"LADY NYSTROM, are you ready to offer a prayer for the Black Serpent?" Lilly asked her with a smile. "According to the legends, out of all the Ancient Beasts, Black Serpent was particularly fond of people who wished prosperity for their family. That's why in the past, a lot of married men and women with children devoted themselves to the Black Serpent. Since you're a newly married woman who's now pregnant, I think you should ask for the Black Serpent's blessing to protect your family."

"Okay, Miss Lilly," Tilly said with a smile. "I'll pray to the Black Serpent for me and my family. Thank you for telling me."

The priestess just smiled at her.

After that, she ushered her into the altar where Lilly gave her a black candle. She was supposed to hold that while praying to the Black Serpent. When the other priestesses closed her eyes, she did the same.

Since she was already there, might as well pray.

Hi, Mr. Black Serpent.

She didn't know why she called the Black Serpent "Mr." even though she didn't know its gender. But whatever. She would just apologize later if she was wrong.

I know that you're supposed to be a guardian of His Majesty, she continued in her head. But you know what? The master you're serving is a bad guy! You can read my mind if you want proof. As a god, you're not supposed to support evil people.

She knew that it was useless to rant to a god who wouldn't hear her out anyway. Still, "scolding" the Black Serpent felt right for some reason.

Hey, Mr. Black Serpent, she continued. This time, she decided to talk to the god "kindly." Why don't you switch sides? We will treat you well. Plus, if you help us, I promise that we will be kind to other people for the rest of our lives. Sounds good? Sounds good, right?

Of course, only silence answered her.

And then suddenly, her stomach growled. It wasn't loud enough for others to hear. But she felt very hungry.

Mr. Black Serpent, are you still there? she asked as if the god had been there from the beginning. If you can't take our side, then just grant me my simple wish. I am so craving for samgyeopsal. I want grilled pork belly dipped in ssamjang or melted cheese. And kimchi for side dish, of course. Along with japchae, braised potatoes, and fish cake. Gosh, I miss Korean food so much. Is it available in this world?

If only Tilly could open a Korean barbecue restaurant in the empire…

***

"MY LORD, why are you staring at your reflection for?"

Kiho, still shocked by the fact that he suddenly resembled His Majesty, turned to the owner of the familiar voice. Then, he got shocked even more.

Tilly?

The woman looked exactly like Tilly, except for the hair color. The woman standing in front of him had beautiful jet-black hair. But her eyes were purple, just like his wife's.

What kind of dream is this?

"My lord?" the lady who looked like Tilly called him again. "Is everything alright?"

"Why are you calling me so formally, Tilly?" Kiho asked her. "I'm not your lord– I'm your husband, honey."

The lady smiled bitterly. "Do you hate me that much for you to call me by another woman's name, my lord?"

Kiho's brows furrowed in confusion.

But before he could even ask, the lady in front of him disappeared and the entire scenery had changed suddenly.

The next thing he knew, he was already on top of a pile of bloody corpses. Lying on his lap was the same woman who looked like Tilly. This time, she was dying and her chest was bleeding profusely…

… while a beating heart was in his left hand.

He was shocked.

Did I rip her heart out?

"You can take my heart, my lord," the lady said in a bitter tone. "And you better tell the Moonchesters to make sure I won't come back from the dead because once I do, I'll make sure that I'll burn them alive." Her hand reached out to touch his face. Then, she gently brushed the tear on his cheek with her thumb. "Don't cry, my lord. We both made a choice that we can no longer change."

He couldn't speak. To be honest, he didn't really understand what was going on. He was confused it was just a dream or he was already seeing a fragment of a past that he didn't know about. But he was certain of one thing: he killed this woman with his own hands and it was breaking his heart as well.

Tilly…?

"I hope the next time we meet, you'd be the one to fall in love with me first," the lady said with a smile, tears now brimming in the corner of her eyes. "Please choose me if that happens."

Then her arm dropped to her side...

… And when she closed her eyes, he knew they would never open again.

Kiho's chest tightened. He had never felt that kind of pain before. It felt like it was his heart that was ripped out and crushed by the woman he just killed.

Just the thought of Tilly dying by his hands was enough to make him lose his sanity.

And did the lady who looked like his wife just said that the Moonchesters were the ones behind that tragedy?

The Moonchesters… Kiho said while enveloping the heart in his hand inside a cube made out of his ice. He didn't know why but he felt like he needed to protect that heart. And he didn't want it to get crushed as anger built up in his chest. Why is it always the Moonchesters who are getting in my way?

***

"WELCOME BACK," Aku greeted the White Snake that suddenly appeared around his arm. Because of that, he was forced to stop signing the papers on his table. It was a welcomed distraction though. "Did you meet Kiho?"

The White Snake just… hissed.

Unfortunately, unlike Kiho, he didn't have the ability to talk to snakes. But he was sure that the White Snake wouldn't return to his side without accomplishing the task he gave.

"I don't intend to awaken Kiho yet," he whispered. "But I want him to slowly regain the painful memories of his past life. That's the only way I can weaken his relationship with Lady Nystrom."

The White Snake made some "snake noise" that of course, he didn't understand again.

"Yes, I'm scared of Kiho's love for Lady Nystrom," Aku said even though he wasn't sure if it had something to do with what the White Snake said. "I let him marry Lady Nystrom because I thought that he was still the same little boy who would follow me without questions. That he wouldn't abandon me for a woman. I guess I overestimated the bond we have. But don't worry." He smiled bitterly while gently caressing the head of the White Snake. "I will do everything to bring Kiho back to our side."

***

SENTINEL'S eyes widened in shock when he saw Kiho kneeling on the ground.

The duke's eyes were empty and he was obviously in a daze. Worse, a thin layer of ice had already covered the whole chamber. If he wasn't a spirit, he would have been frozen to death as soon as he stepped foot in the room.

What the hell is happening to him?

He was glad that he checked on him.

The truth was he felt the aura of a fellow spirit guardian and when he followed its trace, he was led to Lady Nystrom's chamber.

And that was how he found Duke Nystrom in that state.

Could it be the White Snake?

Every Ancient God had a spirit guardian. But as far as he knew, the White Snake had disappeared a long time ago. Where did it come from?

Wait, that's not important right now!

Sentinel knelt in front of the duke, then he put a hand on his cold shoulder. "Duke Nystrom, wake up!"

Duke Nystrom opened his eyes. At first, he looked at him with a blank face. Then, recognition crossed his eyes. "Sentinel…"

"What happened, Your Grace?"

Instead of answering, tears just suddenly rolled down his face.

Okay, now he was nervous. "Your Grace?"

"I had a bad dream," Duke Nystrom said in a cracked voice. "In that dream, Tilly and I looked different. I had long silver hair while she had jet-black hair."

He felt a shiver down his spine. He saw a fragment of his past?!

Only the White Snake had the Black Serpent's memories!

I don't know where you are, White SnakeI, Sentinel said to himself. But when I find you, I'll strangle you! You're breaking the rules of the spirit guardians!

"In that dream, I killed Tilly," Duke Nystrom said in a broken voice. "Sentinel, why do I have a feeling that it wasn't just a dream?"

"It was just a dream, Your Grace," Sentinel said, then he covered the duke's eyes with his hand. "Please forget everything that you saw in that "dream.""

***

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