Chapter 5: Wait where going there?!.
"Hitoshi, look at you!, How many times do I have to tell you?."
" You're useless. Absolutely useless!"
" You can't even do the simplest of tasks without tripping over your own feet. Your nothing but a disgrace of a son!!."
"B-But, Father, I tried!, I really did!. I cleaned the house like you told me, and—"
"And what?, Made more of a mess?. Don't even start with your excuses, how many of my possessions will you destroy before your finally satisfied, huh Hitoshi?!!!." He father called out his name, his reddened eyes staring daggers at his own son.
" Every time I turn around, you're either breaking something or making a fool of yourself."
"I-I didn't mean to break anything!, I was just trying to fix the fence—" Hitoshi tried pleading yet his father cut him off.
"Fix it?, You couldn't fix a damn thing if your life depended on it. Do you know how much time I waste cleaning up after your mistakes?. Do you even think about that?, Or is that too much for you to handle as well?"
"No....I wanted to help, I swear!"
"Help?, You little piece of shit!. You think stumbling around, half-heartedly doing what you're told, counts as help?, You're more of a hindrance than anything else!"
"No!, That's not true!" Hitoshi's voice cracked, sounding desperate. "I… I can do better!, Just tell me what to do, and I'll do it right this time, I promise!" He added, nearly on the brink of tears.
" Enough with your worthless Promises!!" His father's voice boomed, Your promises mean nothing to me, Hitoshi. I've heard them all before. 'I'll do better,' 'I'll try harder,' 'I won't mess up again.' And yet, here we are. Same story, different day."
Hitoshi's hands tremble as tears well in his eyes. "I-I'm not useless… I'm not!. If you'd just—if you'd just gave me a chance, I could prove it to you!"
" Listen!, I'm all out of chances, I've given you plenty. More than you deserve. But you squander every single one of them. Face it, Hitoshi. You're useless, if I didn't know any better, I'd think someone as useless as you wasn't even my son whether in this life or the next!!."
" Youu..." Hitoshi felt as if he was choking on his words yet he still persisted. "I-I'll get stronger… I'll prove it to you!, I'll make you proud, Father!. Just… just tell me how, please!"
"Make me proud?, Don't make me laugh. You think whining and begging for approval is the way to do that?, You want my approval?!!!, don't even think about it you useless piece of shit!."
" I will!, I'll show you! I'll show you I'm not useless! Just… don't give up on me, please…"
His father's face only cringed with disgust as he stared at him. "I gave up on you a long time ago, Hitoshi. Now get out of my sight. I can't stand to look at you." He said without any hint of mercy whatsoever.
Hitoshi felt his heart shatter into even more pieces the moment he heard this, staring after his father as he walks away, his small fists clenching, the tears streaming down his cheeks. "I'll show you… I swear I will…"
The rhythmic clatter of the carriage wheels on the cobblestone path came to an abrupt halt, pulling Hitoshi from his anxious thoughts, from the looks of it, he was having a daydream or in his case, a day nightmare.
But instead of feeling aggrieved, His wide, sapphire eyes blinked in disbelief as he took in the towering dark metal gate before them. Its iron bars gleamed faintly under the overcast sky, standing three meters tall and intertwined with thick, menacing thorns.
Before the gate, thorny roses could be seen covering the stone walls that spread forth from the left and right, their thorny vines twisting like the skeletal fingers of some ancient beast.
' Just what kind of place is this? '. Hitoshi gulped, his heartbeat quickening.
He shivered when he heard the rattling sound of clanking bones which drew his attention, he popped his head outside the carriage window only to see two skeleton knights stationed just behind the gate. Their Silver armor, similar to the coachman's, creaked as they moved in eerie fashion, each pushing one half of the gate open, causing the grinding of metal to echoe through the oppressive silence.
With the gates now open, The coachman pulled on the skeleton horses rains. Both horses neighed before moving ahead, and just like that, The carriage drove forward once again, passing through the now-open gate and into the eerie looking estate. Hitoshi's breath hitched as the landscape unfurled before him.
