Free Web NovelChapter 2: Rian leth Orlok
Rian’s eyes opened and he shot up.
"Haaaah.... Haah..."
He gasped for breath and looked down at his stomach.
The hole was gone.
He frantically traced his hands over it.
"Wh-where am I?"
He scanned his surroundings.
The mountain of rotten corpses and the charred wasteland had vanished and been replaced by a dark quiet room.
All the curtains were drawn, letting only thin lines of light through.
It took him a moment.
’...this is my room.’
The time he was here was decades ago.
"Did I really return to... past?"
Looking around, it kind of seemed like he actually did. But he had to be sure, he had to know it wasn’t just his dying brain playing one last prank.
Slap!
He gave himself a tight slap across the cheek.
"...Ow."
Not a dream, then.
He pulled the sheet off his lower body.
"Wow."
He was naked.
"...Right."
He used to sleep like this.
The first thing he did was grab the black gown hanging nearby and pull it on. Then he crossed to the window and slid the curtains open.
Warm light flooded the room the instant the glass was clear.
He pushed the window open, and the wind brushed his face, it was carrying the scent of plums.
He couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen a sky this clear.
"Haaah..."
He took a chestful of air.
"I’m actually back...."
But to him, it felt like he had woken up from a long dream. Rian recalled those terrifying screams of all of his men dying one after other, and how he had to turn each of them into an undead. And nevertheless... Jeanne’s instructions to him.
...come find me, and tell me not to listen to the Empire.
"I have to change the future."
That being said.
"...what year is it?"
That’s the real question.
Jeanne had never said how far back the Serpent of Time would send him.
"Tch, would it kill you to at least tell me that much."
’Ah... right it did kill her.... My bad’
But seriously, she died right after giving him half of her Holy Mark.
"Wait... Holy Mark?"
Rian hurriedly looked at his left arm.
"...!"
Just like earlier, the holy mark was carved on his arm like a spiral serpent.
It looked faint without its radiant aura, but Rian could see it was still on his arm.
"How could I still have it?"
He thought that after he would return to the past, the Holy Mark would vanish.
Holy Marks were considered the most sacred thing in the Holy Empire. They were a gift granted to a single person each century, chosen by the will of a god.
The Mark blessed its bearer with strength beyond human limits, in body and in mind alike.
They could wield healing magic of the highest order, regenerating ripped off limbs. They could call holy light to their hands as a weapon, or pour it into a blade and turn common steel sacred.
Against the demons and the undead, the holy light burned all the brighter, for the Mark was, above all else, the heavens’ answer to the Abyss.
But looking at it now, in his own hand, who’s a dark mage...
...gulp.
"...haha... it’s not like, a dark mage like me could use holy power..."
"...right?"
A sweat trailed down his cheeks and he stared at his left arm.
Rian raised both his hands.
He had no idea how to use the thing, Holy magic wasn’t exactly taught in the Dark Empire.
But... he did remember something.
Back during the war, he’d seen Jeanne’s people do some kind of ritual before battle.
They used to kneel, and mutter multiple prayers to their god.
’...Something like that, maybe?’
With nothing else to go on, Rian lowered himself to the floor.
He sat up straight, pressed his palms together, and closed his eyes.
"...O great and merciful god of the heavens."
The words felt disgusting in his mouth.
"Grant this humble servant your holy light, or whatever."
He waited.
"...."
Nothing happened.
He cracked one eye open and peeked at his arm.
The Holy Mark didn’t even glow.
"...Tch."
Maybe he hadn’t meant it enough?
Rian shut his eyes again, clasped his hands tighter, and bowed his head like he’d seen them do.
"Please Holy light! Come out! Now!"
Peek
Still nothing.
"..."
Rian stood up and brushed off his knees.
"What a waste of time."
And even if it had worked, there was no way in hell he was doing that every time.
He rubbed his chin and wondered what the activation condition would be. Because to his knowledge he knew that Holy Mark holds world shattering power.
To know how to activate the Mark, he needs to do some experiments using his left hand.
If he could understand how this mechanism works then he would be able to use Holy Magic just like Jeanne.
It would help him in the upcoming battles with the Demon Lords.
"Huh, has he still not woken up?"
Suddenly a feminine voice came from outside the door.
Rian’s ears perked at the familiar voice, and several memories overwhelmed him like a flood.
"Lilly."
The face of the person the voice belonged to surfaced in his mind.
The fact that he had returned to the past means that the people who he loved were still alive.
This included his twin sister, Lilly.
Rian didn’t think for a second.
His body moved on its own.
The door is in three strides, he raised his hand, reaching for the handle.
For that moment, he forgot everything. The war, the Demon Lords, Jeanne, Holy Magic... everything.
For now he just wanted to see her face again.
The voice was right outside now, it was getting closer.
"I swear, if he makes me late for the ball today, I’ll drag him there myself—!"
Creak!
Rian pulled the door open with a click.
A young lady stood right in front of him, startled mid-step.
Long black hair, and deep blue eyes.
A face almost like his own, but softer, more brighter, and prettier, he’d never admit it out loud, but it was all true.
"Whoa." Lilly pressed a hand to her chest and let out a breath. "You scared me Rian. Since when are you up before noon—hm?"
