I Can Walk !

It wasn't too lang after Levin learned how to do his first steps. He practiced night and day, even in his bed. He can't walk far yet, but progress is progress.

As he got older, his parents stopped watching over him all the time. This freetime he witnessed, was really comforting for the soul.

Levin's eyes stare at the pig-cow plushy in front of him. Boredom can turn the mind of grown men into something really bizarre and strange.

"Listen here, Michael." He whispered to the plushy.

"Once I leave this place, I wall call help. So I can get you out of here too."

Levin crawled a few meters away and let out a deep and satisfying sigh. It felt good for him, finally being able to express his emotions better.

"Don't look at me like that ! I am still a rookie !" He shouted towards the whole room. The Goddess of reincarnation didn't lie: except for his mind, he was a totally normal human being, that has the habit to talk to his plushy.

The door in the living room opened. Levin got good at hearing the footsteps of his parents. He can even tell if his mom or his dad are on they way to check on him.

His ability to talk and articulate also grew with an insane speed. Maybe these are things where muscle memory and knowledge comes in handy.

"It's Dad ! On your positions !" He said and crawled under his bed.

The good-parent-bad-parent thing is something that his parents love to do. His Mother always gives him treats when he did something good while his father does nothing but criticise him.

The door opened with a loud cracking noise.

"Levin ?" His father asked. The heavy footsteps walk through the room and then, they stop.

His father kneels down and grabs Michael – Levin's pig-cow plushy – while looking around in the room. His dad might think that Levin just likes to play hide and seek but for him, it's a serious business.

Not only is he scared of his dad, he also has to hide the fact, that he already died in a different world and is mentally on their level.

They would probably abandon me...

His head fills with images of painful nature. His parents shout and him, telling him that he is cursed. His father turns his back towards him.

'You are not son anymore...'

Levin shudders as he thinks this whole scenario through and through.

Nope. I have to be a perfect actor !

...

"Ah ! There you are !"

His father dragged him out from underneath the bed and looked at him with a puzzled expression, shortly followed by a deep sigh – something they both like to do.

"What did you do under the bed ?" He asked with a strict tone in his voice.

Levin gulped, playing nervously with his hands.

Be the actor! Be the actor !

He repeats it countless times in his head, almost like a prayer.

"I played with Michael..." Levin said in a voice so incredibly pure and sweet, his fathers heart melted in an instant.

"I see. My young warrior likes to play hide and seek. Just wait until you are old enough. By the age of 13, you will be a perfect warrior !"

He gently dropped him onto the floor and smiles proudly.

"But that's still a long road to go for you !"

If you would've known...

"Now, try to follow me downstairs. Your mother is already making dinner."

The loud footsteps of his father cracked every step on the stairs. Why they always put him in his room upstairs, was a mystery for Levin.

Pfft, don't underestimate me old fart !

Levin uses all his force in his legs and stands upright. A challenge bigger than everything he has faced so far, was right in front of him.

The staircase of pain and suffering – a beast so wild and untamed, that no warrior ever survived a battle with this demon.

But Levin won't fail. He watched the huge steps carefully as he placed his shaky feet onto the first step of the staircase.

I will defeat you !

Bonk

Bonk

Bonk

...

"Oh my ! He fell down the stairs !"

Shut up

The three of them sat at the dining table and ate something that reminded Levin of cooked pork. Well, only his parents ate it. Levin got a weird puree that tasted insanely bitter to him.

He scooped down the first bite and almost threw up because of the flavor and the texture of it all.

"You gotta eat son! This pig-cow puree has all the good vitamins !" His father while having his mouth full.

"Pig-cow puree ?" Levin repeated.

His mother nodded.

"Yes ! It's the mashed brain of a pig-cow ! You just gotta behead it and then carefully cook it with all the sweet juices that come out of its head !"

Blerk !

"He threw up."

"I clean it"

At least he got some sweets after this gruesome dinner. But bad food is way better than starving. His parents didn't lie: the puree was full of vitamins.

But Levin didn't overcome his trauma with the dead corpse of the pig-cow yet. It may have gotten even worse than before, since his parents cook almost all their food with the flesh of pig-cows.

Every now and then, he managed to get a glimpse at the outside world. Levin already knew that their house is in the middle of nowhere. He never heard other people besides his parents and the nature on the outside is as quiet as the corpse of a pig-cow.

Not this again...

It's astonishing how much energy the few steps take, that Levin did over the day. His body is indeed not quite developed yet. But for a young child his age, he already made some great progress.

Everything he tries to sleep, he thinks about all the people he will meet one day. Perhaps a beautiful girl with a big ra-

It's time to sleep

The birds sang their daily song that became more annoying for Levin, the more he heard it.

He rubbed his eyes, yawned loudly and crawled out of his bed. He always lands on the floor like a sack of potatoes, but it's still better than waiting for his parents to drag him out of it.

Michael watched him from his bed. His mission is still clear. With a quick nod, Levin gave the plushy the sign, that he hasn't forgotten what his plan was.

Many people would think that he has gotten insane. But reliving your complete childhood with an adult mind isn't as great as it sounds.

It's more like being trapped in a shell that you can't escape. You just have to wait until you are old enough.

I wish they would've mentioned that in the Isekai novels..

As he slowly stepped through the room, his mind wandered yet again. Levin may not look like it, but he likes to think quite a lot. Well, his actions don't really speak for himself yet.

He hasn't forgotten the Goddess and the whole situation he had in this dark void. Levin can easily think and understand others. He knows the meaning of words such as 'family' and 'love'.

That means he had had a family in his old life too. He closed his eyes and thought about the discussion he had with the Goddess of reincarnation.

Quite extraordinary huh ?

Levin also did not forget that the Goddess laughed, as she saw his reason of death. If a powerful being like her even starts to chuckle while seeing what happened to him, it's better for him not to know it.

But still, this curiosity lingers within him. He can't simply ignore the fact, that the had a life before he was being reincarnated.

What if his parents would out there and be sad about their dead son ? Or they wouldn't care about it at all and his old life was far from great.

This leads to nothing.

Once again, he fought the battle against the forbidden staircase of everlasting doom.

Bonk

Bonk

Bonk

...

"Levin darling ! You are up already ?"

"Yes..."

Levin stood up on his own and scratched his head. The smell of cooked meat and eggs filled the room. His mother was indeed a beautiful and kind hearted women.

The trees danced in the wind as he got a tiny glimpse at the window. His curiosity grew yet again as he climbed onto a small chair.

"Mom, what is outside ?"

I hate myself for talking like this

"You mean outside of our house ? Well there is a lot to see. The nearest town is half a day if you walk, but we live mostly by ourselves." She smiled and said in a warm and friendly voice.

"I want to go !"

His mother hummed a beautiful melody as she chuckled.

"You really got your fathers adventurous spirit huh ? Well, if you are old enough, I am pretty sure you can go with your father."

So the old is outside pretty often...that explains a lot.