8 Why look? I already know which I want...

(Lyze POV)

It was about a normal day as it could be in the Labyrinth city. Though it was a little strange to look upon it while in possession of my old memories. This city was nothing but a fiction to me once upon a time. And then I spent five years living in it like a normal street rat.

And then I fell into a sewer and ended up in an underground cavern where I found Excalibur buried in the seat of a stone throne. Upon withdrawing it, I suddenly lost control of my own body and ended up impaled on the holy blade. This apparently served the purpose of waking up a reality warping sentient power inside me, to whom I was to play host.

All for the sake of providing entertainment to that idiot. And that same idiot took me to his realm after blackmailing me into becoming his apprentice. I mean I did learn a whole lot of things while there, and I was very powerful right now for someone my age. I had an arsenal of abilities and techniques for me to draw from in combat situation.

Not to mention there were those other three things he gave me in the end. I mean Force lightning was pretty easy to figure out, as evident by how easy lightning of multiple colours crackled around my fingers.

And then there was 'Thread' which was basically a magical ability that allowed me to sense where a person was and the position of every part of their body. And whenever they moved, somehow I was able to see a second ahead into the future and know exactly where the limb in particular was going to end up.

But I had absolutely no idea about what the third thing could be. I mean he did say it was overpowered, but to the point of not telling me and going back on his words? Whatever the Trait was, it most likely meant trouble.

These concerns were at the back of my head now because I was occupied with something far more important. I was back in Orario but I still had no place to stay.

I was standing on the old roof I used to take baths on, over the Daedalus slums. The streets were no different than they were before and I still recognized some people. But it meant nothing to me now. It may have been home, but I wanted nothing to do with it.

I was instead going to search for a home elsewhere. And thus I was using my Chaos sight to see if I could find my target. While I could not use my physical eyes to see, the magic of Chaos allowed me to see anything I wanted to see no matter where I would be.

That was why Hermes would never be able to tempt me or deceive me if it ever came to that in the future. Because using this, I could see all that I wanted to see and nobody would even know I was watching. It was thankfully one ability that wasn't sealed away by my closed eyelids.

What I had my gaze trained on right now was the Twilight Manor. The mansion of the Loki Familia. I was supposed to be around the same age as Ais according to Nekros. And if I was eight right now, then it meant she should have been in the Loki Familia for a year by now and was already a level two.

Tione and Tiona should not be here yet. Lefiya should be a year younger than me, and Bete should either be in the Vidar Familia or still in his clan. I was not sure. So the current executives of the Loki Familia would have to be Finn, Riveria and Gareth.

And it looked like they were recruiting newcomers today just as Nekros had said.

Perfect. I had the chance to join a powerful and one of the most impactful Familia before it is able to accumulate it's canon might. Which should cover my back for me from certain dangerous and...obsessive elements.

Under their wing I could delve further and further into the dungeon, slowly growing stronger as my body adjusted to the power of Chaos with each level up.

And once I had finally grown enough, I could harness Chaos's powers in full and find my way back to Earth. I hovered in the air, and discreetly flew over the rooftops in the direction of the manor, making sure to keep above the rooftops and away from the streets.

Among the many spells and abilities I could remember from SDS, flight had been one of the easiest to learn and it did not take up energy at all. But I also found that trying to use more powerful abilities from that universe quickly consumed my Mind supply. Guess I had to level up to find out what it would take to be able to cast them.

Soon arriving near the manor, I started walking there on foot and joined the que of aspiring applicants that had crowded outside the manor. It must have been a strange sight to them, all those adults seeing a kid like me who was seemingly blind and carrying a 'walking stick' trying out for a place in the Loki Familia.

I could hear chuckles and snide remarks about me as well as derogatory statements. Even if I was wearing a blindfold, I could still see them pointing at me and looking down at me, laughing while whispering to their friends.

One muscled guy came forward and patted me on the head. This made me bristle, because even in my old life did I not like people just coming up to me and touching me without my permission.

"Hey there, little blind fella." He leered at me. "You sure you didn't get lost because you couldn't see crap, huh?"

"I'm certain I am where I intend to be mister." I responded calmly.

He scoffed at me.

"Then that certainty of yours is wrong kid. You're in front of the Loki Familia house, mingling with a group of people who want to join them. This ain't no place for kids like you to be mucking around. You just make us look bad."

"Then I know for a fact I am where I intend to be mister." I said to him and calmy walked away closer to the gate.

"Hey!" He shouted. "This ain't no game brat! How the hell you gonna become an adventurer? I bet you don't even know what your mother looks like, so how you gonna identify a monster in the dungeon, huh?" He laughed as others joined in with him.

I paused for a bit and thought. The mother that he would be referring to was someone I could not care about at all. That bitch deserved everything that came to her, so I was fine if he tried to use her to insult me. If he had been talking about my original mama like that tho...

I turned around as if to look at him and smiled. "We shall see."

The laughter around me continued but I paid it no mind. The gate was soon opened by one of the guards and we were all ushered into the courtyard. This manor looked more like a castle to be honest.

