Deep in the forest of Albion lay the small town of Oakvale, unchanged by the time and untouched by the sword.
Here lived a boy and his family. A boy dreaming of greatness. Of one day being a Hero.
Sometimes he imagined himself as a noble knight or a powerful wizard.
And other times he dreamt he'd be an evil warrior.
But in all his dreams of greatness, he could not possibly imagine the power of the destiny that lay before him...
To have died of pneumonia at the age of nine, a sad conclusion to a boy who dreamt of wielding a sword, not succumbing to a cough. A tragic end, certainly, though not an uncommon one.
But fate, as it happens, was not yet finished with the boy. Or rather, not with the vessel he left behind.
_____
The sun came into the room like a rude guest, breaking through the window glass with a precise beam, straight into the sleeping boy's face.
The boy frowns, or at least the new conscience that now inhabits that too-small body. He tried to ignore the deadly ray of radiation, but eventually gave up.
Deciding to solve the problem and cover the window, the boy sighs and forces his eyes open as he sits up in bed. His eyes automatically move towards the light, squinting to protect them from the strong glare.
As he moved his legs off the bed, he expected his feet to touch the floor. But they remained suspended in the air.
He blinked, confused by the sight of two little legs.
His hands automatically came up to his face, wanting to rub his eyes to see if he was seeing things correctly. But then he saw his own pale, small, and fragile hands. Hands that weren't his.
Or... were they?
Looking around, the room around him was very simple: a closet, a chair and a table with some books on it, there was also a mirror in the corner, but everything seemed too old-fashioned.
He holds his head when he feels a headache coming on. Memories flood his mind, playing like a video at double speed.
A sinking feeling in his stomach and a cold sweat began to break out.
Putting two and two together, he realized the situation he was in. As absurd as it might be, he had just transmigrated to the Middle Ages, or something like that. Looking in the mirror, he saw a pale child with short black hair and light blue eyes. He was wearing simple clothes.
"Archimedes Goldvain... So this is my new name."
"..."
"What a bullshit," he muttered, lying down again. "Well, when I wake up, I'll see what I can do."
But the relief didn't last long. Minutes later, a firm hand shook Archimedes by the shoulder.
"Wake up, lazybones!" Said a thick, familiar voice, full of good humour. "Did you go to bed late again, Arch? Come on, wake up! It's your sister's birthday today!"
Archimedes opened his eyes, a little irritated by the interruption, just as he found the ideal sleeping position.
"Dad?" Archimedes muttered without realizing it, looking at the man who had entered his room.
In front of him stood a tall, broad-shouldered middle-aged man, his black hair already showing strands of gray along with visible wrinkles at the corners. A neatly trimmed goatee covered his square jaw and coal-black eyes.
"You slept like a rock, huh? I didn't think Jack of Blades himself would get you out of bed today!" He let out a laugh and patted the boy's leg lightly. "Get up and have breakfast, your sister's up early and she's probably playing by the Barrow Fields gate. Remember, you haven't given her a birthday present yet."
"Y-yeah."
Archimedes nodded, jumped out of bed, put on his sandals, and went into the kitchen. Perhaps it was muscle memory or just the layout of the house, but he made his way naturally.
Washing his face with water from a bucket and wiping it off with a cloth, Archimedes sat down at the table and swallowed the bread and fruit, finishing by turning over the glass of milk.
"Whoa, take it easy, kid, your mother is coming today, and I'm sure she doesn't want to see her son choking to death." Archimedes' father can't help but compare his son to a squirrel with a mouth full of nuts.
Archimedes nods vigorously, swallowing it all in one gulp.
"Have you already bought your sister a present?"
Archimedes scratched the back of his head. He had no idea, he hadn't been able to look at the memories more calmly.
"Don't tell me you forgot to get her one? Well, I'm not bailing you out this time, son."
"Sigh..." The man held the bridge of his nose as he saw his son just shrug.
"Hmm, I tell you what, I'll give you a gold piece for each good deed you do around Oakvale. That should be enough to buy her a present."
"Now get moving, and stay out of trouble."
Archimedes rolled his eyes as he was led out of the house. The door creaks before being closed.
"A gold coin for a good deed... These are certainly not good deeds done dirt cheap." Archimedes muttered. His family seemed to have some money for peasants, if the comfortable bed and plentiful table weren't enough.
From his hazy memory, his father was a lumberjack, but he couldn't tell if it was a profession that earned a lot of money.
