In prison, I often faced the wall, turning my head against the sun penetrating through the ventilation. Every morning, I heard the birds singing. I recalled the song of wind, rain, and waves at night, and I wondered how long until the summer arrived and burned my cold heart.
Those were all in the past. Today was the summer time for me. The sunlight penetrated through the windows of the train, and no longer I turned my face against it. Inhaling the cold air, I extended my arms, welcoming the warm beams.
Freedom. As an adult citizen of the American Empire, I enjoyed this privilege for the first time.
"Groan..."
Unbeknownst to me, my left hand punched a stranger. I turned at the fellow passenger and realized him staring at me with his penetrating ivory eyes. His long tusks protruded from his upper teeth, and it almost grazed my skin. I hurriedly pulled myself and said, "Yo, my bad, big guy. Been a while since I felt the sunlight, you see."
Before I spoke, his bulging veins squirmed under his temple, but it disappeared after I expressed my apology. Still, I couldn't help but stare at his red skin for a while. Was he a Troll? I never encountered one with red skin before. I snapped to my senses when his veins bulged and begged to tear his skin again.
Before I had a chance to say anything, the man said, "Little one looking at what? Little one never saw a red-skinned Troll before?"
I nodded and raised my arms. "Mean no offense, big guy. If you want, we can get off at the next station, go to a private place, and I can stroke your rigorous red rod later."
"Omenrex likes big female Trolls. Little trolls are fine, but women. Omenrex knew the people of Earth flirt with any race and any gender, but Omenrex has his preference," the troll said with his deep, loud voice.
I coughed when people looked at me and murmured things. "Hey, hey, lower your voice, please. That was just a joke. I prefer women as well. Shit, maybe I should attend that etiquette class later."
"Did you just call the mighty Omenrex a turd?"
I slapped my face. "That was just... Ugh, forget it. I assure you I mean no harm. You are experiencing what we call a culture shock."
"Omenrex knows. He is just messing with the puny human."
Now it was my turn to feel annoyed. I really wanted to punch this big gorilla, but I learned my lesson. The last time I offended a stranger, that geezer Brian, he kidnapped me. The lesson fucked me in the ass and slapped my brain to not be rude to strangers. Who knew if this guy turned out to be a terrifying grandpa.
"Big guy, how old are you? Are you single?"
"Omenrex was just joking before, but he feels like the little one might be gay. Omenrex respects the cultures of another world, so he won't say anything bad about that."
"Fuck you in the ass by another rigorous red rod. Wait, my bad. I shouldn't have said that."
"Hahaha, little one is puny but funny little human. Omenrex has a big heart so he is not offended, but human, be careful to not flail your hands around. They bite like thousands of biting ants."
I wore a pair of special gloves as a part of training an Eldora secret technique. They sealed lightning mana in it to increase the speed of the training. The pain felt excruciating at first, but after hours, my hands just felt numb. Even though they conducted electricity, the power lessened on the surface. Still, I really shouldn't have flailed them around.
"I fucked up. My bad. How about this? You look like you arrived on Earth for the first time. I have been living in California Kingdom since forever. How about I guide you to your destination?" I offered. Even though I had no memory of my past, my knowledge stuck in my brain like a sticky semen. Maybe that female dog of a demon wished not to see me becoming an idiot.
"Little one's observation is indeed accurate. Omenrex is Omenrex. Does little one have a name?"
"Call me Ryder Eldora, big guy. An Eldora. In case you don't know, that's one of the biggest awakener families in America Empire." I extended my hand, and he squeezed it until the electric currents traveled onto his red skin.
"Mhm, Omenrex is lying. It doesn't sting at all, but Omenrex is great. Don't even try this with other people."
"I fucked up again. Shit."
"I have two questions, Little One. First, do humans love to praise the very waste they produce? For Trolls, when life burdens us, we speak our ancestors' names to remind us about their hardships to open the path for us."
I sighed and replied, "That's just my issue. Humans are as complex as your kind too, I assure you. Not all people are the same, but hey, big guy, that's what makes people interesting. We can bond and get to know each other. Remind and correct each other's mistakes. Learn new things from each other."
He looked down and stared directly into my eyes. Then, he said, "The little human is right. This time Omenrex acknowledges his mistake."
"Sweet. We are taking a step forward in our relationship. So, big guy, tell me your next question."
"What is someone from a powerful background doing in public accommodations?"
"Me? To be honest, I got lucky because a damn—I mean a kind, respectable person adopted me into their family. I was from an ordinary background... to my knowledge. I am trying my luck too. I'm about to become an official awakener, you see. That's why I need someone to join my team. And big guy, if fortune has a manifestation, she loves to suck my dick because here I find a potential person. You are not an expert, are you not? Are you here to become an official awakener too? Dungeons are as abundant as fish in the ocean on earth. Would you attend a test to join my team? If you pass, I can promise rich. Literally. Eldora family is fucking rich."
"Trolls believe in the spirits of ancestors and the way of nature. Our encounter here, Omenrex believes, is fated. You are the first human Omenrex talked with ever since he swallowed the language conversion potion. Little human's proposal is not impossible, but first, you must hold up to your promise. My destination is the One Hundred Demons Festival on the weekends. If you can accommodate Omenrex, he will offer a chance to exchange a cup."
I laughed when I heard that. To my knowledge, exchanging a cup was a ritual of friendship in Troll culture. "Hahaha, be my guest. Welcome to Earth."
At the same time, the train stopped at our destination. As the door opened, I stood up and said, "Follow me, Omen. You can stay in a luxurious hotel with me. I have business with a certain demon in that festival too."