In a spacious room fit for three young kids, the demon twins sat quietly waiting for Kallous to make the first move.
Ian, trying to ignore the suffocating silence that rised as some point, kept his eyes on his brother who never stopped looking at Kallous.
'He looks...excited' the thought past through Ian's mind as he saw how Ivan's eyes showed pure excitement and...worry?
Ian held special feelings for his brother. His twin was always there for him, being the parent he never had. He was reliable, kind, calm, and mature at all times.
To him, his twin was his idol. He always smiled at him and never abandoned him, even in their desperate times.
Playing a game of hide and seek to save their lives.
Although they were twins, they had slight differences.
To say they were identical wasn't far-fetched but, unlike Ian, who had plain pink hair resembling that of a cotton candy, his older twin, Ivan, had long white hair that was so beautiful like snow or better yet, the white clouds above which Ian loved to look up at.
It was Ian's favourite colour.
One time, Ian complimented his brother's hair, mentioning how it resembled the clouds, unlike his own hair. Ivan gave him a reassuring smile while patting his head. He looked into his eyes and said, "Clouds come in different shapes and colours, but that doesn't mean they aren't one. So stop having those weird thoughts..
We are twins, even a blind person sees it."
Ever since then, he had grown to adore the colour of his hair and had even began to take better care of it after noticing that his brother enjoys messing with it.
Personality wise though... they were like heaven and earth.
Ivan was more of an observer. Ian likes to imagine that his brother is only thinking about him whenever he is silent.
He rarely laughs in other's presence. He shows no genuine emotion to anyone unless Ian was brought to the topic.
Ian knew all that.
Which is why, right at this moment, when he saw how his brother's eyes changed as he studied Kallous, Ian felt like he had witnessed a miracle.
The little demon was quite thankful that only he could see his brother's change. But also worried that this would disappear once Ivan faces reality.
He more or less had guessed the reason behind his brother's high expectations. At times Ian might be stupid but he wasn't a complete clueless child.
The little demon could only exhale and get a little closer to his brother, just to be there when Kallous denies him.
Allyn, who rested on Kal's head, couldn't care less about the twins and solely focused on Kal.
✿'Sob, you actually pronounced such a complicated sentence so perfectly! I could happily die right now o(≧▽≦)o.'
Kal casually muted Allyn, leaned on his back and spoke as he gazed at the twins in front of him.
His voice lacking his usual fake cheerful tone.
"I'll answer one question and only one for each of you. It's up to you how you interpret my answer."
Again, as If luck was on his side, this body of his suddenly became obedient. It was as if, all this time since he first came to the orphanage, his tone and childish pronunciation were all simply but an illusion created by his very own imagination.
When the two noticed the change of his voice, they were rendered speechless. Especially Ian, who felt like he was fooled by his friend - even though they only knew each other for like what? A day? - Ian still felt upset that the sweet like voice was simply fake but it wasn't as if he never expected this. Well, not this exactly but something on that level since his brother, after all, did warn him about Kallous.
Ivan, on the other hand, quickly got over the fact this child- no, Kallous aura changed, following his posture and tone.
These did not belong to a normal child, but perfectly matched that strange shadow.
Allyn, yet again, was having the time of her life!
She knew that this was going to create a huge misunderstanding about Kal and she was living for it.
As always, she took out her trusty recording tool and started recording them. Well...mostly Kallous, but you get what I mean.
After all, even if the scene was serious, in the end they are a bunch of cute kids and worth taking shiny pictures of for memory sake.
Ivan was the first to speak as he asked Kallous in a serious, questioning tone.
"who are you?"
Kal expected to receive such a question from him. Any other normal child would just ask silly questions. But then again, if they were normal, he won't be in this situation in the first place.
Yet here he was, being questioned by two unique young demons who just so happened to hold the blood of Sin in their veins.
In this world, just like how humans have their own monarchy and high ranking nobles, such as the Archdukes, The demons also have their own noble ranking.
However, unlike the humans who base them by bloodline, demons nobles are chosen by the constellations themselves. hance, there could only be one holder for each of the seven sins.
Of course, in rare cases, if a sin holder ended up having a child, and even if their children hold a rare chance to become the next sin holder, that doesn't mean they are set in the same category as the other citizens if they ended up being normal.
Being the offspring of a Sin holder in itself gives them the right to bear the Lord title when they come of age. Giving that their blood is different from the average demon since the possibility of a sin holder to have a child in the first place was close to zero.
And these two, who are fated to die by the end of this winter, were none other than the sons of The demon emperor's left hand man, The duke of wrath.
Which is why Kal decided to stop his innocent act the moment he sensed their suspicions on him. It was better this way.
At least, when he sends them off on their own journey, they will remember him as someone who they owe their life to instead of whatever they labelled him as in their little heads.
With his mind made up, he quickly thought of an answer that matched the current situation and looked at the young demon who was gazing at him with eyes filled with anticipation and.. hope? Nah, he must've imagined that last part.
Plus, with their eyes covered, it's difficult to clearly read their expression.
Kal hummed before responding shortly after.
