Back To The Place Where He Belonged

It was the question that turned the awkward moment into an uncomfortable silence.

Did she like Karyan in his previous life? It was something hard to answer for a five-year-old who probably wouldn't even know what love and admiration were.

Barbara adored Karyan's snake ability, and the fact that he was different from the others made her like him even more.

Back then, Karyan had long dark green hair, but his golden eyes were the main reason for his beauty; every time she looked at him, it felt like she was greeted by the morning sun.

But she couldn't tell anyone about her crush on him, as he was twice her age and her father's biggest enemy.

When she was a child, Barbara saw how jealous and obsessed with Karyan her father was, smashing things on the ground, burning them, then using Barbara as his beating pillow.

She had endured so much just because of Karyan, but even then, she still couldn't stop admiring him.

And when the curse was announced, a threat to humanity but with no valid proof, Barbara felt lightened; she was going to give birth to someone she looked up to. 

But with that came fear and dark whispers of her father.

She was afraid of pain but would never allow anyone to talk badly about him, even if it was her own brother or father.

"No," she finally replied after a long pause.

"No?"

Barbara shook her head, understanding that if she would allow Karyan to know the truth, he might lose all the respect he had for her.

"I don't like him," and with that, she stood up and gracefully walked out of the room, leaving Karyan alone with his thoughts.

"Women…why do they always make everything so complicated? This was one of the reasons why I never got married in my first life. They only complicate your life…"

Letting out a long sigh, Karyan stood up, "she was such a beautiful woman, and I ruined her…" feeling how guilt was building up inside, Karyan bit his lower lip.

"I should've chosen a different woman. I thought she would immediately flee, but why didn't she? Why did she make me be reborn in this household when she knew well how Mateo hated me?"

The blame was making his chest feel like it was being pressed against heavy rocks, "I ruined her life, and I should act quickly."

After a couple of hours, Karyan looked around to make sure no one was watching him.

 Since Karlin fled with their maid, it was easier for Karyan to leave the mansion unnoticed.

He glanced one more time, placed his hat on his head, put the three golden coins Sera stole from Maiko into his pocket, and slithered smoothly next to the walls, moving like a snake.

His body was bending and curving gracefully, touching the bricks and the cold stones as his eyes were navigating the exit.

After a while, he was finally out of the mansion, seeing the huge and massive fence made of bricks and covered with high, thick bushes, he smirked, "heh, what shitty security."

He then turned to the city and walked slowly. Thankfully, he didn't have any fancy-looking clothes to appear like a noble because nobody loved them enough to care about their looks.

Through the loud market, Karyan strolled past lively stalls and age-worn buildings; his path was guided by his old memories of the place.

Scanning the narrow alleys, he effortlessly made his way to the outskirts of the town, where the dense forest stood untouched.

Amongst the shadows of ancient trees, concealed by nature's embrace, was his secret laboratory…

It was like a haven to him for dangerous and risky experiments veiled in the solitude of the woods.

"There…" Karyan let out a long sigh, as if he was seeing an old friend.

"I knew it…even the stupid Mateo couldn't find it," Karyan mocked with his words.

He moved the bushes to the side, as he tried to enter through the main door, "shit!" He remembered and squatted down immediately when a sharp silver blade came from the side and separated the bushes into two.

"I almost forgot about the traps I've set up here," he wiped the sweat off his forehead and slowly opened the door.

He closed his eyes and whispered, "Anksu Nario, The master is at home…" and like a spell, the dust lifted from the ground, and the bright light shone from above.

The security was taken down.

This was his special spell, placed on the house to protect it. In his previous life, Lanta was kind enough to share her spells with him to protect what was sacred to her.

"Good…good…" a quick smile appeared on his lips, "she denies it, but still trusts me."

Knowing that he still had the magic in him, Karyan felt a sense of hope and excitement, "I'll take them all down soon."

He looked around; it was a dimly lit, musty chamber.

The air was heavy with the scent of aged wood and the faint, sweet tang of serpent venom.

The room was cluttered with a chaotic array of glass jars, each containing a different variety of snake venom, their different colors illuminated by the soft glow of the little sunlight coming through the ceiling, thanks to that hole he forgot to fix.

The old, worn-out cabinets on the walls were full of things that had been there for a very long time—vials covered in cobwebs, old scrolls that were falling apart, and forgotten things from long ago.

There was a lot of dust everywhere, and it only got moved around when Karyan was working.

Sparkling magic dust covered the stone floor in a thin, ghostly layer, making a faint twinkling light and shadow show. 

Some old books and ancient spell books were dropped on the ground, with their pages filled with secrets and probably some forbidden knowledge.

"I'm home…"