The streets were busy, jammed with honking cars. People bustled along the pedestrian street, some in formal suits indicating they were company employees, while others wore casual clothes. No one wore school uniforms since it was Sunday.
I sat inside a restaurant, wearing a hoodie that covered most of my facial features. I was waiting for Nasha because we were going to meet my parents today. I didn't want to John to know I was meeting them, in case he did anything to put us in danger.
In case you're wondering how this all started, it's a long story. The time Nasha and I went to the arcade, we met a few of her friends there. We introduced ourselves and got to know each other better. It's been a month since that day. One of the people I got to know was a student named Eden. He lived in Cresent Valley, where my parents lived. He was a good dude, and I decided to get close to him.
We got to know each other over the past month, and I asked him to bring me information about my parents and what they thought about me without alerting anyone. He did a great job and even helped me set up a meeting with them without them panicking, thinking I would hurt them.
I also told Nasha that I would be going there since we got pretty close, but she insisted on coming with me. I let her tag along since she already knew. We agreed to meet at this restaurant at this time, and she was about ten minutes late.
My plan in this life was simple. I would repair my relationship with my parents and live a peaceful life, free of all the worry and tediousness of work. I would help my parents develop the business as a spoiled young master and live my life like there's no tomorrow. This is probably the heavens' grace upon me after all the misfortunes in my past life.
As I was lost in thought, Nasha showed up and said, "Hi Ryan, sorry I'm late. Sneaking out in front of my parents was hard," while poking her cheek cutely. I smiled and nodded, saying, "It's okay, let's just go. We don't want to be later than we already are." She nodded, and we took the subway to the Crescent Valley. Eden had been waiting for us, and together we made our way to my parents' house.
When we reached the house, I started getting nervous unconsciously. Surprised, I wondered, 'What am I getting nervous about?' I quickly realized I was meeting my parents, who I didn't have the luxury to meet in my previous life, and I smiled.
Taking a deep breath, I nodded, signaling for Nasha to ring the doorbell. She did, and after a few seconds, we heard footsteps approaching and a raspy, beautiful voice saying, "Coming!" Realizing it was my mother, my heart skipped a beat. When she opened the door, I couldn't help but stare at her. She was very beautiful. She was beautiful in the pictures I had of her in my previous life, but those pictures didn't do her justice.
She had silky smooth long shiny black hair, black eyes, and milk-white smooth skin. She was tall with a slender figure. Her eyes pierced mine with a mature expression as a little frown appeared on her face, and tears could be seen accumulating in her eyes.
Holding back her emotions, she said, "Welcome, come inside!" as she made way for us to enter the house. Seeing her acting like that, my heart churned as I held back the tears welling up in my eyes. We followed her to the living room where there was a dining table on the right and a big sofa on the other side. We sat at the dining table. I wondered where my father was, but before I could ask, he appeared from inside and greeted us, his eyes resting on me for a split second. I could see a little sorrow in his eyes, even though he tried to hide it well.
"Let's eat, don't be shy. You are young and you need to eat to build some muscle," my mother said cheerfully. We all smiled, thanked her, and started eating. Everyone was mostly silent, lost in their own thoughts, with only the clinking of plates breaking the silence.
After we finished eating, my mother and Nasha picked up the plates and went to the kitchen to clean up. The three of us left in the room sat in awkward silence. I didn't know how to start a conversation, and neither did my father. Eden, noticing this, decided to break the silence. "Did you hear that the vampire King has gone into deep slumber? He wants to sleep for 100 years," he said, looking at our faces to gauge our interest.
"Really, how can he just sleep for 100 years? How old is he?" I asked, realizing my mistake and quickly adding, "He has to be young by vampire standards." My father joined the conversation, "Yes, he's 500 years old, but that's a youth's age by their standards. He thinks there will be no danger to his kingdom in the next 100 years, so he's using the time to sleep. I don't know how their thought process works either," he said, shrugging. We nodded in understanding, and silence filled the room again.
