Chapter 2 - Far From Normal

Little Jodye Trill examined his small stature and was inwardly astounded. His childish face had a complex array of emotions painted on it as he occasionally walked to the stream of milky white water to see his reflection. The stream released a slight heat that made his blood warm-up, so he couldn't stay near it too long.

He definitely wouldn't touch it either, who knew what would happen. Jodye was mildly stunned with each look at his reflection in the water. He had fair skin that was light brown in color, and he looked excessively adorable. He had never seen such a handsome lad. His little head full of hair was curly to the extreme down past his ears, with star-like bright sapphire eyes.

However, apart from his skin tone, hair, eyes, brow, and lashes, he didn't bear any striking resemblance to his mother. Yet, the servants that spoke to him would always marvel over his appearance, and call him the Lord's little clone. This irked him badly, as he had yet to fully accept this life as a reality.

Over the past year, he was regularly haunted by the memories of his past life. Every night the dream would be a different experience from his previous life. One night he would dream about growing up as an orphan. He was found on the street by two strange girls. Sansa and Lu Lu would always keep him fed and happy. For a very long time, the young Jodye was entirely oblivious to their financial or life struggles.

In the past, Jodye had always been a bit self-centered. In fact, those two women very intentionally designed him to be this way.

In his previous life, Jodye had grown up in a city that was even more abandoned than he felt. Crimes were the norm, and the wards of that city were full of filth and treachery. Rape and murder. The scum of society made that city their nest, their haven.

Every time he remembered Lulu's tormented face his heart would ache, and some rage would build. Some nights he would have nightmares about a younger Lulu and himself getting abused and humiliated for an entire week in an old abandoned factory. The memories of watching men take turns with her all day, as the light permanently faded from her eyes were branded on his soul. That hatred led him to many dark places throughout his past life.

He became a massive advocate against men who dared to defile or abuse women. As a result, he became quite popular among women.

More often then not, he would dream about the days after he joined a street gang. He went from being a broken and poor nobody with a pure heart, to become a rich and powerful villain with no concern for the law. He had sold everything before, including stolen jewels, goods, drugs, and women. He was continually drowning in the deep lakes of gorgeous seductresses. His popularity quickly spread, as he had survived too many certain death situations unscathed. People begin to call him the Immortal Villain.

Unfortunately, due to his fame in the underworld, Jodye was noticed by the government. They forced his recruitment into the military by threatening him with jail, then showering him in benefits. Those dreams, in particular, would always end with torture.

During his stint in the military, he was secretly kidnapped, or drafted as they would call it, into a particular unit of the armed forces exclusively for "mutants" or "meta", derogatory words used to describe people born with special abilities in his former world. Back then, racial wars had come to a halt as a man begins to battle evolution.

From being an orphan to being abused to joining a gang, to joining the military, to hundreds of women, outrageous amounts of money, crime, and the wildest lifestyle one could imagine, leading all the way up to his ultimate demise. These memories seemed as if they were imprinted deep in his very soul, he couldn't forget them no matter how hard he tried.

He had a new understanding already. Previously, he was named Jodye Trill. He never had any parents. After his death, by some strange twist of fate and due to the mysteries of both Sansa and his own soul, Jodye seems to have retained his memory after he reincarnated. He even possesses a similar name in this life. His name is Joseph Trilleck, but his family always called him 'little Joe,' or 'Jodye.' He had yet to be called Joseph casually.

He had retained all his memories of his previous experiences, so even though he was only a one-year-old baby, he had already learned how to speak. This caused a huge commotion at first, but to Jodye's surprise, it was quickly suppressed. By tuning in to the conversations of those around him, he also knew a bit more about what sort of household he was being raised in. The most shocking thing he learned was that this was not his world at all!

He was in a world called Pangaea. Though in his past life there was an ancient continent known as Pangaea, it was said to exist in a time when people did not. This beautiful place that made the slums he grew up in look pathetic, in what way did this look like ancient earth?

"But if this isn't earth then…where am I? Could it be the future and not the past?" Jodye Trill was still confused.

There were magnificent buildings and palaces made of only ghosts knew what materials, massive animals roaming freely in the air and on the land, and wondrous machinations. The clothing scheme was similar to ancient African or Asian culture, but also stylish in a new and quite fashionable way. Scary looking men in black armor that had the back coated with seven color serpent designs would often visit his mother to deliver news and documents.

