CH 3: Blood, Pain, and Nosebleeds

In the goblin’s moment of carelessness, I rushed forward. Bending low, I grabbed the largest stone I could find, aiming to smash its head in.

But—what a shame. A certain saying hit me at the worst possible time: The mind is willing, but the body is weak.

The goblin swung its crude club at me with terrifying speed. I couldn’t dodge in time, so I threw the rock and jerked my body upward, letting my shoulder take the brunt of the strike meant for my head.

Crack.

I could have sworn something in my ribs gave way. Pain flared so intensely I couldn’t think straight. I collapsed onto the ground, bleeding, vision swimming.

Through the haze, I saw the goblin clutching its eye and howling in pain. Lucky hit, I guess.

“Brother!”

Anelle’s tiny voice cut through the ringing in my ears. My little loli sister was crying, rushing to my side, hands trembling as she tried to stop the bleeding. For a brief moment, the emotions of the body’s original owner surged within me. I wanted to lift my hand to wipe away her tears, but my body simply refused to move.

Then a shadow loomed over her.

The goblin. One eye ruined, the other glowing red with fury. Its twisted grin sent shivers down my spine.

I wanted to move. I wanted to get up. But my body screamed in protest.

And then—

Fwoosh!

A sharp tearing sound split the air.

Thunk.

An arrow pierced the goblin’s head clean through. It dropped lifelessly to the ground beside me.

Relief washed over me, but only for a second. Darkness was closing in fast. My vision blurred.

Just before I lost consciousness, I thought I heard a familiar voice—Elle’s voice—calling my name.

Whatever… let me just sleep. The pain’s fading anyway.

---

It felt like I was trapped in a void for ages.

Then—light.

I reached for it. My eyes snapped open, and with them came searing pain that shot through my entire body. Biting my lip, I endured it, glancing around.

I was back in the same room as before, lying in bed. And right beside me, Anelle was asleep, clutching my hand tightly.

Her peaceful sleeping face brought a small smile to my lips. For a moment, I thought of my past life, of my family. I wondered how they had coped with my death… especially my little sister back then.

I stretched my hand to pat Anelle’s head, but the pain made me hiss and stop midway.

The movement woke her up. She blinked, then gasped.

“Brother!”

She leapt onto me, hugging me so tightly that I hissed again in pain. Her noise drew attention.

“Daemon, you’re awake!”

Elle, the mature elf, rushed in, with Brielle close behind her.

Brielle sat by my side, worry painted on her face. “How are you doing, Daemon? I’m sorry I left you… does it hurt?”

Her hand gripped mine, her expression so gentle and beautiful that for a dangerous second, I almost reached out to caress her cheek. Sadly, moving hurt too much.

“I’m fine, Big Sis,” I said, forcing a grin. “It just itches a little, that’s all.”

She burst into laughter. Different from Anelle’s bell-like giggle, Brielle’s laugh was bold, elegant, warm… like a breeze in spring. I couldn’t help but stare, completely dazed.

Then, a memory surfaced.

I suddenly recalled why the original owner of this body had been wandering underground. He had been searching for a hidden water source. The outskirts where we lived were too far from the main clan’s streams, and because of bloodline discrimination, our family only got access to the crowded spring once a week.

“Big Sis,” I said seriously, “I think I heard an underground stream. No… I’m sure of it. That’s where you found me.”

I wore my most earnest, upright expression. But unfortunately, at that exact moment, blood dripped from my nose.

“Brother, your nose is bleeding again,” Anelle said, rushing to wipe it off.

Mortified, I hurried to clean it myself. Brielle’s composure cracked—she laughed so hard she had to look away.

“Alright, little Daemon. When you can walk, we’ll check it out together.”

With a smile, she stood and left the room. Elle patted my head warmly. “Rest well,” she said, before following her daughters out.

The room grew quiet.

I lay back against the sheets, staring at the ceiling. My chest still hurt, but…

An underground stream, huh? If that memory is real… then maybe I’ve found a secret worth exploring.

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