Chapter 2

'I am alive' Robin thought, not that he had any doubts about it, but even with what he already experienced before inhabiting this body he still found it hard to believe.

Reincarnation.

'My name… my name Is Robin. No last name? Oh, I see, my parents died before I found out what it was.' Five years of memories might have seemed like too much to absorb and process all at once, but these were the memories of a child. Not that many things could happen in five years, especially to some random orphan in the desert.

Robin glanced at the three a few meters away from him. True, he might have gone a bit overboard-they were just some foolish children- but his actions could be excused. Suddenly finding himself in a new body, suffocating in the sand and under a constant barrage of pain made him rely mostly on instinct.

Still, judging what he knew about those three, something like this was inevitable. Robin was the smallest and weakest child in the tribe. Not weak physically mind you, he was actually kind of fit since life in Vacuo's desert didn't allow for anything else. No, he was, ultimately, a wimp.

He did not even entertain the idea of fighting back. Granted, he was just a five year old kid with no life experience outside his little nomadic tribe. Still, that was basically the reason he was getting bullied.

No spine.

Fortunately something good did come out of this reputation.

"Y-you, I'll tell dad you beat me!"

"Oh? Little old me beat up the three of you? Will anyone actually believe you?"

That made Vance choke on his next words. Robin was right, no one would believe it. Vance was one of the known troublemakers in the tribe and everyone knew his tendency to bully the younger kids, especially Robin. How could he be beaten by him, especially since he was together with his two other friends?

"I thought so. Clean yourselves up and let's get back to the tribe." The boys stared owlishly at him. Robin gave a small sigh. " It's getting dark and Grimm are bound to appear." That broke them out of their stupor.

The memories Robin received were not plenty, but he knew Grimm were some sort of evil creatures that indiscriminately attacked people. Apparently they were the cause of his unknown parents death.

From what he could gather, they were a major concern for everybody. Unfortunately he did not have enough information about them. Though it was enough to know that his life and that of others were under constant threat. How big? He did not know.

Even if he did, he was practically still a five year old child. He could beat up other kids his age no problem, but adults would be impossible, let alone some sort of violent, dark, monstrosities.

"Are you done then? Let's go." Robin did not care for any animosity between a bunch of kids. Whatever resentment he might have had was gone the moment he beat them into the ground.

"U-um, Robin, w-what about Mr.Hunter.?" One of the two nameless kids asked him.

"Who?"

The boy hesitantly pointed towards his left. There, half buried in the sand, was Robin's action figure, the most important, and only, possession he had.

"You can keep it. It's useless to me."

Robin's quick disregard for the toy he had previously spent an hour running and crying around after deeply confused the three. Wasn't that the toy he got from his mother? They thought.

With that they quickly picked up pace to return to their encampment. On the way Robin searched through his newly acquired memories. Where he slept, what he ate, who he knew, things and people related to him in some way or another.

Just as the sun was about to set, the four of them came back. Soon Robin was left alone to wonder through the camp. The tribe's name was Yiaya, after it's first chieftain. It, like most other human communities in Vacuo, were nomadic in nature. The only exception to that was the capital itself named after the kingdom.

The Yiayas were relatively few in numbers, only two hundred, counting the children and the elderly. Their homes were their tents and most of the food came from hunting and foraging. Surprisingly, this desert had quite the rich ecosystem. From what he knew of places like the Sahara, there should have been nothing here except cacti and small animals.

'It is after all, another world…' he thought as he glanced at a few people skinning some sort of fury snake.

With the help of his memories he found a relatively big tent with all manner of childish drawings on it. This, he remembered, was what acted as an orphanage here. Though it was nothing so well planned out. Simply, children who had no other relatives in the tribe or someone capable and willing to take them in were gathered here. The chief's daughter was the one who looked after them.

"Oh my Oum, what happened to you Robin!?" Just as he entered the tent a shrill voice sounded right next to him. A tall, young woman was looking at him with a face filled with concern. She was Hilda, his caretaker. Judging by the tray with bowls she was carrying, dinner was being served.

"I fell from the top of a dune while playing tag." If he were a normal child perhaps he might have told her between sobs how Vance and his friends bullied him. But since that was no longer the case there was no need for any more drama.

Hilda, even if she was the orphan's caretaker and cared for each of them, was not that close personally with the children. Thus she easily believed Robin's lie.

"Well, alright, you came back just in time. I know reed stew is not your favorite, but it's still hot so eat up ok?" After handing him a bowl and a spoon she went through the tent, giving the other kids their portion of food.

Robin sat down randomly and stared at his food. It looked like vegetable soup. He tentatively ate a bit and grimaced. 'This isn't soup, but vegetable flavored water'. Now, Robin knew he was not a great cook, hell, he wasn't a cook at all. But even he knew that soup shouldn't be this bland. 'Or is this reed she talked about supposed to be tasteless?'

He was a modern man, with modern sensibilities.' I was. Now I'm just a nameless orphan in the middle of sandy nowhere.' He thought with a grimace. Right, he lost everything he had and was starting from zero, worse, he depended on the community's mercy to eat and live.

'Not for long.' He promised himself. Silently he began eating. The taste was horrible, but someone in his position had no other option besides starvation.

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