《A Curse Upon the World》
Prologue [#]
Prologue [#]
If you don''t seek trouble, it will find you.
In a dark room, quiet as the stillness of the night, a laptop screen glowed dimly, illuminating the features of the boy whose fingers danced across the keyboard.
The boy''s focused expression never left the screen as he typed furiously.
Emlyn hadn''t done much, but in the end, everything played to his advantage.
Although he lost his job and sleeping place at the antique shop, what he gained in return was of higher value.
He now had a supporter, the resources to become stronger, and most importantly, a foothold in the capital.
Soon, he would be there¡ªin Sabel, the Academy of New Mages.
Emlyn was excited, even euphoric, but he still had a whole year to go.
He had no intention of wasting the opportunity.
Closing his eyes, Emlyn looked at the silver moon in the dark sky. Slowly, a small smile crept across his lips.
''I deserve this,''
he murmured to himself before heading to the grand bed in his new room.
[End of Volume One]
The boy looked at his computer screen calmly, rereading what he had written multiple times before nodding quietly to himself.
''This is good.''
The boy saved what he had written so far and then opened the webpage to the site where he published his works.
He wasted no time and went straight to the author''s dashboard to publish the last chapter of the first volume of his novel "Forever Unfinished."
The boy took a moment to think of a suitable title for the chapter.
But soon it became clear to him, and he began writing it down.
Chapter 88 - A New Life.
The title was a reflection of the transformation in the main character Emlyn''s life.
Even the boy felt the title was fitting. He liked to call this feeling the writer''s intuition, so he didn''t hesitate to publish the chapter under that title.
Once again, he reviewed the chapter, but from the perspective of a reader on the platform.
And once again, he nodded to himself in satisfaction.
''This is good.''
.
.
.
With the boy closing his laptop, he took his phone. It was late at night, past three in the morning.
But before going to sleep, he spent some time on social media to catch up on the latest news from his favorite content creators.
But the news that everyone was talking about was regarding the volcanic eruption in Iceland.
A natural disaster had forced millions to take refuge outside their homes.
There were many aerial videos of the disaster circulating, but the boy just quickly skipped past them.
Generally, he felt numb and didn''t want to empathize with anyone.
He knew it was wrong, but that was the nature of his world.
After some time of mindless scrolling, the boy put his phone aside and finally went to sleep, at last.
.
.
.
The boy opened his eyes wide, resisting the urge to close them again.
''A dream.''
He kept staring at the ceiling of his room for an indefinite period, lost in thought.
SIGH
With a lazy sigh, the boy reached out to grab his phone from under his pillow to check the time.
It was nine-thirty in the morning, his typical wake-up time that refused to change even if he slept late.
The second thing the boy checked on his phone was the status of his novel.
Forever Unfinished
- Total Views: 10,120
- Average Views: 115
- Followers: 14
- Likes: 6
- Ratings: 5
- Reviews: 1
"A review? And a new rating? "
The boy looked at his phone screen with excitement evident on his face.
He nervously tapped on the section dedicated to ratings and reviews. As soon as the page loaded, the familiar screen appeared before the boy.
His eyes, which had been filled with excitement moments before, widened in surprise.
"What? Why?"
he muttered as he looked in disbelief at his phone screen.
What was displayed on the screen were the number of ratings. There were five in total, just one more than yesterday.
But what shocked the boy was that the new rating, unlike the four previous ones that were five stars, was only two and a half stars.
"This can''t be."
The boy felt his heart racing in his chest, generally because he felt wronged and targeted.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
In his anger, he pressed on the rating, but nothing happened.
The platform where the boy published his novel did not allow the author to see who rated his works.
So, he was unable to get an explanation for such a low rating.
"This will hurt the future of the story. New readers will feel hesitant to read when they see the low rating."
"What am I supposed to do?"
The boy thought of a solution, but nothing came to mind. The only thing he thought of was deleting the novel and republishing it.
But he felt hesitant.
He felt as if he would be betraying those who read his novel and the four who rated it five stars.
SIGH
The boy sighed in frustration and helplessness.
Just as he was about to exit the browser, he remembered the one review he received.
He had been so busy thinking about the negative rating that he forgot about the review.
"But what if the review itself is from the person who gave the rating?"
This was a significant possibility the boy did not deny, and it would greatly harm the future of his story.
"If that''s the case, I have no other choice but to delete the novel and republish it."
He scrolled down to the bottom of the page where the single review was located.
Ironically, the review itself had a two-and-a-half-star rating.
"At least I get an explanation."
Despite the calmness of his words, the boy''s heart was aching intensely from within.
ASHEN OF ASHE
reviewed on 06/10/2026 03:55:01 AM
First Review / Do You Have What is Needed Mr Author?
Reviewed at Chapter 88 - New Life
Do You Have What is Needed Mr Author?
You see Mr Author, to write is to provide a new perspective. in any other case, I''ll praise you for it. but not with this.
I appreciate you so far, but you still very very lacking... you''re laking the thing i most need now Mr Author.
I wished you were the one, but you''re not?.. maybe,.. maybe? Emlyn can do, but i myself failed... but no, i can''t trust any one other than myself.
sorry to you Mr Author, we won''t see each other again.
good luck with your laking writing,..
Overall Score : 2.5
"There''s not much explanation."
The boy laughed darkly as he read the meaningless review, if it even held any meaning.
The boy expected that Ashen of Ashe''s review would somehow justify the low rating.
But all he got was a vague review, perhaps unrelated to the story, except for mentioning the main character''s name once.
This review seemed personal and targeted.
"But who could it be? No one knows about my writing the novel."
The boy reread the review, hoping to find a hidden meaning he hadn''t noticed the first time.
But the review remained as vague as it came... except for one thing.
"This person read until the last chapter, so why does their review say otherwise?"
Lost in his thoughts, the boy didn''t notice the door to his room opening.
"Walid, breakfast is ready, get up, stop being so lazy."
The figure standing at the door spoke, pulling Walid out of his thoughts.
He looked up from his phone towards the figure at his room door.
"Good morning, mom."
Walid''s mother nodded and left the door open.
Walid turned his gaze back to his phone screen.
SIGH
With a helpless sigh, he exited the browser.
He could delete the review, but the rating would remain. That was somehow worse than leaving the random review.
"Should I really just delete the novel and republish it?"
Unbeknownst to him, his face held a deep scowl.
''This would be the third time I rewrite this novel.''
"I am tired."
Walid put his phone aside and stared at the ceiling of his room with a vacant expression for a while.
He felt he was just wasting his time.
It had been his dream to become a writer, to be able to share his own language and be praised for it.
But it was also what had taken away his smile and most of his expressions.
"It''s been five years now..."
SIGH
Walid sighed to push away his frustration.
He covered his face with his hands to push away the scowl and regain his composure.
His hands were very cold, but he didn''t move them away.
He felt it suited him.
Soon, Walid returned to his usual cool demeanor.
"No matter what it takes."
He reassured himself, renewing his determination.
''I am too far in now to turn back. I just have to move forward.''
.
.
.
With this thought, Walid got up from his bed and headed to the kitchen, where the sounds that disrupted the morning silence came from.
His mother was already there, gave him a warm look, and returned to what she was doing.
"What did you bring?"
Walid asked after looking at the bag on the table.
"The usual... and some fresh vegetables for our lunch and your siblings."
Walid tilted his head in confusion.
"But you always bring vegetables in the afternoon."
"I am tired, and I am old. I can''t go and come back like this anymore."
His mother said in a dismissive tone, not taking her focus off the pot on the stove.
