1 Reborn from nothing

"Fuck! Pierre, why is someone sleeping in an alley? I almost fell over."

"Why are you asking me such a stupid question, Jean. Ask him, how should I know."

"You know it was rhetoric, you sarcastic piece of shit."

"Hey! Wake up, brother!"

It was just another day for me. Well, until two strangers woke me up. There was no incident like that before in my life and I could understand that.

I slowly opened my eyes and looked at the 2 people standing in front of me. Oh, if that is not Sir Fechterle, still a mountain of muscles as I remember him. Cant recognize the other one.

Opening my dry lips I start the conversation respectfully with them. I would not want to anger them, especially if the other guy is at least of the same rank as Pierre Fechterle.

"Hello, Sirs. How can my humble self help you?"

"We just wanted to inquire why you are sleeping here." - the other guy asked

Interesting.

"I was working all night and before I could get home I just fell asleep, not that it would be any fancier than this place."

"Hmmm, Jean let me take over here. Boy you are kinda suspicious. You have the eyes and demeanor of a nobleborn, but the aura and circumstances of a trash rat. Would you identify yourself?"

He did not change. Even when ordering you, it sounds like a request. What a joke.

I stood and bowed while introducing myself.

"Dante. Dante Diabolus. Third child of Baragan Diabolus, head of the main branch of the great cinis family."

Their faces crumbled and after showing pity turned to indifference. As expected the typical reaction. At least they will let me be now.

"We are sorry to disturb your rest. You may carry on. May the gods protect you and assist you in your arduous journey. Let us go, Pierre."

After that they left. What were they doing here anyways? Patrolling? Does not matter I guess.

But, who would have guessed they would give such great advices, yes yes, carry on with nothing to do besides surviving, let me be protected by imbeciles that only show their grace to their greatest influencers and what journey if it did not exist from the moment I was born?

I got up and walked to my hut in the outskirts of the slums. As always I turned out all the people around me, what reason to remember faces and names if there is no reason to.

After getting into my home, a strong hug greeted me. All I could see looking down was long hair, color unlike mine. A common color. Black.

"Welcome home, Dante. I hope the night was not too hard on you."

She knew. She always did. A girl so young and insightful, but somehow as sick as me. We both have been denied a chance in this life, even if in different ways. I wish she told me sometime soon how she ended up here, would be a bummer if she carried that secret to grave.

"It was rough but not the roughest I had. You know what I thought of -"

"Nope, not going to tell you."

Ok then, whatever.

"By the way, M. The line to Cubo-An is closed now, seems like we need another way around."

"We will get by, we always find a way."

Well, that would not change much in our situation. Maybe it is time for a heist, never fancied myself a thief but stealing from my own uncle might be fun.

"Marie, ration the food for 10 days just in case. If there is not enough try to get some interest but not more than 2 days and please wake me up after the soup is finished I need to conserve some energy"

She nodded and carried on making a soup. Well maybe soup is an overstatement, flavored water with half-expired vegetables bought from the vendor next door.

Trying to nap on the floor I thought of my situation. No core, no affinity, no innate talent, no job, almost no food, no future. Finding a job was not an easy task after my families decree.

I could not even be the slave of someone else. Left to wander the world and return as someone else or die as noone. Nothing was left.

There were so many champions from our family. If I were a champion of a divine, it might be the god of nothingess for sure. Almost made myself laugh. After that I dozed off and had a dream.

In a dark space I was floating around.

"Not a god."

Excuse me?

"There is no god of nothingness."

Oh yes, I know, never heard of one.

"Because there is none."

Is my mind playing riddles. If there is no god of nothingness is he not doing his divine best at representing himself then by you know being non-existent?

"It is a concept, human."

"God's domain are laws. They cannot infringe on concepts. That is the reason why there is no god of nothingness."

This is a weird dream, not the weirdest though.

I wonder if there are more concepts.

"No. There is the Absolute but Absolute and Nothingness are two sides of the same coin. Those are the only two concepts and are also the same."

I cannot imagine that.

"It is a duality. A concept that creates nothing from the absolute may also create the absolute from the nothingness. In between is the plane and many other things"

Some words I did not understand. Must have picked them up somewhere subconsciously.

That is nice to know. Would that concept take a champion?

"No, but it could enter a trinity with a being."

So it could be something better than a champion or a god? At least that is something fancy to dream of then.

"We will be. No need to dream, Dante."

That is a first, I have never heard my own name in a dream.

And then I woke up, never to be the same again.