ã€ŠLive Life Homunclusã€‹


 Prologue: Side 0.1

    Where is this?

    Even if I ask myself that question, I still don¡¯t know.

    The surrounding space was dark. It was a vast, all-encompassing darkness that stretched out for as far as the eye could see. Rather than calling it dark, it would be more accurate to say it was empty. I was within a place completely devoid of anything, where neither light nor color existed. Even if I extend a hand out in front of me, I¡¯d still see nothing but black. It was a thick, opaque sort of black. A black that seemingly devoured everything it touched.

    I don¡¯t know how I got here, nor do I know how much time passed since I first came here. My stay felt both long and transient, as if an eternity¡¯s worth of time was shoved into one, fleeting instant.

    As for memories, I have little, if any at all.

    The few things that I do remember, are all a blur. They come as fragmented images or fuzzy, faded impressions. Maybe these were memories or maybe they were all just delusions, but still, as the moment inside this darkness dragged on, I began to desperately horde and cherish each and every one of these uncertain thoughts.

    Was I going mad?

    Maybe, but if you think about it, it was only a natural outcome. After all, within this sort of eternal prison, where the only thing to entertain me existed in the form of jumbled thoughts in my head, it was only natural that these things became the things that I would come to cling to.

    As for what these memories were, well, they were vague and disorganized.

    Scenes of my, of a person¡¯s childhood. An image of a farm, of a school, of a big city filled with cars, trains, and people. The people within these images, they too, would appear and disappear at a moment¡¯s notice. Faces change, people age, encounters come and go¡­ Did I know these people in the past? Were they friends, family, or just mere strangers?The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    None of my vague impressions could give me a proper answer.

    There were sad times, there were happy times, there were times of yearning, times of anger, of pain, joy, grief, resignation¡­ It was a never-ending clip of experiences. Maybe it composed of an individual¡¯s lifetime, of their highest peaks and lowest moments. Was it good life? Was it a bad life? Was it a life well lived or a life deserved living? That, I don¡¯t dare to answer.

    Finally, such a life came to a stop, or at least, that¡¯s the conclusion I came to. It¡¯s ironic actually, this end was in fact the first real memory that I could remember. In a sense, the end of that old life was also the start of a new one.

    My life, the life of the person whose memories I recalled, his life came to an abrupt stop, and from its tattered remains, a world of complete darkness.

    A truck¡­ or was it a train? I don¡¯t know for certain, but he died because of it. It was a quick and painless death, almost instant, but prior to that moment, there existed a fog. The memory, the moments leading up to that final second, were filled with a hazy, dark fog, one tainted entirely in black.

    It was a black darker than the darkness around me.

    Vivid thoughts, painful thoughts swirled around that person¡¯s heart. Pain, resignation, unwillingness, relief¡­ it was a difficult emotion to describe. In fact, maybe no one emotion existed that could properly describe it.

    It was a maelstrom of chaos, one that barreled straight down into a path of inevitable self-destruction.

    Every time I recall that particular memory, it starts to hurt. I don¡¯t know what hurts exactly, after all, inside this wretched place, I don¡¯t even know whether or not I still have a body to hurt, but still, something hurts. Because it hurts, I try not to recall it, but in the end, I can¡¯t help myself.

    It hurts more than anything else within both my mind and within this empty space, but at the same time, it is the most vivid memory. Maybe because I relish that vividness, that feeling of life that it sometimes gives, but that particular memory is the one that I think about most often.

    The best way to describe it would be that it was a painful memory. A painful memory, but one so painful that I can¡¯t help but yearn for it.

    An uncertain amount of time passed before a change within this empty world occurred.

    It was a light. A faint, distant light that shined vividly, even amidst this dark, and empty space. It glowed dim, yet undoubtedly real.

    That light spurred something on within my mind. Emotions that I previously thought had all but disappeared, suddenly came back to life. It wasn¡¯t much, just a tiny little spark that threatened to blow out at a moment¡¯s notice, but still, it was enough. It was more than enough. Stretching out my nonexistent hand, I slowly approached that fleeting glow.

 Prologue: Side 0.2

    Scorched land, and crumbling cobblestone.

    A castle, worn down by warfare and ruined by nature stood in the middle of an expanding forest. The dark grey stone, of which the castle¡¯s foundation was built upon, appeared cracked and broken, as if it would collapse underneath its own weight at any given moment. Dark green vines coiled around almost every still-standing structure, a testament to mother nature¡¯s encroaching presence.

    It was once a magnificent palace. This much was evident by the faded outlines of towering castle walls, spiraling watchtowers, and broken ramparts that extended out as far as the eye could see. The roof tops were tiled with faded red shingles that gave off a presence reminiscent of majesty, while the castle gates still remained standing, even with the weight of their scars and history bringing them down.

    It was indeed a magnificent palace, but unfortunately, all that was left of it was nothing but a mere relic of a bygone era.

    Within the inner chambers of the castle, a soft hum filled the air. The sound of light footsteps echoed through the desolate halls.

    A head of dull grey hair leisurely skipped through the interior. It was a child. A little girl with the tinge of youth still evident in her complexion. Her figure was thin, almost dangerously so, but not quite. Her skin glowed with a faint, reddish flush, while her face, although stained by dust and dirt, appeared faultless, free of any blemishes or imperfections. Her nose curved upward, and her lips were a healthy shade of pale pink. Her eyes, which were shaped like wide almonds, were decorated with long eyelashes, and a pair of light blue irises.

    Poking out from the top of her head, were two protruding black bumps. Following closely behind her as she walked, was a black tail. It was thin, less than the width of a person¡¯s thumb, and the end was shaped like a heart-shaped arrow. It moved naturally, swaying with each step, as the little girl ventured deeper into the castle.

    She wore a black, tattered cloak. It had numerous holes and rips on it. The ends dragged against the ground, creating a series of billowing dust clouds that trailed closely in her wake.

    The girl walked with purpose, traveling through the castle, while her soft hums continued. Her little feet took her past deserted hallways and empty corridors, before they finally stopped in front of an ancient, wooden door.

    The door was half destroyed, and the moment she opened it, the musky scent of aged herb collided with the stench of ash. Much like the rest of the castle, the room appeared as if a tornado had gone and razed a path through the room.

    Broken tables, gouged out stone floors, and two of the four walls had collapsed. There was a huge gaping hole in the ceiling, one that peered directly into the first underground floor of the castle. The girl did not bat an eyelash to any of this, as she stepped into the room, and moved towards one of the still standing shelves.

    The shelf was tucked away in an inconspicuous corner, and only survived the carnage through sheer luck. Placed on one of the lower levels was a single book.

    Grabbing onto the book, the girl breathed out a puff of air on to the surface of the cover, as if to blow away any remaining dust. Of course, there was no dust, but this action was a long-standing habit, deeply ingrained in the girl¡¯s psyche since the very first time she discovered the book.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

    The little girl carefully traced the hard bindings of the book with a small finger, before she gingerly opened it. Flipping to a certain page, her expression suddenly turned serious. Her cheeks puffed up, as a crease appeared on her forehead.

    After a short while, she nodded her head. Taking out a certain object from her pocket, a childish smile appeared on her face. The object was a small sphere, about as large as an adult¡¯s fist. It had a clear, almost transparent surface, but the insides of the sphere appeared as if they contained the entirety of the night sky. A deep shade of black, dotted by numerous twinkling lights that shined with an almost transient glow.

    She compared the object in her hand, with the rough outline drawn on the page. Although there were some differences, after a few seconds of scrutinizing, the girl eventually nodded her head with vigor.

    She ran towards the center of the room, and placed the spherical orb on the ground. There was a vague outline of a person, drawn entirely out of faded chalk, on the floor. The image was rough, and the lines were shaky. It was apparent that the person who had drawn it was, at best, an amateur, and at worst, a child, but the little girl paid no heed to this.

    On the drawing, three distinct circles were drawn, one on the head, one on the chest, and one on the lower abdomen. The orb was placed in the circle on the chest.

    With a satisfied grin, the girl admired her work for a few seconds, before she immediately ran towards a different door within the room. After a while, she returned with several jars of an unknown substance. The substance sloshed noisily within their glass containers. The insides were the color of flesh, and their consistency was somewhere between a solid and a liquid.

    The girl gingerly set the jars aside near the drawing, before she returned to the room and removed a few more jars. After three more trips, she finally finished. In all, there were twenty jars in front of her, all containing the same, flesh-colored substance.

    The girl breathed out a tired sigh, as she wiped the sweat that had formed on her forehead. She brought out the book and flipped to a certain page. After reading for a while, her eyes began to swirl, as invisible question marks floated above her head. A few seconds of indecision passed, before she shrugged her shoulders, and began unscrewing one of the jars.

    A reverberating pop echoed through the room, as a slightly acidic smell wafted through the air. Without hesitation, the girl hurriedly dumped the contents of the jar into the circle located on the lower abdomen.

    Despite emptying out the entirety of the jar, the semi-liquid remained within the circle. Not even a single drop threatened to cut across the chalk outline. The girl repeated this process, and proceeded to empty out jar after jar of the mysterious liquid into the circle. After all twenty jars were emptied, she finally stopped, and took a step back to admire her work.

    Again, despite how much liquid she poured into the circle, not a single drop broke through the chalk. They were held together by some invisible tension, stopping right where the chalk outline began.

    She smiled lightly, before she turned her head back over towards the book. After only a short pause, she returned to the outline, and took out another item from underneath her cloak.

    This item was wrapped in a dirt stained cloth. Unfurling the cloth revealed a broken horn about as long as a toddler¡¯s thigh. The horn was entirely black. A deep scar traveled from the tip of the horn all the way to its base. Although they looked visually different, the horn shared the same shade of black as the small protrusions on top of the girl¡¯s head.

    She hesitated for a moment, before she placed the horn down onto the last remaining circle. Afterwards, the girl took a few cautionary steps away from the outline, before she suddenly extended out her hands.

    A few seconds of silence passed, before a faint red glow lit up the room. The glow came from the girl¡¯s outstretched fingers, and as the light descended slowly onto the human-shaped outline, a soft, expectant smile bloomed on the girl¡¯s face.

    ¡°Then¡­ create [Homunculus].¡± Her words, echoed quietly through the air, but no-one, not even her, could hear the faint, melancholic ring in her voice.

 Chapter 001: A New Start

    Opening my eyes, I was met with a peculiar sight.

    There was an archaic looking ceiling above my head. Time had done quite a number on it. The wood that acted as the support was badly damaged, splinters running through the surface like an intricate tattoo, while the stone that acted as the foundation had several splits and breaks to them. Located right at the center of the ceiling was a gigantic hole. The hole was not entirely uniform, and appeared as if someone had deliberately fired a giant cannon into the air.

    Peering into the hole, I could see just a little bit of the floor above.

    ¡°Where is this place?¡±

    The last thing I remembered was the empty room. No, it wasn¡¯t exactly an empty room, but more like a void. It was an ever-expanding world composed purely of a dark and dreary nothingness. I don¡¯t know how much time I spent in there. Frankly, most of my memories of that place are blurry, as if the whole experience was nothing more than a weird fever dream¡­ but I do remember that before I was inside that world, I was living in a city.

    My memories turn hazier and hazier the further back I try to recall, but one thing was for certain; within that modern-day metropolis, filled with towering skyscrapers, roaring cars, and faceless people, I died.

    ¡°Still, even if I died, why am I here? Is this place the afterlife?¡±

    From a modern city filled with life¡¯s conveniences, to an empty world devoid of light, life, and everything imaginable, it felt like I had just traversed a long and tumultuous journey. Yet, strangely enough, I was also under the impression that only a brief moment had passed, as if the only thing separating the two realities was a mere flip of a page.

    Now my circumstances placed me inside a stone room with a hole in the ceiling¡­ I didn¡¯t quite understand the logical progression of this story.

    Just as nonsensical thoughts filled my head, I heard a faint rustling coming from nearby. Turning my head to the side, for the first time, I noticed that I was not the only one within this room.

    There was a girl staring down at me from across the room.

    She was rather cute, if not a bit too young, and a bit too ragged.

    The girl looked to be about seven years of age. Her youthful face, and pale white complexion, which looked as fragile as tissue paper, was overshadowed by the blank look in her eyes. There was a sort of dim darkness hidden beneath her irises that appeared almost too compelling to ignore. It was a weird impression, and the girl in general gave of a weird impression, so weird in fact that I couldn¡¯t help but notice, despite how difficult it was to describe exactly what was so weird about her.

    She wore a tattered, black cloak. It had numerous holes and rips on it, and just like the girl, the cloak appeared as if it hadn¡¯t been properly washed in over a year.

    The last thing that really drew my attention was the girl¡¯s hair.

    She had a rather strange hair color. It was dull grey, similar to an elderly person¡¯s hair, yet somehow different. It was more of an opaque shade of grey, reminiscent of a cloudy overcast or a grave marker.

    On top of her head was a pair of strangely protruding black bumps. From a distance, not much of the black bumps could be seen. The majority of it was hidden by her hair, but the tips that did jut out, appeared thick and pointed.

    If I didn¡¯t know any better, then I would have immediately assumed that they were horns. Maybe they were horns.

    A strange silence pervaded the air as the girl continued to silently stare at me. Her blank, listless expression perfectly matched the dim light reflected in her eyes.

    ¡°Um, little girl?¡± Spurred by the heavy silence, I opened my mouth to speak, but hesitated the moment my voice materialized in the air. The words that I spoke, they weren¡¯t English, nor were they any language that I recognized. So, why was it that I could understand them? Why was I speaking a language that I did not recognize?

    My voice nudged the girl out from her stupor, as she reflexively blinked. A faint flicker of light flashed through her eyes, while her shoulders tensed. She drew a sharp, audible gasp.

    The girl¡¯s intent eyes glared down at me for a few seconds, before she suddenly balled her small hands into a fist, and jumped into the air. A small smile, which appeared both natural and unnatural on her listless face, blossomed. Her cloak danced with the movements of her body, revealing a set of dirt stained clothes underneath.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

    I was caught off guard by her sudden burst of excitement, but amidst my confusion, I managed to ask, ¡°Who are you?¡±

    My words once again brought her back to reality. The girl turned back towards me, and stared at my face for a second, before she pointed a finger towards herself.

    ¡°Mereli.¡± The girl responded. Her voice was soft, and soothing, like the faint ring of a windchime, or the gentle crash of a calm river.

    ¡°Mereli?¡± I unconsciously repeated. ¡°Is that your name?¡±

    She nodded. ¡°I¡¯m Mereli.¡± As if she just remembered something, she suddenly widened her eyes, and fixed her posture. She awkwardly bowed, lowering her head, and raising the hem of her cloak in the process.

    ¡°¡­ I am Mereli Greyhart. H-how do you do?¡± Her actions, although appeared well practiced, in execution, they came out sloppy, and awkward. Thankfully, the girl¡¯s natural charm and her carefully maintained expression more than made up for all her short comings.

    After her introduction, she breathed out a sigh, before flashing a self-satisfied smile.

    ¡°Okay, okay, so it¡¯s Mereli, huh¡­¡± I nodded my head repeatedly in mock understanding. Mereli? Was that a weird name? Was it normal? I couldn¡¯t really tell.

    ¡°Then, Mereli, where am I?¡±

    She titled her head, and made a face as if to express her current confusion. It wasn¡¯t that she didn¡¯t understand my question, but more like she was wondering why I was asking such an obvious question with such an obvious answer. Really, such a lively expression.

    ¡°This is the castle.¡± She responded lightly.

    ¡°A castle¡­¡±

    This ruined place was a castle? Was I in some sort of ruin? Maybe a historical sight? All around me, while I could see some vestiges of what was once probably a castle, like the stone walls and wooden rafters, this place was far too damaged, too neglected, and too destitute to match with the stereotypical image of a noble abode that I kept in my head.

    Was Mereli one of those homeless orphans that lived in abandoned buildings? Even on Earth, there were a few people like that. Speaking of which, was this place still on Earth?

    While I was lost in thought, Mereli timidly approached. Her footsteps were hesitant, yet that hesitation seemingly decreased with each step she took. As she moved, for the first time, I noticed something swaying closely behind her. It was thin, black and elongated. There was an inverted heart shaped tip at the end of it.

    It was a tail. An actual tail.

    Soon, she was directly next to me. I was so preoccupied with the tail, that by the time I realized, it was already too late. There were no more than a few inches separating the two of us from each other.

    Even though she looked short, right now, she was towering well above me. Her head stared down from above, a dark shadow casted over her face. The tail that stuck out from underneath her cloak occasionally flitted through my vision.

    Oh yeah, I forgot to mention, but I was still on the ground, lying supine on my back.

    I found it a bit awkward to stare up at a young girl like this, so I eventually sat up. My sudden action caused her to jump back in surprise, but Mereli¡¯s composure quickly returned as she brought her face closer to mine.

    The distance between us had shortened once more. This time, her knees were bent, and her back was arched over and leaning towards my direction. Her face was matching eye level with my own. A pair of light blue irises stared piercingly into my eyes.

    ¡°Um¡­ Little girl, no, Mereli, aren¡¯t you a bit too close?¡± I hesitantly spoke as I drew my head back.

    She ignored my words, as she continued to fixedly stare at my face. She hesitantly reached out a hand towards my head, and just as I worried whether to avoid or not, I felt a sharp tug on my scalp.

    ¡°Ouch!¡± I reflexively cried out.

    She yanked at my hair, not strong enough to pull it out from the roots, but plenty strong to cause me pain. After a few short, but painfully long seconds, she finally let go. Her face blossomed into an even brighter smile.

    ¡°We¡¯re the same¡­¡± She spoke with a smile, as she twirled a finger around her own hair.

    ¡°The same?¡± I briefly wondered what she meant, as I caressed the spot that she had almost completely pulled out.

    Do we have the same hair color or something? But that shouldn¡¯t be possible, after all, my hair was originally black¡­

    ¡°No, no, no, before that, Mereli, did you like¡­ um, maybe summon me here¡­ or something?¡± I eventually asked with uncertainty. Connecting all the dots in my current situation, a summoning was the conclusion that I finally reached. I mean, doesn¡¯t it happen all the time in books and movies? An ordinary guy from Earth, summoned and brought to another world in order to save the people from a great evil.

    Isn¡¯t this situation completely moving towards that sort of development? It definitely is, right? I, I¡¯m actually a super cool hero, right? Right?

    ¡°Summon?¡± She tilted her head in confusion. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±

    ¡°Ah, um no, never mind. If you don¡¯t know, that¡¯s fine.¡± I shook my head, and stifled my rising embarrassment (and deflating enthusiasm) with a sigh. Instead, I asked a different question. ¡°Mereli, do you happen to know how I got here?¡±

    I straightforwardly asked.

    ¡°Made you.¡± She answered with a happy laugh.

    ¡°What? Made me? What exactly does that mean?¡±

    She paused for a moment, as if ruminating over how to best respond, before she said, ¡°I made a friend.¡±

    ¡°A, a friend?¡±

    ¡°You.¡± She pointed directly at me.

    ¡°Me?¡± Even more questions filled my head. ¡°I don¡¯t, I don¡¯t really understand.¡± I flashed what I thought was my most kid friendly smile. With this sort of smile, I could probably work at a kindergarten. ¡°Can you explain it to me properly, Mereli?¡±

    Without hesitation, she nodded her head, before she silently ran over towards a particular spot in the room, and picked up a book that was lying on the ground. She raised the book up to my eyes, before flipping to a certain page. Seeing the triumphant smile on Mereli¡¯s face, I hesitantly turned my attention over to the opened book.

    A few seconds later, a weird expression contorted my face. I squinted my eyes in half shock, and half disbelief, as I hoarsely mumbled to myself. ¡°A homunculus¡­¡±

    ¡°Am I actually a homunculus?¡±

 Chapter 002: A Fake (New) Life

    Our footsteps echoed like low thumping heartbeats, as we walked down the empty hall. Mereli led the way, while I followed closely behind, a dazed and absentminded expression dotting my face. The initial shock from her earlier revelation still rang through my ears, even after five minutes had passed.

    I mean, isn¡¯t it normal to be shocked? Homunculus. I¡¯m apparently a homunculus. That, something like that isn¡¯t human. Rather, from what I can remember, homunculi were artificial humans.

    Homunculi; artificial humans created through a process called alchemy. If I remember correctly, it should be something from Islamic or Christian folklore. Or was it European? No, maybe it was Ancient Greek¡­ Regardless of where it came from, in essence, a homunculus was a fake human.

    Even though I was a supposed fake, I still remember being a real human. At least, I think I do.

    I wasn¡¯t too certain, on the account of my memories being a bit obscured, but there was a certain part of me that had the impression that I was human. More so, I don¡¯t even think homunculi are real, or rather, they aren¡¯t supposed to be real. A homunculus was a thing of legend and myth. It may have been popularized by books and tv shows, but fundamentally, it was something that existed only in imagination.

    At least, that was what my common sense was telling me. Although, then again, within that supposed ¡®common sense¡¯ of mine, I don¡¯t exactly recall there being anything about little girls with horns and a black tail that resembled a demon¡¯s. In fact, ever since I woke up, the common sense in my head didn¡¯t seem all that common.

    Were those memories false, then?  Did my soul happen to cross over to another world, and flow into the body of a homunculus when I died? Was I in a world where my common sense was worthless? That was probably the most likely answer, but then again, is a homunculus even capable of having a soul in the first place?

