I walk back inside the other room to see what is happening with the village. Braul has a series of people writing on pieces of paper in the room with the table and fireplace. They look like contracts. Each one of the men is older, and many have gray hair. Braul is talking with the same authoritative tone that I am quickly summarizing as his only tone.

“-For land and labor. If the benefactor decrees it an available option then the new inhabitant will have the option for sovereignty at a later date.” He finishes the line with a little smirk under his well maintained mustache.

The contract writers then continue writing up copies. I walk to Braul and say, “Are these contracts?”

“Clever boy! They are. Now go run along. Fellow Terks will need all the help they can get.” He says with a surprisingly unbashful grin.

I hold back laughter at his impression of me, and decided to play the part.

“Why sir, Those papers over thar? They used to help us terks?” I say with a slight twang to add effect.

“The real question is how they won’t help you my boy!”

I think about how to frame the question in my new persona to force a confession out of him, and then say, “I guess signing isn really needed then? Seeings as how they isn gonna give us anything.”

“No my boy! Each Terk who lives in the household or property of a Taussi will just have to sign this. It will let them live here in the village. Just a little bit of work will be in trade is all.” He pats my head and grins a large toothy grin.

Slime oozes out of his voice, and noble look was somehow being countered by his sleaziness. Our village leader seemes of the same variety of person, but actually appears to have his villagers best interest at heart some of the time...at least it might be that way.

I decide to tell my dad to not to sign the paper later, and I start to think about ways I can help rebuild. Since I'm too small to help with gathering wood, or anything heavy, I ask around the middle grounds of the village for other trades or crafts. My knowledge about studies from metallurgy to creating barrels is extensive. I thank my previous live’s hobbies before setting out to try and find out more about the world.

While walking out of the courthouse type building, I start to think about yesterday more thoroughly. I fell unconscious 3 times yesterday, killed a goth, and… The memory of the tree sets dynamite off in my mind. Each second of the situation plays back to me in gruesome detail. I see myself desperately clawing out parts of the tree...and then I poorly dodge the falling tree...The mistake had cost hundreds of people their very lives...

I had essentially killed half of the village by doing that. If I had stayed conscious there was no doubt in my mind that I could have thought of another way to get the other half to leave...I had…murdered 50 Kinslee's...Taken the life from a hundred angelicas...Each one of them lost everything...They faded into the pitch black embrace of death without any warning. No goodbyes. No relatives to keep them company.

With a slight pause I grab the fence post...I start to feel incredibly nauseous...

Then I puke.

I picture Klay in my mind. His little speech where he calls me a “Hero” causes me to tear up. I'm no hero...I'm essentially a murderer...

I puke again.

As though salting the earth, my mind's thoughts all start to slowly die off. I did my best. With what little I had I did something, and would I berate someone else for doing what I did?...Absolutely not...

If I couldn't help those that died...Maybe I can help those that lived?

With a heavy heart I decide to help the remaining villagers rebuild in any way that I can. The first step is getting them housing, and then a better standard of living, but...I guess the only way is to literally build technology up, and try educating everybody. I'll build up my own knowledge of smithing, architecture, and especially crafting. I'll do everything they couldn't and more.

I head towards the central area of Tauss.

I find that there is a surprising percentage of the people in Tuass who practice some form of a trade. Blacksmithing, crafting, carpentry, and even a jeweler exists in the village. The reason is because of the nearby “Blue Cave.” It has a weird blue goop that grows on the sides, and you can use it to heavily heal people. It hardens and then protects from infections of all kinds. While the blue goop doesn't grow elsewhere, it grows very quickly, and supplies the village with a variety of caravaneers who happen by to pick it up for trade. It is also owned by Braul’s family, and has been for generations. It is probably the reason why he is the chief of the village....

While the village only has 1000 or so people, the village can somehow support 3 inns, a brewery, and a small shopping district. It also means that there is not a small blacksmith desperate for an intelligent boy to come help around the place, so instead I go around asking each and every single owner of a store if they need someone to help them work around the place, and I show them I know at least the basics about the craft.

After 6 hours I find the easiest thing of all time is impressing people who literally have no idea about their own field. The brewery doesn't know about distilling alcohol, the smithy doesn't know how to smelt iron into steel, the crafting shop doesn’t know about staining wood with sap and other chemicals, and what they do know is poorly executed and organized.

If I start hiring people and training them in a assembly line style of production...I can easily revolutionize the way the people produce things. These thoughts twirl in my head along with ways to use each of the industries and future workshops together when the even larger revolution hit me; sanitation is still at an incredibly basic level.

Penicillin is easily manufactured on citrus rinds, or even bread if you do it correctly. The sweet potato like roots called Youse can easily make a vodka like material given the right blend of yeast. More than anything, it can help the old and sick. I start to have a massive amount of thoughts on how I can revolutionize the village.

I run back to the courthouse. Why would I want a job? I have infinitely more impactful things I can do. Hell even an hour of experimenting can save a villager's life.

Whenever I arrive back I run to the back of the courthouse where my mom is talking with my dad. She sees me and falls to her knees and reaches out to me. I quickly run forward and like I have always done, I nuzzle my forehead to her’s. The moment means more for me than I thought it would, and I start to cry.

“Your dad told me you were the hero of the village...I can’t tell you how proud I am...” She says while crying and petting the back of my head. She starts weeping as she pulls back my face to grasp it and hold it the same way my dad did. I felt the same warmth from her that surrounded me when I was with my dad. The world's biting edges are being smoothed, and the monsters that were seconds away from devouring me are pushed back.

For now.

With each passing moment I think of the times she held me and comforted me after I was hurt. How she fed me each day, and kept me warm when I was sleeping, but something that has been nagging at my mind since appearing here washed up on the shore of my mind.

"Is there a mirror? Anywhere in the village?" I ask my mom.

"Why honey?" She responds.

"I need one for an experiment." I say.

She points me towards the upstairs part of the courthouse, and on the second floor their is a mirror. For the first time I actually look at myself. I'm at least 5 years old, I'm tall for my age, I have brown hair that glints blond, and a thin tan frame associated with children. Unfortunately I have only cleaned myself at some random inn, and my clothes and everything else look hideous otherwise.

The burning curiosity at how I look becomes an itch that has finally been scratched. I have honestly assumed I look the same as in my previous life, but no...I'm dramatically different. After that I go to the court house to hear more stories about the land. I need to get a gauge on what will happen after I introduce all of the changes I have planned...

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Massive edits. Please let me know if subject-verb tenses are a problem! Or anything else. PLEASEEEEE.