Walid felt guilt pierce his heart in a way he never thought possible. It wasn''t that he didn''t see the signs; he just ignored them or commented on them lovingly as he always did.
He looked at his beloved mother, whom he couldn''t understand no matter how hard he tried.
"Mom, why have you never asked me to go out and look for a job? All my friends'' mothers are not as lenient as you. Why are you different?"
Trying to hide his guilt, Walid asked the question he couldn''t help but ask.
His mother looked at him with a dismissive smile, as if his words themselves were foolish in meaning.
"You''re talking as if you''re thirty years old, you''re still young, barely twenty-four. And I''m not lenient; I just don''t want to stand between you and this vague dream of yours. Be careful, if you''re just fooling me and wasting your time playing on that phone, I won''t talk to you again."
For the first time, Walid''s expression changed to a genuine smile.
"I wouldn''t dare, and I''m not wasting my time."
''Or at least that''s what I like to think.''
Nevertheless, five years have passed, and what has changed?
.
.
.
Unusually, Walid decided not to write anything for the day and took a day off.
This decision came after he decided against deleting his novel and republishing it.
One negative review did not fully determine the quality of his writing when there were four others who thought otherwise.
With that, Walid spent his day playing video games on his laptop, a hobby he had almost forgotten since the day he decided to chase his dream of being a writer.
Time passed quickly, and when Walid checked his phone, it was already nine at night.
"Why not take a walk for a bit."
With that in mind, he informed his mother that he was going out.
His mother gave him some money to get some supplies from the supermarket.
Something Walid was used to, so he didn''t mind.
He changed into something more suitable for going out and left the house.
The weather was cold as usual, the cold breeze seeping through the thin fabric of his clothes.
Walid shivered but didn''t mind the feeling.
Somehow, the cold made him feel comfortable and calm.
One of the reasons he loved night walks.
The streets were empty, much to his liking.
Only occasional passing cars.
After a few minutes, the neighborhood supermarket was within sight.
Walid crossed the street toward it, not sparing a second glance at the group of teenagers with their decorated cars and rowdy behavior in the parking lot in front of the supermarket.
But life wasn''t perfect.
Being alone, and his shy, almost aloof demeanor caught the attention of the group of teenagers.
So they decided to cut off his path.
"What do we have here, haven''t seen you around before... Hey Mark, do you know who this skinny little kitten is?"
"Come on Ethan, don''t call him that, he might scratch you with his little claws haha..."
"Come on guys, leave the man alone, look at his face..."
The laughter and insults continued for a while, but Walid''s calm and cold demeanor soon put an end to the show. The one called Ethan got to the point.
"You see, little man, we need some money. Jackie here wants to go to college or whatever, and we''re raising donations for him because we''re good friends... So be the nice guy we want you to be and donate everything you have."
"Yeah, yeah, I have a dream, and I need money for cigarett... I mean notebooks."
The group laughed again, but they were discreetly forming a circle around Walid to trap him.
They didn''t expect him to willingly give them the money, so they were ready for violence, thinking he was an easy target.
And in some way, he was.
Walid took out all his belongings, his phone, his earbuds, and all the money his mother gave him.
It wasn''t that he was afraid of the group of teenagers, but Walid valued his life.
He wouldn''t fight a group of drunk teenagers just for material belongings he could replace.
Who knew what they would do in their intoxication and recklessness?
So he handed his belongings to the teenager Ethan who stepped forward to claim them.
The teenager inspected them and opened a path for him to leave the circle.
Walid left without looking back.
He no longer had a reason to enter the supermarket without money.
So he just left.
.
.
.
"I don''t like this. This isn''t how things should go."
Said the teenager named Mark as he sat back on his red car.
"Don''t be a coward. We usually don''t get a phone. Even though it''s cheap, we can resell it for a decent price."
"There''s still something wrong with that guy. What if he reports us. We have his phone now, it would be easy for him to get us in trouble."
The group tensed at the realization, and everyone started coming up with random theories about Walid, who had already left their sight.
"Calm down, guys."
Yelled the teenager who first blocked Walid''s path.
"Even though I think that fool is just a coward, Mark is the smart of us, he might be right... I think we should do something."
"Like what"
"That''s the question!.. Why not teach him a little lesson, plant some fear in him. And just to be safe, guys, we''ll return his phone ¨C our way."
The group started laughing hysterically.
No one understood what was in their leader Ethan''s mind, but they loved his words.
And as he explained his plan, their laughter turned into something closer to madness.
With the group of teenagers regaining their relative composure, they got into their cars and followed Walid, tracing his path.
Not even three minutes passed before they spotted him walking alone in the quiet of night.
As Ethan was about to honk the car horn, following his friends'' example to scare Walid, the phone he took from him started ringing.
Ethan looked at the phone, surprised to see that the caller was under the name "Mom."
Something deep stirred inside Ethan, making him not honk in time.
"WATCH OUT!!!"
As he lifted his head, his car hit Walid directly, sending him flying a few meters ahead.
Even though Ethan slammed on the brakes, it was already too late.
The group of teenagers'' cars stopped around the fallen Walid.
They all got out to look at his motionless body, except for Ethan.
He just stayed in his car, his eyes staring at Walid''s body, which was slowly starting to bleed.
With a trembling hand, Ethan lifted the phone in his hand.
It was still ringing.
The same name displayed prominently.
It soon dawned on him.
Ethan''s expression turned to one of horror as he looked at the name on the phone.
A small tear made its way down his cheek.
"Mom, I''m sorry!"
Deon V. Eirenios [#]
Deon V. Eirenios [#]
Those who were destined to succeed will succeed; those who weren''t, won''t.
Deon V. Eirenios [1]
Walid''s eyes suddenly opened, as the sharp, persistent pain caused his head to jerk back. His whole body trembled, as he became fully awake, no trace of drowsiness in his mind.
''I... am alive!''
But the pain in his head continued, preventing him from getting up from his bed.
''Where?..''
The first thing Walid saw was a distant white marble ceiling with a chandelier that illuminated the surrounding area with a faint white light.
''A hospital?!''
That was his first thought, but he quickly dismissed it as he took a good look at his surroundings.
The room was astonishingly spacious, with two entire walls serving only as shelves for a vast collection of carefully arranged books.
On the third wall, there were closed glass windows with red curtains adorned with intricate patterns.
Each window was more than twice Walid''s height, something that left his mouth agape.
On the fourth wall, opposite the large bed he was lying on, there was a fireplace large enough to heat an entire house, though it was currently unlit.
On either side of the fireplace, two long swords were hung, reflecting the little light that penetrated the closed curtains.
The swords looked astonishingly real.
''Where the hell am I?!''
By now, it was clear to Walid that he wasn''t in a hospital.
In fact, it seemed more like the bedroom of someone incredibly wealthy, just 100 years back.
"I need to get out of here..."
"Ugh..!"
As Walid tried to get up from his bed, his already aching head only hurt more, forcing him to hold it between his hands.
"Why... does it hurt so much?!"
''Of course, it would hurt; I got run over by a group of reckless kids... damn them!''
Remembering the events, Walid couldn''t help but curse in anger.
''Avoid trouble I thought!''
Walid released his head from his hands as soon as he felt better.
"At least, I''m alive."
The image of his mother and siblings appeared in his mind, and he couldn''t help but smile.
"I''m alive!"
''Now, I just need to understand where I am?''
Because the place was definitely not a hospital.
.
.
.
Walid tried to get up from the bed, knowing that the previous sharp pain in his head¡ªthough not completely gone¡ªwas now manageable.
But the second his feet touched the carpeted floor, a light knocking sound came from the door of the room on the far side of the bed, to the right of the fireplace.
Walid looked at the door with hope in his eyes.