    Unaware of my current inner turmoil, Mereli continued further down the hallway. She nimbly traversed over the rubble and debris, all the while humming a song that I did not recognize.

    Seeing this happy go lucky little girl only filled my head with further doubts. I couldn¡¯t even begin to imagine how a child like this had somehow created me. I shook my head, as I hurried to catch up with her surprisingly agile movements.

    I took a deep breath, and looked at things from a different perspective.

    Whether I¡¯m a homunculus or not doesn¡¯t matter right now. In the first place, I shouldn¡¯t just blindly believe in whatever Mereli tells me.

    Although she might not mean any harm by it, there existed the possibility that she was lying. As for why, I could only begin to guess. Maybe it was something like a game. Children do that all the time, after all. Like playing house or pretending to be a superhero.

    It isn¡¯t Mereli¡¯s fault, rather, it¡¯s mine.

    My vulnerable mindset was what made me so responsive to her previous words. If I hadn¡¯t been so riled up, maybe I wouldn¡¯t have reacted in such a big way. Looking back on it, it¡¯s a bit difficult to believe her words, especially on the account that I look no different than a regular human. My limbs and body feel fine, and visually speaking, they appear ¡°normal.¡± Even my little friend down there looks okay too. Aside from the fact that I woke up naked, I was completely normal, and appeared ¡°human¡±.  While I haven¡¯t seen my face, just from the touch alone, that too, appeared ¡°normal¡±.

    On that note, after I woke up, I was lucky enough to find an old curtain, which I was currently using to cover myself.

    As expected, for now, the best option is to simply ask more questions.

    Let¡¯s question her nicely. Something like an old family relative, or a friendly neighborhood big brother from across the street¡­ Okay, let¡¯s go with that sort of feeling in mind.

    ¡°Hey Mereli,¡± I called out from behind her. ¡°Did you really create me?¡±

    Mereli nodded her head and responded with a light ¡°Yep!¡± There was no pause nor hesitation in her words, as she carefully climbed over a particularly large slab of white marble that had broken off and fallen from the ceiling.

    ¡°Then, how did you create me?¡± I continued to ask. My eyes unconsciously drifted towards the hard-bound book that Mereli hugged close to her chest. It was ancient looking, with leather bindings and a dark, almost murky green cover.

    Mereli stopped for a moment, and tilted her head to the side, while a pained expression flashed through her face. It wasn¡¯t that she couldn¡¯t answer, but more that she didn¡¯t know how to answer. She thought for a while, before giving a vague response. ¡°Um¡­ this and that. It was easy.¡±This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

    ¡°Easy? Really? Are homunculi that easy to make?¡± I flashed a doubtful frown towards the clearly carefree seven-year-old. Was a homunculus something akin to a convenient, ready to make servant? I mean, if someone like a clueless little girl could make me, then I probably wasn¡¯t anything grand or special. A production line that could churn out dozens of fresh homunculi at the flip of a switch¡­ something like that doesn¡¯t exist, right?

    Even though my mind told me that I was once human, so I shouldn¡¯t pay it any heed, I couldn¡¯t help but feel a bit despondent.

    Ignorant of my momentary existential crisis, Mereli vigorously nodded her head as she patted the book in her arms.

    ¡°It was super easy!¡± She exclaimed. ¡°The hardest part was reading the words. You see, Mereli can¡¯t read well yet. Even though the teacher said Mereli was really smart, I still can¡¯t read the books that Father reads. She was probably a liar¡­ ah, but I tried really hard, and I was able to do it after a few weeks. Aren¡¯t I great?¡±

    The little girl spoke proudly, tooting her own horn without reservation, as she smiled a toothy smile. But despite her cheery voice and brighter than light attitude, all I could muster was a twitching smile. I felt a sudden severe pain in my heart.

    I was created by her¡­ I was created by a little girl who can barely read.

    Even though I just told myself not to easily believe Mereli¡¯s words, for some reason, I had the sinking feeling that the girl in front of me was telling the truth.

    A weak, hollow chuckle leaked out from my throat, before I shook my head, and forcibly calmed myself down. Whatever the process of her actions may be, none of that mattered now. After all, I was made successfully. There shouldn¡¯t be any unforeseen defects, at least, hopefully. Probably¡­ there was probably nothing wrong with me.

    I shook my head again, and redirected my gaze back towards Mereli. ¡°Then, can you tell me a little bit about how you made me?¡±

    She nodded her head enthusiastically, before she proceeded to clumsily explain her process. ¡°Um, um, it was difficult¡­¡± As if she realized what she had just said, she suddenly widened her eyes, and frantically shook her head. ¡°Just¡­ just kidding! It was actually really, super easy.¡±

    She paused for a moment, mumbling her words in an incoherent babble, before she spoke up, ¡°Just that, the jars were a bit, only a tiny bit, heavy! The orb thingy too, it was hard to find¡­ but I actually found it really easily, so it was easy hard, but not really hard. So more like, easy, easy¡­ and father¡¯s horn was¡­¡±

    Listening to her explain, I couldn¡¯t help but let out a mild sigh. This girl was so quiet and subdued when we first met, but now she was talking so much, it was almost impossible for me to but in. Was she the type of person who warmed up to strangers easily? This wasn¡¯t really a good trait for her, considering she was only a little girl. Who knows how many bad guys out there would be more than willing to take her away. It was a bit discomforting, but right now, her open attitude was helpful.

    The moment she reached the topic regarding something about a horn, her words suddenly trailed off. Looking at her expression, I could see that a slight shadow had fallen across her face.

    ¡°Your dad¡¯s horn¡­¡± I began, my vision moved to the two protruding horns that dotted her head.

    After a slight pause, she hurriedly nodded her head. ¡°Father¡¯s horn was important. Also, after I was done, I felt really tired for some reason, but now I feel better.¡±

    Although it was clumsily done, I could still tell that the little girl before me was trying to change the subject. Right now, all I could do was nod my head and go along with her little ruse.

    I repeatedly nodded my head, all the while muttering, ¡°I see, I see.¡± In truth though, my mind was filled with more questions than answers. Although she tried hard, it wasn¡¯t really a good idea to trust a seven-year-old to explain a complicated process like creating life, even if that life is artificial.

    ¡°Ah, but I liked doing the drawing part.¡± She stated with a mirth giggle.

    ¡°I see, Mereli likes drawing, huh? I bet your really good at it.¡± I smiled in resignation.

    ¡°Yup!¡±

    Seeing her all too adorable smile that was completely directed at me, I felt as if someone had just fired a cuteness cannon directly to my chest. I shook my head, and rubbed the crown of her head, which was basically just asking to get patted.

    At first, Mereli¡¯s shoulders were tense, but after a few seconds, they relaxed while an aura of satisfaction practically leaked out from her skin. A goofy smile floated to her lips.

    We continued walking for some time. I don¡¯t know since when, but Mereli¡¯s hand was firmly locked onto mine. If it was just normal handholding, then I could have brushed it aside, and treated the whole incident like I would a school teacher walking a lost kindergartner to her class, but the weird part was, that Mereli wasn¡¯t just holding my hand. For some reason, she was forcing my palm onto the top of her head. She held my hand down and locked it in place with her own.

    Seeing the blissful expression scribbled on her face, the desire to protest died down no sooner than it had appeared. I couldn¡¯t do anything, so I just wearily consented.

    ¡°Oh, yeah, Mereli, where are we going?¡± I suddenly remembered that I actually didn¡¯t know where this little girl was taking me.

    ¡°Home.¡± She curtly answered.

    ¡°This castle isn¡¯t your home?¡± This came as a genuine surprise to me. Although this little girl was hanging around such a delipidated place like this, for some reason, I had assumed from the get go that she lived here. In retrospect, it would have been weirder if she actually did live here, on the account of how generally uninhabitable this ruined castle was.

    Mereli shook her head. ¡°This castle is Father¡¯s work place. Mereli lives somewhere else.¡±

    ¡°I see, I see¡­¡±

    Despite all the questions floating in my head, I decided not to pry any further. For one, I had quickly realized that Mereli wasn¡¯t very gifted in the art of explaining. Asking for questions would only lead to even more questions. Who was Mereli¡¯s dad? Why was she in a place like this? How in the heck was she able to ¡°create¡± a homunculus?

    If I asked her these questions, then without a doubt, rather than answers, I would only come out more confused than before.

    Harboring all my doubts and desires and burying them somewhere deep in my heart, I quietly followed Mereli as we walked even deeper down the castle halls.

 Chapter 003: A Home Unlike Any Other

    To my surprise, we did not leave the vicinity of the castle.

    Instead, Mereli led me further into the castle interior, to a place where the light of the sun could not reach. We snaked our way past decrepit hallways and tattered rooms, before finally stopping in front of a set of archaic stairs. It was a spiraling staircase that descended deep underground. From its appearance, it was built with stone, metal, and a hint of mold.

    With her hand still firmly held onto mine, and with my own still placed snuggly on top of her head, I silently followed Mereli, as we descended down the staircase. The moment I did, two things in particular stood out to me.

    The first was the stench. It was a strong smell, something that closely resembled rusting iron, but not quite. There was a weird sort of dissonance, as if the smell of iron was clashing with another, second smell that I could not identify. Add both together, and it resulted in quite a unique experience.

    While the scent did cause my nose to wrinkle, it wasn¡¯t entirely unbearable, rather, it gave me a sort of weird feeling of familiarity.

    The second thing I noticed was the darkness.

    I once again descended into darkness, the only difference this time was that I entered on my own volition. The darkness here was similar to the darkness in that room, or rather, within that void. It was a suffocating type of darkness, one that threatened to pierce through my skin and make its way deep into my body, but just like the smell, it wasn¡¯t unbearable.

    In the past, I was alone. There was nothing and no one to accompany me while the solitary darkness kept me confined as its sole prisoner. Now, it was different. There was a comforting warmth. Strands of silky hair ran through my fingers, while the heat from the crown of Mereli¡¯s head kept that lonely sensation at bay.

    This was different from that time. I wasn¡¯t alone. I was no longer alone.

    Although I could not see it, I could imagine Mereli walking ahead of me with a confident, nonchalant smile. Even now, she was casually humming another song that I could not recognize.

    If she¡¯s like this, then wouldn¡¯t it be a bit embarrassing for me to be the one afraid?

    With that sort of thought in mind, and with an attitude that did not want to lose to this little girl in front of me, I reigned in my earlier apprehensions, suppressed the goosebumps running down my back and wordlessly trudged forward.

    After a while, the stairs began to taper out and the floor beneath my feet turned even.  For what felt like forever, I found myself walking in a straight line. The smooth cobblestone beneath sent chills down my spine, while the quiet tickling at the back of my neck set my thoughts into overdrive. Only the continued warmth in the palm of my hand kept me from running back up the staircase.

    Eventually, I noticed something had changed.

    It was a bit hard to describe, but the atmosphere had changed¡­ or maybe it was the feeling? Something within this small space had changed. There was a sort of dampness present in the air, while at the same time, a natural, earthy scent had replaced the previously overpowering stench of rusting iron.

    Even without my sight, I knew almost immediately that I was now walking through some sort of cavern. The clearest indicator of this was the fact that the ground beneath my feet had changed. It wasn¡¯t smooth nor cool to the touch like the stone floors of the castle, rather, I felt the softness of loose soil. Tiny flecks of loose stone and congealed dirt paved the road ahead.

    Eventually, even the stale air around me changed. Everything suddenly felt more open and less confined, there was even a slight breeze coming from somewhere far away.

    At the same time, the warmth from my hand abruptly disappeared. I heard a series of footsteps hurriedly run ahead of me. After a few seconds of tense momentary silence, a soft light pierced through the darkness.

    It took me a while to adjust to that light, but once I did, I quickly saw Mereli¡¯s distant figure. She was standing a dozen or so feet away from me, and in her hands, was an old oil lamp. With a faint, flickering luster, the light of the lamp illuminated the surroundings and drove the darkness away as if they were scattered packs of scuttering sewer rats.

    I soon noticed that I was within a stone room.

    It was a small, rectangular shaped room. The walls and the floor appeared jagged and uneven, as if they had been cut straight from lime stone. It was clear to me that this was a naturally formed wall. If and any human interference was probably kept at a minimum.

    I looked behind me, and saw a rather narrow passage way that led into a familiar darkness. I knew that further ahead of that passage was the spiraling staircase that led up into the castle.

    Before I had the time to think, the light suddenly waned.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    Mereli wordlessly walked over towards another narrow passageway, this one located all the way on the other side of the stone room. I hesitated for a moment, before I hurriedly followed after the diminishing light.

    After a minute of more walking, we arrived at another cavern.

    This time, it was considerably bigger than the last one. Even with the light of the lamp at our side, it was still impossible to illuminate everything.

    The cavern was dome shaped, with stalactites hanging from the ceiling and stalagmites sticking out from the ground. If I had to give a rough estimation on the size of the cavern, then this place was at least half of a football field. Of course, this was a very rough estimate. With the darkness that surrounded the room and obscured my vision, it was almost impossible to see where the ground ended and the walls began.

    Aside from the empty space of the cavern, there was also an underground lake.

    The water was still, and colored a deep shade of black. I could not tell whether this black was due to the reflection of the shadows, or if it was the lake¡¯s natural color, but it gave the impression as if I were staring straight into a pool of thick, viscous motor oil. I could only imagine just what type of creature lurked beneath its murky surface.

    Growing near the edges of the lake, was a sort of moss type plant. It was numerous in number, and grew in other places inside the cavern as well. The only reason why I was able to notice such a small plant, was because within this black filled cavern, it stuck out the most.

    The moss was luminescent. It glowed with a faint greenish hue, that made seeing within this cavern just a tiny bit easier.

    While I was keeping myself distracted with the new scenery, Mereli walked over to a particular corner of the cavern. There was a smaller space, sort of hollowed out from one of the walls of the cavern. It was just large enough to resemble a small, three-sided bedroom.

    There, Mereli found another oil lamp, and quickly ignited it, increasing the brightness of the cavern once more.

    The small stone room was covered in fabric. Old ragged pieces of clothing, thin blankets, and thick comforters were haphazardly strewn across the floor. Some of the clothes looked no different from dish rags and floor mops, while others looked intricately designed and lavishly expensive. Almost all of them were badly damaged, and appeared as if they hadn¡¯t been washed in over a decade.

    Tucked away in one corner of the room was a pile of empty, clay colored rucksacks. Located in another corner was another pile of the same rucksacks. This time, they weren¡¯t empty, and instead, bloated up with unknown contents.

    I would have been a bit more curious about what was inside, if I hadn¡¯t caught a glimpse of the mold quietly growing on the bottom of one of the sacks.

    As I followed Mereli into the stone room, I couldn¡¯t help but stare at my surroundings with open fascination.

    Almost immediately, I noticed something odd on one of the walls.

    There was a small indentation. It was a hollowed-out space, circular in shape, and about the size of an adult fist. What made it stand out so much was the fact that the indentation was too perfect. It appeared sculpted, and felt smooth to the touch. That, and the fact that it was located in a very obvious location; dead center on the backwall of the stone room.

    ¡°That¡¯s where Mereli found it.¡± Mereli, who noticed my lingering gaze, immediately chimed in.

    ¡°Found what?¡± I asked.

    ¡°The ball¡ª err, the orb thingy.¡± She responded. ¡°It was kind of cool and shiny. It was colored like the night sky.¡±

    Colored like the night sky? What did that mean?

    I did not quite understand what she meant, but right now, that wasn¡¯t particularly important to me. There was something else bothering me, something that incessantly pestered and poked at the back of my mind like an annoying, squawking buzzard.

    It wasn¡¯t the odd indentation, nor was it the scattered blankets or the glowing moss. It was something¡ª someone else.

    My gaze traveled through the room, before it eventually landed on Mereli. Looking at her, all I could see was a little girl whose innocence was completely reflected in her immature gaze. I couldn¡¯t imagine that someone like that was the one who created me, nor could I understand why.

    I quietly asked, ¡°Do you live here?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± She nodded her head without hesitation, an unchanging, inattentive expression on her face.

    I hesitated. I hesitated for a long time, before I asked another question. ¡°For how long have you lived here?¡±

    Mereli paused for a moment, and thought. After a few seconds, she shook her head. With a faint smile, she responded, ¡°Mereli doesn¡¯t remember. Ever since I woke up here, I¡¯ve always lived here.¡±

    I nodded my head. The blank look on my face betrayed the swirling thoughts in my mind.

    Looking down at her quiet calm, I couldn¡¯t help but frown.

    There was something. I felt that I needed to say something, but what? What could I say? What did I need to so desperately say to her? That I was sorry? That living like this wasn¡¯t right? No, I couldn¡¯t say any of those words, because those words would sound insincere. Because those words were insincere.

    My existence was not something that could feel sympathy for her, nor was it something that could comfort her.

    I wasn¡¯t sorry for her, no, what I felt was something else. A faint trace of empathy.

    I could understand her, not entirely, but just a little bit. I could understand the things that Mereli went through. It wasn¡¯t exactly like her experience, but that blank void was something similar.

    The darkness within this cave was similar. The eerie emptiness was similar. The feeling of isolation so thick that it threatened to choke the very breath out from my lungs, that was also similar.

    I was alone in that empty space, so I could understand. I was alone, so I could empathize with Mereli. I was alone, so I knew the reason why the small smile she made hurt the most. I was alone, but¡­ was she?

    How did she feel, throughout all this time? What type of emotions, what type of reasons had she conjured up to keep that all too familiar feeling of isolation at bay?

    Should I say it? Should I ask?

    Just as I mentally anguished over my indecision, Mereli suddenly spoke.

    ¡°I was alone.¡± Her words echoed through the cavern like a haunting sonata. ¡°Ever since Father and everyone else disappeared, I¡¯ve been alone ever since. Mereli¡ª I was alone, very, very alone, so¡­ that¡¯s why I made you.¡±

    Lonely and desolate, but somehow that small figure appeared even brighter than the sun above the skies.

    I did not know why, but I found Mereli¡¯s current half smile to be different from before. It did not contain the usual traces of resignation that normally would have been present, rather, there was something else. Something¡­ a lot warmer.

    Without a doubt, it was a smile that I would have never been able to make alone within the darkness.

    I opened my mouth to say something, but before a single word could leave my throat, a low rumbling filled the room.

 Chapter 004: How I was Created

    The cavern hadn¡¯t collapsed, nor had an earthquake ravaged through the castle. In the first place, it would be ridiculous if someone¡¯s (more specifically, Mereli¡¯s) rumbling stomach could produce such disasters.

    Right now, Mereli and I are comfortably enjoying a rather humble meal. Curled up underneath a thick layer of blankets with only her head sticking out, Mereli chewed on a piece of bread like a starved chipmunk. Her bloated cheeks were covered in tiny crumbs, while her almond shaped eyes continually stared at me throughout the whole process.

    Like her, I was also eating a piece of bread. The bread in question was stale, hard, and somehow bitter. It was the rough, grainy type of bread that was meant to last for months without rotting. Usually, you¡¯d see it rationed out to troops in the middle of war, or distributed during a famine.

    I don¡¯t recall ever eating this type of bread before, so you could say it was a rather novel experience, although not one that I enjoyed. Even though I didn¡¯t like it, considering the fact that it came from Mereli¡¯s dwindling food supply, I held my tongue back and silently ate without complaint.

    Actually, the bread wasn¡¯t all that bad, at least in comparison to a few of the other loaves that I found within that old rucksack of hers. I¡¯m thankful enough that I escaped the privilege of eating my first mold infested meal.

    I once again reflected on how poor this girl¡¯s living conditions were, while a silent sigh leaked out from my parched throat.

    After swallowing down the loaf in three bites, I wiped the saliva off my lips and focused my attention towards the book in front of me. This was the book Mereli was carrying around earlier today. After asking her about it, she was kind enough to let me read it.

    While the front cover was blank, flipping to the first page revealed the real title of the book.

    [The Greatest Alchemical Compendium in the Entire World. Property of Marl Taizi. Mereli DON¡¯T touch!]

    The words were all handwritten in a somewhat informal script. The letters were foreign, and the words were alien. Yet, despite all that, I could still read the sentences, and understand the meaning behind the arrogant words scribbled sloppily on the page. It was a completely weird, and discomforting experience.

    Looking back, I was mildly surprised to see that everything was handwritten, although truth be told, in the back of my mind, this was something that I had long expected from the very beginning. And just like the rest of my expectations, this book really did deal with the arcane art of alchemy.

    The concept of alchemy wasn¡¯t something I was very familiar with, but at the same time, it wasn¡¯t an entirely new idea either.

    Even on earth, alchemy used to exist. Of course, the alchemy back then wasn¡¯t like the romanticized versions often seen in books and movies. The real thing was a lot less exciting, more closely resembling chemistry or biology.

    In fact, alchemy was known as the predecessor to modern chemistry, with the former eventually dying out completely in favor of the more scientifically accurate alternative. It was only later in time that alchemy morphed into the version most people were familiar with. Now, when people think of alchemy, they think of magic circles, ancient herbs, and crazy old men. Regardless of how it turned out, all the same, alchemy was an integral and irreplaceable notch in humanity¡¯s long past.

    At least, for Earth it was.

