Who are you?

Chamrose Mountain

Gorgon, the butler was trimming the flowers in front of the mansion when he heard a scream from inside.

He rushed in only to witness his master on the kitchen floor, his right arm was holding his left shoulder. From his expression, he seemed to be in a lot of pain.

Gorgon saw his master rise from his fall and sit on a dining chair. Next, he carefully rested his left arm on the dining table.

"M-Master?" Gorgon approached his master who was now poking his left arm.

"What happened? Are you okay?" Gorgon asked. He leaned forward to see his master's left arm and noticed the red bruises on its three joints. Without realizing, he too poked it.

Well, he was just curious!

Van Raven smirked when Gorgon did the same thing as he did, making the butler blushed in embarrassment.

"Master, did you just break your own hand?" Gorgon asked as he winced at his own words.

The man who he talked to however ignored him. Instead, he lifted his left arm with his other hand. Then, he let go. Again and again.

Looking satisfied, he mumbled, "Good,"

Gorgon gawked at his master's actions especially when he noticed the enjoyment in his eyes. He wondered which part of his actions was the reason for his entertainment.

Was it really fun to break his own arm? Why?

Gorgon felt that as his master's age increased in number, so did his weird antics.

Despite that, Gorgon wasn't worried for his master to be in pain, because a mere broken arm would be a joke to the damage his master would implicate on his body when his demon was awakened.

Knowing this, Gorgon ruffled his messy grey-white hair in confusion.

He looked at his master who bit one of his fingers until blood flew out of it. However, instead of falling to the floor, the crimson liquid floated to the air, spiraling around his master in the form of runes.

Seeing the runes, Gorgon's eyes grew bigger as he came to a realization. He retreated in panic while looking around, trying to locate the closest escape route.

Regardless of his effort, a child-like voice froze him to his spot.

His head slowly turned towards the direction of the voice only to see his master's child-form, one of the forms he assumed when he wanted to venture the world outside this mountain...

"No, no, no! Master, we must not!" He protested in panic. However, the moment he saw the adorable child's playful wink, he knew he had lost.

Van Raven jumped from the stool he was sitting on and approached his butler. His tall figure was now reduced to a half. His handsome face was an adorable view.

"We are not going far, just the hospital. I heard that doctors are like magicians, they could heal injuries in a matter of second," he said enthusiastically while looking at Gorgon with his sparkling, big black eyes.

Seeing his master behaving in such a way plus his adorable voice, Gorgon was utterly defeated. He could only stop his hands from pinching his master's puffy cheek.

'Is that why you broke your arm?' Gorgon thought while eyeing the little boy in front of him. His master probably wasn't aware that his child-form was too cute to the point that he really wanted to scoop him off the ground and toss him into the air.

Oh, if only he had a son!

Gorgon coughed, trying to get rid of the thought in his mind.

After calming down, he turned to his master who was walking towards the exit of the mansion. "Master, it's almost noon. I'm afraid that your child-form couldn't handle the curse of the sun. How about coming out with your mask instead?" he asked while trying to keep up with his pace.

As a Noblebloed, apart from the curse of a soulmate, his master couldn't last long under the sun. It would consume his bloodline's power, making him vulnerable to death.

However, since his master was an ancient, his power was abundant. This granted him a lot of time wandering under the sun.

Therefore, when he transformed into a child, its small build caused his power to reduce to a half. Hence, the amount of time he could stay under the sun was limited.

The little boy glanced at Gorgon with a cunning smile on his face.

"Don't worry. We will not take long. I just want to see the hospital. Oh, and there's one advantage to be in this form," the little boy giggled.

Gorgon tilted his head to his right. "Advantage?" he asked.

"Yes, like how you easily agreed to my request," the little boy replied with an earnest look that soon transformed into a mischievous gaze.

"M-Master?!" Gorgon's jaw slackened. He knew what he meant!

The little boy tittered at his reaction and ran away.

Gorgon screamed while chasing after his master. "Master, please don't create trouble this time!" he pleaded.

"I'll try!" the little boy responded, followed by a burst of playful laughter. At the same time, his body disappeared and soon reappeared at a far distance, startling his butler who was still processing his answer.

"M-master! Wait!!" Gorgon realized that he was now alone and immediately chased after his master. The master who loved to create trouble wherever he goes!

***

X Hospital, Chamrose city

Anna was sitting on a bench in the hospital's garden while looking at the bunny shape cloud in the sky.

This would be her first morning in this world and somehow she loved it. The surrounding area was serene, calming her mind which was in chaos since the night before. All because of the complexity of Anna's life!