Listening to a small introduction speech done by one of the guards who turned out to be a member of the Familia himself, I learned that the executives would be coming out themselves to assess us and see who was worthy of joining. When the speech was over and done with, I walked to a lonely corner and stood in it.

I had full view of the grounds and had bothy my hands wrapped around Libur's cane top. There I waited patiently for the trials to begin.

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(General POV)

"There's a lot more this time around it seems than there was a year ago." Finn said cheerfully as he looked out the window upon the dozens of recruits gathered in the courtyard.

The little Pallum was leaning against the wall next to the window with his arms folded, scrutinizing every person down there with his experienced eyes. So far, everything he'd seen was quite ordinary. From first impressions he couldn't see any special talent hiding in the crowd.

"Well we have built quite a reputation at this point with all of our expeditions and accomplishments. Naturally more people will want to join simply for the chance to become powerful like us." Gareth said as he held a cup of beer, sloshing it around as he also examined every individual down there.

"Well it will be the same rule as always. Quality over quantity, right?" Riveria said clasping her staff.

"Sure." said Finn. "Just like it's always been. Although I have to say, from up here, I don't really see anyone impressive."

"Well we just have to go down there and find out first hand won't we?~" Snag their Patron goddess, Loki. She was seated atop a table, her cheeks flushed as she drank from a bottle of alcohol.

Riveria sighed irritably. "I told you specifically not to drink anything today. You need to be cognisant when we invite any member into our Familia. And yet the first thing you do when you FINALLY wake up is down a whole bottle of beer."

"But momma~ It's just been so exciting. I'm sure we are going to get a good bunch of talent today. So what's the problem with celebrating early?"

"That questions itself is all the answer you need." Gareth muttered. "It is of no surprise though why there are so many this time around. Ever since we got a new record breaker, our Familia has been the hottest topic around."

"Oh yeah~ My Ais levelled up in just one year! It makes sense they would all come around thinking they could do the same thing." Loki spluttered out as a wide grin adorned her face.

Riveria sighed and held her forehead.

"It's not a very realistic expectation. Ais's case was a special one and an irregularity. Just because she did it, it doesn't mean everyone who joins our Familia will be able to do it."

"You can't help the thoughts of the people Riveria." Finn shrugged his shoulders. "The only way they will learn is when they have a taste of the real thing."

"Hmm. What do you think Ais? Anything caught your eye?" Riveria asked as she turned her head to the other side of the room.

She'd addressed a small girl who stood at the farthest window away from Loki's bone crushing hugs. She had shorter golden blonde hair than her canon self, but her signature emotionless expression was plastered all over her face. A small sword was sheathed at her left hip. She gazed out of the window, and pointed at one particular spot in the courtyard.

"He looks strange." She said in a small voice.

Her Familia members followed her finger to a corner in the courtyard where a lone person stood. A young boy, one that could not be older than Ais herself stood by himself with most of his body hidden under a cloak. His blindfolds as well as the cane in his hands seemed to attest to their speculation.

"Poor kid. Think something did that to him, or was he born that way?" Gareth asked.

"Who knows?" Finn said. "We'd only be able to find out from him directly."

"But you've seen blind people before Ais. What's so strange about him in particular?" Riveria asked her.

Ais looked at her and shrugged a little.

"I don't know. But something feels...different about him."

Her Familia members, including her goddess looked at her confusedly before redirecting their collective attention on the boy himself. To their surprise, he appeared to sense their gaze and lifted his head right in their direction as if he were seeing them.

"Hmm." Finn smiled. "He was able to sense us looking at him. Interesting. Perhaps there is more to him than meets the eye."

"Would it be responsible of us to even assess a blind kid though? Every person but him down there has brought a weapon with them or they clearly look ready to be fighters. He just seems like an ordinary boy with a walking stick."

"An expensive walking stick if you ask me." Gareth said loudly. "I know authentic rubies when I see them, even from this distance. It's in my blood after all."

They all examined him further and realized that what Gareth was saying was true. The walking stick was rather extravagant for a commonfolk blind child to walk around with.

"What do you think his story is?" Finn asked.

"Who knows? Probably some orphan that doesn't really have anywhere else to go or much else options." Loki said as she came up to the window and swigged the last of her beer. "That being said, I still think we should assess him regardless."

"Any particular reason why?"

Loki gained a slightly serious expression on her face and rubbed her chin in confusion.

"I don't really know. My divine senses keep telling me something is off with that kid. If anything, I'd like to find out what."

Finn drew a quick breath in as he stared down at his hand.

"What is it Captain?" asked Ais.

"My thumb just started throbbing."

Everyone looked at each other, in full understanding of the meaning of this new development.

"I say we check him out last. Save best for last if there is something worth there. And if not, then we've got all the serious people out of the way and we can send him off easily." Gareth proposed.

"Agreed." Was the collective response.

"Well..." said Finn as he picked up his spear. "Let's begin the try-outs shall we?"

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