"Finally..."
"Baby Brother, can I come in?"
The melodic voice reached Walid''s ears, and he quickly got up to open the door, thinking it was his sister.
He reached the door handle, twisted it, and opened the door wide, a broad smile spreading across his face.
But the smile didn''t last long.
It disappeared the moment Walid took a look at the ''strange'' girl standing in front of him.
He took a few steps back in horror.
With each passing second, his face lost all its expressions and paled at an alarming rate.
The strange girl noticed his condition and approached him with a worried expression.
"Baby Brother, are you... okay?"
Somehow, her expression carried some hidden pity.
Walid''s eyes began to move violently, refusing to settle as the girl spoke.
He was in denial.
And he had every right to be.
He continued to retreat until his back, now drenched in sweat, faced the room''s wall.
There was no more room for him to escape.
"Baby Brother, you''re scaring me!"
The strange girl shouted at him, who was pressed against the wall in what seemed like uncontrollable fear.
"Why are you acting like this?"
She asked with another desperate cry.
But Walid didn''t answer.
He was still in denial.
The thought that crossed his mind was so ridiculous that he didn''t dare to ask.
But he had to ask, he had to be wrong, he was just in some strange role-playing hospital.
That could be something! A very expensive way to treat patients.
It must be!
Walid took a deep breath as he looked at the strange girl in front of him, who was cautiously approaching him.
"Your name?"
He asked, in a somewhat desperate voice.
The girl stopped, her gray obsidian eyes filled with great concern as she looked at him.
"Baby Brother, it''s me, what''s happening to you?.."
"Say your name... please!"
Walid asked again, the desperation deepening in his tone.
"It''s... it''s... V! It''s me, Viera!"
Walid pressed on his shirt where his heart was supposed to be as he waited for the strange girl to mutter her full name.
"Vierenna V. Eirenios!"
The second Walid heard the name, his head began to throb violently, bringing unbearable pain.
This time, he didn''t try to endure it.
He just let it take his consciousness away¡ª perhaps for good!
???
???
???
Deon V. Eirenios [2]
For the second time in one day,
Walid''s eyes suddenly opened, as the sharp, persistent pain caused his head to jerk back.
His whole body trembled, as he became fully awake, no trace of drowsiness in his mind.
"A dream... just a dream!"
But the pain in his head continued, preventing him from..?
''Where?..''
Which, ironically enough, was the carpeted floor¡ªnot the bed.
A feeling of d¨¦j¨¤ vu touched Walid¡¯s senses, so he tried to move his head, which felt stuck between something.
As he looked to the side...
The first thing Walid saw was the figure of a young girl with her alien beauty.
Her gray obsidian eyes and long strands of white hair caressed her sad facial expressions.
Walid tried to lift his head from her lap, but her hands firmly held his head, refusing to let go.
It left him in an awkward position.
"You are awake, thank your soul!"
Vierenna commented, looking at Walid, who stared at her with an expressionless face while repeating the word ''dream'' like a broken record.
"A dream? What are you talking about?.."
Finally, she let go of Walid''s head when he ceased his struggles.
But Walid didn¡¯t make any effort to get up, which prompted Vierenna to call him again, gently caressing his cheek with her pale, delicate hand.
"Baby Brother?!.."
As Walid snapped out of his zone-out state, he lifted his head from Vierenna''s lap, but he didn¡¯t look her in the eyes.
He just bowed his head down in despair and disbelief.
There was no room for denial now.
Nonetheless, his stomach churned in rejection.
"I just had a strange dream."
That was all Walid said to Vierenna in a barely audible voice.
She seemed to understand something Walid himself struggled to grasp.
"I know what father said, but I don¡¯t think he meant it. Even if he did, you don¡¯t have to worry because I¡¯m here."
She said in a reassuring tone. The texture of her voice somehow calmed his thoughts enough to regain some composure.
"Thank you..."
Walid said, his voice still faint, as he couldn¡¯t muster the strength to speak loudly.
"I¡¯m sorry for snapping at you before... I¡¯m really sorry."
Walid apologized for something he didn¡¯t understand, but it was a logical thing to do until he figured out his current situation.
Vierenna shook her head with a heart-warming smile on her face.
"It''s okay... I understand, and you don¡¯t have to worry about anything. You¡¯ll be just fine."Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!
She stood up from the carpeted floor and held Walid¡¯s hands to pull him up.
"I¡¯ve taken waking you up every morning as a routine since mother¡¯s passing. You can imagine my shock when you started asking for my name out of thin air."
"But with yesterday''s events, and father snapping at you... well..."
She bowed her head slightly while still holding Walid¡¯s hands.
"But I stood up to him, it¡¯s not his right to yell at you for something you were born with."
She said with a proud expression, her gray obsidian eyes locked with his.
Walid remained silent the whole time.
He didn¡¯t want to say anything that might reveal he wasn¡¯t the person she thought he was.
So, he just absent-mindedly nodded to all of Vierenna¡¯s words.
Vierenna seemed to notice his behavior, so she released his hands and took a step back.
"You¡¯re still in your night clothes, and... breakfast is ready. I¡¯ll wait for you downstairs."
She made her way to the door, as sad expression evident on her face.
Walid didn¡¯t say anything, he just watched her bowed back as she walked steadily toward the rooms exit, which was left wide open.
Remembering his situation, Walid called out to the girl before she exited the door, his dead tone refusing to change.
"Can you wait for me by the door?.."
Vierenna turned to look at Walid and then nodded with a smile.
He couldn¡¯t call her ''sister'' either, his heart didn¡¯t allow him to do so.
"Until I change and we go together."
The reason for Walid''s strange request was because he still didn¡¯t know where he was.
Although he had solved a bit of the mystery he found himself in, there were still many unknowns left for him.
The simplest, ironically enough, was the ''downstairs'' Vierenna mentioned.
Vierenna nodded again and left, closing the door behind her.
She didn¡¯t forget to flash a smile in his direction before closing the door completely.
Walid stood still in his previous spot, his eyes still fixed on the closed door.
He looked around the room, searching for a place to change clothes, if there even was one.
Thanks to the room''s organization, it was easy for him to spot the gap in the shape of a door with a red curtain covering it.
With trembling steps, Walid moved towards the gap.
His goal was clear.
If what was behind the curtain was a changing room, there should be a mirror inside.
Walid tried to hold on to the thin thread of hope he had, but he knew already that the end of the thread had been cut a long time ago, or led to nothing at best.
But either way, he still wanted to see for himself.
With that in mind, He pulled the red curtain aside and entered the changing room.
Walid didn''t pay much attention to the room itself as his eyes were drawn to the full-body mirror on the far side of the changing room.
To his relief, the mirror wasn¡¯t facing him.
But soon, that relief was destined to be shattered.
With trembling steps and a heavy heart, Walid took his first steps towards the mirror.
Each step closer to the mirror pushed his hope and mind further away from the reality he didn¡¯t want to face.
Upon reaching it, the indifference he had built to protect himself shattered like thin glass on the side of the street.
Walid didn¡¯t have the strength to collapse to the ground or to remain standing, but somehow, his legs kept his balance despite his minimal control over his body.
''This can¡¯t be!..''
''This can¡¯t be true!..''
''It shouldn¡¯t be!..''
Walid¡¯s thoughts were chaotic, but it didn¡¯t prevent him from recognizing the reflection in the mirror before him.
Dark, messy black hair reaching the shoulders like moving shadows threatening defiance and chaos.
Wide violet eyes with intricate patterns on their spherical surface like fragments of twilight enveloped in sickly light.
Pale, sickly white skin, like an untouched canvas reflecting light with cold elegance.
