I knew I died. I knew an injury like that would not allow my continued survival. And yet here I was, lying beside an official looking road. The road was in the middle of a field, with a few trees dotted about here and there. After I died, I gained a few memories... the destruction of many a civilisation being one of them... it was harrowing to say the least... seeing my parents and friends being exterminated by themselves...
I had also gained the memory of my hatred for not only humanity, but for elves, dwarves, fairies, demons, and the undead. I despised all of them now. I despised all of the races on all planets across all universes. I had also retained from that memory that memory that there were other universes. From that one memory, I also knew that I had been dead for 514 years. It was simultaneously surprising and unsurprising. It felt like a new piece of knowledge, but also a fact I had known for a while. It was odd.
I remembered a fox that grew to enormous sizes, that I had apparently loved as a companion and friend. It was weird feeling grief for something I didn't remember meeting while I was alive. So I had been in existence between when I was killed and now, but I remember possessing things to protect Foxy, which was this fox's name. That meant I was a ghost for a while. However, from the times I had with Foxy, I was definitely not a ghost. I was a black mass. Peculiar...
I stood up from the side of the road, looking around. I noticed I was still wearing my top hat, evening tailcoat, and all the other clothes I had hidden in a tree. There was no one else from horizon to horizon. The long dirt road was long and empty. There was a forest far behind me on my side of the road, and on the other was afield that stretched as far as the eye could see. There was no point in staying in one place, however, so I began to walk up the road, which was East, according to the sun. I knew the sun was pointing east because it was early morning, and the sun was visibly rising up the ceiling that is the sky.
I had not walked a kilometre before I heard the clip clopping of hooves on the ground, along with wooden wheels rattling slightly on the rough surface of the road. The carriage (for it was, indeed, a carriage) was coming up behind me. It was an impressive vehicle, lined with gold all over. It looked to have enough room to fit about a dozen people in it. It was being pulled by four horses, who were each tall and proud in their own right. It was, by all means, the image of aristocracy... I hated it... I detest aristocracy and royalty... they were all a bunch of entitled tw*ts...
Once the carriage caught up to me, it slowed down, the window opened, and an old man looked out of the window.
'Hello there, young man. What are you doing out here all by yourself?' He asked. Oh great... this one thought I was a child... I supposed I could use this to my advantage, but I didn't really want to.
'H-hello sir. I-I was j-just walking. I-I'm not quite s-sure wh-where I'm g-going.' I answered. I was stuttering again. I remembered not stuttering when talking with Foxy. I guess I can't have everything...
'Well, why don't we take you with us? Since you don't have any particular destination, why don't we take you with us?' He asked. I think he thought I was also an aristocrat. An understandable mistake, seeing how I was dressed poshly, and spoke in a posh British accent. Not that I did it on purpose. It was just how I spoke.
'Th-that's very k-kind of you, s-sir.' I smiled at him. I hated him, but why not get a free lift.
'Come on then!' He grinned warmly at me before opening the door and allowing me to enter.
I got in the carriage, making sure not to drop my stove pipe hat. I sat down opposite the old man who had invited me in. In the transportation, there was an old woman sitting beside the old man, resting her head on his shoulder, and a girl that looked to be around five years older than my age when I died, sitting on the same side of the vehicle as me, but at the opposite window to mine. She looked out of the window, looking very disapproving of who I supposed to be her father or grandfather letting me in. She glanced quickly at me every now and then, obviously not liking he company.
'Sir. It s-seems like I-I'm d-d-disturbing t-the girl... sh-should I g-get out?' I asked, making sure to be very polite. He shook his head and smiled again.
'It's fine, young man. She just doesn't like strangers that much.' He looked over at the young woman, who huffed and looked out the window with intensity.
'S-say, I n-never got your n-name.' I started. He looked back at me.
'My name is Arthur Mistel Lescatie. This here is my wife, Marie Mistel Lescatie. And that over there is my eldest daughter, Anna Mistel Lescatie. She's a hero, with divine protection by the Chief God, you know.' He was obviously very proud and was trying to show off. And they were royalty too, according to their last name being the same as the town I remembered arriving at in my first life. 'What's your name?'
'K-Katt.' He looked shocked. Him and the girl stared at me with wide eyes. 'D-did I s-say something wr-wrong?'
'N-not at all! No! We were just surprised, that's all. It must be a simple coincidence.' He said, waving his hand dismissively.
'Wh-what? What's a c-coincidence?' I asked, intrigued.
'There's a legend that is exactly the same in all the books of all the gods, that a boy named Katt would arrive in Lescatie today. It is said that he would be a genius, able to do anything with a simple sentence. He would also arrive dressed... quite poshly... and would speak... quite poshly...' he looked at me suddenly, observing my features. 'He would have
(E/C) eyes... and (H/C) hair... and would have the build... of a child...'
The both of them suddenly became really excited. They looked at me in awe. Quite ironic, seeing as he was just trying to impress me by introducing his daughter as a "hero". The girl, Anna, sat closer to me, looking at me intensely, and her father, Arthur, leaned closer to me. This caused the old lady, Marie, to wake up with a jump. She gave me a single glance before she too became excited and leaned in closer.
