Chapter 3 - 3

𝘁 𝗵 𝗲  𝘀 𝗽 𝗶 𝗿 𝗶 𝘁

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𝘁 𝗵 𝗲  𝗹 𝗶 𝘁 𝘁 𝗹 𝗲  𝗯 𝗼 𝘆

THE vast room engulfed with darkness and silence. Only the moon at the outside shone right through the huge transparent window. The tightened patch curtain swayed gently due to tiny openings between the window frame.

The room had a damped smell. Papers scattered everywhere with dirty clothes on the floor. There's heavy dust at the ceiling, and even the chandelier was covered with thick dust. The sofa set in the middle of the room was shabby but still gave a feeling that the sofa set was once ago, was cost more than a hundred gold.

At the wall, there's a big rectangular spot that looks cleaner. It was where the painting of the emperor and empress hung at. But now, it wasn't there.

In the dull room, there's a little boy. Whining on his once everyone would call a luxurious bed while hugging his knees tightly. As if he has nothing or no one there for him to hug, and expressed his grief.

Well, that's precisely what happened. The little boy didn't have anything or anyone now. Even he felt that his life was nothing more but emptiness and sorrow.

The pitiful 7-year-old boy didn't have anyone other than himself.

"Mother." In a husky voice, the little boy asking for his mother, the one who once there for him. His mother died from an unknown disease and just a week after that, the servants escaped one by one, leaving him alone.

It's too grimy and deserted. He felt an eerie monster would crawl in from under his bed or maybe the window would open by itself and something unthinkable would come. The little boy trembled with fear. He shut his lilac eyes tightly.

"Anyone, please help me." The boy in his pajamas whispered, hoping for somebody to come and at least rescue him to get him out of this castle. Not long after, he bursts into tears.

What was he hoping for? No one going to come! Stop dreaming for the impossible! He snapped out at his foolishness.

"Little prince." A deep yet gentle voice called for the young boy. He startled when someone suddenly called for him. He certain, that he was alone just now. He didn't even hear his door room was creaking nor the window was being opened.

And he didn't hear any footsteps either.

In fact, there's no one inside the abandoned castle anymore. All of the servants have fled away elsewhere. The little boy was secluded inside the castle.

Then, who's the one calling for me? He shuddered out of fear. He hesitated whether to look or just ignored the 'thing'. But then, out of curiosity, he gathered all his courage and took a peek at the man who was beside him.

Is it a ghost? Does he have an ugly face? The little boy bewildered by his own thought. His heart throbbed hard, as it would burst out from his chest.

But what he imagined was not like his eyes saw right now. The man on his bed had a delicate smile on his face. The dimmed light from the moon was shining right at the man's hair, resulting in the lemonade hair strands of the young man fluttered and twinkling in the night. The luminous golden eyes were looking straight at him, leaving him speechless.

"Who are you?" asked the little boy, whispering. He's overwhelmed by the beauty of the young man in front of him that he barely could let out his voice. He couldn't take off his eyes from him as if the warm smile of the young man has bewitched him, bringing his eyes to just glued to the unknown man.

The smile on the young man's lips widened. "I'm a spirit." The young man placed his hand on his chest and the man that claimed he's a spirit bowed to the little boy.

The little boy gasped in astonishment. Spirit? He knew spirit existed, but to see them, is truly extraordinary. What business a spirit has with him?

Maybe this spirit was the one owning this place. So he wanted something as an offering, right? Maybe this is his territory. The little boy thought deeply.

He may be just a secluded boy in an abandoned castle surrounded by forest, but that couldn't be the excuse to not know about this world's law.

A spirit was known to be a holy creature who give blessings to someone they favor. The spirits were the guardian of nature itself and anyone who infiltrate into their territory without permission, then death was the only end for them. But if you really wanted to enter their territory, you have to give offerings from time to time.

"Why a spirit like you come? If you don't know, I've nothing left now. Not a penny, not a single servant or even someone who can call family. I've nothing to offer you. Ah, maybe you can take my soul. I don't need it anymore." The teary violet eyes of the little boy turned cold and murky.

For some reason, he didn't feel frightened anymore. Maybe because the spirit tends to give away some kind of soothing presence to their surroundings. But the anguish and pain in his heart didn't go away. It still intact in his heart, piercing and killing him from inside.

It's hurt living like this. The boy clenched his finger tight until it felt like his blood vein would gushing out.

What's the point of living? My mother, the only person I can call as a family was not here anymore. Just let me die. The little boy closed his eyes, the faint sights of his mother came into mind.

His heart aching. Deep in his heart, some kind of hideous beast was rampaging, desperately yearned for something named death. Lost someone who meant a world to you was like half of your life has gone.

"Hey, spirit. It is a sin if I want to die?" The lifeless lilac eyes of the little boy stared at the spirit in front of him.

"You want to die, little prince?" The spirit kept smiling while his head tilting to the side.

"Yeah. I'm ready to die. And it's not like I can escape from a spirit. I'm powerless and didn't eat for three days now."

"Okay then, but before I kill you, can you do me a favor?"

"What it is? I don't have money and even a single coin."

The spirit chuckled, entertained by the little boy's answer. The human's money means nothing to the spirit as it not going to be useful in their realm. The human's food was not to their liking too.

So what exactly a spirit wished for? It was amusement. Spirits always thought the human was interesting and entertaining to play with. Humans powerless once but when the spirits gave their blessings, they become extraordinary. And yet, they turned out greedy and all arrogant, as if they already conquered the whole world.

"Little prince, I don't need any money. I just need you to remember."

"Remember?" The little boy flustered, couldn't understand the meaning behind the words remember the spirit talked about.

Remember what? Was there something he forgot?

The spirit then placed his palm on the little boy's head. A moment after that, a light shone radiantly above the boy's head.

