In the darkness of his dream, Anna’s shadow appeared like an eternal mist that never faded. The woman’s soft yet chilling whispers echoed again and again, reverberating through the corners of his consciousness.
"My Evan... You will never be able to escape me. Even within the deepest corners of your dreams, I will always be there..."
Evan jolted awake! His breathing was ragged, his chest heaving as though he had just drowned in the depths of the sea. Cold sweat soaked his body and strands of hair.
It had been several days since his encounter with Silvy Velmora in the city square, and Evan could barely sleep peacefully. Anna’s shadow, her obsessive smile, and her whispers continued to haunt his mind. Dark purple circles surrounded his dull, exhausted eyes. His soul felt drained, shrouded in an increasingly heavy sense of depression.
"Your face is so pale, Darling..." a cold whisper crept right beside his ear. "...Can’t you sleep well because you miss me?"
Evan wasn’t surprised. He didn’t even react when a pair of soft, cold arms wrapped around his neck from behind. Anna rested her chin on Evan’s shoulder, staring at the man’s face through the mirror in front of them with a victorious gleam in her eyes.
"Am I really that important in your life, to the point that with every breath you take... my name is the only thing filling your mind?" Anna murmured as she gently stroked Evan’s jaw.
Evan let the woman touch him. His body was simply too exhausted to resist. Almost every night, Anna would send a magical projection of her illusion across hundreds of miles just to see him.
"What exactly did you do to my mind, Anna?" Evan’s voice sounded hoarse and flat. "I can feel it... The empathy inside my chest is being completely worn away. I’m becoming colder, more ruthless, and more indifferent toward other people’s lives."
Anna chuckled softly, her sweet voice caressing his ears. She whispered right beside Evan’s ear.
"What do you think I did? I merely helped you remove those troublesome shackles, Evan. You used to be too kind... You always felt sorry for others, bound by silly moral norms that made you easy to betray. I merely stripped away that falsehood so you could unleash your greatest potential."
Evan let out a long sigh, absorbing the cold sensation seeping through his skin. His hand rose and clasped Anna’s fingers wrapped around his chest.
"You really manipulated me like a puppet on a stage," Evan whispered softly. "Tell me... do you really consider me your Husband? Or am I just an interesting toy to you?"
"Of course you’re my Husband," Anna replied without the slightest hesitation. "Why are you asking something so obvious?"
Evan slowly turned around. With his eyes closed for a moment, he took a deep breath before opening them and staring directly into Anna’s blood-red irises. Evan’s expression suddenly became gentle, resigned, and filled with an unusual calmness.
"Then..." Evan said in an exceedingly gentle voice, "...stop manipulating my emotions and the way I think, Anna."
Anna raised one smooth eyebrow slightly. She was momentarily stunned by Evan’s change in attitude, then a charming, crystalline laugh burst from her lips.
"I only intended to help you, Darling," Anna whispered as she brushed Evan’s lips with her fingers. "But... if you can be this gentle with me, even though I know this is only a falsehood you’re forcing yourself to put on... then of course I’ll grant your wish."
Anna leaned closer and kissed Evan’s lips gently yet dominantly. Warm magical energy briefly spread across Evan’s lips before the woman pulled away.
"Become strong, Evan," Anna said with a gaze that was incredibly deep and filled with madness. "Whether you want to kill me, hate me, or try to run from me to the ends of the world... I will never stand in your way. I will support all your efforts as your wife. We both have our own dreams... so let’s see whose dream will still stand in the end."
Anna rested her head against Evan’s chest, closing her eyes as though savoring the man’s heartbeat.
"I only hope..." Anna murmured softly, "...that you’ll always be this gentle with me, even if it’s only a mask."
Evan laughed bitterly. His cold laughter echoed through the silent room.
"Hahaha... You always read what’s in my heart, and it’s damn annoying. Then enjoy this falsehood while you can!"
Anna formed a terrifyingly sweet smile. She looked up, then suddenly bit Evan’s neck gently, leaving behind a reddish bruise.
"Your burning hatred... will one day turn your heart into pure love, Evan," Anna whispered before filling the room with the heavy scent of lavender. "And when that day comes... you’ll cry in my arms and treat me gently from the bottom of your heart, just like when we were still living together in that little house."
SRAAKK!
Evan stood alone in the middle of the room. The warmth from the bite on his neck still stung, but his mind now felt much clearer. The foreign emotional shackles weighing down his mind were slowly fading away.
Without wasting any time, Evan immediately got ready. He washed his face, put on Aiden Samuel’s smooth silicone mask, neatly combed his hair, and headed outside toward the orphanage.
The moment Evan stepped into the well-kept front yard of the orphanage, three sturdy men were already waiting in the shadows beneath an oak tree. Tom, Luke, and Peter stood close together, their robes tightly wrapped around them, their faces tense.
Evan approached them with calm yet authoritative steps.
"You came rather quickly," Evan remarked in Aiden’s calm voice. "Well? Have you managed to find the swordsman’s residence as the Boss ordered?"
The three former thugs exchanged glances for a moment. Tom took a heavy breath before answering.
"We did manage to find his residence in the slums at the edge of the city, Boss... I mean, Mr. Aiden," Tom said in a whisper. "But... we were too late. The man apparently died of an illness about a year ago. He lived alone in a wooden house that was almost falling apart."
Evan didn’t show much surprise. He merely nodded slowly. From the beginning, his purpose in ordering the three of them to find the swordsman had simply been to confirm his status.
Back when Evan was still operating under the identity of Rick Grimes, he had once accidentally saved an old drunk from being beaten by criminals in a dark alley. The old man, who turned out to be a former noble Sword Instructor, had told him about his tragic life, about how he regretted spending his youth serving the Velmora Family while neglecting his wife and child until his relationship with them had completely fallen apart.
