1 Rise.

If I were to mention one significant lesson history taught me, that would be about how individuals rise and fall. But what if you were always at the top and then fell to the lowest? How would that feel? …Terrible, I know.

Well, I was born with immense abilities, something many of my kind envied. You can guess the rest, but I would still say it for… saying sake!

My name is Eros, one of the prominent gods of the Divine Realm, the home of gods, also known as Elysium. And I was betrayed… that's all, so we move on…

Rising slowly from the creaking bed, I felt my head throb with a pain so excruciating that I let out a deep moan of agony. I wouldn't say such a feeling was familiar—even those traitors' blows did not hurt to this extent.

'Ahh… what is happening?'  I thought with my eyebrows slightly raised to show discomfort. I still managed to find my way to a wooden mirror with broken shards by the corner of the dimly lit room.

The pain assaulted me as I tried to capture the image of my current state. I almost could not believe my eyes when I succeeded in my task. Standing before me was not the me I knew. Unlike my white, silky hair that shone both day and night, I now had rough, red hair that seemed to be decaying. It was so awful to my eyes that I almost pushed back in disbelief, but I held on. Nothing could be more shocking than me still breathing in this foreign environment. 

I decided to check out other features while still in disgust of the first. At least, I could wallow in anger for my current situation without holding back after that. 

My face was all bony, and my eyes sunk deep within their sockets as if scared of the non-existent light. I didn't give up my analysis as I managed to catch a glimpse of their irises which had a mix of black and brown. After that, I didn't need to check the rest of my body since the mirror was not needed. I could only stagger to the wooden bed.

'Those bastards…!' I thought with a clenched fist. 'They would pay for this…!'

While looking at the mirror, I had not noticed the reason behind the throbbing pain in my head, so I figured it was due to internal causes and decided to lie for some time. The uncertainty of my situation almost made me jump out of bed many times in search of clues, but I was able to subdue that urge over and over again. It wasn't about the haste, it was more about the understanding which would be difficult due to the throbbing pain that seemed to decrease as time passed.

It took a while, but I managed to get on my feet again, this time feeling a little relieved. Still staggering, I walked through the room with so few pieces of furniture—a bed, a cupboard, and a wardrobe. The mirror was the only thing standing on the cupboard and after checking it inners, I came out with nothing but pills of unknown origin. Moving on to the wardrobe, I could only find ragged clothes, no better than the ones I had on.

I then headed for the room exit and found myself in a more open space with more pieces of furniture. But I didn't pay much attention to them, instead, I was attracted to a portrait hanging on the wall opposite to me. There stood a male and female with a male child placed in between. It wasn't hard to tell who he was. Though small, chubby, and healthy, it was clear my new body shared the same origins with him.

I moved forward slowly, my eyes stuck on the portrait while my hands helped to avoid obstructions. Arriving at the portrait, I caressed its surface with my fingers, so gently as if to feel some sort of connection. If I were to make a pick, I would say my new body looked a lot like the female but got other defining features like the hair, eyes, and nose from the male.

'Why do I feel so attached…' I thought for a moment before calming down my nerves. 'If my analysis is correct, my soul possessed this body …then his soul should be dead, right? Or… suppressed…'

It made more sense that his spirit body, also identified as the soul would be dead. After all, the state of the body said a lot—the decaying hair, bony face, and eyes… but the thought of the soul only being suppressed still lingered. I felt threatened. It was an instinctive reaction… I didn't want to lose this chance of living. No! Not when I can get back at those bastards.

As for his parents, the chances that they were in this house were slim. Though I could see three doors with one likely leading to the outside, I was somehow certain they wouldn't be behind any of the other two unchecked doors.

The ringing of the doorbell drew me back to reality as I marveled at who the visitor might be. Since I had no memory of the body's owner, it would fail me if it were someone familiar with the family. Again, I had no clue of the foreign environment structure and this body was also weak, so I could not risk antagonizing anyone.

Once again, the doorbell rang as if to alert me that time was running out. Not answering the door might be the best solution, but what if it bounces? If the visitor is familiar with the household, then he would definitely be worried and might alert the neighborhood.

'No! I could not risk too many complications…' I finally made a choice, and that was to answer the door.