Eddy's pov*

As I entered the tavern, I noticed Luke and Stuard already sitting at the bar, seemingly engrossed in gossiping about someone.

"Hey! Aren't you forgetting about someone?" I called out to them.

"Aha, here you are, Eddy," Luke said, almost stumbling as he tried to reach me.

"Good, now that you're here, you can join in on our old gossip," Stuard said with a hint of lewdness in his tone. "We were talking about Abil's wife. Dang, she's hot. I'd give up one of my nuts just to have my way with her once, hahaha."

Luke laughed along with Stuard's crude comment. These two were the worst, disliked by almost everyone in town, yet here I was, drinking with them, trying to forget everything I had been through. Let's just say that these guys were the last form of relief I had come across.

"Can't we talk about something else?" I pleaded.

"Hmm, says the guy with a busty wife himself," Luke sarcastically replied. His words made my nerves crack.

"Say another word and..." I began, but Stuard interrupted me before I could finish my sentence. Silence fell upon us, and we all continued drinking the whiskey that had just been served by the bartender.

"Okay, let's change the topic," Stuard finally said, displaying some modicum of maturity. "Why are you still keeping that thing around your house?"

"What did you say?" I exclaimed angrily. "It's my house, my wish, who I want in it. You assholes have no right to say anything."

"Hey, hey, hey! Calm down, guys," Luke interjected, helping to diffuse the situation. "Seriously, though, he's not even blood-related."

"You little...!" I said, getting up in anger once again. But I realised who I was dealing with, so I only sighed. "I don't know. It's like I want him gone, yet I can't bear the thought of him leaving us," I admitted. Then, suddenly, a wave of relief washed over me. "And because of him, Alice has been smiling a lot. She lost her smile after… that day.. but seeing her now, I'm just glad that boy is here." Despite saying this, there was a part of me that inexplicably hated that child.

"Well, that's true," Luke acknowledged.

"Anything for a wife's smile," Stuard added. "But...," he paused before continuing, "that child is suspicious. I mean, come on, he was found in that broken raft, and not only that, it was pouring rain that day. How did that child survive?"

I didn't want to believe what he said, but the facts he presented somehow made sense.

"And his eyes, too," Luke exclaimed as he stumbled from the back of the tavern wall, reeking of puke. "Nobody has, or is supposed to have, eyes like that."

"Look, Ed, you're our friend, that's why I'm telling you this, even if it's for your wife's sake. That child isn't..." Stuard's face turned grim before he could finish his sentence.

Just then, Abil appeared from behind, seemingly oblivious to my presence. "Hey, mates! Sorry for being late. Now, let's continue our conversation about Eddy's wife. I'm in the mood today," he said cheerfully.

Both Stuard and Luke fell silent as a cup of beer flew through the air, heading straight for Abil's face. He stumbled and fell to the ground. "Hey! What's your problem...?" he started, but his words trailed off as he caught sight of my enraged face.

I couldn't control my anger and began throwing punches at Abil relentlessly. At first, he resisted and attempted to fight back, but eventually, he fell unconscious. I turned my attention to Stuard and lunged at him, grabbing whatever hair was left on his nearly bald head. Luke tried to escape, but he struggled and ended up colliding with the tavern wall, his face taking the brunt of the impact. He was next on my list.

As I pursued Luke, I heard Stuard say something, and then he shouted it out loudly, "No matter what you do, he isn't your son!" Those words hit me like a ton of bricks, leaving me stunned.

Yuki' pov:

I got it. I finally got the book I've wanted to read the most, a grimoire. It has a purple cover with the words "Part 1" engraved on it, along with some dirty yellow patches on the sides. I first saw this book when I was two years old. Alice used to practise her magic with it, and ever since then, I've wanted to read it. Unfortunately, it was always kept on the upper shelves where my small body couldn't reach. However, the other day, when Eddy pushed me against the wall, the book fell to the ground. Alice didn't have time to clean the room, so now, because of all this, the book is finally in my hands.

I went through the book, and it mainly discussed mana—how its particles exist like oxygen, present everywhere but invisible—and how it affects our magic. There were various other topics mentioned, such as a ranking system, but the details about it were in the second part of the book. "Ahh, somehow I managed to get this book, and the important part isn't even included," I sighed, disappointed by that realisation.

