Chapter 1

Author Note: Yeah I know you guys are tired of me doing this but it had to be done. I tried to continue the original version but I found myself disliking the use of numbers to quantify strength in a multiversal fic.

The stat values would give certain expectations of strength or speed but the complications come once you go over to a different world with a different power scale.

I'd end up either over exaggerating the numbers or understating it which is something I don't want to do. I also realized that AOT isn't exactly the best start for a world travel fic.

Tried to make the chapter as long as I could so expect a chapter like once a week or so. If I'm less busy with other things then maybe more.

====

Life isn't always fair, it was something that a lot of people had come to understand and accept. The moment you accept that, you gain a new vision about the world.

In a courtroom, a dark haired teen sat beside a lawyer as they faced the female judge before them.

There was a small gathering of spectators sitting behind the teen, observing the trial with hushed but heated murmurs.

"Liam Ross, you stand here being prosecuted for the murder of Anthony and Evelyn Ross, your parents. How do you plead?" The judge questioned.

The now identified teen stared straight at her, his previously distracted eyes now focused on her. "Guilty."

The whispers in the courtroom turned to loud murmurs, causing the judge to bang the gavel.

"Order in the court!"

The lawyer beside Liam looked at him with an aghast expression on his face. "What are you doing?!" He whispered harshly before hurriedly turning to face the judge.

"Your honor, my client is clearly suffering from…"

Liam tuned out the rest of the man's words. Nothing he said would change his sentencing, this trial was a mere formality.

His 18 years of living under abusive parents had forced him to learn how to read body language as well as facial expressions.

The judge had made up her mind before the case even started. The spectators were merely there because they had nothing better to do. And his lawyer was trying to defend him because it was his job, not that he was actually on his side.

It wasn't like the allegations were false.

His 'parents' weren't ready for kids. They were two messed up individuals who got very stupid way too early.

His mother got pregnant for his father when she was just finishing highschool. His father was a drunk who went too far and knocked up a teenager.

He wouldn't pretend to know their reason for keeping the pregnancy but they didn't spare any effort to make sure he knew how much of a mistake he was.

Verbal abuse soon turned physical and he was living his childhood with new wounds and bruises forming each day.

Calls to child services from neighbors and other concerned adults failed as they would show up only to go away moments later.

He wasn't an idiot, he knew his 'father' was quite wealthy and solved it like any rich man would do, he threw money at it.

It was an eye opener on how unfair life was.

There was nothing he could do but bear it all. The internet was a great source of momentary entertainment, keeping him distracted from the never-ending pain that coursed through his body.

It was then on his 18th birthday that it happened. The beatings on birthdays were worse compared to the regular days because his 'parents' were reminded of the day he 'ruined' their lives.

They usually crowned the event with rabbit-like copulation after he was all bruised up, clearing not having learnt from their mistake.

He didn't know what guided him but he found himself in his 'father's' room, holding the firearm that the man kept hidden under the bed.

That unknown feeling guided him as he made his way to where the abusive pair were still occupied and guided his hand as he unload the clip into their bodies.

He'd never killed anyone before then but his hands had never been more stable and his mind never so calm.

It wasn't long before the police arrived, called by the neighbors who heard the shots. He didn't run, there would have been no point in that.

More importantly, he had nowhere to run.

As he had just turned 18, he was a legal adult and was responsible for the consequences of his actions.

Whether the police had some sort of connection to his father was something he wasn't sure of but from his aggrieved expression, he suspected it.

The case was reported as first degree murder and the bruises and injuries on his body were labeled as his victims' attempt at self defense.

That confirmed it that someone in the police who was connected to his 'parents' were certainly unhappy with their deaths.

He knew a lost cause when he saw one and pleading innocence would only drag out the inevitable.

He barely acknowledged that he was being addressed as his lawyer coughed to gain his attention.

"Liam Ross." The judge announced, getting his attention as well.

"The jury finds you guilty on the charge of murder in the first degree. For the death of your parents, Anthony Ross and Evelyn Ross, the court hereby orders that Liam Ross should be incarcerated for the rest of his natural life without the possibility of parole and that Mr Ross be immediately remanded to the Administrative Detention Maximum Florence."

Another lesson on how life was.

•••

It was all a blur but not long after, he found himself in a standard prison uniform in a vehicle that was taking him to where he would be incarcerated.

