Chapter 2: Chapter 1. Theo Ashern

‘Ack… my heart… that’s not good.’ a sudden pain overtook him and froze his limbs.

“Grandpa!”

A heartache had struck.

His grandchild ran to him, but it was all too late.

‘Ah, don’t cry… lass.’

A young boy shot up from his sleeping mat. His breathing had grown heavy, his back damp with sweat. The echo of his grandchild’s voice still remained at the back of his mind.

‘Aiya, my dreams are becoming more frequent. But, luckily, it is from my later days.’ 

It was pleasant to see his family’s face even if they were merely dreams. The matter about remembering how he died was not really a concern. Or it stopped being scary once after experiencing it himself.

His thoughts on the matter?

Best sleep he had in years.

‘More importantly, I need to get a teacher and… hmm? What’s this? This feeling. Could it be?’ Theo lifted his covers and threw his arms up in celebration, ‘After many years of defeat! I did it!’

“Theo, you’re the first to wake up again.” from behind a bespectacled teacher approached. Holding a basin and a change of clothes, “Will you help Teacher clean you up before we wake up the others?”

He smiled with unfiltered confidence “The bucket is no longer needed. For I have conquered my bladder.”

It took seconds for the teacher to 

“Congratulations~” the bespectacled teacher congratulated Theo with a bright smile. She could finally stop touching pee every afternoon. 

Theo watched his teacher stop her tears with a perplexed heart.

‘Thank you for your hard work, young one.’ he inwardly praised the young teacher’s sacrifices.

“Well then, Teacher Mia needs to bring these tools back to storage. Why not wake up the children, Theo? Can you do that?”

Theo nodded and gave the teacher a salute, “It shall be done, Ma’am!”

He answered with resolution and about-faced to start waking up the children.

Teacher Mia watched Theo and quietly smiled to herself, ‘...just let it go.’ she whispered to herself seeing the weirdness of the boy. He was unique. That was all there is to it. She walked away with a stiff but more accepting smile.

Theo remembered his past. Like waking up from a dream, Theo gained “sentience” and became aware.

In the past, Theo joined the military in the war efforts against the forces of Chaos.

After retirement he settled at the land he got from the government. He became a farmer and would meet his wife at the edge of the country. He opened a farm of [Screaming Dong] that was as delicious as its name was weirdly.

He died from a heart attack. 

At what age? 

Theo was unsure.

He stopped counting his years. It just made him felt depressed.

“It is time to wake up!”

After waking up from what was supposed to be an eternal slumber, he thought he survived the heart attack. But after surveying his surroundings and flicker of vague memories that clung to his infantile mind, Theo realized the truth.

So he asked an educated person’s viewpoint on the matter. She asked him what was supposed to do and after receiving Teacher Mia’s insightful words, Theo grasped a path that he could take.

“Only time will prove if what you choose is right or wrong. So, do not be afraid of doing either.”

These were the words she said to him.

So, for the past four days, Theo began to adapt his lifestyle.

Controlling his bladder that had beaten him at his old age.

Attending and participating in classes as well as activities. He had little to no complaints.

The creaking of his joints was no longer a concern. 

Standing up was no longer a chore.

Running stopped being attempted suicide.

He was full of energy. Theo had never felt better.

But, there were still problems.

[Zeroth Curriculum]

[Kindergarten]

[Afternoon 4:00 PM]

“Yela, your Ma is here!”

Teacher Mia called for a student’s name by the entrance of the school.

It was time for the children to go home. The children’s guardians were arriving one by one. The children reacted differently. Some would run to the one who came to pick them up while the others would act like they didn’t hear Teacher’s Mia’s voice and continued playing. There were some who threw tantrums and demanded to stay longer. A particular boy with red scales on his arms and chin breathed fire to keep his brother away.

The Salamander boy was picked up by his older brother and was made to apologize.

Amongst the guardians was a girl who looked like she was in her early teens. Around the age of 16 or 17. She wore a black gray blazer with red lines with a long-white sleeved button down shirt underneath. Her skirt reached just below her knees. 

Dull colored uniforms and other than the lackluster black framed glasses there was a lack of unnecessary ornaments. Not to mention that on the right side of her chest was the logo of a horse with a horn made of fire. 

It was a Mythical Creature known as the Blaze Bicorn. 

She was a student of the Bicorn Academy. 

