Hey! This is my first book, so expect some mistakes. I'm always open to constructive criticism, and I sincerely hope you enjoy this SS fanfic. Chapters will probably be a bit short in the beginning.
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There was no time for me to react. One moment I was walking down the sidewalk, and the next moment I was gone, presumably dead.
What is it like to die? Everyone asks that question sometime during their lives. Will there be some sort of judgement? Heaven? Hell? As far as I can tell… there is simply nothing.
I can't see anything - there is no color whatsoever. Is this what a blind person would "see"?
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How much time has passed? Does time even have meaning when I'm dead? Honestly why should I care about the time? Who am I? Ah, right, my name is ###.
How can I still think?
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Oh? A light? Wow, this seems cliche! The light seemed to expand, and suddenly everything turned white. When the light faded, I saw a sky being drowned by ethereal clouds.
'I can see? What?' I blinked, amazed at my vision returning. 'Wait! IM ALIVE!' I tried to sit up, and actually succeeded. I seemed to be laying in somebody's backyard, which was surrounded by a tall wooden fence. There was a house in front of me, and I quickly inspected my body before heading towards it.
From a glance at myself, I was in the body of a young boy - maybe 7 or 8 years old. I had rags for clothes, and skin that was quite pale, probably from malnutrition.
The house was 2 stories, wood, and by no means fancy. Honestly, it'd be more apt to describe it as two oversized sheds stacked on top of each other.
Light, probably from a lantern or candle, seeped out from within. By now I had accepted that I've been reincarnated. It was a common trope in all of the novels I had read, but I never imagined such a thing would happen to me.
Approaching the back door with silent steps, I peered through a small crack in the wooden walls. The inside, from what I could see, was a scarcely furnished living room. A "couch" that was barely holding on, a lantern glowing from a wooden stand, and a knife decorated the room. A person, possibly a man, sat on the couch drinking something.
Seeing the knife, I felt a shiver run through my body. 'An ugly fenced in backyard, a suspicious wooden house, a lantern, and someone sitting inside with a knife. Yeah, this is totally creeping me out.' It seemed to come straight from some cheap horror movie. 'The fence seems like a great way to leave. I'm not delusional enough to try and talk to the suspicious person, and I doubt I could kill them even if I sneaked up.'
For some reason, I immediately assumed the worst, and never questioned why I thought of killing the guy. I was never a saint in my previous life, but I also wasn't a killer. Besides some fist fights, I had little to no "experience" in combat. Retracing my steps, I huddled against the fence, inspecting it. It was old, and wouldn't be too hard for me to climb over. Following it around the yard, I saw a couple places where planks were missing.
'It's dark... but I can see. Maybe that's a perk I get?'
Slipping through the nearest gap, I saw a city in ruins. Never mind, It was a city that looked like ruins, but was really just a slum. People were scattered under makeshift shelters, inside buildings that looked like they'd collapse at any moment, and resting in alleys.
Strangely enough, there was nobody around the house I had just come from. It was if the owner lived isolated, or everyone was too afraid to get close. Checking over my shoulder, the lantern that had lit the house was no longer lit. A terrible premonition washed over me.
'Awesome. What a perfect red flag.'
I ran. My footsteps didn't make any sound as I took off, and so I clearly heard a "thunk" sound from where I had just been standing. It sounded suspiciously like a knife hitting wood. Reaching the nearest alley, it was empty excluding an elderly man who was asleep. I dashed through it and continued on through multiple other alleys and smaller streets. All around me were small ruined homes, a mere shadow of the country I had previously lived in.
While running, I had seen people fighting for scavenged food, group of children hanging out in dead-ends. Finally, I came upon something new. A relatively intact building with a giant sign that read "Orphanage".
This area was clearly unsafe, and the orphanage may not be an exception, but I don't have much of a choice. I had no clue where I was, and trying to live on the streets would probably just result in my death.
'I'd hate to jinx myself, but hopefully this is a normal orphanage, whatever that means.'
Spoiler, it's not. The moment I stepped inside, an elderly lady came and introduced herself
"Hello child, my name is Mira. Welcome to the orphanage, there's no need to worry any longer about food or safety. What is your name, little one?"
'Wow, this is definitely not creepy.'
"My name is Eleazer ma'am." I replied respectfully. She looked at me, sighed, and started walking. I followed, and we passed many different rooms. Some looked like classrooms, while others seemed to be dojos, where kids trained with wooden weapons.
'Seriously, it's like the middle of the night and they're still training? Just where did I end up? Either way it is clearly combat focused, and I will need to build up muscle all over again.'
Mira paused, before turning to me and guiding me into one of the many rooms. "Please, get some sleep. Every child here is just like you, and you can receive an education and training for free. If you are every hungry head down the hall and to the left, where there will be a kitchen with food and snacks. Goodnight, Eleazer." She closed the door and left.
The room was simple - a plain, small bed, white walls, and a desk. It was probably 6 feet wide and 8 feet long. Truthfully, this was more than I was expecting, and I felt grateful towards Mira.
Laying in the bed, I found myself drifting off to sleep. I knew I should be careful, but if Mira had any bad intentions, she could've had the other children subdue me already. Still, I forced myself to get up and place some small traps, just to see if anyone enters the room while i'm asleep.
Content, I closed my eyes.
'I can think more in the morning. It's not like I can figure much out currently.'
Everything faded to nothing.