After stepping out of his room, Hit was ready for anything. He was quite disappointed when he was met with a narrow, dingy corridor, paint peeling from the walls in some places. Honestly, Hit felt like he had insulted his past opponents a little by walking out with his usual battle pose. "Why is it so..."
"Humble?", Mary finished for him.
"Not the word I would have used", a slightly repulsed Hit thought.
"Well, what with our village being rather small, and due to most of our working-age people moving to the labyrinth city, we have been struggling for quite some time. There aren't many of us left..." Mary deflated, looking depressed. Realising she had company, she put on a happy face. "We always try our best though!"
It seemed that the commotion drew some attention, as a few of the other inhabitants of the orphanage filtered into the hallway.
"Mama, who's that?" One of the children asked.
Mary turned to the little ones. "Oh, hello everyone! This is Hitch, he's finally woken up after such a long time."
A few voiced their surprise.
"Oh..."
"Wow..."
"Who?"
Mary put a hand on Hitch's shoulder. "Go on, say hi".
'Oh no. I'm not doing this.' Hit frowned at the little tykes, an intimidating aura somehow radiating from him.
All the youngsters shivered slightly. "He's scary..." The youngest hid behind a taller boy for safety.
"Now, now, everything's fine. He's just a little overwhelmed at the moment. We're going for a short walk, don't mind us." Mary attempted to lighten the mood.
"'kay", "okay", "have fun...". The small creatures gradually departed to find something else to gawk at.
Mary's grip on Hit's shoulder tightened slightly. "You were the oldest one here for quite some time Hitch. I'm afraid everyone who was around your age either left for work or adventure".
'So young. People must live harsh lives here', thought Hit.
Mary kneeled to hug an awkward Hit, who was still not used to such close contact. "You may not have had many friends, but know that I care for all the children here as if they were my own. You can always come to me if you need anything at all."
Hit was slightly awed at such a caring person, although he felt her kindness was wasted on him.
Mary suddenly got up and grasped Hit's hand. "Now, let's go on a little adventure!".
A surprised Hit was then led on a short and sweet tour of the building, consisting of a small kitchen and dining room; living quarters for the few remaining children; bathrooms; and play areas. All the staff members were quite surprised to see him.
Hit grew incredibly bored of the forgettable sights, until they finally reached the exit; his tour guide opened the door for him, letting in a cool breeze. "Well, you did say that you..." Mary then spoke in a forced monotone voice "must survey the outside."
Hit nearly cracked a smile, before walking out. "I sound nothing like that."
As Hit walked along, grit crunched beneath his feet. The wind swept through his hair and a yellow dwarf star shone brightly in the sky above. After Hit's vision adjusted, he could finally see the structures before him. Instinctually, eyes darted to any potential threats, as well as vantage points and exits; to be expected of someone of his profession. Small was the correct term for the hamlet that he was currently residing in; he could just about make out a few residences and a nearly barren marketplace. To his right, stood a large hall of sorts, and to the left a general store.
Biting her lip, Mary looked worriedly at her charge. "Are you certain you're up for this, Hitch? We can always look around another day."
Hit shook his head and walked on. "I must learn all I can."
Mary sighed. 'He was always quiet, but why does he seem so mature now? Maybe he'll open up more once he settles down.' She matched his pace. "Fine, but let me know the moment you would like to return, or feel unwell".
Along the way, a few curious villagers looked their way, surprised.
'Disappointment after disappointment. Is there nothing of use in this place?' Hit was honestly expecting more.
The pair rounded a corner and Hit saw something he was looking for: a library, or possibly a bookshop. He quickened his pace, hands still in his pockets, and quickly reached the window.
"Slow down dear! The shops aren't going anywhere!" Mary caught up, slightly winded. "I'm not as young as I used to be you know".
Receiving no reply, she looked over at the boy, who's eyes were darting from book to book seemingly looking for something. "Oh, did you want some books? You did like reading, before you fell asleep."
Hit nodded. 'Thankfully this host body isn't completely useless. I'm apparently capable of reading this new language, whatever it is. Based on the sign, this is a library.' Hit sighed in relief; if it were a book shop, he would likely be stuck. One advantage to being a former legendary assassin was that he was filthy rich. With no money now, he would have to either work for it or steal the items he needed.