A name as tacky and suffocating as its uniform.

“Excuse me, I’m here to pick up my brother.”

“Ah, Alice! You’re later than usual. Is High-School posing any problem?” Teacher Mia recognized who it was.

How could she forget the girl who came to pick up the same child in two consecutive years.

The girl named Alice meekly nodded, “Today is the ASAA’s (After School Activity Associations) Recruitment day.”

“Is that today? Must have been a hassle. Anyway, I’ll just go call Theo.” 

“Thank you. But, before that… can I ask Teacher Mia something?”

Teacher Mia was visibly surprised to hear Alice intentionally interacting with her.

‘She’s awfully shy to strangers… this must be an important matter!’ Teacher Mia was ready to give her body and soul to resolve the matters clouding Alice’s mind, “What is it?”

“Um… it’s just. My brother… Theo. He had been talking a lot lately, Ah! That’s not bad or anything. I am really thankful that Teacher Mia did to make Theo so lively. But, he’s been talking about things I find difficult to follow at times.”

Theo had been talking about a lot ever since he became able to. The almost mute brother of hers was indistinguishable from who he used to be. But there were times that even she could not comprehend his words.

Teacher Mia smiled at her worries. 

‘Ah! So it’s about that!’

Since the day she failed to answer Theo, she too had been mulling over how to deal with him. So she searched her heart until she could find an answer.

“I didn’t want to tell you this because I didn’t want to shock you but. Your brother.”

“What is it? What about Theo?”

“I think he’s a genius.”

“Excuse me?”

Theo was considered to be almost unteachable because of his stubborn personality and his inability to remember past a sentence. His previous teacher even considered him disabled.

But Teacher Mia believed otherwise, “He too confuses me at times. When he reads the Ugly Phoenix, his pronunciation and reading comprehension are perfect. He is more than capable of counting and basic math. He even took the initiative to garden and asked for seeds. I believe he had been quiet all this time because he didn’t know what he wanted. But, he is now blossoming into his own individuality. He may just be a late bloomer.”

“Really?”

Alice was still confused, but she could see where she was coming from.

‘Well… he is Aya’s brother.’ 

But after giving it some thought, it became more and more plausible, “Well, Geniuses are finicky.”

“Indeed, so try not to think about it for your own sake. Ah! And right on queue he’s here.”

Carrying a mop next to an old man was Theo. He was lending a hand in cleaning the class.

“So Grampa was in the Frontlines? The Subjugation or the Recon?” Theo was intrigued.

“Oh, aren’t you knowledgeable?” The old janitor ruffled Theo’s hair, “Anyway, it seems like Teacher is calling for you.”

“Theo, your sister is here to pick you up!”

Teacher Mia’s voice echoed from the entrance. Behind her was a teenage girl Theo immediately recognized.

Theo’s heart jumped, ‘Already?’

But he swallowed his worries.

“I will see you tomorrow, Ol…I mean grandpa Elric. Take care when cleaning. Stop pushing too much pressure on your knees. It will only get bad!” Theo returned the mop and retrieved his backpack

The old janitor laughed seeing him walk to the entrance. 

“I will, I will. Hoho, what a nice and curious boy. He reminds me of someone.” The old man returned to cleaning with a pleasant smile, “Let’s get back to work.”

“There you are. Were you helping Grandpa Elric, Theo?” Teacher Mia praised, “But, did you wash your hands properly after?”

“Mm.” 

A clean pair of hands was shown with utmost pride.

“Very good. Well, time to say goodbye, your older sister is here to pick you up.” 

Badump!

His heart once again raced. 

Theo was an adult. 

But before the teenage girl his heart raced.

By no means was he enamored.

Only one woman could ever hope to move aflutter.

“Um… Alice? No, Older Sister. Big Sis… ola?” Theo awkwardly approached. 

He was unsure of what to call her. 

Theo was embarrassed.

“Aw, did you learn that from school? Come here, give your big sister a kiss.”

She tightly hugged him seeing how hard he had worked.

Her name was Alice Ashern. She was a Tenth-Grader and Theo's oldest sibling.

Theo tried pushing her away.

“Aw, don’t be so embarrassed.” Alice laughed. She showered him with tiny pecks on the cheek. The more he resisted, the more she pushed forth. 

His annoyance only made her stronger.

