Chapter 2

Waiting at the front gate is usually a pain, but not as of recently, since most people started waiting inside due to winter coming closer and closer. Not that I care. I'm not waiting for any buses or a ride.

A feminine voice yells out to me, "David! Sorry I'm late, again!" catches my attention.

Oh, she is actually pretty quick today, not that I'll tell her that.

Once she is finally close enough, I just ignore her and start walking toward our neighborhood.

Frantically she shouts out to me, "Slow down please Dave!" and with that my pace slows significantly because all I was doing was teasing her. She catches up pretty quickly and when she does, I say, "Sorry I didn't see you there."

Quickly she responds with "You absolutely did, you jerk!" sharply.

With a laugh, I barely get out, "Maybe I did or maybe I didn't. You might never know."

She doesn't say anything to that besides jokingly punching my arm, then we change to our normal topics when she asks, "So did you watch that Isekai I told you about?"

I cringe at that thought and tell her, "Isekai and reincarnation anime are soooo lame. They're all start with the main character meeting a god or a king just to become a hero that doesn't save anyone because the series ends before they do anything of importance towards that plot."

Quickly she retorts, "They all aren't like that! There's a lot of them where they aren't even human in the other world."

"Eh, most of those they just end up as a demon or god themselves, not my thing–" I'm quickly cut off as a sharp pain runs through my body and the only noise I can manage is a shriek. Arks of electricity glow around me and the pain is heightened. All I can do is roll around.

Ember runs over to me but just stands over me with a confused look on her face as all my muscles twitch and everything hurts. Even trying to move slightly is an impossible task.

I try to get words out, but anything I do doesn't get any further reaction out of Ember. She just stands there with the same confused look that dawned on her when this just started.

Suddenly my vision flickers and I see a cell?

As the pain keeps circulating throughout my body, the only thing I can manage is to pull my hands to my face. The first thing I notice is there are cracks on my hands but before I could question anything, the arks appear again and all I can do is let another blood-curdling screech.

Again, my vision flickers to see the iron bars and a dirt floor and I stutter, "P-please help…"

I hear "Hospes habes! Itaque expergiscimini vel rursus electrocuted feres!" and the world around me melts. My head feels like it's going to explode as my reality dawns on me.

That world is long gone and everything hurts… I shift up into a sitting position and stare at the guard who is in what looks like leather armor. An ugly mug who will zap you if you don't look alive.

This time someone is with him and it looks like a woman, but I might be mistaken because they are covered in dirty gray robes. When she sees me looking at her, she steps in front of the dirt bag guard and says, "Audisti de cognomine Everwood?"

The same language I can't understand, so I just stare at her and shrug my shoulders. I haven't gotten visitors in a while besides this guy and the food cart guy. The shrug just seemed to annoy her. Suddenly she takes a weird stance and yells, "Pactum meum vobiscum socium demus hunc hominem textus et linguae intelligentiam!"

Sarcastically I said "What did you say again?" knowing they won't understand me, but suddenly she says "I gave you the ability of basic understanding of languages that I know but I don't know how you lost it?"

"Wait what?"

She lets out a sigh and continues, "I shouldn't be mistaken. You are an Everwood. I'm here to give you a gift."

Slightly confused, I say "So are you sure you aren't mistaken me for someone else? Do you have any proof?"

With a smile, she throws me a blue pebble and I catch it, but as soon as it makes contact with my skin, a giant blue screen appears out of nowhere and has what looks like details all about, I guess me?

『Name: Eric Everwood

Ether Purity Grade: High A

Inflictions: Malnutrition and Sudo Slave Pact

Blessings: Loved By A Goddess』

The cloaked woman mutters, "Just as I thought… he might have amnesia…" to herself, not so quietly. Right after that she tells me, "Here, take this and I'll be on my way." Then she shoves a card into my cell and I pick it up to find a tarot card?

The only text on the card says "The Hanged Man." not that helps with anything. I wonder why she went out of the way to find me just to give me this. Before I could ask anything, both of them were down the hall.

Of course, on the way out, the guard finds something interesting about a lizard woman. He taps on the bars a couple of times with a lust filled look in his eye, but then suddenly he frowns and his mouth which I assume he chanted that fucking spell.

A yellow circle appears in front of his hand, and I know her fate is sealed. I let out a sigh and avoid looking at her by looking over to see the cloaked lady walk out of the room, ignoring the guard electrocuting the other slave, which just brings my attention back to the poor lizard lady.

Why us?

Why do they get to treat us so poorly?

What makes them so much better?

My mind races and the helplessness sets in that I can't help her at all… or can I?

I throw the card over to where I sleep, then ball my hands into fists so tightly that it actually hurts my hands, and it only gets worse as I see him open her cage and grope her.

Why am I even here?

Is this hell?

Her scream echoes throughout whatever this place is, and I feel myself snap. I fall for this yet again I bang on the cage yell "Hey asshole I thought we have gone over this before if you're itching to touch someone try it on someone who actually will try to get your nasty mitts off them!" but as soon as that leaves my lips I realize this is the first time they understand me…

That doesn't matter in the end. As I keep slamming on my cage, I can see he's getting annoyed. So I just keep going and hurling insults at him. Eventually he lets go of her, slams her cage shut and makes his way over to mine.

With a grin, he says, "You know what happens to dogs that refuse to shut their yaps?"

Barely without laughing, "They get the attention of their ugly owner?" slips out. Instantly his face turns red, and he responds "No, they get punished!" then right after he chants 『صدمة صغيرة Shock!』and the familiar feeling of electricity running through me greets me again.

The thought, "How am I not dead at this point?" runs through my mind as my muscles twitch and hurt.