    There, alchemy was a diverse field of study that dealt with a mixture of science and magic. From what I could recall, it mainly focused on making gold, creating the philosopher¡¯s stone, and finding immortality. Artificial life was probably mixed in somewhere in there too, but I¡¯m not too certain.

    Yes, Alchemy was an amazing thing, at least from a ¡°normal¡± person¡¯s perspective. It was amazing, so by extension, this book should be something amazing too, but¡­

    ¡°Calling it the greatest¡­ Isn¡¯t that a bit too much?¡± I mumbled to myself with a frown.

    It felt like I was reading the delusional novel of a middle schooler. Reading this felt seriously embarrassing for some reason, like I was digging up some dark, and all too regrettable history¡­ even though I don¡¯t actually remember anything.

    Could it be¡­ I have repressed memories?

    While I thought about such inconsequential things, my eye¡¯s locked onto the name of the owner.

    ¡°Mereli, who is Marl Taizi?¡± I curiously asked.

    Mereli¡¯s eyes widened. She hurriedly swallowed the piece of bread in her mouth, before she answered. ¡°Miss Sage is father¡¯s sage.¡±

    ¡°A Sage?¡± Another unfamiliar term.

    Mereli nodded her head. ¡°Father said she was a witch, but Miss Sage called herself a sage, so Mereli calls her Miss Sage.¡±

    ¡°Witches and Sages¡­¡± Witches were generally considered a female only occupation that dealt with the dark side of the arcane. Things like brewing magical potions and casting hexes. I think their counterparts were something like warlock or wizard. Again, it was another fantasy term that belonged in a movie, and not real life.

    ¡°If she¡¯s a witch, then that means the owner of this book was a girl¡­¡± I thoughtlessly mumbled to myself.

    ¡°No, wrong!¡± A high-pitched voice echoed through the cavern. I knitted my brow, as I turned towards the source of the voice.

    ¡°Lady, a lady!¡± Mereli shook her head and shouted. ¡°Not a girl, Miss Sage isn¡¯t a girl, she¡¯s a lady!¡±You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

    Caught off guard by her sudden intensity, I reflexively leaned my body away. My eyes widened, while an incredulous expression flashed through my face.

    Mereli¡¯s fuming expression stopped for a moment, before she looked up at me with curious eyes. With a weird smile, she asked, ¡°Do you not know?¡±

    I unconsciously frowned. ¡°Am I missing something? Do I not know what?¡±

    There was a brief, almost impossible to notice glitter in her eyes, before Mereli clicked her tongue. ¡°Tsk, tsk, tsk. Since you don¡¯t know, it can¡¯t be helped.¡± She spoke with a somewhat overbearing tone. ¡°Because you don¡¯t know, Mereli will tell you.¡±

    Posturing like there¡¯s no tomorrow, the little lady magnanimously explained. ¡°Mereli is a girl because she¡¯s still small, and hasn¡¯t grown up yet. Miss Sage is a lady, because she¡¯s old and has boobs on her chest.¡±

    Like any of that matters¡­

    Although I wanted to say it, although I wanted to say it really badly, Mereli was smiling like she was having fun, so I couldn¡¯t say it!

    She suddenly untangled herself from the blankets, and sat up. She crossed her arms, and flashed a somewhat smug smile on her face. It might just be my imagination, but this little girl had an expression as if she was looking down on me. ¡°So, you don¡¯t even know that? It looks like Mereli is smarter than you, hu hu hu¡­¡±

    Even though she was acting haughty and putting on airs, because it was cute, I¡¯ll let it slide. If there¡¯s an opportunity in the future, I¡¯ll teach her about humility, but right now, seeing her overbearing style of cuteness, I¡¯ll just silently enjoy the show for the time being.

    ¡°Yes, yes, Mereli is the smartest, isn¡¯t she?¡± I placated the little girl with a pat on the head. Her expression softened, while an absentminded smile floated to her face.

    Even though she can be haughty, it¡¯s surprisingly easy to control her. Patting her head seems to have the largest effect, kind of like petting a cat¡­ although cats aren¡¯t nearly this easy to satisfy.

    ¡°So, can you tell me what Miss Sage was like?¡± I asked after I pulled back my hand.

    She had a somewhat disappointed expression, as she stared longingly at my hand. After a few seconds, she regained her focus, and thought for a moment. Almost immediately, Mereli frowned before answering, ¡°She¡¯s no good.¡±

    ¡°No good?¡±

    Mereli tersely nodded her head. ¡°A bad person. Miss Sage is definitely no good.¡±

    A bad person?

    Was she one of those alchemists who liked to experiment on people? Things like fusing different living beings together, creating hybrid chimeras, or feeding poison to a person in the guise of an experiment. Was she the type of alchemist you¡¯d see working for a shady evil organization, or as the mid boss in some mediocre RPG? That type of bad?

    ¡°She¡¯s a grumpy person who always bullies Mereli.¡±

    ¡°She¡ªshe bullied you?¡± I felt my face cramping up.

    Mereli furiously nodded her head. ¡°She wouldn¡¯t let Mereli play around, and she always told me not to touch her things. She¡¯s very selfish, even though Mereli asked nicely, she still wouldn¡¯t let me play with them.¡±

    I could only wryly smile after hearing her frustrated words. It was understandable. Who would willingly let a child play around with dangerous alchemical ingredients? More so, Mereli was probably the daughter of her employer. If she somehow injured the boss¡¯s daughter, then I could only imagine the headache this Miss Sage would have experienced.

    ¡°She sure does sound awful.¡± I tactfully agreed.

    ¡°Yes, yes, Miss Sage was awful.¡± Mereli continued to badmouth with ample enthusiasm. ¡°That¡¯s why, that¡¯s why you can¡¯t be like that, okay? You have to listen to Mereli, and you have to give Mereli all the candies that you find. You also have to share your things, okay? And you absolutely, definitely can¡¯t bully Mereli, and, um¡­ um¡­¡±

    While Mereli was looking at me with eyes resembling a puppy who wanted more attention, I tuned out her endless rambling, and turned my focus back towards the book.

    [The Greatest Alchemical Compendium in the Entire World. Property of Marl Taizi. Mereli DON¡¯T touch!]

    Seeing the words specifically addressed to Mereli, I couldn¡¯t help but feel that this book was more of a person¡¯s personal journal rather than something like a textbook or instruction manual.

    Flipping through the subsequent pages, I discovered that it was a bit of both. Sometimes the author of the book would write their personal thoughts, while other times they¡¯d have an organized entry that resembled a recipe list from a cook book, or a procedural outline from a lab manual. Notes and little reminders were scattered across the corners of the pages, while a variety of different topics, such as botany, geology, biology, medicine, and many more, littered the entirety of the book.

    Again, I was able to confirm that I really was able to read and understand the language of the text before me. Even though there was still a vague feeling as if I was looking at something foreign, the information simply existed in my head. While I was thankful for this ability, it still perplexed me to no end.

    Worrying about it won¡¯t lead to anything, so for now¡­ let¡¯s ignore it.

    Mindlessly flipping through the book, I skimmed through numerous pages, before I finally arrived at the thing that I was looking for.

    [Entry 095: Homunculus: Introduction, Usage, and Creation]

    [A homunculus is a form of artificial life, created through alchemical process.

    Because of its easy production method, and generally weak combat potential, they are mainly used as day laborers, or as servants for wealthy families. The creation of a homunculus is relatively simply, with the only real requirement being the necessary mana power from the creator. Because their starting materials are more or less reusable, homunculi are informally termed as the recyclable servant or as disposable humans. They are convenient for dangerous experiments where the threat of death is relatively high.]

    ¡°A homunculus sounds a bit¡­ pathetic.¡± I sighed in self-derision.

    A weak, disposable, and most heartbreaking of all, a convenient race. Rather than actually calling it a legitimate race or species, homunculi sounded more like items. Inanimate animate items, whose birth, and all too easy death lay completely at the hands of their creators.

    How should I feel about this? What type of emotion was proper? Despair at my own race? Frustration at their weakness? Maybe anger towards their injustice?

    I don¡¯t know. Even if I complain about it, there wasn¡¯t really anything I could do. It¡¯s the same basic logic of lamenting over the fact that I was born human, although in this case, it would be the fact that I was a homunculus.

    I shook my head, and turned my attention back over towards the book. Underneath all the formal text, was a little note, scribbled sloppily on the bottom of the page, detailing some more information.

    [This mainly applies to general class homunculus.

    It is possible to change their traits based on modification of either the ingredients or the mana circle. Still, this makes them really convenient in a different sense. Increasing the combat potential isn¡¯t very cost effective, so this route is almost never taken, but through modification, it is possible to directly transcribe information into their heads, allowing a homunculus to possess certain skills or knowledge without having to waste time or resources teaching them. Because of this, they make good assistants, butlers, maids, and children¡¯s companions.]

    ¡°Transcribed information¡­ is this why I can read?¡± I mumbled thoughtlessly to myself.

    My sudden knowledge always confounded me, but if the necessary information really was transcribed during my inception, then it would at least provide one plausible explanation. Although that didn¡¯t necessarily explain all these memories of mine¡­

    Aside from that, the next page contained the actual process of my creation, as well as the all-important ingredients list.

    Reading through it, I couldn¡¯t help but let out another sigh.

 Chapter 005: A Convenient Existence

    A homunculus really was an easy-to-make living thing. Calling them convenient was almost an understatement. It only needed three ingredients; fermented ambrosia, a mana core, and a catalyst.

    Fermented ambrosia sounded cooler than what it actually was. In truth, it was just a hodgepodge of ingredients strewn together in order to act as the basis for the body. The term ¡®fermented ambrosia¡¯, was just an informal nickname for the substance. It had another formal name, but the author didn¡¯t bother writing it down.

    Since it really could substitute and create a living body, it might really be something amazing, but according to this book, Fermented ambrosia was a relatively cheap ingredient, so¡­

    The next ingredient on the list was the mana core. Mana, as expected, existed, and mana cores were the cumulation of this world¡¯s mana. A mana core was just a generalization, and in truth, there were a lot of varieties/alternatives which could all be effectively used in the creation of a homunculus. Mana stones could be mined underneath the ground, while something called a monster core could be dug up from the corpse of a monster.

    Since the last one sounded a tad bit gruesome, I pushed it to the back of my mind for the time being.

    In summary, a mana core was simply a bundle of mana. It was essentially the energy source for a homunculus, something like how the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell¡­ although that¡¯s kind of a weird comparison.

    Although this should have been something difficult to understand, it was all conveniently written down in the footnotes.

    Even though she put so much effort into explaining such a complicated topic, she was too lazy to even give out the formal name for that ambrosia stuff¡­

    I silently cursed at the author of this book without reservation.

    Well, back to the topic at hand, if I had one concern, it would be the fact that I don¡¯t really know how they sustain a homunculus once the mana core runs out of mana. What was the shelf life for my species? Was I rechargeable? Do homunculi just drop dead and die the very moment they run out of mana? I hope not, abruptly dying like that doesn¡¯t sound very pleasant, after all.

    Speaking of which, I wonder what type of mana core Mereli used to create me? Since she did say something about finding my core indented on one of the walls of this cavern, maybe it was the mana stone type?

    The last ingredient is the catalyst. A catalyst was a hard thing to explain. In essence, it was a piece of a living creature. The catalyst was used at the start of the creation process in order to jump start the whole procedure, and give the final product the essence of life. The effects of the catalyst aren¡¯t really well explained.

    A bad catalyst had minimal influence on the end result, while a good catalyst could result in the possibility of the homunculus inheriting a few traits and attributes from the original species. There wasn¡¯t really a definitive answer, only vague hypothesis. Well, generally speaking, better quality catalysts were always preferred.

    The only real limiting factor was the fact that the catalyst had to originate from an intelligent creature. The difference between a strand of hair from a person and a tuft of fur from a wild boar was quite immense apparently, although the author never really explained why.

    Did she think it was common sense? Well, my common sense isn¡¯t like everyone else¡¯s common sense, so even if it was, I wouldn¡¯t know.

    As for me, Mereli apparently used her father¡¯s horn as the catalyst. I don¡¯t really know whether his genes were good genes or not, but Mereli¡¯s father shouldn¡¯t be too bad in terms of pedigree. I mean, the guy owned a castle, so he was pretty successful in his own right. Maybe he was a king or an aristocrat? Someone like that is bound to be packed full of good genetics.

    But wait¡­ if I think about it for a bit¡­  technically speaking, a part of Mereli¡¯s father¡¯s DNA is inside me, so does that mean Mereli and I are related? Aren¡¯t we actually siblings? Since I was created less than an hour ago, was Mereli my older sister? No, if I think about it even further, the fact that Mereli was the one who created me¡­ doesn¡¯t that make her my mother?

    Looking at this impish little girl who was currently reaching her hand inside the bag for another stale loaf of bread, I couldn¡¯t help but shudder.

    No matter the circumstances, I refuse to accept this girl as my mom. If we have to be related, then I¡¯d very much like it to be as siblings. And even if we are siblings, I¡¯m obviously the older brother. Physical age isn¡¯t important, but rather, mental age is. I¡¯m definitely older than her, without a doubt I¡¯m older, definitely, probably¡­

    I hastily shook my head, and turned my attention back towards the book.

    The last section of the Homunculi entry detailed the actual process. You could call it the meat of the whole thing, but truth be told, there wasn¡¯t much to tell in the first place. The process itself was relatively simple, and reading through it now, it really did seem as if anybody with enough magic power could pull it off.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

    The whole process compromised of only three steps.

    During the first step, one needed to inscribe a certain specified magic circle on the ground. A copy of the circle was crudely drawn on the page, but¡­ even though it was called a circle, the illustration in front of me did not appear at all like a circle. It had the vague outlines of a person, and somewhat resembled a police chalk outline that one would find at the scene of a crime.

    Well, according to the book, changes to the circle affected the actual end result, so even though the image in front of me appeared sloppily drawn, and looked no better than what a five-year-old could do, it was probably on purpose¡­ probably.

    The second step involved placing all the respective ingredients within the circle. The mana core needed to be placed along the chest area of the outline, while the ambrosia needed to be placed near the abdomen. The last ingredient, which was the catalyst, was to be placed on the head.

    With all three ingredients in each of their respective spots, the third and arguably the last step, was simply pouring mana into the circle, and activating it. Apparently, even without instructions, as long as you supplied the necessary amount of mana, the circle would do the rest of the job for you.

    Even though it isn¡¯t a circle, calling it a circle seemed a bit inappropriate. Something like magic circuit would probably fit better, although I don¡¯t know how the author of this book will feel if she found out I just casually renamed something like that.

    Regardless, the circuit¡¯s primary function was to call forth a soul from the underworld. The term underworld here is a bit vague, so I don¡¯t know whether it¡¯s talking about some other place, or about the literal Hell found in many mythologies. Although considering where I came from, I don¡¯t really think I was in the underworld.

    That empty space devoid of anything didn¡¯t seem all that¡­ Underworldly. Calling it an afterlife, maybe, but it definitely wasn¡¯t Hell.  If I had to give it a name, then that place might have been purgatory, or at least something similar.

    The soul was the hidden fourth ingredient, and arguably the most important.

    It was what made a homunculus truly a part of the ¡®living¡¯. Without a soul, homunculi would just be a fleshy golem, capable of only simple orders, and incapable of any individual thought. Honestly, considering what homunculi were often used for, I couldn¡¯t help but wonder whether free will and sentience for such a race was advantageous or not.

    The resulting homunculus will take on a shape resembling a mixture between the catalyst and the soul. The split is usually around 40-60, with 40 percent of the homunculus¡¯s appearance originating from the catalyst, and the rest from the soul. This ratio can change however, so it wasn¡¯t really all that important.

    Take me for example. I¡¯m mostly soul and barely any catalyst. From what I could understand, my current appearance was the result of the residual self-image stored within my soul.

    Although I haven¡¯t seen my reflection just yet, the contours of my face felt very familiar. I¡¯m not entirely certain if this was what my face looked like in the past, but I had a strong feeling that it was. Everything from the tips of my toes, to the ends of my ears just felt natural, everything that is, except the hair.

    My dull grey hair (which I had verified earlier with Mereli) was the only aspect of my current body that felt outwardly foreign.

    Aside from that, there really wasn¡¯t anything else to write home about.

    Once the soul manifests in the real world, it will automatically seek an empty vessel to cling to. If it can¡¯t find one in time, then the soul, which can¡¯t naturally exist by itself, will dissipate. It was a sort of death, but this type of death was considerably worse than simple dying. when a person normally dies, at the very least, their soul still remains. When the soul dies, then it simply ceases to exist.

    For such an existence, the Ambrosia acts as a substitute body. Once the soul enters the ambrosia, the fleshy substance instantly turns into a real body, taking on a shape that the soul is familiar with. Everything from the skin, down all the way to the internal organs would form, all courtesy of the ambrosia. Along with the mana core, which acts as the life support, and the catalyst, which acts as a guide, a homunculus is born.

    Such was the tale of my inception.

    Reading through the end of it, I was met with conflicting emotions. Rather than conflicting, it would be more accurate to say I felt lost.

    Even if I know how I was created, what could I do with that information? Simply knowing was good in and of itself, but aside from the knowledge, there really wasn¡¯t anything I could do. Regarding the time before my creation, and the time after it, I was stuck.

    How should I live out this new fake life of mine? A homunculus¡¯s existence¡­ what worth did it carry?

    While I wallowed in my own thoughts, time continually passed. By the time I realized what had happened, the sound of light breathing echoed throughout the entire cavern. Looking down, I could see Mereli, her head poking out from underneath a thick layer of blankets. Her eyes were closed, while her expression looked peaceful.

    She was unconscious, sleeping without a care in the world. I silently stared at her for a good while, before a resigned sigh leaked out from my throat.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know about the future or all that other complicated stuff, but for now, sleeping sounds good.¡± I mumbled to myself. ¡°Come to think of it, sleep¡­ this will be my first time sleeping in a while. Although I don¡¯t know whether a homunculus sleeps or not, considering the fact that they¡¯re living creatures too, they should need sleep, right?¡±

    Throughout all the time I spent in that empty void, I was always awake.

    Rather than call it awake, it felt more like I was just in a state of consciousness. Every moment, every passing second, I was aware of it all. In the end, my time there all morphed into one continuous blur, but within that blur, I experienced everything.

    Sleep¡­ sleep sounded both nostalgic, and foreign at the same time.

    I looked around my surroundings. The flickering light of the lamp could barely keep the darkness of the cavern at bay. This place was both gloomy and dreary, just like that empty space. A lot of things reminded me of that empty space, from the darkness, to the feeling of suffocation, but¡­ for some reason, this time around, it wasn¡¯t all bad.

    The dim light of the lamp, which was something that didn¡¯t exist within the void, felt just a little bit warm.

    With such thoughts swirling through my mind, I fell asleep for the first time in a long time.

 Chapter 006: The Castle in the Middle of the Forest

    The next day, Mereli and I decided to explore the castle.

    Even though I call it exploring, it was more just Mereli dragging me around, and showing me the various places she frequented. Really, it felt like someone was giving me a house tour, except, you know, the house was a ruined castle and the tour guide was a little girl with horns.

    Well, it¡¯s not like I was complaining. Having gotten over yesterday¡¯s brief existential crisis, I closely followed behind, as my overly excited tour guide happily led me around the premises. In truth, exploring the castle was part my idea and part hers.

    While Mereli¡¯s enthusiasm came primarily from her excitement to be with someone, my motivation was spurred by a weird amalgamation of curiosity, caution, and boredom.

    Curiosity in the sense that this archaic looking structure excited the inner child in me. For a bitter romantic like myself, this place practically screamed adventure. A forgotten castle, ancient ruins, a mysterious and unknown environment, something like that was ripped straight from every young boy¡¯s fantasies.

    Of course, the fact that it was an unknown environment was also the reason for my original caution. Whatever dangers this place had, I would have no way of knowing unless I first thoroughly understood the very ground that I walked on. In this sense, exploration became more of a necessity, as opposed to a simple past time.

    But while curiosity and caution were both important, the primary motivational factor came from the feeling of impending boredom that drilled its way deep into my heart. More precisely, it wasn¡¯t just my boredom, but Mereli¡¯s as well.

    Earlier this morning, I wanted to ask Mereli just what it was she did to pass the time, but I had a gut feeling that the answer I¡¯d get would either bring tears to my eyes or leave me incredibly depressed, so I didn¡¯t bother asking.

    With that in mind, unless I wanted to spend the whole day cooped up in some dreary, sparsely decorated, vintage knockoff of the bat cave, there really was nothing better to do around here, other than walk around and explore.

    In regards to the castle, it was quite unique, in both its design and location. While Mereli wasn¡¯t familiar with every crack and crevice of the castle, the parts she brought me to were enough to leave me in awe.

    The castle was a massive behemoth, something that would easily put even the largest stadium from earth to shame. Of course, that was just the main building. The property itself was made up of several courtyards, towers, and various other sub buildings. The total amount of land it took up was astronomical.

    In addition, the spires, ramparts and castle walls that were all a part of the castle¡¯s overall design, were all equally grand, and perfectly fit with the rest of the compound¡¯s grandiose, and excessively lavish design.

    To put everything into perspective, everything that I saw was merely a part of the remnants. I couldn¡¯t even begin to imagine just what such a castle looked like in the past. Even the vestiges of what¡¯s remaining were enough to leave me in jaw dropping shock, much less the completed product.

