to wake up. It should be hard to miss. Once you're in there, tell a man wearing dark green robes that a blessed child has been born under the Latria's faction. Got all that?"
"...I think I did, yes. But what does this have to do with me getting back home?"
The figure held a finger up to the child's lips. "I thought you said you'd follow my advice as long as you get back home in the end?" The child went silent.
"I can see the future and can alter it as I please. The only issue here is that to change it, I need you. So, if you do this, it'll make your life a lot easier down the line."
"Hm. Alright, then. Is that all?"
"One more thing. What is your name?" The figure asked with a grin on his face.
The child hesitated. He decided to tell the figure his original name. "Kuroki. Kuroki Satoshi."
His consciousness dimmed, and he fell to the ground.
When Satoshi woke up, he was draped in bedsheets. He had a dull headache.
"Where…" He began. He was in a very small body, and he wasn't used to it yet. He pressed a hand to his forehead and sat up on the bed.
"Oh good, you're awake." A voice called out to him.
Who is that? The boy turned around to see a young lady, with dark brown hair. She looked to be in her early twenties, but Satoshi couldn't tell.
"What's your name, sweetie?" the lady asked.
"My name…?" Satoshi was not fond of his new name in this world. Now that he was a long way from home, he wasn't sure whether or not he even wanted to keep the name. Only five or so people knew about it in the first place, since he hadn't been able to get out much to spread the word of his existence. He was too young to go anywhere without his parents.
He knew his mother talked about him a lot, but nobody ever saw Satoshi's appearance aside from his immediate family members. So, he decided to throw it away in favor of a new one. The only time he would use it was in the unlikely event that he found a member of his family.
Satoshi didn't want to use his real name, since he would prefer to have one that fit who he was in this world.
"...My name is Ren," Satoshi said. It meant lotus in Japanese, and it didn't stand out too much with the world's naming conventions.
"Ren… you have to be more careful. My husband was the one who brought you here after you passed out," The lady said, motioning to who Satoshi assumed to be her husband.
It was the same man who was running the food stand. The man looked a little concerned as well.
"Where are your parents, Ren?" The man asked.
"Ah… I don't know," Ren responded. He was telling the truth, since he had no idea where his family was or if they were even alive. It didn't matter much to him regardless, since he didn't spend enough time with them to get attached to them.
"I see, then why don't you stay with us for a while? If you're from the Fittoa Region like dear says–" The lady began.
"No thank you. My parents are staying at an inn near here, so I'll be fine," Satohi butt in. He didn't want to waste time, and he was worried that the man that the Man-God had told him might have left the inn he was supposed to be in by then. He was paranoid, but Satoshi didn't acknowledge it.
"They are? At least let us bring you there. Someone as young as you shouldn't be strolling through the streets alone."
Satoshi reluctantly agreed, and they left the clinic.
"Thank you for guiding me, Mr. and Mrs." He said, bowing to the couple.
"It's no issue. Tell your parents to look out for you more," the man said, patting Satoshi on the head. They parted ways, and Satoshi entered the inn.
The lobby of the inn looked more reminiscent of a bar than a reception room. There were various people dining and drinking, and a few families here and there. There were a few people in fancy get-ups who were all eating together. It was a high-quality establishment, the likes of which Satoshi hadn't seen in this world before.
Nobody noticed him when he started looking around the room. Dark-green robes, huh? He spotted a few people who matched that description–Adventurers, he presumed. But only one of them was a man.
He was wearing a green robe with a cross on the back of it. His attitude and clothing suggested he wasn't an adventurer at all. The man didn't notice Satoshi until he spoke to him.
"Good evening," Satoshi said. The man looked down at him, raising one eyebrow. He was wondering why there was such a small child in the inn, and talking to him of all people.
"What is a boy like you doing here?" the man asked.
"I've come to deliver a message to you," Satoshi said, trying to sound as serious as possible. Of course, the man didn't take him seriously at all.
"You mean it? Go right ahead, then," He said, chuckling at Satoshi.
What was it again… Right. "A blessed child has been born under the Latria Faction," Satoshi said.
The man stopped momentarily, then furrowed his eyebrows. "How would someone like you know whether or not that's true?"