Coming out of his thoughts, Archimedes saw Oakvale's main street stretching along a dirt track and uneven stones, flanked by simple fences, small vegetable gardens, and houses with open windows.
"Could I be in Europe? i just hope that no holy war is taking place."
Walking slowly, he tried to organize his memories, but his attention was caught by a little girl on the side of the road. Her eyes were red and moist, her shoulders were shaking with contained sobs. She was wearing a simple dress, dirty at the edges, and looked about five years old.
"Hey, eh..." he called, in a careful tone. "Are you okay?"
The girl raised her face slowly. Tears ran down her nose and cheeks, and her blue eyes were wide with surprise.
"I've lost Rosie! I left her, and I can't remember where." The girl wiped the snot from her nose. "Her stuffing needs changing today, and I can't find her! Please help! She's a lovely little furry bear with a blue patch on her back."
"Okay, if I find it, I'll deliver it to you."
The girl smiled, but had no hope of getting her teddy bear back.
As Archimedes walked down the street, he saw a couple running behind a house. Paying no more attention, he turned his eyes to the nearby business, the possible owner standing outside.
"Oh, look who it is, Arch the chicken charge. I hear your sister's having a birthday, and it seems you forgot to buy her a present again." The trader rubbed his hands together, finally revealing his intentions. "It just so happens that I have a rather nice box of sweets here. Guaranteed to put a smile on any sister's face, for only three gold pieces."
Archimedes' eyes widened when he heard the price. But after considering that chocolate at that time was a luxury item, he understood that the family had considerable wealth.
'Did this guy just call me chicken charge?' Archimedes wondered what his dark past was. Running after chickens and kicking them?
Archimedes shook his head, it wasn't important.
"I still need to get my money. So save the chocolate for me!"
"Don't worry, kid. Just don't forget to come here when you've got the gold."
Archimedes decided to go back in search of the teddy bear, but he saw a woman waving at him. Approaching the blonde woman, he saw the lady's angry face.
"Where's that filthy layabout husband of mine? Hmph, with some woman, I don't doubt! I run his house, bring up his children, and what do I get in return? Nothing!"
"Chicken charge, if you find him, let me know, won't you?"
"Ma'am, I think I saaaaaa—" Archimedes' voice trailed off as an idea crossed his mind.
"No-u, nope, nothing. If I meet him, I'll let you know."
Archimedes ran to the house where the couple had been hiding. Arriving behind the house, he saw the scene of a woman kneeling, her head covering the man's waist.
The man was having the best day until he saw a boy appear out of nowhere, almost giving him a heart attack. Hastily pulling up his pants, he pushed the woman away.
"What?! I was just... I'm... I've never even met this woman. Who is she?"
"Don't mind me, you can continue." Archimedes smiled mischievously.
"Look, son. Keep your mouth shut about this, right? My wife's at home with our little ones, and I'm supposed to be working. But man should be entitled to do what he likes, don't you think?"
"3 gold pieces."
"What?"
"A man should be entitled to do what he likes. And right now I want to make money." One of Archimedes' hands was behind his back.
"You little brat just fuc... Sigh, ok, ok, look, I only have two gold coins on me right now." The man took two gold coins out of his pocket and showed them to Archimedes, who quickly grabbed them.
"It was good doing business with you." Archimedes bit the two coins, just to make sure they were real.
"Good lad, now get out of here."
Without wasting any time, the boy ran back to the man's wife and told her where he was.
"Up the till first house and behind it he's there with another woman."
"I'm going to turn him into Balverine food!" His wife went into the house and came out holding a saucepan, her nose blowing smoke.
With two coins in his pocket and his conscience weighing the equivalent of a chicken feather, Archimedes returned to his search for the teddy bear.
He wasn't particularly touched by her suffering, but he needed that third coin. He had a feeling at the back of his mind that he would regret it if he didn't buy his sister a present this time.
"A furry little bear with a blue patch..." he repeated to himself.
Archimedes was still walking through the village when he heard shouts coming from an alleyway between two houses. One angry, the other desperate, and the unmistakable sound of a struggle for something neither of them was willing to give up.
Curious, Archimedes peeked in and saw the scene of two boys fighting fiercely, pulling on both sides of what looked like... a teddy bear.
The little girl's friend, slight and freckled, held on tightly to one of the bear's paws, while the little girl's brother, taller, with his fists clenched and his eyes full of rage, pulled violently on the opposite arm.
"Let go! It's my sister's!"
