VIOLET BLOSSOMS ORPHANAGE

YEAR   : 2342

TIMELINE: Zero (original)

Vanitas slowly opened his eyes and found himself sitting in the corner of a wooden room.

The space was about 150 square feet, containing a single bed with a light-colored blanket and a pillow.

A small wooden shelf on the wall held two neatly folded sets of clothes.

Beside the bed, a modest table accommodated a small metal lamp and a well-worn book.

(Big Bro, where are we?)

Vanitas heard Nero's lively voice in his head as he stood and approached the mirror.

"This is Violet Blossoms Orphanage, located in a forest next to Darkte Kingdom. When I was 10 years old in this timeline, the orphanage people found me in the forest."

"I didn't remember anything about myself or what had happened, so they named me and took care of me until I turned 17 and a half," he explained, and looked at his reflection.

(Bro! Who is that? Did we reincarnate into someone else's body?)

Nero exclaimed upon seeing a young boy with an average look, black hair, and crimson eyes in the mirror.

"No, it's me. I think someone used an illusion skill to change my appearance before I was found."

"If I look like this, it means we've succeeded in returning to the original timeline," Vanitas replied, touching his reflection.

(Do we have to live with this average look forever?)

Nero asked, his voice trembling.

"No, it will fade when I awaken my bloodline," Vanitas chuckled and sat on the bed.

Nero sighed in relief and asked,

(Have you regained your past memories, brother?)

"No, I still can't remember anything from my childhood in this timeline."

The infinity tattoo on the back of his neck slowly began to fade, stopping when it was barely visible.

(What are you going to do now, brother?)

"First, I have to check whether she is present in this timeline."

(Then what are you waiting for? Go and check, brother!)

"I want to, but what if she isn't here? What will I do then?" he stuttered, his hands trembling with anxiety.

He longed to see her and live with her, but the fear of her absence haunted him. What purpose would his life serve if she wasn't here?

Despite living for 250 years as Vanitas, he was still an 18-year-old Rowan, unable to move on from his past.

He had spent his entire life waiting for her, and the thought of her not being there terrified him.

(Don't worry, bro. I believe she will be there for you. So, let's go!)

"Yeah," he said, bracing his heart. He steadily made his way to where she would be at this moment.

When he got near the kitchen, he heard the sound of someone chopping vegetables, and his heart started to beat as if it was going to burst out of his chest.

Creak

The door opened with a creaking sound. He gulped and slowly moved forward without making any noise.

Then he saw her—a beautiful young lady with silver hair and yellow eyes, cutting vegetables with the focus of a veteran soldier.

"Ha, it really is her," he chuckled, wiping away the tears streaming down his face.

"Daisy, ah!" He tried to call her, but his legs lost strength, and the whole world seemed to spin.

"What's happening to me?" He shook his head to clear his mind, but it didn't help.

[That's why you should listen to what I'm saying, you bastard. Do you think dying 19 times continuously wouldn't cause any mental strain, you idiot!]

Axel shouted in his head, still angry about being ignored earlier.

His legs gave way, causing him to stumble into the nearby shelf.

"Hmm?" Daisy looked up after hearing the rattling sound and saw Vaan collapsed on the floor.

"Huh, Rowan. What are you doing here, and why are you lying there?" She ran towards him and shook him like a ragdoll.

"Huh, why aren't you waking up? What should I do? No one is at the orphanage right now other than us," she panicked, trying to figure out what to do in this situation.

She touched his forehead to check if he was sick. She sighed in relief, confirming that aside from being unconscious, there wasn't anything to worry about.

"But you can't be sleeping here, though. I guess I have to carry you to your bed," she said, picking him up in a princess carry and heading to his room.

Her heart started to race, and her earlobes slightly turned red. She carried him carefully, like a mother carrying her child.

That's when the barely visible infinity tattoo on his neck shifted to her wrist and then completely vanished.

"Hm?" She sensed something had happened to her, but she couldn't figure out why she felt that way.

She let it go, thinking she might have imagined it. She opened the door to his room and gently put him on the bed.

Seeing him sleep like a child made her feel good.

When he was brought to the orphanage, he was like a newborn with a 10-year-old body.

He didn't know who he was or what had happened to him; he always locked himself in a room and never talked to others.

She was the one who gave him the name Rowan after learning that he didn't even remember his name.

"Aw, how cute!" She poked his cheeks with a slight blush on her face.

She traced her fingers from his eyes to his nose and then slowly to his lips. Her heart started to beat wildly, and her face turned beet red.

She looked around to see if anyone else was there. She bent down and brought her face near his, feeling his hot breath on her skin.

"Mm," Vaan mumbled in his sleep, causing her to freak out.

"I thought he woke up," she said, touching her heart and breathing heavily.

"I think I should go," she muttered before quickly running out of the room.

[What the heck is happening here?]

Now, in the silent room, only the sound of the dumbfounded devil's voice echoed.