Being an honourable person who respected other peoples' work, he would not resort to the latter. Assassination was also off the table as he currently did not possess a reputation and was pathetically weak. It cannot be stressed enough just how jarring it was to go from easily travelling many times the speed of light, to waddling along as an anaemic child. Particularly when his mind was functioning exactly as it had before, thereby creating a disconnect between his spirit and body. If he was to regain his strength, this lack of harmony would have to be rectified.
"I'm going to do some reading". Hit marched to the door.
Mary blocked his path. "Hold on, let me talk to the owner. You can read to your heart's content afterwards."
"Very well", Hit conceded.
After a brief conversation with the owner, another sweet elderly lady, Hit was free to explore and finally learn about his surroundings. Gathering a small selection of documents, he skimmed over their contents. He came to one conclusion once he was done.
"This is useless."
There was nothing on fighting techniques, abilities, world powers, or details on other planets. Nothing. Apart from some geographical data that may have been useful for exploration or tracking down assassination contracts, there was nothing of use. Did this planet not engage in intergalactic trade? He thought he was just in the boonies, but this might be some backwater planet.
"Is something the matter dear?" The librarian sounded behind Hit, catching him off guard.
Hit jumped a little in his seat. 'I really need to improve my senses. I never realised how much I relied on ki to monitor my surroundings.' A sixth sense had been severed from him, akin to losing an essential body part.
"There is nothing useful here." Hit sighed despondently.
The elder also sighed. "Yes, as with most things in this village, my collection is outdated and fading away. We mostly stock literature on agriculture and town management."
Seeing as she got no reply, the librarian decided to end the conversation with a reminder. "Remember, your granny will pick you up in around an hour."
Hit nodded absentmindedly. 'That settles it, I'll just have to strengthen myself as I did when I began my training; bend this body to my will; and move cautiously from now on. Thankfully, I'm not on a time limit.' He frowned. 'Tch. Or on the payroll...'
The librarian suddenly raised her voice, recalling something important. "Oh, I know! Some story books would be perfect for you!"
Hit rolled his eyes, already quite fed up with being treated like a child.
The crone's tone grew reverent. "All about magic, monsters, and the gods who descended to the lower world!"
Hit widened his eyes at this. "Gods!?"
The lady chuckled. "Finally listening to me, eh? Let me get some of them for you". She began to hobble away, a slight limp in her gait.
Hit got up and joined the woman. "Allow me".
* * *
Following a filling dinner, where the man-turned-boy sat far away from the other children, Hit retired for the night. He lay in bed and organised his thoughts on what he had learned during his perusal. The stories were brief, intended for very young children; however, they still had some clues about this new world. He had initially been sceptical, as the tales sounded quite overexaggerated, but a quick conversation with Mary confirmed the existence of the divine.
Apparently, the gods of this world descended from the heavens to the world below, seeking out excitement after growing tired of their unchanging lives. Hit could somewhat understand the sentiment. What he found abnormal, was that they sealed away their powers. Gods of destruction of his multiverse could act as they pleased, blowing away galaxies with ease. If they wanted to enjoy themselves, why not just travel wherever they liked?
Some of Hit's excitement died at this. 'I guess I won't be fighting any gods here.'
Still, despite being in a weakened state, they may be able to tell him more about his situation. If they were anything like the gods he knew, they should be bound to the very fabric of this world and stand as the wisest beings in existence. Should he really tell them anything though? Gods were impulsive beings, and often easy to anger. How would they react to an impostor in their realm? He would have to judge them carefully himself, a reversal of the usual roles.
Moving on, the most promising detail he found was that mortal souls could be blessed by the gods, empowering them. Now he was finally getting somewhere. He would definitely research this further.
'Should I seek out this blessing. Would my soul even be recognised by them?' Hit was fundamentally different from anything in this dimension after all. Also, relying on someone else to gain power didn't sit well with him. He'd always forged his own path.
In any case, these gods, and those they blessed, seemed to congregate around an immense dungeon, within which, giant monsters prowled. Or at least they appeared quite large in the book. The main character of the story was a small girl, so Hit could not be sure of the scale of anything. 'Why does this pit exist in the first place? It says the gods sealed the dungeon away by creating an enormous edifice over it. Why not just obliterate it?'