Dead trees stretched far and wide, their withered branches stretching toward the seemingly cloudy, gray, dismal sky. their bark blackened and cracked like ancient scars. The lawns, though oddly green, were plain and lifeless, bordered by thorny shrubs that seemed ready to ensnare anyone who strayed too close.
And then there was the manor itself which he saw in the distance.
It looked like a hulking structure which loomed in the distance, its weathered stone walls bathed in perpetual gloom. Jagged spires pierced the sky, and dark windows stared blankly like empty eye sockets, while some simply creaked in the wind, causing any weak minded person who heard it to shiver in fear, Hitoshi not being an exception.
Hitoshi shuddered, inwardly questioning.
' What kind of nightmare mansion is this?, Is this where I'm going to live from now on?.' he thought.
Unconsciously, a sudden, desperate thought crossed his mind.
' M-maybe I c-can esc-cape... someh-how...' he stuttered inwardly, his back feeling drenched in a chilling cold.
But as he nervously turned to glance at the lady seated across from him, those fleeting hopes were dashed. Her crimson eyes met his with a playful glint, and her lips curled into a faint, knowing smile as if trying to dissuade those fleeting thoughts in his mind.
Hitoshi flinched, feeling as though she'd read his mind.
' Nope, definitely not escaping...' he felt like crying yet no tears came out.
Not long after, The carriage trundled past the front of the manor, much to his confusion. Instead of stopping at the grand entrance, it continued around the side, eventually pulling to a halt behind the imposing structure.
The lady in the maid outfit rose gracefully, her voice cool and commanding. "Follow me."
" U-uhh..ok" Hitoshi hesitated but quickly scrambled to obey, not wanting to test her patience. He climbed down from the carriage, turning briefly to see the armored coachman silently urging the skeletal horses forward. He didn't know whether it was an illusion or not but as he watched the carriage grow father, he felt as if the vehicle had disappeared into the shadows without a word.
' T-that...'. Seeing this, A chill ran down Hitoshi's spine.
"Come along now...best to hurry and prepare for your first day on the job" the lady suddenly called out to him, snapping him out of his daze.
" O-Ok.." Hitoshi stuttered and followed after her.
They approached a plain, inconspicuous door at the back of the manor. The thick wooden slab was reinforced with iron, its surface weathered and scratched. With a single push, the lady opened it, revealing a dimly lit passageway that sloped downward.
The air grew colder as they descended, the creak of the door slamming shut behind them making Hitoshi flinch. Shadows flickered along the narrow stone walls, and a damp, earthy scent clung to the air.
Hitoshi's heart pounded wildly, but he dared not stop following the lady.
The darkness seemed to thicken around them as they delved deeper into the passageway, the faint glow of enchanted lanterns barely cutting through the gloom. The only sounds were their footsteps echoing against the stone floor and Hitoshi's ragged breathing.
'Where is she taking me?.'he wondered nervously.
Finally, they emerged into a narrow corridor lined with a few wooden doors. Each door bore a number etched into its surface, some single while other's in double digits, the carvings rough and weathered.
After walking a bit, The lady stopped in front of a door marked with the number "2."
"Go inside," she commanded.
Hitoshi's legs trembled as he approached the door, his fingers shaking uncontrollably as he pushed it open. The hinges groaned in protest, an eerie sound echoing out causing a shiver to run down his spine as he peered into the pitch-black room beyond.
It was like an abyss of darkness, devoid of any discernible features.
"I-It's dark," Hitoshi stammered, his voice barely above a whisper.
' So easily shaken..., is he really going to be a good fit here...' The lady let out a sigh before stepping into the room. With two sharp claps of her hands, the oppressive darkness was banished by the sudden glow of a ghoulish green lantern atop a desk in the corner.
The eerie light cast long, flickering shadows across the compact room. Hitoshi's eyes swept over the sparse furnishings: a wardrobe with chipped paint, a wooden desk covered in dust and cobwebs, and a bed with a thin, stained mattress draped in more webs.
