Escape The Villain Route (Isekai Book 1)

Out of sight, Out of mind

>> Natsu (Earth, Present time)

It was the weekend so I came back home for a visit. It had been a while since I came back so I was planning on staying for a while.

"Mom!" I shouted as I entered the house, "I'm home!" I took off my shoes and made my way to the lounge.

"Natsu!" I heard her voice from the kitchen, "You're home?"

"Yea!" I shouted back as I made my way to the stairs, "I'm hungry!"

"Lunch is almost ready!"

"Okay!" I replied, "I'm going to freshen up, then I'll come down!" I ran up to my room on the second floor and took a quick shower, dried up hair and wore some comfy clothes.

It felt nice being home but for some reason, it felt a little strange too. I looked at myself in the mirror and noticed something, I had a frown on my face. I shook my head and relaxed a little but for some reason, I couldn't

It also felt like there wasn't much noise in the house? Was it always this quiet? Well, I am an only child, how much noise would one kid make?

I came out of my room ready to go down when the door at the end of the hallway caught my attention. Looking at it made me feel weird. It was a troubled feeling, like there was supposed to be something there. It made my heart hurt.

I walked to it and opened the door, only to find an empty room.
It feels so eerie. Looking at the completely empty yet clean room made my skin stand up for some reason.

Was this room always empty? I shook my head. Of course it was. I looked at it again. There was nothing in the room. Absolutely nothing but still looking at it made my heart feel weird. Like I was missing something.

Like something important was taken from me. I placed my hand on my chest. Something felt wrong, almost spectral.

"Natsu?" My mom called me and I turned my head to look at her, "What are you doing?"

A tear suddenly slipped down my cheek, "Mom," My voice cracked a little and I was suddenly feeling emotional, "Has this room always been empty?" The window was open in that room and the wind blew the single white curtain that hung in front of it.

It made it feel more uncanny. The room itself looked so alone. Like it was abandoned.

Mom got worried and walked over to me, "My baby," she hugged me for a second, then broke the embrace and looked at the room, "Looking at the room makes you weirdly emotional doesn't it?"

I nodded my head as I felt like crying like crazy. I looked into my mother's eyes and I could see her tearing up as well, "What's wrong with us?" I looked at the room, "It's always been like this, so why am I feeling like this now?"

Mom sniffled, "I don't know." A tear slipped down her face, "It would have been your sister's room." We looked at each other, a pained expression on both of our faces, "But she didn't get to see a second of this world."

"I know," I replied, "You told me she died at birth." I looked at the room again, "By why?" I sniffled trying to hold my tears back, "Why do I feel like I'm missing something?" Another tear escaped through and fell down.

I felt desolated, there was hole in my heart, an unexplained emptiness. Something was gnawing at my feelings.

My mom sighed and grabbed the door handle,"I don't know." She closed the door, "I really don't know." We stared at the closed door, which for some reason looked like it was being deserted.

"I can't take my eyes off of it." I whispered, "I can't..." It was like something was trying to tell me something.

My mom grabbed my hand, "Your father has been saying the same thing too." She looked depressed, "And you know what?" She looked at me, "Let's just cover the door up." She pointed at the big wooden shelf, "Grab that and put that in front of this door."

I was hesitant but mom walked to grab the shelf first and I had to help her. We placed the thing in front of the room, completely covering it up.
It felt odd.

It was as if we were pushing something away. Something dear. It was hurting me. More than anything has ever hurt me.
As I looked at it, a stream of tears rolled down my cheeks without any explanation.

Huh?
Why am I crying like this?

I began to wipe my tears but they wouldn't stop. They just kept coming out.

My mother looked at me and started crying too. Unsure of what was happening to us, I looked at mom. I was looking for help.

I just couldn't stop these tears and she just grabbed my hand and took me down stairs.

It calmed us both a little and the crying stopped but my heart still hurt. We both washed our faces in the kitchen sink and then she turned to look at me, "Natsu," She gulped, "Your father and I are thinking of leaving this house."

"What?" I looked at her in disbelief, "But, we grew up in this house." I paused, "I mean, I grew up here..." I suddenly felt so lost.

"Someone said the house might be haunted." She looked at me, "We're all being very emotional nowadays."

"Haunted?"

"The shaman told me it can happen, especially if there is a room in the house that's left empty for far too long."

"..."

"And so we decided it was better to move and we thought we'd buy a house near your college."

"But-" I looked towards the stairs, at the door which I could no longer see but still felt its presence there.

"Don't worry," She grabbed my hands, "Out of sight, out of mind."

She then pulled me along with her and we went to eat.

I kept thinking about it as I ate and it kept bothering me but I had no answer to any of my questions.
Except that maybe, that room might really be haunted... For some reason, it felt like it wasn't the right answer but I had no other answer.

I kept eating quietly.
Right
Maybe this is better. It might really be haunted. Why else would I just want to start crying out of nowhere?

Right, I nodded to myself.

Out of sight.
Out of mind.

***

>>Leroy (Present Maximilian Empire)

"She hasn't come out of her room yet?" Enri and Leonidas stood outside her bedroom in concern. Even Kaan was there but no one knew what had happened.

"No," Leon answered.

"It's been like this ever since she talked to the Oracle." Enri clicked his tongue, "I don't know what she said to her but it must have been bad for her to lock herself up in her room."

"Did you hear anything at all?" I asked.

"No," Enri answered, "The Oracle said a name," He looked at us all, "Elayne Heart," He waited for a response from us but it seems none of us know of that name, "She snapped after that and told everyone to leave." He sighed, "And now here we are."

Elayne Heart?
I had never heard of the name before. It didn't belong to anyone I or Sorin knew, in fact, it didn't belong to any of the nobles or their kids either... Was there something Sorin knew, and I didn't?

I nodded, "Well," I sighed, "You all should go to your rooms." I began to walk away, "I'll handle this."

"How?" Kaan asked.

"That's my job." I said, "I'll see it done."