"A cat..?"
Ian tilted his head in confusion as he looked at the person in front of him.
Flick
His eyes unintentionally went towards the two cat-like ears on top of their head.
Swish.
And just as unintentionally, it went down towards the tail that was peeking out from behind that person. Since the surrounding was too dark, he couldn't figure out the colour of their hair, but Ian was sure of one thing.
'Someone from the cat tribe?'
"Calling a member of the cat tribe a cat.. Are you making fun of us?"
The guy made a defensive comment right from the start, just like a cat. Ian could imagine them hissing at him if he called them a cat one more time.
"But aren't you a cat?"
And he did. Playing with stray cats was a favourite pastime of Ian. 
"We're having breakfast so early in the morning?"The kids looked suspiciously towards Ian when he woke them all up early in the morning, telling them to go have breakfast with him.First of all, Ian wasn't an early riser.Secondly, he usually had a bad temper in the morning so he preferred to stay quiet for a while.Waking up early and as energetic as he was being, was definitely suspicious."What are you planning brother?"Ash asked as the other's waited for an answer attentively."Plan? What plan? I'm simply feeling extra hungry today. That's all."Ian had no other choice but to hurry since Oliver requested him to do so repeatedly. He had to go back to his team soon so he didn't have much time in hand.Ian made the other's get ready, except the Queen since she was always ready, and they left the Inn.Leaving the Inn while it already had a restaurant in the first floor, that m
Ian and his party was in the middle of having their breakfast when Ian started noticing something. They were all making small talks about this and that. Even Oliver was taking part in them since the others started expressing their curiosity about him. Up untill then, everything was normal. And it didn't look like anything was out of place. Except. 'It's moving again..' Ian thought to himself as he glanced at Oliver's ears. He noticed that everytime Louis spoke, Oliver's ears twitched. It was definitely subconscious and Oliver didn't seem to have any idea about that. 'I guess it's true then.. The familiarity he was talking about..' "So you're from the city which is considered the capital for cat tribes?" Louis and Lucas looked specially curious as they learned many new things about their own race and tribe. Ian wo
"I think.. we were childhood friends.."Oliver uttered those words with a lot of confusion and distress.Ian wasn't too surprised since he had expected something like this. Afterall, it was for this reason that he wanted to gather them together.But the other's, the same couldn't be said for the others. They looked shocked and equally confused as they looked at each other and then finally towards Ian for an explanation."You're not completely sure?"Ian asked Oliver in response. He wanted Oliver to give them something concrete, something that'd be of help when trying to find their family or relatives at least."It's been a long time. More than a decade."Oliver couldn't remember clearly even if he wanted to. He could only get short, hazy flashbacks whenever he forced himself to remember."But I feel like I've played with him before, when I was a kid."And in those flashbacks, they were small little kids
"I don't care whether they're royalties, ministers, Demons or the God himself, if you wanna stay with me instead, then you're staying. I'll deal with anyone who says otherwise."Those words spoken with confidence rang in everyone's ear as they all fell into a daze.If it was anyone saying those words, they would've found it absurd or ridiculous. If it was anyone else, they could easily discard those words as a failed attempt at persuasion.But it was Ian. The one speaking those seemingly absurd words were Ian himself. The man who was their saviour, the one who time and again proved the truth of his words by overcoming dangerous situations all by himself.And with that assurance came a certain sense of relief and joy. Taking his words as something constant, they now had the assurance that Ian would never, ever through them away. As long as they wanted to stay by his side, be it till eternity, they'd have the right to stay."I
"Something's weird.."One of the kids spoke as they clung to Ian's arm.Ian looked around. They were currently in a village called "Dharia". It was a small village with a population slightly over 300.Now what would one expect from such a village?A cool and clear stream, greenery and modest lifestyle that matched the nature. Kids playing around, elderly people resting on the front yard of their house, men and women working together to sustain their family.That's what one would normally expect.But the scenery in front of Ian was completely different from the ideal image of such village. No. It was far from ideal.Ian looked up. The dark cloud floating above their head was constantly giving off an ominous vibe along with thunder and wind.The elderly people was still there, sitting on th