And other details of a character supposed to exist only as words on paper.
Walid just stared at the reflection, unwilling to mentally acknowledge the reflection that wasn¡¯t his.
But his ears heard the words he didn¡¯t want to speak.
"Deon V. Eirenios."
And it was him speaking, even though he didn¡¯t know it and didn¡¯t acknowledge it.
Despite that, what choice did he have?
???
???
???
Deon V. Eirenios [3]
For what felt like an eternity, Walid was still staring at the reflection.
Although he tried to push his mind to reject what his eyes were seeing, his mind had more sense than he did.
''How can this be possible?.. This makes no sense?..:
But the truth was once again in front of him.
''This character design?.. It''s Deon from my "Forever Unfinished"!''
Although the character Deon wouldn''t appear until the second volume¡ªwhich Walid hadn¡¯t written yet¡ªhis character outline was there as the first main antagonist that the protagonist Emlyn would face in his first year at the academy.
So, Walid only had an idea of Deon and a preliminary sketch of him.
But what made him certain that the reflection in the mirror was Deon was the presence of the sister character Vierenna.
Vierenna is a character of firm importance in the story, so Walid was familiar with her the moment he saw her.
Everything about her was the way Walid had written, or would have written at least.
From her appearance, way of speaking, expressions, care for her Brother, and every little detail...
Finally, Walid''s feet lost balance, causing him to step back a few steps. The shock still evident on his pale face.
"What happened in the world?.."
''Did I really die from that group of...''
''Car accident???''
''But no... Noo!.''
''Reincarnation?.. That can''t be.. right?''
''Why?!''
Walid lost control of his thoughts as they came out in disjointed fragments of questions and memories trying to make sense of what his eyes were witnessing.
''Is this how everything I worked for will end?''
He remembered himself, his small family, his dream, his diligence, his failures, and his perseverance in trying to build something that mattered to him.
Walid remembered again his mother and her support for him throughout the five years since he first voiced his dream and his intention to pursue it.
Beyond that, Walid didn¡¯t have many memories, and he didn¡¯t need more than that.
Just his dream and his mutual love with his family were enough.
He wasn¡¯t perfect, but he sought it like any other human.
And now, all of that was gone.
"Did I really die?"
Walid asked the reflection in front of him, but the reflection of Deon¡¯s character.. was just a reflection of what Walid himself was doing.
But somehow, Walid saw an answer in the reflection.
''So this is how it ends.''
''This is the end. No dream, no family, no nothing.''
Walid closed his eyes and sat on the red-carpeted floor.
Although he still had more questions, he didn¡¯t bother trying to answer them.
He was tired.
For a long time now, he had been tired.
But at that time, he couldn¡¯t give up, why?.. the most important person in his life relied on him and trusted him and his dream.
But now,
he had nothing left.
There was no need for him anymore to feel that deep despair accompanying high expectations.
He was truly alone now.
He could give up now.
Those who were destined to succeed will succeed; those who weren''t, won''t.
Walid belonged to the latter. No matter how desperately he tried, he couldn¡¯t succeed. The only thing he got was despair.
And now, he could easily rid himself of his despair...
He just had to give in to it and stop once and for all.
But...
Could Walid, who thrived in moments of despair and fed on them to grow, give up now, at this point?
Walid, who had everything he needed, would have said no, a hard no.
But... again!
What is the answer of Walid who lost everything?
"Baby Brother?.."
A faint nostalgic voice entered Walid''s ears. He knew to whom it belonged, but he did nothing to answer.
He remained in his place, looking as desperate as he came.
"Oh, Deon!.."
Vierenna entered Deon''s changing room, knelt beside him, and hugged him tightly.
Walid didn¡¯t resist her hug or even move. He looked like a lifeless corpse as the same question kept echoing in the back of his head.
''What is the answer of Walid who lost everything?''
Vierenna began to pat Walid''s head as she spoke.
"Just because you''re a Cursed Magician, it doesn''t make you talentless or not my Brother. Father''s reaction was... bad, but you know how he''s become since mother¡¯s passing."
"You didn¡¯t get what you dreamed of, but you got something. Something of your own, and you should appreciate who you are, Baby Brother."
"You may feel hopeless and abandoned now, but you should look at the opportunities you can create with your own hands. Trust that I will always support you... If the family really abandons you, I will be the first to step out the door, by your side..."
Vierenna brushed her silky white hair back nervously. She paused for a moment, searching for the right words to say, but nothing came to mind.
"I''m bad at this..."
"You''re good enough."
Walid said, then pushed himself out of Vierenna¡¯s embrace to sit upright.
He looked at the innocent girl before him.
"Thank you, I... I knew the answer, it was always with me. I''m just.. too tired... to think, or to do anything, really."
Vierenna extended her hand to pat Walid''s head. She smiled, but her smile was clearly fake.
"I know you''re not that weak. You will do great things. I can see it."
"You just think that. The truth is, I am so weak that I can¡¯t give up."
The girl tilted her head to the side, confused.
"That, makes no sense. But it suits you, you don¡¯t make no sense yourself."
Walid didn¡¯t say anything in response to the girl''s accusation, but he pondered the truth in it.
He really didn¡¯t make any sense. Neither himself nor his situation.
But that¡¯s a mystery that would be left unanswered... for now.
Noah stood up from his seated position and this time extended his hand to Vierenna to help her up.
The girl took his hand with a smile and relied on him to bear her weight.
Walid was up to the task; and as the girl stood beside him, Walid tasked her with the duty of choosing his clothes.
"Since you¡¯re here, you can choose my clothes as a token of thanks."
Vierenna opened her mouth like a fish out of water.
Seeing the scene before him, Walid felt he made a mistake.
But quickly and steadily, a terrifying smile formed on her face, glowing with a strange light.
Walid began to regret his decision upon witnessing the smile, but it was too late for him to back out now.
???
???
???
Deon V. Eirenios [4]
Walid took the pieces of black clothing that Vierenna had chosen for him to wear and began putting them on, piece by piece.
His movements were precise for someone whose focus was entirely elsewhere.
''I know very little about Deon.''
Although Deon''s character was supposed to be the first main antagonist the main character - Emlyn - would face, this did not mean that Walid''s writing of him was in the finest details.
In fact, in his novel "Forever Unfinished," Walid had not yet written a story or attributes for the character Deon, just a name and a face. One of the reasons he recognized him in the mirror, albeit faintly.
This means that Walid was and still is unfamiliar with the person who was in his body. Whether his personality, way of thinking, upbringing environment, nothing really.
And this ignorance spread even to the place Walid thought he was in now.
The capital of the Macezar Empire - Zeleshyre.
Walid reached this conclusion easily.
True, he wasn¡¯t very familiar with Deon, but the opposite was true for Vierenna as she was an important character in his novel''s events.
Walid knew a lot about her, but not everything.
And those small details are what show the difference.
One of Walid''s current self - asigned tasks was uncovering those small details.
He simply did not know the things he didn¡¯t know.
Although he knew little, he couldn¡¯t allow himself to be reckless. Being reckless is just a well deserved tragedy.
One thing Walid was sure of was that the timeframe accompanying his entry into Deon''s body was after the events of the first volume of his novel.
Why do you say?..
Because Deon and the main character are the same age. Also Vierenna mentioned something about Deon becoming a curse magician now.
This can only mean that the body¡¯s owner had already undergone the awakening ceremony.
''I had only written the first volume, which takes place in the western borders of the Macezar Empire, I was planning to have a one-year time skip and move directly to the second volume set in the imperial capital, Zeleshyre.''
''I am likely somewhere in that year between the events of the first and second volumes.''
