The Loneliest Soul

Tengen leaned back in his chair, a lazy grin on his face. "Alright… Master Maxi, I'm going to keep this short because today is the 10th of Elve, right?"

Maxi blinked in confusion. "Uh… what?"

He turned to Angelina, who let out a sigh, clearly exasperated at both his and Tengen's ignorance of the months.

"Yes, it is," she confirmed. "Do you need me to tell you the rest of the month names too?"

Tengen smirked and shook his head. "Nah, no need. I remember now. You know, when you've lived for over a hundred years, you stop paying attention to stuff like that."

Maxi's mouth fell open slightly. He slapped the armrest of his chair lightly and said, "Wait, wait—first of all, Master Tengen, you're over 100? You look 20, maybe early 30s. How the hell can you live that long and still look that good? And second of all, tell me the names of the months."

Tengen chuckled. "Oh, Maxi, you flatter me too much. I would've gladly accepted late 80s, but 20? You're too kind. And how long do you think we live?"

Maxi frowned. He had never actually thought about that before. In his past life, the average lifespan was around a hundred years… right?

"Hundred?" he guessed hesitantly.

Tengen laughed loudly, slapping his knees. "That's pathetic! You mean old age, right?"

Maxi sighed, already regretting asking. He nodded reluctantly.

Tengen laughed even harder, tears forming in his eyes. "Maxi, you're killing me!"

After a deep breath, he wiped his tears away. "No, no, Master Maxi, we usually live up to a thousand years. A million if you're really lucky."

Maxi stared. A million years? That changed everything.

"And as for the names of the months, that should be common knowledge," Tengen continued.

Maxi frowned. "Well, it's not for me—I'm seven years old."

Tengen shrugged. "Yeah, I know. It's just the way you speak, kid. You act like your age, but smarter. But when it comes to talking, you sound like a grown adult with a full grasp of the Bloodheart family's mannerisms."

Maxi's eyes widened at that realization.

His respectful way of speaking… it must have come from his past life, blending naturally with the Bloodheart family's noble speech patterns. That must've made him stand out. While other kids his age were still learning basic manners, he was already speaking more formally than most of the maids—maybe even more than his siblings.

No wonder some of the castle staff had looked at him strangely the few times he entered the main castle.

He sighed. "Yeah, I get it. But are you gonna tell me the month names or what?"

Tengen nodded. "There's Oni, Orks, Vampire, Fairy, Demon, Dragon, Elve, Goblin, Ogres, Giant, Ghost, and Humans."

Angelina facepalmed. "No, old man. It's Oni, Orks, Vampire, Spirit, Demon, Dragon, Elve, Fairy, Werewolf, Ghoul, Giant, and then Human."

Maxi nodded in understanding.

Tengen's smirk faded as he narrowed his eyes at Angelina. "Maid, humble yourself. First of all, I'm older than you. And second of all, I'm stronger than you. So when you speak to me, speak respectfully… or things might turn tragic."

The room tensed immediately.

Angelina's body grew slightly, her wolf fangs showing as all her hair stood on end. The air around her thickened with a faint, numinous pressure. Meanwhile, Tengen's grin widened as a small red star appeared where his eye was, glowing ominously.

Maxi looked at the both of them, then slammed his fist onto the armrest, snapping them out of it.

"Okay," he said, his voice firm. "We got way off track. Let's get back to the lesson, shall we?"

Both nodded, stepping back from their standoff.

Tengen sighed. "Right. As I was saying, I'm keeping this lesson short because it's the 10th, which means you get to visit the main castle today."

Angelina crossed her arms. "And I suppose you know his birthday is coming up this mouth, don't you?"

Tengen blinked. "...No. But would you mind giving me that information?"

Angelina tilted her head slightly, smirking. "Didn't know? Young Master Maxi's birthday is on the 25th. This month. Elve, in case you forgot."

Tengen forced a smile, his jaw slightly tense. "Oh, don't you worry—I'll remember now."

Maxi sighed. This entire conversation had been exhausting. "Can we please just get to the lesson?"

Tengen cleared his throat and raised his right hand, still wrapped in his signature purple bandages.

With a flick of his fingers, millions of small red stars appeared in the air, forming two figures.

"It all starts," he said, "with a human… and a fox oni."

Somewhere else in a castle, a young girl with long blonde hair walked down a dimly lit hallway. She wore a night gown adorned with symbols of lightning, though most of them were obscured by shadows.

She entered her chambers, pulling back the blue veil surrounding her bed. Outside, a crack of lightning flashed, followed by a deafening boom.

She flinched, scrambling into bed, pulling the covers over herself as she trembled.

Images flashed through her mind—a man with piercing blue eyes and golden hair. His face was obscured by shadows, but his presence was unmistakable.

Another crash of thunder. Another flash of the man's image in her mind.

Her trembling grew worse. She clenched her fists, her lips moving as she whispered under her breath, like a prayer.

"I hate you. I hate you. I hate you. I hate you. I hate you."