He found himself staring into space as the vehicle moved, guards sitting on both sides of him. Strangely enough, he didn't regret it. The disgust didn't come, only regret that he didn't do it sooner.

It was at that moment that something else happened.

Everything went black…everything ceased to be and he found himself in a dark void with words now appearing in his head.

+++++

[Gacha System Online.]

[You have been granted three pulls with rewards ranging from common to legendary.]

+++++

He didn't believe that he was going crazy but that was the only explanation he could give. He wasn't a stranger to fiction but even this was strange for him.

Even then, he didn't see a way out of this 'void'. He wasn't particularly fond of the concept of gacha due to its randomness.

Alas, he could only move forward.

++++++

[Using Three Rolls.]

[Result]:

[Bottle Water](Common)

[Poison Immunity](Uncommon)

You are immune to all forms of poison.

[Language Comprehension](Common)

You can understand and speak all languages.

++++++

This was why he disliked gacha. It was too random to rely on. Either way, he felt the knowledge of multiple languages filter into his head, letting him realize that he wasn't crazy.

With that confirmation, he was even more unsatisfied at the results. As if hearing his thoughts, more words appeared.

+++++

[You can gain extra rolls by rolling a flaw. The rewards from these rolls are guaranteed to be at least uncommon.]

++++++

He 'frowned' a bit. If he was understanding it right, flaws could either be deadly or minor.

He was skeptical about it but what grabbed his attention was the fact that the rewards were guaranteed to be at least uncommon.

It was a risky opportunity but an opportunity nonetheless.

++++++

[Flaw Rolled]

[Result]:

[Pinocchio]

You cannot tell a lie.

++++++

It wasn't too bad in his opinion. He couldn't lie but there was nothing that said that he had to tell the truth either.

+++++

[Roll Used]

[Result]:

[Tome of Healing](Rare)

+++++

'So there's magic.' He thought.

It was actually a decent roll. The flaw wasn't too bad but the reward seemed worth it. Wanting to take another risk, he took another flaw.

+++++

[Flaw Rolled]

[Result]:

[Noticed]

Your arrival has gained the attention of a powerful figure in your new world. Whether they want you dead or alive is up to chance.

+++++

Reading it, he decided that it would be his last roll for a flaw. Gaining attention from someone strong couldn't be anything but bad, who knew how much worse the next roll could be?

+++++

[Roll Used]

[Result]:

[Dhampir Physiology](Epic)

+++++

Immediately, pain assaulted his body as he felt it twisting and changing. He didn't know how long it lasted but when it ended, he felt different…far different.

Dhampirs were creatures born from vampire and human parents. They possessed the full powers of vampires with their weaknesses reduced if not totally gone.

With how much stronger he felt, the reward seemed to slightly make up for it. The myriad of powers that came with being a dhampir made up for the rest of it.

'That should be enough. There's no need to take any more unnecessary risks.' He thought as the words disappeared.

Before he could do anything else, he felt himself get ripped from the void, his strengthened form being flung through…something.

His vision blurred as he found himself landing face flat on a hard surface. Letting out a groan, he pushed himself to his feet as he realized something.

"It's snowing." He muttered under his breath as he felt and saw the frozen particles fall from the sky. 'Where am I?'

Looking at the tundra around him, he realized how lucky he was that he got Dhampir physiology rather than a vampire. He would have died from the sunlight moments after arriving here.

'Still, I don't know where I am and I'm not ready to test the limits of this body.' He thought as he looked around.

He saw what looked to be a city in the distance. It was the closest thing to civilization he could find at the moment.

As he took a step forward, he was made aware of the power his body now held. 'I guess it's time to see just what I can do now.' He thought, taking a running start in the direction of the faraway city.

His sight focused and sharpened a lot more than usual, catching him off guard as he now saw the city much more clearly. His muscles tightened as he took off at ridiculous speed.

•••

From what he could tell, it only took a few hours to reach the city but he could be wrong. He didn't have a device to help him accurately quantify the passage of time.

Standing on the outskirts of the city and still in a prison jumpsuit, he had encountered a problem.

"Identify yourself!" Around the walls of the fortified city were masked soldiers in winter clothing aiming spears at him.

His eyes moved between each soldier, noting that he didn't recognize them but that was of secondary importance.