Sighing, Anna directed her gaze towards Avery who was on a phone call with her parents. Occasionally her eyes would drift to her, checking if she was doing alright.

Anna would smile in return and look away. She realized that the world she was in was really different from the ones she had been to before.

This world was majestic with buildings taller than the trees. It was fascinating...

Anna rose from her seat and walked towards the small garden of roses behind the bench she sat earlier.

She strolled along a narrow pavement with colorful roses on its left and right. Halfway through, her eyes were glued on a spot.

Looking around, she noticed that she was the only one on the pathway, so she crouched down and stared at one of the roses.

It was something she had never seen before. A distinctive full cupped rose with voluminous petals, that ombré beautifully from a soft peach to warm apricot.

She leaned closer to take a sniff and was taken aback at its light scent with a hint of tea. Roses mostly had a powerful scent but this one was definitely not among the common ones.

"What type of rose is this?" Anna mumbled in excitement. Roses were her favorite flower so to see one of rarity, she couldn't help but get excited.

She wanted to sniff it again but her body froze at the sudden chill she felt on her neck. At the same time, she began hearing voices.

'Gorgon, we're not here to look for flowers!'

'But master, this rose is called Juliet and one of the most expensive rose in the world,'

'I want to see the doctor!'

'Master, your healing power is much powerful than this world's doctors,'

'You! Hmm, is that flower really that precious?'

'Yes master, just give me some time. I just need to take a seed,'

'That'll take too much time. Just dig the roots!'

'But-'

Anna who was listening to the conversations instinctively circled her arms around the single rare rose. Her eyes scanned the empty surrounding.

"Who's there?" she asked. She knew she wasn't hallucinating for her sudden interruption paused the conversations between the voices. Anna waited for a response but received only silence.

"I know there are two of you. I don't care who you are but if you dare to take even a leaf of this flower, I'll make sure to chop your hands!" she declared. Her eyes were sending threats to the empty space at her right side where the voices came from.

Her instinct warned her about the possible danger she was in for acting recklessly, but knowing that someone was about to take away the beauty she just discovered, she was unwilling to retreat.

Suddenly, a gush of wind came out of nowhere. Anna who was squatting pulled her dress to cover her exposed leg. Simultaneously, the corner of her eyes caught the sudden appearance of two pairs of feet on the ground not far from her. Her eyes grew bigger when she realized that other body parts started to grow from the feet. Soon, she saw a middle-aged man standing side by side with a little kid. An adorable little boy to be exact!

"You're going to chop the hands of a kid?" the child pouted as he outstretched both his small hands. One of his arms moved awkwardly.

"M-master..." the middle-aged man whispered worriedly to the little boy's ear while peeking at the bewildered young lady.

"Why was she able to hear us just now?" the middle-aged man asked. "Do you think she is one of them?" he asked again.

The child shook his head. A small smile popped on his round face.

"She isn't. I don't smell my bloodline in her," his smile widened. He took a few steps forward, tilted his head to the left and right, charming the young lady with his adorable acts.

"Sis, do you like the flower?" he asked and eyed the Juliet rose among the bed of roses.

Anna nodded, seemingly beguile.

The little boy sneered when he saw her reactions. "Sis, I know you love this flower, but it is now mine," he smiled. He was expecting her to once again nod her head. But that didn't happen. Instead, the young lady furrowed her brows while taking a deep breath.

Out of nowhere, she spoke in a surprised tone, "Beguilement? Why are there so many of you?"

Hearing this, the middle-aged man was alarmed. He shifted his body in front of the little boy with his arms spread apart.

'Master...' he called, eyeing the young lady with calculative eyes. He couldn't believe that she was able to free herself from his master's charm!

"Tch, Gorgon! You warn me not to create a ruckus but here you are worrying over a small matter like this," the little boy sighed. He pushed the middle-aged man to the side.

His eyes stared at Anna. "She must have been lucky! Now, we can just erase her memories," he said as he flicked his fingers in front of her, saying, "You shall remember no more," upon saying that, a grin emerged on his face.

But when he retracted his hand, the young lady caught his hand and pulled him closer.

"Don't bother! That'll not work on me. More importantly, this isn't your true form. Who are you?" she muttered close to his right ear. The child was clearly shocked but not at the fact that Anna was able to see through his disguise or the apparent knowledge she had on the spell he used, but the spark her touch made him feel... He looked at her and saw her dark amber eyes stared back...

"...and who are you for granting the colors of the world to me?" he whispered back in a mature voice unfit for a little boy like him.