'So, uhh, Katt. You said you didn't know where you were going. Why don't you come with us to Lescatie. You could stay in the palace with us. You would be treated as a guest of honour.' He suggested, looking at me in the eyes.
Chaos was a wonderful thing. Since, the expressions on a person's face had so many variations, it was comparable to Chaos. Not exactly the same, but similar. It was written in the Book of Chaos, how to read facial expressions. It was very detailed, giving details of the tiniest twitch in a person cheek. His smile was not of genuine happiness, but of dominance. More of a smirk than a smile. He wanted me to be on his side. On his team. What he didn't know was that I didn't want to be on anyone's team.
'Th-that's very k-kind of y-you. B-but first, wh-what else c-can you t-tell me about th-the legend?' I asked.
'Well, it said that you were shy,' that was true, 'that you would be unbiased,' that was only true, since I was unbiased in my hatred of all civilisations. I hated everyone equally, 'and that you were human. The legend says that you would appear and be a beacon of knowledge and equality.' He explained all of this while looking at me with interest. 'Have you never heard of the legend before?'
'N-no. I ha-haven't.' I answered. I was surprised at all of this. Me being a 'beacon of knowledge and equality' was somewhat true, but not entirely true. I valued knowledge above a lot of things, and I hated everyone equally. I think the gods were just messing with me...
'So... is it true you can do anything with a single sentence?' He asked.
'Y-yes.' I could. The Book of Chaos taught me how. One sentence was enough to bring about any event. I would not have believed it if I had not studied Chaos Theory in my first life. Theoretically, most things were possible with a single action or sentence. Arthur's eyes widened.
'I was wondering... how would you like to have my daughter's hand in marriage?' He gestured at Anna, who looked a bit surprised. I wasn't. It was obvious he was going to do something like that. 'She's the top hero of the Chief God, she is the best human warrior, she knows how to cook and clean the home, and she is a beautiful, single young lady.'
'Father!' Exclaimed Anna.
'What? Do you not want to marry Katt? The Legend?' He leaned over to his daughter and whispered in her ear. I could still hear, however. 'Think of what could happen if he were on our side. If he were under our control.' That was actually quite true. I had read in the one of the books from the library that it was the direct descendant of the ruler who inherited all the power. That meant that Anna would be the main ruler as Queen, or Empress, and I would have to be her loyal husband, obeying her orders.
'Fine! But not because you told me to! It's because he's also quite attractive...' She whispered back at her father, blushing slightly at the last sentence. 'I think that would be wonderful, don't you, Katt?' She asked me. She had gotten exceedingly close to me, trying to push her bosom into my face, seeing as the height difference allowed her to do so.
'Th-thank you f-for the offer, b-but--' I was interrupted by Anna.
'What?! Am I not pretty enough?! Am I not elegant enough?! Am I not prestigious enough?!' She yelled. Her father sat back, not getting involved. Perhaps he thought his daughter was winning me over... if he did, he was sorely mistaken.
'N-no! Th-th-that's n-n-not it!' I was trembling under her now, since she was towering over me, doing her best to intimidate me.
'Well?! What is it then?!' She demanded.
'I-i-i-i-its j-j-just th-that I-I-I h-haven't r-r-really m-met you y-y-yet...' I said. Not like me talking to her any more would change my feelings towards her. She was a righteous, arrogant c*nt. She also scared me. Yes, her scaring me was the main reason for me not liking her even more.
'Oh...' she looked rather sheepish now. 'I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell.' She smiled at me, trying to apologise. I simply nodded back. I didn't really feel like talking at the moment. I was still shivering a bit from her outburst. 'Oh, you're shivering.' She seemed concerned. 'Are you cold?' I shook my head.
'Perhaps you scared him a bit too much, dearie.' Said Marie. She looked at me, trying to be comforting. I smiled gratefully at her.
'Oh no!' I felt Anna's arms wrap around me. I shuddered and started to shiver even more. 'It's okay. I'll try not to scare you again, okay?' I didn't answer. I was a bit too embarrassed by her hugging me. I also wasn't too keen on hugs either.
The carriage then stopped. I noticed we were in Lescatie. I recognised the palace. It had not changed in 514 years, which was quite impressive. I supposed it was held up by magic. Anna let go of me as we came to a halt. The doors to the carriage opened and the kind walked out. The Queen then followed, then Anna. I got out of the carriage after Anna, and was shocked to see a huge crowd of people lining the streets. They all looked at me, likely wondering what on Earth I was doing in the carriage with the royal family.
'Hello, my loyal subjects!' Started Arthur. 'I would like to present Katt! The Legend from the Holy Books!' I quickly covered my face, not wanting to be recognised later. I quickly wrapped my scarf around my face. The fabrics was quite thin so I could still see out, but they couldn't see in. Quite convenient actually.
The crowd had was like a single body. They all cheered at once, rushing towards the carriage to get a good look. However, the guards, thankfully, kept them at bay.
'Please, calm down!' Employed the king. 'As the books foretold! He is very shy! You will see him later when he feels better!' He seemed to be almost considerate. It was a trick. He was trying to make me trust him.
