He fluttered his eyes open, a smile spreading across his lips as he ignored the pain radiating through his body as he came back to life.
He was finally free! Free after being in hell for five thousand years.
However, the happiness in Marilus' heart disappeared when his eyes met a foggy atmosphere, and an odorous smell hit him like a ball. Disappointment flashed in his eyes as he realized something was wrong.
The Almighty had tricked him!
"F*ck!" Marilus cursed under his breath, realizing the Almighty had lied to him.
Didn't the Almighty tell him He would let him pass through being reborn? Why was he back in a place that even hell looked better than?
Marilus realized his position at that moment. He was lying on the floor in the dark, foggy atmosphere. The clothes he wore were torn, his body battered with bruises, and blood was seeping from a part he couldn't even identify.
And worse, this body wasn't even his!
Even though he had spent more than 5,000 years in hell, Marilus would never forget his body and physique. He was originally big, with abs that girls usually fell for, but this body… he couldn't even find a proper way to describe this fragile form.
It was worse than a stick.
Marilus cried in his heart as he struggled to get up. He let out a loud cry because the pain was too much, and Marilus was even more shocked when he heard the voice.
It was nothing like his.
The Almighty had deceived him.
When Marilus stood up, he took a better look at the body—thin, tall, dirty, and weak. He immediately picked up a mirror that was lying next to him. A weak sigh escaped his lips as he saw the boy's feminine face.
What in the world was going on?
But there was something about him that attracted Marilus. It was the striking red and white hair of the boy.
And that only meant one thing: the boy wasn't human.
He understood the whole situation now. The Almighty had slipped his soul into this guy for reasons Marilus was not sure of. He had already promised The Almighty that he wouldn't go back to his old ways, but that Old Creature didn't believe him.
So He slipped Marilus' soul into a weak body.
Marilus dusted off the dirt visible on his body and picked up the owner's bag and the map that was lying beside it.
He had to get out of here before anything else. Using the map, Marilus finally located the way that led to the outside of the foggy forest.
He was already tired when he got out of the forest, so he took a seat, breathing heavily. This body was the weakest he had ever come across. Just a few steps and he was already tired!
"You, this Old Creature! How could you do this to me?" Marilus cried out in anger, but he knew all his cries were pointless. The Almighty wouldn't even answer him.
His eyes traveled to a signpost not far from where he was sitting. The signpost read: Forbidden Forest, Do Not Enter.
Marilus frowned, his intent gaze on the signpost. There was a red mark on it, and it said, FORBIDDEN FOREST, DO NOT ENTER. Why had the owner of this body decided to go into the forest, even though it was forbidden?
He was about to dwell on his thoughts when he heard someone yelling.
"I found him! The Young Master is here."
Marilus lifted his head towards the direction of the voice and saw three men running toward him. His eyes widened, and the joy of someone finding him spread across his face.
"Young Master! Are you alright?!"
The three men all rushed to Marilus, their eyes filled with worry.
"We have been looking for you since yesterday night. Why didn't you tell anyone you were going somewhere?! Oh my goodness! Look at those bruises!"
"Young Master Wystan, the Eldest Young Master was so worried about you! Let's get you home first to get you treated."
At the mention of 'Young Master Wystan,' Marilus felt a searing headache that sent a shiver down his spine. A wave of memories hit him, making him feel dizzy and unable to move.
As each fragment appeared, connecting more and more, Marilus felt the pain subside. At that moment, his eyes closed completely as he drifted into unconsciousness.
When Marilus woke up again, he was already in a carriage. His mood was dark, as if he had just had a nightmare, and sincerely, the memories of the owner of the body were nothing but a nightmare.
How could a weak creature like him have gone through all this?
The name of the owner of the body was Wystan, the illegitimate son of one of the prestigious families in this small city called Sobblestone, where the powerful and wealthy people were more privileged.
Wystan wasn't only an illegitimate child of his family; he was powerless and couldn't even wield a sword. So he was considered useless in his own family.
This boy had gone through a lot, and sincerely, the boy's memories also invoked some old memories of the Old Marilus.
Finally, after some minutes, the carriage stopped. When Marilus got down, he saw a group of people standing at the entrance of a big mansion, their gazes boring into him as if they wanted their stares to pierce through him. Their eyes seemed to hold little or no surprise seeing the state he was in, covered in dirt and blood.
"How could you run away from home during a special day like yesterday?! Are you insane?! Why are you always intending to disgrace the family with your uselessness?" A middle-aged woman said among the group, her voice dripping with spite.
Marilus looked at the group of people one by one, taking in their faces. His eyes kept darkening as he recognized them.
They were all Wystan's family and his nightmare. The woman who had just spoken was Wystan's stepmother. The other people were her children, cousins, nieces, and nephews—all members of the Eryndor Family.
"Why should I stay at a party where I'm not wanted?" Wystan's voice broke through the tense atmosphere. "Why are you surprised I ran away from a place where I'm clearly not wanted?"
Hearing his voice, the people all looked at each other, sharing bewildered glances. They couldn't believe he had just spoken.
"What…" His stepmother, Marla, trailed off as she stared at the young boy. When she looked into his eyes, she saw something she had not seen before.
The boy who had always looked down whenever he was being reprimanded was glaring at her boldly as if he wasn't afraid of what she would do.
"You didn't want me here, stepmother. So why should I stay and watch you ridicule me in front of your people?" Wystan said again indifferently.
How could they not even care about him when they saw his battered body and bruises all over him?
Marilus felt that even the Almighty couldn't stand this unfairness. But why had He allowed this boy to go through all this? Although he had been told not to cause trouble in his rebirth, Marilus didn't plan on letting them keep treating Wystan like trash.
He was in Wystan's body now, so he wouldn't even tolerate the slightest discomfort.
"Darius! Please prepare my bath. I need to clean up," Wystan uttered again, heading into the mansion.
"If you dare move away from there, I will…"
"Lock me up in the attic?" Wystan cut Marla off, a scoff escaping his lips. "Trust me, Stepmother, you dare not."
Without waiting for a response, Wystan walked into the mansion.