SIGH
Walid sighed as he looked at his fully dressed reflection.
''I''ll ask Vierenna at the breakfast table and verify for myself.''
With that in mind, Walid gathered his final thoughts and proceeded to leave the changing room to the expanse of his new room, where he was met by Vierenna¡¯s eager gaze.
.
.
.
"You didn''t comb your hair!"
Vierenna stood up hurriedly, her previous smile disappearing into something of expected disappointment.
Under her stern gaze, Walid combed his hair to the sides with his hands and tried to lighten the mood with a smile, but what came out was just a fake imitation without any characteristics of any kind of smile.
Vierenna¡¯s body shuddered slightly at the terrifying smile, but she controlled herself and sighed in helplessness.
SIGH
"Come here."
She gestured to Walid with her hand, her gaze, and body language appearing commanding, not to be refused.
Walid, nervously and anxiously, walked towards her standing place beside the bed.
He didn¡¯t break eye contact when he stood in front of her.
In a swift, smooth motion, Vierenna placed both hands on Walid¡¯s shoulders and forcibly sat him down on the bed.
"If you resist, you¡¯ll bear the consequences."
Her voice, despite its softness, carried an undeniable coldness. It made the base of his spine shiver.
''Did I do something wrong?!''
But contrary to his dark thoughts, Vierenna climbed onto the bed to sit behind his back. She began combing his hair with her delicate fingers.
Her movements were like a gentle breeze passing through the strands of his messy black hair. Her touch eased the tension in the veins of his head with gentle care.
Walid found himself completely relaxed under her tender mercy. He closed his eyes and relaxed his muscles.
"Thank you, I needed this."
He said in a faint, warm voice.
"Anytime, for my Baby Brother."
In the midst of the silence and relative comfort of the moment, Walid found his thoughts drifting again to dark places.
Not needing this now, he decided to ask about one of his safe curiosities.
"Why Baby Brother?"
From the first word exchanged between Walid and Vierenna, she had only called him by his name once - well, the body¡¯s name. She continued to use ''Baby Brother.''
"Oh, this is a first. I guess the days of pretending to ignore it didn¡¯t yield the desired result heheh..."
She laughed cheerfully.
"For me, I found it very cute. Every time I call you Baby Brother, you make that face, and every time you try to hide it from me with all your might..."
She pinched his cheek.
"To answer your question, I call you Baby Brother because it''s cute, and you made it so. So suffer the consequences, Baby Brother."
Walid didn¡¯t understand much of Vierenna¡¯s words, but he knew her words were directed at her Brother Deon, not him. But he continued to ask anyway.
"Can¡¯t you call me by my name like a normal person... or like a normal sister?"
"This is the breaking point, huh... Let me think.. hmm..."
Vierenna hummed to herself, her finger movements slowed.
Before Walid could point that out, she gripped his scalp tightly and pushed her face over his shoulder from behind to meet his gaze, her eyes burning with a strange light.
"No... and never to the end of time. You are my Baby Brother, and no one will change that, not even you."
She said intensely as if her words were unchangeable.
But Walid knew better.
''The truth will.''
She let go of her grip on his scalp, and made a startled motion.
"Oh no... I messed up your hair."
Suddenly, she pulled his hair back to meet her gaze from below, her angry expression towering over him.
"If you hadn¡¯t distracted me with your questions, I wouldn¡¯t have messed it up. It''s your fault."
''What a strange girl.''
As she began to let go of his hair, she grabbed it again tightly and pulled it back until he fell into her lap.
"And what did you mean by ''like a normal sister?'' "
She said the last word in imitation of his voice, with some exaggerated body language.
From her gaze down on him, Walid knew she wouldn¡¯t let him go without an answer, so he made one up, already regretting speaking in the first place.
"I meant, that you are special. No disagreement there."
The smile Walid expected didn¡¯t come. Instead, her grip tightened, and his head sank deeper into her lap.
''What kind of situation is this?''
"Elaborate."
She said, unconvinced.
Walid, against his better judgment, suppressed his pride and began to fill the strange girl, who he was sitting on her lap in an awkward position.
"You are considerate, kind, and..and.. the other obvious things."
That was all he could think of. He wasn¡¯t about to say the things he knew about her crazy personality from his prints of her in his novel.
Vierenna shook her head, her gaze growing angrier and colder.
Walid felt the chill creeping along his spine, and from the sheer terror he felt, he began to speak nonstop, his eyes closed and his body trembling.
"Emotional, patient, brave, stylish, elegant, strong, agile, friendly, cultured, wise, intelligent, kind, playful, tender, beautiful, radiant, delicate..."
Walid''s words were halted by the hand that closed his mouth.
He opened his eyes and found Vierenna smiling at him with an embarrassed and gentle smile...
"It wasn¡¯t hard, was it. It''s liberating to be honest and say what''s in your heart from time to time, Baby Brother."
But all Walid felt was terror.
''Crazy!''
Walid helped himself sit back up to his previous position when he was free from her grasp.
"We should head for breakfast."
He said and tried to get up to escape her.
But his efforts were in vain, despite her loosening her grip on his head, he was still under her mercy.
She pulled him back as she hugged his head, a playful smile decorating her expression as if all his intentions were known to her.
"Where to, Baby Brother. We still haven¡¯t fixed what needs to be fixed, or.. perhaps,.. you didn¡¯t mean what you said about me just now?"
She tightened her grip around his head and pulled him closer to her. Her smile deepened as if challenging him to say otherwise.
"....."
Walid remained silent.
She nodded at that as if her expectation could never be anything more than just¡ expectation.
Walid felt helpless under her gaze, he felt like a doll to the girl,..
A doll with very little freedom.
The Answer of Someone Who Lost Everything [#]
The Answer of Someone Who Lost Everything [#]
The smart ones don''t wait.
to the attempt and beyond comfort.
The Answer of Someone Who Lost Everything [1]
At a wide breakfast table, two figures sat side by side, eating their food in silence.
The first figure, a girl with shiny white hair under the morning sun and gray obsidian eyes, only ate a variety of vegetable bread and drank red tea from her cup decorated with intricate silver patterns.
From time to time, the girl would cast a curious sideways glance at the person next to her.
There, sat a boy with neatly combed raven-black hair to the sides, shoulder-length, and dull violet eyes.
Despite the variety of food, the boy only ate fruit and washed it down with fresh orange juice.
The longer Vierenna watched her brother Deon, the more her curiosity turned to worry.
Her brother had been in this state since that day three months ago.
The awakening ritual...
A sign of hope and change in every person''s life.
But this sign of hope was the reason her little brother was lost.
Since that day, he had not been the same...
Or at least her memory of him...
Deon, three months ago, was always trying to pick fights with her out of his excitement for his own awakening.
Vierenna didn¡¯t want to encourage his actions, but what were her other options given that he would never accept refusal.
So from time to time, she would spar with him and teach him some sword tricks.
Being the second-born of House Eirenios, it was expected that he would gain talent in both the sword and elemental magic.
And that did happen,.. partially.
But not in the expected or usual way things went.
Every noble house in the Macizar Empire extracts and retains the dead mana of the main bloodline members of the house after their death.
That dead mana is re-injected into the younger generation members during their awakening rituals to ensure a prosperous future for their houses.
Vierenna, in her awakening ritual, was injected with the dead mana of her great-grandfather, her mother''s bloodline.
As usual, she received high talent in both the sword and elemental magic, along with an extreme talent, which was seen as latent talent.
As for Deon, he was also supposed to receive the dead mana of their great-grandfather from their father''s side.
But,.. that didn¡¯t happen.
Mainly due to their mother''s intervention in defiance of tradition.
