Betrayal!

I saw Gideon frown at my sight. "OY Lilium! Get to work," he said.

Picking up the pickaxe, I went back into the cave!

How long has it been since I started working here? I think it was one year, maybe a little more, I don't really remember. Anyway, there's no Callander here.

It is already spring, so my 9th birthday is pretty close. I am wondering what Lucy is preparing for me! I got her the biggest grilled steak I found for her last birthday.

Man, I am so excited I get to see her again this afternoon. It has been a week since we saw each other!

I went through the tunnel to mine some resources, it was a rough day like always, but it's getting better day by day, I think my body is getting used to the hard work, compared to the elders here, well I can't say the same, digging in this dark and cold cave every day sure is tiring, but for some reason, it isn't that hard for me.

Maybe it is because I am still a kid and my body is still growing while the elders' bodies are decaying.

Whatever, I rested my back on the wall putting the pickaxe away. I tried to catch the mana particles in the air. They were so gorgeous! There were green, blue, orange, and red mana particles floating in the air wherever I went!

For some reason! I have been innately able to see mana particles since I was born! People told me that it was related to my eyes' color. My left eye had a crimson-glory color, while the right one was blue-azured colored. With white moon-colored hair! I was quite a handsome guy, hehe...

I don't have a specified birthday date. My parents told me that they found me by chance when they were getting back to their village after settling some affairs in the city. I was in the middle of Lilium's flowers! Thus, they named me according to that! Well, I was quite surprised, but nevertheless, I didn't care! I had my human parents with me anyway! My real lineage didn't matter, or that's what I believed!

Until the day that I found that I was being prepared to be offered as a sacrifice to the demons' ritual! The maiden at our house told me that secretly, so I fled from my house! I ran as far as possible! I'd been running for more than a day straight until I couldn't run anymore! My legs gave in and I fainted from exhaustion. I opened my eyes and found myself in a pit. It was a small cave!

I was scared that I was something's prey! I couldn't move anyway, my legs hurt, and I couldn't feel my feet yet, they were both swollen and dripping blood! So I had nothing to do but crawl if I wanted to leave this place! I wasn't sure if it was an enemy or a friend, and whoever brought me to this place, I couldn't tell their intention!

Trying to make sense of what happened earlier, I felt something in my heart, something new that I couldn't tell, I felt overwhelmed with all kinds of emotions flowing inside me, is it anger, sadness, emptiness, resentment, sorrow, or what exactly is that? I felt my integral world getting ripped apart. It felt like someone was squeezing my heart!

It hurts in the chest, shivering in my hands and my body, constant irritation, frustration, and tears bursting out any minute. I couldn't control any of this. There is anger, rage, sadness, and pain.

I felt worthless and yet, somewhere I still love them and hate myself for loving them.

I don't want them because I can never trust them again, but it hurts like hell!

I screamed and cried out loud for hours until I couldn't shed any more tears! My vision was so blurry, and I was just lying there on the ground crying for hours! I felt miserable.

How can someone do that to others? Was everything a lie? Didn't they truly love me? Was it fake love? I don't know anymore.

After some time I got a grip on myself! I scanned my surroundings and saw some white fur on the ground. There were some bones thrown around the place! I thought I was in a mana beast dwelling!

I felt nothing, which was strange. Usually, I'd feel awe and frightened since I was about to die, but I felt none! Is it because of the previous emotions I had? Maybe I just want to die? Do people feel like this when they die? Ugh, my head... I can't even sleep. Can I even recover from this? It's sickening!

Time passed by. I stared at the roof for days, or that is what it felt like! I can't tell how much time has passed since it is partially dark in this cave!

I tried to remember what exactly happened before I fled. I was hiding in my parents' closet when I saw a demonic creature covered in fully-white robes! His face was black, and I couldn't tell his features. But one thing was for sure! His eyes were crimson-bloody red! He had that killing intent in his eyes, the eyes of someone who had killed dozens of people! He had curved horns facing the sky. And another pair under his jaw, a total of four horns!

I had never seen that demon in my entire life! I saw some demons working here with me digging for resources, but none like him. He had that king-like aura around him! He was a high-level demon for sure!

Now, when I recall how in denial I was when I heard that I was going to be an oblation, I thought that there was no way they could have done that! I know them! They would never have pulled that crap! Besides, why me of all people?

I wasn't convinced enough until I heard it with my ears and saw it with my own eyes! My beloved parents! Scheming with that demon about how they would hand me over to the ritual in the most swiftest way! I needed to be happy for the ritual to be successful! They were plotting to run a tournament of martial arts and make me win it so I could be in my happy state!

The ring itself would be on the altar! That demon said he was going to take care of everything after I won the tournament. Looking at him back then he sure could murder me in the flinch of an eye! They were muttering about how their farmlands were going to be blessed by that sacrifice, and that the years of meager harvests were coming to an end!

I saw how delighted they were talking about all of that, completely forgetting about me and what I meant to them. For them, the land is much more important than me, their SON!

It means they feel little or nothing about me! They dismissed my emotions as irrelevant! They made me feel simultaneously worthless and without value! Or maybe I had some value since they thought I was their salvation!

The years they took care of me for free weren't out of kindness but in their interest only!

I had been told by the maiden that I was a jinx to the people here since I arrived! Not many people in the village know my story though! A lot of them think that I am just the son of Clara and David, though I don't share a single gene of theirs!

The maiden told me that disasters had been happening since my arrival, almost like I was the one causing every catastrophe that appeared! From the land drought to the meager harvest to the debts of the village increasing! It all happened after my arrival! Though the villagers didn't know that, my family and the maiden knew something felt strange! Since they were the ones who brought me here in the first place!

My two big brothers used to call me the cursed freak, attributing me to every dilemma that happened! But I didn't give a damn. Divine punishment they say, huh?

I don't know the other details of what was happening back then. But the maiden couldn't stand a child being sacrificed without him even knowing, so she wanted me to know that at least! Though she also wanted me to end their dilemmas by sacrificing myself, she tried to convince me that only by offering myself for the sake of people's goodness, I can achieve the utmost prideful death!

I just nodded at her back then, and she had a sad smile on her face! Well, she wasn't completely heartless compared to the other family members. Who tried to dump me without even me knowing the reason for my death!

Although I never intended to sacrifice myself for their sake, why should I do that? Who do they think they are to sacrifice people for their sake? Aren't we all humans to begin with? I wouldn't mind dying for someone I love out of my choice, but to force me into doing it? Why? I couldn't understand! It all came back again to greed and interest! Thus I concluded that humans are greedy innat-

Something is approaching!

It cut off my train of thought! It seemed to be a mana beast, and I was prepared to die anyway! After all, what's the point of living like this? Where you don't have someone to love or take care of, a family or home to get back to, someone you can live with, play with, and share stories and feelings with! I'd rather die and end it here before it gets any worse!

I do not want to experience anything like the emotions before anyway.

My eyes are still blurry, I can't see very well, and it's also dark! A white wolf-like silhouette kept approaching slowly, and I couldn't identify what it looked like until it was a meter away from me! My body unintentionally moved on its own, and I raised my hands to cover my head in a defensive state! It seems my heart gave in but my body didn't!

I glanced at the beast in front of me! And it was rather beautiful than scary! Its eyes were emerald green and bloomed in the dark! It felt as if I was looking at the entire universe through them! Thick white snow fur circled its head to its neck, and its sight was astonishing!

"Did I startle you?" The wolf-like beast has spoken!!