Kaelith peeked through the small hole, eavesdropping on the conversation in the hall. 'These people killed an innocent child, thinking they had eliminated me. I can't wait to see the look on their faces when they find out they had the wrong child killed.' His brows furrowed.
His small hand held the wall for support. A frown formed on his face when he heard about the Vorrak. "Those disgusting pieces of trash are back… I can't believe it is not just me that came back to terrorize the land of the living."
His look turned cold. 'This is more reason for me to train harder. I don't have time to waste. The Vorrak aren't just back for terrorizing's sake, they must have sensed that I have come back. The stakes are getting high; they must be getting frantic because I stole the artifact of chaos right under their nose, and they must be searching for it.'
'Hmmm… They couldn't defeat me when I was a demon. They still won't be able to touch me now. Hiding in the Eldenria Empire is the best shot I have now to survive.'
His eyes fixated on Gabriel's unconscious form. "Interesting," he muttered. 'He was able to survive a Vorrak attack. Although he is messy… he managed to survive. He will do as my teacher.'
Then his gaze moved to his mother, who was healing Gabriel. "White Lotus, you have played smart. And I won't deny the fact that I am alive because of you. I swear today, to spare you when the time comes to destroy this realm."
From the other end of the tunnel, Kaelith heard a muffled voice calling his name. His eyes narrowed as he recognized it was the servant who was supposed to watch over him. 'Seems my time is over.' Kaelith looked one last time into the hall before he turned around, retracing his steps in the dark tunnel.
After his rebirth, he noticed his eyesight was very sharp. He had no problem seeing in the dark.
He crawled out of the hole in the library when he was sure that no one was watching.
"Kaelith!" one of the servants cried in relief.
Kaelith blinked innocently at her as if he had gone nowhere. The servant carried him up, as if she was checking if he was real. "Where did you go?" her voice was distressed.
"Put me down," came Kaelith's calm and slow voice.
The servant quickly put him down. It was an important protocol for all the servants to know that Kaelith didn't like to be held or touched.
"Sorry," she muttered.
The rest of the servants came back, huffing for air.
Kaelith sat down on his customised chair. The image of the man who had survived the Vorrak attack kept returning to his mind.
He looked up at one of the servants. "Tell me… about the man named Gabriel Flamehouse." He tapped his fingers patiently against his little thigh.
The servant froze at his question, her eyes flickering nervously to the others. Kaelith could tell she was hesitant, afraid he might not understand even if she explained. After all, he was just a toddler in their eyes.
But Kaelith didn't look away. He simply continued tapping his fingers lightly on his thigh, his expression calm but firm.
The servant exhaled slowly, then knelt beside him, folding her hands in her lap. "Sir Gabriel… is a noble, my lord. He is from one of the six great houses of Eldenria."
"Six houses?" Kaelith asked, tilting his head.
"Yes," she replied softly. "The Flamehouses, the Wenchelsters, the Flanktons, the Nightshades, the Dravenharts, and the Skyshakers. Each one has ruled their own domain within the empire for centuries. They serve under the crown but carry influence of their own."
Kaelith remained quiet, waiting for her to go on. 'The world had changed compared to when I was the Demon Lord.'
"The Flamehouse is… the noblest of them all," she said after a pause, her eyes searching Kaelith's to see if he was already lost in her explanation. She continued when she saw him arch his eyebrows at her to continue. "Their bloodline holds some of the purest mana in all of Eldenria, second only to the royal family. Some say their ancestors once stood as the first high mages, back when the empire wasn't even formed, when it was just one single world."
Kaelith's gaze sharpened. 'Pure mana… That explains how he could survive a Vorrak. Although magic doesn't work against the Vorrak, if one has pure mana, their strength and senses are heightened. Their body is built strong and immune to weak spells.'
"They've always produced powerful spellcasters," the servant continued, "and over generations, many of the empire's greatest high mages came from their line. Gabriel… he is the last one. The only one left."
Kaelith's fingers paused mid-tap. "Why?"
"The others died during the last demon war," the servant said with a soft breath. "They fought bravely… but they were slaughtered in the fight. No one thought Gabriel would survive either, as he was just a baby in his mother's belly. His mother was also in the battle and was severely injured."
A flicker of emotion passed through Kaelith's face. 'So this man survived both the fall of his house and a Vorrak. Impressive. Though they died trying to kill me… I'm starting to like the ironies.'
He leaned back in his chair, thinking quietly. The image of Gabriel's bloodied face returned to his mind. His one eye was good as gone. His chest torn open. Yet the man still stood, and he was still breathing.
'He's worthy.'
The servant lowered her eyes, unsure if she had said too much.
"You may leave," Kaelith said, waving her off.
She blinked in surprise. "But my prince…"
"I said leave."
The tone in his voice made it clear that he didn't need to repeat himself. The servant bowed and quickly backed away, joining the others in silence.
Kaelith rested his chin on his hand, staring at the far wall of the library.
'So Gabriel Flamehouse… you're the last spark of a dying flame. Maybe it's time someone made use of that flame again.'
He leaned his head back and whispered to himself, "Yes… I've found my first pawn."
He smiled faintly.
But it wasn't the smile of a child.
It was the smile of a demon reborn.