I decided to break the silence by asking, "How have you been holding up?" with a genuine expression. My father was taken aback by my serious expression but answered after a few seconds, "We are doing fairly well. The business hasn't been going well recently, as you might imagine." I already knew that from Eden's information. I nodded, "It must have been hard going through all the trouble alone."
My father stared at me for a few seconds, trying to gauge my sincerity. He looked down and then up at me, "Is it true that you lost your memory?"
I looked down before fixing my gaze on him, "Yes, it's true," I paused before continuing, "That's why I want to know what came between us that made us fall apart. I want to know your side of the story. John told me his version, but I want to hear yours nonetheless."
A grave expression appeared on my father's face. "It's a long story," he said, glancing at Eden. After a few seconds, Eden caught my father's cue and got up saying, "I'll help Nasha with the dishes," and left. A few moments later, my mother joined us, sitting next to my father with a serious look. My father nodded at her, and she began, "It all started when I took you to the office with me. At first, you were happy and played with everyone. But then you started spending time with John. Your behavior changed. You lashed out at your mother and wouldn't talk to me. We decided to keep you at home, but your behavior didn't improve."
"You cursed at your mother and threw things at her. When I tried to talk to you, you accused me of being controlling. One day, after you hit a kid in the neighborhood, your mother got angry, and you left the house. We found out you were with John was taking care of you."
My mother couldn't hold back her tears any longer. I felt my heart twist seeing her cry. 'That bastard! I will kill him!' I thought, biting my teeth hard. My father continued, "We tried to talk to you, but John wouldn't let us. We respected your decision and didn't contact you, but we were also afraid you'd use our soft side to get information for John."
I stared at them, my mind racing. 'Did they distrust me that much? Why?' Noticing my expression, they stayed silent, letting me process everything. I asked, "If you were that distrustful, why meet with me now?" My father answered, "Because you lost your memory. We hoped you would be different."
I realized they were right. I would have done the same in their shoes. They had to think of themselves. I nodded, "That was smart, I would have done the same thing."
My parents sighed in relief. 'Even though they were cautious, they were still parents,' I thought. I knew John had something to do with my behavior and most probably my illness.
There were my mysteries and unanswered questions. Who drew the soul devourer circle that I woke up on? How did it work? I needed answers.
I said, "I noticed how John tends to be controlling and fill me with information," I paused before continuing, "I don't believe everything will be the same, but I want to give our relationship a chance. I want to start by getting to know each other. You probably have some questions, and so do I. Why don't we talk?"
My mother started crying again and embraced me. I hugged her back feeling her shivering body. A tear rolled down my cheek. My father joined us, and we stayed like that for a few minutes.
Finally, we sat down and had tea. Nasha brought the tea, followed by Eden with desserts. After a few sips, my father asked, "Are you thinking of moving in with us?
We would be delighted."
I shook my head smiling, "I don't plan on moving in yet. I want to see how far John takes this." My father nodded thoughtfully, "You're right." My mother, who wore a worried expression said, "But are you going to be okay?" I nodded and noticing the resolve that I had, my father nodded.
Suddenly, a drop of blood rolled down my father's nose. He touched it and saw the blood on his hand. I panicked, "What happened? Are you okay?" Before I could reach him, I felt my head dizzy and fell. My mother who also tried the same thing as me met the same fate. My father's eyes rolled back as he passed out. I turned to look at my friends, and Eden was already passed out. Nasha stood up and walked to the front door, opening it.
A middle-aged man with brown hair and eyes walked in with a broad, creepy smile. I instantly knew who he was. John Park had decided to show up. Nasha closed the door behind him and went to stand by his side, giving me a pitiful look. 'She sold me out,' I realized.
"Well, well, well. Look what we have here. Thought you could pull a fast one on me, didn't you?" John's voice echoed in my ears. "Too bad for you, I'm always one step ahead," he said, his gleaming with malice.