This was not a place to linger. Ronan wasn't sure if someone else would come—what if the old man had accomplices? It would be dangerous if they ran into them. But going outside... Ronan knew nothing about the outside world. After being sold from the Black Forest, he had no clue where they were, and with only children around him, there was no one to ask for information.
"You all stay here," Ronan instructed the oldest child to watch over the others. Although his body appeared that of a child, his mind was not. "I'll be back soon."
The main door was tightly shut, and Ronan looked up at the door bolt. He was about to stand on tiptoe to reach it, but his fingers were still a bit short. Suddenly, black mist curled around the bolt, and within two seconds, there was a "snap" as the bolt broke.
Ronan took a step back, puzzled as he glanced down at his hand and frowned. He walked forward, pushed the door open, and turned back to the children. Taking a deep breath, he strode outside.
The sunlight was bright, and outside the potion master's house was a small courtyard filled with medicinal herbs. Ronan walked further ahead, stepping out of the yard and onto a stone path leading from the door.
There was no imagined danger, only a peaceful and serene atmosphere. It was as if the house behind him was just a normal dwelling, with no gruesome experiments and no bloodshed.
Basking in the sunlight, Ronan gazed at the trees lining the road. He continued following the path, finding that it was the only house in the area. As he walked further, the path gradually sloped upward. When he reached the top of the slope, a breeze brushed past him, and he instinctively closed his eyes for a moment. When he reopened them, he saw a village down below. Beyond the small village stretched vast fields, and from this vantage point, he could make out farmers working in the fields.
Everything seemed so ordinary, so normal that the horrors inside the little house behind him felt like a distant nightmare.
In a daze, Ronan walked back, taking the children's hands and leading them up the slope. Pointing to the village below, he told them, "Run with all your strength. Once you get to the village, you'll find your parents."
The children, who had likely been imprisoned for a long time, reacted differently from normal kids. Ronan stood on the hill silently, watching their small figures disappear in the distance.
From the few words exchanged with them and from the cautious behavior of the old man whenever he entered the basement, Ronan knew that the experiments were forbidden, and the origin of these children was undoubtedly suspicious. As long as they escaped, the children would soon return to their normal lives. As for himself...
He had no home in this strange world, but that was fine. He was grateful for this second chance at life.
Watching the children reach the village, Ronan returned to the house and crawled back down into the underground chamber. One by one, he opened all the cages holding the demonic creatures. These creatures weren't very intelligent. Some tried to attack him as soon as they were free. Ronan didn't dodge. He stood there, surrounded by what seemed to be swirling black mist. As if seeing a ghost, all the demonic creatures frantically fled from him.
Ronan wasn't surprised. He opened his right hand and stared at his palm for a while, then proceeded to unlock all the old man's drawers. Inside, he found several bundles of papers densely covered with writing.
He shouldn't have been able to understand the writing, but as Ronan read through it, the meaning gradually became clear to him.
The pages were filled with data. About seven or eight years ago, it seemed this alchemist had taken a wrong turn. Through the words, Ronan could almost picture the horrific experiments that had taken place.
There were demonic creatures, and there were also human children.
Without any hesitation, Ronan gathered all the papers together and knocked over an oil lamp. Flames quickly leapt up.
Ronan climbed back up and stood in the courtyard for a while. The fire hadn't spread from the basement yet, but that didn't matter. Closing his eyes, he extended his hands forward.
Beneath his feet, the light distorted as if the ground was collapsing. Black mist billowed from between his hands, creeping along the ground like a living creature. The moment it touched the house, there was a loud "boom."
Black flames shot into the sky, swiftly engulfing the entire house.
Down in the village at the foot of the hill, commotion began. It was unclear whether the villagers had seen the strange fire or if they had learned something from the children who had been rescued.
Ronan stood in surprise, almost unable to believe that he had started the fire. After one last glance, he turned around and walked away without hesitation, heading in the opposite direction of the village.
Ronan had no idea how many forces would be shaken by that fire. After leaving in the opposite direction of the town, he trudged along on his journey with difficulty because of his small legs.
There had been little he could do in his mist form. Later, by a stroke of luck, he entered the body of a demonic creature, relying on instinct to use the strength of demon dog or demon snake. But now, in a human body, he sensed something different.
While maintaining his human form, it felt as though he could finally use some of the mist's own power.
All of this had once been unknown to him, but after seeing the "door latch" break and receiving that clue, Ronan recalled using the magical mist. He had thought about burning that vile place to the ground, and later, the black flames indeed shot up to the sky. Though the sight shocked him, it also felt expected, as if it had been inevitable.