The people of this world were definitely vastly different from anything he had ever learned about. However, could there be so many parallels by mere coincidence? It was unlikely, but unfortunately, Jodye didn't have enough information about this new world for any presumptions.

He was in a place named Saint Anubis City. The crazily large estate he lived in was known as House Trilleck. Four significant families held most of the power in Saint Anubis City, inferior only to the city castellan. A castellan whom, apparently, was somehow also the Pharaoh of a great dynasty. Jodye Trill's father was actually the Lord of House Trilleck, as well as the future Patriarch of the Trilleck clan, Osiris Trilleck.

His mother's name was Isis Trilleck, primary wife of Lord Trilleck, and First Lady of the House. The servant girls constantly gossiped about how amazing the lord was. It was important to note that in this world, political powers took their people intermingling with others from opposing powers very seriously, and there were even those who were put to death because of it.

"How archaic…" thought Jodye silently.

Isis Trilleck was previously only the 5th concubine in the house when she first joined with the lord. There was even a rumor that the lord Osiris once had an adulterous relationship with Isis back when he only had one wife. However, in less then a month it seemed that Osiris Trilleck was utterly smitten by her overwhelming diligence, grace, and beauty. She had the temperament of a goddess and was very calculating.

Apparently, this helped the lord in resolving many irksome situations. Jodye was never able to understand the details of these matters through the hearsay. Some said that his mother saved his father's life in a secret realm, while others claim that most of her support in the family is due to her title of Frozen Night Master. She even had her own subordinates!

Of course, little Jodye had no clue what a Frozen Night Master and much less what a secret realm actually was. What he did know was that due to this title there were very few who would attempt to cross his mother. In his experience, most went out of their way to flatter her, and use any means to curry her favor. He presumed that this title was most likely the deciding factor in her status change within the family. He didn't know for sure, but Jodye still felt about 80% confident in his deductions.

As for little boy himself, he was the third young lord of House Trilleck and was pretty much worshipped as a deity within the walls of the clan. He found this to be somewhat uncomfortable at first. The people of this world were like the ancient eastern civilizations in his old world. They referred to family members with honorifics and noble titles. He had the eldest brother and two elder sisters.

His eldest brother's name was Horus Trilleck, and his second sister's name was Kamila Trilleck. These were his father's precious children. Jodye Trill found it strange that his older brother's name was Horus and his parents were named Osiris and Isis. These were the names of ancient gods!

The three siblings shared the same father, but all had different mothers. There were various rumors about how Joseph Trilleck's name was intended to place him above his siblings in status. Horus Trilleck's mother was the heir born of the second concubine, Lylian Trilleck. Lylian Trilleck seemed to come out of nowhere during the lord's youth. He had never mentioned a woman to his family, but one day he came home with a pregnant woman he said was his wife! She was initially the primary wife before the House Lord fell for the current first lady Isis.

"So much drama in wealthy households…" in Jodye's opinion, the maids were always gossiping in hushed voices about these events. While Kamila Trilleck's mother, Omotolani, was formerly the second concubine but was now the third. Kamila Trilleck was about to turn three years old, two years older than Jodye.

Kamila was the sweetest child Jodye had ever encountered. She was simply adorable! Her mother was rather pleasant as well, she always brought sweets for Jodye when they visited. The way these two women interacted with each other was worlds apart from their interactions with the other wives. They were genuinely like amiable sisters!

The Omotolani mother-daughter duo had been by to see Jodye Trill and his mother more than a few times. Lady Omotolani and his mother seemed like perfect sisters. They were delightful and doting towards each other, as well as himself and Kamila. This type of familial love, he slowly found was not so wrong, as it gave him warm feelings he had never felt previously. It was different from how Sansa and Lulu acted towards him, which was friendly but somewhat distant and guarded at the same time.

However, these ladies and even their maids and servants treated him as if he was a rare treasure that needed to be guarded at all costs. This was how, in spite of his internal defiance against this world, he was genuinely starting to have feelings for these few family members of his.

On the other hand, he was rather indifferent towards Horus. Jodye had never even seen much less met his eldest brother of his. The maids never really spoke of him, although it was evident that his father thought highly of his brother. Jodye had no idea what Horus looked like, or even how their relationship would be. Also though Jodye was an orphan in his previous life, he wasn't unfamiliar with the concept of a family. Merely, true kinship was nonetheless new for him.

Going from being alone all his life, to suddenly having a huge family?

From struggling as a poor orphan to maxing out as a rich young master?

This, this was what was called culture shock!

