Chapter 1

  Adder

  Dying felt like falling. It was an endless kind of fall— darkness and light merged in an incomprehensible battle around him, as he descended into nothingness.

  He had never believed in any gods, or an afterlife, and yet, he had always enjoyed the fantasy of them existing. Hoping that, once he would eventually lose his life, he might end up getting thrown into a world that was much more interesting and kinder to him than this one.

  If there is a god, then it would be nice if I could be reincarnated into a magical world, he thought at the moment of his death.

  He couldn't feel his body at all at first, it probably wasn't there anymore. There was a pull and he moved somewhere, but also he never moved at all. The sensation was hard to expin. Slowly, he began to feel something again. Perhaps his soul had re-entered his body— or had he been reincarnated? It was dark and the sounds around him were muffled. It was like he was underwater but somehow, he didn't feel the need to breathe.

  He tried to move. Crack. Something in front of him broke. As he moved again, more cracking sounds echoed in the water that he was submerged in. After struggling for some time, something broke and he fell forward onto solid ground. Huh? What is this?

  He tried to remember what was going on, but his head was spinning wildly, taking a good while to steady itself. Despite his disorientation, he remembered his name was Adder. He couldn’t remember his st name, but he did remember that he had been in an operation– he most likely had not survived it.

  Could it be that he had been reincarnated? Was this possibly like all of those books and games he had immersed himself in during his stays at the hospital? Reincarnated in another world? Was this another world?

  Adder looked around. He was inside an earthy burrow. The smell of earth and something sour filled the stuffy air in it. Despite the cave having no light source, he could somehow still see pretty well and make out his surroundings. There were many eggs around him, some cracked open and some still intact. The eggs were white and rger than him in size.

  He looked behind him and saw that he had also broken out of one of those eggs. Twisting his neck to try and look at himself, his eyes blinked in shock for a moment as he took in his appearance. Bck hardened scales decorated his long and wiggly body. A snake? He had been reincarnated as a snake? Well maybe it could be worse, he thought.

  Adder saw one of his snake siblings slither out of the nest into a dark tunnel and thought that perhaps he should follow. With nothing better to do, he moved his body with natural ease, slithering through a long path and quickly emerging from the ground into blinding sunlight. He closed his eyes for a moment to let them adjust to the brightness. When he reopened them, he saw a vast world filled with lush vegetation and strange creatures.

  Some of the trees looked familiar but the fruit hanging off of them was something unknown. Some pnts were normal and green and only moved in the gentle breeze, but other pnts moved like they were alive, looking around like they had a mind of their own. This was definitely not the world he was used to.

  Adder gnced around him, spotting some of his siblings slithering away and onto a warm rock in the middle of a clearing. He watched with curiosity. He must look exactly like them, right? Red ominous eyes, bck and dangerous spikes protruding from the back— were they normal snakes or monsters?

  Adder had his answer when he gnced down at the ground in front of the rock and saw…..human skeletons. Woah!!! Had he been reincarnated as some sort of a human-eating snake??? He didn't want to eat humans! He had just recently been a human! Eating them felt immoral in many ways!

  It was fine, it was fine. He could find something else to eat. After all, he did have to eat something. Being a snake wasn't the worst existence surely. At least in this life he didn't feel constantly in pain and could move around freely.

  As an avid reader of reincarnation novels, Adder was actually very happy to get an opportunity such as this. It was something he had often fantasized about, so of course he would have a more opportunistic view of this fate he had been given, and so his carefree attitude was not that strange.

  Adder felt his stomach rumble. Maybe he could find some rodent-like creature to feast on or something. The thought of eating them raw felt disgusting but he was a snake now, so it wasn't like he could cook in this form. He had no hands!

  As he contempted his next meal, a blue system screen popped up before his eyes

  [System online.

  Welcome, new soul into your first reincarnation experience in another world!

  You are now level 1!

  You have been given three starter skills:

  Poison Fang level 1

  Night Vision level 1

  Burrow level 1]

  He read through the text on the screen carefully. So this world was like being inside a game? He could work with that. Wasn't it also a trope that if you leveled up a monster in certain games, it would end up getting a new form and the more you leveled it up, the more human-like it would become? Maybe, if he leveled up his level, he might end up getting a form with hands, or maybe he could gain a skill that would let him turn into a human for a while– or permanently!