    As for its location, it was odd, to say the least. I wouldn¡¯t call it weird, but the surroundings really didn¡¯t match with the castle¡¯s exterior. The place was built on a relatively large patch of open field, while trees as far as the eye could see surrounded the property from all sides. Basically, the castle appeared to be situated in the middle of an extremely dense forest.

    It was like a lone raft floating across an endless dark green ocean.

    Trees that somewhat resembled the pine trees from my past life dotted the surrounding landscape. I only say resembled, because there was a substantial difference between the trees surrounding the castle, and the trees I was familiar with. The biggest difference was the fact that the trees here were several times larger than the ones in my memory.

    Their trunks were a shade of dark charcoal, while thick stumps no smaller than the width of a school bus, shot up into the sky and grew far past the eye could see, threatening to pierce the unshakeable heavens. In this sort of forest, even the shortest tree dwarfed the castle¡¯s tallest tower.

    I stared dazedly at the large expanse of murky green without so much as moving. Right now, I felt like a tiny ant, standing amidst blades of towering grass.

    Building a castle in the middle of a forest was quite unusual. Although being able to build something this grand was already a pretty amazing feat in and of itself, the fact that it was built so far away from civilization, and in the middle of such clearly difficult terrain, made it even more so unbelievable.

    While it was indeed amazing, that didn¡¯t change the fact that this castle was clearly situated in uninhabited land.

    Why? What good was something so amazing, if there was nobody to see it?

    I shook my head, and let out a long drawn out sigh. Even though I had so many unanswered questions, I knew staring blankly at the scenery wouldn¡¯t give me any answers. At least, not any that would satisfy me.

    ¡°This place really isn¡¯t Earth.¡± I sat down on the ground, and listlessly gazed at the forest. Right now, I was in front of the castle gates, a place that could be called the very edge of civilization, where the land bordered the forest. After two hours of wandering through decrepit halls and tattered rooms, I somehow ended up here.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

    ¡°What¡¯s Earth?¡± Mereli¡¯s voice penetrated through my thoughts, as her question slowly floated to my ears.

    From the corner of my eye, I glanced up at the girl who stood by my side. She was leaning against a broken column of stone, which was once a part of the castle¡¯s gate.  The black tail behind her swung excitedly in the air, while her eyes stared fixedly at my face, the gleam of curiosity twinkling within her irises.

    ¡°Earth is¡­ Earth is where I came from.¡± I answered after much hesitation.

    Her lips twisted into an uncharacteristic frown. ¡°Even though Mereli created you, you still came from somewhere else?¡±

    I could only nod at her apparent doubt. Sometimes, even I found it hard to believe. In the book, it never once told of any homunculus that possessed preexisting memories, yet, all the same, here I was. ¡°That¡¯s right, before I was¡­ before I was a homunculus, I lived on Earth¡­ at least, I think I did.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Her eyes widened. ¡°Mr. Homunculus wasn¡¯t always a homunculus?¡±

    I laughed wryly to myself. It just occurred to me that Mereli never actually named me. It was unfortunate that I couldn¡¯t really remember my name from the past, but aside from mild inconvenience, it didn¡¯t really seem all that important right now.

    I muddled over her question for a while, before responding. ¡°I guess not. In the past, I was probably a human. Has Mereli ever met a human before?¡±

    Although I was slightly unsure whether humans existed on this world, I still asked.

    Contrary to my expectations, Mereli nodded. ¡°Father had metal uncles working for him. Some of them were human. They were strict, but nice, especially the ones that gave me candy.¡±

    I widened my eyes in slight surprise, before I nodded my head. ¡°Is that right? Your father must have been pretty amazing to get humans to work for him.¡±

    Mereli enthusiastically bobbed her head up and down. ¡°That¡¯s right, Father had a lot of people with him. He was really cool, and also really strong. Not even the metal uncles could beat him, even when they worked together.¡±

    The metal uncles¡­ if my understanding was correct, they should be knights, right? I don¡¯t exactly know how strong knights were, but if Mereli¡¯s father could beat them as easily as she said he could, then he was probably a pretty amazing guy.

    Damn, good job dad.

    ¡°He was strong, he was super strong but¡­ in the end, he¡¯s gone.¡± Mereli¡¯s tone grew somber, as the early gleam in her eyes dimmed. She stared at the ground in silence for a while, before a meek voice quietly asked. ¡°Your home, what was it like?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t really remember¡­¡± I answered honestly. ¡°Just that, it was noisy, and filled with people. We didn¡¯t really have castles like this, nor were there any trees as large as the ones over here, but there were skyscrapers¡ªmetal buildings that shot up so high in the sky that they touched the clouds.¡±

    ¡°That sounds really cool.¡± She half mumbled to herself, before she looked up at me with hesitant, yet expectant eyes. ¡°Do you¡ªdo you think Mereli can go there someday too?¡±

    I laughed bitterly to myself. ¡°That, I don¡¯t know about that.¡±

    Even I don¡¯t know whether I can make it back to Earth¡­ nor do I know whether or not I even want to go back. After all, who knows how humanity would react to a homunculus. Although I looked partly ordinary on the outside, save for my grey hair, still, there was no changing the fact that I was different.

    Plus, I have a feeling that my memories of Earth aren¡¯t all exactly positive. My desire to return to my old world¡­ it could all be summed up with a big, fat zero.

    Rather than Earth, I was more interested in this world.

    I looked back down at Mereli. Seeing her downtrodden expression, it was apparent that she had misunderstood my earlier words as a rejection.

    I scratched the back of my head, and mulled over an appropriate response, before I said, ¡°Well, it¡¯s just that my home is located pretty far away from here. I don¡¯t even know how to get back myself, but if I do find a way, I promise to take you with me.¡±

    Hearing my words, Mereli finally looked up, and cracked a slight smile. ¡°You promise?¡± she asked timidly.

    I nodded. ¡°Yes, of course, I promise.¡±

    Her smile grew wider, while her earlier despondence completely vanished.

    ¡°But you know, before we go to Earth, I¡¯d like to find out more about this place.¡± I added. ¡°Since I heard Mereli¡¯s pretty smart, I was hoping she¡¯d be able to tell me a thing or two.¡±

    Mereli¡¯s facial expression turned serious. She nodded repeatedly to herself, while confidently saying. ¡°Mereli is super smart. Mereli is super, super smart, smarter than Mr. Homunculus, but¡­ there are even some things that I don¡¯t know about.¡±

    She eventually sighed, shrugging her shoulders in the process. ¡°Mereli has never left the castle, so Mereli doesn¡¯t know, but¡­ there was one thing that Father told me about¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh? What thing?¡± I curiously asked.

    ¡°¡­ Father told Mereli to never go into the forest.¡± She replied with a serious expression.

    ¡°Why is that?¡±

    ¡°Because the forest is dangerous. If Mereli goes, Mereli will get eaten by the monsters that live there. Not even Mereli¡¯s bones will remain if Mereli get eaten.¡± Her shoulders shivered uncontrollably in genuine fear, as she unconsciously took a step back from the forest, and hid behind my back.

    Even though her words sounded just like the fairy tales that adults told to their children late at night, considering magic and alchemy existed in this world, I felt that there was more truth to her words than just mere fantasy.

    But still, if the forest was so dangerous, why were we safe within the castle?

    I bitterly shook my head. Thinking over such things was useless, at least for the time being. While I made an invisible note to be wary of the black forest (which is what I started calling it, on account of the charcoal colored trees), I couldn¡¯t help but grow despondent.

    ¡°I see¡­¡± I let out the sigh that had been building in the back of my throat.

    I didn¡¯t have much hope for Mereli at the start, and even the little info about the forest was more than what I was expecting, but still, I couldn¡¯t help but be disappointed at the lack of information. Right now, for me, information was a very precious resource, and the fact that I had none of it was enough to send me spiraling into a circle of frustration and anxiety.

    ¡°But¡­¡±

    Just as I began to wallow in my own myriad emotions, Mereli¡¯s wavering voice suddenly spoke close to my ear.

    ¡°What is it?¡± I quietly asked her.

    ¡°Um, Mereli knows of a place where Mr. Homunculus can find out, but Mereli isn¡¯t allowed to go there.¡±

    ¡°Not allowed? Why?¡± I knitted my brow and asked. ¡°Is it a dangerous place like the forest?¡±

    She shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s not dangerous, but Father didn¡¯t let Mereli go there.¡± After hesitating for a few seconds, she added, ¡°¡ªum, that was before he, he disappeared.¡±

    My eyes slightly brightened. I resisted the urge no longer, and asked, ¡°What is this place?¡±

    Her hesitation was apparent in her wavering eyes, but after a few seconds of terse silence, she eventually said, ¡°Father¡¯s old library¡­¡±

 Chapter 007: The Library at the End of the Hall

    The royal chamber was located somewhere deep within the heart of the castle. Unlike the rest of the building, it managed to escape much of the rot and destruction, appearing untouched, like a glistening gem floating amidst the tides of the ocean.

    Of course, this wasn¡¯t our destination.

    In an open space a few halls down, we were standing in front of an intricately designed wooden door. The surface of the door was engraved with an emblem, and depicted two rigid streaks cutting across a billowing cloud.

    ¡°Is this it?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Yes.¡± Mereli nodded. ¡°This is father¡¯s library¡­ Father¡¯s library has a lot of books, probably even more than Miss Sage¡¯s room.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± My brow raised in fascination. ¡°The Sage also has her own library?¡±

    She shook her head. ¡°No, Miss Sage keeps everything in her room. Mereli¡¯s always wanted to go there, but Miss Sage never let me.¡± Her cheeks inflated, while her lips puckered into a pout. She let out a resigned sigh, before stating, ¡°Even though Mereli wants to go there, even though Mereli really really wants to go there, Mereli doesn¡¯t even know where her room is.¡±

    An expression of frustration flashed across her youthful face. It seemed so uncharacteristic, that I couldn¡¯t help but laugh.

    ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± I consoled. ¡°Someday, we¡¯ll find her room together. That way, we can play with all her stuff, and for as long as we want.¡±

    Mereli¡¯s gloomy expression brightened, as she looked up at me with an expectant gaze. ¡°Really? You promise? You can¡¯t break promises, okay?¡±

    I laughed again. ¡°Sure, I promise.¡±

    She nodded in satisfaction, before she turned back towards the door. Her expression quickly grew solemn. Mereli hesitated for a moment, before she extended her hand out to touch the surface of the door. Her fingertips lightly brushed against the cloud shaped emblem.

    ¡°This is the family¡¯s regalia.¡± She spoke with misty eyes, her words not directed at anyone in particular. ¡°Father said to always remember the regalia, no matter¡­ no matter what happens.¡±

    I silently nodded, as my gaze drifted towards the regalia.

    It appeared simple. No, that wasn¡¯t quite the right word to describe it. It was simple, in a primitive sort of way. A simplicity that gave of an indistinguishable archaic impression.

    Before I could appreciate the image any longer, the sound of creaking wood echoed through the hall.

    With a grunt, Mereli forced the door open. A stream of fluttering dust leaked out from the gap, before the door suddenly gave way, and fully opened. Caught off guard, Mereli tumbled to the floor, inadvertently setting off clouds of dust in the process.

    The library was not exactly what I had expected. It appeared perfectly untouched, unaffected by whatever disaster had torn through the rest of the castle. Cobwebs gathered in the corners of the room, while a thin layer of grime covered every inch of the surroundings.

    The room was circular in shape, with a domed ceiling that shot up twenty meters off the ground. Shelves, filled to the brim with books, lined the walls, while the hypnotizing scent of aged paper wafted through the air. In the middle of the room was a single wooden table, as well as a matching chair. An old rolling ladder was propped near a corner of the room.

    As I walked into to the library, I unconsciously looked down at my feet. Each footstep left behind a noticeable imprint on the floor, one carved in dust.

    The room was smaller than I had anticipated, and coupled with the sheer number of books that lined the walls and filled the nearly fifteen-meter-tall book shelves, I couldn¡¯t help but feel congested. It felt as if every inch of the room was crammed with information and knowledge, like some sort of paper bound can of sardines. It was a painfully suffocating sensation.

    ¡°It¡¯s kind of small.¡± I thoughtlessly commented, as I circled the room. My gaze occasionally wandered through the myriad shelves.

    Mereli acted as if she did not hear my words, as she stared up in awe at the library. There was a sort of yearning glimmer in her eyes, as her shoulders noticeably trembled in excitement. She slowly stood back up, her gaze perpetually locked onto her surroundings. She lightly dusted herself off, before sprinting towards the nearest book shelf. Without a moment¡¯s hesitation, she pulled out a book.

    Mereli blew across the surface, scattering the dust that had collected, before she hurriedly flipped the book open and scoured through the pages.

    ¡°Oh, what book is that?¡± I asked curiously. From her excitement, it should probably be something good.

    Contrary to my expectations, Mereli shook her head.

    ¡°Don¡¯t know.¡± She answered plainly. ¡°But Mereli always wanted to read Father¡¯s books, so I¡¯ll read them all now.¡±

    Her lips curled into an expectant smile. Seeing her eyes constantly darting across the page, I couldn¡¯t help but let out a chuckle.

    Her earlier apprehension seemingly all but vanished the moment she had opened that rickety old door.

    With Mereli pre-occupied by the book in her hand, it was finally my turn to act.

    My original goal was to look for any information pertaining to this new world, and the first step in achieving that goal lay in the hands of the books currently in front of me.

    I suppressed my bubbling eagerness, and approached the nearest book shelf. My hand drifted towards a random book, before I gingerly pulled it out.

    ¡°That¡¯s weird¡­¡± Mereli¡¯s childish voice suddenly echoed through the room, breaking me out of my concentration.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± I put the book down, and turned my attention over towards Mereli.

    ¡°Mereli can¡¯t read the words.¡± She frowned as she raised the book up to her face. ¡°Even though Mereli¡¯s super smart, and can already read, I can¡¯t read this book.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± My words floated freely through the air, while Mereli quickly picked up another book from the library.

    Mimicking her actions, I turned back over towards the book in my hands. Almost immediately, my eyes narrowed, while a shallow frown twisted my lips.

    ¡°I can¡¯t read this book either¡­¡± I mumbled to myself, as I flipped through the pages.

    The book in my hands was written in a language that I did not recognize. It was different from the one that I was familiar with, and honestly came as a surprise to me, although in retrospect, it should have been an obvious outcome.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

    Although I had information transcribed to my head, there was naturally a limit to what, and how much information was transcribed. To the best of my knowledge, I was transcribed with only one language from this world. While I was familiar with a few languages from Earth, primarily that of English, that sort of knowledge really wouldn¡¯t help with my current situation.

    On this world, I only knew one language. What the name of that language is, I don¡¯t know. It was apparent that while my inception granted me a few notes of practical skill, there was no actual information in this dumb head of mine.

    Skimming through a few more books from the shelf, I took note of the fact that quite a few of them were written in languages that I could not read. Or rather, they were all written in a language that I could not read.

    From what I gathered so far, outside of the one language that I could understand, there were at least three different languages used within the various texts around the room. This was readily apparent due to the different alphabets that they used. The differences in writing was quite easy to make out. It was similar to comparing Chinese to English; even if you don¡¯t know both, it was still possible to differentiate between the two.

    Of course, cases like English and Spanish, where two different languages share near identical alphabets could also exist, so my original estimate might be higher than what it actually is.

    After a few minutes of sifting through the various books around the room, I couldn¡¯t help but let out a frustrated sigh.

    The number of books in the library was simply too massive to properly search through and manage. It was evident that Mereli¡¯s father did not organize the books by language, and searching through everything to find an actual book written in a language I actually understood was akin to finding a needle in a haystack.

    ¡°I have a long day ahead of me¡­¡± I bitterly muttered to myself, as I stared dead eyed at the domineering bookshelf that towered above my head.

    ****

    How much time passed? Two hours? Twenty hours?

    By the time I finished, the sun had long started to set. A tender warmth seeped in from the only window within the room, and illuminated the library with a pale orange vibrance.

    Despite the ambient lighting, the library looked like a mess. Shelves were emptied, and books were haphazardly strewn on the ground. The table from earlier was pushed off to the corner, while the rolling ladder had inexplicably toppled on its side. The once neatly organized room now had a hint of the same chaos that proliferated the rest of the castle.

    It was bad, but for the record, not everything was my fault. A good majority, yes, but not everything.

    On top of the mess that I had previously made, a couple of blankets were also strewn across the floor. This part was all Mereli¡¯s doing. A little bit earlier today, she raided the royal chamber, and suddenly stuffed the library full with expensive, albeit damaged, comforters.

    Her reasoning for this was that she needed a replacement for the blankets she kept in the cavern, and if she did it any later, she would run the risk of forgetting. Mereli was pretty adamant over this, so it wasn¡¯t like I could just refuse. In fact, back then, it had taken nearly my all to convince her to leave the giant king-sized mattress alone.

    Well, in either case, the mess in this room was merely just a sign of how hard I worked, and after such an incredibly tasking day, I could feel the piled-up fatigue welling up deep within my bones.

    Unsurprisingly, this body of mine was quite fragile. Just a day of work, and already, I felt like taking a twenty-four-hour coma. Granted, most of my fatigue was more mental, what with the several thousand books I had to go over, but still, my point stands.

    If, after all that hard work, my efforts were to be rewarded, then I wouldn¡¯t be as miserable as I am right now. Unfortunately, the world doesn¡¯t give out any handouts, nor does it care about my personal circumstances. Throughout all this time, my grueling hard work was met with failure after failure.

    It was honestly quite ridiculous.

    Almost every single book within this god forsaken library was written in a different language. Worst of all, they were written in languages that I couldn¡¯t understand! It was frustrating to say the least, putting all that effort, only to be met with an empty hand.

    It was frustrating, incredibly so, but it wasn¡¯t like my efforts were completely fruitless. Like a shining light at the end of a long, and arduous tunnel, I finally found one. A book that I could actually read. A book written in a language that I understood.

    It only took several hours, and thousands of failures, but still, yay.

    The book in question was quite old, and worn down.

    The color had faded from the cover, while the edges were all frayed and covered in stains. The seams too, had all but come completely undone. The words on the front cover were of half faded script. It was nearly unreadable, and took me approximately five minutes before I could make out the single word [Hero].

    Hero.

    That was the title of this old book.

    This book was something I found tucked away at the bottom of an inconspicuous book shelf. Just like where it was hiding, the book was neither extraordinary nor eye catching. It was thin, barely the width of half my thumb. If I hadn¡¯t been so zealous in my search, I would have probably missed it all together.

    If there was anything extraordinary about it, then it would be the amount of wear and tear it endured. This thing looked as if it had suffered through several natural disasters, a couple of house fires, and about one to two wars.

    Clutching the book in my shaking hands, I flashed a weary smile, before I sat down on the only chair within the library. The moment, I opened the book, I locked eyes with a certain grey haired little girl.

    From underneath a pile of blankets, Mereli stared up with wide eyed curiosity. For a moment, her gaze lingered on my face, before it shifted over towards the book in my hand. Almost immediately, her expression changed. An indescribably nostalgic frown floated to her lips.

    Seeing such an odd reaction, I couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Do you recognize this book?¡±

    A few seconds of silence passed before Mereli nodded. ¡°Dad¡­ Father always read it to me.¡±

    My eyes widened in surprise. ¡°Your father did?¡±

    She nodded once again. ¡°Even though he was always busy, Father would still find the time to read to me every night¡­¡±

    Mereli¡¯s father¡­ frankly speaking, I thought he was a weird guy.

    The owner of a castle in the middle of the woods. A man who could overpower a group of knights. The one whose DNA was used in my inception. Mereli¡¯s one and only father. What sort of person was he? A cold, callous ruler? A kind, benevolent king? A good father?

    From Mereli¡¯s longing and attitude, it was clear that he was someone she looked up to.

    To her, he was family, but to me, he was simply a weird stranger wrapped in mystery. Where did such a person go?

    For that matter, what exactly happened in this castle? Where was everyone? Why was everything so badly damaged? Where was that father that Mereli looked up to?

    Were they all dead? If so, then why was Mereli still here? Why was she still alive, all alone, and in such a place?

    I shook my head, and pushed back all those lingering thoughts. I sighed, and looked back up at Mereli. Without me noticing, she had long since made her way to my side.

    With less than a foot between us, she hesitantly looked up at me, her face twisted with a rather¡­ different expression.

    I had been with Mereli for a little more than a day now. In that time, I have seen a myriad of her emotions. From the nervous expression she sported during our first meeting, to the sometimes haughty, sometimes smug faces that she so often liked making, even to the reminiscent gaze she wore whenever she stared off longingly into the distant.

    She was someone who walked around, seemingly unaware of how cruel her own situation was. A vibrant little girl who wore her emotions plainly on her sleeves for the world to see. I had seen plenty, but this time¡­ her expression was new. It was different. I didn¡¯t know exactly how to describe it.

    It was an amalgamation of several types of emotions, some I could describe, while others I couldn¡¯t.

    Those eyes of hers, filled with that sort of indescribable emotion, stared up at me, while her pale white hand tightly clutched onto the dust laden cloak that I wore.

