I stepped out of the room and for a moment, I was caught off guard by the sheer scale and elegance of the place.
The infrastructure, the design it all spoke of old money and a history steeped in fantasy and ambition.
It was officially my third day in this world, but standing there, it felt less like continuing and more like starting over. A second round, whether I wanted it or not.
The scenery was striking: small, well-tended gardens scattered between stone pathways, and maids in crisp uniforms moving swiftly past me, their faces set in distant frowns.
It looked less like a home and more like a palace burdened with too many stories left untold.
That was my first real impression of this new place I was supposed to call home.
Whether it would leave me with good memories or bad ones... that was still a mystery waiting to unfold.
For now, I was just grateful to be breathing in a moment of peace.
The inevitable supernatural twists whatever they were, could wait a little longer.
From the way things looked, though, it felt like I was standing at the starting line of some grim story: the kind where it's one man against the world.
And frankly, I wasn't ready for that yet.
I was still lost in my own thoughts, trying to make sense of it all.
"You seem unexpectedly calm for someone who's lost his past," she said.
I froze instinctively.
"Is it that obvious on my face,
Ms. Elda?" I asked, forcing a smile.
Maybe I was acting a little too carefree, careless enough for her to notice.
She shook her head, her expression unreadable.
"No," she said quietly.
"It's not that. It's the fact that you have no idea what you've been through... and even less idea of what's about to begin from today onward."
"So, Ms. Elda," I said, my voice steady. "What should I do, then?
Tell me, should I be happy that I escaped something terrible from my past... or should I start worrying about whatever's coming next?"
I smiled at her, but then I noticed something.
She had the same black eyes as Lynn.
I realized I had never really taken a proper look at her face until now.
Thick black hair, and skin that didn't show much age maybe mid-forties,
at most.
She seemed... fit. No, a little too fit for someone her age.
Maybe it was just the way she dressed?
No... someone who complains about back pain shouldn't be that fit.
The warm sunlight pouring through the windows caught her features.
Was she really just a maid?
Maybe a tough one.
"Stop thinking unnecessary things, Master Lynn".
"Oh, sorry," I muttered, scratching the back of my head.
"Got a little absent-minded."
After a beat, I asked,
"Ms. Elda... was I a bad person before? Or a good one?
Just your opinion.
At least tell me... how was I towards
you?"
She stayed silent, studying me with a look that made me wonder if she was questioning my sanity.
I sighed and turned away, continuing down the corridor.
If she was going to stand there like a bodyguard made of stone, there was no point wasting my energy.
Suddenly, she picked up her pace and moved ahead of me, taking the lead.
Honestly, it was better that way.
At least now I didn't have to worry about getting lost in this endless maze.
She led me to a large door, its imposing presence making it clear I was about to step into the lion's den.
I glanced around. It was just me and Elda. No one else in sight.
The silence hung thick.
"Is this some kind of trap?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
"No" she replied, her tone even.
"Just a meeting room for individuals with higher authority."
I gave her one last look.
This woman... she was the first person I encountered in this world.
I smiled gently at her and said,
"Thank you, Ms. Elda.
That's all I have right now.
If what my sister said is true and you took care of me... then I owe you something, right?
But I don't have anything to offer you now.
Maybe after I leave this room, I'll be even more empty-handed than I am now."
She closed her eyes for a brief moment, then met my gaze.
Her expression softened, just for a second.
"Master Lynn, you've always been too soft on others," she began, her voice steady.
"You valued others more than yourself. You took pride in small things, rather than proving anything to anyone.
But one day, your actions shifted and here you are now.
Your decisions led you to this point.
I can't say much more about it."
She paused, her eyes narrowing slightly.
"This family demands consistency and quality, something you always chose to ignore.
You had the talent, the things most people would envy... but you chose to follow a path no one expected. And now, you're here in the wrong place, at the wrong time."
Her words were almost similar to what vahel had told me.
I nodded slowly, listening to the weight of her words.
"You asked for my perspective," she said, her tone softer now, almost sympathetic.
"Maybe it's for the best that it ended this way.
This... isn't the place where you belong."
"Okay," I said quietly, looking at her. "Thanks, Ms.Elda."