She said, her son would receive no mana other than hers!
No one understood her words at the time.
But soon they learned, that it was her way of announcing her chronic illness...
Mana decay...
A severe condition¡ªif calling it an illness was appropriate, where an individual''s mana rebels against its owner and consumes all the progress the owner has made until nothing remains but an empty corpse, neither fully dead nor fully alive.
So mainly, what mother¡ªViktoria de Avila was asking for, was death for the sake of her son Deon.
Deon, at her own request, remained ignorant of everything happening to his own mother.
And the worst part was, that all the main family members blamed him for Viktoria''s death.
During that time, he didn¡¯t understand the hatred and disdain he received from the moment of the mother''s announcement. Especially from his own father.
''And I did the same,.. for a while.''
Vierenna was and would always be ashamed of how she treated her Baby Brother.
She also blamed him for her mother''s decision, but watching him from afar in his sorrow and loneliness, she felt guilt eating her from the inside.
But despite that, she couldn¡¯t approach him... for one reason!
...She felt jealousy.
Why Deon and not me?
Vierenna wasn¡¯t ashamed of that, she went and asked her mother on her deathbed, directly.
The conversation she had with her mother at that time, she would never forget.
As it changed her thinking completely.
To say that her feelings of jealousy had disappeared would be a lie. But Vierenna understood why Deon and not her.
And so, she began to approach him.
In their entire family, Deon had only his mother and Vierenna. But that was destined to change, which was the way of life.
Their mother died, and Deon became more hated.
Some main family members even discussed bypassing Viktoria''s request under the pretext of preserving Tradition as were. Something they never dared in her life.
But Vierenna stood up to them and reminded them of their prior agreement. She even threatened to report their disgraceful actions to the De Avila household.
She stood up for her brother, and she was proud of that.
Everything went as the mother requested, and Deon received his mother''s dead mana without his knowledge.
Everyone expected he would gain primary talent in the sword, followed by talent in ice elemental magic, and a side extreme talent in illusion magic,.. just like his mother.
But.. to everyone''s surprise!
Deon received only one of his mother''s talents.
Primary talent in the sword.
And instead of ice elemental magic or rare illusion magic, Deon had a high affinity with curse magic as a primary extreme talent as well.
From anyone else''s perspective, Deon should be seen as a sought-after talent anywhere.
But in the eyes of the family members,.. he was a waste.
And they made sure their voices were heard.
A curse magician in no Eirenios, they said.
With words like those, Deon was no longer his enthusiastic and proud self.
And his hatred turned towards himself and his talents.
Vierenna watched everything, but she wasn''t able to help.
She knew the truth might help, but she also promised her mother to keep it a secret, and she didn¡¯t intend to break her promise.
So all she could do was be there, beside her Baby brother.
And for three months now, she remained helpless and unable to help.
...
SIGH
A faint sigh came from Vierenna''s side.
She turned her head to find Deon staring out the window to the garden below, ignoring his food.
She looked through the window to see what was so interesting that it took her brother''s focus.
But the garden was empty.
"What is so interesting?"
In her curiosity, she asked Deon with a slight frown. She wanted to know.
Deon focused on her and answered indifferently.
"Just, I don¡¯t know, the garden is beautiful, I guess."
Vierenna opened her eyes in shock, looking at her brother as if he were a stranger. But inside, she was pleasantly surprised, she called that an improvement.
As she prepared to say something, Deon spoke again, his gaze at her carrying caution and hidden fear.
"Of course, you are beautiful yourself, but, the garden is a garden... and you are more beautiful..."
Vierenna smiled a wicked smile.
Deon''s current look at her was the result of forcing herself on him.
In short explanation, Deon didn¡¯t want to see her either in his depression. And Vierenna''s solution was gentle violence¡ª as she liked to call it.
And it worked, albeit with side effects.
Vierenna''s smile widened, while Deon''s face paled.
He began to push himself away from her slowly, but she grabbed his cheeks with her hand.
She wouldn¡¯t make the mistake of pulling his hair again.
"Is that how you think of your sister?.. if you love me just say you do."
She pretended to think, while looking at Deon''s face as it gradually lost its color.
"I will give you the honor of taking this lady for a walk in the garden. I would say I would look more beautiful under the sunlight on my beautiful skin."
"....."
Deon remained silent.
"hmm... Do you perhaps? think otherwise."
"....."
Deon swallowed, but he remained silent.
Vierenna was puzzled by her brother''s silence, as she was about to speak again.
Deon pointed to her hand that held his face covering his mouth.
"Oh, this is embarrassing..."
She said, but her expression remained unchangeable ¡ª exaggerated smile.
Slowly, Vierenna loosened her hand allowing Deon to take a deep breath. But she didn¡¯t let go of his cheeks that had turned red.
"I¡ª agree.. what you said..!"
"Oh... is that so. You think I would look beautiful only under the sunlight. Are you saying I don¡¯t look beautiful now?.. or you..."
"You are beautiful at every moment and time, you are beautiful no matter what you do, just... it would be an honor for me to accompany you to the garden."
Every word of his was followed by a deep breath as if he were dealing with a bomb about to explode.
''I guess I won¡¯t make it hard for him...''
"If that¡¯s your opinion, good for you. But sharing it with your sister, I don¡¯t know about that?.. since you are so bossy today, I will entertain your fantasies."
Vierenna said with a skeptical smile at Deon who looked at her with a complicated gaze.
"What a good sister I am."
With this thought, she let go of his cheeks and stood up from her place at the breakfast table.
Deon remained seated with a blank look, but his trembling pupils put a smile upon a smile on Vierenna''s lips.
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
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???
???
The Answer of Someone Who Lost Everything [2]
Against his better judgment, Walid was forced on a walk in the garden while he was still organizing his thoughts.
But his thoughts came to a halt as he laid his eyes on the garden in sight.
A charming scene of a wide garden paved with straight paths, adorned with pink flowers and carefully trimmed trees. A long water basin reflecting the clear sky, ending at the outer gate of the palace in the distance.
In the rectangular space, there were gardeners tending to the garden, carrying various care tools, dressed in matching uniforms.
During Walid''s walk through the garden, he couldn¡¯t ignore the sideways glances he kept receiving continuously from the various workers or passersby.
''So, Deon is hated?.. Typical!''
"Just ignore them. they are just curious."
Vierenna, who walked beside Walid, their hands intertwined, said from the side.
"Let''s go to the back garden, it used to be your favorite place?"
Without waiting for his approval, she began to pull him through the garden in an elegant manner trying to draw no attention on them.
Walid, helpless before his supposed sister, began taking notes of every place they passed, storing the information in his mind in case he stayed for a while¡ªwhich seemed to (will) be the case.
''At least I''ll do something useful in the meantime.''
After a short trip through the towering palace that stood in the middle of the garden, Walid and Vierenna arrived at what she called the back garden. But in Walid''s eyes, it was closer to a city park.
Unlike the front garden, the back garden was empty and shaded by the massive palace. giving it a calming feel.
After a brief pause, Vierenna began again to pull Walid deeper into the garden.
Surprisingly, she became eerily silent, contrasting her lively and talkative nature.
Walid was tense from the silence, but he maintained his own and followed her.
Soon they arrived at a small shallow lake.
Scattered across the small lake¡¯s space, colorful stones rested in the depths of the clear waters.
Each stone didn¡¯t differ much in size from its neighbor beside it, but the same couldn¡¯t be said about the strange colorful symbols on each stone.
Walid''s previous tension increased at the scene that was supposed to be pleasant, yet he couldn¡¯t prevent the deep sense of wrongness from creeping to the edge of his consciousness.