    Her lips cracked open, and flapped noiselessly in the air for a moment. She visibly hesitated, before she asked in an almost silent whisper. ¡°¡­Can you read the story for me?¡±

    I paused for a moment, and stared down at her. In that instant, our eyes locked. They were light blue, the same color as that of a vibrant and cloudless sky.

    Were my eyes like that too? I wondered. What sort of light flashed beneath my own irises?

    I unconsciously nodded.

    She retuned my nod, with one of her own. A slight smile floated to her lips, as her eyes curved into two pleasant crescents.

    Before I could do anything, Mereli suddenly moved. She climbed up on top of me, and forcibly sat down on my lap. She looked up at me, and seeing the confusion and surprise in my eyes, she explained, ¡°Father always lets me sit on his lap whenever he read. Is¡­ Is it no good?¡±

    ¡°No, that, it¡¯s fine. Do what you want.¡± I mumbled, subconsciously nodding along in agreement.

    Seeing that, Mereli meekly nodded once more, before she wriggled around on my lap in an effort to find a comfortable position. In the end, her body was pressed against mine, as she clutched tightly onto my chest. Her head was turned away, her eyes locked intently on the book in my hands.

    ¡°Can you start?¡± She whispered, her words muffled by the cloak that I wore.

    I paused for a moment, before a light sigh leaked out of my throat. I briefly nodded, and opened the book. After one last bout of hesitation, I started reading.

    ¡°An old story, a fairy tale passed down for eons.

    Of a Hero, and of the fate of the world.

    A story that starts with a boy named Karm¡­¡±

 Chapter 008: A Tale from A Time Forgotten

    In the distant past, the world was in chaos.

    The death of a tyrant conqueror ushered forth a period of endless war and bloody conflict. The powers that he once controlled quickly rebelled, and all vied for their own little slice of land.

    Brother against brother, neighbor against neighbor, like a chain reaction, sporadic conflicts quickly dotted the land as greedy princes and scheming merchants toiled away for their own profit. They incited battles, manipulated their own people, and sent the land spiraling down into a red tainted abyss.

    In the background of such mayhem, those that hid in the darkness grew increasingly restless. With no one to manage and control everything, the monsters that once lurked beyond the border quickly gained courage and attacked, spilling blood and stealing away countless innocent lives.

    As for the poor citizens caught in between, well, their situation could be imagined.

    During those days, the flames of war and the cries of the damned spread through the entire world like slow acting poison. It was a time when smoke filled the skies and the corpses of the dead littered the lands beneath.

    But even amidst all the darkness, there shined hope, weak and fickle it may be.

    In a little corner of the world, where neither monster nor man could reach, was a village. It was a village built in the middle of a dormant volcano. A village where the sun shined the longest, and the stars above twinkled like the quiet backdrop of an enchanting dream.

    Half-light village, the fabled haven for the weary.

    This village was one that only knew of peace. It was built by the ancestors of those who fled the continent due to war, famine, or any number of countless tragedies. It was a small, yet thriving community, populated by people of all races and origins. Even amidst the world¡¯s darkest times, this village continued, oblivious and unaffected.

    Within Half-Light village, there lived a young boy named Karm.

    He was a child born within the village, and knew of nothing but the village. His world was compromised entirely off rickety wooden cabins, and the vast starry sky that existed far above his head. In his world, nothing ever changed. It was the same old people, doing the same old thing, within the same old place.

    Maybe it was because of this, but as he grew older, the spark of curiosity ignited within his heart. The world outside of his little hole was something that fascinated him dearly, and this fascination only increased with the passage of time.

    He harbored numerous thoughts of adventure, but those thoughts were suppressed by the elders of the village. They preached of danger, and of the terrible mad king that ruled the land. As a child, these tall tales were the things that kept him up well into the night, and as a youth, they were the shackles that chained him down to the village.

    Still, those desires, which he buried deep within his heart, where no one could find them, still persisted, like a tiny, flickering flame that refused to die out.

    Because he could not go out and see the outside world, he satisfied himself with the edges of his own. Karm spent hours upon hours, staring out into the vast unknown from atop the dormant volcano. Wisps of endless clouds and foggy mist obscured his vision, but during the early mornings, when the stars were still visible, and when the sun first shined over the horizon, there, beneath a sea of purple red skies, he could see it.

    A vast, almost endless expanse of emerald green. A forest, as boundless as it was beautiful, surrounded his little world. Beyond the forest, in a place where his eyes could not reach, was the truly unknown. It was the world that Karm longed for. The world ruled by the mad tyrant king, the world that he both feared and loved.

    On a night just like any other, as Karm sat quietly on the edge of the volcano, waiting for the sun to rise and for the clouds to disperse, he met a butterfly in the shape of a girl.

    A fairy, no bigger than the palm of his hand.

    Fairies were not an entirely foreign existence to him. He had interacted with a few of them in the past. Some lived alongside the villagers, while others preferred the isolation of the forest just beneath the volcano. The latter would occasionally visit the village, bringing with them mischief and goods from the outside world.

    Karm liked these fairies. He liked their playful personalities and the tall tales that they brought with them. In part, the fairies were what motivated his desires, and fanned the flames of his obsession.

    The fairy before his eyes was not like any of the other fairies that he had met before. It was different. With a body that appeared to be made out of endless space, brilliant, shining stars twinkled within its eyes, while streaking comets and the galactic splatter of the cosmos glittered through its wings.

    She was a fairy molded from a little piece of the universe.

    The fairy introduced herself as Celeste, a goddess who lived amongst the stars.

    Karm did not readily believe her claims, but as he stared at the fairy that looked up longingly at the night sky, his curiosity grew uncontrollable. He wanted to talk to her, to ask her of the things that she had seen, and of the things out there that he could not experience.

    To Karm¡¯s delight, Celeste answered his questions.

    She talked of the skies, and of the myriad stars and endless universe. She talked of its vastness, and how it covered the entirety of the world. Through the stars, she could see everything. From the things that happened within his little village, to the things that occurred all the way on the other side of the continent, she knew of it all, for she had seen it with her very eyes.

    ¡°What was the outside world like?¡± Karm asked with eyes filled with curiosity.

    He asked many things, such as what the outside world looked like, or where his little village was located within the boundless continent. He also asked whether or not the Tyrant King really was as bad as the elders had made him out to be.

    In response, the celestial fairy smiled.

    She said that the Tyrant King was bad, in fact, even worse than he could possibly imagine.

    ¡°The Tyrant King was a man who built his empire on the blood of warriors. In a time where war was all that the world knew, the rise of such a man was only inevitable.¡± She slowly explained to the youth with curious eyes. ¡°The Tyrant King was terrible, but he was not eternity. He has already died.¡±

    ¡°Then, does that mean the world is safe now?¡± Karm couldn¡¯t help but ask.

    ¡°No.¡± Celeste shook her head. ¡°On the contrary, the outside world is now more dangerous than ever. Although the Tyrant king has passed, the impacts of his actions still linger within this world. He left behind deep-seated scars that bore into the very foundation that mankind steps on.

    ¡°The Tyrant King created an empire that stretched out from one corner of the globe to the other. With an unshakeable iron fist, he suppressed all the grieving citizens, hungry merchants, and viper like lords, but¡­ an empire supported on the back of one man will not last long. The moment such a man dies, the moment his legacy wanes, the outcome becomes obvious.¡±

    The fairy spoke with a hint of solemn melancholy, but the clueless Karm did not know the severity of her words. He only understood one things; the world was still in chaos.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

    As if to validate his thoughts, Celeste continued, ¡°The world is in a very precarious state. Monster attack the innocent, while the innocent quickly turns ruthless in the face of such hell. People die every day, and I¡¯m afraid no one man has the ability to stop it. What this world needs right now is a hero¡­ someone to hold their hand and get them through this time of plight.¡±

    Celeste paused, and turned towards Karm. With an ambiguous smile, she asked, ¡°Are you willing to be that hero?¡±

    ***

    ¡°Huh? That¡¯s it?¡± I furrowed my brow, and unconsciously frowned.

    I reached the last page, yet for some reason, I felt utterly unsatisfied.

    What I had first assumed to be a simple children¡¯s book wasn¡¯t exactly a children¡¯s book. While it did share similarities in its writing style, and in the fact that the pages had pictures, there was something off about the whole thing.

    The tone was a bit darker than what would have normally been appropriate for children. I don¡¯t know whether this sort of thing was the norm here on this world, but reading this book felt a lot like I was reading an old fairy tale, and not the usual happy-go-lucky ones that ended with a happily ever after.

    It gave off a similar impression to the darker stories, the ones where ugly witches ate children and beautiful princesses cut off their own feet.

    That was what this book felt like; a somewhat dark, somewhat brooding fairy tale. There was nothing weird about that. The story itself seemed like your standard archetype about a hero saving the world, albeit with a darker twist, but it just felt so¡­ incomplete.

    The book ended abruptly with nothing significant happening. The ending felt more like an introduction rather than an actual ending.

    Was this seriously the type of book that Mereli¡¯s father read to her daughter? Grimdark fairy tales with unsatisfying endings?

    Again, the faint impression I had of the mysterious owner of this castle slightly changed, but that was another matter.

    ¡°Mereli, was this all? Is there any more to this story?¡± I tilted my head down and asked the little girl clinging to my chest.

    Mereli wasn¡¯t asleep, but she was silent, to the point where I thought she was sleeping. Her eyes were slightly glazed over, as a blank expression filled her face. Her breathing was faint, yet I could feel the warm puff of air tickling the nook of my shoulder blade.

    ¡°Mereli?¡± I asked again, finally snapping her out of her momentary reverie.

    She craned her neck up, and stared at me for a few seconds, before a faint smile filled with indescribable warmth stretched her lips.

    ¡°Thank you.¡± She stated simply.

    For a moment, I was caught off guard. I let out an awkward chuckle and scratched the back of my head.

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not really an issue. Something like telling stories, if it¡¯s something like that, then just come ask me anytime.¡± I was feeling a tad bit happy, so I haphazardly offered without hesitation.

    In response, she simply dipped her head down. ¡°Alright.¡±

    ¡°But still, was this really all of it?¡± After a moment¡¯s hesitation, I couldn¡¯t help but add. ¡°The book felt a bit short, didn¡¯t it?¡±

    Mereli turned away, before she shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Father only read that much.¡±

    A faint trace of longing and an even fainter trace of nostalgia flashed through her eyes.

    ¡°I see¡­¡± I mumbled quietly, almost to myself, as my gaze landed back over towards the book in my hands.

    The book was still flipped to the last page, but this time, I noticed something. The inner back cover was weird. At first, I thought it was merely a collection of stains, but upon closer inspection, those stains looked a bit too¡­ intricate.

    Dark brown splotches dotted a light brown canvas like drops of spilled ink. The splotches formed odd shapes, all of different sizes. It gave off the faint impression of purpose.

    It took me a while to realize, but those splotches, the whole inner cover, it was a map. At least, it resembled a map. And again, like the book itself, the map felt incomplete.

    I mulled these things over for a while, before I eventually lifted my head. Staring out at the only window within the room, I noticed that the sun had long set. Night had come. Soft silver moonlight now replaced the room¡¯s earlier orange glow.

    I don¡¯t know for how long I was lost in thought, but one thing I noticed was that Mereli was still here, clinging onto my chest.

    Her breathing was light and airy, but from the slight fluttering of her eyelashes, I could tell that she was still awake.

    ¡°You know, I think that this book is still incomplete.¡± I spoke amidst the silence.

    I did not know why I felt compelled to talk, maybe it was Mereli¡¯s earlier, lonely expression, which still flashed through my mind, or maybe it was the choking quiet that slowly closed in on me, but regardless, the words that materialized in the night air were no longer mine to control. Whether or not she was listening didn¡¯t matter anymore.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know how long it¡¯ll take, but if something¡¯s incomplete, then the only thing to do is to complete it.¡± I continued. ¡°So, when¡ª if that time comes, and we really do complete the rest of this book, then¡­ if you want, I can read the rest of it for you, just like I did today.¡±

    Mereli did not respond for a long time.

    Her body remained still, her eyes closed, and her breath so faint that she appeared almost like a corpse. With the distance between the both of us being practically nonexistent, the silence painstakingly crawled forward like an aged, dying turtle. Eventually, with almost imperceptible movements, she nodded her head.

    ¡°You promise?¡± She asked quietly. After a few seconds, she added, ¡°You can¡¯t break promises, okay?¡±

    Hearing those familiar words, I couldn¡¯t help but let out a faint chuckle. ¡°I got it, I got it, I promise.¡±

    That simple response seemingly set her at ease, as she suddenly jumped off of my lap, and dove into the sea of comforters and blankets below. After a few seconds, she popped up from underneath with a particularly thick blanket wrapped around her body.

    With a head of hair messier than before, she opened her mouth to speak, but before a single word could escape from her parted lips, a look of sudden realization suddenly flashed through her face.

    ¡°Oh yeah, Mr. Homunculus doesn¡¯t have a name yet, right?¡± she asked, while crossing her arms and tilting her head.

    ¡°Come to think of it, I don¡¯t have one.¡± I nodded my head in confirmation. The fact that I couldn¡¯t remember my old name had always bugged me, but I didn¡¯t really put much thought into it until now.

    I thought about it for a moment, before I suddenly said, ¡°Then, why don¡¯t you call me Big Brother?¡±

    ¡°Big brother?¡± She asked aloud.

    I firmly nodded my head.

    Yes, Big Brother. Aren¡¯t I a genius?

    If she calls me that, then its practically admitting that I¡¯m the older one.

    It¡¯s not that I¡¯m still obsessed over the possibility that Mereli might be my mom¡ª my older sister. There¡¯s no way I¡¯ll admit she¡¯s my older sister, and it¡¯s even more of an impossibility for her to be my mother. I¡¯m completely not worried, but wouldn¡¯t it be nice to have a bit of validation?

    Again, I don¡¯t really care. I¡¯m simply suggesting such a thing because I think this little girl needs family, and we are technically related, so it works out. I have no ulterior motives. I¡¯m pure, I¡¯m clean.

    Mereli tilted her head to the side and furrowed her brow. ¡°But you¡¯re not my big brother though?¡±

    ¡°Well, technically I¡¯m not¡­¡± I mumbled. ¡°But, aren¡¯t we technically related?¡±

    ¡°We are?¡± Even more question marks appeared above her head.

    ¡°I think we are, but forget about that for a second.¡± I continued. ¡°It¡¯ll set my mind at ease¡ª No, I mean, it¡¯s just a little nickname, like a little bit of self-assurance.¡±

    ¡°Self-assurance?¡±

    ¡°No, that¡¯s not what I meant. Just¡­¡± I could feel the sweat dripping down from my brow as I fumbled through my words. ¡°¡­ You know how you call your Father¡¯s knights ¡®metal uncles¡¯, right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Mereli obediently nodded her head. ¡°The Metal Uncles are the Metal Uncles.¡±

    ¡°Right, right.¡± I quickly bobbed my head. ¡°They¡¯re the Metal Uncles even though they¡¯re not really your actual uncles. It¡¯s just like that, a nickname. You get it?¡±

    Mereli¡¯s frown caused tension to grab hold of my body. She crossed her arms and moved her head from side to side, as she thought for what felt like infinity. Eventually, she turned back towards me, and plainly nodded. ¡°Okay, then Mereli will call you Brother from now on, is that okay?¡±

    I sighed lightly, as I stiffly nodded my head. Although I wanted her to call me Big Brother or Elder Brother, this would work for now. You can¡¯t force these types of things to happen, it has to happen organically, that way it¡¯ll give me more reassurance¡ª it¡¯ll feel more comfortable.

    So, one step at a time. Brother today, big brother tomorrow.

    ¡°But doesn¡¯t Brother still need a name?¡± Mereli suddenly stated as she peered up at me with questioning eyes.

    ¡°Do I?¡± I asked back.

    I didn¡¯t really feel that I needed anymore names. With Mereli calling me brother, was there really a need for another one? Rather, anything else would just feel a tad bit too much.

    She seriously nodded her head. ¡°Brother is Mereli¡¯s brother, so only Mereli can call you Brother. People need to call you something else.¡±

    Hearing, her say that, I couldn¡¯t help but let out a faint smile.

    ¡°Then, can you help me think of one?¡±

    Hearing my words, Mereli¡¯s eyes suddenly widened in excitement. ¡°Really? I can really name you?¡±

    Seeing the impossible-to-ignore glimmer in her eyes, my earlier enthusiasm waned. After a few seconds of hesitation, I bit the bullet and resolutely nodded my head. ¡°Sure, just don¡¯t go too overboard, okay?¡±

    She vigorously nodded her head, before she tilted her head in thought for a moment. Not long after, she eagerly shouted out, ¡°Karm!¡±

    ¡°Like from the book?¡± I asked incredulously.

    She nodded again with a smile on her face. ¡°Is it no good?¡±

    I thought about it for a few seconds, before I eventually consented. ¡°Fine, Karm it is. Although I don¡¯t know whether that¡¯s a weird name or not¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s cool, a really cool name! Too cool for you Brother, but I¡¯ll still give it to you, so be thankful.¡± She reassured me in her own special way, to which I could only respond with a wry smile.

    I bitterly chuckled. For some reason, I felt more tired than usual.

    Mereli approached me, a light smile on her lips, and said, ¡°Then, Brother Karm!¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes, I¡¯m Brother Karm.¡± With a resigned sigh, I placed my hand on top of the crown of her head. A slight smile floated to my face, it was a smile that perfectly mirrored Mereli¡¯s own.

    The night ended with a little demon¡¯s boisterous laughter, and the inauguration of my new name.

 Chapter 009: An Idyllic Week

    A week has gone by since then.

    Mereli and I spent the majority of our time lounging around the library. As a result, the once untouched gem of the castle was now messier than ever before.

    Towards my better judgement, Mereli somehow convinced me to help her move a king-sized mattress into the library. She found the thing inside the castle¡¯s royal chambers, and was instantly attracted to its soft and luxurious texture. I don¡¯t know much about mattresses, but this one in particular was of rather high quality.

    Its exterior was made of something softer than cotton, while its insides were packed with thousands of individual feathers, probably plucked from some high-class bird raised especially for making beds.

    Now, those white crystalline feathers were spread across a mattress far too big for the room it occupied. The entire floor of the library was covered either by the bed, or by the numerous blankets and comforters that Mereli had gathered over the past couple of days.

    As for the books that once peacefully resided within the library, they were sadly pushed off to the corner of the room, where they still lay there to this day, forgotten and abused.

    While I felt a tad bit remorseful over mistreating such ancient and well-preserved books in such a way, Mereli on the other hand was rather casual about the whole thing. I don¡¯t exactly know how this child¡¯s mind worked. She placed quite an emphasis on her father¡¯s memory, and even now, it wasn¡¯t rare to see Mereli absentmindedly looking out into the distance, reminiscing about her past. On the other hand, the books that her dear father owned were things that did not even seem to enter her mind. In fact, there were few things within this castle that could move her aloof and carefree personality. Of course, there were always exceptions to this rule.

    For example, she treated that worn-out picture book with an almost unhealthy level of care and obsession.

    Mereli treated that thing like an invaluable treasure, and carried it around with her everywhere she went. In fact, within Mereli¡¯s relatively blithe week, she spent the majority of that time reading and rereading the picture book. She wasted upwards of four hours on one sitting, just flipping through the pages over and over and over again. Within those four hours, she would have at least read and reread the book ten times. If it was a particularly good session, then that number could be as high as fifteen.

    Occasionally, when her body grew too stiff to continue reading, Mereli would then get up and stretch her limbs. During this time, she would forcibly drag me along and explore the castle¡¯s interior.

    If I hadn¡¯t mentioned this already, the castle was immensely large, and every day, there were new things to discover. Even for Mereli, this fact didn¡¯t change. Back when this place was still filled with people, she had only really experienced just a tiny portion of this gigantic estate.

    Being the owner¡¯s daughter, Mereli was naturally confined to the inner chambers of the castle. The rest of the castle was practically a giant enigma to her. In this regard, she was like a trapped princess, although her carefree personality didn¡¯t give much indication to this.

    Every day onwards, our little forays would take us farther and farther away from the interior of the castle, to the place where the knights and other servants usually frequented.

    In theory, that Sage¡¯s room should be somewhere around there. Of course, this was Mereli¡¯s primary reason for her daily exploration. Was it a burning sense of revenge, or merely this little girl¡¯s clumsy method of expressing longing? I don¡¯t know, but I don¡¯t really think it matters either way.

    As for me, I had more practical views. After talking with Mereli, I learned that within this castle, there were a few important places that would prove quite beneficial.

    The armory and the royal treasury were probably the most important. Weapons were definitely a necessity, especially when we were surrounded on all sides by such a menacing forest with an equally as menacing reputation. Seriously, the bad vibes that those coal coated trees gave me were far too strong to be just a mere misunderstanding.

    The treasury too was equally important.

    Things like royal heirlooms and valuable treasures were only secondary. My real goal was something else. Since this world was definitely a fantasy world, then I¡¯m sure the treasure vaults here contained more than just simple gold and useless trinkets. Maybe if I¡¯m lucky, I¡¯ll run into a magic item or two.

    There were other places too, like the servant¡¯s quarters, guest rooms, and official meeting rooms. Although those places might not seem all that useful at first glance, valuable things were always hidden in plain sight. Especially for the meeting rooms, something like a map of the surrounding location wasn¡¯t too farfetched of a thing to hope for, right?