Anna then quickly grabbed me, lifting me up and carrying me in her arms, as if I were a bride, to the palace. I was carried through the gates, through the large double doors that were the entrance, through various winding corridors, up three flights of stairs, and finally, we arrived in a living space. It had two sofas facing each other with a coffee table in between the two. There were three tall windows lining the wall. The walls were painted a blue-ish green. Gold was put everywhere else. They were obviously a very rich family.
Anna gently sat me down on one of the sofas, then sat next to me.
'So, why don't we get to know each other, since we're here.' She suggested. 'I think we should ask each other questions so that we know more about each other.'
'H-how a-about you a-ask a question, I-I answer, and y-you answer as well.' I said.
'That's a great idea! Especially since you're shy!' She exclaimed, clapping her hands together. 'So... my first question will be... where are you from?'
'A w-worse world...' I answered. This planet seemed somewhat stable compared to other civilisations.
'Wh-what do you mean?!' She pressed, looking concerned.
'J-just worse... much w-worse.' I smiled at her, 'Y-your t-tur-turn.'
'Alright. Come from this city, the capital, Lescatie. I was born and raised here. Next question... what was your childhood like?'
'C-comfort-table. Ea-easy.'
'Interesting. I was born in this castle. I was blessed by the Chief God when I was 2 weeks old. Ever since, I was trained to be the best warrior, leader, and queen.' She smiled at me, as if inviting me to be her king. I refused... 'Next question... umm...'
This went on for some time. She asked a random question, I would answer simply, and she would give a longer answer. She asked mostly trivial questions, such as what my favourite food was, or what my favourite pastime was. It was incredibly dull. The problem was, I had nothing to do. Then, Arthur and a few other people walked in. There were two girl that looked to be younger than Anna, but still above two years older than me when I died. Then, in walked a third new girl who looked frail and weak. She looked to be about my age when I died.
'Hello again, Katt. These are my other daughters. Here is Susan, hero of Poseidon.' He gestured to the second oldest girl in the room. She seemed to be some sort of priest, or holy person. Although, instead of gold linings in the clothes, there were turquoise linings.
'Hello there, Sir Katt. Pleased to make your acquaintance.' She bowed slightly at me.
'H-hi.' I greeted back.
'Here is my third daughter, Elise, hero of Bacchus.' He gestured to the second youngest girl. She pushed her chest out in pride, although staggered a bit with a whisky bottle in her hand.
'Hey~... *hic* cutie~...' she said before passing out. I waved a very stiff wave.
'And this is Francisca. She been ill since birth.' Said the King.
'Wh-what does sh-she suffer from?' I enquired.
'Frailty and is infertile because of it.' I knew a cure for that. Not an entirely scientific one, but a Chaotic one. I knew just the thing...
"H-h-hello th-there...' she waved at me timidly.
'G-g-good t-t-to m-m-m-meet y-you...' I responded, waving back just as shyly. She blushed and smiled secretly.
'Say, Katt?' Started Arthur. 'Whose side are you on?' He looked me in the eyes. I could see he was serious about this. I bet he was hoping for me to be on the side of the humans. As if I would ever help humans...
'My own.' I answered, mirroring his sobriety. Him and Anne looked honestly surprised by this.
'Are you not on the side of the gods?!' Susan asked.
'No.' I said. I was answering without hesitation. It was a serious matter, which required serious answers.
'The Humans?! The Demons?! The Undead?! The Fairy Kingdom?!' Anna was now listing off political groups at random. It was obvious. She did however repeat "Humans" a few times, most likely trying to emphasise that one power.
'No.' I stared her in the eyes, my own being the embodiment of coldness. She was, again, shocked. I knew why. She thought that, since I was a legend in the "Holy Books", then I must be a "holy disciple". She likely hoped for me to be one of the Chief God's disciples.
'Wh-why?' She asked. She was now calmer, sounding more whiny than mature.
'Because... you are all the same...'
'All the same?!' Shouted Arthur indignantly. 'We are nothing like the savage demons or the uncaring undead!'
'You wouldn't understand...' I started to secretly write a small note which I hid in the palm of my hand.
'What do you mean?! How would I not understand?! I'm the oldest one here!' He was hysterical. Susan was slightly surprised, but stayed out of it. Anna was just as angry as her father. Elisa was in a drunken stupor. Francisca seemed to be the only sane one here. She was calm, and was backing away from the loud noises.
I then stood up.
'When you've seen as much death as I have... when you've seen as much suffering, and betrayal as I have... when you've seen too many unspeakable things that cannot be unseen... only then can you understand that all people, whether the same or drastically different in ideals and biology, are all identical when it comes to the grand game of the universe.' I looked the King in the eyes. 'You are an infant who hasn't even figured out how to open its eyes.' And with that, I left.
On my way out, I discreetly slipped the small note I had written into Francisca's hand. She looked at me, wondering what I was doing. I didn't even look back at her. I walked out of the door. I exited via the servant entrance, to make sure I wouldn't be seen. I hid my hat, coat, and waistcoat in a wall where the bricks was loose. I looked practically normal now. Once I thought I looked inconspicuous, I walked out into the streets of the capital.