  A human form was something he still longed to obtain. It was surely more convenient to be a human in the end. And also, he had eaten bnd food for so long in his previous life and now he was forced to consider eating raw wildlife. His new goal was to be able to cook for himself and for that he needed hands. Well, this goal would have to wait until he first learned to survive as a snake. He had no idea what his future was going to hold, but to have such endless possibilities in front of him felt very liberating. The excitement of starting a new game, a new journey— there wasn't another feeling quite like it.

  The system screen hovered in front of him but he didn't seem to be able to interact with it in any way. He tried to touch the screen with the tip of his long forked tongue but it just passed through it as though there was nothing there. No use fretting too much about it. He still had to find food after all.

  He snaked into the tall grass looking for prey. While moving as quietly as he could, he gained a new skill [Sneak level 1] and his movements quieted down even more. The grass barely rustled beneath him, allowing him to become a very dangerous predator.

  After a while of searching, he finally spotted something that resembled a rabbit. It was pink and fluffy, with rodent-like features and three long ears fpping behind it. It was both cute and a bit freaky. At first, Adder thought it would be a pity to kill something so weak and pitiful but if he didn’t, he might pass out from hunger and die. With no room for hesitation, he instinctually lunged at the creature, his teeth sinking into its tender flesh faster than it could move a muscle. After the venom from his sharp fangs entered its system, it was only a moment before it fell limp and dead in Adder’s mouth.

  Well time to eat, he thought and ended up swallowing his prey whole. That was how snakes ate after all. As his meal fell into his stomach he began to feel slightly sluggish. After eating just one meal he was this tired? Or was it because he had just recently been born and he had spent a while sneaking in the tall grass, eventually tiring himself out? Nevertheless, he was feeling his consciousness fading and so he quickly found a spot that was less out in the open and curled into a pile to have a nap.

  When he woke up, new messages from the system showed up in front of him.

  [Congratutions on leveling up!

  You are now level 2!

  congratutions! Poison Fang has leveled up!

  Poison Fang is now level 2!

  Gathering experience boosts your level, keep working hard!]

  At least the system was encouraging. Adder guessed that killing and eating that rabbit creature had been enough to level him up. It was normal that in the beginning of a game, you would gain levels easily— it would probably get harder the more he leveled up.

  He had slept until the sun had fallen and there was now a bright moon illuminating the sky. He looked up and saw many stars. In his previous life he had lived in a big city, so he wasn’t used to the sight. He stared for a moment in awe. The sky was sparkling with millions of illuminating lights— a gaxy spread out like a painting above him. There was only one moon in this world too. It might have had different-looking craters to earth’s moon but Adder hadn't studied it in his previous life enough to tell the difference.

  The sound of a nearby stream, and the wind making leaves and grass rustle made the night scene calm and rexing. Adder was happy he could enjoy such a scene in this new world. In this life, he would be sure to appreciate the small things more. He followed the sound of the stream and soon found himself near a water creek. There were all kinds of creatures there, drinking their fill in pure spring water and coexisting in peace for this moment of filling their needs.

  Some kind of a deer-like creature, with white glowing horns and many pairs of eyes that descended around its neck, was drinking leisurely. Adder felt his snake instincts fre up, wanting to kill and eat this prey animal. But he didn't do it in the end. He felt like this water stream was somehow sacred and should be a safe zone for every creature of the forest. He went to quench his thirst and felt oddly calm. Perhaps the stream really was magical.

  He spent his time looking and exploring around him, seeing the wonders of this strange world and feeling excitement fill his veins. Then, when he had tired himself out by eating another one of those pink three-eared rabbits, he fell asleep between two rge rocks that leaned against each other, creating a comfortable nest.

  After a few days had passed like this, Adder awoke to a shuffle from a bush. He turned to look and to his surprise, he saw a human man stumbling out of the tall grass. The man was breathing heavily and he was covered in blood. Clearly injured, the man still tried to get up but kept falling down. He hadn't noticed Adder lying in the shadow of a big tree yet. If he had, he surely would have taken the armored bck snake for a monster (which he was). After observing for a moment, Adder noticed that this snake body of his was very big compared to a human's. This cemented the fact that he really had been reincarnated as a monster.

  Adder watched the person for a while. The man’s white clothes and pure white hair were tattered and died a crimson red. Adder wanted to help, but what could he do in this form? He couldn't even speak, only hiss. Perhaps he could wait until the person passed out and then he could pull him to a safer pce. But where was safe? He had just been born, he didn't know what to do. Also, he didn't know who this person was and had no idea of his intentions. Regardless, he couldn’t just do nothing, when a person was bleeding out in front of him.

