Espen stood in the middle of that humble room, watching the children with a warm smile he couldn't suppress. The scene brought a sense of long-lost tranquility to his soul. He said spontaneously:
"What a warm family atmosphere! Your siblings are truly charming; their presence brightens the spirit."
Nira froze in place, shooting him a look tinged with suspicion and bewilderment. She straightened up and said:
"Espen.. since when do you give children the slightest bit of attention? You always looked at them as if they were just 'rabble' not even worth a glance!"
Espen felt a sting in his conscience, thinking bitterly to himself:
(Oh, for heaven's sake! Just how much of a scumbag was that narcissist? Did his depravity really extend to despising children too? Regardless, I am not him; to me, children are the only purity left in this absurd world.)
Nira quickly overcame her shock, her voice returning to a tone driven by necessity:
"In any case, did you bring the money you promised?"
Espen reached into his pocket with confidence and said calmly:
"Yes, of course. Tell me exactly how much you need?"
Nira raised her palms hesitantly, as if preparing to receive charity, and said:
"Four copper Dexils of the ten-class.. that is what I'm lacking currently."
Espen took out the required coins and placed them gently in her hand, leaving no room for boasting or pride:
"Here, take them.. consider it the beginning of a new era."
As soon as she took the money, Espen suddenly felt something strange creeping into his senses; a sickly, dark aura hovering around the small children. He approached them with cautious steps and turned to Nira, saying:
"Nira, would you mind if I tried something? I feel like I might be able to help in another way."
Nira asked with blatant skepticism:
"And what could you possibly do besides giving money?"
He answered, his eyes locked on the aura surrounding them:
"It seems I have more than just gold up my sleeve; I believe I can improve their health right now."
Espen extended his hand toward the children. At that moment, a thick, dark aura emanated from his fingertips, but it wasn't frightening. The energy wrapped around the three children like a silk black scarf. At first, the little ones felt a strange chill, then suddenly, the weight pressing on their chests vanished.
One of them shouted in awe:
"I.. I don't feel any pain anymore! It's as if the black cloud that was suffocating my heart has evaporated!"
The little sister said, taking a deep breath:
"Me too! That ache that was burning my chest is completely gone!"
Nira stood stunned, watching the paleness of their faces turn into a healthy flush. Espen looked at his hands, trying to analyze what had happened:
"It seems, Nira, that my ability possesses a strange healing property. I felt as if my dark energy acted like a 'magnet,' pulling all that negative, sickly energy out of their bodies. It's a trait linked to the core of the darkness dwelling within me."
Nira rushed toward him, her eyes overflowing with tears of joy and gratitude:
"Espen! I find no words to thank you! You healed them completely without the need for medicines that did nothing but numb the pain. I am grateful to you from the bottom of my heart! And I.. I am ready now to do anything you ask, any price you desire, I am yours to command!"
She continued, trying to hand the money back to him:
"You don't know how much they suffered.. as for these coins, take them; I no longer have a need for them now that they are healed."
Espen gave her a sincere smile and gently pushed her hand back:
"I'm just glad I could help, even if I don't fully understand how I did it. Keep the money, Nira; your family will need it in the coming days."
Confusion clouded Nira's face, and she offered herself more explicitly:
"Espen, you saved their lives! Just tell me the place you want me to come to.. to do what you always took in exchange for your generosity!"
Espen's expression shifted to annoyance, and he looked at the ground with dignity:
"There's no need for any of that, Nira. I didn't do this to buy your body or to take a cheap price. It's enough for me that I lifted the burden of seeing your siblings in pain. As for the money, my vaults are full enough, and you have more right to it than I do."
Espen turned and left the house quietly, leaving behind a dead silence. The children watched him in wonder, while Nira remained frozen, whispering in a voice so faint it was barely audible:
"Espen.. did you really lose your memory, or has the old Espen died and been replaced by someone else entirely? That boy I knew is gone.. and now a stranger is born, and I don't know who he is."
As Espen walked through the streets of the ancient city, he couldn't help but admire the architectural splendor; the minarets embracing the sky and the engravings telling stories he hadn't lived. The air was refreshing, but his chest felt heavy, for every step reminded him that he was wearing the skin of a "monster" in the eyes of this world.
He entered the Guild headquarters, greeted by the creak of the heavy wooden door. Melda was sitting behind her desk, buried in papers, noting her observations with sharp focus. Espen approached with quiet steps and stood before her in a silence that made her look up in surprise. He broke the silence in a tone foreign to her:
"Miss Melda.. may I ask a frank question?"
Melda's quill stopped moving. She narrowed her eyes, searching his face for a hidden trap:
"Master Espen asking permission before giving orders? Truly.. a miracle must have happened. Go ahead, ask whatever you like."
Espen bowed his head slightly, regret clear in the huskiness of his voice:
"Could you tell me honestly.. who was the Espen I've forgotten? Every time I deal with someone, I feel like I was a terrible being by every human standard."
