"Urgh…." Cedric groaned, feeling a bright light hitting his eyes from up above. "Am I finally dead? Or is it another sick joke of me having been taking over another pitiful man in another world?" He murmured, still feeling disoriented.
Cedric slowly opened his eyes, blinking against the soft glow of sunlight filtering through the small window. The scent of warm herbs and something faintly magical filled the air. For a moment, he convinced himself that everything was all a terrible nightmare—perhaps a cruel trick of his mind, still haunted by betrayal and loss.
He slowly sat up and looked around. The cottage was plain but felt oddly cozy—fancy carved furniture, symbols etched into the wood that shimmered softly in the light, and a small fire crackling nearby. The walls had faint glowing runes that pulsed gently, showing that magic was part of this place.
This kind of building was not something he found a lot in this world. No, if anything, Cedric found that this cottage was very similar to a lot of villas built by the crazily rich people in a very secluded place in his old world.
'Old world, huh? What a strange sentence…' Cedric mused bitterly, still finding the new memory to be confusing. He was still in the middle of an existential crisis, not knowing who he truly was currently. 'Am I still Cedric, the lord of the Harrington family, or am I the history student from a different world?'
As he was caught in his entangled mind, Cedric didn't even notice that someone approached him slowly. It wasn't until the figure suddenly shouted, breaking the silence, that his brain finally pulled his consciousness back to his own body.
"Ah! You're finally waking up!" Cedric turned to see a small boy with obsidian-black skin, sharp claws at the tips of his fingers, and glowing crimson eyes. He widened his eyes slightly, recognizing the unique features that distinguished a demon from the human race. However, he put on a neutral expression quickly, knowing that he himself still didn't know what was going on here.
He stared at the demon boy curiously, trying to figure out something. The boy's expression was bright, innocent, almost too carefree for a demon. The boy grinned widely, revealing sharp but perfectly maintained teeth.
"Who…who are you?" he managed to ask, voice hoarse. It seemed that he had been asleep for a long time here.
"I'm Kuro," the boy said, offering a small bow. "And I've been waiting for you! You've been asleep for a long time, but now you're finally awake. Don't worry, you're safe here."
As the boy spoke, Cedric observed the surroundings more closely. The walls bore symbols resembling ancient runes—some glowing softly, others carved into the stone with meticulous care. A small altar nearby held a pendant with a swirling emblem—perhaps a family crest or a sacred symbol.
It was still quite uncanny to recognize something like this that was not in his modern memory. However, Cedric swallowed everything for now, thinking that he had to start getting used to jumping from one memory to another now in peaceful surroundings or it would bite his ass later when something dangerous suddenly happened.
Kuro's cheerful demeanor contrasted with the subtle power emanating from him. His claws shimmered faintly with a magical aura, and his glowing eyes flickered with a quiet intensity.
"What is this place?" Cedric asked, still wary of the boy in front of him.
"This is the Valdras Pack's cottage, our pack's home." The boy – Kuro – answered quickly. "My Da found you unconscious, almost getting tattered alive by a bunch of bishes. That is the beast who is exposed by the demonic energy, yet does not have the intellect of any other high-ranking demon, by the way. They are mindless and could only use their beast instinct to survive, a little bit stupid if I have to say. With a little bit of hunting knowledge, I am sure that even humans would be able to defeat them." He shrugged.
Cedric didn't know whether he should feel insulted or not about how the boy said that even humans would be able to defeat the mindless beast, insinuating that humans were a lowly level species with subpar intelligence. Well, the boy was not wrong, because a lot of humans were stupid and easy to be led to. Still…
'Oh, well, if only this boy knows how terrifying humans could scheme against each other… Even those who treated them as a brother could still get backstabbed mercilessly for their own interest…' Cedric mused wryly. This was, of course, based on his experience, as the scar of the betrayal was still fresh in his mind.
Cedric hesitated, then noticed a line of carved symbols along the doorway—strange glyphs that seemed to hum with energy. He remembered stories of demons as destructive monsters, yet here was this gentle, seemingly harmless boy, surrounded by signs of tradition and magic.
Kuro's smile faltered for a brief moment, as if recalling something more serious. "You've been through a lot for the last couple of days, huh?" he said softly. "There are things you don't remember… things about your past, about why you're here." He added as a matter of fact.
A flicker of unease crossed Cedric's mind. Was this little demon aware of his circumstance? Was this little demon referring to his experience of getting betrayed, or was this the new series of memories coming to his brain? Or was he referring to both? If that was so, did that mean the demon family that fostered him also knew about this?
"Do you know that we are a little bit special, even by the demon race's standard?" Kuro's eyes gleamed brighter. "Many have come before you—others who needed help, or answers. Some never left this place. But I think you're different. I sense something special in you. Something that doesn't belong to his words… Something that could change everything."
Cedric's heart skipped, realizing what the little demon in front of him referred to. At this point, he had already resigned to his fate, not knowing what he should do. After all, even before the new memory came in, he was not apt in fighting or the art of magic, and he didn't know a lot about the demon race. The only thing he was good at was governing his area, and now that it was useless, he didn't know how to survive this situation.
Now, he just waited until the little demon in front of him – or even any other demon outside, if his guess was right – to state their demand, and that was when he would strike back. But until then, he would have to stay passive and patient in this waiting game, something that Cedric had to admit that he was not good at.
Kuro's bright eyes shimmered with excitement as he suddenly took Cedric's hand. "Come on," he chirped. "I want to introduce you to my parents. They'll be happy to see you awake."
Cedric hesitated briefly, glancing around the cozy cottage one last time. Everything happened so fast, and he was still having a trauma over the betrayal of Lord Henry. It was hard to trust a stranger easily, especially when everything seemed to be too good to be true. Still, the boy's innocence was compelling, and perhaps—just perhaps—this was not going to be a bad idea at all.
'Oh, well, I am not a gambler, but I don't think I have that much other than my life to lose here.'
"Mom! Dad! Look, he's awake!" Kuro called out happily.
However, before Cedric could respond or even see the boy's parents, a sudden flicker of movement caught his eye. In an instant, a blur of motion—so fast it was almost a ripple—appeared directly in front of him, and in the next second, a powerful punch shot forward with incredible speed, and before Cedric could react, he found himself getting blown so far away by that punch.
BAM!