  He heard some more rustling from the bushes the man had emerged from. Something had been chasing him and now that something had finally caught up. The man didn't seem to be able to walk anymore and crawled forward on the ground in a desperate attempt to escape.

  Out of the bushes leaped a white wolf, or something resembling it. Though it was bigger than the person that it was chasing, it was still smaller compared to Adder’s snake body. Feeling confident that he would win this confrontation, Adder let his instinct take over and he struck towards the wolf in a lightning-fast move. The wolf howled as sharp fangs sunk into its side and it struggled wildly out of the grip. It managed to get out but some of its flesh was ripped in the process, spilling blood all over the ground.

  The wolf was going to die, it had been injected with Adder’s venom but it would take some time for it to take effect in a body as big as its. It was still standing, with no intention of running away. Perhaps it knew it had already lost and was now preparing to go out fighting to the bitter end.

  Adder moved to try and coil around the wolf but it howled and dodged, jumping in the air and lunging a counterattack. It struck Adder with its cws, leaving a nasty gash on his neck. He fell back hissing out in pain, but it wasn’t but a moment after that, when the wolf fell limply to the ground, the venom having finally conquered it.

  Adder sighed in relief and gnced at the person who had been crawling on the ground. The man had lost consciousness at some point and was now lying eerily still. Moving carefully, Adder wrapped around the man with his body and took a closer look. He saw the man breathing, his brow was furrowed and his forehead was covered in sweat.

  The man had been injured and was possibly suffering from a fever. But what could Adder do to help him? Keep him warm? Clean his wounds? How? He was a snake and a big one at that. Maybe he could take him closer to the magical water stream or something and try carefully dunking him in. Or maybe not, he might accidentally drown him.

  As he pondered what he should do next, he side-eyed the system screen that had popped up after defeating the wolf monster.

  [ Congratutions on leveling up!

  You are now level 5!

  Gathering experience boosts your level, keep working hard!]

  Perhaps the wolf had been a more formidable foe than he had originally assessed since his level had gone up so much in just one kill. He should be more careful in the future.

  He had been too filled with adrenaline before to feel any pain, so now he pondered how bad the gash on his neck was. To his surprise, he noticed that after leveling up, the wound had completely healed itself. How convenient!

  In the end, he moved the passed-out man to a more remote pce and set him down on the ground. He couldn’t do much else to help him even if he wanted to. He managed to gather some fruit from nearby trees by spping the tree trunk with his tail. The fruit fell one by one and Adder used his tail to swipe them closer to the injured person.

  He would probably need to hide away and wait until the man woke up. If the man woke to see a huge snake staring down at him, he’d either pass out again, run away in fear, or try to kill Adder.

  Feeling anxious, Adder moved his snake body behind some bushes and id low. He kept watch for any monsters that might try to attack this unsuspecting man but thankfully an hour went by and nothing happened.

  The man began to stir. Adder held his breath and didn’t dare to move. The man looked disoriented and yet he somehow managed to sit up. He held his head and let out a pained groan. Adder saw him remove his jacket, revealing the wound on his side that was hidden under it.

  ”Fuck”, the man cursed quietly. He removed his shirt as well, showing the toned body of someone who had seen many battles underneath. He ripped his already tragic-looking shirt and wrapped it around his torso to dress his wound temporarily. With a pained groan, he draped his jacket over his shoulders before looking around him. He saw the pile of fruit on the ground and stared at it with a puzzled expression.

  ”Did someone save me?” he mumbled but there was no one else in sight. He reached for a fruit, sighed, and bit into it. Adder was surprised how he seemed to have no hesitation over it. The man's face was neutral and did not reveal his thoughts at all. He was quite handsome, with a strong jawline, piercing blue eyes, and furrowed brows that gave him a refined yet intimidating look. It was too bad that at this moment he truly looked very pitiful and weak.

  The man checked over his legs, one of them was sshed by something but the wound had already closed, leaving only a scab and dried blood around the injury. It must've been painful to run and walk with it, Adder thought. Despite not being able to step on his injured leg, the man managed to get up, and he began to limp away towards an unknown destination. Adder was still worried for his safety so he did his best to follow behind him as quietly as possible.

  [Congratutions!

  your skill has leveled up!

