The boy wakes up with a start. He stares at the ceiling of his now-becoming-more-and-more familiar bedroom in Rolfe Primero’s manor. The boy lays unmoving for a moments before he swiftly grabs the spare pillow located to the right side of his head and smothers his face in, suppressing a frustrated yell.

A muffled and extremely long string of obscenities can be faintly heard emanating from the tightly held-down pillow.

“Fuck!” the boy whispers softly after casting aside the pillow. “It happened again…” says the boy to no one but himself.

No, the frustrated boy is not referring to the fact that he cheated on his wife for the second time (with a new girl no less), but in regards to the recurring nightmare/prophetic dream he’s been having this last three days.

Sure, he had been suffering from the dream (in which his wife and children are butchered) way long before he had jump into the portal, but the massive explosion that killed him and wiped out everything in the process is a new addition.

He had tried surviving for as long as possible in order to investigate the cause of the explosion but he keeps getting killed before that could happen.

The boy sighs. Even though he knows the outcome, the boy attempts to use his limited omniscient to find out the nature of thing that is after his life. And same as always, he is taunted by a bunch of Unknown messages.

The boy sighs dejectedly again. His mind wanders to Synnove Ciro and what happened between them last night. Technically, he didn’t cheat on his wife (the boy is pretty sure cheating means putting your sword in another sheath aside from the original scabbard you’re married to-fuck! that analogy really got away from me the boy thinks).

But the things that happened between Synnove and the boy last night, if his wife had witnessed them, she would have grabbed their children and head towards the local church in order to demand for a divorce, but not before beating the boy into the floor until there’s only a bloody pulp left.

The boy reminisces about his wife, trying to remember all the good times they’ve shared and the bad times they’ve endured together. But lately it’s getting harder and harder for him to remember her face. And any time he thinks about her, his thoughts would lead him to the image of Rolfe… and now to Synnove as well.

Synnove… the girl with the long flowing golden hair. Last night he had given in and granted the third year student her desires. Describing the ordeal as an ‘interesting experience’ would have been a severe understatement. The various equipments that Synnove had laid out on the table, the boy had to quickly learn how to use them. And the boy ended up being proficient at wielding Synnove’s so-called favorite toys, more than he cared to admit.

After spending a couple of hours trying to fulfill Synnove’s various urges and needs and succeeding, the boy is tempted to just leave the third year student who is laying on the floor in a crumpled mess of sweat and ecstasy and head straight back to Rolfe’s manor for some much needed rest. He has already done his… errr… duty, satisfying Synnove enough to last her for a week, and the boy knows using his powers that the third year student could see herself back to her room without getting caught by the night guards patrolling the academy.

But something about that didn’t sit right with the boy. Which is why he decided to sweep down, lifted up the third year student (who is larger than him by the way) and carried her to her room, even though every calculative bone in him screamed that the act is unnecessary and his logical reasoning is admonishing him for destroying the illusions of a cruel master that he had just built.

Straining himself to carry Synnove four flights of stairs down the abandoned building and all the way to the place where only the elite among the elite female students are housed in (no mere act considering he only has one good arm while his other arm is in a sling), the boy whispered to the girl with the long flowing golden hair who has her arms wrapped tightly around his neck and her face buried deeply in his chest.

“Synnove, we’re here.”

“…”

“Synnove…”

“I know…”

“…”

“ Master needs to go and save the world, and I’m not allowed to hog him all for myself.”

“…”

“Just… just a few more moments.”

“If you wish for it…”

“Sometimes I wish the world could go burn itself to the ground and just leave Master and me alone.”

“I don’t think a world of ashes is a good place to live in, Synnove…”

“Yes yes I know. I’m a greedy girl. I am not allowed to have my cake and eat it too.”

“I wish for a lot of things but…”

“Wishes are for children, and for birthday cakes, none that will continue to exist in about thirty years if I don’t let go and continue to keep Master from doing his job.”

Synnove finally released her arms and began to stand by herself, the boy could at last see her face which was hidden before, buried in his chest.

Contrary to her smiling and satisfied face, her eyes rolled back with pleasure while laying on the floor of the abandoned classroom not too long ago, the Synnove who was standing in front of him at the moment was currently gloomy and restless.

Fuck! the boy regretfully thought. I really REALLY should have just left her there and go back straight home.

”Goodnight, Master.” the third year student solemnly declared before turning and heading straight to her room.

“Synnove, wait.”

“What is it, Master?”

“Lower your head a bit.”

“Okay…”

The boy stood on tip toes and kissed the third year student’s forehead. Before Synnove could react or even blush, the boy gave her his best attempt of something that resembles a hug (made awkward since his right arm is in a sling).

As the boy continues to hug tightly the third year student with the side of his head to her chest, he whispered to her.

“I’m sorry that the hugs and kisses came ten years too late for you. I just wanted to let you know that I’m here now… and you are not alone. And even though your parents have a funny way of showing it, even though you can’t feel it from them, even though you think you are unloved by them, your parents really do care for you.”

“…”

“Synnove, you are deeply loved… more than you know.”

“…”

The boy continued to hug the third year student while she remained standing there in silence. Just as the boy was having a heated internal discussion with himself on when’s the best time to let go, he felt something… no, several something… falling down the top of his head.

The boy looked up to see for the second time that night Synnove’s crying face.

“Am I…” the girl with the flowing golden hair was in the process of trying and failing to say something through snot and tears.

“What is it, Synnove?”

“Is it okay for me…”

“Okay for you to what?”

“Am I allowed to be this happy?” the third year student finally managed to blurt out a response, not caring if anyone could hear her loud voice.

Before the boy could answer her, the girl with long flowing golden hair immediately pushed him back, spun around and ran straight into the building where only the elite among the elite female students are currently living in.

The boy decided he had done enough damage for the night and headed back to Rolfe’s manor. After making sure his bare feet are wiped cleaned, the boy entered the front door (unlocked for the boy’s benefit), climbed up the stairs and went straight into the bedroom given to him by Rolfe Primero.

Without bathing first or changing out of his clothes, the boy falls headfirst onto his pillow, and plunged straightaway into his usual nightmare (except the bit about the explosion in the end and that he died horribly as well. That part was new).

********************

The boy decides he has done enough lying down for the moment and finally gets up from the bed. He heads towards a nearby study desk and takes out two small-sized journals from inside the drawers; one has a black cover while the other is brown.

He will need the brown small-sized journal today for his upcoming meeting with a certain smug snake. The current master in charge of Ouroboros (not the grandmaster mind you) is being extremely naughty today and the boy needs to make some preparations in order to deal with that. Plus he is looking forward to the day trip to the nearby town, something he had not done for a long long time. Not since he was force to flee, never to return here again after causing a small minor incident (*coughs War *coughs).

Pushing aside the news about his imminent death brought by his prophetic dreams, the boy is feeling particularly happy. Rolfe is in the kitchen making a very delicious breakfast, the day is new, and life is full of possibilities.

What could possibly go wrong? the boy asks himself as he hums a joyful tune while walking down stairs and being greeted by a magnificent banquet.

********************

That question is of course answered a while later when a knock is heard at the front door and a certain somber maid with pigtails entered through it.

Stupid me, the boy admonishes himself as his put his left hand to his face. Why did I go ahead and say something like that? the boy sighs dejectedly.

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Yeah yeah, I know. Tis a short chapter but I'm too tired from working to continue to do so. I'll try to crank out another chapter tomorrow.

PS Anyone here is married? How the hell did you manage to do so? As someone who's about to tie the knot in a mere five months, I'm just finding out that weddings are fucking expensive!