Adam ran around the forest like an animal looking for Eden. His heart was pounding so hard he felt it was going to burst.
Adam then crouched and placed his fingertips on the ground and closed his eyes. He then applied more pressure into his fingers until the ground started to break. Blood poured out of his fingers but Adam didn't stop.
Nothing worked.
No matter how hard Adam tried he couldn't find Eden. Adam quickly got up from the ground and ran into the forest. He ran for a minute until he found himself out of the forest.
He arrived shortly back at the house. He stood near the entrance staring at the door. He thought about whether or not he could face Leona after losing their only son. He couldn't bring himself to face Leona.
"Where's Eden?" Adam turned around to find Leona standing at the door with Elaine in her arms. Adam looked at the ground to avoid eye contact. He then slowly walked towards Leona.
"I…don't…know…"
* * * * * *
As I walked closer and closer towards the light it grew larger and larger. I could now clearly see that the light was being emitted from a fire.
I could now feel the warmth from the fire. It burned ferociously as I watched the fire from a distance growing closer and closer to it. I smiled as I walked towards the light. I anxiously watched the darkness around me as the burning light gradually came into my reach.
I searched around the fire and found different paths leading to different places. The paths seem to have been made and not natural.
I had two choices: find out what these mysterious paths lead to or stay near the fire.
Unfortunately, curiosity got the better of me and I found myself walking on one of the paths. My vision got used to the darkness again and I could now make out the paths. I found myself in a large area. I couldn't make out any trees however I could see a large structure. It seemed to be a house of some sort.
This house was around the same size as my house however I didn't see any signs of anyone around. I could find any sources of light and I couldn't hear anything. If there was anyone around surely I would've been able to hear something.
Suddenly, I heard a door open. The creaking of the door was loud and the sound of footsteps on a wooden floor followed after. The footsteps sounded heavy and slow. I quickly tried to hide behind one of the trees but I made too much noise.
"Is anyone out there?" I heard a masculine voice call out. I then heard footsteps coming towards my direction.
My heart was beating so hard that I felt that the person might hear it. I closed my eyes tightly hoping that the person would go away but no matter how hard I prayed the person did not go. Instead, they grew closer and closer towards me.
"Hello."
I suddenly felt something warm touch me.
I leapt back and stared at the person. I couldn't see them properly but I could think of how they looked from their silhouette.
The person had long horns which were the type I used to see in video games. They made me think of demons which terrified me as I realised that this person might be a demon.
They're gonna kill me!… I thought as I stared at the person.
"I won't hurt you." The person's voice sounded soothing. The voice sounded feminine which confused me however I wasn't scared anymore.
Was this magic?… I thought.
I walked out of the trees and met with the person. A small fireball hovered on the fingertip of their index finger. The small ball illuminated the darkness. It was small yet it was bright.
I could now see their face clearly. They had two red horns which stuck out of their head. Their horns curved slightly like the blade of a dagger.
The person had a pleasant smile on their face which calmed my heart. They also had pale skin like my mother. The person glared at me with their golden eyes: Their long blood-red hair swayed in the cold night breeze.
A woman?… I thought as I stared at the person.
"You must be cold. Let's get inside." The woman said as she held my hand and took me towards the house.
As I stepped onto the wooden floor I then found that I could see as clear as day however when I looked back at the forest it was pitch black.
I could feel the warmth from the house even though I wasn't even inside yet. I slowly walked up the stairs and then entered the house.
Inside the house was a room which seemed to be the living room and a kitchen. There seemed to also be an upstairs however the woman first took me to the living room.
A man was laying down on the floor. His eyes were closed and his breathing was fast. The man also had horns just like the woman's however, this man's horns weren't dagger-shaped. His horns sprouted out and had a sharp bend which changed the shape of the horn. The man turned in his sleep and was laying on his side now. My eyes were instantly fixed on his ears. They were pointed like the elves I used to see in video games.
This really is a fantasy world… I thought to myself.
I sat down on the floor for a while until the woman from before entered the living room with a bowl of soup in her hand. She then gave the bowl to me and smiled. I reluctantly took the bowl out of her hand and stared at the soup. It wasn't the best but I couldn't complain. I held the wooden spoon and slowly put it into my mouth. The soup wasn't bad, it was the opposite. This small bowl of soup must've been the best thing I've ever had in this world.
After I ate the woman fixed a place on the floor for me to sleep. I couldn't refuse after she had given me such a meal and let me stay in her house. I was instantly knocked out as soon as my body got comfortable.
The morning sun woke me up. I could feel its warmth on my face. I couldn't sleep any longer because the sun was shining directly on my face.
I sat up on the floor. I had almost forgotten I was sleeping on the floor because of how soft it felt. I looked around to see if the woman or the man was near me but none of them was in sight. I then heard someone shouting but it sounded more like a grunt than a shout.