Thirty minutes passed since Ian used his healing powers to cure the Old Meyer of Dharia village.Him and his party was still in the Meyer's house right now, with two of them cleaning up the house, two in the kitchen cooking something simple for the old man. And the other's at the front."Can you move properly now?"Ian asked the old man who has been trying to walk on his own for the last half an hour.Since he had been in that position for who knows how long, all of his muscle joints were rigid and stuck in place. Even small movements seemed impossible at first.The other's sat beside Ian on the Veranda as they enjoyed the cool and refreshing breeze, waiting for Ian to explain things like usual."Yeah.. It doesn't hurt anymore.."The old man replied as he walked up to Ian. Ian offered him the seat next to him as he
"Oh wow.."Shock was visible on Ash's voice as he and the other's looked at the scene in front of them.A tall mountain. And under that mountain, huge rocks the size of a human piled one above the other."These definitely would've been too heavy for them to move."Seeing how the rocks were stuck to each other as if a part of a complex structure, Ian could understand why the villagers had to give up.They were gathered in one place in such a way that removing any one of them would cause the others to fall along. It was too risky for the villagers with no magical power."Hmm.."Ian was contemplating over something when Louis approached him from behind."Brother..""Yeah?""How do you plan on removing them? It looks too dangerous.."Th
"Wow.. It sure is narrow down here.."Ian went through the crack in the mountain as he complained.His physique, which had improved remarkably thanks to the three familiars that stayed inside his body, had gotten more masculine and toned by the day.The original Adrian, who was in a coma for a long time, the body that Noah had woken up into, was half the size he was right now. That's just how skin and bones he was before.It was a huge improvement. But also a little bothersome at times like this. His broad shoulder was also of no help in this regard."Are you okay, brother?"Ash asked from behind. They were all following Ian into the crack one by one, except the Queen perhaps. Ian didn't know since he couldn't see."Yeah.. I'm okay.. It's just a little troublesome sometimes.. How healthy I am.."Ian spoke his honest thoughts as he tried to make himself small to pass through the cracks. He couldn't
Ian returned. After wondering the continent for half a year, he came back with a 'Bang!'. Right when the nobles all around the country gathered to 'show the hero his place', Ian returned. Crazy hypothesises such that Ian being a Devil worshipper, betraying the country and being on the run or that he's actually a demon etc etc all came to an end as he openly took Arthur's side and threatened the other nobles.Of course, most of those rumours weren't too far off the mark. Ian did prefer villains over heroes, demons over angels, he had no love for their country and lastly, he was a darkness ability user with a twisted moral sense. And! To top it all off, he also preferred these rumours over ones that would hail him as a hero. he'd rather be on the run after being called a demon rather than be called a hero and worshipped. Again, twisted morality. But he couldn't do that this time. There were too many people using his name so he couldn't just let it be as those people got treated bad
"It's been a week since young master lost consciousness."Rob wrote in his diary as he sighed. There was a heavy atmosphere surrounding the duchy ever since the day Adrian fell down from the roof and went into a coma. How or why it happened was still a mystery around the duchy but speculations about an attempted suicide was slowly spreading around. Rob didn't believe them though. The Adrian he knew was too selfish and arrogant to do something like that. Yet, even when he was so sure, a small part of his mind kept lingering over that quiet and motionless room where Adrian was."Ah.. It's been a while."With that, Rob went to take another look at the sleeping Adrian for the 36th time that day. Although he was telling himself that Adrian's situation wasn't that serious, that he'd wake up soon, as he tried to remember all the bad things Ian did in his short lifetime just to mask his worry, he didn't even realise that he was unconsciously heading towards Ian's room again. After worryin
Things Ian did(Unintentionally or intentionally) that influenced the future of Arthur's world: First of all, although the effect wasn't that eye-catching at the moment, Ian was going to be known as the figure that erased racial discrimination. Due to him giving shelter to people of all age and race, and the humans around him having constant changes in their views and perspective, it was going to be the seed that erased all future discrimination and racial profiling. Secondly, he was going to be known as the bridge between Humans and the Demons. The Queen of the Demons, Ash's mother who had gone back to the demon world to deal with some 'internal affairs' would soon return with an actual offer of friendship between the demons and the humans. It was Bela's way of showing gratitude to the people who had taken care of her son in his times of need. Ian's love for Ash was plain as day and the care and gentleness he showed when dealing with him was no different from what a parent woul
