Cid had but one thought in mind as he stood over the edge of the river of time.
Those bastards are gonna get what they deserve.
In the far distance, booms and explosions rang out as screaming and noise made their way closer towards Cid's position.
Still, as cheerful as ever, he cast a look at the grumpy old man who motioned for him to jump in.
"It's not your first time, Cid. Go ahead. There are those that have done you wrong but I will have no such blights on my name, as the Keeper of Time."
"You will not have a next attempt, though. The source says it cannot support any more divergences. Make it count."
Cid whistled.
"I'll have to admit, Old Man, you're better than the rest. But you've got harsh troubles ahead of you if you let me do this, you know?"
The old man didn't change his expression and at once pushed Cid into the roaring torrents below, mumbling beneath his breath.
Then, as if recalling something, he felt around his neck, intending to throw in his pendant, just to feel nothing there.
The old man was bewildered at first, but then chuckled to himself.
As expected of the thief that stole the world.
The old man's chuckles grew fainter and fainter to Cid's ears as he swam deeper into time, until eventually he blacked out.
---
"Wake up!"
"Wake up, Cid! Wake up!"
"...."
"Oh Cid, don't tell me you'll leave me too.", a faint sobbing echoed in his ears.
Cid's eyes struggled to open as he collected himself, his mind still groggy and brain as hazy as the morning's fog.
"Cid! You're alive!", the girl next to him exclaimed.
"Shh...quiet for a second please.", Cid motioned as he waved his hands and rubbed his head.
So, I'm back again. The third time. Let me recall everything that happened.
Cid's mind worked in overtime, as he tried to remember all the fine details.
This place, it's called Hubror Town. The girl next to me is my younger sister, Beryl. I passed out from drinking due to stress from being bullied by the nobles of the town.
Cid gradually remembered. He was a trainee at the City's Academy, and the day today was to be the day of professions.
No, that's not right. I didn't pass out from drinking. I was coerced into it by Rumia and his gang of nobles due to being intimidated by my talent.
"Now, it's coming back to me.", Cid chuckled.
The girl was confused by her brother chuckling like an idiot, and cried even more.
"Calm down, Beryl. Your brother is a genius, one that saved the world before.", Cid chuckled as he pat her head.
Beryl found no solace in this consolation and cried again, "Oh no, now he's really gone mad."
Cid laughed at seeing this and simply shrugged and said, "Go make your brother a pot of porridge, Beryl."
After some convincing, Beryl stopped crying and went off to the kitchen, leaving Cid with some time to think to himself.
He took out the green pendant from around his neck, and looked at it.
What a beauty this is.
Cid remembered that he had once stolen this from the West Queen, on her day of her marriage, upon the request of the old man. This was a supreme artifact, the only one of its kind across all the realms. There were only a handful of supreme artifacts in the universe, and this one took even Cid himself centuries of planning to steal.
Well, the old man wouldn't be needing it anymore.
Recollecting himself, he had a bit of a plan in mind. If he wasn't wrong, this pendant would help him gain a very big advantage in this life compared to the previous two.
Cid knew some things from his previous life. He had the knowledge, however, but not the means. All his plans would have to wait until he had awoken his profession.
"11:30 AM."
Glancing at the clock on the wall, he knew he had about an hour's time before he was to head out for his ceremony. It was the single most awaited event of any person's life on this earth. That was because it was the day of awakening of professions.
Contrary to popular belief, there were no "losers" in this awakening. There were bigger winners, though. Every person, under the guidance of the Will, successfully awakened their profession. What this profession was, however, remained decided only to the Will. Upon awakening, they would receive a significant boost to their attributes depending on what they awakened.
Of course, it was more nuanced than that. But Cid knew that the ordinary layperson need not know the deeper truths behind it.
Cid made his way into the worn down kitchen, the signs of water damage on the walls and moss making its way onto the window.
Phew. I always forget how hard I had it.
Beryl turned her body towards Cid and said, "Don't scare me like that next time. I-I don't know what I'll do if you're gone."
Just as she was about to start sniffling, Cid smiled and took the porridge from her hands and set it down onto the table.
"Calm down. I'm not going anywhere."
"Now come, sit, and eat."
Beryl looked at his brother in wonder. He felt like he had changed completely from a few hours back.
He used to be a shy, introverted kid, who couldn't speak up even to ask for water. Had the fainting caused so much change in him? But how was it possible?
And why did he give her so much confidence now?
Cid could see the words written on her face, but merely smiled as he slurped the food down. In a few days, he supposed they would both be living a much better life. This meal, as hearty as it was, partly contributed to his malnourished structure and thus, he stood at a measly 166cm even at the age of 18.
This of course, damaged his confidence and led to him getting bullied. He was quite talented in academics and thus was able to earn a little stipend from his other endeavours, but this was hardly enough to keep the house running, with all the bills, rent, and food needed to support two.
"Truly, there is no taste. Like thick, unflavoured water.", Cid remarked.
Beryl chided, "It's better than starving."
"Indeed, that is true.", Cid laughed and heartily ate his meal. He then walked over to the spare cabinet under the sink, unlocked it with a key, and took out the only half kilogram portion of meat there was in a tiny bowl.
He then cut it into tiny pieces and starting roasting them over an open flame.
Beryl exclaimed, "Brother, are you really going to eat it all? Don't be so wasteful!"
Cid replied, "Oh, don't worry. From tommorow, we shall have more."
Beryl wanted to retort but seeing her brother's miserable condition, she piped down and didn't reply.
After some time, Cid put the roasted meat into two portions and gave one portion to Beryl, and put the other portion in his own porridge.
"Eat up. It's Greyhound Meat. One of the best meats you can have under 30 Demars."
Cid wolved it down like no tommorow. If he had not been brought back in time, he would've likely kept it safe for a rainy day, like he did previously. This would be a mistake, however.
He needed the energy from this meat for some of his plans after he awakened. In his previous iteration, he skipped eating the meat due to old habits from his miserable first life. As a result, being weak, he couldn't grasp some of the opportunities he could have gotten.
This life would be different.
Beryl could see something change in her brother's eyes, though she could not understand it.
"A mixture of rage, happiness, and anticipation?"