Then again there was also the whole experiencing his own birth first-hand thing. That was totally not okay.

Jodye Trill was rather shocked to discover his own mother also had a daughter, his eldest sister Iara Shu. Merely, this child was not a member of his household nor was she around. In fact, the servants seemed to be fearful of being caught talking about her at all.

It was taboo.

He wasn't sure of the circumstances surrounding his sister, this eldest daughter of his mother named Iara, but he was able to ration that her existence was due to some unfortunate event. As a previous assassin, Jodye was in no way green to the wickedness of the world. Not to mention that his last life also had plenty of broadcast shows that emulated such evil. It was merely that, similar to his brother Horus Trilleck, he had never met Iara. Horus Trilleck and Iara Shu were both off at what Jodye interpreted to be some sort of military boarding school. His mother always called it 'training' and not studying, after all.

"How strange, that they have to be sent off for training as mere children." Jodye Trill was frowning as he was a bit unsatisfied, "Does that mean I'll also be shipped off in only a few years?

While little Jodye Trill was sitting on the hill, staring at the stream, and lost in his thoughts, an old butler of the house emerged from the shadow of a tree. It was as if he was once the tree's shadow himself. The butler approached Jodye silently from behind. This man stood at two meters tall and had intense eyes that emitted faint black light. He had a cleanly shaven goatee, and his hair was long, white, and dreaded.

The dreaded hair hung down his back to all the way to his bum. There were silver bells tied to the bottom of his locks. This older gentleman used a cane with strange markings, to support himself, his tall back only ever so slightly bent. The rod looked to be made of a material like wood, but not like wood. It was burgundy in color and also released a pale black light, that was near unnoticeable. This was the same man who always accompanied the House Lord in the shadows, the head butler Ke Si!

Every step Ke Si took was soundless as if he was walking in the air. In spite of this, Jodye had incredibly sharp senses. Senses which he had always presumed were due to his previous life's torturous training sessions. What he didn't understand fully was that his natural instincts were something no adult on earth would be able to imagine or compare with. Once Ke Si was within 10 steps of himself, he immediately felt the sensation of someone's approach.

Jodye subconsciously turned his head back to look. Upon seeing the familiar butler that would usually appear around the moments that he felt someone watching him from the shadows, he calmly turned his head back to the stream. This guy was weird and liked to creep around, but Jodye knew he was here to protect and not harm!

Ke Si was inwardly shocked. While it was true that he was walking casually, one must know that at his current level of strength even the eldest young lord would be unable to detect his approach! On top of that, there was little to no surprise on the boy's face once they locked eyes! He merely glanced at him once and then turned away! As if saying 'Ah, it's just that guy again.' Could this kid have really been aware of his presence this entire time?

This wasn't the first time that the butler Ke Si had been shocked by this kid's vigilance and detection skills.

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Two weeks back, two of the clan's contracted black wolves went rogue on the estate grounds. These were mid-level vicious beasts whom the butler had reared himself, so he knew exactly how dangerous they were. As for why they would suddenly turn volatile, that was another matter entirely.

On that day, young Joseph Trilleck was walking down this same stream and still alone, when he abruptly stopped moving becoming visibly alert. This caught the butler, who didn't sense any danger at all, off guard. However, not even a few seconds later he noticed two beast auras approaching quickly from a distance. This time the butler was completely startled! Did the baby Joseph really see this threat before even himself, an existence at the Gold Mage Rank? This was impossible, right?

Ke Si was very suspicious that something wasn't right, so he decided to stay in the shadows and see how the boy would react. However, by now the boy was playing in flowers as if there existed no threat. His earlier vigilance had long vanished. The beasts arrived at the opposite side of the stream and begin to growl lowly at Jodye. Once again the boy just went on about his business, as if the threat didn't exist at all. What was this development? Should not the little boy be afraid? Or a bit timid, at the very least right?

From his composure alone, one would think that his little back was turned to two butterflies, and not two levels 6 vicious beasts, the Blood-fang Wolves. Finally, one of the Blood-Fang Wolves lost its patience and pounced towards Jodye Trill. The butler was instantly forced to act! Ke Si tapped his cane one time on the ground, and a crack made of shadows split open in the earth beneath each wolf, swallowing them into the darkness.

The butler couldn't help but be astounded, as Joseph Trilleck never even bothered to glance backward. He sat there just as before, kicking his feet on the hill and staring into the elixir stream. That day had left a deep impression on Ke Si.