Alice was usually a shy and soft-spoken person.

But she was extremely affectionate to her family to Theo’s obvious dismay. She had especially taken great care of her younger brother who needed “special” attention for his lack of sensibility. 

Until four days ago, Theo was widely known to be slow and unresponsive compared to his peers. 

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He was held back after failing basic speech and reading comprehension. It did not make things easier when it was discovered he was one of the remaining Terran (New Name of Earth) Human generation that could not communicate with mana.

He was on the verge of being sent to the [Special Class] but it was decided he was to instead “reacclimate” to the school. 

It looked like it was an empty attempt and a waste of time. But, one afternoon, everything changed. He started talking more and became a lot more active. Alice read somewhere that growing children grow faster if they are shown appreciation and love.

Theo was already showing a positive change. So, she showered him with as much affection as she could when he accomplished something.

All to Theo’s dismay who had problems accepting such forms of communication.

“Wha… wait… shister… we need to hurry up and … pick up… Aya!”

“Ah! You’re right!” realizing her mistake, Alice energetically picked up Theo from the ground, “Then we must hurry… ah… um… thank you for looking after Theo… bye.”

“How pragmatic.” Teacher Mia felt satisfied seeing such a cheerful family, “Now, who’s going to fight in the [IMAT (Interworld Martial Arts Tournament)] tonight? I need to place my bets. But I don’t get paid until next week ....”

Teacher Mia turned her attention to the garden behind the Classroom. A sudden realization came, ‘That’s it.’

She found a way to survive even if she loses.

===

[Elementary Grounds]

[Second Gate connected to the Kindergarten Grounds]

“Sister, Muh!” A black haired young girl pouted at the sight of her sister and brother, “Why did you take so long!?”

“Aya, do not speak like that to Al…older sister.” Theo reprimanded while beingAlice’s arms.

The young girl’s pout only became bigger after hearing Theo.

Seeing this Theo whispered to Alice and was brought down to the side.

“Oya, could it be that my favorite cute little sister is getting jealous? Come here!”

“Humph! Who is jealous?” Aya harrumphed in indignation to the ridiculousness of her older sister’s words, “I was simply annoyed that you were about to be refused the right to embrace your beloved sister. I can only imagine the horror.”

“Of course, of course. I would be devastated.” Alice replied.

Her name was Aya Ashern. Theo’s Fraternal Twin. Unlike Theo she was smart and more eloquent than him that she was actually enrolled in the Academy’s Start Class.

In fact, other than Theo, both his siblings were considered smart beyond their peers. Alice was on Scholarship studying Magic Tools and Rune Carving.

Education was fair. How much effort one gives would result in better results. 

Or so it was advertised. But some were just born with abilities that propelled them ahead of everyone else. They were simply born different. 

Only Theo was considered dumb and stupid.

Aya climbed down from Alice’s embrace with grace.

She walked over to Theo and lifted both her hands to him.

“Hmm?” 

Aya waited for Theo and when he didn’t even try to approach, her eyes watered, “Why isn’t baby brother… do you hate big sister?”

She would start shaking and be on the edge of bursting into tears. She was actually born a few minutes after Theo. But she learned to talk before she was one and had been learning since she was four, so Theo wasn’t really worried about the hierarchy between siblings.

Theo would have to hug for three seconds before letting go.

Then, she would return to her usual self.

“Heh! I knew you would not be able to pass on your beloved sister.”

“Yes.”

“Okay, come on, hold my hands we’re going home.” Alice held their hands and started walking home.

===

Their house was a thirty minute walk from the academy.

It was an old two story that was nicely hidden in an alleyway. The house was split in two. The Second Floor was the living quarters. While the first floor was transformed to a local bar and restaurant. 

[Blooming Fire Street]

The Blooming Fire Street was known for its wide array of stores that ranged from small Street Food Vendors and Clothes Shops to high-class Smithies. 

The Black Lily was a local restaurant often visited by the local neighborhood for its good food and light atmosphere.

“Gyahahaha, the blood chicken tastes delicious! You may just surpass your Father with how you’re going.”

“Hahaha, you’ve seen nothing yet!” Alice responded with a hearty laugh.

She was a shy girl. But the people she was serving were the regulars who had been coming ever since she was young. 

“Here is your order of Iceberg Salad and Fried Ninth Moon Tofu.” 