"A survivor. I'm neither human nor demon, just a survivor."
This is what he was. From the moment he awoke in this world, he realized he was no longer a human and had no connection to the other race.
However, one thing was clear to him, something he knows and was engraved in his soul.
He was a survivor.
Be it this life or the previous one.
All his choices, all of his actions were made to achieve one single goal.
To survive.
Kallous was satisfied with this. Gave an answer without actually answering the little demon's question. But at least, by guiding them and giving them an honest answer, he felt that it will repay the debt of killing them off in the novel.
One way or another, he felt responsible for the future events, and for the sake of his future in this world, Kal plans to change the fate of them as long as he felt indebted to them.
In order to gain their trust - though it wasn't that necessary in his mind but Allyn did recommend doing so- and also change their perspective of him in their young minds, Kal chose to answer honestly but without giving hints of his reincarnation. No one would believe that he came from another world anyway.
Plus, as the sacred rule of reincarnation states: Never mention that you are a reincarnator for it always results in unwelcomed danger.
He wasn't worried if the twins knew that he belonged to no race that they are aware of; they would interpret it as him trusting them by disclosing his own secret which will make them feel burdened by it.
They could only repay his 'trust' with their silence.
Which is true, though unlike what our dear Kallous had in mind, not only did the twins change their perspective of him, but they also somehow ended up thinking outside the box, which created a huge misunderstanding in the process.
'This... I feel like I've stumbled across a secret that could possibly end my life.' Ivan was rendered speechless. He first thought that Kallous was a special demon like them, one that was blessed and had the opportunity to use their first blessing without going through the 'test'. But now, not only was he not a demon, he wasn't even human at all.
He didn't think that Kallous would lie to them; if he wanted to, he could've kept his fake mask and acted like how he did with everyone else.
Then a thought suddenly entered his mind.
If Kallous, who was seated silently watching them, didn't belong to any race in the first place. Then...what was he?
Ivan then recalls a lesson that he and his brother took in this orphanage which was one of their history.
They spoke of how the two races before this age had been at odds for millennia until the first saint sent down a prophesy. One that simply indicated that they would not be alone for long and that other beings will join them in sharing their lands.
Apparently, the prophecy alone was the cause of ending the war. Which Ivan knew wasn't enough of a reason but he was still young and could search for the truth when he grows up.
He was fascinated by this section in history unlike his younger twin. He found that the idea of them not being alone made him excited but scared at the same time.
With that in mind, he should rule out the chance that Kallous is a member of the race identified in the prophecy and if that's the case, there is a strong likelihood that they are present and hiding in secret.
But that can't be true since they were yet to be notified by the rulers above.
Which leaves one last possibility, Ivan only came across a few mentions of them in fairy tale books and legends but had to set this option as a last result since there was no evidence to support their existence.
But if Kallous was a child of those beings then it will explain Kallous strange growth and the shadow he has.
Ivan never thought of himself as one of those crazy theory specialists but right now, this simple idea that he had on Kallous real identity made him feel like he was slowly turning into one.
Ivan's thoughts came to a halt when he heard Ian's voice.
"Kallous, did you ever.. think of me as a friend?"
Now it was Kal's turn to be rendered speechless.
Allyn, who at one point paused the recording to clear some room in her personal inventory, heard the pitiful voice of Ian and straight away started spamming Kal so he can unmute her.
Once unmuted, she voiced out her thoughts loud and clear into her master's head.
✿'WHY ARE YOU ALWAYS BULLYING THIS PURE BABY?! DIDN'T WE ALREADY TALK ABOUT THIS?!!'
When Kal heard Allyn's accusation, he quickly defended himself.
─'I did not bully him, he was simply stating his question. Now please stop and let me be done with this or else I'll mute you again.'
Without listening to Allyn's reply, he looked at the boy who he thought as dumb and pure as he was deadly and smiled.
"If by friends you mean that I took you as someone who I could count on, someone who I can trust, respect and could share those moments of joy and sorrow and the other type of bonds then no.
I never thought of you as a friend nor did I ever consider that."
Never did Kal place much value on friendship. Therefore, it was better to end the little boy's expectations of becoming friends so that he wouldn't look back on it later once they go their separate ways.
In the end, Kal doesn't want their friendship, as long as that they are not enemies then all is well.
Even though Ivan couldn't see his brother's face since he had his head bowed, Ivan could tell he was upset. In the end, Kallous was right, so the older demon wasn't even going to glare at Kal for making his sibling feel this way.
This friendship was doomed from the start and it was best to put an end to it.
As the conversation came to an end, Kal signalled to the twins to go back.
They both got up, each trying to process the answers Kal had given them, and as Ivan, followed by his twin, walked to their own side of the room, Ian paused, making his twin look back at him.
Ian hesitated, then asked Kal one last question, hoping that he would get an answer.
"Will there ever be a chance of us becoming....friends?"
Kal could already feel Allyn calling him a bully. But for once, he agreed with her.
He did not answer Ian, he didn't want to build up unnecessary hope in the little demon's heart. He didn't even knew why the little demon wants to be friends so bad.