  Sneak level 3]

  it really is rather easy to level up in this world, Adder thought.

  After following the man for a good while, they finally reached the end of the forest. Adder stayed in between the trees, careful not to get spotted. Outside the forest was a vast meadow. On a closer look, it seemed like it was an old battlefield. There were rusty broken weapons and pieces of armor here and there. Nature had almost overtaken and hidden them all under a bnket of pure white flowers. Beyond the field were more wooded areas and in the distance, a tall stone castle stood brilliantly on a hill.

  Was that where this human was headed? Adder wasn't sure if he should keep following or not. He was someone who couldn't stand watching someone in front of him struggle and would find ways to help if he could. Now, it was proving to be a more difficult task than he was used to. But having followed the man this far, Adder was already committed and if the man ended up dying after all of his efforts, he’d be very sad.

  Decidedly, he slithered out of the forest and followed the man into the field, but the moment his body was out in the open he felt a chill run through his spine. Perhaps it was a snake's intuition but he felt a strong killing intent targeted towards him. He dodged at the right moment when a heavy spear struck the ground where he had just been a moment ago. Adder yelped inside his head: How scary! I almost got impaled just now!

  A shout rang from nearby ”Your Highness! I finally found you!” The shout had come from a woman dressed in soldier's armor. She had tied her long dark hair in a braid that fpped behind her as she sprinted towards the injured man.

  Your Highness? Was this person royalty? Adder knew he was no longer needed here and slithered away as quickly as he could.

  —

  Alexander

  ”Your Highness, I finally found you!” The female knight ran over to him in a rush. She had missed the beast that had been tailing him but thankfully she had managed to successfully scare it off back into the forest.

  Alexander sighed in relief. He clutched at the wound on his stomach and stumbled closer until Jeanne caught him and pulled him up with steady support.

  Jeanne was one of the personal knights that his father had assigned to him from a very young age. He trusted her with his life and so he let himself be hauled over like a ragdoll without putting up a fight. Alexander never told her where he was going, always running off on his own and returning like he had never left. This time he had been gone for more than a day, she must have been going crazy trying to find him all this time.

  Alexander hoped that his father wouldn't put any bme on her for his current state. After all, he had been the one to sneak away by himself. To think that he had stumbled into a trap and narrowly escaped an assassination attempt. He was feeling rather regretful and annoyed at himself.

  ”Has your highness run out of mana? Can you not heal?” she asked as she brought him to a nearby roadside, where a royal carriage was waiting for them. Alexander breathed in and shuddered out a painful groan as he was helped into it. The door was shut behind Jeanne and they began to quickly move towards the Capitol.

  ”I was ambushed, I ran out of mana trying to shield myself,” Alexander said, leaning against the seat cushion. Fatigue was taking him over but he did his best to stay conscious.

  Jeanne clicked her tongue, ”You shouldn't have gone by yourself! Next time just take me with you at least! What will I do if you end up dying in those woods while I'm not there to protect you! the king will have me beheaded!”

  ”Sorry, Jeanne. I’ll be more careful next time” he said with a bnk expression and shifted his position to a more comfortable one. His indifferent attitude was irritating for anyone to deal with, so it was no surprise that it made Jeanne so angry.

  She pursed her lips in annoyance, ”That's not…whatever. How bad is your wound? Do you need stitches?” she was already rummaging through her bag for medical supplies. It wouldn’t be wise to try to stitch a wound in a moving vehicle but if it was necessary she wouldn’t have much choice.

  Alexander shook his head, ”It’s fine, once we reach the Capitol the healers will take care of it” The Capitol wasn't far away and the royal family’s horses were fast. It would take them around fifteen minutes to reach the city—Alexander could hold on for that long.

  The wheels turned on the paved road. The ride was a bit shaky as always. Jeanne eyed the crown prince, taking in the bloody state of him. She looked less angry and more troubled now. ”What were you even doing in there?” she asked after a brief silence.

  Alexander shrugged his shoulders, ”Practicing”

  She should have known better than to think that she'd receive an honest answer. ”Why alone in a forest filled with dangerous beasts and demons?”

  ”I like the challenge”

  Jeanne looked at him with scrutiny in her eyes. She humphed in disbelief and looked out the carriage window, ”It's no use asking you when you only ever lie to me”

  They had known each other for many years, so she knew her friend better than anyone– or that's what she wanted to believe at least.

