Suzuki Satoru grasped at his choker. These little things were annoying and utterly uncomfortable. Sadly, they couldn't be removed easily, much less when you had the strength of a six-year-old.

Satoru never did believe in God, heaven or hell, reincarnation, and whatnot, but it seems that nature decided to play a cruel joke on him.

The last day of Yggdrasil, oh how he would have loved to stay until the very end, he didn't even care that the next day he would show up to work looking like a zombie. At least he would have had the chance to say goodbye to his and his comrades' legacy one final time.

But alas, fate had something else in store. A power outage.

He was yanked back to reality when his headgear lost signal and was unable to reconnect for an hour straight. When the problem was finally solved, the clock had already passed midnight. Satoru was absolutely livid and had made several calls to the service provider demanding answer, demanding compensation. Of course, he knew that he was in the wrong because no-one could have foreseen an accident near a distributor, but this didn't soothe his fury. He felt he must takeout his rage on someone or else he might blow up. That night no sleep came to his eyes.

…

Time passed and he worked as the slave he was. It didn't take long, and it took a toll on his health, but he had no option, no choice. He had to work if he wished to see another bite, he had to work if he didn't wish to starve. He never did find a replacement for Yggdrasil. He died alone in cancer at the age of 37. Even on his death bed, he had only one regret. One that he could not forget, nor forgive.

…

Satoru's eyes opened once again, first he didn't understand what was going on. Then, it dawned on him. He was reborn into a new world. He wanted to believe this one would be a kinder one, but he would soon realize that it was not the case. This one didn't care for the value he could provide via work, but somethings never chance. He was a slave once more, and the world was out for his blood.

He grew up on a farm, he was nothing more than a slave, no… maybe even less than that. He was cattle, kept only for what his body could provide. Blood.

He found it hard to accept how crudely humans were treaded, even more so that they were so young. There were no adults here, only innocent children. He felt that he must do something, but he was powerless to oppose such monsters. Through the years his disdain and hatred only grew.

Food was scarce, and so he had expected it, but it was still a shock to him; to watch how children fought, exploited, and robbed each other for scraps of food, — for one more bite of dry bread.

Satoru reached the door to his 'home'.

He let out a deep sigh. Here goes nothing, — he said inaudibly before entering the small abode.

Seven of them were confined in this crude and small area. It eerily reminded him of his hole where he spent his previous life, though it was enough considering that when he didn't work, he slept, when he didn't sleep then he played… It was enough then, but this place was… crowded.

His 'parents' greeted him, they were awfully young, but they acted with intent he rarely if ever saw in his previous world. They were caring, so much so that they reminded him of his dear mother. They didn't act carelessly, and always made their best effort to care of their little child — him. He always came to the same conclusion, — teenagers like them shouldn't worry about a child, in a world like this they should take care of themselves first.

Anytime he asked where he had come, they only replied to him that it doesn't matter, they are his family, and he is theirs. Maybe he was adopted, but then again why would teenagers look after a child? Satoru no matter how hard he tried couldn't recall his first two years in this world, only after the third did he awaken fully, and then he was already a member of this family. He suspected that until then the child's brain was too underdeveloped to accept his psyche, but he couldn't do anything about that.

Nevertheless, Satoru was happy to be in a loving family. He had brothers and sisters, unlike those he had in his previous life, they cared for him and Satoru found that he also felt a connection to them. Through the years he had cherished this feeling even in a heartless world where monsters reigned supreme, he nurtured this connection hoping that one day the emptiness he felt would disappear.

Day after day a suspicion tugged at the back of his mind due to their silence, maybe his caretakers were forced to have a child? No, not even the vampires were so cruel… Then his calculating side interjected, they would do it — no doubt. After all, the population had to be stable… — his face contorted at the thought, and his disdain grew. Just you wait, — he thought, as his mind had already come up with a plan to escape this place with his family no less. It was depressing, but he couldn't do anything for the others, — not yet.

Satoru didn't have many things to do, so his days were spent listening to the stories of his 'parents', telling him about the outside world. How a virus had killed off all adults, how monsters dubbed as the 'horsemen of the apocalypse' trod the surface hunting for humans to devour. How the vampires protected them in exchange for their blood… he had a feeling that they would deeply engrave into him 'not to bring attention to himself, less the vampires come for him.' They did try to word it in a way not to sound so terrible, but it came out bittersweet all the same.

Their tone had betrayed them. For the salesman Satoru, it wasn't difficult to decipher the terror they felt when they mentioned the vampires and the monsters. They must have lost someone close to them. Losing one's parents would weight heavy on the soul, — this Satoru knew all too well.

He recalled how crushed he felt after he had lost his mother, the only person whom he truly cared for in his past life. They must have lost friends as well, — to the monsters and to the vampires, — he could empathize with that as well, — whenever a friend of his, a member of Ainz Ooal Gown had left he felt as if a piece were ripped from his heart.

Truly a tragic world we live in, but it doesn't have to be like this. I want to see it change; we cannot stagnate anymore… — he thought as he forgot about himself for a moment. "I will be the change I want to see in this cruel and unforgiving world. This, I swear." Satoru blurted out.

He got strange stares, but it was his 'mother', Anna who responded with a smile.

"I am sure you will my little hero, I am sure you will." She said as she lifted him up and placed him on her lap.

Satoru feeling the awkwardness of the situation tried to diffuse it as well as he could.

"Mama, I've brought some food!" He said in a cheerful voice. Sometimes it was tiring to play a child, but how could he reveal that he is decades older than the oldest? The best-case scenario would be if they thought he was crazy… He also didn't mind acting as a child, in fact he welcomed the warmth projected, — it's been forever since he last felt loved.

Anna's smile faltered hearing the words of her little sunshine. Little Sato was a gloomy kid, but he always tried to bring them happiness. This, however had a price. Which vampire did he give himself to in exchange for the food? It was terrible to even think about, a child his age shouldn't go through the shock of having his blood syphoned away. Even though it was compulsory for him to attend the periodic blood giving, it was an entirely other matter when they drank directly from the source.

A ravenous vampire might accidently suck him dry; she couldn't forgive herself if that happened.

"Okay sweety, but we've got to talk after dinner."

Sato didn't say anything just nodded, before he proceeded to unpack his spoil. What was it again? 'Take care of your body as if you were going to live forever; and take care of your soul as if you were going to die tomorrow.' Huh, truly wise words, Augustine? Or was it someone else? Ehh, it doesn't matter, they remain true all the same. Satoru thought as he lined up the vegetables on the table.