1 Arriving in Blazes

AN = This is just a side project when I don't feel like making chapters for another.

'Kallen... Live...'

This was his final thoughts before his soul shattered into particles that got consumed by the Imaginary Tree.

Otto had known the price he needed to pay, but he still went with it to safe his loved one.

If he was to be given another chance to choose another path... He would have denied it.

This was his chosen path... and he would not change the effort he has made to save Kallen.

That was his will... but that chance was given to him without his consent.

*Gasp!* Otto felt the air rushed into his lungs before coughing as he realized there was smoke in the air.

He let out a series of coughs as he ripped his sleeve and created a makeshift mask with it.

"Where... Is this...?" Otto muttered in confusion and surprise as he found himself kneeling in the middle of a blazing town.

Screams of men, women, and children could be heard from every direction but was dampened by the sound of fire crackling throughout the city.

Otto had a wry smile as he muttered, "Is this hell perhaps...? How fitting... Especially after the things, I have done to the world..."

That was when it realization hits him.

He was breathing. He was in his mortal body again. He could feel the heat and pain in his lungs as he tries to inhale the hot air around him. His soul was not consumed by the imaginary tree...

Questions started to appear in his head as he tried to process what is happening. His intellectual mind had immediately came up with many theories for his situation but none will be answered if he keep sitting here.

'I should try to find some place safe for now... Judging from the view of the fire, I must be somewhere in the epicenter of the fire. This will be a very long walk...' He thought before looking up to the sky.

Even when it was mostly covered in smoke, he could see where the moon is and get an estimate guess of what time it was. Then, he looked at the infrastructure of some buildings and a plate number of a car before finally having a rough answer to where he is at.

'Hmm... How interesting... We're in Japan, somewhere between 9 and 10:30, and around the end of the 90s. Different timeline and different world... So many questions. So little time...' He thought with a sigh as he walked through the road covered with ashes.

Otto~ Otto~ Otto~

It has been 10 minutes since he started walking. It wasn't much but from his view, he estimated that he would need around 20 more minutes before he reached the end... or at least, it would have if the fire didn't kept spreading.

On the way, he passed dead bodies of men and women. He felt pity for those poor souls... especially the children.. but there was not much he could do. He checked for his cores and stigmatas, only to find them gone from his body.

It was a surprise and an annoyance as they would be very useful for this. The only thing he had that was useful at the moment, was his custom made battle suit that is strong enough to resist the flames of this fire.

*Splash!* A sudden sound of liquid below his feet, surprised him as he quickly looked down.

It was a red and black muddy substance that was letting out black particles to the air.

Otto was intrigue by the unique substance and thought, 'It seems... This world has its own surprises...'

He crouched down and puts his bare finger inside the mud with the intention of feeling the unique substance... but immediately brought it out when he felt his body weakening in an alarming rate.

"What is this...!?" He muttered in shock as he took a few steps back from it. He inspected his finger and found no signs of the mud.

'It feels and looks to have a muddy texture, but it doesn't stick or leave anything.... Not only that, it felt like my energy was being taken away in the few moments... I should take some for testing...' He thought.

Walking around the area, Otto tried to find some kind of container to keep the mud for safe keeping but found nothing that could help.

"How unfortunate..." He muttered before feeling a sudden bump from behind him.

He turned around to find a young girl with auburn hair and golden brown eyes looking at him with no emotions present in her eyes. It was as if the young girl had accepted her fate and waited to die... Only to bump into him by chance.

"Hmm? Oh? You seem to be too young to have those kind of eyes, little girl." Otto said as he kneeled to her height level.

The girl couldn't answer as the only thing that comes out of her mouth was wheezes of air.

"...You can't speak?" Otto asked as he ripped his other sleeve to create another makeshift mask for the young girl.

The girl slowly nodded as she let him placed the fabric on her face.

"You're the only one left aren't you?" Otto asked with a sad frown.

The girl nodded again.

"I see..." He muttered as his eyes darted from the young girl and the unique mud... No.

Shaking his head, Otto thought it was better to save the girl than getting the mud. It was what Kallen would have wanted.

"Let's go and find somewhere safe." He said with a comforting smile as he invited her to ride on his back.

The girl merely nodded once more before slowly climbing on his back.

"Thank you..."