Creak.
The door at the end of the hallway opened with a faint creaking sound. Inside was a dark room with six figures seated behind name tags.
With a bow, I greeted, "Good day, I'm Adrian Arandel."
I knew it was a bit awkward greeting people who probably knew me my whole life, but at this point, that was the best I could do to sell my whole "no memory" act.
After I finished greeting them, no one said a word. Just complete silence. After a long moment, as if they had finally decided who would speak first, the man at the end of the table opposite me spoke. "Nice to meet you too, son. I heard you lost your memories."
'So that's Adrian's father.' The Duke of the East and head of the villains, Joshua Arandel.
He was someone Uriel had given me a lot of information about, his likes, dislikes, and everything a good son like Adrian would know. I didn't need it now, but it was still good to know.
Joshua, who sat across from me, continued, "Adrian, do you know why I called you here?"
'To execute me?' I shook my head. "No, I have no idea."
Joshua nodded. "Your mother, the elders, and I have been discussing what we should do next regarding your situation. Your mother wanted to lock you inside, cutting off your interaction with the outside world to keep you safe. However, the elders and I disagreed."
"I don't think there's a problem with that," I immediately replied, not giving him a second to state his or the elders' decision.
Joshua and the remaining people seated looked at me with wide eyes. Then a faint sound of sobbing echoed through the room, not from one, but from several of them.
"Even without your memories, you still put your mother above your happiness. I'm so proud," Joshua said, clearing his throat before continuing. "You don't have to worry; we've convinced your mother."
'No, I don't have any problem being locked up.' That in itself was the perfect excuse to avoid working for the goddess.
Joshua leaned forward, his demeanor turning serious. "Adrian, we are going to perform a ritual on you."
"A ritual?"
Was it something to check if I was truly Adrian or not? Would they kill me if they found out otherwise?
I was too young to die, especially in this life, where I could live a thousand years.
The silhouette of a woman sitting closest to me answered my earlier question. "The ritual will be to bring back your memories."
The woman's voice lingered in the dim room for a moment; no one spoke. I could almost hear the sound of my own heartbeat echoing against the walls.
Joshua folded his arms, his eyes narrowing with the calm of someone used to command. "We've discussed it thoroughly," he said at last. "Your mother was against it at first, but in the end, even she agreed. This ritual, it's our best chance to restore what's been lost."
I forced a hesitant smile. "Yeah, but Father, isn't this dangerous?"
Joshua's eyes softened at the word "Father." It seemed, just like my mother, he too feared losing his only child.
"Yeah, it might be," he admitted. "That's why I'll stay with you throughout the process."
'I doubt that will make much difference.'
Hopefully, nothing dramatic or life-threatening happens to me, since I doubted regeneration worked on spiritual things too.
Joshua turned slightly, signaling an attendant. "We've already called for the one who will perform it."
"Actually, you know the girl in question. It's unfortunate you can't remember her."
'A girl I once knew?' My mind immediately began cycling through the list of potential disasters that could fit that description.
I hadn't even gotten over my tragic engagement annulment, and now I was apparently being reunited with some mysterious girl from my past.
Joshua continued, "Her name is Seraphina. She has a rare Order, one I nearly forgot existed. An ability that allows her to communicate directly with the world and gather memories tied to a person's DNA. Though," he paused, "it's a one-time Order."
'A one-time Order?' Was there even such a thing? I couldn't exactly think of her as an awakened being since after one use her Order would become useless, leaving her mundane again, perhaps retaining only an enhanced physique and lifespan.
Joshua exhaled softly, his tone almost thoughtful. "It's a good thing I remembered she had such an ability. Without her, we wouldn't even be able to attempt this."
'Why is he saying it twice?' I worried internally. 'How close are we talking here? A childhood friend? Ex? One-night memory-loss stand? Or maybe a one-sided crush?'
Before I could overthink further, the heavy door at the far end of the room swung open.
Creak.
A figure stepped in.
She walked with a confident sway, a faint click echoing with each step of her boots. A candy stick, no, a sweet, rolled lazily between her lips as she scanned the room.
Her hair shimmered under the dim lights, her eyes the kind of bright that looked like trouble. She wore only a white bra and tied a long scarf around her waist to cover her rear, leaving her stomach bare.
"Good evening, Duke Joshua, Elders," she said smoothly, bowing with casual grace. Then her gaze landed on me, and a slow smile tugged at her lips. "And hello~ Adrian. Long time no see."
'Uriel, who is this, and why is she dressed so… ahem… provocatively?'
[She's a friend of Adrian's. She liked you when you were young. But when it came time to choose your fiancée, your family chose Veronica, the one you just broke up with.]
'Oh~ I don't think I'd have had a problem with her being my fiancée.'
[I thought you hated relationships.]
'That doesn't mean I don't appreciate beauty or recognize when a lady is hot.'
[Sigh Men.]
I offered a small bow. "Yeah, hello."
Her smile widened as she licked the sweet deliberately. "I heard you lost your memories and broke your engagement with Veronica." She moved closer and looped her arm through mine. "Does that mean you'll be free once I'm done?"
Joshua cleared his throat loudly, cutting through the tension. "Enough games, Seraphina. You two can reminisce later. For now, we'll begin the ritual."
