A white void engulfed the place. There was no ground, no sky. He turned behind him, searching with his eyes for the door that had vanished without a trace.
He swallowed hard.
"Where am I? What is this place?"
A black flash appeared on the horizon. His body was pulled swiftly toward it as though gravity was nothing but a lie.
Thousands of distorted scenes and memories formed around him, distant voices pouring in from every direction.
A small boy, five years old, with black hair and red eyes, ran happily in the garden. That boy was Aaron… no… rather, the owner of the previous body.
"That woman… I've seen her before."
He muttered to himself as he watched the little boy throw himself into the arms of a breathtakingly beautiful woman with long white hair and silver eyes.
"She's the mistress of the wing…"
Jake approached the woman hesitantly, but whenever he tried to touch her, the distance seemed to stretch further, as if a chasm separated him from what he saw.
A pale white hand tugged at his shirt. He turned to the young man at his left—long white hair and crimson eyes that overshadowed the whites.
He furrowed his brows in confusion. He had seen this form before. When he made the soul contract with Tarak, he transformed into this strange appearance. But the person before him had different, terrifying eyes.
A hoarse, faint voice broke through the silence, and the scene vanished, returning him to the same white void.
"Did you meet my mother?"
He nodded, recalling the white-haired woman.
"Yes."
The young version of Aaron smiled, then raised his hand and gently brushed Jake's hair.
"Her name is Rina. Never forget it again."
The white void cracked, and darkness swallowed everything.
Aaron's body crashed onto the floor. He found himself in his room. He straightened immediately—he didn't know why, but he wanted to go back there. He wanted to see her. To see Rina.
He opened the wing and stepped inside. Nothing had changed, except the wall he had broken was restored, and the box had disappeared.
He reached out to touch the hanging portrait. She was far more beautiful in reality.
"What secrets surround this woman? What secrets lie within the western palace?"
Skull appeared behind him, waiting there ever since his disappearance.
"Well? Did you recover your memories?"
Aaron nodded, his eyes still fixed on the portrait.
"Yes, I remembered the mother of the body's previous owner. Her name is Rina."
He paused to think, then continued,
"But why did he tell me not to forget her again when I didn't know her in the first place?"
A tense silence filled the room. Skull sighed deeply before answering,
"Perhaps he meant memory loss."
Aaron's face lit with realization. He pulled himself together and clapped his hands.
"I want to know more, and the solution is training!"
Tarak tilted his head in confusion, then let out a mocking laugh.
"Are you serious? Fine, let's go to Darius."
Aaron instantly shouted, his eyes wide, as though being led to his execution.
"Impossible, absolutely not!"
He exhaled in frustration, then looked Skull up and down with a sly grin.
"You're the one who will train me, Tarak Serine."
The other was stunned by his words. Before he could protest, Aaron cut him off:
"That's a direct order from your master."
Skull roared in protest.
"Master my ass! Do you think I have nothing better to do than babysit you?"
A sharp buzzing sound echoed, followed by the manifestation of a glowing violet ring around each of their fingers. The rings bore ancient carvings and golden runes.
That was enough to silence Skull. A victorious smile spread across Aaron's face.
"It's settled, my sweet servant."
He ended with a wink, provoking Skull, whose blue-flaming eyes now glowed red with rage.
---
The sound of hurried footsteps echoed on the stone floor. His black hair, damp with sweat, whipped behind him, cold air striking his face as he panted from continuous running.
The familiar annoying buzz was accompanied by the appearance of the system screen.
✦
Name: Aaron Viscdevydia
✦ Rank: F
✦ Level: 1
✦ EXP: 0 / 100
[Basic Stats]
┏━━━━━━━━━━━━━┓
┃ Strength : 6 ┃
┃ Agility : 5 > 6 ┃
┃ Mana : 5 ┃
┃ Endurance : 6 ┃
┃ Intelligence : 18 ┃
┗━━━━━━━━━━━━━┛
[Status]
✧ Physical Condition: Unknown
✧ Mental Condition: Active
✧ Vital Energy: 100 / 20
[Skills]
☒ All skills sealed
└ Currently inaccessible...
[Unlock requirements: Unknown]
[Inventory]
☒ Bag locked tight
└ Item system not yet activated
[Notes]
Minor distortion detected in mana structure
Intelligence level allows analysis of supernatural information
Recommended: do not attempt to break seals before activating "Lost Memory"
[Active Quests]
None
⟦ Warning: System in silent monitoring mode ⟧
Aaron had been awake since dawn, thanks to Skull's endless nagging. All he had done was run and run—and in the end, his agility had increased by just 1 point.