"It's all I know, sorry."
"Hm… Are you a messenger or something?" The man scratched at his stubble. "Scratch that, it doesn't matter. You've piqued my interest enough. Come with me, boy," The man said, putting down his drink.
The man led Satoshi out of the inn and brought him to the main city. Satoshi marveled at all of the sights on the way there, as they crossed district after district. He saw many people dressed in fanciful dresses and luxurious suits, and several people who looked to be bodyguards for several of them.
At last, they reached their destination. It was a massive cathedral, with spires reaching several tens of meters in height. The tips of the spires were brilliant gold, and the building itself was made out of a solid white stone.
It was the main headquarters of the Milis Religion, the Great Church.
The Milis church was divided into two sects, the Demon Acceptance Faction, was composed of people who wanted to include Demonkind as a race that was equal to all other races. And the Demon Expulsionists, who followed the scriptures of the religion to the letter and wanted them to be wiped out. The clash between the two had lasted three hundred years, and the sects had never been on good terms since.
The Great Church was where the pope, or the main advocator for demon's rights, resided.
"..." Satoshi stared up in awe, studying the massive building.
The man led him into the building, drawing the attention of several priests. He waved them off, so they backed down. They had seen something similar to it six years prior, so they didn't question the man's actions.
"Where are you taking me?" Satoshi asked. They traversed through various hallways, all while the man stayed silent. Then, he ushered to a few guards who then opened up a pair of doors that were five or so meters in height. It looked to Satoshi like something important was behind them, and he was right.
An aging man was sitting on a decorated chair on a liturgy, conversing with several priests and other clergymen. They took notice of the man and Satoshi entering the room, so they all promptly left.
Why did they all leave? What's even going on? He thought, looking at both of the men with a puzzled expression on his face.
The man dropped to both of his knees and placed his hand over his heart.
"Greetings, Pope Grimoire. I've come with an interesting fellow here," the man said, motioning towards me.
Harry Grimoire was the leader of the entire Milis religion, with his influence spreading all around the world. He directed the teachings of the religion's deity, Saint Milis.
The Pope? Satoshi widened his eyes at the name. What was the Man-God planning if his advice led to this?
"This is quite unexpected, Minister Maxwell. Why did you bring such a small child into the church?" The pope said.
"I wish I could say it was for the same reason why you brought Cliff under your wing, but I'm afraid there's a little more to it," Maxwell said.
"Do go on."
"This boy told me that a Blessed Child had been born under the Demon Expulsionists. I was hoping to confirm this with your holiness," Maxwell said.
The pope widened his eyes. He then reached up and twirled his long beard in his hands, thinking.
"...Boy. What is your name?" The pope asked Satoshi.
"It's…Ren, sir," He said, hesitating.
"Where did you get such information, do tell me?"
Satoshi hesitated in answering. The pope would most likely not believe that he got such a cryptic message from a dream, but despite that, Satoshi thought that lying would get him nowhere.
"I was given the information by a god that appeared in my dreams," He explained.
"Nonsense! Saint Millis would never do something like that, and for you to speak such blasphemy in front of me is a grave sin." The pope said, now shaking his head.
"I-I'm sorry!" Ren stammered out. He had no proper knowledge of the religion of Milis, and he barely even knew there was one at all. He didn't know their views, but he knew from context clues from his past life that some religions wouldn't tolerate other gods or beings.
Or maybe… the Man-God was never a god to begin with. Doubting the validity of the figure's words, he stayed silent as he was escorted out of the church, being forced to deal with the harsh reality of his situation. He was now alone in a city and knew nothing about the whereabouts of the people who could help him. Thus, Satoshi was thrust into a new world beyond his understanding, forced to rely on the words that a false deity whispered in his ears to survive.
However, behind closed doors, the pope took his words at face value. There was always a chance that what he had said was true, so he looked into it. The pope was not so inclined to let anything happen to his position, therefore he investigated the Latrias. Finding out that a Blessed Child had indeed been born under their faction, he began silently building up preparation for the conflict to come.
But that's a story for another time.
Author's Note: Thank you for reading. Volume III starts soon! I'm super excited about the interactions between Ares and Lumina, and hope you are too.