He noted that despite the winter clothing and slight armor they wore, he could practically see and smell the blood pumping through their body.

There was no overwhelming urge to empty them of their blood but the suggestion was floating at the back of his mind.

"I said identify yourself!" One of the soldiers demanded.

"Where am I?" He asked, ignoring the question.

It seemed that his non-answer struck a nerve as they looked between each other. One of them suddenly ran forward, brandishing his spear.

Liam's eyes easily followed his movement, his inhuman instinct coming forth as he easily dodged a thrust to his chest.

His fingers turned into sharp claws, his hand a blur as he slashed out the soldier's throat.

"W-w-what?!"

"W-what just happened?!"

"Tokito! Get up!"

Their words of shock were mostly ignored as Liam once again realized his lack of regret or remorse as he took a life.

Well, there was one regret…

'It's stained with blood.' He thought, watching as blood spilled onto the snow from the still bleeding corpse.

He wanted the winter wear, minus the helmet/mask, but it was now stained in the man's blood.

The difference between the physical capabilities of a human and a dhampir was also made known to him as he turned to face the other three soldiers who had their spears pointed towards him.

'I apologize.' He wanted to say it out loud but that would be lying and he couldn't do that.

This time, he went on the offensive, letting his vampiric instinct partially take over.

Barely a moment passed and he was in front of them, his claw swinging forward. Clawing at the first man's throat before he could react, he ignored how much the blood looked so much like wine.

He quickly spun, his foot lashing out and striking the other soldier across the face, his supernatural hearing picking up a crack that rang upon impact.

"So this is how strong I am…amazing." He muttered in amazement.

He'd spent his life being the weak one but now, he had been granted power beyond his imagination. He was slowly coming to love it.

Suddenly, he tilted to the side, dodging the final soldier's attempted assault. He immediately gripped the spear, pulling it from his attacker's hands and carefully smashed it into the back of his head.

He was careful not to make him die or bleed, only knocking him out.

Seeing that his opponents were down/dead, he moved to the single bloodless man, taking the clothes off the man, leaving him unconsciously shivering in his underwear.

"I'm finally out of those prison rags." He muttered as he tore off the uniform quite easily, throwing on the fur clothing.

'I need to put some distance between me and this place for the moment, until I can interrogate this guy.' He thought, roughly grabbing the man as he walked away.

He had acquired clothing but it didn't change the fact that he was still stranded with no knowledge on where he was.

Another thing that kept him on guard was the feeling of someone's eyes on him. He'd felt it from the moment he reached the city but he assumed that it was one of the soldiers.

They were dead with only one of them just being unconscious so it couldn't be them. 'Or it could be another soldier hiding while watching me. I might have underestimated this whole dhampir thing.' He thought, actually impressed.

The eyes seemed to burrow deeper into his back as he waited for the shivering man to wake up, not knowing how to do that without accidentally killing him.

As much as he wanted to feel the strength increase that would happen when he drank blood, he didn't want to risk any reduction of his sanity when in such an unknown environment.

He was proven right as his eyes narrowed, suddenly moving away as a projectile shot past where he previously stood.

The resulting smell of blood made him realize that he wasn't the main target as the unconscious man was now dead. More importantly, he was confused upon seeing the projectile.

"Ice? What is going on here?" He muttered as he quickly turned in the direction where it came from.

He froze upon seeing the familiar figure. Some distance away stood a beautiful and slender woman with long, light blue hair and blue eyes and a weird tattoo on her chest.

'A power figure in your new world…' he thought, the tension in his body increasing as he immediately remembered the second flaw he got.

"You've got to be kidding me." He muttered under his breath.

-[Esdeath]-

Staring at the dark haired youth in front of her that got her attention, she herself could barely understand what led her here.

She was leading her army to subjugate the northern tribes until she felt something calling to her. Her curiosity got the best of her, causing her to branch off from her troops to pursue this 'calling'.

What she found was a red eyed, dark haired young man in odd clothes who was moving in the direction of the place she was sent to conquer.

She stealthily followed him until they reached the walls of the fortified northern city. Seeing him stop there, she assumed that he was one of their people only to be disproven when he killed the patrol soldiers in a rather brutal manner, only sparing one.

Her heart raced in excitement. 'Could he finally be the one to challenge me?' She thought.