The symbols were meaningless to him, but when looking at them as a whole, with the addition of the transparent lake, the arrangement of the stones, the colors of them, and the colors of the symbols on the stones. Walid couldn¡¯t ignore that something meaningful rested there.
''...what is it?!''
Walid focused more on the scene, and the more he focused, the blurrier his vision became.
Unknown to him, he had already fallen to his knees, his eyes wide open at the scene as if they were devouring all the light that entered through them.
A faint sound stirred the strings of his hearing, but Walid ignored it. The scene in front of him took all his focus. No, his focus and consciousness were taken away from him towards the scene before him.
Walid was losing himself in the scene, but he didn¡¯t notice.
Once again, the resonant sound entered his ears, Walid tried to ignore it, but a sharp pain hit the side of his face, sending him sideways.
Slap¡ª
Walid''s consciousness returned as did his senses.
A sharp pain spread across his right cheek. He covered it with his hand, while his eyes rested on Vierenna who stood over him with a worried expression.
''Did she, slap me?!''
Walid looked at his position again, realizing the truth.
''Wait... why am I on my knees?!''
He turned his gaze back to Vierenna to ask, but the worried look on her expression told him what he needed to know.
''I did something again?.. I lost my consciousness..?''
Walid looked at the lake on the side. In parallel with his anticipation, he felt his consciousness slipping away.
He quickly turned his head away. Cold sweat moved across his back.
''what''s this feeling?!''
Before he could delve into his thoughts, Vierenna knelt on one knee, her worried expression calming down.
She opened her mouth to say something but closed it again.
Instead, she patted Walid''s head for a while before holding his hands and helping him stand again.
''Silence again?''
Walid was tense from the silence, especially Vierenna''s silence, but he felt there was a deeper reason here.
So again, he maintained his own, allowing her to pull him once more.
But to his surprise, they didn¡¯t go far.
Apparently, the small lake was the destination, or more specifically, the wooden bench facing it.
"Mother, said to bring you here after your awakening ritual. But¡ª but you always refused. And to be fair, I didn¡¯t want to bring you here either."
The bells in Walid''s head rang dangerously. He felt there was something deeper in the situation as a whole. So he was compelled to ask.
"Why? Why didn¡¯t you want to bring me here? And was I here after my awakening?"
He knew his questions might expose him, but his logical thinking was already out of reach. His raw emotions took the lead.
Vierenna''s eyes widened, the feelings of injustice she felt were evident on her expression.
"I didn¡¯t want to bring you because I cared about you, I know how much you cared about our mother. And it¡¯s not that I didn¡¯t try to get you out of your room, it just so happened that it was today."
"....."
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
Vierenna asked as she looked at Walid''s face, which couldn¡¯t hide his shock.
''Why today exactly?..''
''...a coincidence?..''
''Could it be? She said Deon refused to leave his room, it¡¯s not that she didn¡¯t try!''
Despite Walid''s optimistic, or delusional thoughts. The part that remained logical in his mind said otherwise.
''It can¡¯t be a coincidence?''
''I am missing a lot of important information.''
Walid looked at Vierenna, whose frown deepened.
"I¡¯m sorry. For being... difficult.¡ª But, what did mother say to you?"
SIGH
Vierenna sighed in turn, her facial expressions relaxing.
"You are indeed difficult, but these are the ups and downs of being a big Sis..."
She sat on the wooden bench and gestured for Walid to do the same.
"I am also sorry, for yelling at you."
He did, but he sat in a sideways position not facing the lake.
"Storytime!.."
She clap her hand. enthusiasm returning to decorate her already beautiful features.
"Mother asked me to take you from time to time to this lake. That¡¯s all."
"Aeh¡ª!"
A strange sound came out of Walid''s mouth.
''A very short story.''
If one looked at his expression now, as Vierenna did, they would scream as she did.
"What''re you doing with your face?! Fix it now! no, i don''t want this in my mind."
Walid bowed his head and adjusted his posture.
Vierenna, in turn, breathed a sigh of relief while she began to scold him.
"Are you crazy, what did I do to you to punish me this way... one would say... hm.. hmm.. hmmm..."
Walid knew she would never stop talking if he left her to speak, so he closed her mouth with his hand.
He began to miss the eerie silence Vierenna had adopted the moment they entered the garden.
Walid, knowing that his method of silencing wouldn¡¯t work for long, began to ask the questions he found illogical regarding her answers.
"Why did she ask you to take me to the lake only after I awakened and not before? And why did she insist that you bring me and not that I go by myself?"
Walid posed his two most important questions, letting his hand drop to allow the girl to speak.
Vierenna looked at him seriously for a moment, before her expression turned to sorrow.
"You already know that mother built this garden for us when we were children. So it makes sense she would want us to come here, together, to remember her."
''That answers the second question.''
Vierenna''s silence continued for a moment before she continued.
"Why after your awakening!.. I don¡¯t see why that¡¯s important. I myself think it¡¯s just a matter of good expression... you know, that you become an adult after your awakening ritual."
That¡¯s a very good excuse... Walid would have believed it, but unfortunately for Vierenna, he didn¡¯t.
It was painfully obvious she was trying to hide something. He would have pressed for the truth, but he stopped himself.
If he did, it would certainly expose that he wasn¡¯t her brother Deon.
So he settled on asking something else.
"Did mother say anything else... about the lake?"
Vierenna smiled widely and nodded vigorously.
"She did indeed."
Walid swallowed hard as he listened intently.
"She said the lake would be mine in the light and yours in the dark."
She began pointing to her white hair and his black.
"Got it... light and dark."
Walid nodded, but for a different reason than Vierenna¡¯s excited one beside him on the bench.
''What is supposed to be the hidden meaning?.. That I come here at night?''
Despite the absurdity of the idea, Walid would try. Especially now after finding meaning for himself.
Remembering his mental breakdown in the changing room, Walid felt a self-guilt...
"Since you are now in my lake in the light, what will you pay to allow you to be in my domain?"
Vierenna interrupted, which was probably for the best.
Walid looked at her expression that made her seem comically superior, and he couldn''t help but smile.
"I say it''s only fair that I have you at night. It would be a great honor."
He needed to be sure, and he couldn''t do that without her help.
???
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The Answer of Someone Who Lost Everything [3]
In the distance, the setting sun slowly began to disappear behind the far-off mountains, casting a final disturbing red light before vanishing, allowing the night a chance to take over.
Watching all of this was Walid, in his room inside the palace.
A look of determination adorned his calm expression.
''It''s time!''
Despite his thoughts, Walid didn¡¯t move from his standing place by the window.
He had to ensure he wasn¡¯t just deceiving himself.
With one last look at the reddening sky that was darkening slowly.
Walid remembered the darkness of his thoughts this morning, his surrender or desire to surrender to his fatigue and the failure that haunted him like a vengeful ghost.
The surrender at that moment felt as sweet as sleeping in a warm bed on a cold night.
And yet, sleep didn¡¯t come that easily to him, not then and not before.
His mind was busy with the question he posed to himself.
''What is the answer of Walid who lost everything?''
He tried to pretend ignorance of the answer, but Vierenna gave him a small push that cleared his mind enough to regain some stability.
As he told Vierenna at that time ¡ª though she didn¡¯t believe him ¡ª he knew the answer, it was with him and accompanied him even to this world that supposedly he created ink on paper.
In theory, this answer was simple, clear, and straightforward.
Restore everything he lost...
Even if it meant restoring his previous despair.
Yet, from a realistic perspective, how could Walid, a failed writer, a failed person, and a failure overall, do such a thing?
It was blatantly obvious that he was just deceiving himself.