"What..?""That's absurd!""Is that sorcery? Does he think he can fool us so easily?!"There were looks of disbelief, shock and confusion on everyone's faces as they looked at Ash. But no matter how tough they acted or how oblivious they tried to be, the bone chilling aura coming from Ash that slowly filled the room was undeniable. It was an aura that was impossible for any human to manifest, dark and scary."It doesn't matter whether you believe me or not.""I'm not the one behind bars looking at lifetime imprisonment and possible death sentence."Ian shrugged his shoulders in a casual manner as he signaled for Ash to stop. He was only here to give these people a chance. A chance at repentance. If they refuse to grab it, he didn't care less whether they died or lived inside a cage forever. 'Human resources are valuable after all.'That was one of the other reasons why Ian was here. He wanted to bind all these people under contract and have them serve the country. It didn't sit right
"You're gonna let them go?" Arthur asked, conflicted, as he looked at Ian. They were currently in an underground prison, the biggest prison that was made on Ian's request under the Duchy. The war criminals, the cult members, were being held here. Seven days had already passed since Ian's soul returned to his body. He was forced to have complete bedrest this whole time by his parents and the kids. They finally let him go after he managed to manipulate them emotionally with everything he had. It was a difficult job indeed. But nothing was impossible for Ian. "Let them go? NO?" Ian asked back in utter shock instead. But it wasn't Arthur's fault that he misunderstood. Ian did indeed say something that could be easily misinterpreted. "But you just said 'It's time to go out.'..?" That's what he said. To the criminals. Not that he meant it literally. "To the hall. TO.THE.HALL." Ian repeated himself twice, once for the criminals and once for Arthur. Everyone captured already had
Ian's time with the kids were cut short as the Dicarious couple arrived in a haste. A part of Ian was happy to see them again after so long. But a part of him was also wondering if they really were there for Ian. What if they were expecting their son to come back? What if the person they expected to see coming to his senses was Adrian and not him? How disappointed they would be. With a mixture of these various emotions coursing through his mind, he failed to make any type of expression when faced with those two people. Neither could he smile wholeheartedly nor apologize and cry. The kids were guided outside by Arthur and Albert, giving Ian and his parents the room to themselves. Ash was reluctant to leave seeing Ian's expression, but the atmosphere was too heavy for him to interfere. So while everyone else went to another room, he stayed, waiting while standing outside Ian's room. The others also didn't force him to leave since they didn't know which was better. "Are you
"YOU!"Smack!"THOUGHTLESS!"SMACK!"BAS-! JER-!! PERSON!"Ian had to wake up from his peaceful sleep with the sound of someone's shout along with the obnoxiously loud yet not so painful smacking of the pillows."Ow ow ow.. what the hell...?""Huh?""I'm back?"Ian woke up rubbing the back of his head that was the victim of continuous battering and looked around. The changed bedroom and the familiar faces made him aware of the fact that he had indeed come back. "What?""What are you talking about, young master? You didn't go anywhere."Both Albert and Arthur looked concerned as they checked Ian's status for any abnormalities. Only after multiple checking did they finally sigh in relief. "Ah no.. ""Hey guys.. Long time no see?"Ian greeted the kids and the Prince and the Knight all together while leaning back on his bed. The one responsible for the ruthless battering from before still had a massive pout on their face as they silently glared at Ian. "Are you angry? I'm sorry. How lo
Ian enjoyed the tea from hell while having a long and informative conversation with death, or at least that's who he assumed the other person was. He learned about the past that he had locked away and the people he had forgotten. But it all felt distant, like he was viewing the life of somebody else. "Why did I do that? Lock my memories?"Ian was curious. Just by watching the memories of Noah's future, he could tell that he lived a pretty okay life. The daughter he adopted also turned out to be great. She became his family. These were precious memories. So he couldn't understand why he'd lock them up like this. "After I presented you with my request, this is what you told me."Death continued showing Ian another set of completely different memories. An old man, wrinkly hand, white hair, hazy eyes. The room looked similar to the one he was in right now, and so was the person in front of them. "The me right now cannot save a world.""The blade has already lost it's edge.""I've grow
"What do you mean by welcome back?"Ian asked, confused. As far as he could remember, never before in his life did he see this man or these scenes. And these weren't circumstances that he'd forget 'by chance' either. "After your first death, you came here.""First death.. Ah.. When I jumped down the bridge?"Ian remembered his last moments as Noah. The music that played, the scenery he watched on top of that bridge, they were all very memorable. Yet, he had no memory of coming to this place.But unlike Ian's thoughts, the guy in front of him shook his head in denial. Not understanding exactly which part he was denying, Ian tilted his head to the side slightly."What death are you talking about then?""You didn't die back then."The guy sat down on the bed, facing Ian and the endless hell behind him as he spoke. "When you were at the verge of losing consciousness, you heard a childs cry.""A child?""Yes. It was the final monster outbreak." Ian wondered what this guy was talking abo