I looked out of what resembled a window and saw the man from yesterday. The man was holding a large sword with both hands and swung it multiple times. The man was extremely muscular; He might've been more muscular than my father.
"Oh, you've woken up." I turned around to see the woman from yesterday standing near the staircase. She start to walk towards me and when she got near me she then looked outside. She then looked down at me and knelt to be on my level. "My name is Amaya. What's yours?"
I stared at the woman. She smiled at me as I stared.
"My name is Eden."
The woman looked surprised when she heard my name. She then looked confused.
"Eden?" She repeated my name. "Why were you in the forest all alone?"
I looked at Amaya. I wasn't scared of her although she was a literal demon, instead, I felt safe with her.
"My father took me into the forest for training and then I got lost." I told Amaya.
"Your father? What's his name?"
"Adam Alaister."
I looked at Amaya and saw the pure fear and hatred on her face. She then noticed I was looking at her and started smiling nervously before standing up and going back to the kitchen.
It didn't take a genius to realise that Amaya knew my father and I was sure that their relationship wasn't a good one.
I did wonder what relationship they had for a demon to fear and hate my father—such a relationship is common however I had a feeling this was nothing like a normal one.
The archdemon who was training outside had come into the house. He cast a glance at me and then resumed to the kitchen to Amaya. The man then came into the living room and sat down opposite me on the floor.
"So you're Adam's son?" The man spoke. It was my first time hearing his voice and it wasn't too different to what I had imagined. His voice was deep like a Greek god's.
"Y-Yes." I nervously replied.
"How's Lyra?" The man asked. I looked at him in confusion as I tried to guess who he was talking about.
"Do you mean Leona?" I asked. The man stared at me as if I was the one in the wrong.
"Lyra, your father's wife."
Huh? Was my father cheating on my mother?… I thought but I tried to not make conclusions that wouldn't make sense after all my parents deeply loved each other and I could tell.
"I don't know who "Lyra" is." I said.
"What's your mother's name?" The man asked.
"My mother's name is Leona." I replied. The man didn't look satisfied with my answer and asked me another question.
"Do you know the mother of your mother?"
I looked at the man in confusion before I then realised that I hadn't met any of my grandmothers.
"No…" I replied silently as I stared at the man.
How did he know?… I wondered.
"Regardless, I will train you, boy." The man said before getting up from the floor. As he was standing he said something to me. "My name is Astaroth."
The man then walked towards the kitchen before walking up the stairs.
If this man was going to be the one training me then I have no complaints however I still need to find my father. I have already been away from my family for a little bit more than a day and I have already started to miss them.
How long will it take for me to meet them again?…
What was he trying to say?…
My mother who I have known for as long as I have lived in this world is known as Leona and suddenly an archdemon says my mother is actually a woman known as Lyra.
I did question it and tried to fit the pieces into their space but there were no useful pieces for me to begin with.
Such a puzzle to be this complicated could only be described as life.
This life truly does show me what I have been blind to in my past life.
The question remains and it is my choice whether to believe my family or the demons.
Now that I think of it, I don't know many things about this world. There are no books in my house for me to read meaning I haven't learnt how to read. I have only been able to learn from my observations.
I now know about the demons as well as the humans which brings the question of whether are there more species out there. I do not know however I can still learn.
Amaya and Astaroth definitely know who my parents are however from Amaya's reaction, she doesn't seem to like my parents. Astaroth didn't show much emotion like Amaya however he did know my father and that is the reason I am thinking about whether my mother really is my mother.
* * * * * *
That day Eden explored outside of the house. He came across a few more pathways however Amaya had advised him not to follow them. Although Eden was curious he obeyed Amaya and stayed in the front of the house.
He tested his strength on the trees and tried to see if he also had magic however he wasn't strong enough to even make a mark on the trees and wasn't able to use magic.
He tried many methods using his knowledge from many novels he read in his past life however they all resulted in failure.
Astaroth was watching Eden from a window on the ground floor. His face stayed completely emotionless as he watched Eden.
His relationship with Adam Alaister had nothing to do with Eden; After all, they weren't the same people however he still felt a sense of hatred towards Eden. It wasn't a burning sense of hatred which drove him to kill Eden as it wasn't Adam.
Astaroth thought that if he trained Eden instead of Adam, their conflict would end and they wouldn't have to hide in the forest.
Astaroth saw the potential in Eden however he could feel that Eden would soon experience unimaginable things. His future also cannot be altered which made Astaroth feel a sense of empathy. He knew he couldn't warn Eden and the most he could do was prepare him.
"Experiences make a man." He said to himself. He smiled at the saying however his smile quickly vanished when Eden caught him looking at him.
"You can feel it too can't you." Amaya said. Astaroth looked back at his sister who was walking towards him.
"The humans have become stronger." Astaroth replied. Amaya's eyes glowed a bright red.
"The calm before the storm." She said as she looked at Eden who stared back at them.
"What the hell did you do, Lyra?"