  Alexander sighed and gave her a look that meant: I wish you wouldn't ask. But he also knew that she was on his side and only worried for his safety. He let out a long sigh. Lying to her was pointless, she had known him for too long. He could only be thankful that despite knowing he wasn't telling the truth, she didn't say anything to the king about it. She was loyal to a fault, Alexander knew this. But he still couldn't tell her his reason for going into the forest.

  Having regur meetings and sparring matches with a demon prince of all things would surely make her faint in shock. She would also then be involved and would be at a great risk if he were ever to be found out by the royal family. For her safety, he had to keep quiet about it, even if she was trustworthy.

  Only a few moments ter, the carriage arrived at the castle. He was quickly escorted into the medical center and his wounds were healed fairly quickly. After all, the human Capitol was the center of all humanity, and all the best workers, including doctors and magical healers, resided there.

  The Capitol had been established by the first great human king Alberus 1000 years ago and the city had grown and grown until it was massive in size and fortified by thick mana-induced walls. It had a rich history and people who prided themselves in perfecting their crafts, making it a hub of all kinds of talent.

  There were other towns consisting of humans outside the Capitol, but they weren't as well protected so they were often raided by nearby monsters. Especially with the war going on, it was extremely dangerous to live outside of the city.

  One would think that this meant that the city would happily help and accept refugees but most were stopped well before they reached the gates and sent away by the knights. This was because the king had decided that such an influx of refugees would make crime rates rise in the city and would bring more financial issues as well. Money was focused on war efforts so the king didn't want to spare even a cent to low-css farmers from other towns. Alexander gritted his teeth at the thought.

  Now that he had been healed and had received a change of clothes, free from tears and bloodstains, he reluctantly returned to the pace. Jaenne followed behind him, not letting her lingering anger show on her face until she had escorted him far enough and then excused herself to go attend to her other duties.

  Upon entering, Alexander was greeted by the royal butler, gray-haired and old, his posture still good and straight despite his age. He bowed respectfully as he informed Alexander that his sister wished to see him as soon as possible upon his return. Alexander would have rather jumped out the window but he knew he didn't have much choice if he wanted to remain civil with her. He needed to py the role of what was expected of him so he could handle his pns in secret.

  The crown princess Aria was two years older than him. She was beautiful and known throughout the kingdom for her sense of fashion and knowledge of arts. She was proper and elegant, holding tea parties and gambling events for the nobles, inviting only people that she favored, causing a lot of arguments and jealousy in court.

  Alexander didn't know how to handle her. She had been quite the bully when they had been younger, pulling his hair, kicking him, pying mean pranks on him, and trying her hardest to make him cry so that she could make fun of him afterward for it.

  He held a neutral expression when entering Aria’s room. His sister, like himself, had white hair that matched the white clothing that they both wore. White was the royal family’s designated color. It was pure and stainless as a symbol as well as considered holy. Ironic, as Alexander knew that none in the royal family represented any of those characteristics, himself included.

  Aria was sitting near the window by a tea table. With a cup in her hand, she gazed outside with a smile that didn't look too sincere. It was like she was wearing a mask of gentle demeanor as she welcomed her dear little brother to join her for some afternoon tea. He sat down without a word. There was a game of chess on the table, half-pyed and at a standstill. Aria picked up the white king piece and twiddled with it in her hand.

  ”I heard you went pying in the woods again. You shouldn't do that alone, take some knights with you next time. You should stop making your older sister worry like this”, she said while smiling gently. Her voice didn’t reveal anything other than affection.

  ”I understand”, Alexander replied in a neutral tone. His gaze was fixated on the game board in front of him. He wasn't sure why he felt the need to do so but perhaps it was just so he didn't have to look at his sister in the face.

  She chuckled softly as she set the king piece back to where it had been. ”Do you want to py?”

  ”I won't be much of a match,'' he said honestly. He had been taught how to py but he was never able to use his brain in such a tactical way. He was a very straightforward person and the cunning of chess was simply lost on him whenever he tried to py. But Aria wasn't convinced, her smile widening and her eyes turning into crescents, ”Hmmm, I wonder if that’s true” she hummed happily.

  She rearranged the pieces so the game began anew. As they pyed, Alexander began to feel like there was some underlying implication to the game. He couldn't exactly pinpoint the reason as he truly was no genius and could only try his best to defend against his sister’s vicious attacks. Her pystyle was such that she would appear to let her opponent make a few moves first to give them a sense of safety and then she would begin attacking with ruthlessness, overwhelming and confusing her opponent.

