Alistair slowly opened his eyes and found himself in a vast room.
"Hmm?" The first thing he noticed was the massive bed he slept on, how soft and comfortable it was. It was a king-sized bed, decorated with soft clothing as its bedsheet, and a thick blanket that shielded him from the cool ambiance of his room.
'This is…' He quickly lost all forms of drowsiness as his wide eyes took in everything. '... My room?'
The air smelled so nice and sweet, a direct contrast to the putrid odor that constantly wafted around his residence and surroundings in Skid Row. Comparing this single room to his previous home was like comparing heaven and hell.
They were too far apart!
He rose from his bed, his legs slipping into the flip-flops that stood right next to his bed. The first thing he did was go to the grand mirror in the luxurious room, so he could take a good look at himself.
'I… still look the same.' His thoughts trailed.
Other than his skin appearing completely fresh and clean, with his body looking far more robust than before to show his healthy diet, he remained the exact person. He still had black hair, with crimson eyes that was currently glowing with excitement.
He was in pajamas, a night wear that looked far more expensive than the best outfit Alistair had ever worn in his whole life. His appearance was regal, like he was the son of a billionaire or an heir to a major conglomerate.
Once again, he took a look around himself and observed the room.
It had a chandelier, it was exquisitely furnished with the best of furniture, with wallpapers that seemed lined with gold, and portraits that seemed expensive just by looking at them. His carpet was bright red, and his curtains purple, providing an overall rich atmosphere to the already massive and opulent room.
'My wish really was granted… but how?' Alistair had already pinched himself, so he knew this wasn't a dream. He also remembered his conversation with Amon, so he knew exactly what wish he had made.
But, he was still confused.
'The effects were instantaneous, but I have no idea how it happened. How did I become rich? What is my current identity? What is the source of my wealth? What do people know me as? And most importantly… what happened to my sister?'
He could see a portrait at the center wall of his room—the largest portrait of all—featuring his little sister, Sunshine. It was clear that she still meant a great deal to him, even in his new rich life.
But he had no idea what exactly happened to her.
"Amon… where are you?" He yelled out. "You have some explaining to do!"
The instant he said that, a black blot suddenly began to manifest in the corner of his room. It looked like ink, and it stained the walls and floors, spilling around the area like mucky waters from the gutters
A pungent odor of decaying filth, mixed with sulphur eerily pervaded the air, and a deathly chill suddenly consumed everything around.
Worms and rotten things flowed from the black stain, which had now consumed a great portion of the wall. The stench, the chill, and everything emanated from the black stain.
But, something else began to emerge from it.
A monkey-like demon with pitch-black fur and a slithering lower body, appearing like a majestic creature from fantasy and the very personification of evil.
—Amon.
"Looks like you're finally awake, Alistair." He smiled. "Welcome back."
"What does that mean?" Alistair asked, his face making a complicated expression. There were too many things he didn't understand, but it seemed like the demon in front of him was amused by the situation.
As for the disgusting sights that accompanied Amon's presence, Alistair didn't seem to care.
He ignored the worms and rot, his gaze simply focused on the monster.
"Tell me everything that happened." He said. "How was my wish granted?"
"Would you like to make a wish to find out?"
"What?"
"I mean… I'm under no obligation to tell you the mechanism of my wish-granting abilities. All you need to know is that your wish came true… so unless you're willing to make another wish to find out everything, why should I tell you?"
"Tch." Alistair felt a little slighted, but he offered no response.
The demon was right.
'I indeed have no right to make demands from it. But this also means I can't rely on this thing for anything in the future. He will most likely not tell me what the undesirable consequence for my wish is, and like he said… he's just interested in spectating."
"Pfft! Don't worry… you'll soon find out everything, even if I don't tell you."
"What's that supposed to—?" Before Alistair could complete his sentence, he heard a loud knock on his door, causing his heart to jump instantly.
His frown quickly turned into a murderous glare, as he took a defensive position, with his eyes desperately searching around the room for any weapon he could use to protect himself. At that moment, the only thing that kicked in was his instinct to survive.
… And the possibility of death.
"Who's there?" He yelled, hurriedly grabbing the lamp on his bedside—the closest thing he could find resembling a weapon.
"Big bro, it's me!"
The voice that echoed from beyond the door caused his racing heart to rapidly recede in intensity, as his face quickly brightened up.
"Sunshine? Come in!" He quickly returned the lamp and laughed nervously. "Come in!"
The door flung open, and his younger sister, Sunshine, dashed in with a big smile on her child-like face. Her bright golden hair danced with the air, as her uniform fluttered while she made rapid strides towards her brother.
"Are you just waking up, big bro?" She beamed, her blue eyes shimmering brightly.
The sickly, tired face that Alistair remembered was no more. Her skin was glowing, her dirty hair now glimmered, and her overall appearance was immaculate. She looked like how a normal, comfortable 15-year-old girl would.
'So Sunshine is living with me, and I'm still her big brother…' He sighed in relief. 'My worst fears are over.'
"Also, I already told you to call me Sunny!" She sighed. "Sunshine feels like a mouthful."
A gentle smile formed on his face as he neared her and patted her head. "What about little sis? I think that sounds better."
"What? No! That's cringe!"
"No fair." He made a pouty face. "But you call me big bro!"
"T-that's different!" She quickly responded, her cheeks turning bright red as she stuttered, a little embarrassed by how her logic backfired.
"How is it different?" He continued to tease, laughing naturally… almost forgetting that a demon was standing a few meters away from the both of them.
'She can't see Amon…?' Not only was his sister completely oblivious to the presence of the monstrosity next to them, but she also didn't notice the black stain on the wall and floor, as well as the worms and rotten things that littered that corner of the room.
In her eyes, everything was perfectly normal.
"Do you smell anything strange, by the way?" He wanted to confirm this suspicion. 'If she can detect Amon in any way, even by smell… I need to know.'
"What? Y-you… are you saying I smell?" Sunny gasped, pulling back from Alistair. "Do I really?"
"No, no!" He raised his hands to frantically explain. "I'm saying… I smell. I just woke up, so I think I stink… you know?"
"Na! You're very hygienic, bro! You always wash your hands, take showers, and you're so obsessed with it—far more than me, even." She smirked, shaking her head vehemently.
"There's no way you smell."
"Oh, okay. Thanks…" It felt awkward getting such praise, but he took it anyway.
"Anyway, I don't want to be late for school. The driver is already waiting downstairs, but I told him I wanted to tell you goodbye first before I leave."
"Oh…" Alistair maintained his sweet smile as his eyes darkened. 'Driver? What driver?'
He recognized that they were rich somehow, thanks to the miraculous effect of his wish, but the only people he knew he could trust were himself and Sunny.
Whoever this driver was, Alistair was interested in seeing him.
'I already knew, based on her uniform, and the portrait I have of her on the wall, that she is currently going to school. Nothing strange about that, if we're this wealthy. The uniform looks like it belongs to one of those private schools for rich kids, so I already figured… but I still need to make sure.'
"Let me follow you downstairs, then." He beamed, and she agreed unsuspectingly.