Cedric felt as if he was drowning in eternal darkness as all the memories of his life flashed before him, making him feel that everything he did was useless. Despite growing up to be the strongest hero, he was too blind to see the true nature of the people closest to him.
He felt so woeful he just wanted to disappear into nothingness and forget everything. He didn't expect that it would be even more painful even after dying.
But right when he thought this, he felt a strange coldness filling him, making him wonder why he was feeling all this if he was dead?
—
"Father, who is this strange-looking child? Where did you bring him from? His appearance looks weird. He doesn't look like any demon we know."
"He is only five years old, Rona. And be nice to him since you will also have to help me take care of him for the years to come. He is not from around here, so he will look different. I happen to find him abandoned by the Infernal Volcano. It's a miracle he survived but unfortunately, his mind is crippled and can't use mana as well."
Cedric was puzzled hearing this conversation while also faintly seeing glimpses of a place he had never seen before. He could barely make out that he was holding a tall person's hand, and before him, there was a small girl whose face was blurry and looking at him. However, her eyes which were dark red, didn't look human, and after vaguely making out her appearance, why did she seem like a demon?
"What the hell am I seeing? When did I experience this?" Cedric had his entire life flash before him right after he died. So he thought what he was seeing now were his memories as well, but he never remembered such events.
—-
"Ugh, why did His Majesty bring home this wretch? I even have to clean his shit up every day. Eat this if you want, you retard!"
*Thwang!*
Cedric saw a plate filled with food and some liquids being thrown over him by some woman who also didn't seem human. But he couldn't clearly make out the details since everything seemed blurry again. However, he sure as hell felt pissed off upon feeling the wet food falling down his face and his body.
"Jenna! Please…you can't keep doing bad things to that poor kid. What if the king learns about this?"
"Ha, who cares about this ugly cripple? His Majesty has bigger things to worry about, and he barely comes here. Besides, if this thing can't speak or think, who else is going to know, hehe..."
He shook his head inwardly, thinking that this could not be his memory since he doesn't remember going through such things but then why was he feeling so angry and hateful?
The scene kept changing one after the other while this boy became older and older. But in every scene, he would feel a heaviness in his chest, especially when each time he felt(saw) this boy getting mistreated and tortured by those around him.
Sometimes they would kick him or press their feet against his face. Sometimes they would immerse his face in a bucket of muddy water as if trying to drown him but pull him up before he could die. But the worst didn't even come close. Some of the nasty ones would injure and break the bones of that boy(him) and then heal him to make it look like nothing happened.
Not a day did they ever leave him alone, and Cedric felt like he was also experiencing this along with this boy. Never had he felt such strong killing intent and couldn't understand why all of them were torturing him(that boy).
If there was a living hell, this was it.
—-
"Rona, this is the first and final time I am giving you an order. You have to marry him even if you feel like you are marrying a corpse. There will be no more discussion on this. He will turn 18 tomorrow, and we will have the wedding."
"Father…how could you do this to me? Do you really want me to spend my entire life looking after him? Ignoring my feelings, he can't even hold any feelings in the first place. He had been sleeping on the same bed for 14 years, totally lifeless. I still don't understand why you took him in. His life is as miserable as it gets. Whenever I see him, I feel like he doesn't want to live anymore."
"You have no idea what he truly feels. Things might seem confusing and shocking, but all I can say is that if you truly believe how much I care about you, then promise me you will do as I say. That is all I have to say now."
"..."
—-
"Look at how peacefully the future Royal Consort is sleeping. How dare this crippled white-haired trash dare take my place?!"
"Careful, Young Lord! The walls might have ears."
"Shut up, you fool. Nobody here will dare to say anything anyway. And this cripple wouldn't even scream even if I tortured him, haha. Every servant, maid, and guards has pissed and shit over him for the past 14 years, and yet he is too dull to even say a word. The best he can do is open his eyes while I try and get a scream out of him, hehe. Last time I failed but this time, I have the Dark Blood Beetle. Once it enters through his mouth, it will make his heart feel like it is exploding every second."
"T-Then wouldn't he die?"
"Nah…the Dark Blood Beetle is too weak. It will kill itself within an hour or so without killing the victim. But we have an hour to enjoy ourselves and see if he screams, hehe."
Cedric felt something slimy entering his mouth as he helplessly watched some young man force some weird creature into his mouth. All this felt so foreign yet familiar to him, but he was unable to move his hands or legs to kick this dirtbag away.
He wished all this was just fake and something his mind was making up after his death. But he could feel his body tense up as if he was really feeling nervous and scared, along with seething anger that was making his nerves quiver.
But suddenly, he felt his heart being slowly cut by a blunt blade…the pain indescribable but agonizing enough to make one pluck out their heart, to say the least.
And the worst part was he couldn't move a single inch and was helplessly lying on some bed watching the blurry face of a young man mocking and laughing at him.
He could only endure this excruciating pain while all he could feel was his blood boiling in painful humiliation and resentment.
Cedric didn't know if the emotions he was feeling belonged to this 18-year-old boy or his own emotions after getting influenced by experiencing this despicable scene. It all felt short, but at the same time, Cedric felt as if he had experienced 14 years' worth of pain and suffering even though it was not really him who suffered.
But despite having no idea what was going on, Cedric was affected by the things he saw, and he simply wished this to end as if the pain of the betrayal he experienced wasn't enough.
And as if his wish was answered, everything became dark and silent while Cedric felt like he was floating. However, his mind became clear in this strange stillness as he reflected on something.
The only thing he realized from his own life and what he saw from the eyes of this unknown boy was that the world doesn't play nice to those who follow the rules and stick to their morals, even if they never harmed a bee in their life.
To survive, no matter which world, one has to become a demon that devours others before they get devoured.
"Sigh…what's the point of thinking all this…I am done anyway…" Cedric thought in despair when he suddenly felt like his entire being was getting sucked to someplace else
But as if he wasn't shocked enough, he began to feel the cold air brushing past his skin and could smell the stench of blood passing by him. And before he knew it, he was able to feel his limbs and even move his fingers, 'I am not dead??'