Darkness.
The kind that imprisons your senses and steals your breath. It pressed up against his ears, seeped into his lungs, and wrapped around his body like a suffocating shroud.
Yet...
He felt at ease.
It was quiet, peaceful, and oddly comforting in some ways. It cradled him, made the urge to resist slowly fade away.
Despite the fact that he was vaguely aware that something wasn't quite right, he had no interest in finding out what it was.
With a faint, contented sigh, he surrendered and sank deeper into the abyss, letting himself slip further into the comforting peace.
However, this feeling didn't last for long.
Before he could fully immerse himself in the comforting darkness, a foreign touch roused him—a gentle hand stroking his head.
His eyes snapped open, adjusting slowly to the new darkness around him. This darkness was different—colder, more unforgiving.
His surroundings were dimly lit by the flickering flames of a candle held in a metal bracket next to a wooden door. Shadows danced eerily on the walls, revealing the confines of a carriage. A carriage he certainly hadn't seen before.
He turned his head and met the warm, unfamiliar eyes of a man he had never met.
Alert and without any means of defence, he quickly composed himself, shifting his small legs underneath him so they hung off the edge of the seat, ready to run if anything were to happen. Still keeping an eye on the stranger, he carefully formulated a plan to escape this unforeseen situation.
However, before he could, the stranger spoke first.
"Easy there, kid. There's no need to be so wary of me." The voice was gentle, smooth, with a subtle hint of a southern accent. The stranger's dark brown eyes locked onto the boy's, a broad smile spreading across his scarred face, the lines crinkling with a mix of warmth and something more calculating.
"The name's Cian, and before you label me as a bad person in that tiny head of yours, let little old me explain what led to this odd situation."
The child's gaze, sharp and mistrustful, remained fixed on the man. The carriage's dim light accentuated the shadows on Cian's face, making the scars appear deeper, more menacing. Finally, the boy gave a small nod, acknowledging him.
Cian sighed, a sound of both relief and amusement, before continuing, "You were found on a deserted beach, and as I am its caretaker, accountable for everything that happens there, I couldn't just leave you lying on the cold, filthy ground.
It was against my nature and principles to leave a young child such as yourself in the wild without any form of shelter or supervision. So, I decided to bring you along with me."
As Cian began to explain himself, he kept a close eye on the child. his gaze wandering over the areas of exposed skin that could be seen through the tattered clothes that he wore.
As Cian spoke, his eyes roved over the boy's frame, taking in the tattered remnants of what might once have been clothes. The fabric was stained with dirt and salt, clinging loosely to the child's frail shoulders like a discarded old towel. Both sides of the shirt were torn and frayed, exposing patches of pale, grimy skin underneath.
The boy's pants were no better, with gaping holes at the knees and countless other small tears scattered throughout. They hung loosely around his hips, more akin to rags than actual garments.
Noticing the stranger's gaze while still thinking of a way out, the boy narrowed his eyes almost imperceptibly. 'Lies' he thought to himself, and consequently, the stranger in front of him had been demoted to nothing more than a lawless creature in his eyes.
After his appraisal, Cian took a moment to admire the boy's striking silver eyes, which were beautifully complemented by his light blue hair. The hair, though dirty and tangled, shimmered faintly in the candlelight, giving the boy an ethereal appearance.
'This kid should fetch well, especially with all of his unique features', Cian thought, a smile playing at the corners of his lips as if he had struck gold.
"Right now, we are headed to the town of Vita, where I'll be taking you to the nearest orphanage owned by a dear friend of mine." Cian reached into his cloak and drew out a small black book, its cover worn but well-cared for, embossed with a faint gold pattern.
The boy hesitated, his hands twitching slightly as if to reach out and then retract. Seeing this, Cian decided to open the book himself, revealing the first page—a detailed map of the continent.
The map was intricately crafted, with every river, mountain range, and forest meticulously drawn. Individual tree stumps and castles were visible, rendered with a precision that spoke of a skilled cartographer's hand.
It was a child-friendly map, the kind usually found in local libraries and stores, designed to spark curiosity and wonder. The boy's eyes widened slightly at the sight, the allure of the unknown momentarily breaking through his mistrust.
