Chapter4

Had these memories in his head actually happened? But no matter

how much he wondered, no one would tell him the answer. There was

no answer. The only thing he knew for sure was that he was Rio, not

Haruto.

As time passed, the different memories and personality within him

confused him less and less, and Haruto's persona merged with Rio's.

Their two different memories and personalities showed on the

surface, but blended together without conflict underneath. Haruto

showed up more intensely because he'd had far more life experiences,

but Rio was able to accept that part of him. That was why they were

able to perceive each other's memories as their own experience and

still remain sane over the situation at hand. Even so... Rio thought it

best not to think too deeply about how strange it felt.

But right now, he had a bigger problem...

Rrrgghhhh. The sound of an empty stomach echoed throughout

the room, and Rio came to the depressing realization that he was

starving. He sighed; the hunger he felt made him feel a bit

lightheaded. There were a lot of things on his mind: whether these

memories of another life were real, why was he reborn if so, and why

did he only get those memories now?

But Rio knew full well how futile it was to ask those questions.

Instead, he shifted his thoughts to trying to break out of his dire

situation. Haruto's memories and personality played a big role in how

he was thinking so calmly right now. If it had been Rio and only Rio,

he would have died a dog's death as an orphan, with no prospects for

his future.

That would've been the worst possible outcome... and it would

have been unacceptable, for Rio had a goal to fulfill. He couldn't

afford to die here.

If I die now, that man...

He recalled his deep-seated hatred for the man and gritted his

teeth.

Rio's father died shortly after his birth, and his mother was killed

when he was still small. He'd lived in these dumpster-like slums ever

since.

His parents were both immigrants from a faraway land. They were

adventurers that planned their lives around their travels. But when Ayame, his mother, was pregnant with Rio, she temporarily withdrew

from adventuring. This left the financial burden of their livelihood on

Rio's father, Zen, who was a skilled adventurer. Unfortunately, he

died not long after Rio was born. Despite this, Ayame continued to

raise Rio admirably; she lived a modest life and dug into her savings

in order to raise her child. But their peaceful life together ended when

Rio was only five years old.

Ayame was an exotic, foreign beauty. She may have had Rio, but

she was still young enough to be targeted by vulgar men and their

obscene looks. With the still infant Rio as a weakness, Ayame was

easily swallowed up by the evil around her and brutally murdered

before Rio.

He could still remember that moment as clear as day. From that

point on, he swore to take revenge on the person who killed his

mother, living every moment from then on for that purpose. That

raison d'être remained carved into Rio's soul even after Haruto's

memories cropped up... but now, he had Haruto's morals, too. While

he truly detested his mother's killer with every fiber of his being,

Haruto's morals within him questioned whether revenge was a

necessary evil...

But Rio's morals and desire for revenge burned too strongly. Just

the thought of that man made his emotions turn an ugly black.

Revenge is evil? What empty words...

Rio scowled, clicking his tongue in irritation at the conflicting

opinion coming from within.

Just then, the door to the shack was yanked open. Rio pushed his

exhausted body up so that he could look at the doorway as several

men and one woman crowded into the small wooden shack.

"Hmm? Oh, Rio! Are you finally awake?" asked one of the men

standing at the front of the group as he spotted Rio in the dimly-lit

shack. The boy knew him.

"Huh! So you actually survived. Thought you were a goner... Hey, boss! Rio's still kicking! We thought he was good as dead before..." the man yelled. His eyes were wide with surprise as he directed his voice toward the back of the group, where a giant man stood over the rest.