Ever since, these blessed humans delved down into the labyrinth and protected humanity. Hit paused in his thoughts. 'Why would humans be sent to fight against enemies of the gods?'
A few seconds of thought passed; Hit rolled his eyes. 'Oh, I get it. They probably wanted to savour it, throw humans at the problem, and enjoy the fireworks. The entire reason they came down here was for fun. If they just got rid of their last enemy, there wouldn't be anything left to enjoy.'
He smiled bitterly. 'I guess gods are the same everywhere.'
Focusing once more, Hit made his decision. 'If I'm to find any clues as to whether there are any truly strong beings in this world, I need to seek out more exclusive information near the dungeon, at this 'Orario' place.'
Hit sighed, melancholically. 'I hope I can learn to use ki again.' Nothing of note had happened during the day, but his short adventure had tired him out. It was unnerving not being able to actually sense anything around him.
Finally closing his eyes and shuffling into bed, this last worry refused to drift off. 'Could it be that this world lacks ki entirely? How would such life even arise?' Hit's eyes widened. 'Or is my mind the issue, making me unable to detect life signatures in this plane?'
Hit did not know which was worse.
Still, he would march on. The former assassin drifted off into dreamless sleep.
* * *
Three months passed by quickly as mid spring burned away into summer. Farmers began haymaking and maintained their valuable summer crops. Townsfolk enjoyed the warmer weather and children used their extra free time to play amongst each other and annoy their parents.
One child was a maverick, however.
A gentle stream swished by, and birds dove down to feed on insects hovering on its surface. There wasn't a cloud in the sky as a sole human sat in place at the river's edge, put at ease by the soft grass beneath him.
Hit had made leaps and bounds in his short time here. A proper diet and good rest, combined with meditative training, finally allowed him to meld with his new body completely. Exercises designed to reinforce all his muscle groups had already taken effect; however, he was still less than impressed.
'This body certainly is fragile. I could endure far more punishment when I was this age.'
If another person could hear Hit's thoughts, and knew what he had been up to, they would be gobsmacked. Hit had spent nearly all his time engaging in harrowing activities, pushing his body beyond its limit every day. How could he not be impressed? He had also hammered his self-taught martial arts into his muscle memory and improved his senses immensely. For this reason, his acute hearing picked up footsteps of the approaching human long before she spoke.
"There you are! You find somewhere new to run off to every day!" Mary breathed out a sigh of long-suffering.
Hit looked up. "Rigorous training is essential to my growth".
Mary looked exasperated "What's your rush, deary? You only woke up recently."
Hit quirked a brow. "It has already been three months".
"Really? Time flies by, doesn't it?", Mary laughed. "In fact, it's someone's birthday tomorrow, isn't it? I wonder who's it could be?"
Hit huffed and went back to meditating.
Mary had been dropping hints a lot recently. She apparently wanted to know what present Hit wanted. He was not very interested, having stopped celebrating his birthdays after the 100th. Overall, he was in a good mood and, apart from his relatively slow growth, everything was proceeding well. Hit had begun accruing some savings by working part time at a local farm, taking care of animals, lifting heavy loads, etcetera. His employment served two purposes: it provided him with activities to keep his mind at work and prepared him for his eventual trip to Orario.
Hit also kept returning to the library in case any useful papers eluded him. One such piece of information were details on the races of this world. It surprised him how varied they were, considering how this planet was almost identical to Earth. Humans, Dwarves, Palums, Renards, Werewolves, Amazonesses, Boaz, Cat people, Chienthropes, and a whole host of other demi humans called this rock their home. Most of them seemed to simply appear as humans with animalistic traits; they must share a common ancestor.
However, the people who intrigued Hit the most were the elves. These beings were said to live for hundreds of years and were often blessed with magic. Yes, magic was also in this world. Hit was shocked to find this out; he had never seen anyone in the village use any. Was it limited to one race? He would keep a watchful eye out for these 'elves'. Possessing vitality comparable to his previous self, they likely stood as the pinnacle of strength in this world, apparently wise beyond measure. Additionally, he could not stop himself from helping the poor librarian. Truly, he had a soft spot, at least for those who deserved it.
Back to the present, Mary sat next to him. "Anyway, be sure to come to the dining room, tomorrow evening."