This man who obviously wasn't the hero of the north, Numa Seika, quickly changed into the soldier's clothing.

He didn't look like he was from the capital but he also didn't look like a northerner.

She had to admit that his physique was impressive. The male soldiers in the empire either possessed unfit bodies or absurdly bulky, muscular bodies that were much weaker than they looked.

From her expertise in torture which granted her a vast knowledge of the human anatomy, she could tell from the contractions and reaction of his muscles to his movements that despite his slender look, his physical strength was anything but weak.

Furthermore, his moves when he killed the soldiers held almost zero skill, being pure reflex and instinct.

'Such potential.' she thought, also noting that he looked a bit younger than her, appearing to be in his late teens.

A grin formed on her face as she ticked three boxes off a mental list.

Noticing that he was waiting for something, she decided to make a move, utilizing her teigu to fire a shard of ice at him.

Her expectations and suspicions were proved right as he suddenly dodged, the ice passing him and killing the sole surviving soldier.

Interestingly, he didn't seem bothered at all by the man's death despite being the one to spare him previously.

The hint of recognition in his eyes as he faced her showed that he knew who she was or at least suspected it. 'Interesting.'

"Who are you?" She questioned, watching him tense.

"Someone who doesn't want any trouble." He answered, suddenly leaping back as she dashed forward.

He ducked under a slash of her rapier, just barely dodging it as it cut out a few strands of hair. She followed it up with a powerful kick, her eyes widening minutely as his hands shot up to guard against it.

Though the power was enough to send him back a few feet, he stood his ground and switched tactics, dashing forward.

Her eyes zeroed in on his fingers that had sharpened into claws as she dodged his attempt to slash at her head. "Interesting. What teigu do you wield?"

She swung her free arm forward, spikes of ice forming on the ground and extending to pierce the teen.

He leaped into the air to avoid it only for her to immediately follow, her foot lashing forward and actually catching him in the chest, sending him crashing to the ground.

As she landed, she saw him immediately push himself to his feet. She was surprised as other than the slight damage to his clothing, he was unharmed.

"What is your name?" She questioned.

The predatory feeling she got from him wasn't dissimilar to that of a danger beast, only more refined, restrained and more importantly, confused.

From this exchange, she had confirmed that he had no formal training. 'A natural predator. I've decided.'

"Liam. Why are you attacking me?" He answered, throwing his own question.

She sheathed her rapier. "Liam…that's a fine name. I merely wished to test you but I've come to a decision."

Despite that, he didn't lower his guard. 'He'll come around eventually.'

"What decision would that be?" Liam asked.

She simply smiled as she walked forward. "From now on, you'll belong to me."

-[Liam]-

Of all the people he could have met upon realizing which world he was, Esdeath was the number one person he would have liked to avoid.

Though he agreed with her ideology of 'the strong survive and the weak die' philosophy, compared to her, he was weak.

He could tell from their short exchange that she had been holding back quite a bit. He was sure that there were more than a few times that he should have died, now very thankful for his race change.

Esdeath got in front of him with no intent to attack, grabbing his arm as she pulled him away. He spotted the light blush that appeared on her face.

'You have to be joking.' He thought in slight exasperation.

He was no Tatsumi. He didn't have a pure hearted smile or anything like that so why was he taking the boy's role in her heart?!

He couldn't try to flee without risking death so he could only allow himself to be pulled. His mind paused as he realized something.

'I can use this to my advantage. Esdeath holds a considerable amount of power and influence in the capital. Her choosing me as a love interest puts me under her protection until I can grow stronger.' He wouldn't need to live and hide in fear like he once did.

He'd gotten a very extensive lesson on how unfair life was.

He was weak and so his 'parents' abused him. In terms of 'strength', they had influence and money that kept them untouchable and in power. They let their guard down and in a moment of temporary strength, he killed them.

The roles were soon reversed as he was sentenced to life in prison only to be 'rescued' by whatever sent him here.

He was weak once and he suffered for it. Now, he had been given the chance to change that. He'd be a fool to let it slip away.

He stopped lagging behind as she pulled him, now actually walking beside her. The change got her attention but she didn't say anything.

"Where are we going?" He asked.

She smiled, seeing his resistance gone. "We're meeting up with my army. We need to get you settled and relaxed."