    Spending the mornings reading in the library and the afternoons exploring the castle, Mereli and I lived quite an idyllic life style. Outside of our concern for food, and the constant ominous feeling that damned forest was giving off, it really was a peaceful week.

    When the sun hovered just over the horizon, and a faint orange glow illuminated the library, without fail, Mereli would ask me to read the picture book to her. It was a somewhat similar process to what we did during the first day we reached the library.

    With her sitting on my lap, and with me quietly narrating the incomplete fairy tale to a deathly silent audience, my day ended when the sun completely sank beyond the horizon and the myriad stars filled the skies.

    Like I said, it was a peaceful week.

    Right now, it was another one of those days. The sun shone bright above the sky, while a paltry humidity permeated the air. I could feel each individual bead of sweat trickling down my body and dampening the bed sheets underneath me.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    Although I did not have a clock, if I were to make a guess, then it would be somewhere around noon. It was the time when the ache in my stomach acted up, and when even the smell of leaves that wafted from the forest seemed appetizing.

    Of course, I had to hold myself back. Aside from what little Mereli had in her rucksacks, there was no food in the castle. Even the castle kitchen was empty, filled with nothing but empty containers and spoiled goods.

    In order to prolong our situation, we¡¯ve limited ourselves to one piece of bread a day. I felt bad about having to limit Mereli like this. She was still a child, and a bad diet was detrimental to her growth. Still, with the way things were, there wasn¡¯t anything I could do. I couldn¡¯t just not eat. Even if I offered such a solution, Mereli wouldn¡¯t have any of it.

    Was she just kind hearted, or did she possess a certain sense of responsibility for being the one who created me? I don¡¯t know, but in the face of her incessance, it was difficult to refuse.  Really, even though I¡¯m such a convenient existence, it would be more convenient if this body of mine did not need to eat.

    Sooner or later, what was left of our dwindling food supply will run out.

    When that time comes, then forest exploration will become a necessity. Of course, that¡¯ll have to wait until I have the proper confidence in facing off against the supposed ¡°monsters¡± that live there. At the very least, it needed to wait until I can find the armory.

    In order to suppress my current hunger, I buried my face into the book in front of me. The Alchemical Compendium was a godly existence, in the sense that it was one of the two books within this castle that I could actually read. The Compendium itself was packed full of knowledge, with the majority of it detailing the creation of various potions and other alchemical related objects.

    Rather than a book that guided and taught the reader how to use alchemy, this Compendium was more akin to an instruction manual. To properly appreciate it, there seemed to be an unspoken perquisite of having already learned the basics of alchemy.

    Of course, I was clueless on almost everything about this world. Alchemy was no different.

    Me reading this book was akin to a kindergartener reading a book about thermodynamic physics. I was severely unprepared, and the majority of this book appeared as a ridiculously difficult jigsaw puzzle.

    Still, despite that, it wasn¡¯t like it was impossible. I could still learn a thing or two, even with this book being what it was.

    For one, I learned that the majority of alchemy was heavily based on potioneering. Potioneering was the art of creating potions and other concoctions. Things like manufacturing poison, drug refinement, and pill concoction were all small parts under the umbrella of potioneering, which in itself was part of the much larger label named Alchemy. The other part of alchemy involved things similar to the creation of a homunculus. Artificial life, universal solvents, and the pursuit for the philosopher¡¯s stone, you know, typical alchemy things.

    As for potioneering, it relied heavily on herbs and various other forms of plant life. Of course, there were other ingredients, like body parts of a particular animal, or some mysterious water from some specific lake, but all in all, it was heavily centered on herbs. At the very least, this particular Alchemical Compendium had the majority of its ingredients constitute of herbs.

    I learned a lot about alchemy from this book, but even if I learned it, it wasn¡¯t like I could actually do it. Pushing aside the lack of ingredients, there was one key issue stopping me from becoming a self-taught alchemist; magic.

    Alchemy was something closely linked to magic. Rather, alchemy had very specific requirements when it came to this aspect of the job. For instance, in almost any potioneering recipe, a certain type of magic was necessary in order to extract the medicinal essence from the herbs. Magic and mana were the things that separated alchemy from the regular concoction of drugs.

    Basically, without magic, I could not do alchemy.

    What sucked even more was the fact that the author of this stupid book did not include training methods to learn magic, or even so much as an example. It was just casually written as a requirement for the concoction of a majority of her spells.

    Even back when Mereli created me, she had used mana in the process. The rest of alchemy was the same. Without magic, you would not be able to do alchemy.

    Of course, I wanted to learn magic. Even without alchemy as the reason, I¡¯d still want to learn magic. After all, it was magic. Magic was a man¡¯s romance. Shooting fireballs from your hands, conjuring illusions, changing the weather with a mere flip of the hand, those were all things that would get anybody excited, especially someone from Earth like me.

    Unfortunately, my current resources were very limited. I had nothing to help me learn magic. In fact, even if there was something like a magic textbook within this library, it wasn¡¯t like I could read it. After all, they were all foreign, and completely incomprehensible to me. I¡¯d have better luck if they were written in actual Chinese.

    I let out a despondent sigh.

    As expected, if one day, I get the chance to learn the divine mystic arts, then the first thing I¡¯ll learn is a translation spell. Screw the language barrier!

    While idle thoughts roamed my mind, my dreary gaze landed on Mereli.

    She was as care free as ever. Despite the heat, right now, this little girl was curled up underneath an especially thick blanket. In her left hand was a piece of moldy bread, while on the other was the picture book. She was absentmindedly reading.

    Sometimes her perseverance amazed me. Her situation obviously wasn¡¯t very good, yet she acted as if nothing was wrong. Any normal child would have broken down by now, but the one in front of me had the mind to waste her days reading picture books. Was it ignorance or resolution? At this point, was there even a difference between the two?

    Still, although a little part of me was quietly impressed, a larger, more reasonable part of my brain could only shake my head and sigh. This absentminded little girl, she was currently sleeping while sitting down. Although her head was directly pointed at the book before her, and there was indeed a piece of bread in her mouth, her eyes were thoroughly closed, while a soft snoring filled the room.

    Falling asleep in the middle of reading wasn¡¯t really that weird, but falling asleep in the middle of eating¡­ that was definitely abnormal. The drool that spilled out from her crooked lips was dampening the bread in her mouth. A soggy piece of moldy bread flavored with saliva¡­ nothing could make me lose my appetite faster than that.

    I let out another sigh. It was hard to believe that such a person was the one who created me.

    ¡°Wait a minute¡­¡± On that thought, a sudden idea sprung to mind. Without hesitation, I quickly walked over towards Mereli¡¯s drooling visage. I shook her shoulders, while frantically calling out to her. ¡°Mereli, wake up already!¡±

    In response, she sprang to her feet. Her hair stuck up on ends, while a look of confusion morphed her face. Without thinking, she reflexively swallowed the bread between her lips.

    ¡°Brother Karm?¡± She raised her head and looked up at me. I could see imaginary question marks floating above her face.

    ¡°Mereli, you remember how you created me, right?¡± I asked ambiguously.

    ¡°Yes? Mereli created you.¡± She was utterly confused, but she still obediently answered.

    ¡°And you did that using mana, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± She nodded.

    ¡°Then, does that mean you can use magic?¡± I finally asked.

    Mereli did not answer immediately. Instead, her brow scrunched up, while her gaze grew hazy with consternation. After a while, her eyes widened as she looked up at me with a somewhat surprised look.

    ¡°Does Brother Karm want to learn magic?¡±

    There was no point hiding it, so I quickly nodded in conformation. To this, Mereli¡¯s expression only grew more jubilant. A particularly off-putting smile stretched out her lips.

    Seeing that odd expression of hers, I couldn¡¯t help but frown.

 Chapter 010: Magic Isnéˆ¥æª› Easy, Right?

    ¡°If you didn¡¯t know how to use it, then just say so. Don¡¯t put on a show like this.¡± I mumbled beneath my breath as I tiredly stretched out my limbs.

    Above my head was a crystal clear blue sky, while all around me were the crumbling rubble and ruined buildings that I had long grown accustomed to seeing. Right now, I was within one of the castle¡¯s empty courtyards, standing in the middle of a patch of unkept grass.

    ¡°No, no, no.¡± Mereli stubbornly shook her head. ¡°Mereli definitely knows. Mereli knows more than Brother Karm, so you should be nicer.¡±

    She pouted, her cheeks inflating in a way that made her appearance look cuter than usual. Mereli was leaning against a slab of marble, while her eyes glared reproachfully at my direction.

    ¡°You say that, but in truth you don¡¯t know any magic, right?¡± I rebutted. ¡°Listen here Mereli, just because Big Brother is nice doesn¡¯t mean you can deceive him like this, you know? Since we¡¯re now siblings, I intend to raise you properly, and to do that, I¡¯m going to have to take care of that attitude of yours.¡±

    In response, Mereli stuck out her tongue. ¡°Brother Karm was the one who asked for Mereli¡¯s help, so Brother Karm should just listen quietly to Mereli.¡± After a short pause, she added, ¡°Also, we¡¯re not siblings.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t mind the small details.¡± I casually waved off her denial. ¡°In the end, you still don¡¯t know real magic, right? Mereli, you shouldn¡¯t brag about things you can¡¯t actually do. Here¡¯s a little life advice from your Big Brother, only brag about things you can brag about.¡±

    ¡°Aargh, Brother Karm is only a brother not a big brother!¡± Mereli stamped her foot in frustration. With her furrowed eyebrows and quivering lips, she was clearly angry, but her angry expression looked way too cute for it to be intimidating. ¡°Brother Karm¡¯s not listening! You¡¯re not listening at all! Mereli¡¯s not going to help you if you keep bullying me like this!¡±

    ¡°Okay, okay, that¡¯s enough teasing for now.¡± I lightly stated. ¡°Although I do want to say that you can¡¯t just say you¡¯re being bullied just because someone¡¯s doing something you don¡¯t like, but¡­ oh well, let¡¯s leave that for later. What was it that you learned again?¡±

    Mereli huffed out a few frustrated puffs of air, before she eventually regained her composure. With a still clearly evident pout on her face, she sat down on the grass, and crossed her arms. Her black pointed tail waved erratically above her head.

    ¡°You¡¯ll listen now?¡± she cautiously asked.

    ¡°Yes, yes, I¡¯ll listen.¡± I reassured while flashing a somewhat weary smile.

    ¡°Promise? You can¡¯t¡ª¡±

    ¡°I know, I know, I can¡¯t break promises.¡± I hurriedly stated. ¡°Trust your Big Brother, alright?¡±

    After a moment of hesitation, she eventually nodded her head. ¡°Alright, Mereli will help.¡±

    ¡°Good girl, thank you, Mereli.¡± I let out a relieved sigh. I was so close to losing my chance to learn magic, all because of a stupid little prank. ¡°So, what was it that you learned?¡±

    ¡°You know, Mereli was taught by all the teachers that Father hired¡­¡± Instead of answering my question, she suddenly started narrating. ¡°Even Miss Sage would teach me things¡­ but because she was always mean and yelled at me when I fell asleep during her classes, Mereli did not listen to her.¡±

    As if an unpleasant memory just surfaced in her mind, Mereli¡¯s nose wrinkled. Fortunately, her expression quickly returned to normal, before she abruptly raised her nose high up into the air.

    With a smug smile and a somewhat boastful voice, she explained, ¡°Everyone said that Mereli was a genius, and not just any genius, but a super genius! They said that there are only thousands of me every one centuries!¡±

    ¡°What exactly does that mean?¡± I glanced at her suspiciously. I¡¯m pretty sure this little girl was purely repeating the words that someone had said to her in the past, but somehow along the way, she got the phrase messed up.

    Mereli tilted her head further back, and flashed a disdaining gaze my way. She clicked her tongue and said, ¡°Brother Karm doesn¡¯t know? See, this is why Brother Karm should just listen to what Mereli says. Mereli knows a lot, that¡¯s why she is a super genius, a purology.¡±

    She shook her head, and sighed exaggeratedly. Mereli opened her mouth as if to say something, but abruptly stopped. A weird expression flashed through her face, before she suddenly got up, and walked over towards me.

    In the midst of my confusion, she placed her hand on my shoulder. Scribbled on Mereli¡¯s face was a clearly pitying smile.

    ¡°Actually, it¡¯s okay if Brother Karm doesn¡¯t know things.¡± She sincerely stated. ¡°Since Mereli is a super genius, Mereli will teach you. Mereli will teach you a lot. So, don¡¯t be sad, okay?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    This little girl¡­. She¡¯s getting way too cocky, isn¡¯t she?

    Even though I had such thoughts floating around in my head, I did not voice any of them out. I maintained a complacent smile as I stared directly at Mereli¡¯s face. My inner thoughts may be plotting how best to discipline this unruly child, but my outward exterior showed no clear signs of any of it.

    Instead, I urged her along. ¡°Then, what does ¡®only thousands of you every one centuries¡¯ mean?¡±

    Too my surprise, she simply shook her head. ¡°Don¡¯t know, but it definitely means Mereli¡¯s the best genius.¡±

    ¡°¡­ Are you sure they didn¡¯t mean something like a once in a hundred-year genius?¡±

    ¡°That!¡± Mereli suddenly jabbed a finger towards my face, as she excitedly exclaimed. ¡°That sounds right! That sounds cool! That was what the old uncles said, Mereli¡¯s a one in a hundred¡­ no, a one in a thousand¡­ no, a one in a ten thousand genius! Mereli¡¯s a super genius, a super purology!¡±

    ¡°You mean a prodigy, right?¡±

    Mereli ignored me, as she paused for a moment. After a few seconds of silence, she mumbled to herself, ¡°Although they did not say years¡­ Centuries? How many years are centuries? How many years is Mereli a genius for?¡±

    Seeing the slightly confused, slightly pompous expression on her face, I couldn¡¯t help but lightly sigh. This little brat¡¯s ego was simply too large. If I don¡¯t take care of that attitude soon, it¡¯s bound to cause trouble in the future.

    ¡°So, what exactly did they teach you?¡± I shook my head and once again asked, pushing the troublesome issue of disciplining Mereli for the future me.

    ¡°Don¡¯t remember. Mereli fell asleep during classes.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    I could feel my face stiffening.

    Before I could comment, Mereli took a sudden step back, and proudly stated, ¡°But Mereli did learn how to do this!¡±

    She raised out her arm and opened her palm. For a split second, I felt a warm pulse deep within my chest. It was an odd sensation, one that gave me an even weirder feeling of dissonance. This sensation only lasted for a fraction of an instant though, before it completely disappeared, like the fading wisps of a summer¡¯s daydream.

    At the same time, Mereli¡¯s concentrated expression flashed through my eyes. Her gaze was completely focused in on her open palm, and after a few seconds of waiting, a soft, faint, and almost entirely translucent, blue light leaked out from the tips of her fingers.

    My eyes widened, while my mouth curled into a natural O. ¡°Wow¡­¡± I couldn¡¯t help but exclaim.

    While my attention was entirely focused on the magical light, Mereli¡¯s sneaky gaze drifted towards me. Seeing my clearly shocked reaction, Mereli¡¯s lips curved into a self-satisfied smirk.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

    ¡°Mereli did this while I was making Brother Karm.¡± She proudly boasted, as she brought her other hand over towards her open palm. After a few seconds, the faint translucent light almost doubled in intensity.

    ¡°While you were making me?¡± I numbly repeated. ¡°Then, that means this light is magic? No, not magic, but mana?¡±

    Mereli nodded. She raised her head to the skies and chuckled lightly. ¡°Even though all the teachers said it was really hard to do, but because Mereli is a genius, I was able to do it really well.¡±

    Her boisterous laughter broke me out of my shocked stupor. I looked at Mereli¡¯s beaming expression with clearly suspicious eyes. ¡°Really? Is it really that hard to do?¡±

    If a child can do it, surely, I can to, right? How hard could it really be?

    ¡°At the very least, it won¡¯t hurt to try¡­¡± I mumbled to myself while I imitated Mereli¡¯s earlier actions. Extending my hand out in front of me, I opened my palm and concentrated.

    I did not fully grasp it back then, but when Mereli first demonstrated, I could definitely feel something. It was faint, so faint that I almost didn¡¯t believe it myself, but I knew that it was there.

    It was a fluctuation of sorts. A weird feeling to describe. It was something that I could not physically feel, but nevertheless, I was wholly aware of it.

    I had sensed it the moment Mereli initiated her actions. I felt a soft fluctuation that seemingly bypassed the air. A mental change that I could barely detect. I did not properly comprehend it back then, but I was close. I was definitely very close. It was a difference comparable to an inch of separation. So close, but yet so, so far away.

    Was that mana? Was that weird sensation in my chest really mana?

    Seeing my current actions, Mereli stopped what she was doing and walked over. Instead of the usual condescending expression that she liked to showoff, this time she had an earnest, and eager glimmer in her eyes.

    ¡°Mereli¡¯s a super genius.¡± She suddenly stated. ¡°Since Mereli¡¯s a super genius, then as Mereli¡¯s brother, Brother Karm should at least be a regular genius. Ah, but you can¡¯t be better than Mereli, okay?¡±

    ¡°Then, can you show it to me again, Mereli?¡± I asked. After a few seconds of thought, I added, ¡°The only way I can learn is if someone as good as Mereli shows me by example.¡±

    Without surprise, the fish easily took the bait, and Mereli happily complied.

    She showed off that faint light of hers for a little while longer. Staring at it, I couldn¡¯t help but sigh in awe. This was probably the same light that had created me. Mana, the basic building blocks of magic.

    I focused on the feeling that it gave off. The faint tugging at my chest, the almost unnoticeable pulse that resonated within my body. This was probably the feeling of mana.

    With Mereli¡¯s example, I quickly noticed something that I had not noticed before.

    Something was lingering in the air.

    It was a faint, translucent layer that blanketed the surroundings. It was everywhere, kind of like air, but not quite. It existed within the same ¡°space¡± as the air in the surroundings, but it did not necessarily react with it. It was there, but at the same time, it wasn¡¯t. It was at the same place, but at the same time, it wasn¡¯t.

    It gave me an odd feeling, but at the same time, I instinctively felt that it was natural. The presence of this invisible layer, it felt normal. I was almost certain that I had stumbled upon a hidden natural force within this world that was comparable with gravity.

    The more I took note of this strange, new natural force, the more it gave me the impression that it was calling out to me. No, that wasn¡¯t quite right. It wasn¡¯t calling out to me exactly, but rather, something inside me was beckoning for this force.

    I did not know what or where this weird feeling came from, but imitating that beckoning sensation, I tried gathering the surrounding mana into my palm just like what Mereli had done earlier.

    To my surprise, the normal mana that lingered in the air did not react. Instead, it was a different sort of mana, a mana that I did not know even existed. A steady stream of indescribable energy that originated from somewhere deep within my body suddenly rushed to my open palm.

    As it moved along my arm, and recklessly made its way to my extended hand, I was overcome with an uncomfortable sensation. I suddenly felt like a bottle with numerous holes poked in it. I could feel it. I could feel the mana in my body erratically flowing out.

    A small portion of that mana followed my original will, and moved towards my palm. The gathered mana caused a faint light to emit from the tips of my fingers. As for the rest of my mana, it randomly leaked out from my body, pouring out from my skin like invisible sweat drops. This reckless flow of mana quietly dissipated into the air, where it later assimilated with the mana that lingered in the outside world.

    At almost the same time, I noticed that the mana within the air began fluctuating. Like moths drawn to a flame, it reacted with the light in my palm. Some of that mana appeared as if they had been sucked by a vortex on my hand. The absorbed mana worked in tangent with the preexisting mana, and helped to strengthen the faint light at my fingertips.

    My light was softer, and less noticeable than Mereli¡¯s, but in exchange, light particles resembling that of ephemeral dust leaked out from my skin. It gave the faint impression that my body was glowing.

    I don¡¯t know how much time passed, but after a while, a certain sense of fatigue suddenly hit me. It came without warning and hit like a moving freight train. Almost immediately, the light that surrounded me and the light that my palm emitted, abruptly vanished.

    With a groan, my body limply fell to the ground. Harsh, wheezy sounds that were grating to the ears, leaked out from my throat, while I breathed in large, desperate gulps of air. Sweat dripped down from my forehead, while I faintly noticed that my limbs were shaking, quivering like an autumn leaf.

    My body was in pain.

    It felt as if I just ran fifteen marathons all at once. Every cell within my body was crying for reprieve, and every muscle attached to my skeletal system was severely sore. It was definitely a weird, and sudden sensation, one that came from out of nowhere and sucker-punched me directly in my figurative gut. Prior to this, when I was manipulating the mana within my body, I did not feel any indication of this fatigue.

    As I lied down on the grass, my hazy eyes looked up at the brilliant sky. I did not notice since when, but thin, wisp like clouds had filled up that blue canvas. After a few seconds, a dark shadow abruptly fell on top of my face, and obscured my vision.

    There, looking down at me with a wide smile, I saw Mereli. The black horns on her head shined against the harsh sunlight like polished obsidian.

