Reincarnated as a Mutt

Chapter 9: Questions Left Unanswered

   Carlos was sleeping in an open area of blackness. No visible light to be seen in any direction. An eerie atmosphere that would cause any person to shake in fear and breathe with extreme difficulty. An enormous bloodshot eye opened above Carlos, a vertical slit that stared at the puppy and a horrendous maw of jagged teeth drooling puddles of saliva that, upon contact with the young lad, began to dye him blood red. A primordial gut-wrenching growl that would make even gods tremble reverberated throughout the void, seemingly causing the emptiness to shake violently. The entity's grotesque tongue seemingly comparable to a dagger, began to inch close to the young pup with vile and ferocious hunger. Carlos awoke, in his view was a white room, decorated with colorful flower petals and a small throne decorated with toys. Carlos stood up, examining himself and saw no sign of wound or any indication of anything being wrong with him. He found that his patches of black, white, and brown fur remained unchanged. Suddenly, an inconceivable amount of fear gripped his heart like the sycthe of the Grim Reaper himself wrapping around his neck. Carlos shot his head back, yet saw nothing. Only more colorful flower petals. The fear he felt had vanished. His small heart calmed, and the entire experience erased from his memory, leaving no trace even if he were to try to remember. Then he finally registered his situation.

   "Where the hell am I?"

   Carlos was confused. One second he was combating a seemingly endless sea of spirits, the next the battle was over and he suffered fatal injuries along with Eiko, and yet. . .he was alive? In some room with flowers? And toys? It didn't make any sense. He couldn't have survived. If he was here, then where was Eiko and the others? But this feeling was familiar. Feeling as if he were alive and present, yet not at once. The only time he felt like this was when he was in that space with that god that reincarnated him. In other words. . .

   "I'm dead. . ."

   Such harsh and unbelievable words came out of his mouth. He refused to believe the words himself and entertain the idea, but alas it was true. He had only spent four months in his new life only to die so soon. He had yet explore the world, yet to work on his new magic and improve his spells. To study magic and applications of others. Carlos was filled with regret. He gained something that he could feel proud of. The pup created his own magic! Yet, the magic he believed in wholeheartedly that could save his life-- Save Eiko's life, had failed him.

   "Eiko, no. . ."

   Now he was struck with grief. He truly wondered if he had not met Eiko, would she find an owner to care and love her. Would she be fed and cared for in a way that Carlos, a mere dog couldn't. Carlos wasn't human. He couldn't offer the things that humans could. He couldn't pamper her the way any other person could. All they did was hunt for food. Always fighting. Hunt. Fight. Survive. It was not something house cats were meant for, especially kittens and yet Carlos had forced her. Forced her to become his slave, using her innocence to blindly manipulate her. In a way, he believed his death was simply karma. But Eiko possibly couldn't deserve such a fate! She was much younger than Carlos, and desired to see the world more than anything. More than Carlos with his selfish goals. She died because he dragged her along for a selfish reason. The guilt he felt was a pressuring weight on his shoulders.

   He knew deep down that he was not a good person. The things he has done to survive in his previous life would cause any person to spew harsh words at him and drag his miserable self to rot in a cell. In his previous life, he had killed someone at a young age. Not out of curiosity. Not out of boredom or for fun. He had killed in self-defense. The homeless orphan could only run, do shady jobs, lie, steal, and cheat because he had no one. And Eiko had him. It was clear to him that he simply wasn't the person someone like Eiko should follow. His intentions to begin with were dark and cruel. He was a vile person in the body of a young, innocent puppy. He got her killed and for that he felt perhaps death was appropriate for him. He had ruined lives just so he could continue to live. This was the second time he felt guilt in all of his two lives.