The Other Two Criminals

George discovered some unintended changes in his brother's behavior. His brother became silent. So silent that he effectively seemed to be a mute. Always used simplest gestures such as head nods and shakes. George then realized what was going on. But he is too powerless to help. No money and no support from her cursed aunt.

An event caused George to scold his little brother and run away with his pet. Soon after, car horns glaring in the distance. It caught George's attention towards the street where his brother was just crossing. Except that his brother was in the middle of the streets with his hands trying to salvage little kittens.

Suddenly sounds of horns were coming from a truck. It should be slowing down but it is in fact it isn't. George desperately rushed towards the street. The only one that cared for him would be lost if he didn't do a goddamn thing. He impulsively jumped towards the street without any second thought. A lifetime guilt with an addition of living with her aunt was too much for him to bear.

A blinding light engulfed the surroundings.

***

He suddenly woke up in a ruin in another world. Some boys were waiting outside. "Krilo! Krilo! Are you alright?"

They all look to his general direction. Realizing there was no one behind him, George answered "Y-yes?"

Height and skin tone of this host belonged to a boy but not his. And Krilo was not his real name. An abandoned ruin made his spirit transmigrated in someone's body. A world akin to RPG games where there are monsters, guild, levels, kingdom, and class.

His parents worked as the caretaker of an orphanage. With young Krilo responsible to help cater the needs of the children such as procure basic necessities, periodically cleans the orphanage, and in some occasions, interacts with the children.

The younger kids looked up to him and the older kids respected him. As the victim of transmigration, he was mature enough to know what is right and wrong, his ingenuity was above average and memories of his previous life were still intact in his thoughts. Everyone loves him.

The Nature bestows him with a gift when he is 18 years old. A role and system that is the form of a slate from The Nature. He selected the [Warrior] class. A fundamental class for old school close range combatant.

But the reason that Krilo chose [Warrior] was so that he could be near his friends and family and defend them behind his back.

He is expected to become a champion in the future. Member of knight or paladin of Gewjory or The Holy Order. Instead, he ends up as the prey.

After just eight years of his transmigration, he saw that his family and village had been massacred by the army in red. Poor Krilo is told to run but a cavalry stabs his back with a halberd.

He squirmed so hard but eventually was finished with the same halberd to his skull.

Later on he wakes up as a bipedal yellow animal in an unknown cathedral.

***

A motion wakes him up. The moving town has its way of waking up others. The not-so-soft textures of cardboard are replaced by a much softer surface. But this one lacks the proper area for it to become a pillow.

He gradually opened his eyes. The same boy in the place of worship is falling asleep sitting down. The soft surface in his head is the boy's thigh.

"Wh-why are you here?" asks Krilo, scurrying away. He never imagined himself resting on a boy's thigh.

The boy's eyes gleamed for a second and smiled. "So you are my compfreund, huh?" The low tone of his voice sounds disappointed.

Krilo nods. But his mouth is difficult to open. Even after the heroic act that the boy had done, he is still wary of him. What if he had other ulterior motives? But on the other hand, the feeling is just a hunch with no foundation whatsoever. "I … am … sorry it … turned out like this."

The boy's eyes widens. "No it's okay. I won't hate you." The blue haired boy comes closer.

The boy understands him?

"Why? We just met two or three hours ago." Krilo hates that 'I won't bite' demeanor. The soldier in Krilo's previous life cut down children with similar tactics in that massacre.

The boy kneels and lends out his hand. "I am you. We are one. You came from 'The color of my nature'. You and I are partners now, how about that?"

'Color … so it is true then. My consciousness and body are still reincarnated in the same world.' Krilo thought to himself.

The Voltingen Kingdom emblem throughout the city. the similar reddish color on the guards uniform. It is all like a pure coincidence. Krilo gets a second chance to resolve the massacre. And it is through a gruesome revenge towards the king who ordered those soldiers, the subject who willingly followed like a sheep, and the vassal who funded the attack.

All of them are guilty!

The color of 'The Nature'. The Nature itself is how folks revere the creator that operates all kinds of things here. It is equivalent to God for the religion believer on earth.

While the color is the fundamental part of this planet. For example, the green chlorophyll from the leaves comes from The Green Essence that flows through the planet's soil and air. Same for The Blue Essence that forms the planet's liquid; Sea, lakes, rainfall, even the microscopic droplets that form the air around us.

Meanwhile The Red Essence, the symbols of The Voltingen Kingdom, forms the red soil in the south of Lake Ostian. This essence has the most abundance of 'free particles'. Their presence forms the basis of human invention, the fire. The heat that is generated is actually split particles from those 'free particles'.

'But what is this 'Compfreund'? There was no such a thing back in my first trasmigration.' He thinks.

'For how long exactly is the span of my previous life towards now?' A deep thought hurts his brain. 'For how long did I die?'

'My village was a vassal of the northern kingdom of Gewjory by the great river of Boruz. There was a giant mysterious vehicle in my village. A tank that was as tall as the 40th floor building and as big as an airport runway. But where is the tank?'

Krilo feels the vibration and the motion of the stone floor under his feet. A huge revelation hit his head like a truck. 'Are we actually standing on the tank?'

There is a sense of familiarity when he hears the engine noise running, the steam unleashed, and most importantly, the sounds of gigantic tracks touching the ground as the tank moves.

Krilo took a glance at the boy in front of him. The blue haired boy's hand tremors as he waits for Krilo to answer his hand. He immediately shakes the boy's hand. But the handshake means nothing for Krilo.

'This boy maybe can help in my mission. But, how do we escape from here?' Krilo thought to himself.

"Wow, your reunion is much cuter than I imagined." The red drake across the corridor laughed.

The boy runs to the metal bar. "Excuse me, fellow companion, how long have you been imprisoned?"

"Two weeks. You should ask fellow inmates in the cell next to yours. God knows how long that he is impri-"

"A year." A raspy sound of a man comes from across the cell wall on the left. "It's over. A second war will happen not long in the future. Every kingdom will be razed to the grounds. Woman? Children? There are many of them begging, but few of them will survive."

…

The girl across the room shakes her head and draws circles with her index finger. The two love couples chuckle. But not for Krilo, the crazy ramblings are eerily similar to what Krilo has gone through in the end of his previous life. The woman and children were begging, but NO ONE SURVIVED.

"But what about your nature class? Don't you have a compfreund too?" The boy is asking enthusiastically. He is too happy-go-lucky for a criminal.

"[Premonition holder]. And no I don't have what you called compfreund. I don't talk to anyone that much. You two? How about your name?" He asks, somewhat imitating the sound of Batman and other badass superheroes. From the looks of it, Krilo seems connected with this guy's demeanor.

"My name is Niva. I am somewhat of a [Bard] … my abilities varied from a simple healing song and attack buffs," said the blue haired boy scrolling a white skill system in the air.

"You can call me Lula. Class is the [Doctor]. My abilities are similar to yours, but with a bunch of potions." She brought a bunch of potions from the corner of her cell.

Krilo can see her drake's head shaking and not long after, the edgy man beside Krilo sighed. "My name is Fergus, born in the neighboring town of Grunberg. Charged guilty for thievery."

"How much longer is your sentence? Mine is 1,5 years, some bastard framed me for no reason." Lula crosses her arms.

"Oh …" Niva sighed silently.

The low sigh immediately attracts the room's attention. "Niva, can we know your sentence?"

The blue haired boy went silent for a second before opening his mouth. "Sentences for lives."

"The verdict?" Asks the man beside him curious.

The boy's hand is shaking. "T-treason."