    ¡°That was amazing, Brother Karm!¡± She unhesitatingly praised. ¡°It wasn¡¯t as good as Mereli, but it was really amazing!¡±

    ¡°Really? It was amazing, wasn¡¯t it?¡± Even I couldn¡¯t help but feel happy after doing what I had just done. ¡°Mana¡­ that was mana, that was really mana. I can¡¯t believe I actually did that. Could it be? Am I actually a genius?¡±

    Even if I was a weak homunculus, if I was a genius magician, what did my race matter? As the saying goes, ¡°might makes right¡±!

    Although my light was softer than what Mereli produced, surely, I was a genius that did not lose out to this little demon. After all, it was still my first time witnessing it, and I was already able to immediately do the same thing she had. In the end, I might actually be even better than her.

    If Mereli really was a one in a hundred-year genius, didn¡¯t that make me a one in a thousand-year genius?

    Drunk on my own delusions, I couldn¡¯t help but foster such gleeful thoughts.

    In my excitement, I couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°So, how long did it take me to do all that?¡±

    Mereli tilted her head to the sky, before stating. ¡°Ten minutes? Mereli wasn¡¯t counting.¡±

    I chuckled gleefully to myself. I did not know it then, but a smug smile resembling Mereli¡¯s trademark expression had formed on my lips.  ¡°Ten minutes, huh? Aren¡¯t I pretty awesome? Isn¡¯t that amazing? How long did it take you to learn, Mereli?¡±

    Mereli spoke without hesitation. ¡°thirty¡­¡±

    Thirty minutes? I guess for a little kid, that isn¡¯t so bad, but as expected, in the face of this otherworlder, it definitely can¡¯t compete, huhuhu¡­

    I was about to go into another fit of laughter, when Mereli¡¯s follow up words instantly crushed my spirits.

    ¡°Thirty seconds? Mereli doesn¡¯t really remember, it was too fast.¡± She tilted her head and absentmindedly spoke.

    The words in my throat immediately died out before they could escape from my parched lips.

    I wanted to retort, but looking at this girl¡¯s clueless expression, I could only slowly close my eyes and nod.

    ¡°Of course.¡± I mumbled half heartedly to myself. ¡°Mereli is after all a genius. She¡¯s a genius who appears every one in a hundred, no¡­ one in a thousand, no¡­ one in ten thousand years. It can¡¯t be helped that she¡¯s better than me. I¡¯m still probably a genius, it¡¯s just that I underestimated the rest of the world, that¡¯s all.

    ¡°There¡¯s always a higher peak. Every Hero grows through adversity. Also, it¡¯s a lot more comforting if this girl is a genius. After all, she was the one who created me, it¡¯s better to be created by someone amazing than someone mediocre¡­¡±

    I repeatedly nodded my head, all the while an endless stream of words that resembled the cries of a beaten dog, leaked out from my throat.

    At the same time, Mereli looked at me with a weird expression. ¡°What is Brother Karm mumbling about?¡±

    ¡°Nothing important. Mereli really is a genius, huh?¡± I asked with a hollow chuckle.

    She stared at my face for a while, before she widened her eyes as if she had just realized something. Mereli suddenly inched her way forward and knelt down beside my head. She patted my forehead, all the while a somewhat reassuring smile stretched her cheeks.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much Brother Karm. Mereli is a super genius, after all. Don¡¯t compare yourself to Mereli, okay? Don¡¯t be sad, okay?¡±

    Hearing this brat¡¯s words, my mouth involuntarily twitched.

    ¡°A-anyway, Mereli, what did you do about this fatigue?¡± I asked in the midst of my self-pity.

    ¡°Fatigue? Is Brother Karm in pain?¡±

    I could only nod my head. ¡°Yeah, almost every part of my body hurts. What did you do when you were like this?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t know.¡± Mereli shook her head. ¡°Mereli didn¡¯t experience pain.¡±

    ¡°R-really?¡± My lips twitched again. ¡®Then what was your first time manipulating mana like?¡±

    Mereli placed a finger to her lips as she recalled the past. ¡°Mereli doesn¡¯t remember. Mereli was only two when I first did it. Father said Mereli was really amazing, and that Mereli was able to do it after seeing someone else use mana.¡±

    Hearing her words, I felt an indescribable blow to my soul.

    W-well, technically, I am still a week old, so in a sense, I¡¯m more of a genius than Mereli¡­ in the first place, why am I competing with a child?

    With a sigh, I bitterly said, ¡°Well, regardless, I can¡¯t move right now, so Mereli, please take care of me.¡±

    Mereli vigorously nodded her head. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Brother Karm. Leave everything to Mereli.¡±

    Another easy-going and self-confident smile appeared on her face.

    In that moment, I realized the gap.

    It was a bit too early for the weakest existence to challenge the geniuses of this world.

 Chapter 011: Magic My Way

    In the end, when the sun dipped down below the horizon, Mereli had to drag my comatose body back to the library. As a result, I gained a whole new set of scratch marks and bruises all over my upper back.

    It took me a full day to recover from the fatigue and even longer to recover from the other injuries. Two more days passed like this, before I once again found myself standing in the middle of an empty courtyard.

    I glanced up at the sky with a lethargic expression on my face. My right hand unconsciously reached for my stomach.

    ¡°I¡¯m hungry¡­¡± I mumbled beneath my breath, as I squinted through the harsh sunlight.

    In truth, I had already eaten today, but still, I couldn¡¯t stop the noisy gurgling sounds that leaked out from my abdomen. Maybe it was because of my earlier injuries or maybe it was because the food simply wasn¡¯t enough, but I was still hungry. No, I couldn¡¯t help but be hungry.

    It wasn¡¯t weird. I mean, one chunk of bread a day wasn¡¯t nearly enough to satiate one¡¯s hunger. With that sort of diet extended to more than a week, it was only normal for me to be hungry.

    It was normal, and the situation I was in was rather desperate, but still, I couldn¡¯t help but complain.

    Thinking back on it, if I had known that using mana would be such a physically taxing thing to do, then I would have hesitated a bit more before actually doing it. After all, life was a tad bit rough right now. I couldn¡¯t afford to go hungry or waste any more energy than necessary.

    In most fantasy novels, wasn¡¯t mana something that effected the mind? Things like mental fatigue, or painful headaches were the things that I expected, they were the things that I was hoping for. Something just a bit more like a conventional backlash.

    Or maybe the issue is with me?

    I couldn¡¯t help but turn towards Mereli.

    I mean, this child doesn¡¯t look at all effected¡­

    Mereli was just a little bundle of energy. I mean, she¡¯s like that almost all the time, but Mereli was particularly high strung when we got back to the library the other day.

    She kept showing off, boasting proudly while manipulating that mana of hers like a convenient flashlight. Even as I lay bedridden and unable to move, flashing before my eyes would be Mereli¡¯s pale blue mana light. It was annoying. It was really annoying, and I¡¯m pretty sure it effected my overall recovery speed.

    She used mana for what felt like hours, but despite all that, she was in perfect shape. In fact, she looked livelier than ever before. She only ate half a piece of bread this morning, and even went as far as to give me her other half. Even so¡­ even then, why is it that this girl has so much more energy than me?

    Was this the difference between a child and an adult? Or maybe it was the difference between that of a knock off and the authentic specimen?

    Regardless of all my inner complaints, today wasn¡¯t the time for that. Today, I was once again here to try and experiment with magic.

    In the strictest sense, what I did a few days ago wasn¡¯t magic. It was simply the manipulation of mana. Magic, at least according to my own understanding, is different.

    It was something more.

    It was more than just flashing lights, it was more than just moving around a bundle of invisible energy. I don¡¯t know how much more magic is exactly, and neither does Mereli, but¡­ well, it was just¡­ more.

    My main goal today was to try and bridge that gap between simply manipulating mana and magic. I wanted to find out exactly what that more was. I wanted to know what exactly it¡¯ll take for me to reach the threshold that is magic.

    By the end of the day, I fully expect to be bedridden, full of fatigue, and covered in even more bruises, but it was a completely necessary sacrifice. I mean, come on, it was magic.

    Then again, I don¡¯t know what exactly constitutes for magic within this world.

    From Mereli¡¯s vague accounts of her past, the magicians in the castle shot out fire balls from the ends of wooden staves, created water with the mere flip of the hand, and flew through the skies with neither wings nor harnesses.

    It was exactly the type of magic that I was hoping for.

    The problem lied in the fact that I did not know how they did it. It was obvious that they used mana as the energy source, whether it be the mana that lingered in the air, or the mana that existed within the body, but how? How exactly did they utilize mana to create what can only be described as supernatural phenomena?

    Did they use vocal spells or archaic runes? Was it done simply through the power of imagination or was there a needed catalyst, like a wand or a grimoire? My greatest wish is that it wasn¡¯t the latter. Where the hell was I supposed to find a grimoire or a magical staff in such short notice?

    With such jumbled thoughts floating in my mind, I let out a drawn-out sigh, and sat down on the ground. I folded my arms in front of me, as I glanced up at Mereli. She was absentmindedly running around the courtyard, chasing after a beautiful black butterfly.

    Watching her actions, I couldn¡¯t help but acknowledge just how flexible and athletic this little girl was. She effortlessly danced through the rubble and jumped past fallen debris. Her moves were light, if not a bit feral. She was like a child who lived her life alone in the wild, and truthfully speaking, her situation wasn¡¯t really that far off.

    All this while, not a single drop of sweat ran down her forehead.

    What really impressed me wasn¡¯t her athleticism, but rather her emotional ability. She was able to enjoy life even in such an environment. Even as she disappeared around the corner, I could still see that lingering smile. It was a smile that stuck to my head, a smile that I couldn¡¯t help but want to protect.

    I shook my head, and turned my gaze over towards the towering forest ahead of me. I don¡¯t know since when, but a desire sprouted. It wasn¡¯t something that just suddenly arose from out of nowhere, but rather, it was a slow burn. It was something that quietly ignited deep within my heart, and gradually gained traction over the days that I¡¯ve spent in this world.

    It was a desire. No, it was more than just a desire. It was a goal, my one and only goal within this new life of mine.

    I wanted to leave this forest. I wanted to bring Mereli out of this castle. I wanted to bring that child out for the rest of the world to see, and for her to see what the rest of the world outside this little corner looked like. I wanted to bring her to a city, to let her communicate and interact with other people, to people her own age.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

    I wanted her to laugh, smile, and cry.

    She was already doing that here, but I wanted her to experience those emotions in their truest sense. I wanted her to share it with someone else, someone more than just me. I wanted her to know what it felt like to have friends, to talk and communicate, to say good morning during the mornings and good night during the nights. Maybe she could even go to school, or eat out at a restaurant, or just anything really. Anything that wasn¡¯t this castle or the forest beyond it.

    Really, these days, I¡¯ve began to wonder if something had happened when I was created. After all, were the emotions that I harbored normal? Was it normal to worry so much about a single person?

    I can only explain it as a sort of ingrained desire, something placed in me as the product of alchemy. The desire to protect the one that created me. There was simply no other way.

    Otherwise, I couldn¡¯t explain these desires of mine.

    So, my desire, my goal was to get out of this forest, and I¡¯m positive that magic will play a key role in accomplishing that goal.

    I extended my hand out and hesitated.

    I wanted to repeat what I had done a few days ago, but I was afraid.

    Suffering through pain wasn¡¯t what caused me to be fearful, but rather, I was afraid of the time I¡¯d waste. Each day that passed was an important resource that I would never ever get back. Each moment, each second was a countdown until starvation.

    To finish all the preparation before that countdown ended was a very dangerous and difficult task to accomplish. I couldn¡¯t afford to mess up. Not now, at least.

    With timidity and hesitation, I once again followed my instincts, and let that familiar sensation flow towards my palm. The moment the faintest traces of light began to shine, I immediately stopped.

    It was not as intense as the other day, but I felt a certain sense of pain. It was a pain similar to muscle sores and it only came after I stopped. This pain was comparatively smaller than before, which I could only attribute to the fact that this time around, I controlled mana for a significantly shorter period of time.

    ¡°Like I expected¡­ it has to be the process¡­¡± I found myself mumbling beneath my breath, as I listlessly stared at my empty palm.

    Again, I felt it. When I moved the mana around and attempted to gather it into my palm, it simply did not feel right. It was a similar feeling to the other day, a feeling as if my whole body was a water balloon with several holes poked in it.

    The sensation of mana leaking out from my body was uncomfortable and made my skin crawl. It felt unnatural, and almost instinctively, I knew that something was wrong.

    But even if I knew it was wrong, I did not have any of the correct answers. How was I supposed to control it in a way that did not let the mana leak out? That was akin to scooping up soup with a fork.

    ¡°Turning raw mana into magic¡­¡±

    Normally, I would be clueless, and in part, I was clueless, but I had a feeling that magic was a lot easier than I originally gave it credit for. At the very least, I felt quite comfortable whenever I was moving mana from my body into my palm.

    Unfortunately, this comfort was a specific and oddly difficult thing to describe. The pain I felt directly after using mana was in no way comforting, nor did I find the feeling of being a leaking sieve to be any better. It was just the actual process that I found oddly comfortable; the sole act of moving mana from one place to the other.

    In essence, mana was just a lot more malleable than I originally expected. Even though I only really experienced it for a short while, it felt a lot like moving my own limbs.

    With such a feeling as the foundation, I had the vague impression that I might be able to do it. I did not know what exactly it is that I might be able to do, but I was definitely on the right path. I was so infinitesimally close to the first step.

    Right now, I just had to decide how to place my foot down.

    My definitive first step. At the start, it might not be a step in the right direction, but it was a step nevertheless. Without any prior knowledge, this was the only way I could proceed forward; through simple trial and error.

    There was a famous phrase that floated around the internet in my past life; ¡°Improvise. Adapt. Overcome.¡±

    This was exactly what I was trying to do. With what little information I had going for me, all I could rely on was my own understanding of mana, as well as the tiny bit of ingenuity that I had.

    Thinking about magic in all the stories from my past life, I came up with a variety of variabilities.

    Magic that depended on items to cast were definitely a no go. Things like tomes, staves, wands, staffs, crystal orbs, grimoires, I had neither of those things. The other type that I identified was magic that utilized magic circles and spell words. These seemed a lot more accessible, in a sense that they did not need physical items, but rather non-physical information. Still, where to find the perquisite knowledge was still a huge problem for me.

    Of course, if we¡¯re talking about fictional magic, there was also the easiest and most convenient type; magic that could be used purely with a person¡¯s imagination.

    Frankly, this was what I was aiming for. A simplistic use of mana based solely on mental commands. It was simple, so simple in fact, that I had my own doubts, but it was not like it was totally implausible.

    For one, the mind was not completely separate from mana. From the very first moment that I came into contact with mana, the first thing that I felt was the mental connection. It was a difficult feeling to describe, a sensation that was akin to someone brushing against my brain with a feather or a wooden brush.

    If it was imagination based magic, then it might be doable.

    With such hopeful thoughts floating around in my mind, I decided to test out this conjecture immediately.

    I once again stretched out my palm and began gathering mana.

    I felt the uncomfortable sensation of mana leaking out from my body, as well as the more comfortable accompanying awareness of mana gathering towards my palm.

    No pain just yet... I shouldn¡¯t have anything to worry about, but then again, it was like this last time too¡­

    I hesitated for a moment, before I bit down the bullet and began with my experimentation.

    Imagination.

    Imagination was key, and if we¡¯re talking about magic, then it has to be the classic fire ball.

    As soft blue rays of light began to shine from my fingertips, I slowly closed my eyes, and pictured a ball. A red-hot ball, with flickering tendrils of flame. I imagined that ball combusting, and then contracting again. I imagined it expanding, I imagined the intense heat that its searing flames exuded.

    A fire, a pale red fire.

    A flame whose light shined dull, but whose heat was more intense than the surface of the sun. A flame that was not normal. A flame created solely by me. It was a fire ball. It was my fireball.

    I imagined it.

    I imagined that tiny ball of flame, flickering in and out like the light of a dying candle. I imagined it expanding, devouring the oxygen in the air, as well as sucking in all the mana that lingered in the forest. A great big ball of heat that rivaled even the numerous stars in space.

    I imagined it once more.

    I imagined that such a flame suddenly broke apart. It split into several dozen, several hundreds of individual flames, before they all coalesced into the palm of my hand. Those tiny wisps of fire, all forcibly brought together, condensed smaller and smaller and smaller, until it fit snugly in the palm of my hand.

    I don¡¯t know whether it was an illusion created by my own imagination, but I felt beads of sweat trickling down the side of my cheeks, as well as the familiar unfamiliar sensation of lightheadedness. My body suddenly felt drained. The longer I thought, the more and more my thoughts grew hazier. I was surrounded by a thick fog, and at the center of it all was the flickering ball of flame that I had created.

    I slowly opened my eyes, just as a particularly strong wave of fatigue hit me. This fatigue was far larger than the one from the other day, and it was not alone. Accompanying that fatigue was an even harsher feeling of pain.

    I felt my body splitting apart. Like the flame from my mind, I felt as if something had forcibly torn my body up into several hundred individual pieces, before it was hurriedly contracted into a single entity. My limbs were suddenly shaking, while dry heavy heaves echoed loudly from my chest.

    Even my mind was affected. My vision blurred, while my mental image of that flame also turned hazy.

    I could not help but look at my still extended hand, only to see a flickering orange hued light.

    For an instant, I felt happy. It was a definitive success, but that happiness was immediately turned into confusion. I had imagined a flame, yes, but the flame in my mind was a lot larger than the one in reality.

    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ only as big as a finger¡­ nail¡­.¡±

    With such words echoing loudly through my fading consciousness, I could see that tiny flickering light slowly move away from my hand. It flew through the air, and moved lethargically like a dying turtle towards the empty forest. I heard an echoing boom in the background, before my world immediately turned black.

 Chapter 012: Permanent Repercussions

    A groggy mist clouded my mind. A slow, almost rhythmic wave of pain flowed through my body. An aching dull mixed with sharp, pointed discomfort.

    I felt like a drifting raft, lost amidst a stormy ocean.

    Crashing tides and pouring rain. It felt as if even the forces of nature were against my very existence. Slowly but surely, they whittled away. Each and every action, from the infinitesimally large waves that crashed against the sides, to the tiny fleck of rain that fell on its hull, everything came together, accumulating like a rolling snowball, before it finally broke.

    That tiny, nameless raft, sank deep down beneath the murky waters.

    ****

    I woke up.

    A familiar ceiling greeted my eyes. Circular and domed shaped, intermixed was the somewhat comforting scent of paper.

    ¡°¡­ The library?¡± I unconsciously muttered, only to wince in pain. My throat was sore, and even talking hurt.

    A dark shadow in the corner of my vision moved. Like a malevolent specter, it quickly approached, and hovered over my head.

    Rosy red-tinted cheeks, and a youthful complexion. The familiar face was somewhat buried beneath a layer of dark, dreary shadows. Mereli looked down at me from above with creased eyebrows and a quivering lip.

    ¡°¡ªKarm? Brother Karm? Awake yet?¡± Her shivering voice floated to my ears, but I unconsciously frowned.

    Something was wrong with my vision. Her words did not match the movement of her lips. It was a discomforting feeling. So much so, that it took me a long time to realize that Mereli was currently calling out to me.

    I blinked in surprise, before I tried to sit up.

    Almost immediately, a feeling of intense vertigo washed over my mind, before a severe ache crippled my body. I reflexively screamed out in pain, before I limply fell back down.

    Mereli¡¯s frantic appearance flashed through my glazed eyes.

    She fumbled in place for a few seconds, before she awkwardly leaned forward, and placed her hand on my forehead. From her expression mired in confusion and panic, I could tell that she had no clue what she was doing.

    ¡°Tempa¡ªtemperature is okay?¡± She mumbled something underneath her breath, but the ringing in my ears drowned out her words.

    Still, the clear anxiety was visible. Her raw emotions, all her worries and fears, they were all reflected within her swirling irises and sweat stained palms.

    ¡°What happened?¡± I asked, despite the pain in my throat.

    ¡°Uh, um, Mereli found Brother Karm like this.¡± She explained. ¡°Brother Karm was in the middle of the grass. You¡ª you were sleeping, but your body was red and looked painful, and um, um, Mereli also heard a scary noise¡­ Brother Karm, did the monsters in the forest come out?¡±

    A loud noise?

    I vaguely recalled hearing something similar, the moment before I passed out.

    What exactly was that noise? Could it be my fireball?

    ¡°Brother Karm?¡± Mereli¡¯s voice, inlayed with worry, once again reached my ears. The ringing had subsided to the point where I could now clearly hear each and every individual inflection in her words.

    Despite that, her words went in one ear, and out the other.

    Squinting through the pain, I once again tried getting up. There was a very heavy feeling weighing down my body. It was almost as if I was covered in an infinite layer of sinking quick sand. No matter how hard I tried pushing myself forward, my body simply refused to budge.

    It also didn¡¯t help the fact that Mereli was desperately holding me down. Her small hands pressed down on my shoulders, while a somewhat desperate, somewhat scared expression appeared on her face.

    ¡°No! Don¡¯t move! It¡¯s, it¡¯s no good to move.¡± She stuttered through gritted teeth. ¡°Brother Karm, listen to Mereli, alright? Listen to Mereli, please? Brother Karm is hurt a lot, so, so, don¡¯t move, okay?¡±

    My groggy mind finally gained some bit of clarity, upon hearing her desperate words.

    I¡¯m hurt?

