Darkness...
Everything was dark.As if the entire world had been swallowed by the emptiness of infinity.
In this world, contrary to what one might think… I don't find it unpleasant.
No… in fact… I think I belong here.
My first memory is of darkness.
My parents were… homeless.I was raised in an alley, eating whatever scraps we could find and drinking water from a nearby river.We lived in a makeshift shelter made of scrap metal and cardboard.They abandoned me a few years later.
Before the church took me in, I survived an entire month alone.
I remember that during those days, my only refuge was a dark box, where, surrounded by complete darkness, I somehow felt… safe.
So being here… feels like going back home.
"That's not true."
Huh?I heard a voice inside my head.
A familiar voice… yet I couldn't quite place it.
"You had your light."
My light?…My light…
An image came to mind.
A blonde girl with green eyes.
Ahhh… that's right.
My light…
"And you let your light… extinguish."
No…
"It was your fault."
No… No, it wasn't my fault.
"BECAUSE YOU ARE WEAK!"
NO!
A memory struck me—that disgusting, vile face.
"YES, IT'S YOUR FAULT."
A figure emerged from the darkness.
A massive shape… with glowing red eyes.
"MY. LITTLE. MONSTER."
…
"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
"Mr. Ivan!?"
[LITTLE NOAH!]
What… What's going on?
I turned around and saw Sis… with Carly?
"Where… where am I?"
"You… you're in my house, sir Ivan. I found you bleeding in your bathroom, so I brought you here with my assistant's help… and hers," said Carly.
"Hers?"
I followed Carly's gaze and saw Michelle staring at me with a strange expression.
"How… how long was I unconscious?"
"It's currently… 8 p.m.," said Carly.
"What!?"
I was out for twelve hours!?
"How…"
[It's because there was too much strain on your body.]'It's because of [chain].'[That's right.]
I'll need to be more careful from now on. Even after resting, my body feels like it's collapsing.Like shattered glass barely held together.
But I don't have time for this…
I tried to get out of bed but nearly collapsed to the floor.
"Sir Ivan!" Carly rushed to me and held me up.
"Damn it…"
"Please don't push yourself, sir Ivan," Carly pleaded.
"I still have things to do," I replied.
"That won't work, young man."
I turned toward the door.A man in a white coat stood there.Tall, with long brown hair and violet eyes.
"I honestly thought you wouldn't be able to get up for a few days," he said.
"Who are you?" I asked.
"Ah—sir Ivan, this is Dr. Kurata, the top physician at Almenio's Central Hospital. I called him when I brought you here," Carly explained.
Almenio's Central Hospital?Isn't that the place where only the rich can go?
I've heard even the president gets treated there.
"How…?" I asked.
"Well, when I received a call from Mr. Thorson's daughter, I couldn't ignore it," said Kurata with a smile.
He walked up to me and handed me a bottle of pills.
"Take these for a few days, and you'll be fine. Just don't overexert yourself. Oh… and here," he added, giving me a card.
"This is?"
"My personal contact card. You can call me whenever you need medical attention. Also, there's a chip in the card—congratulations, you're now a VIP at our hospital."
"Why?" I asked.
"Well, the lady here already paid for a lifetime's worth of medical insurance. Honestly, I feel like I'm robbing her," Kurata said, chuckling.
"No, no, Mr. Kurata, I didn't do much," Carly replied with a nervous smile.
"Well, I must be off. Bye-bye~" said Kurata as he left the room.
Once he was gone, I turned to Carly.
"Why are you doing this? What do you want?"
"Huh?"
"You must want something. What is it?" I asked.
Carly trembled slightly before kneeling in front of me.
"Mr. Ivan, your red eyes… at first I thought they were just contact lenses… but they're real, aren't they?"
I touched my eyes…Damn it… my contacts must have fallen off.
"So what if they are?"
"Are you a… demon… or something like that?" Carly asked hesitantly.
"And if I am?"
Carly swallowed hard, locking eyes with me.
"In that case… I want to become your servant… no—your apostle."
"An apostle of the devil!"