Ian on the other hand, wasn't as upset as everyone thought he'd be.
Since Kallous didn't answer him, it also meant that there was still hope and wasn't rejected by him.
With this weird and not so healthy mind set, Ian followed his brother back to their place.
✺✺✺✺✺✺✺✺✺✺✺
─'It's only 11 am and I already feel exhausted' Kal complained quietly as he goes to sit by the window.
✿'Not only did you finish your previous quest missions, got the third and final one which will help you unlock your blessing, but also saved the main character's mother, made Cian regret his life choices and bullied the twins, especially the youngest twin.' Allyn didn't forget how Kal bullied her few hours ago but it's fine. He won't get free pudding from the shop anyway.
─'Fine, I did bully the kid but it was for his own good. Plus, this will make it easier for me to not get attached to them.
I only plan on saving them from death so I could use the 'saviour' privilege in the future.' He didn't have second thoughts or regret for what he did since it was for the best.
The scene outside the window was average at most, the playground was empty and silent. The lack of kids playing outside made Kal remember something.
─'Allyn, what happened to the spying task I gave you?'
✿'Oh- well, Lucy was talking about the event they usually do every now and then.. It didn't have a specific date but what I was able to know what it was about~' Allyn slowly floated and sat on Kal's shoulder, looking at the scene outside the window. She then continued,
✿'Lucy will select five special kids to be up for adoption. And today's event, that I think will get delayed because of this morning's incident, should be the day where she would announce the chosen kids.'
Hmm
Kal knew Lucy, he knows what type of woman she was, she couldn't have planned this event with the kids' best interests in mind.
Allyn's next words made him figure what this event actually was.
✿ 'I heard her mention to the butler to take the chosen kids and start their training. But what training is she talking about? If families wanted to adopt the kids then what's the use of training?' Allyn was lost so she could only ask Kal who looked like he knew the reason behind it.
With obvious disgust shown on his eyes, he still took the time to answer Allyn.
─'She plans to sell those orphans, I clearly remember the scene where one of the sold off orphans told the protagonist about their experience. Especially the training period where they teach the kids how to.. please their new family'
Allyn was dumfounded, shocked to the point she failed to stabilize herself but fortunately fell on Kal's lap instead of the open window.
✿ 'That's...'
─'We can't do much about it, I'm far too weak to rescue any of them. However, if I can somehow manage to get myself chosen, I-'
✿ 'NO!' Allyn's loud voice stopped Kal mid-sentence and made him look down at her.
✿ 'You are not going to do this! I won't allow you to!' Allyn turned blue, indicating how sad she felt. But soon after, she turned purple all of a sudden and started to lecture Kal about all the dangers that he could possibly face if he ever thought of actually doing what she thought he would.
Kal's face broke into a smile and started to pat Allyn while trying to assure her that he'd be fine since she will always be around to save him if he ever got himself in danger.
Those sweet reassuring words worked wonders on Allyn. Although she was still against this plan.
✿ 'Don't tell me that you are going to do this cause you feel guilty..' Allyn had to ask. She knows her master, he has zero to no affection to the lives of people here especially the humans. But she also knows that he holds a tiny little soft spot for young kids, especially those that are innocent.
Kal was silent, which she expected. Living with him for a year had its moments.
✿ 'But how do you plan to get chosen anyway? The next selection will be in thirty days' Allyn curiosity knew no end as she kept asking Kal lots of questions for safety reasons.
Kal didn't think much of it and simply told her about the plan he thought of which made Allyn's head hurt because of the amount of work she had to do for this plan to carry out.
The day soon went on as usual, well.. with the exception that they were served both lunch and dinner In their own rooms since most of the kids were still traumatized by the scene that happened in the hall earlier that day.
Classes were delayed as well, which was fine with Kal since he didn't like them in the first place.
The twins hadn't spoken to Kal all day, which made him very grateful since no one was there to annoy him. Still.. he held the gift that Ian gave him that was left unattended all day.
Out of curiosity he opened it and saw the circle shaped cookies all lined up inside of the box, still fresh and ready to be eaten.
Kal paused, before taking a piece and biting into it.
While Kal was eating his fill, Ian had just entered the room through the window rather than the door to avoid drawing Ivan's attention. When he passed by Kal's side of the room, he saw the obviously relaxed Kal enjoy the gift that he gave him.
This unexpected scene made Ian come to the conclusion that Kal still cared about their friendship, if not why did he eat the cookies he gifted to him in such a happy relaxing manner?
The now cheerful Ian went to find his brother, who wasn't in the room as he had originally thought, and told him about the scene he just saw.
Soon, the day came to an end as they all went to sleep. Allyn, who made sure that Kal was sleeping, silently looked at him as she did her daily scan.
She almost failed to protect Kal today. Even if it wasn't a life-and-death situation, it didn't sit right with her.
She vowed to do better, there will be no mistakes.
Noticing that her little master was growing well, got a bit taller to be exact, she rested next to him, gazing at the sky from the window as she too, bid the stars good night.