I stretch my legs and arms and start getting out of bed. "God damn, my everything hurts." I laugh out loud as I hold my arm.
I hear a knock at the door, and it was Erin's voice echoing through the door.
"Just a minute," I say before a yawn escapes my mouth.
I walk over to the door and open it slowly.
"Good morning, Erin." I smile through the pain.
"Good morning, Ren." Erin smiled but started to examine me.
"Something seem to be the problem?"
I throw my hands behind my back as I yawn again.
Erin placed her hands on her sides.
"Well, I think you're in pain and trying to hide it."
I laugh as she read me like a book and went back to sit down on the bed as I slowly sank back into the poorly made bed.
"I mean, fighting Hagen and then sleeping on a brick isn't exactly my go-to, but I understand they can't afford luxury here. But this just sucks."
Erin looked around the room, but before she turned to head to the door, she stopped and looked at Ren.
"Oh yeah, I want to walk around this city with you, so when you're feeling up to the task, do feel free to find me."
I smile as she walks out of the room and think to myself, "Okay body, don't fail me now. At least not yet."
I push myself off the bed again and pop my back as I stand up.
"Ah, much better."
I start walking towards the door when I see Robin sitting on the floor.
"Good morning, Robin. How are you feeling today?"
She looked at me and smiled but didn't say anything.
I can tell she is still hurting, and rightfully so.
I walk past her and walk out of the front door and cover my face when the sun shines into my eyes.
"Jesus, any brighter and I might go blind."
I start looking around for Erin as I feel someone place their hand on my shoulder.
"Looking for me?" Erin said with a smile.
"Yeah, I was." I laugh. "But what did you want from me?"
"Already forgot?" She puffed up her cheeks and pouted.
I smile. "No, I didn't forget. You said you wanted to take a tour of the city during the morning time. I am down with that."
As we were walking, it started to sink in how broken these houses were. I mean, people were using banana leaves as a way to keep out the sun in broken parts of the roofs. People had buckets filled with rainwater and were pouring them out.
"That's no way to live."
As we kept walking, we made it to the town square, though I nor anyone else would call it that.
There was a line of hungry people trying to buy bread, and the line was so long that I feel like even if they started cutting up the bread into smaller portions, not everyone would get a piece.
Then there were beggars sitting on the street holding up signs saying "Hungry" or "Any money helps."
I clench my teeth down to the point they started to hurt.
Erin walked over to each beggar and gave them a few coins. Their faces lit up with joy, and it was probably the first nice thing that had happened to them in ages.
Then came Hagen's group of bandits standing around like morons scratching their heads.
A man with an eye patch and silver hair spoke up.
"If that bastard didn't kill Hagen, all this chaos wouldn't be happening."
I walk over and stare the man in the face.
"You're incorrect, dumbass. I don't know if you've just been drinking your problems away, but Hagen's negligence is what led to this. Take a look around you morons. People are starving! People are on the streets! We have elderly people in this village who drop dead by the dozens, and you still worship Hagen?"
I place my hand on my side as the guy with the eye patch nudges me.
I draw my sword.
"I would apologize if I were you."
The man stared at my sword and then back up at me.
He started saying sorry over and over again.
"I'm sorry. I have a family. Don't kill me."
I put my sword away and go back to Erin's side.
"The audacity of people in this town, I swear."
Erin looked at Ren.
"You can't be doing that to people. I know you're mad, but taking it out on the locals isn't the way to go."
I sigh.
"Yeah, I know. I lost my cool there. But Erin, look around us. We are surrounded by poverty and death, and we can fix this. More or less, we have to fix this."
As we kept walking, we finally made it back home to Robin.
She turned and smiled as she saw us, but she didn't say anything to either of us.
"I feel bad that she is so quiet, and it's my fault."
Erin places her hand on my chest.
"It's not your fault, Ren. It's Hagen. We've been over this. You have to stop taking the blame for everything. It's just going to eat away at you until you do something worse to cover up the pain."
I smile but stay quiet.
I look around the room as I hear a loud humming noise that only I can hear, and it seems to be coming from Hagen's chestplate.
I close my eyes and go to the mana world.
"Long time no see."
The black cloud started swirling around me.
"I see you too have heard that humming. I want you to wear that chestplate now to stop the humming."
I open my eyes and stand up and walk over to the chestplate.
I put it on my body.
"Heavy but durable."
I laugh.
The humming finally stopped, and I closed my eyes again.
This time that black cloud appeared in front of me, not as a cloud but as a human without arms and legs.
"How the hell is this even possible?"
The person on the floor smirks.
"Well, as you see, in order to return to your world, you have to rebuild yourself using my shadow."
Ren ponders on that.
"You aren't lying to me, are you?"
The person laughed.
"Me? A liar? No, I would never."
As Ren opened his eyes, the person laughed and smiled.
"Only time will tell."
Though Ren didn't hear that part since he was back in the normal realm.
As Ren stood in the doorway looking over the village.
Broken homes.
Empty streets.
Hungry people.
"So what needs to be done to redo this village the correct way? Because as it stands, this place is a mess."