Chapter 2 – Reunion (Part 1)

Ben doesn't remember much about that day. His memories were hazy. After a good day at school, he felt dizzy. Then everything became vague.

Like waking up from a dream, he found himself in a dark and dense forest. He was surrounded by chilling greenery. The tall skyscraper trees with huge trunks competed for the sunlight forming a beautiful yet dark canopy.

The chirping of birds created a soothing melody. The noise of insects' rattling and animals' roaring made a fresh atmosphere.

But just as he was feeling calm and contended by the atmosphere, a foreboding feeling slowly welled up within him. He felt like he was being watched. It took him just an hour or so to conclude that he is just prey to the salivating hungry beasts.

His survival instincts kicked in as new ideas started popping up in his mind. After a few hours, as he saw various fantasy animals, he understood that he was in a fantasy world.

It took him some time to accept the truth. After the third day, he fully accepted his situation and decided how to proceed.

Thanks to the survival shows he had watched as a child, he knew the basics of survival. After running from a beast, he got to know his overwhelming speed in running. He used it to hunt some animals.

He knew he had to get out of this cruel forest where he is nothing but food. So he wandered in it, not knowing any direction as he was unable to see the sun.

He, fortunately, found a river and decided to follow its bank as the probability of finding a human village around it would be higher.

While drinking water from the river, he discovered an interesting thing. He had a different body, which was a bit muscular and sturdy.

With a lot of complicated emotions, he ventured into the forest, fighting beasts and eating them.

He didn't know how many months had passed while wandering the forest, but he eventually found a village. He was overjoyed when he first saw the fields of crops. His feet unconsciously moved faster and he soon found himself a few hundred meters away from the town walls.

His heart was pounding crazily with anticipation. He was becoming restless just to see at least a glimpse of a person.

At first, he felt homesick, but later he craved the warmth and luxury of human society. Even though it was vexing, he had accepted that he couldn't meet his family anymore.

…

But as he arrived near the town, he saw a beast attacking the town. Some people were desperately fighting against it on the town walls.

But they couldn't handle it and were forced to retreat by the beast.

So Ben moved swiftly towards the walls and quickly jumped on it. He tightly held it with one hand, his fingers sank deep inside the rocks. He held the wyvern's tail, which was hanging limply due to some sort of damage, and forcefully pulled it down to knock the entire beast on the ground.

*Boom!*

The wyvern let out a roar in pain as its ribs cracked by the impact. But it couldn't even get to breathe some air as Ben started his fist barrage on its head.

*bam* *bam* *bam*

Ben had killed a couple of 'dragons' like these, so he was confident in killing them. Though, he had no way of knowing that they were not dragons.

He showered a few powerful punches on its head with a sharp and calm look in his eyes. Finally, he shattered its throat with a last powerful punch, directly killing it.

He sensed someone approaching him, so he happily turned towards the direction and saw a man with metal armor approaching him.

The man had a good muscular and tall build. But he had a look of confusion, sadness, and yearning. Still, Ben's smile did not fade. Rather, a familiar emotion of kinship welled up deep within him. The man looked so familiar, so close… almost like his father.

The man stood there, staring at him in a daze. And with a choked-up voice, he called out to Ben, "...son!"

Ben's eyelids shook. As soon as the man called him as such, a lot of emotions welled up inside him and a mutter involuntarily slipped up from his mouth, "...father?"

The man seemed like he couldn't hold back as he quickly closed the distance and strongly hugged him. "Jack, my s-son, y-you have returned..."

Ben understood. He was occupying Jack's body. That's why those familial emotions surfaced inside his mind. He had missed his family and friends a lot in the beginning. He had missed his 'home'. And now, it felt like he had returned home after a long separation.

"Yes, father. I have returned." He replied softly as his vision became blurry. Since he was occupying Jack's body, he would do his best to take care of his family.

His father looked at his face once again just to make sure his eyes were not playing tricks on him. And realized that although the face was a bit scarred, it was one hundred percent his son's face. He again hugged him strongly. Ben also did the same as they stayed like that for some time.

Alban realized something and he slowly released the hug. He quickly wiped his teary face, not intending to show such a pitiful appearance to his son, and gave a brilliant smile, "Hahaha! My son has returned!"

Alban looked at the dead wyvern and asked, "Son, did you kill this beast?" Although he knew, it was too good to be true. His lost son has returned in one piece. What's more, he is even more strong; so strong that he even killed a wyvern on his own.

But before Ben could answer, he was shut down by Alban's loud laughter.

"Hahaha!!! MY SON HAS RETURNED AND HE KILLED THE WYVERN BY HIMSELF!!! Hahaha!!!" Alban roared happily towards the town's people as he turned around, his hand still on Ben's shoulder.

Ben could only smile wryly.

A few meters before them stood two mature men, smiling. The guards and adventurers were also watching at the reunion from afar with warm hearts. The guards had moist eyes. They were concerned about their captain.

"Young man, I don't know what to say, you have made me speechless," Albert approached the duo and patted Ben's shoulder and continued, "Some time ago, we were trembling in fear, not sure of the possibility of our survival. Then you came and beat it up… just like that?" and smiled wryly.

Ben also had an awkward expression as he didn't know what to say.

"Well, let me work hard till tomorrow to think how to respond and reward you properly, although I am more tempted to drag you to my guild office right now," Albert added.

"Don't be rude to our savior, guild master. He has someone more important to meet than us old men, right young man?" Lord Hardy laughed heartily. "Though I must say, you truly have created a gem, captain. My Dulia town has got a new treasure," he said.

He turned towards the warriors and shouted, "I, Lord Hardy, declare this young man as this town's hero and bestow the title of 'Wyvern Slayer'."

The warriors cheered and applauded.

"But you are quite the troublemaker, aren't you? We have been searching for you for this whole time. To be honest, we had lost hope. It's your parents who would frequently pester me… By the way, where were you all this time?" Albert asked as they walked slowly towards the town.

"Ugh… is that so… sorry for the trouble… I have been wandering that huge forest all this time, not knowing any way out." Ben said as he pointed towards the direction from where he came.

"What?" The three men shouted in astonishment.

"Jack, that forest is one of the most dangerous forests of this continent. Once entered, no one had ever returned from there. And you are saying you have been wandering in it for the whole 8 months? Why did you go there in the first place?" Alban inquired.

8 months? Ben doesn't think that much time has passed since his arrival. It seemed like 6 months at most to him.

"I don't remember anything. I think I lost my memories… The last thing I remember is waking up in the forest. I still don't know you are my father, I am just believing in my feelings." he answered with a wry smile.

Ben doesn't have any of Jack's memories. The most plausible conjecture he could think for such a thing to happen was that he had taken over Jack's body. That's why he answered as such.

Alban raised his eyebrows as he hurriedly said, "Son, what are you saying, I am truly your father…!"

"Look what our captain is worried about!" Lord Hardy said.

"Hahaha!!!" Everyone burst out.