Roy looked around in search of a certain someone.

The person who had supposedly saved him was nowhere to be seen.

Roy's eyes landed on Julian, and he asked, "Where is he?"

Julian answered, "Are you talking about Uncle Arlo? He went out to get medicine for you."

"Why, what's wrong with me?"

"While you were out cold, you developed a high fever. It lowered after he fed you an advanced-grade healing potion. But it's still there."

Hearing Julian's words, Roy realized that he was sick.

He touched his forehead with the back of his hand.

'It's hot. I'm slightly feverish.' Roy thought.

"Master, get some rest," Amelia said as she helped him lie down on the bed.

Delilah, on the other hand, could be seen putting the blanket on him, "You can ask questions after he returns."

Assaulted with a headache and sleepiness, it didn't take long for Roy to fall into a slumber after he closed his eyes.

Then, he dreamt.

He dreamt of a sky darkened by swirling black clouds out of which hundreds of thousands of winged celestials fell.

They were unparalleled when it came to beauty and handsomeness.

A mortal gaze would remain glued to them.

Even if they had a heart of ice, they wouldn't be able to move their gaze away from them.

But Roy didn't even give them a second glance.

His eyes were glued to a stone.

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'It looks awfully similar to the pendant that I own.' Roy Fisher, aka Roy Badulf Baldwin, stretched out his hand to grab the falling stone.

It was at this moment that a gigantic face made of dark clouds popped out of the hellish sky, its red eyes glaring at Roy menacingly.

He trembled under its gaze, and his sixth sense trembled, but he reached out for the stone and grabbed it.

Right then, red beams blasted out of its eyes and enveloped Roy.

He was blasted to death instantly.

"Argh!"

Yelping out loudly, he woke up from the nightmare.

Sweat covered him, drenching his back. He sat up and rested against the headboard, breathing in a unique meditative manner to calm his fiercely beating heart. Huge droplets of sweat continuously oozed out of his forehead.

His side of the room was dark.

Amelia, Julian, and the two twins were not present.

But Delilah could be seen by the window, her eyes closed, her beauty magnified under the moonlight.

Staring at her helped Roy forget the nightmare.

"Creak!" The sound of the door being pushed open cautiously by someone reached Roy's ears.

He moved his eyes away from Delilah and looked at the person who had just entered.

It was Arlo.

He walked into the room and saw the cause of his headache awake; he sighed in relief.

"Boy, I am glad to see you awake!"

"I've been meaning to seek you out."

"For what?"

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"I need an answer to a question that has been bothering me for a while. What caused me to blackout?" Roy asked Arlo.

His heart had stopped, but he didn't know why.

"Blacked out" is too little to define what you experienced. You nearly died because you misused your soul herding ability in your fight against Noah. Typically, soul herders have to pay a price to use their ability. The cost is the same for all and is called energy. This energy comes from the food we eat. It's stored in our bodies in a limited quantity. We need it to function normally. That's why it's normal to see soul herders eating tens to hundreds of times more than an average person after they return from a hunt where they have to use their ability. All parts of the body need this energy to work, including your brain and heart. But since you were left with none of it after you defeated Noah, your organs started to shut down, and your heart stopped working. Was it worth putting yourself at the mercy of death to win against Noah? How can you be so stupid? You don't know how angry I am at you!"

Arlo walked up to him to knead Roy's head, but after seeing the pitiful state he was in, he changed his mind and pulled back his fist, lowering it to his waist.

Roy was shocked to find that he needed to pay the price for using the Night's Mist ability in blood. It left him totally stunned. No one had told him that. Heck, he didn't realize it either until it was too late.

Arlo felt bewildered to see his flabbergasted expression. "Why are you so shocked?"

Roy's eyelids were raised, and his eyes were now reflecting Arlo's figure. "I didn't know that there was a price to be paid. I couldn't tell that it was draining my energy."

Hearing his words, Arlo scratched his chin thoughtfully for a while before he pointed at Roy's head.

"Actually, it did more than that; it ate away at your lifespans too. You share some familiarity with an old man now."

"W-what?" Roy almost jumped from the bed at his uncle's joke.

"It's nothing that serious. Don't worry; your handsomeness isn't the least bit affected. You will be able to pick up chicks left and right even now. Take a look at yourself in the mirror. You'll better understand what I mean."

Roy turned to the mirror.

It reflected a man that looked like him but had long strands of white hair, looked dreamy, and was surrounded by an air of mystery.

"Is this me?" Roy asked in shock.

A lock of white hair was lifted up, felt, and gazed at.

He was shocked to realize that his hair had turned snow white from ashy black.

Maybe because of losing some years of his lifespan all of a sudden and experiencing death, he subconsciously felt so stressed that his hair changed color.

Perhaps because they were too loud, Delilah woke up.

And the first thing she saw after opening her eyes was Roy checking himself in the mirror.

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"Don't fret over it. Your hair will return to its original color if you eat well and exercise caution against your soul herding ability. Side effects caused by the soul herding ability usually heal by themselves if enough energy is provided. And if it doesn't, you can always have it dyed black. Besides, I find you more desirable than before." Delilah winked at Roy.

'She is seducing me yet again. Does she not believe I will fall for her charms and chase after her skirt like a thug?' Roy raised his eyebrows at her.

She smiled at him and looked away.

Witnessing their romance, Arlo felt as if he was being fed vinegar. There was a bitter and sour taste in his mouth.

Roy didn't keep him sulking for long.

He turned to him and, looking into his eyes, expressed how grateful he was to him, "I thank you from the bottom of my heart for saving my life."

Arlo had earned Roy's respect.

"Don't mention it. What's the need to say thanks between an uncle and a nephew?" Arlo waved his hand. Roy lowered his head. He felt that this new life of his would be better if Arlo were his father and not the Count.

Arlo sat by his side.

Roy saw his expression hardening.

"I have something important to tell you. It concerns your life. So listen carefully." Arlo said seriously.

The atmosphere in the room changed.

It was no longer cozy.

Cuz a dreadful feeling has filled the room.

....

Author here:-

I failed the 8 Chapter a day challenge due to certain reasons.

I will try it again someday.

Hopefully, I won't fail the next time.

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Thanks for reading and supporting my work.