Melda put down her pen and stood up, leaning her forearms on the desk, approaching him as if explaining a death sentence:
"Your personality? Well, it seems you've changed so radically that I'm beginning to doubt your very body! In short, Master Espen: you were a mixture of narcissism and filth. You exploited girls and their need for money to trade for your personal interests. You harassed everyone you laid eyes on without a shred of conscience, confident they wouldn't dare refuse—either out of greed for your money or fear of your father's power, the ruler of 'Arlenor' and the strongest man in the kingdom."
She continued with a sharper tone:
"As for the boys, you took pleasure in humiliating them and treating them like insects, and they remained silent, forced to accept the scraps of gold you scattered over them. You walked over everyone's necks with your endless privileges."
Espen's face went pale. A suffocating tightness squeezed his lungs, and he asked in a low voice:
"Miss Melda.. do you think I can change this ugly image in people's minds? I feel an unbearable bitterness regarding this past.. it seems cleansing my name will be a near-impossible battle, won't it?"
Melda gave a small smile tinged with sadness and crossed her arms:
"Honestly? It's closer to a miracle. I know every little detail about you; you used to brag about your 'conquests' to me while I bathed you as if they were medals of honor. No one was safe from your harassment, not even me.. and every time, I had to swallow my pride for the sake of my patience. But.."
She sighed deeply and continued:
"But if you have truly changed, I'll be the first to rejoice! For the first time in years, I feel a strange comfort talking to you, as if I'm addressing a completely new person who has inhabited this tainted body."
Espen put his hands in his pockets and headed toward the stairs with heavy steps, tossing out his final words before ascending:
"Fine.. until I find a way to fix this mess, I'll act as my true self now. Either they accept the 'New Espen,' or they can remain prisoners to the memory of that scoundrel."
Before he disappeared into the upstairs hallway, Melda suddenly shouted:
"Espen! Wait!"
The moment she spoke his name plainly, she gasped and put her hands over her mouth, then bowed quickly in a confused, formal apology:
"I.. I am so sorry, Master Espen! My tongue slipped, and I called you by your name without the usual formal titles."
Espen stopped and looked at her with total indifference and a calm face:
"Miss Melda, there's no need for all this panic. Raise your head; there's no need for formalities between us. In the end, I'm just a child compared to your experience, so don't worry about it."
Melda raised her head, her eyes nearly popping out of their sockets in shock:
"This is exactly what's making me lose my mind! I called you by your bare name, and usually, you'd turn the world upside down just because you felt your prestige was diminished! I don't understand you anymore.. are you pretending? Or has the 'soul' inside you really been swapped?"
Espen interrupted her in an urgent tone:
"Miss Melda, tell me what you want before I go up to my room."
Melda gathered herself and tidied the scattered papers on her desk nervously:
"Sorry.. it seems you've forgotten that you are, after all, an 'Adventurer' and you have missions to perform. You won't be resting today; you have three urgent missions waiting for you. Go and get ready, and you must choose one to start immediately."
Espen looked toward the ceiling of the hall, feeling a spark of excitement ignite in his eyes for the first time:
"Alright, Miss Melda.. I'll get myself ready and be down in a few minutes."
Espen climbed the stairs with confident, quiet steps, while Melda's eyes followed his back in silent amazement until he vanished around the corner of the upper corridor. She stayed in place for seconds, trying to process what had happened, then muttered to herself in wonder:
"Since when does he call me 'Miss' in every sentence he speaks? This is strange.. suspicious, even! For the first time, Espen speaks to me with such sophistication and excessive politeness."
Her features looked tense, her eyes reflecting distress and anxiety at this sudden transformation. She added in a low voice:
"Truly.. it seems these days have become charged with things that go far beyond a passing case of amnesia."
Inside his room, Espen closed the door behind him and tossed his school uniform aside to begin putting on the adventurer's clothing suited for his upcoming tasks. He chose a shirt and trousers of durable leather in colors blending black and dark brown, and wrapped himself in a long cloak of deep purple, giving him an air of mystery and power.
While he was tightening his belts, his inner voice was mercilessly lashing his former self:
(Vile Espen.. stupid Espen.. scumbag Espen! This person named Espen combines every possible vice in his name. How will I ever be able to repair this massive wreckage of sins he committed? It seems my fate in this world is to inhabit someone's body just to play the role of 'janitor' for his catastrophic remains.)
He turned toward the large mirror fixed in the corner of the room, stopping suddenly before his reflection. He scrutinized his features as if seeing them for the first time:
He saw a youth in the prime of his life, overflowing with handsomeness and charm. His head was crowned with rebellious dark purple hair, scattered over his forehead in an artistic randomness that enhanced his beauty and emphasized his sharp features. His large black eyes were half-lidded, suggesting a cosmic exhaustion and a mysterious depth dwelling in his soul, while his clear, pale skin glowed under the dim light, giving an impression of innate nobility that completely contradicted the filthy reputation haunting him.
He adjusted the collar of his purple cloak and gave his reflection one last look full of defiance, as if saying to the boy in the mirror: "We will change everything.. starting today."