chapter five: the first step

A/N: It's Sunday and tomorrow is Monday, how I hate Mondays, *sigh* you know, all the stories I read watch don't update and new ones I don't like very much although it's not that I want to criticize them it's just that my tastes are very specific.

~~~Start of the chapter~~~

~~~Lucius POV~~~

"What is this?" I wonder as I see how my "aura" slowly recovers, as it seems to be expendable but the strangest and most terrifying thing is the way it recovers. I am currently observing how the souls of the "police's" are "recharging" my aura, although it's not exactly that, it rather seems like they squeeze the soul, subjecting it to great stress and pain to absorb the "aura" it generates. It is becoming more likely that it is a remnant or some kind of variation of it. I conclude as I observe this disturbing process.

"What is that?" I wonder as I observe my own body in reality from a third perspective, almost identical to the memories I saw when I was Golden Freddy, only now in real time and much clearer 'It seems that I can switch between perspectives, but that means that the realm of shadows is somehow connected to my consciousness and possibly even my soul, which would partly explain the pain I feel when accessing the "aura" (it is literally made of agony). I am just starting to get used to my abilities and seeing that the origin of this could be some kind of variant of the remnant with a few different effects but similar purpose and functions. It still doesn't tell me much, but I should get back to my body, that should be my priority. Ugh, why do I always get lost in my thoughts? Remember, you must find a safe place and test your abilities there. For now, I should just concentrate on surviving. Oh God, it's so hard to do something so simple' I reflect as I try to reach my body, which is quite stiff and still for some reason.

"Go go go" I tell myself as I "approach" my body and try to join it, which proves more difficult than I thought, because it's like I'm in a dream and can't wake up, like I'm one of the emotions from Inside Out intensely watching Riley's perspective but unable to reach her.

And even though it seems like I'm just making a futile effort, I don't give up and keep trying to return to my body. But then I realize something, the reason I can't go back seems to be my own "aura" or renmant, I better call it renmant, as it seems like I have merged into it. It's like I'm one with it, and since the residue doesn't seem to be fully connected to my body, it feels like I split between them when they're not completely synchronized. (Has my mind already adapted to the residue?) It's something I hope time will fix, otherwise I'll have to look for an alternative.

Wait, if my previous theories are true, wouldn't that mean that I currently have much greater control/synchronization over the remnant? If that's the case, I might even be able to manipulate the animatronics or control the remnant in more direct ways, maybe like some kind of possession or even create my own animatronics. Although, that would require certain materials and a laboratory.

Phew, so much to do and so little time. Well, if my theory is correct, now I should try to "separate" from the remnant to reach my body or maybe return it to its "rest" state, which is going to be very difficult or easy, because it's something I should be able to do, but it's also something I'm not used to or skilled at.

So, I stop trying to enter my body and focus on the place where I am, which would be the remnant (something strange but whatever), and try to "turn it off" or "calm it down" in a way similar to when you try to lower your heart rate.

Surprisingly, it works, and I start feeling my body gradually, but when I manage to fully return, I lose all my senses for a second, and when they come back, I'm back in my body, only I feel something different, and I even feel stronger, but I also feel something strange, it's almost like... like I start to feel that something is off about me. Don't get me wrong, it's not necessarily bad, but I just can't shake off the feeling that something is wrong. Anyway, there's nothing we can do, so I should go before the police or some sorcerer, or worse, a furry arrives. They are definitely the biggest threat, considering I could be Golden Freddy. I think you understand what I mean. Ugh, just the thought of encountering them terrifies me more than encountering Mahito, I mean, he can torture you, traumatize you, and kill people right in front of you while playing in different ways just to satisfy his sadism, but he shouldn't violate me, I think...

"That's enough of that, it's time to move on" I tell myself as I slap my face and snap back to reality, surveying the familiar carnage surrounding me. I remain momentarily still, observing all these men dead in brutal and horrific ways.