"You just want to hurt Rosie! I won't give you up!"
The stitching on Rosie's neck was already giving way, with lint hanging out like cloth guts. Before the bear could be condemned to death by stretching, the freckled boy spotted Archimedes approaching.
"Hey, you! Help me! He's going to tear Rosie apart!"
Archimedes raised his hands, as if asking for calm, and approached slowly with an expression that was far too serious for someone so small.
Archimedes widened his eyes in terror, pointing behind the two boys.
"BALVERINE!"
The two boys froze in place. The bully let go of the bear so quickly that he almost tripped over himself as he turned around. The girl's friend also turned around wide-eyed.
"But..."
Nothing.
Behind them, there was nothing but a chicken squawking nonchalantly.
When they looked forward, Archimedes had already disappeared, and with him, Rosie.
"THAT LITTLE THIEF!"
The bully gritted his teeth and threw himself at the freckled boy, now doubly frustrated. They both fell to the ground, rolling in a cloud of dust and punches as they cursed each other.
In another part of Oakvale, Archimedes was walking quietly along the road, whistling some tune, Rosie hanging nonchalantly under his arm.
"Balverine..." he muttered. He had heard it from the woman and thought it was just some monster of legend. "Whatever it is, it seems to work very well."
Just ahead, he spotted the little girl, still sitting, drawing crude outlines of a family of three and a bear with a stick in the dirt.
"Hey! Look what I found," he said, holding out the bear.
"You found Rosie!" The girl's face lit up, and she hugged the teddy bear tightly. "Thank you so much!"
"Come on, Rosie, let's change your stuffing." The girl said heading home.
"I think that's enough." Archimedes then returned to his house.
"Well done, Archi. Here's your reward for those good deeds." The father smiled, handing Archimedes the gold.
"I think you may have enough there, son. Have you spoken to the Trader?"
"Yeah, yeah, he's got a gift, I think Theresa will love," Archimedes said as he hurried towards the merchant. He wanted to be free soon so that he could better review his new memories.
"You're lucky, I've still got these sweets quickly, give me three gold pieces now and they're yours."
"Here you are," Archimedes said, handing over the gold.
"Young sir, they're yours. Wish your sister a happy birthday from me now, won't you?"
"Nah." Archimedes shrugged. Picking up the box of chocolates, Archimedes went to the village gates and approached the fields where he saw his sister playing under a large oak tree.
Theresa Goldvain was a girl with red hair and light blue eyes. She wore a simple red linen dress and sandals like his. She was a little taller than him and was turning eleven this year.
Sensing someone's presence, she turned around, smiling when she saw that it was her brother.
"Hello, little brother, I hope you haven't forgotten what day it is, like you did last year."
"Late? yes! Forgotten? Maybe, being honest here." Archimedes scratched the back of his head. Had he caught lice?
"I'm sorry if I woke you up last night, it was another of those dreams."
"Really? What's wrong with this one? Did I just become the king?"
"I was standing in this field when something happened, but I can't remember what."
"Hmm, now I'm really curious."
"Never mind that, though. I'm still waiting for my present!" Theresa shook her head, coming out of her trance.
Archimedes stepped forward, gesturing with his hands like a magician. He stretched out his arm and pulled a small box of chocolate from behind his sister's ear.
"Ta-dá!"
"I knew you were going to bring me chocolates. It is just like my dream." She covered her smile with her hand and laughed at her brother's stupid jokes, her face betraying her amusement.
"Your Will powers are still very amateurish, brother! Come on, let's go home. Mother will be back for my party any minute now!"
"Powers of Will?" Archimedes' head tilted to the side, not understanding what she meant. Did people in the Middle Ages call magic tricks that back then?
As they started to make their way home, Theresa stopped suddenly, her face becoming as pale as paper.
"Theresa, are you all right?" Archimedes held his sister's arm, thinking she was feeling ill.
"Wait! There's something wrong." Theresa held her head.
"I remember now! Oakvale will be attacked by—"
"BANDITS!!!" A man yelled, coming out of the entrance to their village and towards Archimedes, as an arrow shot him in the back, and he hit the ground.
"It's really happening...they're here! You've got to hide!" Teresa pushed Archimedes away before walking away.
"Theresa, where are you going?!"
Archimedes wanted to go after her, but he saw the bandits approaching. He gritted his teeth and ran in the opposite direction.
Archimedes didn't know where he was going; he just walked into the tall woods, hoping that no bandits had seen him.