The Beginning

"Are you sure you want to do this?" A gruff voice asks hesitantly.

Commander Reed wonders how the hell did this situation get to this point.

In this dimmed cylinder room, ten people sat on the opposite side, behind an arch desk. People of different age and race looks at them, the baby boy she brought back, standing in the center of the room. His back a little bigger, his green hair a little longer, and skin a deeper brown than she remembers.

Clearly not a baby anymore, he bows and lightly thumps his chest right over the heart with a fist, a Zalan's salute. "I thank you for the concern Senators, but I'm not a heroic icon of this city— that belongs to Commander Reed. I am just another foot soldier of this city, so If the mayor truly betrayed us, then I will put him down."

What a liar. Reed knows the truth— Ferret was soulless— inhumane. His golden eyes are always empty almost like he's dead inside. Always watching, observing, and adopting to the situation— he is incapable of being human.

"Even if it leads to being banished from this city and into the wasteland?" A young woman of dark skin, possibly from the lower sector D, speaks out with a somber expression.

They were betrayed once from the inside. Would it happen again? Reed can see doubt shining in their eyes.

"Even if it ends in my execution." They saw the boy didn't even blink before saying such hefty words.

They whisper among themselves until they gradually become silent again.

"Raise your head," the gruff voice of Senator Baron speaks again.

The big man looks at Ferret with a quiet look, because he knows, everyone knows, how this will end.

"At his house, you will have to kill him by tonight before sun rise. Our guards will retreat when you get there, so that only leaves him and the guards that are in cahoots with him. Do whatever you like as long as the job gets done."

"Of course, Senator Baron. All I ask from you is to honor your agreement."

The elder nods his head, then signal with his eyes to the young woman from Sector D.

"Council, dismiss!" She knocks her gravels against the wooden desk three times.

When dawn comes down, Ferret walks up to the Mayor's house from behind. He wanted everything to be done early. At the backdoor, the last guard waits for him and says, "Here kid, Senator Baron said you will need this." The Man hands him the mansion's layout.

Before Ferret opens it, he asks, "Did you guys tag everything."

"Only his personal guards, but we blocked all the unnecessary stuff for you, so it'll be easier to move through the mansion and get the job done."

Ferret nods his head before sending off the guard. His thin fingers untie the complicated knot of the scroll. Unraveling it to show the moving red marks of the tagged guards, Ferret figures he can just kill off the rest before reaching his main target.

He gets to work.

The lanky figure strolls through the hall like he was sightseeing, judging the Mayor's flashy taste with leisure. When a guard moves close, he hides to catch them from behind. He wraps his branch-like arms around them, and with a little twist of their head, he breaks their neck and hides the body in a random room. He picks the routes where guards do not meet for a period of time. Taking his time picking them off one by one. The demon does not enjoy this job of killing, but only a fool will leave witnesses.

When the night moves in full force, Ferret reaches his destination. He casually opens the double door stained by his own bloody hands.

"Yes, what is it." A curt voice echoes in the oval room, "Never mind, pass me a cup of tea since you are already over there." A middle-aged man speaks, while buried in towers and mountains of documents.

Ferret grabs the tea set on the silver platter in one hand, then rests it carefully in front of his Elder.

"Well, what are you waiting fo—"

The Mayor raises his head but before he can see Ferret's face, the boy's short sword moves quicker. The Mayor's head separates from his body and rolls away in the dark room. Under the dim light of the candles, Ferret found the documents to be miraculously free of blood stain.

"Hopefully this will be enough," Ferret mutters to himself.

Before he can leave, he sees from the corner of his eyes a bright light. On the Mayor's desk a statue head starts to shine, and Ferret's heart begins to race. A smile sneaks onto his round face as he knows what that means. He moves for the statue, but realizes it's connected to the desk. He knows this type of switch, as all City Z's children should know from espionage training. He slides it around for a couple minutes until he finds the right pattern.

Clink. Clank.

He hears gears moving, the temperature dropping, and finally the wall on the right side collapses. It reveals a ruby ring worn by a mannequin hand, while surrounded by weapons.

"A storage ring? Why would the Mayor need this?" Although he asks, he didn't really care. Whatever happens after is not his problem but the Senators'.

He bites his thumb til blood spills and smears it on the ring. Transferring ownerships to himself, he uses the ring to store all the weapons in a dimensional pocket.

"Is that all" He thought something interesting would have happen, but maybe he was wrong.

"Of course not, this is only the beginning." A familiar voice giggles.

"Sahara." He looks around but cannot find that annoying cousin.

She giggles, "Don't try to find me, I'm still in Hell."

"How are you talking to me?"

"Through your body, silly. Your body is still with us. On the other hand, your void, not so much. Make sure to take care of vessel though, it's connected to us, so we'll lose you if you die."

"Where am I?" Ferret finally asks the question he wanted to know from the first time he woke up in this world.

"You're in a world created from a popular harem novel of a post-apocalyptic world. Think of it as a summer vacation but with homework."

"Why am I here? What does this have to do with Hell?"

"We've already explained this to you before, but it seems the void transferring has left your memory fragmented and your advance skills wiped clean, except for your original and basic skills of course."

"I already know that, but what can I do?"

"You'll have to advance with the plot of the story to gain back your memories. Your skills, on the other hand, can return to you by doing side tasks or retraining yourself."

"But I don't know the plot of this world."

"Don't worry, I've got you cover." As soon as she says this, the room is suddenly bath in white light.

The next day, the news of the Mayor's death and betrayal breaks out. That same news speaks of the rogue soldier, who killed the Mayor, Ferret. He will be meeting his end at dawn by tomorrow.

Year: 5016

Month: Drago

Day: Of the Risen

City Z was the hottest and loudest it has ever been. A colorful mob surrounding the execution platform with zealous jeers and curses. On top, soldiers stand tall by a boy barely considered a man in chains. He kneels there with a twisted smile stretched on his delicate face, with a peculiar sense of joy reflecting in his gold eyes, like he was being praised instead of admonished as a traitor.

Senator Baron comes leading the other Senator on to the platform. He makes a speech about the disappointment of learning the Mayor's betrayal a day ago, but also the recklessness of this soldier.

"Although, he had good reasons, the boy still killed the Mayor in cold blood. The law is the law after all. Thus, he will not be executed, but denounce as a citizen of our great city and exiled into the wilderness."

The crowd cheers as they see Ferret bagged and escorted out the city. They move closer to hit and mock him, secretly stuffing him with survival items and sending him off with prayers.

"Ferret is dead!" The crowd screams.

In a sense, Ferret knows they are right. The being he was, since he came to this world, is no more. As someone carries him over their shoulder, he begins to think what he should call himself from now on, for a fresh start.