Becoming the Villain’s Family - Chapter 353
Chapter 353
“Even if you say that, my appetite just keeps dwindling.”
Ugo shot back with a curt reply, but he couldn’t continue his thought.
His pale face was filled with tension.
It was only natural, given that his life had mostly revolved around minor challenges like ‘displaying social skills at gatherings.’
“It’s nothing major. Just stay still, and I’ll take care of everything for you.”
When Elaina attempted to comfort him, Ugo shot her a sharp look.
It seemed he was quite unhappy about relying entirely on her abilities for their plan.
With a frustrated expression, he spoke, ‘Next time, I’ll…’
Knock, knock-
But his words were interrupted by a knock at the door.
“Guide, the sun is setting.”
Elaina jumped up from her seat, trying to maintain a warm smile while forcing her lips to cooperate.
“Well then, let’s begin the ceremony.”
The villagers moved as if they had been waiting for her signal, promptly grabbing Ugo, who was pretending to be an oblivious child, and pulling him along.
The village chief stood before him and said.
“Listen well. While we brought you here as a sacrifice, it doesn’t mean we intend to kill you.”
Then, putting on a serious demeanor, he started to spin a tale.
“All you have to do is go to him and offer your prayers earnestly. If you successfully complete this ceremony, we’ll arrange a home for you in the village. You’ll be able to live in peace.”
“Is, is that really true?”
Ugo stammered, swallowing hard.
He looked genuinely nervous, like a child who wasn’t acting.
“Why would I lie to a kid like you? If you do well, great blessings will be bestowed upon the village.”
The chief spoke deceitfully, thinking of throwing the child to the wolves.
Elaina watched this farce with cold eyes.
Luca had lost consciousness in an instant, surprisingly.
It was the harsh touch that woke him up, shaking him mercilessly without any consideration.
As he opened his eyes, a chaotic scene whirled around him, making it hard to distinguish anything.
“Brother!”
The culprit was Austin.
“Brooothheerrr!”
“Atty, Brother’s awake now. Stop it.”
Luca managed to say in a hoarse voice.
“Okay.”
The child, who had been jumping on him without awareness, released him without a second thought.
Only after regaining his bearings could Luca finally place his hand on the round head above him.
At the same time, he noticed his arms, densely covered in gleaming black scales, were distinctly unlike human form.
‘Damn, I’ve reverted back.’
He cursed inside, realizing he had been lying there completely defenseless.
It was the first time he felt so pathetic in his life, especially since Elaina was born.
“Brother, snore.”
Austin lectured him while leaning on his waist, scolding him for falling asleep anywhere.
Luca realized he wasn’t speaking from his own thoughts, but was merely repeating what he’d heard from Aria.
He looked down at the chattering child with a complicated expression.
‘So this little guy was the one who woke me up like that on the day I returned to my true form.’
It wasn’t as if he had borrowed divine power; just how strong was this child?
Carefully avoiding his sharp claws, Luca gently ruffled the soft pink hair.
“Why are you doing better than me?”
“Atty doesn’t sleep.”
“Right, I’m glad you’re tough.”
He chuckled softly, lost in thought.
The immense power had forced him to lose consciousness, breaking the bond of the dragon’s consciousness.
This meant one of two things. Either a vastly superior dragon’s divine ability, or direct intervention from God.
Dragons were extinct, and God was supposed to be sleeping to recover the powers. Neither scenario made sense in a conventional way.
Yet what had happened was a fact. What clearer evidence could there be than his current wretched state?
It was certainly an omen of something unusual about to happen.
Luca carefully recalled the events leading up to being engulfed in that immense light.
Suddenly, he stopped breathing.
“Ella?”
He asked urgently.
Austin shook his head in response instead of answering.
He was too small and young to do more than shake Luca awake.
How could he know what had happened? Thus, the questions came pouring out.
“Where we? Mom? Dad? Sister?”
But Luca couldn’t answer any of those questions.
Had they been separated?
Though it felt like his mind was splintering, he bit his lip to suppress his agitation.
‘They must be safe. The tracking hasn’t been interrupted.’
Luca made a quick decision.
‘I need to move immediately.’
First, he checked that Austin was unharmed and then held him protectively, scanning their surroundings with caution.
Surprisingly, they had awakened in a narrow alleyway.
His last memory had been stopping at the seaside in front of a cave they had stumbled upon at a resort.
His head throbbed painfully, but he couldn’t afford to dwell on it.
‘I need to set coordinates right away…’
Luca instinctively tried to use his divine ability but hesitated.
‘What’s going on?’
The coordinates wouldn’t lock in immediately.
His ability, which had come as naturally as breathing, faltered, and he froze in confusion.
This wasn’t just a temporary phenomenon. He couldn’t pinpoint their exact location even after concentrating for some time.
He could sense that Elaina was somewhere on the same continent, but it felt like some immense force was blocking him, creating a communication error…
“…Atty. Let’s fly. Hold on tight.”
He abandoned the idea of moving normally and spread his wings.
He didn’t understand why his ability was suddenly blocked, but finding Elaina was the priority.
He could at least adjust his direction while in flight.
“Whoa, what’s that?!”
“It’s a dragon! A dragon has appeared!”