Suddenly, a stream of memories appeared in his head, taking the form of some faint pictures of the past. He fell in silence, perplexed. His lilac eyes dilated in shock, gaped at the images that slide swiftly into his mind.

Unknowingly, a teardrop rolled onto his cheeks. Everything that appeared in his head just now felt so nostalgic.

And the memories itself imbued with sorrow, remorse, and some hint of happiness.

"Milady, Ritza Rosabella." The little boy uttered the name naturally as like he was familiar enough with that name. His death wishes he had just now disappeared into thin air.

"Your lady also reincarnated as one of the daughters of Villaneuva dukedom."

The little boy instantly tilted his head towards the strange spirit beside him. He was completely astonished that he couldn't utter a word for almost a minute.

"Milady... is he... here?" He stuttered, unable to breathe properly. He has mixed emotions inside him. Delighted yet ashamed.

The spirit flashed a bright smile. "She's here, if you come to her yourself, that is."

"How?" His perfect shape eyebrows knitted. He just an abandoned child of the emperor, an illegitimate son whose people loathed so much. He realized that one truth. And the spirit said his lady was one of Villaneuva family. His status as a prince would be nothing if there's no one willing to approve of him.

"Become the strongest, Prince Dylan Cephalus."

The eyes of the spirit full of satisfaction. Dylan could see clearly that the spirit in front of him was enjoying himself.

"How I want to be the strongest? I don't have any blessings to have some magic. If I have, then the emperor wouldn't throw me out."

The spirit laughed. Speaking with humans surely fun! He muttered in his heart.

"Don't I'm one of the spirits too?"

Dylan, who just realized this, gaped a second before he suddenly flinched. He threw himself at the spirit out of excitement. The spirit shock by the sudden attack. The tiny body of Dylan was now above him.

"Then... then... do you mean, you want to give me your blessing? Really?" The pair of lilac eyes gleamed with joy. He's almost stuttering due to anxiousness and happiness at the same time.

"Ye... Yes. I can take care of you too, in this abandoned castle." The spirit was also stammered at his words, astonished by the boy's surprising behavior.

Didn't he just a minute ago crying and wishing to die? He blinked, confused by how simple the human way of thinking.

Maybe because he still a child. Thought the spirit. Well, he couldn't blame Dylan. Even though he has retained his old memories, the one above him was still Dylan Cephalus Caspian, a lonely little boy, yearning for love.

But I don't think I ever mentioned giving the love he wants?

When he thought Dylan misunderstood the situation, he stared at the glistening puppy-like eyes of Dylan. He wanted to clear the misconception of Dylan but...

Out of nowhere, he didn't have the heart to saddened the little boy. Well, he just didn't want the lilac eyes that beautifully looking at him disappear.

Oh, whatever.

"So, how you'll give me your blessing? Does it have to be a long ritual in the church? Or maybe we can do this here?" Dylan asked eagerly.

For the third time, the spirit couldn't hide his laugh.

"You surely enjoying this, don't you?" The seven-year-old boy pouted, blushed after he gets the feeling he's been ridiculed.

Dylan doesn't know anymore. He said just now, he felt that he could die from the pain. But when the memories came, it just gave him a new meaning to life. A new purpose. He had something to achieve.

"No, it just you're funny, Dylan. I just give you my blessing a moment ago."

"Eh?" Dylan blinked in confusion. That simple? You call that simple act just now was a blessing? Not some shitty ritual?

"I can read your mind, little prince." The spirit giggled.

Dylan again blushed. Just how many times he embarrassed himself in front of the spirit, he wonders?

"It is because you give me a blessing that you can read my mind? But, I don't know your name yet!"

"You don't have to know. You've known it already." A wide smile painted on his lips.

"Your name was..."

The spirit waited patiently until Dylan could utter his name. Then the ritual of blessing would be completed.

"Ryan. Ryan Alistair." Dylan's eyes dilated, surprised by the fact that he could know the spirit's name without he's telling him. It's like the name was there in his mind.

Was it because of the blessing?

"That's correct!" Right after Dylan spouted Ryan's name, water magic appeared out of nowhere, circulating in the air, forming a circle then suddenly the water hardened and compressed into the shape of a teardrop. It was an earring made of crystal clear water magic.

The earring, therefore, fell to Dylan's tiny and rough hands.

"The ritual is completed. The earring was the symbol of my blessing to you. Wear it on your ear so people can see it."

Dylan obeyed what Ryan's asked him to do. Then, he remembered something.

"But, what if I lose the earring? Or someone stole it?"

Ryan grinned with a darkened expression. "That would never happen. The earring will stick to your ear until I break our bonding myself. Even if you cut your own ear, it will still be attached to your other ear. Then it can be transformed into a ring too or maybe a necklace. You're not that crazy to cut off your neck right? It would be the same as killing yourself." For an unknown reason, Ryan babbled.

Ryan intentionally wanted to tease Dylan by scaring him. But it's still the truth though. He expected Dylan to get frightened by his words but to his surprise, Dylan didn't flinch a bit.

The little boy just hugged him and exclaimed, "That's very convenient. I too didn't want to lose this precious earring! And I don't want to break the bond with you, Ryan!" Dylan's face brightened with relief.

Whilst Ryan... his face flushed red. He didn't know that Dylan would be happy with something terrifying like that.

"Please take care of me, Ryan. Watch me become the strongest and find my lady back." Full of enthusiasm, Dylan declared.

Ryan let out a sigh. I never know human emotion can change this fast? Is it because he is still a child?

Ryan Alistair smiled, shrugged his shoulder. If that's the way he could find entertainment, so why bother, right?

Spirits care less about humans. What they want the most was something that can thrill them.

And there's nothing more beyond that.

Right?