A whole new realm unfolded before Raze's eyes, a tableau of sights he had never encountered. Market stalls brimming with fresh produce lined the streets and townsfolk sauntered openly with weapons strapped to their sides.
No building rose higher than three stories, each one nestled close to its neighbours. Not a single vehicle was in sight, a stark contrast to his world where vehicles soared through the sky. Instead, only wagons laden with goods, pushed or pulled by hand, populated the streets. People traded with coins and notes, rather than relying on technology.
It was evident that this was not the world Raze had known. As he ambled down the street behind Sonny, he absorbed every detail of his surroundings while contemplating his predicament.
'Could this truly be another world? Or have I been transported to a remote land where society and technology are still primitive? But then, why is there no magic? It must be another world.' Raze mused.
'The book promised that I would inhabit a new body, but it never specified where or how. I should have anticipated this from a book requiring dark magic. Nothing is ever as simple as it seems.'
Abruptly, Raze halted in the middle of the street, his hand instinctively clasping his chest as a heavy realisation sank in.
'My treasures!' he lamented internally. 'If I am in another world, then everything I stored for my advancement as a mage is gone. Lost forever... How am I supposed to increase my power now?'
Memories flooded his mind: the arduous trials he had endured to collect those items, the mythical beasts he had battled, narrowly escaping with his life. All that effort, now in vain.
A tear threatened to escape as Sonny, sensing Raze's distress, turned and noted the sombre expression on his face.
'Poor lad, he just lost his family. The reality must be sinking in,' Sonny speculated.
'My items!!!' Raze fought back a sob as he forced himself to move forward.
Just as he began to accept the loss of everything he had worked for, another thought struck him.
'Wait, the Grand Magus! They don't exist in this world. My entire purpose for being reborn was to exact revenge. If they aren't here, what is the meaning of my existence?
'Isn't rebirth supposed to be a cheat code? Attending the magic academy, being hailed a prodigy at five, defeating bullies who underestimate you, and proving your doubters wrong?'
His dream life crumbled before his eyes.
"Get back here, you little thief!" bellowed a rotund, bald man with sweat pouring down his face as he pursued a small child, who Raze guessed was about five years old.
The child, clad in tattered clothes speckled with dirt and scabs, darted past Raze, closely followed by the large man, who seemed to be gaining on the exhausted child.
Raze, tapping into his magic reserves, felt the core within him ignite as power spiralled around his finger.
"Dark pulse," he murmured. A beam of energy, paler than usual, shot from his finger. In the sunlight, it was almost invisible, but it struck the man's leg, causing him to stumble and fall face-first into the dirt.
'He looked well-fed, while the child seemed starved. He can spare a few loaves of bread.'
Onlookers gathered around the fallen man, some chuckling, others offering assistance. Either way, the child had escaped, and no one had witnessed Raze's intervention.
'No one should have to endure hunger,' Raze thought, as he continued onward.
Finally, they reached their destination: a grand edifice surrounded by a wall and flanked by two enormous red doors. Beyond the wall, the building loomed majestically, its roof adorned with ancient tiles and dragon carvings. Intricate patterns decorated the supporting pillars, a testament to craftsmanship long forgotten in Raze's world.
Guarding the entrance were two stone lions, regal and imposing, as if truly safeguarding the doors. Beside the stone pillars stood two men clad in red uniforms, like Sonny, each holding a spear and standing as rigid as statues.
Above the entrance, a sign read 'Red Brigade Clan.' The letters, patterns and lines foreign to Raze, were somehow comprehensible.
'This is not my world. And what is a Clan? It's not a guild or a faction. What kind of world have I entered? If magic doesn't exist here... could I be revered as a god?'
———
Raze found himself in a guest room of the Red Brigade's complex, a term more fitting than 'building,' given its sprawling nature with several structures scattered about and grand courtyards at either end. A constant flux of individuals, all donned in identical uniforms, traversed between the buildings.
The fading sun signalled that many of the several hundred residents had already retreated to their slumber. Raze was tucked away in a corner room of a building set apart from the largest one he had encountered.
The room was spartan, equipped with just a single bed, a table, and an oil lamp to stave off the encroaching darkness.
'It's so dim in here. I could employ my magic to amplify my vision, but it would squander my mana. The struggles of a 1-star mage resurface. It would be optimal to bolster my mana. Amplifying my dark attribute is futile without mana for spellcasting.'
Raze estimated that he could currently muster a mere five spells in quick succession. Moreover, the recent demise of his newfound family loomed large. With no knowledge of the events, anyone could potentially be pursuing him.
The Red Brigade clan seemed to be a sanctuary of sorts, possessing some influence in this realm.
Venturing to the toilet, Raze made a startling discovery. The absence of a separating door revealed that the toilet was, in fact, a part of the single room. His dismay deepened upon discovering the toilet to be merely a hole in the ground.
'No...please, don't tell me the toilet is just a hole!' Raze heaved a sigh of resignation. 'I endured the slums of Alterian, but this is pushing it.'
This revelation galvanised his resolve. If he had been transported to this world, there must be a way to return.
Clutching the oil lamp, Raze examined his reflection in the room's mirror, the first glimpse of his new form.
As suspected, his skin retained a youthful radiance, devoid of wrinkles, aligning his age with late adolescence. However, his physique was alarmingly slender.
His former self was also lean, but compared to the populace he observed on the streets, he appeared emaciated. His fingers grazed his hair, which, although mostly straight, curled at the ends and was wildly dishevelled. Strikingly, it was a stark white.
