The Mind Of A Child Is Where The Revolution Begins (2)

"Are you okay? Speak to me, dear!" His mother shouts as she shakes our head with her hands.

"Um, yeah. I'm okay." The kid tepidly replied.

"What were you yelling about? I just about had a heart attack!" She says as she wrapped him in her ample bosom.

"Um, my head hurt but now it doesn't"

"I told you he wasn't ready to get his seal." His mother scowls as she turns to face the man now standing in the doorway.

"What do you want me to do, Carrol? Everyone gets their seal when they turn ten. Even the apostle said he's never seen anyone pass out from the ceremony." He rolls his eyes as he walks further into the room. "And everything's okay now, right? What's the problem?"

"Your only child was in a coma for three days! How is that NOT a problem?"

"So he slept for a few days; what's the big deal? Now that he's rested up he can catch up on the library shifts he's missed."

"Vincent, I think you should leave." Carrol mother said coldly. the boy sunk even deeper into her chest as she tightened her grasp on him.

"Fine." Vincent walked back toward the door and paused as he grabbed the door handle. The room stilled with a tense silence. After several moments, Vincent finally spoke. "It's good to have you back, bud."

The door closed quickly behind him as he darted out of the room.

"Your father was worried sick while you were asleep; not that he'd ever admit it," Carroll says, her hand gently stroking the boy's head. He melts into her as all the tension leaves his body.

It's heartwarming to watch such a scene. I'm becoming keenly aware of the difference in our upbringings. I don't want to justify my traumas but they undoubtedly had a hand in shaping me; my self-confidence and self-reliance are sources of pride that I obtained by spending most of my childhood alone. Maybe I could have what this kid has if things had turned out differently. For the first time in my life, I regret my upbringing, if only for a moment.

"Well, why don't you rest up. I'm sure you're hungry. I'll have Marie bring you something to eat." Carroll says as she gives us a hug before departing.

We're left alone in the silent room, with only the warm rays of the sun to keep us company. I move back to the front and open and close my new hands several times.

You've got nice parents.

[Thanks.]

He quickly responds before a flood of memories come pouring out. His mother is equally kind and caring in all of the scenes while Vincent acts more aloof and struggles to properly express himself. A combination of shame and repression seem to be holding him back.

Have you ever hugged your dad?

[No, he's never hugged me.]

Then let's give that a try later. I never hugged my dad until I was twenty-four and now we hug every time we see each other. Don't just let adults take the lead in your interactions. They don't necessarily know any better than you. Do you want to hug your dad?

[Yes.]

Then you should.

The kid pulls back and sits quietly while thinking about my words. I decide to use the opportunity to explore the room. Near the window is a hand-carved bookcase so I hop out of bed and take a look. Many strange books fill the shelves. The words aren't in English but I can still read them for some reason. It suddenly occurs to me that we've been talking in another language for the last several minutes and I hadn't noticed.

Wow, they really got this transmigration thing down. I don't even get to talk to a god or anything; they just plop me down in someone else's body and let me figure it out.

I can't help but mock my own predicament. I've read a number of similar stories like this where some young hero gets summoned to another world to save the day but none of them started like this. I don't have some greater purpose to achieve or a calamity to avert. Why am I even here?

I turn through the pages of 'The Functionality of Magic Seals' without reading any of the words. A deep feeling of hopeless confusion overtakes me.

Bang!

The door slams open again which pulls me from my stupor. A young woman with slick, black hair storms into the room with a tray of biscuits and tea.

"Could you please not slam the door." I try to ask as politely as possible. In return, she flicks me off. "What the hell was that for?"

"Screw off, dick wad!" Marie shouts while still holding her middle finger in the air. "Making me carry all your crap upstairs when you can walk just fine! I hope you choke on these!"

She slams the door shut as she leaves the room leaving me stunned. Was I over the line with my question? Has she always hated us? I turn to the kid for answers but he's just as surprised as me. Apparently, she's never acted like that before.

A trickle of sweat falls from my face at the thought of her figuring out who i am. Maybe she's off to tell some lord or official that the kid's been possessed?

I'm sure I'm overthinking things. I shake my head to clear my thoughts and turn to the silver plate Marie has left behind. An pleasant array of pasties are laid across one side of the plate while the other holds a pitcher filled with fragrant tea. Our stomach grumbles at the smell and I quickly wolf down the food while doing my best to keep Marie's wish from coming true.

Maybe I got sent here just to annoy Marie?

My mind drifts to what Carroll said about the seal while I'm stuffing my face. A certain word floats into the forefront of my mind.

Status.

After thinking the keyword, a semitransparent screen appears before my eyes. It looks like so many screens I'd seen before while playing video games.

Niccolo Drake lv 0

Sponsor: God of knowledge

Job: Commoner lv 0

Possible jobs:

Skills:

Titles: Index

Unassigned points: 0

Health: 36/36

Stamina: 29/29

Vitality: 10

Strength: 6

Agility: 8

Endurance: 6

Perception: 17

Resilience: 4

Mana Capacity: 0

Mana Bandwidth: 65

What's with these stats? Kid, have you ever been outside before?

He bashfully hides in a corner at my derisive tone. I sigh and calm myself down before I continue.

With stats this low we should really focus on physical improvement. I don't know what kinds of problems we'll encounter in the future but having more stat points will always be beneficial.

He seems uncertain by my argument so I keep pushing.

It'll be fun; you'll see. Watching the numbers go up is the greatest source of motivation!

I was fortunate enough to avoid the dopamine pit of MMORPG's but only because I was afraid I'd get addicted. Considering that I could get stuck reading a good book for fifteen hours, god knows how many years I could have lost to such video games.

The kid is suspicious of my words but I don't think it'll be very hard to convince him. If we can see some improvement within the first week then that should be enough to wet his appetite.

I'm still absentmindedly shoveling food down my throat while checking my status when another visitor arrives.

Slam!

"HUCk!" I gasp in a mouthful of half eaten cookies and proceed to roll around on the ground coughing.

"I just came to check on yo- Sweety, what's wrong!" Carroll leaps across the room to help me up and I see Marie snickering to herself from the door.

Damn you, Marie.