"Young master!"
The strong and vivid call pierced into the abyss, pulling Leo Reylheart soul back into reality. Forced from the void, a young teen abruptly rose from his slumber. Sitting on his bed, he could be seen gasping for air, as small droplets of cold sweat rained down his pale face.
With unfocused eyes, the teen scanned the room. A familiar scene was brought into his sight, one rooted in his youth. It was a room where had he spent all his childhood days.
'My room?… What is happening? How can this?'
"Argh"
Unable to finish he's thought, the teen let out a moaned as his lips tightened, and wrinkles formed on his face. An excruciating pain originated from his head, feeling like thousands of needles pierced into his brain repeatedly.
Alongside the suffering, a bizarre noise echoed in his mind. Every time the sound rang, the strain worsened, leaving the sensation that his brain would explode at any time.
'₥⩜ ⇛F∅ ℒ∬⇇ ℤ∂%ǁ≈ ⊕¿'
"Oh my, young master! Please wait, I will fetch a doctor."
The otherworldly whisper overlapped with the voice of a worried man, causing a disruptive impact to the already fragile state of his mind.
'Shit, where is this bizarre noise coming from?'
Frustrated by his inability to detect from where the noise was coming from and overwhelmed by the horrendous pain inflicted on by the unearthly sound, the teen wriggled his body in hopes of ceasing the torture. Contrary to his hopes, the piercing sound kept persisting.
´'Δ∅ ℘⇠↻ ɸ₳↯∫⧫ ǃ₤†₧ ∇∂ ⍉∽℧ Ŷ₤≡⇅ ߀₣Ʌ!'
As pain spread from his head and reached the corner of his every cell, the teen was left with no choice than to desperately pleaded for it to stop. Never in his life was he pushed so far that he had to beg for mercy with all his heart.
'Please!!! Just stop already.'
At last, after ending his desperate and sincere plead, the otherworldly noises ceased as if responding to his petition. Though the agonizing pain didn't vanish, at the very least it stopped worsening.
While the teen struggled to shake away his suffering, the loud, rushed voice of the man reverberated through the room.
"You two stay with the young master, and ensure nothing happens!"
The man rushed out of the room, while issuing the command to the servants. Without waiting for their response, the man vanished, leaving the servants in an awkward position.
The room fell into a deep silence as the servants stayed in the corner, not knowing what to do. With the stillness, the teen finally managed to gather his thoughts.
'Is this some type of dream or some heaven? No…it feels too vivid, and this horrible pain shouldn't exist in a dream or a heaven.'
His unfocused eyes gradually regained clarity, as he progressively fell into the realization that this must reality. Before he could put that realization into words, the man reentered the room, accompanied by an older man with a tall and skinny physique.
Carrying a leather case and clad in a white coat, the old man approached the bed. Once he got close enough, the figure opened his leather case, revealing an array of different metallic instruments, bandages, and small glass bottles filed with herbs.
Without hesitation, he opted to grab a small metallic tube. The old man pointed one end at the teen's eye, and period the eyelid of the teen wide open. Without delay, he touched the other end of the tube, triggering a mechanism. A beam of Light pored out of the other end of the tube, shining directly at the teen's eye.
Caught off guard, the teen missed his chance to react to the light, as he was too shocked by his own realization. After a moment, the light faded and the old man replaced the small metallic tube back into his leather case. As he continued to organize his leather case, the old man rested one hand on the teen's forehead.
"How is he, Doctor?"
Asked the person behind the old man in a worried and rushed voice.
"My guess…a simple cold."
Removing his hand off the teen's forehead, the doctor reached into his case and retrieved two bottles of herbs and a grinder. He measured a portion of herbs from the two bottles, and started grinding them together to form a remedy.
"Make a tea with this."
The doctor handed over the ground herbs to the man, packed up his leather case, and proceeded to walk out of the room.
"He should be fine, with some time. Don't worry too much."
The doctor stated before vanishing from the room. The man did not wait another second and ordered the two servants to fetch hot water and a cup. With no time to waste, the servants swiftly left out the room in order to fulfil the request.
The room was silent again, except for the heavy breathing from the young teen. Finding his situation difficult, the teen needed a confirmation to his speculation.
"Pierre…is it really you?"
The teen asked in a melancholic tone, but no immediate response came. Surprised by the question, the man hesitated for a moment before replaying.
"Of course young master, it's me Pierre, your loyal servant."
In a proud and happy voice, Pierre answered the unexpected question. The teen turned to look directly at him. Long and Golden Brown hair, green eyes, tanned skin, and an average height, it was exactly as how the teen recalled Pierre.
'Pierre, the auxiliary butler of our Reylheart family. To think I would see his face once more. He truly stayed loyal even at the very end.'
Seeing Pierre with a worried and sorrowful expression, the teen decided to reassure him that he would be fine.
"Don't worry, I will be just fine."
"Yes, and I will stay by your side until you recover, young master."
Just as Pierre finished his words, the servants entered the room pushing a kart with a pot of hot water and several cups. Pierre walked over to the kart and began making a tea using the herbs the doctor had provided him. After a few minutes, the tea was settled and served in a cup.
"Please drink this, young master. It will help you recover."
Pierre walked back to the side of the bed, carrying a cup of tea. He handed over the cup of tea to the teen, who slowly accepted it. Watching as the teen picked up the cup of tea and drank it, he started to feel relived.
'Ugh, disgusting. Is this really medicine?'
Suppressing the doubt of its effectiveness, the teen drank all the tea in the cup and handed the cup back to Pierre.
"Good, young master. It shouldn't take long before you feel better."
Pierre proceeded to place the cup back on the kart, and picked up a bell. He placed the bell on the beside shelf of the bed and instructed the teen to ring it if he ever needs help.
"Young master, I wish not to disturb you anymore. I will be waiting outside, if you need any help, please ring the bell."
Despite feeling worried, he knew that what the young master need the most was rest, so he decided to wait outside the room. Before leaving the room, he bowed at his master.
Seeing Pierre leave the room, the teen finally had time to reflect on his current situation.
'I've really gone back to the past. Is this the work of the Gods? Or that of the repulsive Demon God? No, it shouldn't be the case. The Gods have no such power, and the Demon God was weaker than they were.'
Puzzled by his current state, he thought of many possible answers to his situation, but none of them made much sense, except for one.
'Could it be the fault of those bizarre noises? It's the only logical answer. They carried overwhelming strength, capable of making me want to die.'
He wasn't a magical or theology expert, as such he still doubted that his logic was right.
'There is no point in trying to find a reasonable answer with my current knowledge. I guess I'll go with the flow. I never imagined I'd have the opportunity to relive my life.'
At this remark, Leo chuckled to himself before going into silence. Gathering all his resolve, he hardened his expression and declared to himself.
'I will take this opportunity and save everyone. I won't stand still! I will save the world better than the hero did.'
With his vow set in motion, Leo took his first step to saving the world and rewriting his own story. He took the difficult step of sleep profoundly.
.
.
.
In a void so dark that light dared not shine, a place forgotten even by the Gods themselves. A repulsive voice, laced with sinister laughter, echoed through the abyss. With a malicious shade, the voice was carved into the very foundations of the world.
"This time…it shall be entraining."