"How did you make sure it was really his house?" Evan asked, testing them.
Peter stepped forward and reached inside his robe. "We happened to meet his biological son, who lives not far from there. When we mentioned the name Rick Grimes as instructed... the boy immediately gave us this book."
Peter handed him a thick leather-bound book. Its edges looked worn, yet it had clearly been carefully maintained and cleaned, without even a speck of dust on it.
Evan accepted the book. The moment his fingers touched the leather cover, he could feel the warmth and deep sincerity contained within every crease of its pages.
Evan didn’t open it immediately. He hid the book inside his robe.
"You three have done very well," Evan praised them with a polite smile. "Starting today, the three of you will stay at this orphanage. Your job is to guard this place and train them."
Hearing the order, Luke frowned in confusion. "Wait... why would Boss Rick go through the trouble of ordering us to train these orphans? What’s in it for a major criminal like him?"
Evan gave a faint yet remarkably sincere smile that left the three men stunned.
"Why are you asking me?" Evan replied casually. "Just ask him directly if you ever meet him. I’m only a servant carrying out his orders. But... if I were allowed to speculate, perhaps the Boss simply wants these children to have a bright future, be capable of protecting themselves, and live decent lives without having to dirty their hands with the kind of crime we’ve committed."
Tom, Luke, and Peter fell silent. Those words struck their chests hard.
"...Who knows," Tom muttered as he awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. "Maybe a legendary criminal like him really does have a hidden soft side."
"Let’s go inside," Evan said as he turned around.
The four of them stepped through the main entrance of the orphanage. The moment their footsteps echoed through the hall, the orphanage children who had been coloring immediately came running toward them.
"Uncle Aiden!" Anastasia exclaimed happily as she hugged Evan around the waist. "You’re finally here! Why don’t you stay here with us tonight?"
Evan crouched down and gently stroked Anastasia’s cheek. "Next time, Uncle will definitely stay here, Anastasia. Now, Uncle wants to introduce some people to you."
Evan extended his hand toward Tom, Luke, and Peter, who stood awkwardly behind him.
"Everyone, meet Uncle Tom, Uncle Luke, and Uncle Peter. Starting today, they’ll be staying here to protect you and teach you how to fight. Say hello to them." This chapter was taken from novelping.com without permission.
The orphanage children widened their eyes excitedly. Without the slightest fear of the three men’s fierce faces, the children lined up neatly and bowed politely.
"Welcome, Uncle Tom! Uncle Luke! Uncle Peter!" the children shouted together cheerfully.
Tom, who was usually rough and cold-blooded, suddenly didn’t know how to act. His cheeks flushed awkwardly when a little boy tugged at the edge of his robe while smiling brightly. For the first time in years of living in the criminal world, a long-dead warmth blossomed once again within the chests of the three former thugs.
After making sure his three subordinates had blended in with the children, Evan stepped into his private office. He locked the wooden door tightly.
Evan sat in his work chair, lit the oil lamp, and placed the old leather-bound book on the table.
Slowly, his fingers opened the first page. Firm, neat handwriting written in thick black ink greeted his eyes.
The title on the front page read: Sword Technique and Aura Secrets — By Alistair Vance.
"Sword Master...?" Evan murmured, narrowing his eyes. "I never knew there was something called a Sword Master in this world."
However, when Evan turned to the next page to read the author’s introduction, his eyes suddenly widened. His hand froze stiffly over the paper!
On the first line of the introduction, a sentence was inscribed that struck directly at his consciousness:
’To the young man who goes by the name Rick Grimes...’
’By the time you read these pages, my old corpse will have long since rotted and returned to the earth. From the very first night we drank together at that shabby tavern... I had already realized one thing about you: You are a Foreign Soul from another world.’
"H-How is this possible?!" Evan exclaimed, his voice catching in his throat.
How could an old man from the city’s slums know his greatest secret—that he was a Transmigrator from Earth?!
With his heart pounding fiercely, Evan quickly continued reading:
’You must be very surprised, aren’t you? You’re probably wondering how an old veteran like me could have realized it. Don’t be surprised, Young Man. Decades ago, when I was still a knight of the Velmora Family, I once fought alongside someone who also claimed to have come from another world, a world without magic filled with strange technology.’
’When I saw the way you think, the strange things you created, and your unusual understanding of the world... I knew you carried knowledge from your original world. I am giving you this notebook as my final repayment, because you were the only person in this rotten city willing to sit down and listen to an old man’s regrets without judging him.’
’Know this, Rick... The world you currently stand upon is far larger, darker, and more terrifying than anything you could imagine. You may think you are clever enough to deceive local officials, but in truth, you are still completely blind to the power structure of this world.’
’This world is not ruled only by Imperial Law and Money. Above it all, there are Calamity-Rank Witches capable of leveling mountains, Sword Masters who can split the sea with a single sweep of their sword aura, and ancient creatures from mythology hiding in the shadows. Consider this guide to controlling "Aura" a small stroke of luck to help you survive.’
Evan slowly leaned back against the wooden chair. He stared blankly at the ceiling of his office, his breathing ragged.
The truth he had just read felt like a hard slap that had awakened him from a daydream.
Witches like Anna, Aura-wielding Knights, and untouched secrets of the world... all of them stretched out before him.
Evan clenched his fists tightly over the sword manual, his eyes once again burning with an increasingly fierce determination.
"Sword Master... Aura... and Another World," Evan whispered with a fierce smile. "Thank you, Old Man... You just gave me the first key to becoming strong enough."