"It's about your father, Len."
A strange fear gripped his heart for a moment but quickly shut down before it could fully blossom.
Taking a long look at Red, Maya beckoned for him to follow her into the pagoda.
"Things are way complicated. I don't even know where to begin."
"This is the only place my father's bodyguards won't dare to enter." She continued, a warm, serene smile forming across her lips for the first time. Placing her palm on the glass panel, the door slowly glowed for a moment before gliding open.
The first floor was a nicely furnished room containing comfy chairs with a large shelf containing lots of drinks. At the far end of the room was a wooden door, which probably led to more rooms.
Quickly mixing a drink and settling on one of the comfy chairs, she finally revealed the news.
"Your father has been declared missing in action during the attack that led to our abduction." She stared at Red, expecting an outburst of emotions.
Sensing her gaze, Red finally looked up from his drink. His fingers tensed tightly around the glass, but he didn't let it hinder his next words.
"Well, he isn't dead. He could be anywhere." He muttered, taking a deep breath.
Huh?
Maya stared at him with wide eyes. To say she was shocked was an understatement.
She knew how close Red was to his father and how he couldn't stop talking about him when they were small.
'Maybe he hasn't gotten over from the shock.' She thought with a pitiful expression. 'I wonder how he would take the next set of news.'
Breathing deeply, she finally revealed the main issue. One that caused quite the stir to Red, she noticed even with how hard he tried to hide it.
"Your family citadel is in shambles. Your uncle has taken over within the three months of your dad going AWOL."
"And?" Red stared at her, waiting for the final bomb to drop.
"He wants you dead by all means."
Red relaxed on his chair with a soft grimace. This was getting frustrating.
"No time to relax. Awakened in the middle of a damn ritual, now my uncle wants me dead."
What was this damn world going to throw at him next?
Taking a deep breath, he stared right at Maya. "Let me guess... your parents are considering throwing me out for the wolves to foster a good relationship with the new lord?"
Maya stared at him for a couple of moments before answering.
"Yes and no. There's quite a divide in what to do. After all, your family has been close to us for years. But you don't have to worry. Like I said, none of my family guards would dare venture here. It's a safe place for you to stay until things cool down and get sorted."
"Fine by me." Red finally said with a defeated sigh.
"I guess I better start going before they get worried." Maya muttered, rising from her seat.
"Whatever you do, don't come out. I'll be back to check up on you later in the day."
"Yeah. Fine by me."
With that, she left, leaving Red to his thoughts.
Having nothing to do, he sat cross-legged on the floor. He didn't like how things were going. Not at all.
There were plenty of things he needed to see to.
First was the damn devil that had taken control over his body back then. Then, he needed to sort this memory mess and get his shit together.
Not hearing the devil's voice in his head and finally having full control of his body was the best time needed to find out what exactly was wrong with his body and how the hell a devil or whatever it was called got trapped in his soul.
He didn't want to know what would happen if she came back. That thought caused quite the shivers across his nape.
Dammit!
"Alright, time to fully assimilate with this body's memories." Closing his eyes, he entered a deep state of meditation.
Minutes later, he was pulled before a dark space with scores of broken memories floating around a gloomy expanse.
He didn't need to be told what he had to do.
"Here goes nothing."
...
At the centre of a bustling city stood a grand citadel. Its high walls were unable to hide the towering buildings within it.
At the top floor of one of the towers surrounding the great citadel, a little boy around the age of ten stood before the balcony staring at the silver moon shining across the sky.
His messy red hair swayed gently with the cool breeze.
Just then, the door was pushed open, and a beautiful lady with deep green eyes and long red locks that flowed over her shoulder entered the room. Her creamy slender frame matched the loose white gown she wore perfectly.
"Len... you're not asleep yet?"
Her soft voice reached the young boy at the balcony, causing him to turn towards the lady direction.
"I'm not feeling sleepy... mom." He said with a small smile before turning back to the distant moon. "I'm waiting for dad."
Sigh~
"Dad won't be able to come today." The lady hesitated before continuing. "Something came up. Come on... let's get you to bed." She said, walking towards him and taking his hands, leading him into the room.
Few minutes later, the boy was tucked in his king-sized bed with the lady sitting beside him.
"Still not feeling sleepy?"She asked with a warm smile.
"No. Really wanted to see dad today. It's been weeks since he visited."
"He'll be here tomorrow." She muttered, kissing his head.
"How about I tell you one of those stories you love?"
"Yes! I want the one about how dad slayed that huge one-eyed giant."
"Ahhhh. I see. Alright then. Just one... It's late already."
...
The scene changed to another one.
He was the same red-haired boy.
A young man with pale blue hair and a well trimmed beard squatted before the boy with a wide smile etched across his face.
"How's my little boy doing." He said, ruffling his head.
The boy replied with one of the brightest smiles on his smooth, pale face.
Ruffling his hair, the man sat on the ground. "Hope you've been a good lad to mum, huh."
"Yes. I assisted her in cleaning the library and the sacred room. I also learnt new stuff about the world from my tutor!"
"I knew you would do just great. That's why I bought you this." The man brought out a pedant with chains linked to a little sword and then assisted him in wearing it, but not before allowing him to get a good look at it.
"Alright, how about a game of tag before I go." He stood up with a teasing smile.
One looking at them could tell the man deeply loved his son. But his status as one of the powerful heroes of humanity was both a blessing and a curse.
He barely had time to spend with him. Not to talk about the spreading rumours that have been going around in the citadel about his son.
One thing the man knew, though, he was never going to let any harm befall him.
...
And so it went. Red went through each memory right from his birth down to his life as he grew up until a sharp pain pierced his mind, disrupting the flow of memories and causing him to break out from his dazed state.
Quite a few memories were left for him to assimilate, yet the moment he tried, he felt the pain shoot up again.
"What's this?" He thought, staring at the memories that had grown chaotic floating aimlessly within the dark space.
No matter how hard he tried, the remaining pieces of memories seemed to fly further away from him.
After a series of hours, Red eyes finally flickered open. There was a bit of melancholy mixing within his exhausted expression as he rose from the ground.
He finally got to experience the warmth of being loved, to have a loving family that would do everything just to protect their own. Even if it was just through memories. His body still remembered.
"Ahhhh." He let out a soft exhale, his fists clenched tightly in frustration.
"Did he make the wrong choice of sealing his memories during his reincarnation?"
Not to talk of the last bit of memories he failed to assimilate.
"Dammit!"
The half memories finally merged with his current one. In it, he discovered his true name.
Len Ashborn... A name, given to him by his parents.
"Len.." he murmured, a warm smile forming on his face for the first time in his life... two lives, actually.
"Alright," quickly shugging the strange emotions bubbling within, he readied himself for his next task.
He didn't get what he was searching for in the memories. His only hope was on the goddess who had seemingly not given him a glance since his awakening.
"What's even up with that damn goddess."
He remembered she said something about arranging his gifts for his reincarnation. "What's taking so damn long?"
"You mortals are always impatient." A familiar voice drifted through his ears with a soft sigh just then.
'Your gifts are ready."