"Let this be your little journal—a gift of friendship, so use it well." he child gave the book a cursory glance, noting its slightly worn cover, the leather cracked and faded in places, yet still holding an air of timeless utility. He knew what Cian was trying to accomplish with this gesture; he might as well join in this theater. Or, more fittingly, a circus.
'So in other words, I got kidnapped.'
It was not a startling thought or revelation, simply a confirmation of what he felt to be true as soon as he opened his eyes.
Was life supposed to be this difficult? It had only been a year since he reincarnated into this world, and not only was he forced to endure suffering as an infant—a uniquely harrowing experience—but he was also placed in the worst possible surroundings!
Who leaves their child at a garbage disposal site?!
If not for the help of Allyn, his system, he would have died long ago.
'Right- Allyn. I have her.'
Calling out his precious system, he spoke telepathically.
─'Allyn, show me the stats of this... two-legged creature in front of me.'
Just then, a translucent screen only seen by him hovered in the air before his eyes, displaying the information he was all too familiar with now.
Name: Cian.
Race: Human. Age: 36.
SB: Locked. Rank: Unranked.
> Upgrade the system to show the rest of the stats.
✿ 'HE IS NOT SHINY! I don't approve of him(一_一)'
'Once is an accident. Twice is a coincidence. But to receive such hints multiple times indicates that something is definitely amiss. I need to gather more clues.'
"And by Vita, do you mean the town near the capital city?" disregarding the 'gift', He questioned the man in front of him, cursing the way his tongue betrayed him, making him sound more child-like than he had intended.
"Yes, of course! As one of the towns that protects the borders of Petra, one of our Empire's four primary capital cities, each of which is directly administered by each of the four archdukes. Vita is famed for its peaceful and loving community, not to mention that the town itself serves as a stronghold that guards the capital city's northern flank; its defence is claimed to be regarded as a high-level B-class shield, one that the archduke himself had laid up in all of the country's fortifications. Oh, I got side-tracked; you must have been confused by all the information I gave out. You see.. I once worked as a tour guide in my early years and was the best in my field I... "
Cian's voice droned on, a mix of pride and nostalgia coloring his tone. The carriage jolted slightly as it rolled over a bump in the road, causing the candlelight to flicker and cast eerie, shifting shadows on the walls. The boy's eyes, sharp and calculating, took in every detail—the dagger at Cian's waist, the rough texture of the seat beneath him, the rhythmic clatter of the wheels.
...
'Should I kill him-
I should ask Allyn to hand me a poisionous needle to shut this thing up once and for all.'
Cian had nearly finished his long narration of his life journey when he noticed the unusual, almost palpable murderous aura emanating from the young child. It didn't fit his lovely appearance, but Cian dismissed it as a trick of the light or his own imagination. "Anyway, once we reach Vita, you might be lucky enough to see the capital one day..." Cian trailed off, his brows furrowing in suspicion. "But how do you know that?"
The boy ignored the question laced with caution, his mind processing the new information.
Meanwhile, Cian brushed it off, again, What could a mere boy who could not even speak do after all? He probably heard it in passing and repeated the words without understanding the meaning.
Thinking that the youngster had already gotten over the 'kidnapping' incident and was more open with him, Cian tried to get closer by handing him a bar of chocolate which he kept for emergencies.
"So what's your name, Kiddo?" Cian asked, a smile stretching across his scarred face, intending to appear warm. However, all the boy felt at the sight of it was disgust.
"Kallous." he replied after taking a bite from the chocolate bar; he wasn't one to dismiss any kind of food.
✿ 'WHY DID YOU EAT THAT?! WHAT IF IT WAS POISONED?!' Allyn burst out while quickly scanning her master's tiny body for any possible poison or curses that might harm him.
─'There's no need to worry, Allyn; otherwise, why would that... thing keep me alive if he wanted to kill me anyway? No, he has other goals in mind.'
Kal calmly stated. Besides, it was not important at that moment. After all, this world wasn't as simple as he had anticipated. With all the clear signs he discovered through the system and the simple conversation he had with that thing, Kal was certain that he didn't just reincarnate into any world.
This was the world of a novel.
His novel.