Anything he might try to do would only lead to despair.
Walid didn¡¯t have an answer to that.
But, did he need one?
''How will I return to my world?''
That was the question.
''How did I reach the world of my novel in the first place?''
And that was the answer... or at least the direction.
Walid''s answer was step by step. Only by learning could he uncover the mystery that veiled his vision.
So first, Walid decided to discover how he arrived in this world. As for the why and what for? These questions didn¡¯t concern him for now, and he felt they would answer themselves. His existence was proof of that.
But he was getting ahead of himself.
Haste was a fast track to failure.
He knew that from experience, and that¡¯s why he was able to control himself.
The adrenaline that rushed to the top of his head slowly receded, leaving space for coherent thoughts to crystallize.
''First things first, I need as much information about the world and how it works.''
Despite being the writer of this world, Walid knew very little about it.
And his current location, Zeleshyre¡ªthe city capital of the Macizar Empire did not fall outside his circle of ignorance.
Although the events of the planned second volume took place in the capital, they were only planned and not solid like the events of the first volume.
''The events of the first volume have ended by now if my date predictions are correct.''
Despite the ignorance and uncertainty Walid had to deal with now, he was still glad that the events of the first volume had ended.
If he had been summoned to the north¡ªthe cold land where the events of the first volume began, he would have been just a statue corpse by now.
Walid''s body shivered slightly, and he regained his train of thought.
''First, I will learn about the Macizar Empire from the palace library, if there is one. Then I should ask Vierenna about my admission date to the Academy. In the first year of the main character Emlyn, she was in the second year, so she should know, right?''
Of course, Walid had more questions and doubts, but if he stopped to think about each one, he would never start.
So for now, he would try and start somewhere.
Walid placed his hand on the reflection of the window in front of him, and with the little light remaining after the sunset. He looked at his reflection on the glass.
Long dark hair, large violet eyes, and good facial features.
Despite the blurriness of the reflection in the low light. The figure before him was handsome, if not charming.
''This shouldn¡¯t be that hard, should it?!''
Walid would try to be this person, bear his name and burdens until he regained his own.
Despite the ease of saying the words, Walid doubted his ability to apply them.
But again, he would try.
And that didn¡¯t excite him at all.
...
Deon left his room and descended the spiral stairs to the first floor.
His path was illuminated by white light, changing intensity depending on his movement.
He didn¡¯t wander much due to his ignorance of the palace''s overall layout, but he knew where the servants were, and that was his destination.
As he approached his destination, he could hear their words from a distance. They didn¡¯t even seem to try to lower their voices.
"No, he looked pretty good for someone who hadn¡¯t left his room for ages. The lady takes good care of him."
"And whose job is that supposed to comment on the matter."
"I tried, okay!.. But every time... he just shuts the door and ignores me... I don¡¯t want to lose my place... I..."
"You worry for nothing, his father doesn¡¯t care about him for some reason, he¡¯s not even here! I don¡¯t think he¡¯ll mind if you don¡¯t care for him... you said it yourself, you tried..."
"I¡¯m still trying..."
"You didn¡¯t go today. Why?"
"The young lady said to prepare breakfast for both of them... and I can rest for the day."
"You know you are his personal maid,.. but you can¡¯t just defy her... what a dilemma you are in... the young don¡¯t last long, they say."
"Stop scaring her, what¡¯s wrong with you... don¡¯t tink his words seriously, he just enjoys scaring you... you¡¯ll be fine, just... the work you don¡¯t do, make it up with other work and come to me to record it in your name..."
Having heard enough, Deon opened the large double doors, and stepped forward where a variety of servants sat.
"My personal maid?"
He asked from what he learned from the conversation he eavesdropped on.
With that, he stepped back a few steps outside the room and waited until a girl with a nervous expression followed him.
"What can I do for the master."
Her small body was trembling under the black and white maid outfit she wore.
Feeling pity for the young girl, Deon spoke the reason for requesting her services.
"No need to be nervous, I want you to go and summon my sister. Tell her I will be in the back garden, and she is welcome to join me."
And also because he didn¡¯t know where Vierenna¡¯s room was.
The young maid raised her head to meet Deon''s eyes directly. Her large green eyes held a slight hint of astonishment.
"Is that all I can do for the master?"
Deon fell silent. He was surprised by the girl''s sudden enthusiasm, but he was more surprised by her appearance.
Raven-black hair similar to his tied in a bun behind her small head. Light green eyes with yellow patterns merged smoothly to give an alluring look to her eyes. Pale white skin enhanced the sharpness and beauty of her other features. Her body, although leaning towards delicacy, carried a balance that seemed fitting for her alone.
''Is this really a maid?''
Deon didn¡¯t care much for a person''s outer beauty as much as he did for what was inside their heads. But the girl in front of him was too beautiful to be just a maid.
He would dismiss the situation as just the norms of this world. But as he took another corrective look at the rest of the servants who watched him from behind the open door, he realized that the girl was just an anomaly.
Nonetheless, Deon didn¡¯t give the matter much thought.
"For now, that¡¯s enough. I¡¯ll go ahead there."
Without another look at the girl or the other servants, Deon made his way following his memory towards the back garden.
Part of his mind hoped his intuition about the lake was just a meaningless hunch, but the other part hoped otherwise.
The first part of his mind was afraid of what he might learn, and the other sought that knowledge.
Only through knowledge, are puzzles solved.
Deon''s thoughts continued to spin until he found himself facing a familiar wooden bench.
The entire area around the lake was illuminated by white lights spread over the green ground, not allowing shadows to participate in the scene.
Deon didn¡¯t look at the small lake that was facing the bench, apparently, the fearful part of his mind was still in control.
But that wouldn¡¯t last long.
He approached the wooden bench and sat facing the lake, his eyes closed, facing it as well.
whoosh¡ª
With a deep breath, Deon opened his eyes to the familiar scene.
Colorful stones rested in the clear water depths, and on each stone, different colored symbols from stone to stone.
At that moment, the familiar feeling of his consciousness slipping away returned.
But contrary to what the feeling indicated, his consciousness didn¡¯t slip away.
In fact, his consciousness expanded allowing a new sense to enter the scene along with his other senses.
A sense that allowed him to see and hear what he couldn¡¯t this morning.
Hello, you¡¯ve finally found your way here¡ª
A familiar and unfamiliar female voice entered Deon''s consciousness directly, bypassing his hearing.
Deon held his breath at the strange phenomenon and engaged all his senses to make sense of this strange but somehow comforting mode of communication.
He waited to hear more, but the voice stopped at the welcoming message.
"Is that all? Just..?"
His thoughts halted at the sight of the change that began to occur on the surface of the small lake.
"Words..?!"
Indeed, words were forming above the lake''s surface in white, appearing from nowhere.
Soon, a text formed vertically, facing Deon directly like a huge sheet, though the sheet was the lake and the ink was the clear white color on its surface.
''And my... my current name headed the text.''
¡ª?[Deon V. Eirenios]?¡ª
//// Tier 1 Magician
/// Duel Talent
// Type : Extreme [curse]
/ Innate dormant ability
Mana sense : The key to the world''s greatest mysteries.
Cursed : You are cursed and your curse will bring about the end.
// Type : Body [Swordsmanship]
/ Innate dormant ability
Sword Sense : The sword is not a thing, but a process; sense it.
Sword Attraction : The movement of the sword is an ignored perspective. you are just one possibility of its meaning.
¡ª?[Deon V. Eirenios]?¡ª
As Deon read the text with complex emotions, the familiar and unfamiliar female voice spoke inside his mind again.
Now, I will impart to you knowledge that will remain absolute¡ª