    For the first time, I realized just how badly my current situation was.

    I knew I was hurt. I could feel it in every cell of my body. I felt it. I certainly could feel it, but that pain¡­ while it did hurt, it was a numb sort of hurt. It was akin to sound being filtered through noise canceling headphones. Only when I took those headphones off, did I finally realize just how loud that sound was actually playing.

    I was injured. In fact, I was severely injured.

    I glanced down at the rest of my body, and I couldn¡¯t help but take in a quiet gasp of air.

    I was wrapped from head to toe in bandages. Actually, bandages were kind of an overstatement. In truth, they were no more than torn strips of uneven fabric. Judging from their design, they were once a part of the bed sheets that scattered the library.

    I noticed that the bandages were sloppily applied. Some parts were thicker than others, while other parts barely had a single layer of fabric to them. In addition, the knots that held them together, some were loose, while others were so tight that they were painful.

    What¡¯s more, every single one of those bandages were dyed in red. This was particularly true for the bandages on my right hand. It was drowned in a bright crimson shade of red. If I was remembering things right, then that hand was the same hand that I used when I created the fire ball.

    Noticing all this red, I would be an idiot to not realize the fact that I was bleeding.

    Still, I couldn¡¯t help but voice out, ¡°Am I bleeding?¡±

    Mereli nodded her head. ¡°Brother was like this when Mereli found you. You, you were really scary, and there was b-blood and cracks all over. It was, it was really scary, but Mereli did her best, I did my best, so, so¡­¡±If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    Her voice grew weaker and weaker as she continued. By the end of it all, her words were unintelligible, while all her lips could do was quiver endlessly. Looking up at her face, I could see the hot tears gathering in the corners of her eyes.

    ¡°I see¡­¡± I silently turned away, and looked up at the ceiling.

    Without a doubt, my injuries were definitely more severe than last time. Previously, while I could not move my body, at most, I had only suffered from fatigue and some muscle cramps.

    This time around though, they were real. These injuries were the kind that sprouted red, like a damaged geyser. These were the injuries that looked ugly, discolored, and scary, especially for a child like Mereli.

    She, that girl¡­ she probably had to drag me back here like last time. Again, she took care of me, but this time, it was different. I wasn¡¯t conscious. I wasn¡¯t there to talk to her as she dragged my limp body all the way through the castle. I wasn¡¯t there to comfort her, I wasn¡¯t there to tell her that these injuries were nothing, that the blood was not a big deal. I was there, my body was there, but I wasn¡¯t.

    I wonder, just how exactly had she done it?

    For the first time, I noticed that not every part of my body hurt. For one, I did not feel any pain on my upper back.

    I looked back up at Mereli.

    I noticed her hands. Red, so very red. They were covered in dried specks of blood, blood that probably wasn¡¯t her own. Also, there were fresh bruises on her knees. Badly bruised, and discolored in dirty shades of pink and black. Tiny flecks of dust and pebble coated her knees, while scratches galore finished off the ugly decoration.

    Seeing all this, I couldn¡¯t help but sigh.

    I made a big mistake this time¡­ I¡¯m an idiot, a giant idiot¡­

    ¡°Mereli¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± I began, but the power in my voice died out. The words that I wanted to say grew jumbled and chaotic before they could even leave my throat.

    In response, she shook her head, and smiled a strained smile. ¡°Mereli will take care of Brother Karm. Mereli definitely will. Mereli, Mereli won¡¯t let Brother Karm disappear.¡±

    ¡°¡­ Is that so? Then, I¡¯m glad.¡±

    Mereli furiously nodded her head, while forcibly wiping away the tears that had spilled onto her cheeks. ¡°Mereli promises, and Mereli isn¡¯t allowed to break promises, so, so don¡¯t worry. Mereli will, Mereli definitely will.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Mereli... I¡¯d like to say don¡¯t worry about me, but it looks like you¡¯re going to have to take care of me again for a few more days.¡± I weakly smiled, before I closed my eyes and drifted back into the lulling embrace of unconsciousness.

    ****

    I spent nearly a week in bed.

    My injuries were slow to heal, but at the very least, they were healing. In fact, I considered myself somewhat lucky. Most of my injuries comprised of superficial scratches and light bruises. It only looked painful and scary. It wasn¡¯t actually scary, but it was indeed a bit painful.

    Truthfully, the week in bed was mainly due to my fatigue and muscle ache. It had taken five days for me to regain my mobility, and another two days before the muscle ache stopped.

    Right now, I was once again standing in an empty courtyard. This was the same place as last week¡¯s. My brow was locked in a frown, while I crossed my arms and stared at the black forest with a troubled gaze.

    ¡°I definitely shot it off towards the forest, but the forest, the trees, everything looks completely undamaged.¡± I mumbled absentmindedly to myself.

    The trees were just as black as they usually were. Even the surrounding area, from the ground nearby, to the buildings in the vicinity, they were all practically untouched.

    If that explosion really was from my fireball, then there should at least be a hint, or some form of evidence¡­ but if so, then why was it like this?

    The supposed blast should have happened fairly close by, but there was nothing. No burnt marks, no damaged trees, no snapped twigs, absolutely nothing. The only place left to check was deeper into the forest, but that was currently impossible for me.

    Heck, even standing here like this was enough to send shivers down my spine. I wasn¡¯t ready just yet to venture out into that little piece of the unknown.

    I sighed, shook my head, and turned around.

    The peculiarity with the fire ball left me perplexed, but it wasn¡¯t my primary concern. Most of my worries were focused on my damaged body. Yes, damaged. Not injured or hurt, but rather damaged.

    My bedridden period of rest did help heal my injuries, but there was a very fine line between damages and injuries. When I first inspected my body, I noticed a peculiarity; there was a giant crack on my right arm. It ran down from the web of my thumb, all the way down to my elbow.

    I first noticed this crack five days ago, when I first removed the bandages. In the beginning, I mistook it for a simple injury, and thought that it would recover along with the rest of my wounds. Unfortunately, over a week has gone by. Most of my normal injuries are already healed, but this crack¡­ this crack hasn¡¯t changed. I¡¯m thankful that it hadn¡¯t grown any worse, but the fact that it hasn¡¯t shrunk or healed, left me a bit disconcerted.

    Was using magic supposed to be this¡­ this damaging? Maybe I had done something wrong? Was there a problem with my process? Or maybe this was the natural limit to a homunculus?

    A body that could not even handle the smallest instance of magic. It was certainly a race with a well-deserved reputation.

    In the end, using magic to damage myself to such an extent¡­ I don¡¯t know whether it was worth or not. Outside of this crack on my arm, which refused to heal, just remembering that expression on Mereli¡¯s face put me in a bad mood.

    ¡°I¡¯m the older one here, so why? Why is it that she¡¯s the one worrying about me like this?¡±

    I glared drearily at my arm. The crack was unsightly. It divided my hand into two pieces, and a certain feeling of dissonance now existed whenever I moved this particular hand.

    There were other problems as well. The damage to my arm wasn¡¯t just aesthetic.

    Over the past couple of days, I noticed that there were times of numbness. This feeling of numbness only existed on my right arm, and it came sporadically throughout the day. At any given moment, everything from my right elbow down to my hand would go completely limp.

    My arm would fall uselessly to my side, where it could neither move nor feel anything. Sometimes, it would stay limp for upwards to ten seconds, while other times, this feeling would only last for barely a fraction of a second.

    It made life inconvenient. Even though I still had control over it for the majority of the day, having your arm go limp at the most random of times was very inconvenient. But outside of that inconvenience, the thing that got to me the most was the feeling of dissonance. It was a similar feeling to when I used magic, but at the same time, it was starkly different.

    My soul was mismatched, placed into the wrong body. At least, that¡¯s what it felt like.

    I sighed.

    Using magic was dangerous, and could lead to permanent damage. At least this was the case for me.

    I sighed again.

    I was planning on relying on magic to explore the forest, but now it looks like I¡¯ll have to refocus all my attention on finding the armory. We were dangerously close to running out of food. Rather, our living conditions were already pretty bad as is, but without food, without even the bare minimum that we subsided on, things were going to get a lot worse.

    I sighed once more. I really can¡¯t help but sigh.

    Well, it wasn¡¯t like everything was bad. There were ups in this otherwise downward spiral.

    For one, there was Mereli. She really wasn¡¯t a genius for no reason. After I described what had happened to me, and what I had attempted to do, Mereli replicated my actions. Suffice to say, she was more than just successful.

    In short, she was now able to use magic. Albeit her usage had several limitations, both in its ¡°casting time¡±, and power output, it was still a whole lot better than my terrible attempt. At the very least, she didn¡¯t permanently cripple herself, unlike a certain weak bodied homunculus.

    When I asked her how she had done it, she simply stated, ¡°The way Brother Karm did it was different from how the people in the castle did it. Mereli wasn¡¯t able to do what they did, but I can do what you did.¡±

    In truth, her process was simple.

    She simply imagined. She pictured the image directly in her mind, similar to what I had done before. It was a simple method, simple enough that even a child could do it. In fact, maybe it was because she was a simple child, that she could perfectly utilize such a simple method.

    Without a doubt, she was a lot more talented than me, especially when it came to magic. There wasn¡¯t really a point in competing with this type of abnormal genius. While her abilities weren¡¯t strong enough to protect herself just yet, in the end, there might really come a day where she¡¯ll be protecting me from danger.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Thinking about such a possibility, I couldn¡¯t help but feel a trembling pit in my stomach. I furiously shook my head.

    There was no way I was going to let that happen.

    I needed to get strong.

    I needed to. I had to. I could feel it again, that desire. The desire to take her away from this place. The desire to protect her. The desire to keep her smiling.

    In order to get stronger, in order to fulfill those desperate desires, I needed to find the armory.

 Chapter 013: In the Dead of Night

    I stepped into the library with heavy footsteps. Wiping the sweat that had gathered on my brow, I plopped down onto the mattress and sighed.

    Another day ended with no success.

    It¡¯s been nearly three weeks since I first arrived in this world, and nearly five days since I recovered. Throughout all this time, I¡¯ve devoted myself to exploring the castle. Yet, despite all that, despite spending nearly the whole day everyday searching, despite all of my tireless effort, I still couldn¡¯t find the armory.

    Time was tight. Even with the most liberal estimates, we only had four more days of food left. While I hated the taste of moldy bread in the morning, it was better than waking up hungry and falling asleep starving.

    But why, we¡¯ve searched for so long so why haven¡¯t we found it yet?

    This castle was large, and it was evident that searching a little bit at a time wasn¡¯t going to cut it anymore. What¡¯s more, I was starting to believe that the armory was located all the way on the other side of the estate. With our current pace, and factoring in all the dead ends and ruined passages, it would probably take about another week or so before we could reach the front gates.

    After arriving at such a conclusion, I couldn¡¯t help but sigh.

    Why was this castle so ridiculously complicated? Wasn¡¯t this place worse than a labyrinth?

    If I really wanted to find the armory in time, these half-assed methods had to go. I needed to make a big decision soon. Either keep up with our current pace and thoroughly explore the castle slowly, or skip all of that and head straight for the other side of the estate.

    I don¡¯t know which of the two choices was better. After my recent mishap with magic, I¡¯ve come to hesitate in the face of big decisions like this. I was afraid of making more mistakes. I was afraid of adding more regrets to the already growing pile that I own.

    With a sigh, I turned towards the open window. The sun had begun to set. A soft, orange hue cascaded over the castle walls. Mereli was still outside, somewhere in the hallway, but considering the time, she would probably arrive soon.

    At almost the exact moment, the door suddenly opened.

    A boisterous voice echoed through the library interior. ¡°Brother Karm?¡± She shouted. ¡°Are you here?¡±

    Her eyes scanned the room, before they fell onto my prone figure. With a slight smile on my face, I motioned for her to come closer.

    ¡°I guess it¡¯s that time of the day again, huh?¡± I asked with practiced ease, as I grabbed a nearby bed sheet, and used it to wipe the sweat from my face.

    Mereli furiously bobbed her head up and down. ¡°Will you do it again today? Please, pretty please?¡±

    I nodded. ¡°Sure, I don¡¯t actually have a reason to refuse, so why not.¡± I extended out my hand towards her. ¡°Then, give me the book.¡±

    Mereli¡¯s favorite time of the day was when the sun loomed just over the horizon. Everyday, at exactly the same time, she would ask me to read her book to her. Despite repeatedly doing this for the past two weeks, Mereli seemingly never grew tired of it. The eagerness in her eyes, the anticipation in her voice, those were all openly revealed at this moment.

    Since I didn¡¯t particularly mind, I would always comply to her requests.

    Also, in truth, this tiny event concurrently served to help quell the growing worry and anxiety that I buried deep within my heart. Just as it was with Mereli, these moments were equally important for me.

    ¡°Then, here!¡± She smiled a goofy smile, as she pulled out the old picture book, and handed it over to me.

    I moved my hand to receive it, but at almost the exact same time, I felt that familiar, discomforting sensation.

    ¡°Ah¡ª¡±

    My right hand fell limp. I lost control of everything from below the elbow. My wrist, thumb, fingers, everything stopped functioning.

    The book loudly fell on to the floor. A cloud of dust rose from the impact, while my eyes dully gazed at its worn-out cover.

    ¡°I, I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± I apologized with a sigh. Two seconds later, the feeling in my hand returned, and I moved to pick up the book.

    Just before I could reach it though, Mereli¡¯s small hands had picked it up first. She brushed the dust and grime off of the cover with careful, practiced motions, before she handed the book back to me.

    ¡°Thank you¡­¡± I stated.

    Mereli merely shook her head. She looked up at me with a frown that wasn¡¯t quite a frown. ¡°Is Brother Karm okay?¡±

    I blinked in surprise. Caught off guard by her abrupt question, I couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Okay with what?¡±

    ¡°No¡­¡± Mereli¡¯s frown deepened as her expression conveyed a look of thought. ¡°It¡¯s just, Brother Karm was looking sad.¡±

    ¡°I was?¡±

    She nodded her head. ¡°Actually, Brother Karm looks sad a lot of the times.¡±This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    Hearing her evaluation of me, I couldn¡¯t help but let out a sarcastic smile. ¡°If we¡¯re talking about sad, then Mereli also looks sad sometimes too, you know?¡±

    ¡°Mereli knows.¡± Surprisingly she agreed. ¡°Mereli is sad sometimes, but Mereli knows why she¡¯s sad. Brother Karm¡­ I don¡¯t know why you¡¯re sad. Are you hungry? Does your arm hurt?¡±

    Mereli¡¯s response caused a slight chuckle to escape from my lips.

    ¡°What¡¯s funny?¡± She pouted as she tilted her neck in confusion.

    I shook my head, and hurriedly explained, ¡°No, it¡¯s not funny, but just that¡­ it¡¯s not that I¡¯m sad. Its more that I have a lot of things to think about.¡±

    ¡°Things to think about?¡± She blinked. ¡°Then, tell the things to Mereli, so Mereli can think about them too. You know, Mereli has also been thinking¡­¡±

    ¡°Thinking about what exactly?¡± I asked curiously.

    ¡°That Mereli is actually the big sister.¡± A confident, almost forceful smile stretched out her cheeks. ¡°And big sisters are always helpful and kind and can do everything right. So, tell Mereli about the things you are thinking about, okay? Because Mereli is the big sister, Mereli can explain it all to you.  That is a big sister¡¯s job, after all.¡±

    Hearing her brazen words, I almost choked on my own saliva. I looked at her with creased eyebrows as I let out a strained cough. ¡°Since when were you the big sister?¡±

    She looked up at me with a face as if she was looking at an idiot. ¡°The big sister is the one with the oldest age and Mereli is obviously older. Does Brother Karm not know this?¡±

    That sort of unbreakable, steel-like logic was what hurt my heart the most. ¡°L-listen Mereli, not everything is about physical age. There are some things you need to consider, before arbitrarily deciding these things¡­¡±

    ¡°Like what?¡± she innocently asked.

    ¡°Like¡­ like mental age.¡± I explained.

    ¡°Then how old is Brother Karm, mentally?¡±

    ¡°That I don¡¯t know, but¡­¡±

    ¡°If you don¡¯t know, doesn¡¯t that mean that Mereli is older?¡±

    ¡°No, that¡¯s not exactly¡ª that might not necessarily be the case¡­¡±

    I could feel it, the impending premonition that I was about to lose this argument. Without hesitation, I reached out a hand and furiously rubbed the crown of Mereli¡¯s head. By the time I finished, her eyes were completely hidden underneath a cloud of messy, tangled grey hair.

    ¡°Let¡¯s forget about this conversation, alright?¡± I weakly stated. ¡°Don¡¯t you want me to read this book to you?¡±

    With a slight smile on her face, Mereli did not say anything, before she forced me to sit down beside the mattress. A few seconds later, she climbed up on top of my lap, and quietly clutched onto my chest. Glancing up at me with an almost pleading expression, Mereli beckoned for me to start.

    I sighed, and began reading.

    I read the book to her up until nightfall.

    By the time I finished, Mereli had fallen asleep. Silvery rays of moonlight illuminated her face, while a slightly glossy, slightly metallic sheen coated her usually dull grey hair.

    I lifted her off of me, and placed her back down on to the bed.

    With a quiet sigh, I stretched out my limbs and approached the only window in the library.

    Because I spent the most of my time exploring the castle, nightfall was the only real opportunity for me to do other things. In particular, these days, I¡¯ve found myself reading the Alchemical Compendium whenever the moon peaked out from amidst the starry sky.

    Although it wasn¡¯t very useful right now, it never hurt to fill up this empty head of mine with even the slightest bit more of information. Since I didn¡¯t want to waste any of our limited resources, instead of burning the midnight oil, I could only rely on the moon¡¯s soft, transient glow.

    The window provided a very good view of the outside world. The starry dots in the sky that both looked foreign and familiar, the remnant ruins illuminated by faint silver light, they were all a part of a much bigger, and much more beautiful composition.

    A quiet night in a new world. It gave off such a fantasy feeling.

    Even the things that lay beyond that, it too added to the scenery. The darkness, and the forest obscured in black. That too, was a part of this world.

    Looking out into the distance, I couldn¡¯t help but sigh. I¡¯ve noticed lately, that I¡¯ve grown fond of sighing. Rather than calling it a fondness, it was more of an uncontrollable habit.

    Just how long will this period of suffering last?

    Despite all the things that Mereli and I talked about, I couldn¡¯t help but worry.

    Always hungry, a stomach that could only grumble out in pain, and the constant worry in the back of my mind¡­ at this point, should I just try my luck and head into the forest? If I was just even a little bit lucky, I could probably snag a few berries or maybe even some weird fantasy fruit.

    In the first place, I was really beginning to wonder just how dangerous the forest really was. After all, it didn¡¯t really make sense. We¡¯ve stayed in this castle for so long, and we¡¯ve been so near that ominous forest so many times, yet nothing has appeared so far.

    Were there really monsters hiding amidst the dark trees? What if none of them existed? What if Mereli¡¯s childish worries were simply childish worries?

    All of a sudden, a third option was placed in front of me.

    Instead of exploring the castle slowly, and instead of heading off into the other side of the estate, I could simply walk into the forest and try my luck there. Monsters, danger, none of those were ever things that I was one hundred percent certain on. Surely, not every single one of my worries were real, right?

    Exploring the forest¡­what was the worst that could happen?

    Just as I mulled over this option, I caught sight of movement within the darkness.

    I could not see it properly, but I knew it was there.

    It was a shadowy figure, large and hulking. The shadows were too obscured for me to properly make out its appearance, but it appeared to be hunched, with arms as thick as tree stumps. It was slightly humanoid, but more resembled that of an ape, than an actual man. It kept its huge frame plastered against a tree, so it was difficult to make out whether or not it was really there.

    I strained my eyes to see, but again, I couldn¡¯t see anything more than a vague impression.

    For the longest time, I stared at it. I stared at it as if it were an illusion. I stared at it hoping it was an illusion. The shadow hesitated. It appeared timid and afraid, and did not dare leave the edge of the forest.

    Its skittish movements were hard to ignore. Its body swayed ever so slightly, sometimes leaning forward, as if it were about to enter the castle grounds, and sometimes leaning backward, as if it were about to sprint back into the forest.

    It repeated these nonsensical movements for a long time, but after a while, I noticed that it had suddenly disappeared. Its body retreated into the forest, and its shadowy outline melted with the rest of the darkness.

    Only after it was gone, did I release the breath that I had unconsciously held.

    A cold sweat trickled down my back.

    ¡°What was that thing?¡± I mumbled quietly to myself, afraid of making too much noise, in fear of attracting that creature back here.

    Was that a monster from the forest? The very same monster that Mereli originally feared? Why did it not approach the castle? It was hesitating¡­ but why? Was it afraid of something? If so, then what? What was it so afraid of?

    With all these thoughts and questions floating around in my mind, I couldn¡¯t help but let out a despondent sigh.

    I shook my head. Was it really still safe to stay within the library? Maybe it was better if I moved back down to the underground cavern¡­ Then again, going right now was a bit dangerous too. Who knows what could be lurking in the middle of the night?

    That night, I fell asleep, with all my fears, worries, and hesitations making their own personal appearances within my dream. The only thing that I was sure of was that somewhere in the dark recesses of my fretful consciousness, I had firmly decided to visit the other side of the castle.