She blinked, surprised by my lack of reaction. Her eyes seemed to flicker for a moment maybe she was expecting me to be emotional or defensive.
But I wasn't.
I'd taken my share of verbal hits before. Not just from co-workers, but from my own patients too.
Compared to their brutal honesty, this felt almost soothing.
And yet... she was right.
This wasn't the place I was meant to stay.
....
I stood at the door, unsure whether to take the next step.
The people waiting behind it strangers to me now, even if they shared blood same as this body.
I glanced at Elda. She met my eyes, and I gave her a faint, resigned smile.
The kind you wear when you know you're walking into judgment.
"Do you think they'll hear me out?
My father is in there, isn't he?"
"He is," she said quietly.
"But that doesn't guarantee anything.
Your father might understand... if he still sees you as his son.
Your siblings and the others, they've already decided your future"
She paused. "I won't pretend I'm doing this out of loyalty.
I volunteered to watch over you.
That's the only reason I'm still here."
That stung more than it should have.
"So why did you volunteer?
There was no one else waiting for me, anyway."
"If your memory hadn't been wiped, things would've gone very differently.
You don't realize how close you were to something far worse."
I frowned. "So I got lucky?"
"No. You got a sentence without the weight of guilt.
You already paid for what you did, Lynn.
But don't expect me to forget it.
I'm not here to protect you
I'm here because someone had to be.
And I hate that I'm looking after someone who is a heartless killer."
I exhaled slowly. "A killer, huh."
She nodded toward the door.
"Time's up. You need to go."
"Elda… one more thing."
She looked at me, guarded.
"The way you talked about the old me… it almost sounds like I wasn't always as bad as you say i am"
She didn't respond. Just stared, as if weighing whether the silence said more than words ever could.
Whatever waited in that room would decide the course of my next year
And based on Elda's tone, I was already walking into something staged.
I pushed the door open and stepped in, pretending I didn't care.
Because if I hesitated, even for a second, the fear of facing something unknown would've swallowed me whole.
The moment I crossed the threshold, a chill settled over me.
Not just the kind from air conditioning,
it was deeper, like the air itself didn't want me here.
But I kept walking.
The room stretched wide, more like a council chamber than a living space.
No table in the center, just rows of chairs flanking the walls, all arranged with calculated symmetry.
It was grand, cold, and far too quiet.
I scanned the room, expecting a crowd of angry relatives ready to throw blame like knives.
Isn't that how these scenes usually go in stories?
A disgrace returns, the family tears into him, emotions boil over.
Predictable.
But this… this was different.
At the center sat a man in sharp, military-style attire,grey shirt stitched with command patterns, black pants tucked into heavy boots.
He looked like he belonged at the head of a war council, not a family meeting.
And he was huge.
Muscular frame, silver hair cut clean, eyes pale white with an intensity that could pierce steel.
He didn't need to speak for me to know this was the one in charge.
The authority in the room belonged to him.
My no, Lynn's father.
He sat with one leg crossed over the other, his right arm propped against the chair's armrest, holding up his head like he was half-asleep.
But his eyes…
They were locked on me.
Unmoving. Unblinking.
Like a predator studying prey that wandered back into its territory.
A father fit for a protagonist, maybe.
But not for someone like me.
To the right of the man I assumed was my father sat a woman - regal, poised, and clearly cut from the same genetic cloth.
Silver hair like his, but her eyes… pitch black.
Same as mine.
There was something about them depthless, cold. The kind of eyes that didn't blink even when the world burned.
The sister figure of Lynn.
I couldn't help but wonder what their mother must look like.
To the left, another figure caught my attention a man draped in flowing, whitish saint-like robes.
He wore a soft, sly smile, like someone who knew more than he ever planned to say.
The priest.
Elda had mentioned him.
I returned my gaze to the man at the center,my so-called father.
He hadn't moved an inch, but his eyes were dissecting me.
Like he was trying to measure something that wasn't there.
What exactly was he looking for?
Then the priest spoke, his voice theatrical, almost amused.
"I must admit, I'm truly honored to witness the impossible.
To see someone survive divine punishment… I never thought I'd live to see it."
