Chapter 22: Chapter 22

Yesterday's events refuse to leave my mind, despite the fact that they were the least problematic event in my previous and current lives. That incident was nothing like what Jack had done to us. Although not as severe, the pain, grief, and regret I felt yesterday far exceeded what I felt when Jack attacked us. It was as if a piece of me had shattered beyond repair, splintering into a million pieces. The grief and rage I felt at the time were so complex that I don't think I'd be able to handle it again.

Feelings that persist even now, at night, while everyone is sleeping. Currently inside a tent with my mother next to me, who is tightly clutching me to her chest. My loneliness is now at the same level as it was before I reincarnated into this world. When traveling in that Zero gravity devoid of light place indefinitely. I had believed that everything I desire and love were within my grasp. Instead, it extended further away from me, far beyond my vision.

In my head, I tell myself, 'How naive.' I can't believe the folly of those ideals, of those beliefs. I'm feeling this way now, but how will I feel if someone close to me dies? How would I react then? Will it be more than this? or would I become a completely different person, with no resemblance to my former self? That nightmare, that imagination, scares me. I'm honestly at a loss for what to do next; should I continue training? or should I stay in that small village and hope nothing major happens?

Is this new life of mine going to be the same as the one before it? Is it inevitable that I will always be alone, with no one to talk to and no one to trust? Because if things continue as they are, they will soon be the same. That theory has been strengthened by Jack's incident, which Sack has now proven. I am insufficient on my own; please respond to my question, "What should I do?" I beg in hushed tones for someone, anyone to respond. I know these scenarios aren't serious enough to shake me so much, but a storm doesn't start out so strong; it gradually builds momentum until it reaches the storm category.

These small events will continue to pile up, transforming the soft winds into a powerful storm of epic proportions. My life will never be the same again, so I ask in hushed tones once more, "What should I do?".... "GET STRONGER," I heard, not expecting a response. A deep, powerful voice, the same one I'd heard twice before. The voice that had brought me into this world and given me such strength. "GET STRONGER, THAT SIMPLE SOLUTION WILL ANSWER ALL YOUR QUESTIONS AND DOUBTS. IMPROVE YOUR STRENGTH" said the all-powerful voice once more.

Get stronger? That is what I have been striving for, as has Sack. In the last few years, the only thing on my mind has been to gain strength. However, strength has done nothing to address my concerns, let alone provide solutions. Consider where gaining strength has led us: Jack has gone missing, and Sack is in a much worse state than fear. Clearly, gaining strength isn't working, because I was strong before my reincarnation. Many people admired me, but even more despised me because of that simple solution.

Given that this is a new world with different laws of the universe, I assumed that if I became strong, stronger than anyone else, things would be different from my previous life. That is yet another folly of my foolish ideals. This world is different from my previous one, and yet many things are similar. Both worlds are harsh and cruel, but there are many things that make them beautiful. Very well, all-powerful being who resides in my body. I will do as you say, I will continue to gain strength.

I can only hope that what I'm doing is the right decision. That the decision to gain strength will not have a negative impact on my life in the future. I need to get stronger faster than I am currently doing. Awakening my mana will help to alleviate some of that problem. Many negative things will occur in the future, I am sure. That's why I assumed that if I became stronger than everyone else, it wouldn't have a negative impact on me or my family. Nonetheless, my goal is to get stronger, but I need to do it much faster than I have been going in the past.

FOUR WEEKS LATER 

Sack gradually returned to his normal self over the course of four weeks. The terrified Sack is no longer with us, but I believe he is still traumatized by the events that he had to endure. What he had to do would make any five-year-old act like that, but Sack has handled it far better than any other normal kid his age would.

We finally arrived at our destination after a four-week journey. The capital of this nation is Qrofville, and the nation in which it is located is Astax. It is one of the world's three great nations and also the country with the most humans. Yes, there are elves, beastmen, dwarfs, and many other creatures besides humans. When my mother told me that there are different species of humanoids in the world, I was astounded. Unlike my previous world, this one is truly a fantasy world, one where you read from books.

Looking out the side window of this carriage, we enter the front gate of the tall, but thick and strong walls. Anyone entering can tell the difference between our small village and this vast city. Many people walking on the sides of the street reminds me of my old life in some ways. Of course, my old world was not as undeveloped as this one, and there were no different types of species walking around, but the way so many people are seen walking and interacting with one another makes it difficult not to compare the two.

I currently appear to be a child my age, full of curiosity and excitement. Looking around at all the different types of people and what appear to be adventurers. The various shops, businesses, houses, and apartments are all amazing for their time. "Wow, there are so many people here," I overheard Sack say next to me. He, like me, is fascinated by this site, perhaps even more so. After all, this is the first time he has seen so many people. "Yes, it's a little overwhelming," I admit.

"Oh yes, many people indeed. Fun fact, I was born here if the two of you wanted to know" said Claire while smiling towards our excited expressions. Sack shifts his head in a quick motion aimed straight at Claire in otter astonishment. Mouth wide open with eyeballs nearly popping out of their sockets. "Surprised?" she said, admiring his surprised expression while softly giggling. "You were born here? why didn't you tell me earlier?" the surprise Sack says with puffed up cheeks. "If I were to have told you earlier you would not have been as surprised as you are now, I would miss my chance to see your cute pouting face" she says clenching both of Sack cheeks.

Her declaration only served to make Sack pout his cheeks even more. Wich only helped to strengthen Claire's actions as well as her reactions. Seeing Sack in that state made even I chuckle a bit in amusement, not forgetting my mother who has been silently chuckling on the side. "Pleash shtop," Sack says as his mother holds his cheeks. His declaration caused Claire to cease her actions, causing Sack to rub his Cheeks softly. "Now that we've made it inside, let's exit the carriage and make our way to an inn. Let's go to one of the establishments near the front gates" Clair says.

