Back when I was younger, I was teleported into the TreePaths. Far away from any outpost and inside a large tree hollow, I was scared, helpless, and depressed. What if I never came back? What if I never saw my family again? What if I died, surrounded by nothing but trees and ferocious animals? These thoughts crossed my mind, threatening to destroy my determination to wander out.

Starving and delirious, I stayed there until I heard the scream of a banshee. Loud metallic clangs rang out for a few minutes before the fighting stopped. I peeked my head out from the hollow and looked out to see a fair-skinned man. His long ears and white hair made me think of the vampires from the legends.

Scared, I retreated back into the safety of the tree, but I tripped, alerting the man to my presence. Needless, to say I was discovered and was about to run away when the man spoke.

"Child, come. Eat this," he said as he took out a red and white sphere that was wrapped in plastic, looking eerily similar to the peppermint candies my grandmother used to give me. It also tasted similar to them.

When I ate the candy, I fell unconcious. When I woke up, I was in a brick house, covered in a blanket with a wet towel over my head. The man sat at the bedside, sleeping soundly.

The next few years went by like a flash. The man(who was not a vampire, but an elf) taught me how to hunt, how to track, and anything else that I would need in that place.

On my fourth year there, I left him to find my way to an outpost. It had been too long since I saw my parents. I barely remember their faces.

Excerpt from The Story of Kahn. After leaving the TreePaths, he pressured the government into establishing survival studies as a mandatory course for ALL schools. Most of what he learned is included in the course, with students having to learn more about his life.

"Strange," Dion thought out loud as he walked next to his friend, a tall, long-armed, fair-skinned teenager with a lingering smile on his face.

"What is?" his friend asked as he leaned in.

"I was just thinking about something," Dion replied absentmindedly.

Briiinng!

His friend was about to continue questioning Dion when his phone suddenly rang. He took out his phone, briefly glancing, before answering it.

"It's Isaac. What's up?"

The conversation brought Dion out of his musings. He quickly said his goodbyes to Isaac before taking a turn and leaving.

Why am I so calm? I died, reincarnated, and am now in a world where the supernatural is natural. Why am I taking this so well? Granted, I didn't really leave behind much in my previous life; I had no close friends or family that were still alive, I had a shitty job that worked me until I couldn't, and I lived in a terrible neighborhood, but it is still weird.

Dion almost walked past a MamaJohn's Pizzaria but caught himself and entered the store. After ordering a pizza, he continued his train of thought.

Thinking about it, I was calm when I was on the golden bridge too...When the leaf chased after me, I was scared. After it impaled me, I wasn't panicking or afraid. Maybe the leaf is the cause of my grounded personality.

As Dion was eating at a table, a commotion broke out near the cashier's register. A man dressed in black and white clothing and wearing a balaclava was holding a gun at the cashier.

His eyes are moving a lot. Upperbody is going through a slight rocking motion. Lowerbody is stationary, as if frozen. His left hand is trembling. He is either not used to or is being forced to do this.

Dion calmly assessed the situation. He had been through his fair share of stickups in his previous life. After a brief glance, he continued to eat his pizza(it tasted remarkably better than the ones in his previous life).

Meanwhile, the chef had come out of the kitchen to check what the commotion was about. Upon seeing the robber, he didn't act afraid or scared. Instead he charged at the robber, puffing out his chest, and yelled, "You want a pizza me?"

For a second, even the robber was confused. Then, after a moment, he grew visibly enraged and was about to pull the trigger when Dion suddenly shouted out, "Wait!"

Everyone froze and turned towards Dion.

"Don't shoot him! It was just a joke! At yeast give him another chance!"

As the robber was shocked at being told another terrible pun, Dion picked up a salt shaker and threw it at the robber, smashing against his head with enough force to completely shatter it.

Then, Dion sprinted towards the robber, grabbed his arm, twisted the hand holding the gun, and pushed him onto the ground. The plain black pistol was a little big for his hand, but Dion didn't think much of the size difference. What he was actually thinking about was the fact that he had never held a firearm before. He felt a strange mix of fear and strength as he stared at the small weapon that didn't look like much.

Firearms were extremely restricted in this world. After all, if one had a firearm, they could easily rob a store or an individual. The authorities already had their hands full dealing with supervillains and villains.

Shaking his head, he called the police and started to converse with the chef. Honestly, he didn't think that the chef would need any help. He obviously wasn't very afraid of the gun; he literally charged at the robber. Regardless, Dion still attacked. After all, how could he possibly turn a blind eye to the possible injury of a civilian(and maybe the chef would give him a complementary meal or something).

While Dion and the chef were talking, the police showed up. The quickly got a testimony from everyone, took in the robber, took the gun, checked the camera footage, and left(the police in this world had an uncountable number of incidents like this everyday.)

Just as Dion was about to leave, the chef stopped him and walked towards the kitchen. Although confused, Dion followed the chef. They walked past various counters, ovens, and stoves before arriving in front of a clean, yet rustic-looking door. The chef opened the dorr, arriving at a spacious conference room. The chef took out his phone and took a picture of Dion's body.

"Hey! What are you doing?"

"Hush child," the chef replied before asking, "You practice martial arts, right?"

Instantly, Dion put his guard up. The door was still open. If he wanted to leave, he could just run.

"How did you know?"

"Your eyes are practically gleaming with life. My boss is a hero looking for a suitable successor. Sadly, not many people practice martial arts. Do you want a chance to become the disciple of one of the strongest humans ever? If yes, just wait here until my master gets here," While he spoke, the chef rapidly typed something on his phone, frequently asking Dion questions.

"How long have you practiced martial arts?"

"Two weeks," Dion spoke rather truthfully, only occasionally adjusting his 'resume' for the better. But then again, who actually speaks the truth when applying for a job or an apprenticeship?

"How old are you?"

"16"

"What is your name?"

"Dionysus, but I prefer to be called Dion."

...

After a dozen minutes or so, a tall, tanned, and muscular man walked through the door, keeping his eyes on Dion the entire time. His eyes flitted around, occasionally stopping at the more muscular areas.

A moment later, the man spoke with a slightly raspy voice, "You practice the Beast Imitation Art, yes?"

"Yes, how did you-" Dion didn't speak very long before the man interrupted.

"Don't worry about that. Hurry up and tell me, do you want to be my disciple?"

Dion's mouth widened in surprise, "Really? Don't you need to do a test or something?"

"I already got all the information I need. Once you further your martial arts, you will develop...abilities to say the least," the man said mysteriously, "Now tell me, what is your answer?"

Dion only hesitated for a second before accepting. An actual hero came to him, practically begging him to become his disciple.

"Where do I sign?"