The silence only makes the scene more terrifying, but unlike last time, I simply maintain a neutral expression and walk away through the alley, catching sight of a sewer opening. Naturally, I dive into the sewers, due to my limited options, as it would be too suspicious to walk around with bloodstained clothes (why couldn't they kill without causing a mess and spreading blood everywhere?)

~~~General POV~~~

Lucius was peacefully traveling through the sewers, but like most things that have happened to him these days, they were doomed to be mistakes or failures. Despite trying to approach everything in the most rational way possible while simply trying to find a safe place, life doesn't make it easy for him. However, if Lucius had thought about this a little more and paid more attention to the anime Jujutsu Kaisen when he watched it, the future situation could have been foreseen. Unfortunately, this would be asking too much from a child, as although he is a prodigy, he has barely seen the darkness of this world, which is a stark contrast to his former world where everything was more 'peaceful' and simple.

"I need a bath" Lucius comments as he jogs, the cursed energy passively reinforcing his body, something he has been doing for a few minutes. After successfully manipulating the remnants, manipulating the cursed energy has surprisingly become easier. Are the cursed energy and the remnants related? Did extreme experiences help him improve quickly for the sake of survival? Honestly, Lucius doesn't have an answer for this, but like all the other questions he has, he will have to postpone them until he has a roof, food, basic information about this world, and the best library in the world (a cellphone with internet). He also plans to buy bitcoins and work on other projects after all, even though he denied staying in this world for too long. Realistically, he knows that everything points to him potentially spending quite a long time in this world, and if he plans to create animatronics or experiment with other things, he'll need resources like money. Maybe he'll even create his own group or organization, who knows? Life is not what one expects, and adaptation is one of Lucius' talents.

Returning to the tedious trot in the sewers where Lucius finds himself, he feels a great accumulation of cursed energy up ahead (to him it seems like a lot since he doesn't have an exact measurement and no one has directly taught him how much cursed energy is considered a lot or a little) which alerts him, to say the least. Being the good child that he is, he quickly takes out the sharpest and biggest knife he brought, holding it in his right hand while gripping his flashlight in his left hand. He also prepares his mask, ready to put it on if necessary, although he clearly would prefer not to unless it's an emergency, as wearing the mask is clearly risky. While before he didn't want to stop being Golden Freddy, being able to use cursed energy has given him a boost of self confidence.

'This doesn't look good, but... I just have to keep moving forward and overcome any obstacles, whether they be curses, humans, or wizards. If I go back, I don't know if that organization that wanted to capture me will still be there, so I'll just keep advancing while fighting, and if there's a curse, I'll either run away or kill it quickly' Lucius thinks to himself as he hardens his gaze, preparing for whatever he may encounter.

Lucius starts to strengthen himself even more with the cursed energy as he begins to run. But as he runs, he begins to feel the cursed energy getting closer and closer to him until he feels like the world is slowing down. In less than 0.1 seconds, he turns his head and catches a glimpse of a surprisingly sharp tentacle heading directly towards him with astonishing precision. Using all his strength and a considerable amount of cursed energy, he performs a sweeping dodge, just like Mega Man, managing to completely evade the attack. Without even stopping to look at the curse, Lucius continues running at full speed.

Unfortunately, the curse is quite persistent and sends multiple tentacles that Lucius notices are considerably weaker than the first one. 'It seems that the more attacks it makes, the weaker they become, creating a fair trade-off between quality and quantity. Its cursed technique seems to be simply the generation of tentacles, something simple but dangerous if handled appropriately. Could the tentacles be poisonous or have some kind of adhesive? It doesn't seem to have any kind of adhesive or something similar to the feet of Geckos, but it appears to have some kind of liquid different from the one found in the sewers, so Lucius should avoid direct contact with the tentacles. Conclusion: the opponent possesses enough intelligence to devise ambushes or have a plan B, but it doesn't seem to have powerful attacks and only one ability that would be categorized as a controlling or support character. However, it seems to have a decent amount of cursed energy, and although Lucius can't see it, based on the cursed energy, he would say that its body is inside a tentacle. Unexpected but effective' thinks and quickly concludes Lucius as he skillfully dodges the tentacles, running between them and heading directly towards the tentacle where the curse resides.

The curse seems to notice Lucius' intentions and retracts all its tentacles to form a shield and slow down Lucius' advance. However, this is also part of Lucius' plan as he strengthens his knife with a large amount of cursed energy and throws it towards the curse, which manages to block it with its shield of tentacles. But while the knife was being blocked, Lucius had jumped and was now on the ceiling with three more knives full of cursed energy, which he throws at the curse and kills it instantly. The curse had concentrated all its defenses in front of it and never considered an attack from above.

Lucius would like to say that he handled it like a champion, but the truth is that the only reason he was able to accomplish this is because he was able to reinforce his body to a much higher level than the curse due to his abundant cursed energy. He knows that he can't always rely on brute strength, and besides, that trick cost him a lot of cursed energy. He's not sure if he can do it again, either due to the lack of cursed energy or the mental fatigue he has been accumulating. So, he decides to continue jogging without reinforcing himself with cursed energy.

" *sigh* I just lost four knives because, thanks to contact with that curse, they could be poisoned, and I'm not willing to take that risk" Lucius thinks with some sadness as he continues to advance through the sewers.

Finally, after a tortuous half hour that Lucius will never forget, he decides he is far enough away to exit. He climbs up the stairs, moves the sewer lid, and comes out without any trouble, which only increases his tension. Until now, whenever things seem to be going well, something unexpected happens and ruins everything.

Lucius finally exits the sewer, only receiving some incredulous and worried looks. But before anyone can approach or talk to him, he quickly leaves or avoids them, which was relatively easy due to the cursed energy.

After some time of searching, he finds himself in a sector with shops. He goes to the first store he sees and buys new pants and shoes, so he won't be wearing blood-stained clothes anymore. He puts his old clothes in his backpack but also buys a jacket to cover his blood-stained shirt. The person who assists him looks at him suspiciously and even seems a bit worried, but 5000 yen seems enough to prevent him from doing anything. Although with that plus what he spent on clothes, he spent a total of 12,500 yen, leaving him with 77,500 yen, which should be enough for a cellphone.

When Lucius left the store this time, he was more careful, and fortunately, nobody reported him, and no police intervened, so he was able to reach a store that sold cell phones. He bought a Huawei that cost him 18,000 yen along with the case, screen protector, and headphones, spending a total of 20,000 yen in that store. Fortunately for Lucius, the store owner didn't seem to care and didn't pay attention, allowing him to buy everything calmly.

"Phew, I finally managed to achieve my first goal" says Lucius as he looks at his newly set up cell phone (without internet) and the songs he downloaded using the store's internet.

'I remember the store owner mentioning a cyber café if I turned right' thinks Lucius, recalling his conversation with the store owner.

Therefore, Lucius decides to go to the cyber café to get internet access and information while enjoying some food and maybe relaxing a little, just a little bit.

~~~End of the chapter~~~

A/N: Every word of the narrator is written because he knows something that we don't, including myself.