"An army?" He muttered, vaguely remembering that she was sent to conquer the northern tribe.

"Yes, I'm here on an important mission but it can wait for a while. There is something just as important." She answered, her blush coming back, almost making him sigh at the bashfulness that was unlike her usual demeanor.

"You didn't answer my question earlier." She said, gaining a confused look from him. "When we fought, you attacked me with your claws. What teigu do you wield?"

He couldn't lie but his claws weren't exactly a game changing secret. "I don't have a teigu. It's a natural ability of mine, I'm still getting used to it."

"I see. You don't look like a native of this land. What were you doing here?" She asked.

She seemed to be trying her best to get to know him better despite her apparent shyness. He could only indulge her.

"You're not wrong there. I was kind of lost. I was planning on finding out where I was until you killed my captive." He said, no heat or anger in his tone.

"I apologize. Where did you come from that got you so lost?" She asked, changing her grip on his arm to a more comfortable hold.

"A place very far away…very far. I don't know how to get back nor do I wish to go back." He said, working around his Pinocchio flaw.

It said that he couldn't lie but it didn't force him to tell the truth either. He was technically correct. His birth world was very very far away and he had no desire to go back, not that he even had a way of going.

There was nothing waiting for him there.

"That doesn't matter anymore. You've endured a lot in the past, but you can stay with me for as long as you wish. I won't let anything harm you, and I won't ever let you feel lonely." She spoke with an uncharacteristically soft look on her face.

'Maybe having an insane woman be in love with me isn't so bad.' He thought.

He couldn't imagine how she would know about his past so she must have made a guess from his facial expression/body language upon talking about it.

'This isn't so bad.' He thought as he and Esdeath continued their conversation, letting the bloodthirsty woman lead the way.

•••

Though they could have sped up to meet up with her army faster, Esdeath wanted to take the time to know more about him.

Time passed quickly as they finally reached what seemed to be a large campsite with numerous soldiers as far as he could see.

Upon noticing their approach, the soldiers who were acting as guards tensed.

"General Esdeath, you have returned!" One of them greeted respectfully.

Despite the helmets covering their heads, Liam could practically feel the suspicious gazes aimed at him as they immediately surrounded him.

"General Esdeath, what should we do with him?" Another soldier asked as they leveled their weapons at him.

He then remembered that what he was wearing was the clothing of the very people they came to fight.

Fortunately, he didn't need to do anything as Esdeath spoke before they could go further.

"Unless you want to die, I'd advise you not to harm my beloved." She warned, her voice as cold as the very ice she manipulated.

"B-b-beloved?!" The men stuttered in shock, backing away immediately.

"Let's go." Esdeath said, ignoring their shock as she pulled him into the campsite and into the largest tent that stood.

"Beloved? That's moving quite fast." At least he had confirmed that he wasn't being led to be punished and tortured.

She simply smiled. "I want to experience this feeling of love to the fullest. What others think doesn't matter." She declared as they found a white haired man in a different outfit than the other soldiers waiting just outside the tent.

"Lady Esdeath, you have-" The man who Liam recognized as Liver, one of the three beasts, said, pausing upon noticing him and his garb.

"If I may ask, who is this man you have brought with you?" Liver asked in confusion.

"He is my lover." Esdeath answered simply, causing a shocked look to appear on the man's face. "Spread the message to all of the troops that he is not to be harmed. Anyone who attempts to do so…I'll personally deal with them."

Liver gave a bow. "O-of course!" He said, understandably shocked as he left to spread the news.

As soon as he left, they made their way inside, seeing a neatly organized interior.

"Do you really think they'll be okay with that?" He asked, now that they were alone.

"Like I said before, it doesn't matter what they think. I won't let anyone get in between us." She said resolutely as she moved closer to him.

As she got closer and closer, he didn't back away but his stomach ruined the moment, growling in hunger.

"That's right, you must be hungry after wandering for so long." Esdeath said, her hand caressing his cheek. "Wait here, I'll personally prepare a meal for you."

With that said, she left the tent with a proud and determined smile on her face. Now being in this situation, he couldn't see what Tatsumi was complaining about but he threw that thought aside for the moment.

Sitting on the bed, he didn't even want to think about how they carried it all the way from the capital.

