CHAPTER 1: HM... INCEST?

"Hmm-hmm..."

A young man lying on a bed stared up at the ceiling, humming.

This ceiling... it was unfamiliar, nothing like the ones he was used to seeing.

Wood and smooth stone, old-school, with thick beams crossing over one another.

"Hmmmm~."

A gust of wind whistled into the room, slipping through a cracked window to his left.

It made the scene look picturesque, all the more so with the room filled with the scent of roses and fresh air.

Quite cozy, and not at all unusual... yeah.

"Hm-hm-hm!"

Especially not with the young man’s humming.

Nothing about this was unusual.

’Hm.’

He sat up, feeling the unnecessarily fluffy mattress under him, and without thinking much, he slid off the bed.

Looking down, he tapped his left foot with his right hand a few times, his fingers moving weirdly, only to then raise it, lower it, and nod, as if acknowledging something.

Looking back up, his eyes met a mirror, and he gave himself a look-over.

’Yeah... This really isn’t some weeb’s roleplay dungeon.’

The young man looked... well, he looked somewhat like himself, only quite a bit taller and way younger. Sixteen, maybe seventeen, no older than that.

Actually, there was another difference: his hair was no longer a grayish white but a pure white, ridiculously so, longer than most girls, reaching his back.

And, unfortunately for any chuunibyou dream he could’ve had, it wasn’t the cool platinum anime kind, but more like somebody had dunked him in bleach and left him there too long. It was to the point that it almost seemed to be permanently highlighted.

His face was pretty decent, with a sharpish jawline, clear skin, and eyes the same gray they’d always been.

Oh, also, he was thin as hell.

And if it wasn’t stated enough, he was tall as hell too.

’Six seven, maybe...’

If he went bald and wore a suit, he’d look like a character from his nightmares when he was young, the one he got from all those horror game playthroughs he binged.

The nightmares changed now, but they were still as unhinged as they always were... much like him.

’I almost miss them.’

Remembering that, he suddenly chuckled and shook his head.

’Anyways, did my family abuse me? Or do I have some sort of condition?’

He thought about that only for a moment before shrugging his shoulders.

It didn’t matter to him; what mattered was that, all in all, he didn’t look too bad.

If he were a girl, he’d definitely hit that.

’...too much.’

Shaking his head a second time, he looked away.

But just as he was done admiring this new and arguably improved version of himself, somebody opened the door, not bothering to even knock.

A young woman wearing the classic black-and-white uniform entered his room.

Indeed, it was a maid.

"Young Master Xenos."

She looked at him dismissively.

"Please..."

Her voice held obvious hate for him.

"Your parents request your presence at the breakfast table."

Xenos raised his brows...

"...Xenos, huh... It’s mine?"

The maid tilted her head, appearing exhausted already.

"...Yes? Obviously. Gods, how useless can you be? Try to act less like a halfwit for once, would you? The whole House already pities your existence."

Not listening to a word she said, Xenos nodded, a satisfied smile gracing his face.

’Hm, cool name. Stranger, I think, matching my ID.’

At least it wasn’t Von something.

That name was cool... once.

"Are you deaf as well as stupid?"

She snapped and stepped closer.

"Get moving. Don’t make the rest of us get in trouble because you’re too busy gawking at your own reflection!"

Xenos flicked his head back at her, and his eyes widened.

’Oh.’

It seemed that his twisted mind had realized something... something so very wrong.

Ever so casually, he walked up to her and stopped right in front of her, towering over her.

"Are you going to throw another tantrum?"

Instead of flinching from the sheer difference in stature, she smirked, lifting her chin, staring right at him with open disgust.

"That’s all you’re good for, after all. A pathetic, spoiled coward—"

Smack!

Her smirk exploded into shock as his hand cracked across her face, snapping her head to the side.

"—Uggh!"

Clutching her reddened cheek, she staggered, fury flashing in her eyes.

"You... you dare—!"

Smack!

He struck her again before she could finish, harder this time, sending her stumbling into the wall.

Her trembling eyes widened, more in disbelief than pain, and she nearly choked on the sob that tried to escape her throat.

’Hm... Did I use to hit them harder?’

Xenos tilted his head, studying her, until finally, an obvious realization dawned.

’Oh, I wasn’t the type of ’young master’ that did that?’

The misunderstanding he had created by himself had finally cleared.

’Guess I was the coward type then.’

And he landed on a similarly obvious truth that he somehow didn’t hear.

’I should’ve figured that out from just how thin I am...’

Or perhaps it’d be more accurate to say that it was a truth that he ignored.

’It’s usually the fat ones that hit servants.’

Expression unchanging, he stepped back, hid his face behind his hands, and screamed:

"AAHHHHH! PLEASE DON’T HURT ME!"

Stunned, the poor maid continued to stare at Xenos, terrified and bewildered in equal measure.

Xenos, not to be outdone, dramatically peered at her through his fingers.

They locked eyes in silence, predator and prey, confused over which was which.

Neither made a move; that was until, deeming it a lost cause, Xenos lowered his hands, coughed lightly, and straightened up.

’Yeah, no, fuck that.’

Acting scared was going to be annoying.

’Besides, it’s tough for me... too much work.’

He chuckled to himself and flicked his hand at her dismissively.

Shoo.

That, she certainly did, not wanting to be before him even a second longer.

If it wasn’t obvious by now, this "Young Master Xenos" was unhinged, as he, still without a change in expression, walked over to the one big wardrobe in his room and threw the doors open.

He pulled on a simple outfit: dark pants, a loose black tunic that tied at the collar.

It looked unnecessarily fancy, but it was soft and comfy enough.

Xenos then laced some barely worn leather boots and fixed himself up.

Insane or not, he had manners and something of a fixation on wearing nice clothes.

’Good enough.’

Stepping back into the hall, he took it all in.

The place was huge, with thick red carpets running along the floor, wooden walls hung with old oil paintings, and the occasional mounted sword or shield.

Light streamed in from tall windows, casting everything in a morning glow.

It was beautiful.

From a time very different than his.

If Xenos wasn’t so, well, himself, he would’ve stopped and admired the view for a second.

But because Xenos was Xenos, he continued on his way... yet, eventually even he wasn’t immune to stopping in his tracks.

He paused before a big painting on the wall.

A family portrait.

Five people stood proudly in it: a tall, broad-shouldered, hulking man with stern green eyes, a big beard, and a familiar but dimmer white hair; a graceful woman with matching green eyes and a kind smile; a cocky-looking young man, similar to the older man in appearance, only shorter; a beautiful young woman with a reserved expression... and finally, a slightly younger version of him.

Except, of course, his eyes were gray.

Everyone else had royal, vibrant green.

’Hm... Incest?’