The Name That Lived On

Tom looked away from his reflection in the glass. Other than the deceased Old Headmaster, would no one else ever like his appearance again?

Didn't people all like beautiful things? Why had his face brought him so much trouble instead?

"A demon... Perhaps I really am a demon, not the angel Old Headmaster always called me..."

What happened between Noma and Tom quickly spread throughout the orphanage. The children who had already disliked Tom became even more brazen in excluding and isolating him.

"Run! Demon Riddle is coming!"

"So scary! I heard that demon talking to snakes, hissing and hissing. There's definitely something wrong with him!"

"Stop talking, or the demon might set his sights on you~ Stay away from us. A freak like you deserves to be burned to death!"

As though he could not hear those malicious remarks, Tom, who believed he had grown up a little, kept telling himself that such words meant nothing to him. He had heard enough of them over the years; he should not feel sad or angry over them.

When he reached the place where Nagini had been buried, Tom sat on the grass. Before long, a group of little snakes gathered by his hand. He casually picked one up and poked its head. Did anything interesting happen today?

The little snake slithered down Tom's arm and back to the ground, then crawled into the grass. Using its tail to coil around a pencil, it placed it beside Tom's feet. This belongs to that annoying guy. I brought it for you...

Seeing their companion seeking credit, several little snakes placed the things they had brought beside Tom as well. This human cub was special. They could not disobey his words; the feeling was strange, as though obedience were an instinct carved into their souls.

Someone named Billy is planning to kill his pet to get you punished~

Is that so... Tom listened to the little snake's report and curled his lip indifferently. Over the years, they had never stopped trying to frame him. One moment they claimed he had stolen someone's toy, the next they said he had snatched someone's doll. He would never like that kind of filthy thing.

Everyone knew that perfectly well, but no one cared what the truth was. He had rarely attended meetings with prospective adopters lately, yet those losers still had not been chosen, had they?

Thinking about his abilities, Tom felt somewhat worried. At eight years old, he now understood many things he had not known before. He had heard there were hospitals outside that tied up strange people and treated them with electric shocks, turning them into so-called normal people.

And his abilities were clearly nowhere near normal. If others discovered them, he might be sent to such a place. That was far more frightening than being falsely accused by children.

Sigh... Tom sighed and held the cleverest little snake at his feet in his hands. Staring at its yellow snake eyes, he felt a little envious. Nagini, wouldn't it be wonderful if I were a snake too?

But I'm the one who envies you. Humans can do so many things. If we're discovered, our heads will definitely be chopped off...

Tom nodded and said nothing more as he set the little snake back on the ground. He had only said it casually. Over the past few years, the Nagini by his side had constantly changed. Though these little snakes could communicate with him, and many were quite clever, they were still too weak.

All that had continued was the name "Nagini"...

If only one day I could become strong. When that time comes, I definitely won't let anyone bully us...