  It was the same this time. Alexander was only good at defending so the game took a while but eventually his king was cornered and he lost. He bowed his head, ”As I said, I wasn't much of a match”

  ”Nonsense, I just think you need more confidence,” Aria encouraged him, and began to give advice, ”You had many opportunities to defeat me but you were too busy focusing on defending, that you forgot attacking was even an option. You should look at the whole board, not just the corner of it that you think is the most important. It makes you weak against strong opponents”

  Alexander nodded, ”My sister is as smart as ever, thank you for the lesson”

  ”My, so polite! You are so cute when you’re nervous, though I don't know why you would be. I am simply having tea and pying games with you, yet you look like you want to run away any second. You're hurting my feelings a little”

  Alexander had no idea how she concluded that he was nervous. He had been so sure that he had not let any of his emotion show on his face. Was it his ck of eye contact? He would need to practice that more. ”I apologize” he muttered through his teeth.

  Aria sighed dramatically, ”No fun, you don’t even cry anymore…Alright I'll let you go now. It was fun catching up with you, don't forget to come see me again before you leave on another forest expacade~” she chuckled and rose from the table. Alexander rose alongside her and he bowed to her before promptly turning away and leaving with hurried steps.

  As soon as he was out of the room he let out a sigh. He didn't like being around her. At least she had been in a good mood today.

  He made his way through the pace, passing by the inner garden filled with rare and beautiful flowers from all over the world. He remembered how he had come here to py when he was a child. Jeanne had not been appointed as his knight yet back then and was only a pymate. Her father was a high-ranking general in the human army, and their family was close to the king on a personal level.

  Aside from Jeanne, he had also pyed with his younger cousin, Prince Arthur. Arthur was three years younger than him, he did not have white hair, his mother had given him genes that colored it red instead. Most members of the royal family had white hair, but it wasn't very common among humans. So when there were exceptions to this color, those family members would inevitably face discrimination inside the pce.

  The common people couldn't care less but the royals were taught from an early age pointless things that only made infighting in the castle a daily occurrence. Those with white hair and blue eyes were born the most holy and thus had more of a right to be an heir to the throne. This was why the previous king had given Alexander's father the throne instead of his brother, whose eyes were not blue but dark bck instead.

  And because Arthur’s mother had red hair and his father had bck eyes, Arthur was bck-eyed and red-haired and completely the opposite of what was expected of him. He was the least qualified to be in the pace in the eyes of the royals.

  Alexander didn't care about such things, even as a child. When everyone else would bully Arthur, Alexander would do his best to mediate and protect him. They would py in the garden– him, Arthur, and Jeanne– having fun while it sted and before their joy was crushed by the tainted adults around them.

  Alexander's father, King Henry, did not want Alexander to keep spending time with Arthur, because, in the king's eyes, the red-haired boy was impure and a stain on the royal family's honor. King Henry also did not get along with his older brother, whom he had stolen the throne from just because his eyes were blue. They were very hostile towards each other and numerous assassination attempts had been made inside the pce towards both of them. It was very obvious to everyone who lived in the castle that the two brothers had been trying to kill each other this whole time.

  The numerous attempts towards his life had left Arthur's father bedridden. His wife had eventually turned bitter from all the mistreatment and abuse towards her husband. Now she held disdain in her eyes towards everyone in the royal family aside from her son and sick husband. And because she hated everyone else, she also hated Alexander. Alexander had never been hostile towards her or Arthur but he was white-haired and blue-eyed, the perfect son of the terrible king, and the crown prince. This led to her making sure that Arthur had as little contact with him as possible, and their friendship slowly fell into only childhood memories.

  Alexander thought that it was truly a shame. He had treated Arthur as his little brother back then and now they would only politely nod to each other if they happened to pass each other in the hallway. At least he still had Jeanne with him— the only one keeping his mind sane at this point.

  He returned to his room and watched with a dull expression at the neat and extravagant interior. It felt shallow and unreal. He couldn't wait to get back into the forest again. Though for now, he should act a bit more obedient. He didn't know who was after his life but he should think harder about how to act from now on.

  If he fell here, others would fall with him and he would do anything to make sure that that did not happen.

  _______

  A/N: This is my first time publishing an original story, so I apologize if my writing isn't easy to read. I have ADD and so writing coherently is very hard for me hahhah!