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Staring at this strange kid, who kept stirring up wave after wave in the Household since the day of his birth, and that their enemies had decided to target, Ke Si couldn't help but sigh to himself, "Indeed...this boy...is far from normal."

Remembering the previous occurrence, the butler had previously had the exact same misconception he was currently having, 'Can this child possibly sense my presence? Impossible, right? Did he know, somehow, that he was safe due to me being here?'

Though this thought was highly illogical, it was all that made sense out of this situation in Ke Si's mind.

As Ke took his final step forward, silver bells gently chimed behind Jodye.

Ke Si's face remained stoic as he spoke softly, "This humble one greets the third young lord. Young lord, the evening is fast approaching. The sun has begun to set, and the first lady has been searching for you."

Upon hearing the word of his mother, Jodye seemed to finally snap back from his thoughts. One must know, Jodye was previously an orphan. He didn't know unitl now that joy of having a mother who doted on him so heavily. He glanced up at the sky indifferently, 'Indeed, it is getting dark. Soon it will be night time. It seems I already sat here for at least several hours.'

Evidently, his precious mother was worried after him being gone so long. Privately Jodye wondered if he would inherit any of her good looks one day. How easy would women fall into his lap if that was the case?

Of course, once Jodye considered it even his father did pretty good for himself in the romance department. He had more than just one wife, after all.

"Thank you, Ke Si. As I have been made aware, your duty can be considered complete. I will return to my mother's side briefly." Jodye Trill was still calmly staring at the clouds and didn't seem to be in any rush at all. However, he spoke very eloquently in his adorable little voice.

This made the butler Ke Si marvel at this youngster for a little longer. How unbridled! He had honestly never seen a child like this. Ke Si was the head butler of the household and was responsible for the upkeep of the entire estate. He had his hands in every matter of the House, as well as the lord's Trilleck Family faction, to a greater or lesser degree. Because the lord viewed him so highly, he was respected almost as much as Jodye's father himself.

Ke Si watched little Joseph with appreciation in his eyes. This child was able to walk without the help of anyone else as a mere infant! Though at first he was incredibly unstable, and could only move small distances before wearing himself out. Still, that was absolute madness compared to other children! The entire city had their eyes wide open when the news spread.

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Ke Si had fought off many assassins, and the Frozen Night division led by lady Isis had fought even more of them! A four-month-old baby taking his first step? Big news, big flavor. A true scholar was born! All the rival Houses shook, and the enemies in the dark were unhappy! Besides, the House Lord had a bad habit of making things a stunt, so the matter became even more prominent.

The Lord had a statue of himself placed in the Southern Imperial District. The statue was of Lord Osiris holding the Frozen Night Master in one arm. At the same time, the figure of the lord was holding his infant son in the other arm while laying on the back of a giant wolf.

"Have you heard of the third young master of House Trilleck? When Joseph Trilleck was barely three months old, he could already walk!"

"Impossible. The child's little body shouldn't have even had the muscles required to perform such actions yet."

"My mother is a maid for the house. The young lord frequently visits the gardens, and I once saw him myself. He was so cute and little! It was truly astounding."

"The walking is one thing, but you heard of this? On top of that, when he wasn't even a year old, he learned to speak! You can even converse with him, he responds with understanding!"

"I've heard about this! They say his words were clear, and he wasn't shy to speak with others. Quite the contrary he would often communicate with the maids! My mother is the first lady's servant, and she claims to dote on him as if he were her own child. It even seemed that they could now converse in a totally natural, and unrestrained way!"

"My word...what a smart child. Born to be a Great Scholar I guess. It's almost a given he has the sage body."

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Just these two things had already set Jodye apart from any other child Ke Si had ever met, or even heard of, previously. There was sure to be something special about this kid. How exciting would it be to watch him grow older and stronger?

An hour later, Jodye Trill was in the dining hall with his mother, Lady Isis. This was the dining hall exclusive to the head of the House and his central family. There were four other gorgeous women at the long and marvelous oval-shaped dining table, that looked to be made of a beautiful black stone that sparkled when the light hit it correctly. One of the women was pregnant, while two of the other women were each holding a child in their arms. One was a boy, and one was a girl. The girl was obviously Jodye's second sister, Kamila Trilleck. This infant was apparently Jodye's fourth brother, Jumoke Trilleck, who was born around a month ago.

Merely, Jumoke's birth was not nearly as big a deal as Jodye's own birth.