The last time he had seen this face, it hadn’t looked like this.
The last time, it had been on their sixteenth birthday. A horde of demons had torn through the ceremony hall that night without warning, and when everything stopped several hundreds of them had lost their lives.
Which includes Lilly.
That day he’d told himself the ball was pointless. That he had better things to do than smile and shake hands with nobles he didn’t like, so he skipped his own birthday.
By the time he reached the hall, it was over. He found her lying on the bloodied floor.
He had held her body that night, the same way he’d held Jeanne’s.
"...Rian?" She waved a hand in front of his blank face.
"Hellooo? You’re doing the creepy stare again,The maids already think you summon demons in here, don’t make it worse."
She said it like a joke, but Rian noticed it was filled with concern.
He hurriedly eased all his emotions.
"Lilly, what brings you here?"
He made himself sound as natural as he could muster.
"...It’s almost noon, you know. You were still dead asleep, so I came to drag you out of bed myself."
"Ah." Rian rubbed the back of his neck.
"I just got up, I’ll be down in a minute."
"Hmmm." She narrowed her eyes. "And I suppose you’ve forgotten what day it is too?"
Honestly? He had.
And he genuinely wanted to know what day it is today.
So he scratched his head and asked.
"Uh... no? What day is it again? I was busy all night, must’ve slept through it."
Lilly’s eyes twitched.
"...Are you for real?"
"What?"
"What what? It’s my birthday! Your birthday! How messed up is that empty skull of yours, that you’d forget something like that?"
Yeah... that was pretty messed up.
"Oh, right."
Rian clapped his hands together and gave her a nod.
"Happy birthday, Lilly—ow!"
She stomped on his foot.
"What was that for?!"
"Stop wasting time and get ready." She turned on her heel. "We have to leave for the ceremony. The carriages already arrived, and mother had dresses prepared for us, so do not lock yourself in here doing one of your creepy little experiments, I don’t want to hear any excuse."
She shot him a glare over her shoulder.
"Fine, fine. I’ll be there."
"Like I said, I don’t want to hear a single exc—huh?"
She stopped.
"...What?"
Rian just smiled at her.
"I said I’ll be on time."
"...."
Behind Lilly, the two maids who’d come with her went still. Then they leaned in toward each other and started whispering furiously, as if the young master had just spoken a holy decree from the heavens themselves.
"Did he just...?"
"He smiled?"
"Should we tell the lady?"
Lilly blinked.
"O-oh." She squinted at him suspiciously. "You’re... not joking, right? You’re actually going to—"
"I said I’ll come."
Her eyes widened, and something bright and unmistakably happy flickered across her face.
She immediately killed it.
"Cough.... Right. Mia, Ruby, my work here is done, let’s go." She spun around and marched off alongside her maids.
She made it a few steps down the hall before she stopped.
"Rian."
"Hm?"
"...Happy birthday, to you too."
And she ran off.
"Sigh..."
Rian looked at her back before turning around and closing the door.
Thump!
His back hit the door as he slowly slid down to the floor.
Ruffling his messy hair, he felt, for the first time, glad that he had returned.
But along those lines, he thought of Jeanne too.
She’d said she had already regressed twice. That meant she had watched everyone she cherished die in every single one of her lives.
Just like Rian, she must have had people she cared for deeply. People she’d tried to save, and failed.
"How cruel..."
At this point, he couldn’t help but pity her.
. . .
"You took your sweet time."
Lilly folded her arms as she saw Rian in his new outfit.
A sapphire-blue coat lined with black and red flowers which were stitched near the shoulders, a leather belt at his side, a black cape, and a silver sword at his hip.
He looked like a proper noble, a perfect picture of the heir to House Orlok.
And she didn’t look any less.
Lilly stood there like a confident, cheerful young lady, in a flowing deep-blue gown, sapphire jewels at her neck and ears.
Several carriages waited ahead of them.
"The maids had a hard time fitting this dress. Anyways... here"
Rian coughed, opened the carriage door, and held out a palm toward her.
"Huh?" Lilly tilted her head between his hand and face. "Rian, seriously, what’s with you today?"
"sigh... Aren’t we getting late."
A vein popped on Rian’s forehead, but before he could pull his hand back, Lilly grabbed onto it.
"Thank you, brother. Keep this attitude up, and you might actually have a few ladies on your arm tonight."
"...."
Oh, right... Rian had forgotten how much of a tease she used to be.
He climbed in after her and sat across from her.
The carriage began to move.
Once they’d passed the gates of the Orlok estate, Rian spoke again, this time choosing his words carefully.
"Can’t believe it’s our birthday again. Feels like it was just yesterday."
Lilly narrowed her eyes.
"You didn’t even show up to our fifteenth. Like hell it’d feel like yesterday for you."
Rian’s heart sank.
He’d already guessed it, but now he knew for certain.
’So today really is our sixteenth birthday.’
The day the horde of Demons attacks.
And the day he lost Lilly.
But this time, he wouldn’t let it happen.
This time, he would change the future.
Rian’s fist tightened around the hilt of his blade.
He had slain all seven Demon Lords. Their king included.
A mere horde of monsters was nothing compared to what he’d faced.
Just picturing Lilly in a bloodied state made his blood boil.
’I’ll rip them to shreds.’
