Zla’s face contorted as a few incomprehensible sounds gurgled out. Eventually his head dropped and his shoulders slumped so far his head nearly touched the table. My ears twitched and realized he was rapidly muttering to himself.

“Advanced fighting method, intentionally snarky attitude. But body is in the form of a child…….shapeshifting twisted beast?..... no, shapeshifting ability would have to be innate ability to allow complete change of bone structure. Physiology checks out thus completely ruling out any form of shapeshifting ability………..illusion? But then it would have to be

greater than my search!”

His head snapped up as he stared towards me. His bony hands now splayed out across the table.

“Did the order send you!? An assassin to clean up their little embarrassment?!”

“Huh?”

“I guess it’s no surprise. They must’ve finally cracked the lock on that box…. I wonder if they even bothered to brief you on the contents. Hahahaha ohwell if this is how I go then fine! It’s much better than this current trapped existence.”

He started laughing hysterically as he slumped back into his own wicker chair, his legs accidentally shoving the table towards me.

….Or wait…… that was on purpose!

With a clatter his chair fell to the floor as he rocketed out of the room. This old man was surprisingly spry as he sprinted into the second room.

Honestly all I could do was sit in stunned silence.

…oookk?.......

“Fufufuf, You gave me time to prepare my magic! Prepare yourself!”

“…………”

“Why aren’t you coming after me?”

……After a bit, Zla poked his head out from the backroom and looked towards me. In his hand I could see several clovers

floating.

What’s he going to do, lucky charm me to death?

Looking closer I notice that they seemed to almost glint like glass, though no light fell on them.

“………….”

“Oi! Answer me!”

“ummm…..Mister Zla……..err sir. I don’t understand what’s going on.”

God I hate this child’s voice! I sound like a complete imbecile with this high pitched squeaky voice!

“huh?”

Ohwell, I’ll just have to deal with it.

“What’s this order you’re talking about? Earlier you mentioned the…….Clover Field Order…….is it that?”

“Ah……ummm……yes.”

He appeared to be getting flustered, his permanent grimace deepening which caused the crescent like scar to straighten into a ragged line.

“Can I go back now?”

Seems like a valid question for the situation. Though I really hope he doesn’t send me back! Let me enjoy this cushiness just a bit longer!

“So you’re….not…….an assassin?”

“Yep, not an assassin!”

I give him a big childish smile. I feel so fake right now!

It seemed to calm him down slightly. The clovers shattered into green-gold sparks that blew away from his hand on a

non-existent wind. His face returned to its usual grimacing self, though his body remained tensed, and he walked back to his now toppled chair. After righting it, he sat down with a sigh and kept his arms firmly clasped to the armrests as if ready to bolt at any moment.

After a while he looked at me again and asked, “What are you?”

“As I said before, a kitling.”

His response was a flat look and then, “No kitling I’ve ever seen has spoken as clearly as you. Furthermore your bearing is not that of a child or even a slave.”

Perceptive bastard, the guards were always too busy yelling to notice. But this guy…. He saw. Even now I could see him carefully observing my every move, his eyes seeming to weigh and measure me with unknown scales.

Guess I’ll just use the excuse I gave Clyde.

“Ah, well, I work for the War god.”

I give off another beaming child smile. In returned I got a raised eyebrow.

“The War god huh? It’s funny you should mention the word god.”

“Huh?”

“Nevermind, I’ll explain later.”

“Uhmm.”

He leaned back into his chair, the permanent grimace almost seeming to curve upward causing the crescent scar to become more curved. He continued to sit there and view me contemplatively.

Eventually he stood up and walked over to the stationary desk at the other end of the room. Where he began to shuffle through some papers stacked to the side on the desk; suddenly he spoke.

“Despite the barbaric appearance of this place and what I can only assume are the horrendous conditions you find yourself under this place is still a business. As a business it has some smart people in it, very different from the thugs that guard you… though Fezr seems to be a decent sort.”

“…..”

Where was he going with this?

“As such they keep records of all the kitlings collected. Usually just basic information such as height, weight, where they were taken from…. Etc. If a family sold them they’ll even keep some more detailed records. Things such as occupation of the previous owner and bloodline are kept, should you survive long enough to be used as a stud….well they wouldn’t want inbreeding to occur.”