The lantern's unsettling green glow bathed everything in an otherworldly hue.
"This is your room," the lady said curtly. "Your wardrobe is there. Get changed quickly. I will return shortly to assign your tasks for the day."
"...ok" Hitoshi nodded timidly, still reeling from the strange atmosphere of the room.
" Stand firm and straighten your back when talking to someone." The lady said with a bit of irritation in her voice, wondering whether he was partly chicken instead of human. Through the time she'd been with him from the slavemasters tent till now, though at first she found his frightened demeanor a bit amusing, seeing him continuously falling into fear and acting so timidly was slowly beginning to irritate her abit.
Getting scared of the undead was one thing but not even being able to stay in a room alone was far too much.
" I'm sorry.." Hitoshi flinched before straightening his posture.
" Hmph, that's far more better." The lady huffed before continuing.
" Don't forget, from now on you are now a servant of the prestigious Aoi family," she added, her voice cold and authoritative. "The household of Countess Hana Aoi."
Hitoshi's nodded in understanding yet he couldn't help thinking inwardly.
' Countess?, Prestigious?.' He had no idea what a countess was due to him being from the east in his past life yet he did had an inking of what prestigious meant yet no matter how he looked at it, None of this looked prestigious to him!.
Instead it looked more like the set of a horror movie!.
Luckily the lady couldn't hear his thoughts, otherwise she would've strangled him right this second.
With that, The lady gestured toward the desk. "That book contains all the rules and regulations of an Aoi family servant. Be sure to read it carefully."
Hitoshi's eyes landed on the dusty tome resting atop the desk. The thick, leather-bound book seemed ancient, its cover cracked and worn.
Not waiting for his reply, the lady turned to leave, her black skirt swishing as she moved.
"W-Wait!" Hitoshi suddenly blurted out impulsively.
The lady paused, glancing back at him with a raised brow.
"I-I'm sorry for speaking out of place," he stammered, remembering her earlier warning before bowing his head. "But... um....what's your name?"
The lady who was about to punish him for halting her movements, felt her irritation disperse. A smug smile curved her lips. " You may call me Eri..." she said smoothly.
"Eri.....Eri-Onee-san?" Hitoshi asked hesitantly, his face turning crimson as he realized how familiar that sounded.
For a brief moment, Eri's cold demeanor wavered. For the first time in awhile, Her cheeks flushed a faint pink, though she tried her best to maintain a composed expression.
But that didn't fool someone in particular, A system notification popped up before Hitoshi's eyes:
«[+50 Affinity Points]»
His throat felt dry in disbelief as additional notifications followed:
«[Congratulations! You have reached Level 1!»
«[5 unallocated stat points acquired]»
«[5 skill points acquired]»
It seemed that that final batch of Affinity Points was all Hitoshi needed to level up, and with it came his expected benefits like stat points and skill points.
' Huh?, Why did I get so many points all of a sudden?.' Hitoshi wondered, utterly baffled.
' Is it because I called her Onee-san? '
Eri on the other hand, cleared her throat, her expression reverting to its usual aloofness despite the lingering redness in her cheeks. "Do not forget your duties." she said stiffly. "Keep in mind that I will return shortly, so it's best you get changed as soon as possible, an Aoi family servant can't be seen in such diminishing clothing."
Without another word, she turned and left the room, the door clicking shut behind her.
Hitoshi stood there in stunned silence, his mind racing.
'Eri Onee-san... was she actually happy I called her that?'. Hitoshi thought but when the image of how his wicked father would always scold or beat him whenever he addressed him with such closeness,He shook his head vigorously. 'No...., there's no way.' he came to a conclusion.
Still, the strange warmth in his chest persisted as he glanced around the dimly lit room. He sighed deeply, realizing that whatever lay ahead, there was no turning back now.
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[AN: Please drop a review to support the author and some power stones would really help. I really hope everyone's enjoying the story so far, and please keep in mind that this is all fiction ok.]