"I have been poisoned!" A loud yell echoed through the hallway. It traveled through the entire way without any interruption.
Immediately, Silas noticed that something was wrong with this mansion. It was too quiet.
House Todt was a well known noble household in the Varkheldor Empire. They were the line of noble lineage that commended the military aspect of the Empire.
They held power far stronger than other households. Because of that, they were the target of suppression.
Silas immediately began to rack his brain. He recalled all the information he knew about his household.
He recalled various names of the house that were at odds with Todt. None of them were the type to blatantly poison someone. This type of assassination was heavily frowned upon and severely punished by the Empire.
As fangs of a majestic wolf, the Emperor disliked cowardice.
'I can cross other houses from the list.This must be an inside work. Someone with a grudge against me. No. It shouldn't be possible. My position in the house is somewhat lacking. I don't have a backing, parents or good traits.' Silas's mind ran through a series of faces he remembered.
This mansion was located in the merchant town, one of the many mansions House Todt built. As one of six noble houses that managed the military side of things, House Todt put a lot of their attention into their relationship with merchants.
'That is what Gabriel said so this house should be filled with people.' Silas frowned. 'The fact that no one responded to my voice yet meant something happened to everyone.'
A flash of imagination flowed into his string of thought.
'What if all of them got poisoned?' Silas's eyes widened as he came into this conclusion. 'I made the wrong decision.'
'I need to leave this mansion.'
Silas walked out of his room at a fast pace. If possible, he would want to run but his current body was not in good condition. He checked the surroundings.
He saw white clothes that maids used to clean the window laying on the floor. Glasses of wine and dishes shattered into pieces. There was a lot of evidence that something had occurred in the mansion.
The only thing that didn't line up with his theory of everyone being poisoned was the lack of bodies. Not that he wished to corpses but the lack of that fueled the fear even further.
He clenched his hands into fists, desperately trying to stop the shaking. He didn't like what he was feeling. The cold air hung on his neck. It tried to whisper. Silas tried to ignore sick tricks his mind seemed to be playing.
After walking for ten minutes, he saw the door he was looking for. He wasn't foolish enough to walk directly to the front door. He also wasn't brave enough to go to the backyard.
So he chose the only path he thought was safer than his previous location. To the servants quarter. It was built in the left wing of the mansion.
Silas chose that path for two reasons. Someone who targeted House Todt must have an important goal or priority. Assuming that, they would ignore or put up a low level of eyes there.
Another reason was the opposite end of the first one. If they decided to put everyone in this mansion to the House Todt name, they would kill the servants first.
He didn't know why he would think that way but if he was targeting something, killing the weakest is the smartest move. That would immediately raise panic and some type of emotion.
Silas calmed himself and shook his head. 'What am I thinking?'
He put his hand on the door handle and was about to open it.
"Don't leave the mansion."
A series of words sent straight through his mind like thunder. He stopped himself and took a big step back, nearly falling backward in the process.
He closed his ears and looked around. There was no sign of someone there.
Silas turned around and opened the window. It was close.
'Dammit. I was trying to stay silent but this left me with no choice.' Silas grabbed a nearby flower pot.
He poured out the content to the side and threw it at the glass window. It shattered. He then used his sleeves to cover his palm and grabbed the window to climb out.
"Don't leave the mansion."
A familiar word repeated inside his head, shocking his soul. This time there was something more than words. He also felt something.
He couldn't describe the things he was feeling right now. The closest thing he could describe was thought sharing. No words. Just straight pure thought poured inside his head.
Silas closed his head, sorting things from his mind. To be honest, he wasn't in the best mental state. His mind was being fused with someone he didn't know and now he was experiencing another beings thought.
After a few minutes, he opened his eyes and wiped the blood from his nose. He looked at his hand and sighed.
'I should listen the first time but.' Silas let out a long and suffering sigh. 'This information helps my mind calm down.'
Silas looked down at his feet. Glasses pieces scattered around. He took a step back and walked to the other side of the hallway. He sat down and rested his head against the wall.
His eyes followed at the distance clouds. Soon they parted away from his views and let the sun rain upon his body.
He washed under the warmth light, slowly his mind drifted.
His consciousness floated atop the sky. He fell asleep, tired from the things he experienced. He slept well.
Walking from his slumber, Silas found himself in a good condition. At least, his mind flowed smoothly. He wasn't hindered by a fog hours ago.
He checked the sky and saw stars across the black sky. There was no moon. But he didn't need to worry about light because the ceiling of the mansion was embedded with Mana stones.
Commoners called it light stone. It illuminated the hallway he was in. If his memories were correct, the entire mansion should be brimming with light.
That was the type of wealth the House displayed to the merchant town.
Silas remembered him staring at this place when he was living in the street. He didn't want to distinguish the two memories he had anymore. His soul was telling him that this type of thinking would corrupt his mind.
"I need to clear this mess." He said out loud.
Now that he knew his current situation, he felt a lot safer.
Previous words he heard came from the Patriarch. He also received a series of thoughts regarding the situation.
His theory was correct.
House Todt was attacked by someone or some group. The Patriarch immediately locked down the house. Closing all the mansions across the Empire.
Silas didn't understand what the lock down was but he seemed to understand somewhat. Considering the fact that he was the only one living in this mansion, the Patriarch must have isolated him from the rest.
Why him? The answer was quick to find.
He had the blood of Todt. He was the only one with the name Todt in this mansion.
'Now, I know my situation. I need to do something about it. I can't leave this mansion. Leaving the mansion meant dangering myself. I don't know how many days I will be spending alone in this place.'
Silas rubbed his stomach and sighed. "First, I need to eat. I don't think I can last much longer without food in my system."
Under the guide of his hazy memories, Silas found the kitchen. He searched for something easy to eat. After making a coffee using Heat mana stone, he sat on the table.
He took a bite and cold hard bread.
"Not bad. Considering the texture is rough." He complimented the bread. After filling his stomach, he grabbed a cup of coffee and walked out of the kitchen.
He stopped at the study room and opened the door. The room was filled with memories of him.
This place was where he usually studied his lessons with Gabriel. Originally, this place meant to be a library for the guest but the Patriarch changed into a study room for Silas.
The smell of old books almost brought him tears to his face. He missed his family. His life from the other world.
Silas chose a random book from the book shelves. He understood the language. He was glad that his mom was a strict teacher. At least he didn't need to learn how to read from Gabriel.
After reading for about hundred pages, he closed the book and placed it on the shelves. He yawned soft and closed the door to the study.
He went straight to his room and lay on the bed. He also ignored the mess he made there.
The slimy poison was now gone but the effect of burning wood remained on his floor.
He would do something in the morning. For now, he would like to ease his head and try not to think deeply about his situation.
He got a mountain of questions. He also saw a path he was about to walk in the name of the house. A path not suited for the current him.
The current him who was afraid of death. A coward. But that was meant to be for the future Silas.