O…K…?

Eventually he seemed to have found what he wanted and returned to the coffee table. On the paper he placed on the table was a small and neat script. My eyes flashed over the contents, it was information about me!

“The lady who sold you…em…Gertrude claimed that you could read though she herself could not…… it appears she was

speaking the truth.”

My eyes flicked up as I saw Zla’s eyes boring into me.

Damn, I just reflexively started reading the document. It was only natural…it was about myself after all!

“Also she listed that you knew of things that you should not and weren’t… ahem…. ‘natural’.”

I leaned back into my chair, my secret had been exposed so easily. With Clyde it had been fine, they were a small inconsequential family and for the most part had seen me as a blessing. However…. This place was a business first and foremost. Either I’d be exploited…..or, should they determine me a threat, destroyed.

“Fortunately for you, the one who was scribing that day was me. Despite the fact that I’m a wizard they still had me doing a clerks work! Hmph!”

He snorted at that. Seems someone has an issue coming to accept his position! Though more importantly it seems like he’s getting ready to extort me!

“Ok?”

“So… how about it? Really, who are you?”

“Why the sudden interest anyways?”

“This isn’t sudden; I’ve been considering it for the past few months you’ve been here. Also, I’ve been observing you. You are very different than the other kitlings so don’t you tell me you’re ‘just a kitling’!”

It looked like his patience was wearing thin, I could see his nostrils flaring…… damn that was alotta bats in the cave!

“I plead the fifth!”

“Huh? What’s the fifth!?”

Oops….. I think I’m getting flustered! I guess Clyde, Gertrude, and Claura had spoiled me. They had gone along with what I said….. it wasn’t that they were dumb, they just never had a good sharpening. Zla, on the other hand, seemed to have an edge that could cut flying tomatoes like in those knife commercials.

“Ummm nevermind.”

Ugh come on! Think!

“So… I’ll ask again……. What are you?”

Is that bloodlust…..no….I know that look………..it’s like Cecily when she gained a sudden interest in quantum foam! She couldn’t quite grasp it for a few weeks and she had that look! The hungry look of a scientist.

Kyyaaa! He’s looking at me so intensely!

……ahem. I need to think of something or I’m screwed!

……….oh, that might work!

I splayed my small hands out on the table and stood up so I was closer to his eye level.

“I was, I am, and I always will be………..a being beyond your comprehension.”

That’s true, I doubt he can comprehend a person living in a world of science suddenly reincarnating over

here……….though my memories from that time weren’t supposed to ever resurface.

“huh?”

“The personality you see before you is not the original kilting, we may be of one soul but not entirely of one mind.”

Zla’s eyes widened in surprise as he stared at me…..

Yes, that’s right…. Let your mind run in circles. Try to tell yourself I’m lying, but with the evidence before you, you can only think that it may be true.

After all, in this world there is magic…. Something as odd as what I just said is possible…. I AM living proof of that……….

“Hahaha! This is amazing! Never in my life did I think I would see evidence to support my claims!”

“….eh?”

“Hahaha! You bind the mind to the soul! Not the soul to the mind! This must mean resurrection is possible!”

“Eh…uh no….um.”

“So how did you do it? Who are you? You must be some great wizard!”

After sitting upright in tense excitement Zla relaxed into his chair and then looked slightly apologetic.

“I’m not even mad that you beat me too it…. Truly I respect you whoever you are.”

“Wait….don’t you already see the fault in doing it that way?”

I can’t let this rest! This guy is an idiot!!

I sat myself back in my chair and palmed my face before dragging it down in exasperation. It must’ve looked cute since I’m six and I could feel my ears pressing against my head.

“What do you mean?”

His tone was a hundred times more respectful.

“Binding a different mind to a soul……… don’t you see the problem?”

“Ummmm.”

“The soul is the core of your being! If I bound my mind to someone else’s soul it would fundamentally change who I was at my very roots! I would cease to be me! If I really was some great wizard, would I do something like giving up my current personality?”

His eyes glinted with complete understanding now.

“I don’t even know a single spell…. Hell I can’t even use magic and I know that!”