Usually, Alice would be enough to serve the customers. But it was the last Weekday. There were a lot more people than usual. So, Theo was helping out. 

Since a month ago, Alice had been the one to station the kitchen. Their parents were caught in a fight between gangs and lost their lives.

Alice took it upon herself to keep their business open. They received compensation, but it was not enough for them to live by. They weren’t rich and her siblings were in an important phase in their lives so she was working very hard to provide for them.

He was tiny in comparison to the customers so it took a while to make Alice allow him to help. 

But it was finally the day when she finally caved. Alice borrowed Theo an old cart from a family friend and gave Theo a step tool.

“Oh you’re helping your older sister, little Tei-tei? How diligent.” a lady praised the efforts of the restaurant’s little helper.

“I want to lighten the burden on her shoulders. But, I also wanted to see the beautiful dames who frequented our humble eatery.”

“Ohohoho, how can you say that? Hohoho, you’ll make this widow fall for you.” 

The lady blushed and Theo smiled proudly.

‘I still got it.’

Very proud indeed.

“Ah! Be careful Aya!”

“Hehe, do not worry Sister, I got it!”

Aya also volunteered when Theo said he would help.

Time passed and the last of their customers finally left.

Because it was Friday, they stayed open until 11 in the evening. Aya was already asleep, while Theo was helping in closing the shop. 

Alice told him to sleep but he said he wouldn’t go to bed with an adamant look on his face. 

Alice thought he would become sleepy like Aya, but to her surprise, Theo managed to stay awake.

“Hoo! I didn’t think you would be able to

“Does that mean I can offer you help regularly now?”

“Okay… but only until 8. It’s detrimental for your growth to wake y

“10:00”

“No….”

“9:30”

“No means no Theo.”

“9:00!”

The burning desire in his eyes could no longer be snuffed out. So, Alice could only agree.

“Yes!” Theo pumped his fist in joy.

Alice could only smile at his innocence.

“Okay, that’s enough. Let us take a bath before going to bed. Aya couldn’t take one but that doesn’t mean we have to end the day dirty!” announced Alice as she prepared the bathtub, “Theo! Get ready to take a bath~”

Theo was covered in sweat and grease. He didn’t like getting dirt. Even when he was a farmer he would often take a bath and keep himself clean.

Yet, as Alice came out to call him, he reacted similarly to a dog.

“Please take a bath first. I can do it on my own Ali… older sister.” 

“Hahaha, why are you worried about that already? It’s not like you’re an adult. You need to ”

“But I am an adult. I told you before. I am a reincarnated man!” It felt wrong to lay his eyes upon the body of a growing lady. He still remembers the pain of raising a daughter. He knows them all too well.

Ever since he was picked up by Alice for the first time he decided to tell her who he truly was.

Theo was conflicted about what to do. To have another life after the end of his original one. He felt like he was cheating.

Whatsmore he was reincarnated as someone else’s child.

He started to think how “his family” would react.

How he should act.

Should he keep acting like all was normal? 

Or should he tell them the truth?

He was confused about what to do. So he sought out a person who honed their skills on guiding people. A teacher.

Teacher Mia answered him with wise words.

She told him something so simple yet complex.

[Only time will prove if what you choose is right or wrong. So, do not be afraid of doing either.]

 

These were the words he received.

He could keep them his identity. But that would be against his beliefs. He refused to acknowledge the loophole and chose a forthright path. He didn’t want to let time prove him wrong. So he chose the moral way.

So he admitted who he truly was.

A man who transcended life and death.

A man who lived a full life before.

…but Alice never believed him.

“Hahaha, there you go again with your jokes—”

Theo had been saying he was a reincarnated person for the past week. It had worried her that he was saying such things to lighten her heart. The notion had been reinforced after talking with Teacher Mia. His adamant attitude of helping her take care of the shop also gave it away.

Realizing just how thoughtful Theo was brought tears to her eyes, “I am thankful for your worries. But I am doing fine. Now, let us go take a bath. I need to scrub your body squeaky clean! Stop being embarrassed.”

“Wait! This is inappropriate! Nooo~”

Against his will, Theo was brought into the bathroom to take a bath with his sister.

This was his problem.

No matter how much he tried to convince Alice.

No matter what he did.

She never believed his claims.

‘Dammit, how will I get across her!?’