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The carriage pulls up to a nice comfortable area where we can gather our belongings without being disturbed. When we exit the carriage, we gather our belongings, which include bags, backpacks, and a handy magical bag known as a storage bag. That bag was obviously where we stored all the heavy massive supplies that would not fit otherwise on or in the carriage. Very magical and beneficial. When we're ready, we head to an inn that Claire herself recommended.

"The Ruthless Fire Inn? What an interesting name," I say as we approach the inn that Claire directed us to. "Don't be fooled by the name; contrary to its title, this inn is one of the three five-star inns in this capital," Claire says, pointing to the inn. The inn is a magnificent abode, with its eye-catching front gold colored entrance and lovely nice decorated pillars on the side. Its black and white colors highlight the golden colors, enhancing the already stunning front view.

"What are we waiting for, let's go inside," Claire exclaims. We follow her instructions and enter, only to be greeted by an amazing view of the interior design of this lovely establishment. It has a gorgeous open wide space with a lovely female clerk to attend its customers. That same lovely lady notices our approaching figures, which causes her already wonderful features to enhance with a captivating smile. "Luna!, it's been so long," Claire adds to my stunned appearance by walking.....no jogging, towards the beautiful clerk lady.

The lady shifts her head in confusion, but a closer inspection at the jogging woman heading her way made her smile grow even wider. "Is that you, Claire?" she asks, surprised yet excited. The two beautiful women collide in a tight hug, their plump chest the only thing keeping them apart. "If I recall correctly, it's been ten years since we last saw each other," Claire says as they move away from each other.

"Yes, ten entire years. That damn Carl stole you away from me" Claire is addressed by the front desk lady. Her obvious displeasure with the situation was evident in her expression. She then shifts her gaze away from Claire and toward our direction. "Samantha, you're here too!" Luna exclaims, surprised yet again. "Hello, Luna. It's been a long time. How are you doing these days?" My mother walks up to Luna, leaving Sack and I behind. "I don't think you two came here just to meet me; there must be something going on," Luna, the clerk, says.

"No, no, no, no, Many things happened that prevented us from coming to meet you. So please accept our apologies" with a broken heart, my mother stated. "I'm just teasing you, don't take it seriously," Luna said as politely as she could. My mother relaxed her shoulders, softly giggling in embarrassment at those words. With drama, laughter, and teases, these three act like old friends who have known each other for years. A loving and caring relationship, forgetting why they were able to meet Luna in the first place.

Sack and I stare at the three charming ladies all awkwardly not knowing what to do. Not only would it be rude, but it would also be awkward to interfere in their reunion. That awkward mood however, is terminated by my mother abruptly stopping her interactions with them and instead heading our way. She extant both her hands, grabbing both I and Sack and pushing us forward. "Luna, let me introduce to you the two new members of our family. the one on the right is my son, Ashborn and the one on the left is Sack, Claire's son" 

For the third time that day, Luna's aspect changed. Shifting back to a stunned image, her eyes and mouth both open wide. Staring at both Sack and me, unable to believe what she's seeing. "Hello, Miss Luna. My name is Ashborn, as my mother previously mentioned. It's a pleasure to finally meet you" I extend my hand for Luna to shake. She clenches my hand in a tight grip, contradicting her fragile appearance. "I, ah, when did this happen?" Luna asks, looking at both my mother and Claire in astonishment.

I pull my small hand away from her well-kept slender hand. She returns her gaze to my direction, no longer perplexed, but instead intrigued. Examining my every feature, determining whether I am my mother's true biological son. Deciphering my face up, down, left, and right while occasionally looking at my mother to compare me to her. She acts the same way with Sack, as if she doesn't believe we are their sons.

"They're now five, so I'd say five years ago," my mother, a cheerful woman, says. Her smiling figure, clutching her cheeks in euphoria, is truly a sight to behold. "five? Don't tell me you met me today because of their ceremony?" Luna says this while trying to sound as offended as possible. This caused my mother to freeze in place, unable to respond to her testimony. Claire, unlike my mother, is not taken aback by this; she simply smiles teasingly, going with the flow of Luna's satire.

This Luna really likes teasing people doesn't she? and my mother is really bad at asserting whether she is teasing her or not, i think to myself after observing their heartwarming interaction amongst themselves. "Hahaha, you are so easy to tease Samantha. you should know im merely messing with you" Luna corrects the situation by laughing jokingly. My mother once again is left in utter embarrassment by Luna's rectification. " changing topics, about the ceremony You should know that this year would be a bit different" Luna mentions once her laughter subsides.

"What exactly do you mean?" Claire interjects, perplexed. "During the ceremony, the noble and commoner children will be grouped together. A noticeable difference over previous times. As a result, you two should be especially cautious not to offend any noble children" Luna declares, pointing to both Sack and I at the start of her final sentence. My mother and Claire both gasped in surprise at her statement. Nobles are untrustworthy, especially when commoners are involved. In my old world, in the old times some nobles were greedy, terrible people, so the chances of the nobles in this world being different are slim, given how similar this world is to my old one.

This is a major cause for concern; most noble children speak and act as if they are the center of the universe. As if anything they want is theirs for the taking. Nothing irritates me more than arrogant children, which is understandable given how I treated Jack. "Do they not realize how terrible it would be for the common people? Children are naturally the most common causes of problems, so the likelihood of something happening is high "my mother stated. 

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