He chuckled.
"You really are your father's son, Blake."
I didn't even glance at him.
Situations like this spiral fast if you let them,best to cut through the fog early.
"I'm sorry, Mister...?" I said, flatly.
"Can you please explain what exactly you're talking about?
I have no idea why I've been brought here or what you think I've done."
"Oh, right," he said, as if the thought had only just occurred to him.
"You lost your memory, didn't you?"
His grin widened.
The kind that belonged to a man who enjoyed watching others struggle.
A smug doctor with a dying patient.
"Father, what do we do with him?"
The woman on the right finally spoke, her voice sharp and precise.
But the man in the center still didn't say a word.
His eyes never left mine.
I stared back. "So… you're my father?"
"Yes," he said at last.
"But once this is over, I won't be."
"Fair enough." I shrugged.
"But if you're willing, may offer me some context?
Getting accused of being a killer without me even remembering it isn't exactly a comforting way to start a conversation."
"That's reasonable, isn't it, Blake?"
The priest stepped closer, placing a hand on my shoulder like we were old friends reunited.
It was condescending, like he wanted me to flinch under the weight of it.
"I'll tell you what you need to know, young master Lynn."
His voice was smooth, but soaked in mockery.
I let it slide. For now.
Apparently, he was the only one in this room who felt like talking.
"Lynn Blake, that is your name.
Son of Dawn Blake and Ann Magnus.
A mage once hailed for your potential and unpredictability.
The third son and still an heir of the Blake family."
"Standing before you is your older sister, Lore Blake -the second child."
She watches in silence, her expression unreadable.
"The eldest Liyan Blake,pride of the family is absent.
Duty they say, keeps him away."
"And I… am Frederick.
A high official priest of the nearby Church of the Divine.
We serve the goddess of purity and judgment.
I was sent to oversee your condition.
Because you were caught in the act of
murdering children on church grounds.
Why you did it remains a mystery.
But the witnesses were clear.
The Church decided.
The sentence was passed.
Your father, Dawn Blake, gave his approval without protest."
"The punishment was simple and final:
Strip away what this nature gave you,
your mana.
Any other person would be already in the grave by now after that,but here you are still alive.
That is your story, as it stands now,
My dear Lynn."
"You sure are good at explaining things, Mr. Priest. I'll give you that."
I was genuinely impressed. The man was a pro- no fluff, just facts, delivered sharp and clean.
"But since I've already been punished, Mr. Frederick… what now?
Shouldn't I be free?"
Frederick's expression didn't waver.
"No one wants a child killer in their family, son."
"Oh… that."
I glanced at Elda, who stood just behind me.
Her presence was like air,unnoticed, unacknowledged.
She didn't even look my way.
"Harsh" I thought.
"Alright then, Mr. Priest. What's your suggestion?
It's not like I can prove anything, I don't even remember doing it."
"A fair point," he admitted.
"But evidence means everything here, boy."
I turned to face the people who shared my current name.
The father and the sister figures.
"Do you think I'm guilty too?"
I needed to know.
I needed someone on my side,who still trusted Lynn, even just a little.
Lore's voice cut in, cold and sharp.
"The people who saw it aren't blind. No one cares about your damn memory, Lynn.
The punishment was a relief. But now?
Do us a favor and leave this house.
This family will go on without you.
Since you don't remember anything, it should be easy, right?"
This sister of mine… definitely going to be a pain in the ass.
"Miss Lore, please, don't—" Elda started.
"Shut up, Elda. This doesn't concern you. Some things need to be said."
"LORE."
Everything stopped.The room froze like winter had walked in.
My father figure had spoken and with it, the weight of the entire room shifted.
Still. Silent. Heavy.
"Elda is my servant. Not yours.
You're not grown enough to speak to her like that."
"...Apologies, Elda"
he muttered.Elda said nothing.
Then he looked at me.
"Lynn.
What the hell are you thinking now?"
His voice hit like a crack of thunder.
I straightened.
"You are… respectable" I said honestly.
He smirked , just slightly.
"Lynn Blake, you may ask me one thing. After that…
You're going to be just....Lynn."
His words came with finality.
No anger. Just truth.