"Yes, Duke," she said, turning back to him with a respectful nod, though I caught the faint smirk lingering when she turned away.
The Duke rose from his seat, and the woman who had spoken earlier followed behind him as the two of them, along with two attendants, led us through a door behind the obsidian table.
Once we left the main chamber and stepped into a narrow corridor hidden behind the council wall, the temperature dropped and the air thickened with the faint scent of incense and dust.
Torches flickered along the path, their blue flames casting ghostly reflections on the stone.
When we reached the bottom, I froze.
An underground chamber stretched before me. It looked like a mix between ancient architecture and a modern interrogation room.
The stone floor beneath my feet was engraved with glowing sigils that pulsed rhythmically. Narrow channels of water ran through the ground, reflecting the ceiling's hanging lanterns.
Along the walls hung old scrolls and bamboo screens.
If I didn't know better, I'd say we just walked into a hidden assassin temple straight out of a wuxia story.
'So this is what nobles use their underground space for,' I thought. 'Feels ominous.'
The girl, Seraphina, walked ahead of me, her steps light. "Wow, my in-laws are really strange people, huh?" she said without looking back.
I didn't want to answer at first, but ignoring her would just be rude, plus she looked crazy enough to kill me or leave me spiritually disfigured if I ignored her.
"Yeah, it really is a strange chamber," I muttered.
She smiled. "Yeah, but my chamber is stranger. Want to come see it?"
I glanced at her, then looked away. "I don't think it's that strange, so I'll pass."
Seraphina didn't say another word, as if content just to have spoken.
Within a few minutes, we reached a large room with a thick glass window showing another chamber beyond it. By the side of the window was a door, which most likely led inside the room being observed.
The two attendants pointed toward the door, then opened it. As usual, they didn't speak, as if they couldn't.
Both Seraphina and I entered the room. The moment I stepped in, my eyes scanned the surroundings. The window was here too, but unlike before, I couldn't see anything through it. I couldn't hear anything either, not even the faint sound of water running outside.
"This is where we'll perform the ritual," Seraphina muttered, also surveying the room. "Make sure you take care of me after I become Order-less."
I sat down, folding my legs beneath me. "I'll be in your care, then."
She laughed softly. "Not even giving a girl a promise when she's sacrificing her worth for you?"
She knelt before me, her hand rising until her palm rested lightly on my forehead. Then she leaned in and kissed my cheek.
"Was that necessary?"
She shook her head. "No, but it helped me compose myself."
The air between us shimmered faintly, purple light coating her hands.
"Relax," she whispered. "Just let the energy flow through you."
I tried to, but the moment her hand glowed faint silver, pain exploded behind my eyes.
Light. Heat. Pressure.
It felt like someone had cracked open my skull and poured in molten glass.
Memories, faces, laughter, shadows, and embarrassing moments flooded in all at once. I gasped, clenching my fists, but she didn't stop. Her hand trembled as if something within me was pushing back.
I could feel her emotions too, the way sweat dripped down her body seconds after contact, the tremor in her hand as she drifted toward a dark abyss. I could sense the emotions tied to one name and feel the purity of her soul, so unlike her appearance.
Then, suddenly, she flinched. "No—wait—"
The moment those words left her lips, the pain inside my head intensified, and I began seeing memories that weren't mine. They were connected to me, but I looked too old in them for them to belong to the old Adrian.
Future visions? Or memories of my future self? I didn't know, but the more they poured in, the more furious I became.
I became a work slave. The goddess made me continue this work for a thousand generations, and I never stopped. Worse, I started enjoying it.
Seraphina tried to pull her hand away, but I grabbed her wrist. "Continue." My voice was sharper than I intended, but I didn't care.
Some fear the end of the world or losing their friends. But what I hate most is being a 9-to-5 slave. And the goddess had made me one for thousands of years.
Seraphina's eyes snapped open, wide and terrified. "If I keep going, my mind might wander to places it shouldn't. If that happens, you might meet the being who took your memories, and I might die in the process."
'I can't stop here.' The goddess was the one who had Adrian's memories. Even if she wasn't, I'd find and kill whoever did, and then face her.
My grip on Seraphina's hand tightened. "Please continue. I'll repay the favor."
Her gaze softened slightly. "You're either brave or stupid."
She hesitated for only a heartbeat before pressing her palm to my forehead again. The light surged, blindingly bright, flooding every corner of my mind.
And then I saw it.
A beautiful land filled with peace and prosperity, untouched by evil for years.
Everywhere, they spoke of a man, me, the only villain in the world since he had wiped out all evil and all dungeons. Humans lived in peace, and he fought every hunter each day without rest to keep the balance.
Soon the scenery changed, thousands of years passed, and now he was the only villain across ten thousand worlds.
Working endlessly.
Fighting, balancing, pretending to be evil while protecting the good. For years. Centuries. Maybe millennia.
A slave.
Bound not by iron, but by eternity itself.
My heart pounded, my breath caught.
'That can't be true, can it?'
"No," I whispered. "Never in my life."
The girl's hand trembled violently now, her lips parting as if to speak, but before she could, I let the light to swallow me.
I was going to quit. It was either that or I'd kill the goddess, or die by her hands.
I could never be a slave.
The light burned through my eyes, my mind, my soul, until there was nothing left but white.
Silence.
And then—
Nothing.