While going through the book, I stumbled upon a page with rune-like patterns that I couldn't decipher. So I read the instructions and followed what was shown. I extended my hand forward and focused on a single point. Initially, nothing happened, but I didn't feel like giving up. Suddenly, my palm started to feel warm. The warmth intensified, and it felt as if my hand was on fire. Then, I began to see those particles again—beautiful white and golden particles. However, I was interrupted by a sound. It was Eddy.

"Oii, I told you not to enter this room, right?" he said, but he didn't seem angry. He came closer to me, and I prepared myself for a strike, but instead, he patted my head. "Wanna go out for some fresh air?"

"Come on, let me help you climb up," Eddy said as he assisted me in getting on a horse with a small horn on its head. Apparently, he had borrowed this horse from his friend a few weeks ago. When I first saw the horse, I thought it resembled a Pegasus.

We embarked on a night ride, the destination unknown. We passed through various places, including a church and a fish market. Suddenly, I caught a glimpse of Alice. She was standing near a meat shop, looking happy. I glanced up at Eddy's face, but he seemed on the verge of tears.

"You hear me, kid? I had a child named Addison—sweet and small. I remember every part of that boy. He was short like his mother, with hair and eyes like mine, although his hair colour resembled his mother's."

"He smiled at me every time he saw me when he was two years old. He said his first words, 'Ed.' He filled my heart and made us a family. Alice and I weren't so close before, we talked but not openly. It was only after Addison came into our lives that we grew closer," Eddy spoke with great excitement and enthusiasm, making me feel as if his life was complete and fulfilled with Addison.

He continued, "Addison was the only one I would give up my life for. He was my everything. Every time I saw him happy and playing with other kids, my heart would overflow with joy. My life felt complete... until he died," Eddy struggled to hide his tears from me. I strained to see his face, noticing the expression that seemed to convey his belief that I couldn't fully comprehend his words, even though I was trying to grasp every bit.

"Addison, my dear boy," he paused before continuing, "died when he was just six years old. He didn't even have the chance to see the world properly. It's all because of Lucifer—the curse that was placed upon us. That fucking Lucifer is afraid of a prophecy that states he will be killed by a firstborn child. So, that motherfucker cursed our world, decreeing that every firstborn will die before reaching the age of six. That's what happened, and my sweet little Addison died." Eddy could no longer conceal his tears.

But he mentioned that Lucifer had placed a curse upon this world due to a prophecy. Could it be somehow connected to my reincarnation?

"That's why I started drinking. Small, powerless people like me can't do anything. My work got ruined because my life was turned upside down after Addison's death. And after a year, my darling wife brings you. She thinks you can replace Addison. Can you? Huh? No, you can't. Do you understand? You're a nice kid, very nice indeed. It's hard to do this to you, but you can never replace Addison!"

Suddenly, Eddy grabbed hold of me, and before I knew it, I was floating in the air. Eddy pushed me off a cliff. I suppose the thought of me trying to replace Addison filled his heart with so much hatred for me. He had been through so much, all because of a God who was insecure and didn't even care about this world. But why do I have to pay the price?

I fell onto a rocky surface, and my goodness, it was painful. Eddy threw me into a place that looked like a cave.

I couldn't see anything; it was all dark around me. I tried to move my body, but the impact from the fall was worse than I expected. Still, I can't let it all end here. I'm in Elysian.

I tried moving my body again, "Argh! It hurts," I bit my lip and pushed myself up. It was really dark around me. I thought as I got up. I searched for anything I could find. By now, my eyesight had adjusted to the darkness, and I was able to make out my surroundings. Luckily, I found a broken branch, just the right size for my body. I picked it up and used it as support. With this, I started finding my way out of this hellish darkness.

As I tried to find my way outside, I caught a whiff of a foul smell, combined with the pain and lack of sight, I felt miserable. I could see the moon now. I was close to leaving this hellhole.

Just then, I heard some noises. "What the f***! Who is making these weird noises!" I cried out as I heard something screaming, getting closer to me. I really shouldn't have shouted. What was I even thinking? Did I expect an animal to come and say,"𝒐𝒉 𝒔𝒐𝒓𝒓𝒚 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒊𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒓𝒚𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒕 𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖".