The little girl, Kamila Trilleck's skin, was sandy in color and she had long jet black hair, that looked like silk as it ran all the way down her little frame. Her two dimples made the little girl's cute laughter that much more adorable and contagious.

Kamila's bright green eyes were smiling as soon as she looked up and saw Jodye Trill, then she immediately hopped off her mother and dashed over to Jodye. She begins hugging him tightly then pulling his hand excitedly,

"Third brother, I missed you, come sit next to Milly."

Jodye hugged this big sister of his back, for what was the thirtieth time in his life, but didn't budge from his mother's side. Lady Isis held his other hand and sashayed forward slowly, before sitting the head seat of the dining table and putting Jodye in her lap.

Lady Isis giggled and gently rubbed her sons head full of long curly hair. She spoiled him by feeding him a bit of magic pudding cake, after seeing that he was staring at it almost to the point of drooling. Lady Isis spoke sweetly in a voice that sounded like tiny bells ringing, "Little Joe, say hello to your aunts and siblings."

The little lord's eyes turned sluggish. Jodye was slowly, but surely, growing ever so tired of these formalities. 'The life of a noble, argh! Why'd I ever wish for it? Oh wait, that's right, poverty! How could I have forgotten.'

Feeling backed into a corner, Jodye reluctantly turned from his spoon of magic pudding cake to look at these bunch of spoiled women. They wore beautiful dresses that accented all the sexy contours of their bodies. Their makeup looked flawless and gave them an ethereal feeling.

Max flavor!

Jodye Trill was aware that this was the appearance of these ladies when not even trying to doll themselves up too much. In his old world, only make-up could achieve such transcendent beauty. His father was indeed a man of taste, it seemed.

The luxurious dinner attire of these women reminded him of the women on a show called Celebrity Wives in his previous life. Jodye stood upon his mother's lap and crossed his arms in salute as he bowed slightly. This was the proper etiquette that his mother was shoving down his throat recently.

"Hello, second aunt, third mother, fourth aunt, fifth mother, the second sister, and fourth brother."

According to the local customs, Jodye should be calling each of his father's wives as the mother. Merely, his mother had long since threatened him away from referring to anyone but his third mother and fifth mother in this way. He was explicitly commanded to refer to the others as 'aunt.'

Once she was aware of her son's advanced competence, the first lady Isis put every effort into refining him into a proper gentleman and scholar. Some days, she would spend hours going over etiquette with him. On the other hand, Jodye was secretly ecstatic to actually have a mother of his own. He would basically not refuse any of her intentions. On top of that, he had always had an open-minded personality. These teachings would only be of benefit to him in the future. There was also this whole filial piety thing. He never had a chance to practice such a thing in his previous lifetime.

After all, no matter what lady Isis was now his mother. He experienced coming out of her secret lake first hand, and it was very stressful. He remembered the headache clearly, following by the blinding light of reality's first kiss. Even though he was having a hard time getting used to his new life, not to mention his new infant body, he had never had his guard up around this woman who had created him. He couldn't raise it even if he wanted too. It was a natural reaction and completely involuntary, as she alone pulled him closer and closer to this world.

Although the way he entered this world was complicated and mysterious, he couldn't deny that he was now the third young lord of House Trilleck, Joseph Trilleck. Son of Osiris and Isis Trilleck, potential heir to the household. It had been this way for a year already. No dream is this long…

As his past memories had no major significance in this new life in a new world, he decided to bury them deep in his heart. His previous experience was mired in tragedy and misfortune. He was too weak to change anything, and this no matter what heights he had achieved! He was a wealthy mogul, a philanthropist even, yet what had he earned? Death by disintegration!

In this new life, on this planet, Jodye Trill was determined to soar into the heavens!

It was time to give this strange new land a new legend, or bring down the sky while trying!

While Jodye was having evil thoughts of grandeur, the wives of his father were all smiling at him warmly. Fortunately, Jodye wouldn't be fooled by this. He was very familiar with the little tricks, hidden looks, and sometimes irrational temperament of the female gender. From past experiences, he knew these women had some level of envy in their gazes. He could even sense it as well. Well, all except a beautiful woman wearing violet, whose face showed no emotion what so ever. Her delicate features actually made the little boy's small heart race whenever he looked at her. Merely, Jodye got the feeling that this woman was at extreme odds with his mother and himself. Of this he was confident; thus he didn't place her in his eyes at all.

"Damn haters. They're everywhere," mumbled little Jodye Trill under his breath.