I studied the maid properly for the first time. She was distinct. Her stature was imposing, towering over a typical adult, and her features clashed with the standard European look of everyone else in this world.

  She felt out of place.

  Her eyes held a strange warmth as she raised the spoon to my lips. She insisted on feeding me herself. A part of me wanted to push her hand away, yet a quiet instinct forced me to comply. I swallowed the food without complaint.

  When the plate was emptied, I finally spoke.

  "Why did you bring me food? How did you even know I was hungry?"

  She flinched. Her gaze dropped to the floor, refusing to meet mine.

  "I... I... Y-young M-master..."

  "Young Master?"

  I froze still for a heartbeat. "Who is your Master?" I pressed.

  "L-Lord Salvieru," she stammered, her voice barely a whisper.

  "Salvieru?" The name rang no bells.

  "I have never heard of him," I said. "Tell me everything you know."

  "He... he is actually the son of the Marquis of the same province your father governs. From the Ashen Swamp March."

  "Oh."

  I let out a breath of disappointment.

  "So he is just another noble kid trying to gain favor because of my name," I muttered to myself.

  The maid burst out in a panic.

  "No! Actually... it was me... I saw you... so I wanted to help... Young Mas-"

  "Ah, it is fine. I see."

  I cut her off gently. Watching her speak and stutter like that reminded me of Elodie.

  She looked down and began to toy with her fingers to relieve her stress.

  "So, what is your name?" I asked.

  "It is Somie."

  Somie. An interesting name.

  "Tell me, Somie. You are not from this world, are you?"

  Her eyes went wide, stunned by the accusation. Her gaze darted frantically around the room as if looking for an escape, unsure of what to say or do.

  I reached out and gently grabbed her hand to ground her.

  "It is fine, really," I said softly. "I am just asking. You are not in trouble."

  She let out a shaky sigh, and her rigid shoulders slumped. She looked relieved, but her initial reaction bothered me. What caused her to be so terrified just because I asked about her origins?

  She gave a small, hesitant nod.

  "Y-yes... I came f-from another world."

  I studied her face for a moment, processing the confirmation.

  "I see," I said finally. "What kind of world did you come from?"

  A shadow fell across Somie’s face. She lowered her gaze to the floor, her body trembling slightly as the memories resurfaced.

  "It w-wasn’t a kind world... The air was always heavy and polluted. Everything was stained in shades of grey and brown. No one went anywhere without a mask, and if you looked up, the sky was nothing but a ceiling of glass," she said. Her knuckles turned white as she gripped her dress tightly.

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  She took a shaky breath before continuing.

  "I j-just wanted to be with my brother. We were just children. One day, he left to find food for our mother because she was so ill... but he never came home. After mother died, I was left to rot in that empty room. I had nothing left. But then, right there in the middle of the room, a door appeared."

  "A door?" I asked, leaning forward.

  Somie nodded, her eyes distant.

  "I crawled toward it. I pushed it open, and suddenly, I saw a lush green forest with a flowing river. The air... it was fresh. Unlike anything I had ever experienced in my life."

  She took a shallow breath, remembering the sensation.

  "I crawled through. I drank from the river, and it was the purest water I have ever tasted. Compared to the gray food I used to eat, even the wild plants looked like a feast. I was so captivated... but when I turned back, the door was gone."

  A door? Well, now this had gotten fascinating. A door implied design. It implied that a greater force, an architect of sorts, was at play here. And I did not like the implication of being part of someone else's design.

  "Tell me, Somie," I said, keeping my voice steady. "Upon reaching this world, did something weird happen? Or before entering this world, was there anything unusual?"

  Somie paused for a moment to think, her brow furrowing.

  "W-well, there is this one thing that bothered me after coming to this world..."

  I locked onto her hesitation immediately. "Oh? And what might that be?"

  "Well, once I entered this world, I always felt like something was leading me somewhere. And that somewhere was here," Somie recounted.

  "What do you mean?"

  "After entering the door, I actually found myself in elven lands. They took care of me growing up."

  Typical. It seemed the elves were just normal people, contrary to the propaganda the humans spread about them.

  "And... and eventually I left," Somie said, looking worried. "As if a voice was telling me to come over to Olaspin. I am not sure what it was, but it felt familiar. Like my younger brother."

  "So I followed the voice and sailed down to this part of the continent. And eventually, I became a maid a-and settled down..."

  "I see. Seems like quite a journey you had," I said.

  "But can you tell me more about this voice? Like why does it talk to you specifically? And why does it feel like your brother told you to come here?"

  Somie began to try hard to recount the sensation. "Eh, I do not know really. It is just that every time I hear the soft voice, it is when it is windy."

  "Hmm, wind you say..." I tested the idea. "You didn’t happen to see any snake right?"

  Somie looked confused at the specific question. "No, not really. The voice itself could not be heard. It was more so just a feeling."

  A feeling. It was possible that beings beyond my own comprehension were at play here.

  The thought stopped me cold. Could that mean we were all just chess pieces on a board?

  The intimidating realization frightened me. I stared at nothing, realizing the implications could be severe.

  Just mere pawns to be played with.

  No... I needed to stop worrying. These were merely speculations. Anomalies and supernatural phenomena existed in Viper's world too, and I had faced them down before. There was no need to fear what I did not yet understand. I just needed to analyze it.

  I looked across the table at Somie. She seemed lost in a daze.

  I stood up, smoothing out my uniform. "Well, it is about time I head to class."

  I walked to the door, then stopped. It would be beneficial to keep this channel of information open.

  "Oh, and please, if you have time, feel free to talk to me. I promise I will not use the information you have shared maliciously. I simply find it interesting. Feel free to invite your Young Master as well."

  Somie stood up hurriedly, snapping out of her trance. "O-oh, y-yes, of course. T-thank you for hearing my story... It m-might sound w-weird, but I have a very warm feeling around you, Young Miss. I-in a way, you remind me of myself."

  I paused. The irony was not lost on me. I gave her a cryptic smile.

  "We have more in common than you think."

  I left the maid in my room and walked out to face the academy.

  Walking out of the dormitory, my eyes caught a glimpse of my own reflection in the glass of a window. I stopped in my tracks for a moment, staring at the girl in the pane.

  There were still so many mysteries in this world that remained unsolved. I was surrounded by magic and beings far beyond my comprehension. I still did not understand the true reason for my presence here. More importantly, I did not understand the nature of my own soul.

  Was I truly the reincarnation of Viper? Was I Seraphina, merely burdened with the memories of a killer? Or was I Viper, a parasite occupying the body of a young girl?

  The uncertainty was a constant weight. The more I lived in this body, the more the identity of Viper seemed to slip through my fingers.

  I sighed, watching my breath fog the glass for a fleeting second.

  "Well, it does not matter who I am. My goal remains the same regardless of my name," I whispered. "I just need to maintain my mental state and avoid another lapse into psychosis."

  With that thought, I turned away from the window and walked toward the horizon.

  I was ready to try a new path.