'This… my hair was also white in my previous body. I lacked the fortitude for 5-star magic and underwent a forbidden procedure. It succeeded, albeit at the cost of a gradual decline in health and the bleaching of my hair.'
Raze recalled Sonny's initial reaction upon seeing him.
'Did the original occupant of this body not have white hair? Did my arrival instigate this transformation?'
A knock interrupted his musings, followed by the entrance of Sonny.
"Apologies for the delay, Raze," Sonny expressed. "I understand your anxiety and curiosity about the current circumstances. We are eager to learn any details you can provide that might shed light on this situation."
It was evident that they did not perceive him as a suspect, despite being the sole survivor. Raze seized this opportunity to partially disclose his predicament.
He recounted his awakening amidst a life-threatening confrontation with an assailant, ultimately culminating in a fatal act of self-defense. Given the ubiquity of armed civilians, he doubted that this act would be deemed egregious, particularly under the circumstances.
However, Raze then confessed his total amnesia, encompassing not only the world and his location but also his age. This admission would serve as a buffer for any future unconventional behaviour.
"I can't fathom your emotional turmoil," Sonny empathised. "Do you have any recollection of me?"
Regrettably, Raze shook his head. The original body retained scant memories, more akin to vague sensations than concrete recollections.
"Got it, just a sec." Sonny walked out of the room, carefully closing the door behind him. It wasn't long before he returned, this time with a teenage girl in tow. She had unruly black hair, fairly thick, that cascaded past her shoulders.
Her outfit mirrored that of Raze - a plain grey shirt and trousers - but her eyes, shadowed underneath, hinted at a world of fatigue.
As soon as Raze laid eyes on her, a torrent of emotions flooded over him, and a smile involuntarily spread across his face.
"Thank heavens," Sonny breathed a sigh of relief. "It seems you do remember your sister, Safa."
'Wait, my sister? Did he just say... my sister?'
Suddenly, the pieces started to fall into place, just like when he had seen his parents. Memories, long-forgotten, resurfaced, linking him to this girl.
"She was hiding in the cupboards during the commotion. When we searched the house, we found her trembling inside. The fact that you both made it out alive is nothing short of a miracle," Sonny elucidated. "I'll leave you two to reconnect."
With that, Sonny exited the room once more. Safa, looking up at her brother, offered a timid smile. She appeared to be around the same age as Raze, but he recalled that she was actually a couple of years younger.
Almost immediately, she dashed over to Raze and clung to his arm, her body leaning against his. Raze's heart began to race, and images started to flood his mind.
"DON'T TOUCH ME!" he bellowed, violently shaking off her grasp and stepping back.
Safa was taken aback. Her eyes locked onto Raze's for a few moments before welling up with tears. She quickly retreated behind a chair in the room, almost collapsing onto the floor.
Raze was still panting heavily, his heart pounding. Witnessing her reaction, a pang of guilt pierced his chest.
'This wretched body... it's still reacting to her... and my emotions are a complete mess.'
Approaching Safa, who was clearly still terrified, Raze struggled to find the right words to mend the situation.
"I... apologise," he stammered. "Something's messed up in my head. I've kind of lost it and can't stand being touched. Do you get it?"
Safa, although still somewhat apprehensive, nodded her head slowly.
'Great, just great. She's lost her entire family, and the only one left, her brother, is now a lunatic who yells at her for simply touching him. This can't be easy for her either.'
Gradually, Safa regained her composure and stood up. They both stood there, awkwardly staring at each other.
"You hid in a wardrobe, right?" Raze inquired.
Safa nodded but remained silent. Raze began to suspect that his sister might be mute. However, as certain memories resurfaced, he realised that she indeed was.
'Wait, if she was hiding in the wardrobe... Did she witness what I did? Did she see me use magic? If she did and told people, there would be trouble... No, she must have seen nothing. Otherwise, she would have come out after the killer was neutralized, or when the Red Brigade arrived.'
Sonny reentered the room, clapping his hands together cheerfully.
"Alright, I have some good news for you both. We've figured out where you'll be staying for now. I know it's a tough situation, but I'll explain everything in due course. For now, just follow me."
They exited the building and strolled through the expansive courtyard of the base. Raze trailed behind Sonny, while Safa lingered at the back, her head bowed.
"Even though I won't be with you two, you'll be well taken care of. If you need anything or just want to talk, come visit me. Of course, I'll also check up on you both tomorrow to see how you're doing."
Suddenly, Sonny halted mid-sentence and swiveled his head to the right. Charging towards them was another man, dressed identically to the one Raze had encountered earlier. He seemed to materialize out of thin air.
In a single powerful stride, he closed the distance between them.
'Enhancement magic!' Raze surmised. 'So magic does exist in this world?'
The mysterious man brandished a dagger, aiming directly for Raze. In his palm, dark energy swirled ominously.
'I didn't want to use it publicly because it would raise too many questions. But if my life is at stake...'
"Red Lightning Fist!" Sonny unleashed a punch, striking the man squarely in the chest and sending him hurtling through the air until he crashed into a building on the other side.
Witnessing such raw power, Raze was dumbfounded, his mouth agape.
"What... kind of magic was that?" he blurted out.
"Magic?" Sonny echoed, puzzled. "That wasn't magic; it was martial arts."
Raze had stumbled into a world where battles were waged not just with weapons but with fists as well.