He collapsed on the ground and shouted in frustration.
"Damn you, Skull!"
The other shrugged indifferently.
"You lack the foundation—your physical structure. I'm training you."
Aaron glared at him in obvious resentment, then cried out again in despair.
"To hell with your training! Get me breakfast!"
"You need a bath and fresh clothes first."
"Are you my nanny or what?"
"Do I look like a nanny to you?"
Aaron stared at him—the skeletal figure with blazing blue eyes, draped in a black cloak. He raised a brow, then mocked:
"You're right. You look more like my grandmother without makeup."
Skull slapped his forehead with his palm and sighed heavily.
"If only I'd never served you."
---
Aaron reviewed the system screen again, then turned to Skull, brows furrowed.
"Wait… Didn't the system screen change last time? Why is it back to its original state?"
Tarak sneered.
"That's your system as Aaron. The other one was your system as the Demon King."
He blinked, trying to process his words.
"How many system screens are there?"
"There's your personal system, the Demon King's system, the Narrative Information system, and the others you haven't unlocked yet. Don't ask me how—I don't know."
Aaron sighed, then stood and headed toward his room. He knew the way now and no longer needed to climb through windows. How? Of course, he exploited Skull.
He closed his eyes, recalling his memories. His mother wasn't the only one he had remembered.
Aaron Viscdevydia—or the Emperor's Curse, as the people and nobles called him. The reason remained unknown to him.
His father was the Emperor of the Vigeharia Empire.
He had three older brothers:
Crown Prince Lucian Viscdevydia
Second Prince Adrian Viscdevydia
Third Prince Damian Viscdevydia
These were the only facts Aaron remembered. As for the system's memories, they hadn't given him much—only that he was the future Demon King, along with his name and age.
He exhaled in annoyance as he looked at his wardrobe. Only five outfits. A black formal suit, three pairs of trousers, three shirts with vests—all frilled and embroidered. And a nightgown.
"Is this guy really sure he's a prince?"
He muttered, then tossed aside the towel around his waist and got dressed. All the clothes had the same color and design except for the black suit.
"Such humility. I could almost shed tears, my friend."
Aaron began whistling as he brushed his black hair and admired his reflection.
Suddenly, footsteps approached his room. His brows creased in confusion, then—
Boom!!!!
The door burst open violently. A young woman in her twenties appeared, brown hair tied messily back, freckles dotting her pale cheeks, wearing a maid's outfit, her sharp brown eyes glaring at him.
She looked at him with blatant disdain and barked in a commanding tone:
"You, curse, what trouble have you caused this time?"
Aaron arched a brow, scowling, then turned back to comb his hair in the mirror.
"They say those who don't argue with women live twice as long."
The maid flushed with anger and marched toward him, seizing him by the back of his collar and dragging him along.
"The Emperor wants to see you. Now."
He froze at her words. He hadn't expected that man to summon him again. He muttered under his breath,
"Right… He is my father, after all."
The maid hauled him toward the main palace. Along the way, all he met were the servants' disgusted, disdainful glares. But Aaron didn't bother to acknowledge them. Instead, he admired the ceiling adorned with pure gold and flawless diamonds.
The vases and carpets worth fortunes, the walls engraved with dragons, birds, and serpents, the portraits of people he had never seen before hanging everywhere.
"My God… even Atlantis doesn't compare to this."
His thoughts were cut short as the maid stopped before a pair of double doors, guarded by soldiers wielding spear-like weapons.
She shoved him forward and left.
"That bitch… just wait and see what I'll do to you."
He muttered in annoyance as the doors opened before him, forcing him to step inside.
A luxurious wooden table stood in the center of the hall, adorned with golden carvings. The walls were painted a dark gray, white curtains draping the glass windows.
At the head of the table sat Emperor Edward Viscdevydia. Beside him were Alerion Luxhart and Alexius Darakthyle.
To the Emperor's right sat someone Aaron had never seen before—a young man with white hair and red eyes, pale skin, calmly reading an untitled book, indifferent to his surroundings.
What caught Aaron's attention most was the enormous portrait hanging in the background.
The Emperor stood at the center, three male figures at his feet, and beside him, a woman with white hair—Rina.
Her belly was swollen with pregnancy, and a warm smile lit her radiant face.