He was seated on the grass with both his hands palm facing the floor supporting his slightly inclined body, the morning sun is already high up but not harsh yet he was sweating from all the work he has been doing since morning.
His mind was preoccupied with today's plan that he did not notice a black shadow slithering towards him from his right hand side under the cover of the upturned soil and grass.
The shadow slowly approached him before raising its head slightly preparing to jump.
Nyxir suddenly paused, he felt his hair stand on their ends and a cold shiver traveled down his spine. His right hand tingles slightly and then the tingling grows stronger and stronger until it felt like a needle was piercing his skin.
' Whoosh '
He jerked his right hand upward and his inclined body lost its support and crashed down landing softly on the pilled up grass behind him.
He saw a black shadow slitter past where his right hand was originally resting rushing towards the bush.
"What the hell, a snake?"
"It's a black scaled snake, but it is an ordinary snake not a mutant"
"Could that be the reason I somehow felt the danger is not extreme?"
He was lost in his thoughts disregarding the snake that was fleeing into the bush, even if he minded the snake he was too tired to even stand up talk less of running after a snake.
" I can feel when I'm in danger and somehow be able to determine its severity"
"That's a new one, what do I call this now, us this like a perks to reincarnation?"
" It can't be an inherited ability right? "
' Did he leave behind his ability to sense danger after dying and I somehow inherited it '
He remained lying on his back replaying his previous encounter over and over in his head.
"This might not be such a bad thing, I have to use it wisely"
"What is not a bad thing?"
A voice interrupted his thoughts and he raised his head up to look at Olivia staring down at him, she was backing the sun making it challenging to see her face well through the blinding radiance of the sun.
' I was too lost in thought I did not notice her approaching me'
" Cutting grass might not be such a bad idea, it makes my muscles relax and I feel alive " Nyxir replied as he stood up and dusted the grass that is stuck to his back.
"I feel itchy now, I need to take my bath" he turned towards his dormitory and walked away slowly with Olivia tagging along.
"What did you come for?" He asked turning to the lithe girl dressed in a simple black gown with a complicated black flower pattern drawn on it melding into the dress.
She stood at 1.4 meters making her appear short beside Nyxir, her wavy black hair flowed freely behind her as she walked.
"Just came to see how you're doing " she replied, her lake blue eyes shimmering under the gentle rays of the sun.
"And to tell you that breakfast will be ready soon"
"Thanks Liv, I will get water from the reservoir to bathe later"
" Oh I already did, there is water in the bathroom just to get your towel and head there " Olivia replied coolly.
" That's very thoughtful of you thanks a lot but you don't need to help me fetch water at least I can do it myself, you shouldn't overwork yourself " Nyxir paused and looked back at Olivia smiling.
" Since when did you like cutting grass and now you don't want people to do things for you again? " Olivia eyed Nyxir suspiciously
" Hugh? "
' I slipped again? But I can't have her do almost the work for me '
"Maybe it is not a bad idea to have someone beat you up sometimes, it really changed you" Olivia made a mocking face, giggled and skipped away.
" Damn it! Why can't I remember anything about this guy and I see myself everyday, to think he even has many habits easily detected by his family "
Olivia has always been hardworking, she will ensure she finishes her work in time as she is aware that her chores are what will determine when the family will eat. She also goes to the extent of lending a helping hand whenever she is not washing or she has free time.
Nyxir entered his dormitory, grabbed a towel and headed for the bathroom to wash up. He returned to his room after a thorough washing changed into a casual round necked faded blue top and a matching trouser.
"This boy really does not have too many clothes and all of them are all old or patched in several places" Nyxir grumbled as he headed for the small dormitory used as dinning room.
After enjoying boiled yam and stew, he went back to his room to get some silver coins he had discovered the previous night while clearing the cupboard. He planned to ask around about Segan secretly and might require him to spare some coins so he decided to use the five silver he saw in the cupboard.
"Old Lu will be gone soon, I will just follow him from a distance"
After everything is set, Nyxir heard Old Lu's voice instructing Olivia and after a while, his voice gradually grew distanced as he moved away from the dormitory.
"My chance" Nyxir rounded the house and passed the back waking through a narrow clearing behind the dormitory to intercept Old Lu and avoid Olivia who might question his actions.
He emerged from the narrow path into a broader road and hid behind a cluster of tall grasses waiting patiently for old Lu to lead the way. He had decided to trail Old Lu instead of heading there himself in case he ran into Old Lu if their path intercept. But if he trailled him he would be able to keep an eye on him and prevents them from ever accidentally barging into each other.
Old Lu passed by at a leisurely pace walking towards the city and Nyxir slowly followed behind him. After walking for about an hour, they got to a bustling market.
The sun was already high by the time they arrived and the noises of the trader competing in selling filled the air.
He looked at the stalls extending as far as the eyes could see with their banners forming arrays of color like rainbows after a rain, the seller persuaded persserby to look at their goods and merchants haggled over prices. Children ran joyfully amidst the commotion chasing after dogs and sometimes driven away by sweets vendors.
This is Nyxir's first time of being in a market as all they needed in his previous life was always being sent by maids but the scenery did not look strange at all, if anything, it looks very familiar like he had been there numerous times.
"This is the memory of the previous host surfacing" he sighed and walked towards the direction of Old Lu careful not to expose himself.
This is the local Beru market that connects diffrents Buyers and sellers. It is located in the outskirts of Warren and many locals come here to either buy or sell their goods. It was first made for people to exchange their products during the tough times when the government and private agencies were excavating the lands and destroying properties to build their factories and it gradually grew to this size with some trader regarding it as a permanent spot. Many inns has also been built since then to shelter those who came from a far distance and could not return to their respective houses and various tavern have been built for relaxation.
The market is still some distance away from the main district area as it was built at an intersection where four paths meet connecting to several other places away from the main district. It is like an unofficial market made by people.
"So this is the Beru market?"
' Nyxir should have meet with Segan in this place, I should quickly ask around '
Nyxir walked around the market searching for a less conspicuous place all the while keeping and eye on Old Lu who has gone into a tervern to enjoy himself. As he did not know how sensitive his question is, he feels he needed to act prudently and not draw attention to himself.
After searching for some time, he spotted some people loitering in a small clearing beside a small restaurant.
"That's my cue" he walked slowly towards the restaurant while scanning the people loitering outside it.
There were five people dressed in tattered clothes, their skin was burnt black like they suffered a fire attack and they looked very skinny like they would be blown away by a gentle breeze.
' They must be vagrants who loiter this place for kind people to toss their coin over or get them a meal '
"Nyxir?"
Just as he was about to head into the restaurant, a voice rang out drawing his attention.
'Gedeng'
His heart skipped a bit and he suddenly felt awkward.
' have I been discovered, what do I say I was doing here?'