How is it possible that someone discovered my secret? It's not the kind of thing you guess in the middle of a conversation, like commenting on the weather or asking if you prefer tea or coffee. Only I know this, because I was the one who suddenly recovered the memories of my past life, damn it!
The lake water cools on my waist. I feel the air fleeing my lungs as I keep my eyes fixed on Ravenna's figure, whose shadow is cast in front of the moon shining in the distance. It's a divine image, but I feel like I'm on the wrong side of things, because I was caught red-handed and now I have no idea what to do!
"What... What kind of bad joke is this?"
"It's not a joke." She doesn't even blink, I see circles of darkness forming on the surface of the lake. "I realized this when though about who was absurd for you, someone considered a scoundrel by the entire aristocracy, to know the Silver Scar ritual and, on top of that, find me shortly before my execution. It's too much of a coincidence, seeing your extreme change from one moment to the next."
Her words spin inside my head, echoing as if someone had thrown a stone down a well. Be brave, Darius, you need to deny it and not turn your existence into a reason for obsession for other people. The problem is that I feel inclined to tell the truth here!
Why the hell does my mind get confused in the worst possible situations? It's better to stay quiet, that way no one will suspect that you have knowledge from another world and dissect your brain looking for answers! Just quickly think of a way out, anything works!
Ravenna doesn't look away, the shadows swimming around take shape. Does this mean I'm being seen as a threat now?! Even after everything we did? What the fuck is this? No, don't come near me, I want you away! You're going to kill me!
"Are you going to explain it to me now... or are you going to keep pretending you didn't hear?" Her voice didn't raise in pitch, it just cut my chest with shards of ice.
My legs are trembling. I feel like she's trying to summon magic combined with the powers of the pact to keep me trapped here and tear out every bit of information! Why is it so hard to speak? Control yourself, Darius! At least make up any little lie.
"Ravenna, I don't know which book or story you got that from, but... no, I didn't reincarnate. I'm the same old Darius, I just ended up hitting my head after drinking too much and decided to do things differently."
"You're lying again."
Ugh, how the hell do you know! Wait... looking closer, there's a cerulean glow in her eyes, along with mana running through the cracks and a white tone coming from her back. Is she using the power of the Silver Scar? If that's the case, then that shadow is...
Shit, it's worse than I thought! That shadow is not Ravena's power, but her familiar, the bone snake, and holy shit, that thing is gigantic!
"You're the one saying that, I don't even believe in reincarnation."
"Darius, you lie a lot. Ever since I performed the ritual and strengthened my bond with the spirit, I discovered that I can see through the intentions of others... so, I know you are lying."
What kind of specific ability is that?! Is she going to corner me like this now?!? Before I can even crawl backward, a wall of bones rises behind me. It's part of the black serpent's body, and now I'm sure I won't escape from here easily!
"Ravenna, let's take things a little slower! Why the stress?"
She doesn't even respond, just keeps approaching one step at a time. I'm so scared, seriously, so incredibly scared! I should have run when had the chance, now I don't know what to do anymore! Chains hold my feet and then my arms, now I'm really going to die!
"Ravenna, stop it! Please!"
She doesn't listen to me... oh, how lovely. One of the witch's hands touches my face, while the other touches the middle of my forehead. I feel a heat spreading through my brain, and then my vision slowly darkens, as if I were dissolving into tiny pieces.
Pure darkness accompanies me into unconsciousness, but somehow, I'm still... awake? Well, the situation itself is very strange. I am at this very moment on a flat, infinite plane, similar to when we close our eyes, but I can still "move," if that's what I can call it.
I am Rafael Dantas.
Huh? Where did that voice come from? When I turn my "field of vision" to the other side, I find a kind of open panel, showing a glimpse of my original world, a walk on the sidewalk in black and white. Is this a memory of mine? It seems to be, the buildings and cars are quite familiar.
I work as a stocker in a crummy little market and earn minimum wage. I hate my job in every way, but hey, we have to find a way to survive, right?
It's my voice, or rather, this was my voice. But why is it showing things on replay?
I leave home every day at five in the morning, going to catch a bus for a two-hour trip and with that smell of breakfast bread. I don't have money to buy any, but maybe one day I can take Dad to at least one of those restaurants he liked to visit. And here we are at the little market. What misery, one day I'm going to die with my back bent over from working so much in this garbage.
What the hell is this? I'm not just seeing it, I'm feeling every detail, as if I had truly returned to that body. The texture of the cheap uniform, the weight of the boxes... even the fluorescent buzzing of the lamps is here, like the scene is rewinding in real time.
I really want to quit every single day, but can't do that... I need the money I save up with Dad to pay the bills. Studying is also out of the question, if I tried a course, I wouldn't even be able to afford it. Ah, the shift is over? Thank goodness, I was about to tell someone to go fuck themselves here.
Yeah, I used to live angry at that garbage. Working 8 hours under labor laws drives anyone crazy.
The worst part of it all is that manager, with his little mustache that looks more like a rat than real hair... not to mention he has hair sticking out of his nose and the bastard's teeth are all yellow from so much liquor and cigarettes. He keeps calling me incompetent, but what I really want to do is sleep with his wife to show him who the real incompetent one is here.
Ah, that must be why I got close to Moriah and felt so attracted to the idea of cuckolding Count Vandric. It was damn good, it relieved my... frustration. It's a shame that feeling is currently messing with my attempt to convince a witch with a giant skeletal snake that I'm not a reincarnated ghost from another world... and I'm failing miserably.
Home, thank God! It looks the same as always, with a rotten smell in the air and the walls crumbling a little more each day. There's a lot of plaster to put up and a lot of renovation to do, but hey, it's my house, at least there's that. Oh, I hear a game on TV. Let me guess, football?
"Shoot, Messi, shoot that ball!"
Yep, football.
What nostalgia. I remember these things so clearly. The camera moves forward a bit and shows me... him. My father, my real father. He's a bald, very skinny old man, who is 50 but looks 70 and walks around everywhere in a team shirt... not an original one, of course, but something he loves to wear.
"GOAL! GOAL! GOAL!"
And it was a Messi goal, great. What are we going to eat today? I can order a pizza, it shouldn't hurt.
Stop showing me this.
"Hey, son, bring me a beer from the fridge."
"Coming right up, Dad."
Stop, stop!
"How was work today?"
"Same as always, mostly wanted to tell that manager to go fuck himself."
"What about the girls?"
"Come on, you know I'm not as charming as the 'Most Charming Old Man in the Country.'"
"Stop using that nickname for me!"
"Why? Just because some guy called you that?"
I SAID STOP!
The panel shatters, the light returns to the environment all at once, and I can finally breathe again. Ravenna is still in front of me, the chains on my wrists have weakened. I pull one arm free, feeling that line of shadows break with the slightest sign of force, and I slap her across the face.
Immediately, the rest of the chains disperse, those hands release me, and a calm returns to me. I can't control the air rushing in and out of my nostrils, I can't prevent the shower of thoughts passing through my head.
I run away with the strength I have left, passing through the body of the dark spirit and grabbing my clothes scattered on the lawn, using everything I can to dash toward the palace. I don't want to see this again, no! These memories, no! Get away from me!