Hit grumbled. Those pesky children would not stop trying to annoy him. Apart from when he washed himself and ate, they hardly ever saw him.
"Don't worry, it'll just be just you and I. I know how shy you are..." Mary giggled at his frowning face.
"Whatever." Hit got up and wiped away blades of grass from his trousers. 'I miss by trench coat. If this 'Orario' city is as big as I think it is, it should have a variety of craftspeople.'
Dealing with craftsmen was always annoying; they were so eccentric that intimidation rarely worked. The only thing they bowed down to was money.
* * *
The sun descended past the horizon, bidding farewell with a crimson sunset. It was Hit's birthday, and he could not bring himself to disappoint the kind matron. 'Let's get this over with.'
Walking into the dining room, he was greeted with a cozy scene. Mary was sat by the fire, knitting. An upturned bowl sat on the table with cutlery beside it. Setting aside her work, she got up and hugged the boy, who allowed her to do so, hesitantly. "Happy Birthday Hitch! I knew I wouldn't catch you in the morning, so I prepared a little party here."
She took Hit's hand in hers and led him to the table, where they both sat on comfy seats. "We can't make too much noise or we'll wake the other children, so I'll be quiet.
Hit felt an arm wrap around him, as Mary hugged him, and began to softly sing the classic 'happy birthday song'. As she went along, Mary lifted the bowl on the table and revealed a small chocolate cake with two candles on it, shaped like the numbers 1 and 5. Tune finished, Mary lit the candles.
"Happy birthday, Hitch." She kissed him on the forehead. "Make a wish!"
Hit looked up at her, awestruck. 'She truly cared for this boy, didn't she. Forgive me, ...Mary'.
Hit faced forward and blew out his candles. Not knowing what to wish for exactly, as he already knew what he would do, he instead simply wished for this new life to not be too dull.
Mary clapped her hands. "Congratulations Hitch! You're fifteen years old now. How do you feel?"
"Small", Hit murmured.
Mary covered her mouth as she giggled. "Small? I guess children always want to grow up quickly. Then they become adults and wish they were children again!"
After calming down, Mary reached behind her and picked up two parcels. "Here you are Hitch: your presents."
Hit had not received a gift in ages; he nodded and unwrapped the two packages. Inside were a rucksack and notebook, a drawing of a picturesque farm on its cover.
Mary fidgeted a little, worried. "I know you love to explore, so I made you something to put supplies in. Also, since you always seem to be in deep thought, I got you something to write your ideas in".
"You... made this?" Hit looked up in shock.
Mary beamed at him. "Yes! I hope you like them."
Hit slowly put the items on the table, before hugging her gently for the first time. "Thank you... I will treasure them".
The two sat in silence for some time, enjoying each other's company... Mary decided to break away first. "Ok! Let's have some cake." With that, she cut two slices and put them on plates. Hit found it quite tasty.
"You know, the other children wanted to celebrate with us. You could have made a little effort to make some friends", Mary started.
Hit put his plate down, cake eaten. "Out of the question".
Mary sighed. "I guess it's just who you are as a person. As long as you're happy, I'm happy." She paused. Was he truly happy?
"What exactly do you want to do from now on, Hitch? What's your goal?" Part of her knew what he was going to say; she pushed it down.
Hit gave the dreaded reply. "I need to journey to Orario. Answers to my questions can only be found there."
Mary's heart ached; she knew he would eventually leave, as the others had. Alas, this was inevitable. Tears threatened to burst free as she shook a little. 'No. I cannot hinder him. Whenever I look into his eyes, I see a desire for greatness burning in them. He's destined for greater things; I just know it'.
She kept up her smile. "I see. In that case, you'll need to do a lot of preparation".
Hit nodded, determined. "Naturally."
Silence dragged on a little, so Hit continued. "I'll be staying here for a little longer then; I will be in your care".
"Of course you will! You'll always be my baby!" Mary hugged him and launched a tickle attack.
"Khh...ha-ha! S-stop that!" A flustered Hit managed to escape the onslaught.
Mary giggled. "So, you can laugh..."
Hit sighed, an almost imperceptible smile playing on his lips. "Goodnight... Mary"
Mary was stunned. It was the first time he had addressed her by name, since waking up. "Goodnight... Hitch".
Hit walked lazily to bed and dreamed of impossible tournaments in faraway lands.