"Damnation!"
Why is that guy running towards me? Should I run… No, that's too suspicious. Last time I did that it didn't go well.
I tried to stay calm, maintaining a nonchalant expression on my face.
The man was dressed very poorly. He was wearing rags, torn in many places, and his shirt was brown with dirt stains. However, he was smiling while running towards me.
'Now that I look closely, he is very different from the man chasing me last time. Still, I should be careful. Looks can be deceiving.'
The man slowed down as he came near me, leaning on a streetlamp pole to catch his breath.
Upon closer inspection, he looked thin—very thin. It was clear he faced severe malnutrition, enough to make a grown man the same size and height as a seventeen-year-old.
The man composed himself, looked at me with a bright smile, and exclaimed, "I got it, Jack! I got it!"
"Who's Jac—"
A sharp pain radiated through my head again. This time, however, the pain wasn't physical; it was mental.
'Jack… I am Jack?'
I was hit with a sudden sense of clarity. I was Jack, an orphan whose parents died in the First Contact Incident.
Wait, what is that? That's wrong. I am Clock. I might not have ever had a mother, but I have a dad. No… but I am Jack too…
My mind again gained some focus. Indeed, I am Clock. I am just currently inside the body of someone called Jack….
As Jack was thinking deeply with a deadpan expression on his face, the man got worried.
"Jack, are you okay? You don't look well."
Jack suddenly snapped back to his senses.
"Oh—yeah… I mean yes, I am fine, Sam. Just a little headache, nothing too much."
"Look at this! Got the book you wanted. It was being sold for real cheap! I got it for just one copper coin. Be proud of your uncle!" said Uncle Sam, puffing his chest out with a proud expression.
The Truth About Uncle Sam
Sam wasn't Jack's real uncle. Both of them had met under a bridge once. Sam was a cheerful and protective person. Seeing young Jack alone, he had taken him from the orphanage and raised him. Even though he was very poor, he always made sure to provide for Jack's needs.
"Thanks, Uncle Sam. Now I can study for the entrance examinations," I genuinely remarked.
"Hehe—never mind. Where did you get that watch? Don't tell me you picked it up from the ground and decided to take it without trying to find the owner."
"Ye—NO!... Yes, I did find it lying on the ground, but I did try finding the owner, but I couldn't," I lied.
Even if I tried explaining that I wasn't sure of my own identity, or the fact that a guy chased and killed me, and I was now inside another person's body with their memories—it sounds unbelievable to even me.
Sam tapped my shoulders. "Keep that for now. Be sure to return it when you find the owner."
"Yes," I replied.
"Let's go then, Jack. To our little home!" smiled Uncle Sam, passing the book to Jack's hands.
Jack held onto Uncle Sam's shirt and began following him.
The Imperial Sorcerer Academy
Knowing what that book was about, Jack read the title: Imperial Sorcerer Academy Guidebook of Yearly Syllabus.
It was a miracle. This book would have cost around ten to fifteen copper coins, but Uncle Sam managed to get it so cheap.
More memories flooded my mind. Jack was a talented individual. He had learned to read and write by the age of three, back when his parents were still alive. He had now planned to take the special exams for the Sorcerer Academy. If he could score top, he would be able to study for free, and even his personal expenses would be covered. It was the only way he could rise from the streets.
'…So sorcery exists in this world. Just when I thought it couldn't get more worse, "damnation!"'
"Jack, did you say something just now?"
"No—no, nothing. You must've heard someone else."
'I almost forgot Jack was supposed to be an innocent, childish guy. Damn-it, this is the worst. I mean, I'm not impolite too… anyways, I should fully assume the identity of Jack for now. I'll think more deeply when I reach home. Wait… Home, damn-it….'
Jack and Sam walked through the less common streets. They didn't want to be glared upon by the nobles and merchants present in the main streets. Passing through the railway track, they crossed a small bridge and walked for ten minutes.
Here they were, in the junkyard.
Uncle Sam was a worker here. He was friends with the owner of this junkyard and had gotten permission to stay at the workers' hut, which was now our home.
Uncle Sam stopped in front of the door and began unlocking it. This time, I took a good look at him. He was much thinner than he was when he and Jack had first met. He looked older too; there were many strands of white hair visible on his head.
An unexplainable feeling came to my mind. I thought:
'I have to become a sorcerer. Only then would I be able to repay him….'