He recalled the other reward he got along with dhampir physiology. He didn't have an inventory but thankfully, he didn't need one as he only needed a thought to summon the Tome of Healing to his hand.

'At least now I don't have to worry about where to keep it.' He thought as he opened it.

Though the temptation to drain the soldiers of their blood to increase his power was pushing at his mind, he didn't think Esdeath would be too happy if he did that. She wouldn't mind their deaths but it was a matter of maintaining loyalty and morale.

Her army's devotion to her was one of the things that made them feared in battle.

With his exploration of his dhampir abilities temporarily halted, he began studying the tome.

-[Esdeath]-

She knew he would come around. Though it was easier than she expected, she was happy nonetheless.

Liam's reluctance had only lasted minutes before he cooperated. He fit the criteria she wanted in a lover. He had great potential, he was younger than her, he was fearless and he was raised outside the capital.

She had chosen him as her only lover and she wouldn't let anything stop her from fully experiencing the pleasures of love.

It was a new feeling but it didn't feel bad.

That feeling must be what was causing her to smile as she carried a bowl of food back to her tent where he was waiting for her.

She made it herself in an attempt to impress him with her cooking, she hoped he would love it.

As soon as she entered the tent, she found him reading from a rather large book. She also noticed that he was aware of her arrival, not even bothering to hide the way the book disappeared.

Her eyes widened minutely but she recalled his words when he said he didn't have a teigu. He didn't seem like the type to lie and she could only recall there being one book-type teigu but it was destroyed.

Furthermore, she knew for a fact that it wasn't as big as the book that Liam was just holding. 'Well, it doesn't matter. We're going to be together from now on, there's more than enough time to learn about it.' She instead, decided to focus on the fact that Liam wasn't a simple barbarian and liked reading.

Maybe she would get the minister to find her some rare books to give him.

"That smells delicious. What is it?" He asked curiously.

She felt her heart beat louder upon hearing his compliment. She was definitely going to do this more often.

-[Liam]-

He didn't know whether to classify the meal as lunch or dinner but it went quite well with Esdeath insisting to be the one to feed him his food.

A soldier that came in to report something only barely managed to avoid getting frozen before running out of the tent in fear.

He'd also learnt that the city where he killed those soldiers was the fortified city she was to conquer.

When he asked why she didn't simply attack at that moment, her answer only slightly stunned him.

"I found something more interesting today. The north's demise can wait for a while." She said to answer his question. "On that note, I will be training you personally."

"Is that so? Then I'm in your care." He said.

He could say without doubt that he wouldn't regret his decision. A chance to get trained by one of the strongest, if not the strongest, person in the empire.

For all her achievements and the rumors about her, she was easily flustered but that was probably only when the matter was related to him, something he'd taken note of.

At that moment, two soldiers entered the tent, carrying what he recognized to be a large tub in their hands.

Seeing as how she was the one who sent them to get it, Esdeath didn't attempt to attack them. Though, he could see her annoyance at their interruptions.

As the two soldiers left, three more entered this time, two carrying buckets of warm water, pouring it into the tub. The last man carried a set of clothes.

"Unfortunately, I can't prepare something more luxurious than this while we're out here." Esdeath said, sounding genuinely apologetic.

"That's alright." He said before giving the set of clothes an appraising look.

"We can't have you walking around in the clothes you're currently wearing. Hurry and take a bath so you can change." Esdeath said, answering his unspoken question.

He raised a brow. "You're staying here?" He asked, to which she nodded, a smile on her face.

"Of course."

Seeing that she had no intention of leaving or looking away, he sighed as he pulled off the stolen clothes, feeling the sadist's eyes roaming his nude form.

He'd lost the concept of shame after the first few times he was stripped and whipped by his 'parents'. The difference this time was that there were no whips, canes or torture weapons involved, neither was he being beaten.

He was silently thankful for the fact that his scars and bruises hadn't transferred to this body or perhaps they had transferred but had healed sometime along the way.

Either way, he didn't want to give Esdeath any ideas that he was into being tortured. Her careful and hungry gaze didn't stop him from taking a thorough bath.

Inspecting the clothes brought for him to wear, he mentally questioned why they had a male version of Esdeath's outfit with darker colors but simply added it to the list of things he didn't want to know about.

What mattered this time was surviving and he would make sure that he would do more than survive. He would live!