Sky picked himself off the ground and banged on the door, yelling for someone to let him out. But no one came, and eventually, he stopped, knowing it was pointless. He leaned against the wall, sliding down until he sat on the cold stone floor.

"What have I gotten myself into?" He muttered to himself.

Sky closed his eyes and lay on the grass within his soul space. Being trapped in a cold room is nice and all, but he preferred to be in his own little world where he felt safe.

He didn't know how long he stayed there, but eventually, he heard the door open. He quickly got up, not wanting to be caught off guard again.

"I see you've made yourself comfortable." The extravagant man said with a smirk.

"What do you want from me?" Sky asked, trying to sound braver than he felt.

"Oh, nothing much. I just want to sell you, of course." The man said.

"Sell me? I thought you just bought me?!" Sky asked, confused.

"No, no, no. I bought you so that I could sell you. You see, some people are willing to pay a high price for a fledgling with no restarts." The man said.

Sky remained silent, not knowing what to say. He had no idea what was happening, but he knew it wasn't good.

"Don't worry; you'll be well taken care of. We have a buyer who is very interested in you." The man said.

"What do they want with me?" Sky asked, feeling scared.

"Oh, I'm sure they'll tell you when they buy you. For now, if you'll excuse me, I have to make some arrangements." The man said whilst leaving the room.

"Why did you bother telling me this?" Sky asked as the door was closing.

"Just checking on your temperament, that is all. Quite satisfactory, I would say. You'll do well." The man said before closing the door, leaving Sky alone again in the darkness.

Sky was alone in the room for what felt like days. He had no food, and the only water he got was from the ceiling leaking. He was starting to get weak, and his throat was dry. He knew he wouldn't be able to hold on much longer. His time there wasn't for nought, though. Sky constantly worked on his connection to ether and the nature attribute. To his repulsiveness, he also worked on the darkness attribute. It seemed stable, and he couldn't think of anything worse happening to him, so he continued to exercise it within his soul space. The tiny wisps he was able to expel would deteriorate anything it touched. He couldn't control the darkness attribute, so he thought rather than release it, he could simply touch things. He tried this on a patch of grass, and to his surprise, it worked. His hand would radiate the darkness, and anything he touched would die out. It was remarkable to him how it would eat away at anything living or dead. His nature attribute revived anything that died, and he could help but feel satisfied with his progress.

Sky sat still in the overworld while he enjoyed his time in his soul space. It wasn't until he felt something change in the outside world that he quickly left his soul space. Then, suddenly, the door to his cell opened, and the extravagant man walked in with a satisfied smile.

"I see you're still alive. Good, good. The buyer will be happy to hear that." The man said.

"Who is the buyer?" Sky asked, barely above a whisper.

"Oh, you'll see soon enough. Now, if you'll come with me." The man said, gesturing for Sky to follow him.

Sky was taken to a large room where a hooded figure awaited him. The figure gestured for him to come closer, and so he did. When he got close enough, the figure grabbed his arm and placed a bracelet on his wrist.

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

"What is this?" Sky asked, trying to pull away.

"A binding stone." The figure said simply.

The extravagant man intervened and said, "That stone on the bracelet is bound to the premises where Sir Nightbride resides. With this bound to you, you will not be able to leave the premises without Sir Nightbride's permission. You'll also find that if you act against your master, the little rock on your wrist won't just sit still."

"If you will excuse me, Mr Rothman." The figure said, "I have some business to attend to, and this boy will come with me back to the Nightbride household."

The extravagant man dramatically gestured towards the exit, leaving Sky and the strange figure to their own devices.

"What are you going to do to me?" Sky asked angrily.

The hooded figure didn't talk and dragged Sky into a carriage, where they both sat in silence. And so, Sky was taken away to the Nightbride household on the west side of the kingdom, a beautiful place with pristine housing and architecture that screamed money. When they finally stopped outside a darker building that looked out of place, the mysterious figure finally decided to talk. "My name is Vincent, a servant of the Nightbride household. From now on, you will serve Sir Nightbride, and in return, he will give you residency and food."

"What if I don't want to serve him?" Sky asked.

"Nothing good," Vincent said. "Now come, let's not keep him waiting."

And so, Sky and Vincent walked through the gates into a beautiful garden with various kinds of plants carefully trimmed and organised. They walked to the front door, where Vincent knocked before walking in, gesturing for Sky to follow him. A young woman with a maid's outfit stood by the entrance with a cold stare. Then, without a word, she led the way to Sir Nightbride's office.

The mansion was quite dark, and Sky couldn't help but shiver. It had what any luxurious estate had, from a grand foyer to a beautiful staircase. But there was something off about the place. It felt dark and cold like there was something lurking in the shadows.

They finally arrived at Sir Nightbride's office, and the maid knocked on the door before opening it and walking in. Vincent gestured for Sky to follow him, and so he did. Sir Nightbride was a tall, thin man with an unsettling aura. His eyes were black as night, and his hair was stark white. He wore all-black clothes that seemed to absorb light.

"Ah," he muttered, "You must be the new boy." He said in a voice that sent a shiver down Sky's spine.

"Y-yes, Sir." Sky said, failing to sound confident.

"Welcome to my household. I am sure you will enjoy your stay here." He said with a smile that didn't reach his eyes.

"Glinda," He called to a maid in the hallway. A moment later, she walked into the room.

"Yes, Sir?" She asked, bowing slightly.

"Show our new guest to his room." He said, and she bowed again before leading Sky out of the room.

Sky's room was on the top floor of the three-story mansion. It had a bed, a desk, and a window that looked out over the kingdom.

"If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask." She said before leaving the room.

"Wait," Sky blurted, "What am I doing here?"

"You'll find out soon enough." She said before closing the door.

Sky was left alone in his room, wondering what would happen next. He sat on the bed, thinking about how he got here and what the bracelet meant. He started to look closely at it before the door opened, and Vincent walked in.

"I see you've settled in." He said, "I've been tasked to provide any answers to questions you may have."

"What is this place?" Sky asked.

"This is the Nightbride household." Vincent said, "You are here to serve Sir Nightbride."

"What does that mean?" Sky asked.

"Your duties will be whatever Sir Nightbride requires of you." Vincent said, "You will also be expected to attend to his every need and want."

"Is that all?" Sky asked.

"For now, yes." Vincent said, "But I'm sure he will have more tasks for you as time goes on."

"And if I don't want to do them?" Sky asked.

"I suggest you do not test Sir Nightbride's patience." Vincent said, "He is not a man to be crossed."

"I see." Sky said, thinking about any other questions he had. There were tons of them, but he couldn't find the words to form them. Vincent, who was still hooded, eyed the young man.

"You'll start off with menial tasks around the house. Once you're comfortable, Sir Nightbride will assign other tasks to you. Some examples are gardening, cleaning, cooking, and other aspects. This will familiarise you with-"

"What are restarts?" Sky interrupted.

Vincent took a moment to answer the young man. Sky wasn't sure if he did something wrong when interrupting him, but his curiosity took the better of him.

"Restarting is a way your soul is reborn. When your soul restarts, it forgets its memories but will have those experiences engraved as instincts. Let's say a swordsman dies on a battlefield. He restarts his life and is now a young infant with no memory of his previous life. When he grows up, he finds an aptitude for the sword and begins to train the talent. In a matter of years, he would've reached beyond the point he was capable of in his previous life." Vincent paused and stared at Sky before he asked, "Do you understand what this means?"

"I think so." Sky said quietly. "And I have none."

"Precisely. A fresh soul in a new world. What will you do with it?" Vincent asked before leaving the room, leaving Sky to his thoughts.