A thin and terrifying creature leaped onto a high stone, resembling a wolf under the moonlight, with three eyes and no fur. When I noticed its gaze fixed on me, I sprinted away as fast as I could, heading back towards the cave I had called a hellhole.

Multiple wolves chased after me, their faces filled with malice ,just then I fell miserably in a situation like this, "Damn this body!" I cursed, feeling their foul breath getting closer. One wolf had a single eye, while the others had different kinds of eyes, some with vertical pupils.

I got up pushed myself to the limit, running as if my life depended on it. But one of the wolves pounced on my back, clawing at my flesh, causing me excruciating pain. "Argh!" It hurt far worse than I could have imagined. At the same time, another wolf bit into my right foot and pulled me backward. Using the branch in my hand, I struck at the wolf, but it held on, refusing to let go. Dizziness washed over me as blood gushed from my wounded foot. In one last desperate act, I stabbed the wolf's large, vertical eye with the branch, finally freeing my leg.

"Haaa, haaa," I panted heavily, my lungs burning. Trying to stand up, I stumbled due to my injured foot.

That's when I heard a loud and eerie howl behind me, causing my head to throb and my ears to ache. Even the approaching wolves seemed scared and backed off. Summoning the courage to look back, I saw a creature closing in on me.

I had never witnessed anything like it in my entire life. Its nails were as large as the heads of the normal wolf-like creatures, and its eyes gleamed with a deep red hue, reminiscent of a ruby. This beast was not just double but triple the size of the wolves in this world. In my world, a similar fictional monster known as 'Cerberus' existed, but this creature had two heads, with the left eye of the right head bearing a scar. There was a peculiar pattern on its side, resembling rune letters. What made it even more terrifying was the oppressive aura it emanated, making it difficult to breathe.

At that moment, all I could do was watch as my impending death approached. However, the Cerberus bypassed me and turned its attention to the wolf I had stabbed moments earlier. It ripped the wolf's body in half and began feasting on it. As it devoured its prey, I noticed the pattern on the Cerberus' body change, now resembling the number '99'. Did that mean it had killed and consumed over ninety-nine living beings?

The Cerberus let out a resounding howl and locked its gaze onto me. This time, I knew it wouldn't pass by me but would come for me.

I quickly scrambled to my feet and sprinted as fast as I could. But why wasn't Cerberus pursuing me? Did it deem me unworthy of its meal? Or did it possess such confidence that it believed it would eventually catch up to me?

All of a sudden, the world around me froze. I was paralyzed, unable to move a muscle. The immense power exerted by the Cerberus had brought everything to a standstill, including the wolves.

"Fuck! Go away!" I shouted, kicking at the air as the Cerberus withdrew its power and approached me. Fear overwhelmed me, rendering me unable to move. The creature pierced through my leg, causing unimaginable pain. It felt as though my calves were being repeatedly torn apart and then slowly healing, only to be torn apart again.

At this point, I would rather die. I couldn't even muster the strength to kick the creature's face. It devoured my legs as if they were mere pieces of candy. Even though there was nothing left to consume, I felt as if every bone in my body was being shattered over and over in an agonising loop. Why subject me to such excruciating pain when the creature could easily kill me outright? Perhaps it was just to amuse itself. Did the Cerberus possess intelligence?

With deliberate slowness, the Cerberus clawed at my chest. I desperately longed to return to my own world. Screw Elysian. The combined pain from my legs and chest was more excruciating than anyone could possibly fathom.

My life in Elysian came to an end before it even had a chance to begin.

Eddy's pov:

Thankfully, I had brought some equipment from my office that allowed me to observe the happenings in the forest from a distance. Through my lenses, I witnessed the king of the legacy wolves carrying away the remains of the child to his nearby cave, which happened to be adjacent to the one I had thrown him into.

I had been secretly observing this two-faced king wolf since he was a pup. I watched him grow, always making sure to remain hidden. I frequented this place often, and it served as a means to eliminate a nuisance that stood between me and Addison.

Now, with the child disposed of, Alice will never find him again. Mixed emotions of guilt and twisted satisfaction surged within me. As I stood there, my laughter turned wicked, mingling with sobs of regret for taking the life of an innocent child.

The weight of my actions pressed heavily upon me, leaving me with a conflicting sense of guilt and fleeting happiness. But I knew I would have to carry this burden for the rest of my days, as no one could ever replace Addison now.