Uh-oh his eyes were sharpening up! This is bad…

“So then what exactly are you!”

Ok, breathe…. Just…. Breathe.

Look imposing, look imposing, lookimposing!

NOPE can’t do that with a child’s body!

….Or actually……….I can!

I leaned further back into the chair and stretched lazily as though I hadn’t a care in the world before smirking at Zla.

“As I said before, I’m a being far beyond your comprehension.”

His eyes are narrowing! Eeek!

“Tell me….. do you even understand what you did to that lupine child earlier?”

I rested my head on my right fist………..the picture of control!

….I hope.

“I healed her.”

I palmed my face again………dumbass! If he can check my physiology with just a hand on my shoulder he should understand what he was doing when he ‘healed’ her.

“No… I meant was, what was the healing…..doooinngg. What biological reactions were induced by your spell?”

He only gave me a look of complete befuddlement…….

…..oh dear god………he has absolutely no idea what I’m talking about.

“Tell me, what kind of order is the Clover Field Order?”

“……….It’s an order chartered by the kingdom to research healing magic and related subjects…..”

“Ah…….well, what was your position in the order?”

At this he gave a slightly pained look but still answered.

“I am--- I was a court consultant…. I was responsible for remedying ailments that normal medicine couldn’t heal as well

as all physical injuries of the royal family.”

“No wonder you’re no longer in that position! Your knowledge of the body is surprisingly lacking!”

He glared at me and stood in anger.

“Oh don’t give me that, you can’t even answer a simple question about healing a broken nose!”

“Fine then…. The mana is injected into the body and reattaches all broken objects as remembered in the mind!”

He huffed slightly.

I suppose it must be infuriating for an old man when a wee tyke like me makes fun of him.

Serves you right for being so persistent!

“Aaahh… that seems like quite the complex way about it…… tell me, can that method…. Say....mmm…. fix a paraplegic?”

“A what?”

Oops there’s not a word for that in the language! Hmm guess I’ll go with a different problem.

“Never mind, instead… can that method regrow someone’s arm even if they’ve lived without it for years.”

He hesitated at that, considering.

Yeap, he was definitely a scientist despite his deplorable lack of knowledge.

Some may find this expectation unreasonable. But I’d say that’s bollocks! In a world of magic it would make sense that a spell caster would understand exactly what their spell does. Claura’s ability to heat and cool objects was a support for that belief.

“No, it wouldn’t. Records stated that a small dismemberment…. Something no larger than a hand can be fixed, but not something like a whole limb!”

I flopped my arms down onto the arm rests. This is getting annoying; playing the superior being shtick is tiresome!

“Hah…. Thought so,” then in a quieter voice, “At least we could regrow arms….”

His head snapped up sharply, his eyes widening. That got his attention….wellp now time to finish this charade.

“What is it you mean by that!?”

I stood up and lightly patted my stomach before looking up at him with what I hope was a world wearied look.

I even threw a sigh in for good measure!

“Look, I’m tired. I nearly got my ass handed to me today by a psycho mutt girl.......which is probably the strangest sentence

I’ve ever said in my entire life…… anyways, I’m done with this line of questioning. I’ve answered the same question in three different ways… each of which were true. I’d like to go sleep and recover my strength; this body is much different from my previous one and is difficult to fight in.”

I made my way to the door….. I feel like I’m forgetting something.

“But that can’t be right!”

I turned my head back and rolled my eyes.

“Why?”

He looked perturbed.

“There hasn’t been a god, much less a War god in thousands of years!”

Wait there were actually gods here!? They existed?

“the last gods were gone long before the Overlord came to power, though some thought she may become one as well……

before she died that is.”

What the hell!? What’s going on?

Uh-oh! Am I showing my surprise on my face?

“So you saying you are from the War god…… that can’t be.”

Fake it till you make it!

I projected my best knowing smile as I stepped out of the room.

“Like I said…. I’m something far beyond your comprehension.”

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

I felt like spoiling you for all the wonderful comments! I had myself strapped to a chair when I could and my girlfriend had to practically shut off the internet for me to finish the last bit! (I get distracted) But anyways I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

EDIT: oh yeah....about the title, it's Bosnian (hint, hint for other words)