《[What If] ▪ To Love Ru [Dropped]》


 [V1] - C.0 : Prologue (Reboot)

    They say there is a fine line between bravery and stupidity. As I stand here, alone in this place where nothingness reigns over everything, staring at the dimensional crack before me, I realize I will soon cross that very line, to a point of no return.


    It is common knowledge that these cracks in space are like lottery tickets. If you''re lucky, you will obtain unimaginable wealth, enough for you to live a life even the richest man alive would be jealous of. If you''re unlucky, however, you''ll certainly die a horrible death, probably eaten alive by creatures you''ve always thought could only exist in your worst nightmare.


    Ordinary people would never think of exploring these dimensional cracks, fortunately, I''m no ordinary people. My name is Rainer Reinhardt, and I''m dead. Yes, you heard that right, I''m dead. I was well over one-hundreds years old when I chose to die. Sounds crazy? Probably because it is. But it is already far too late to go back. The only way left for me now is forward.


    As time passes by, the crack also grows smaller little by little. Knowing this might be my last chance for salvation, I can''t help but feel calm about the whole thing. I''m the strongest devilukean to ever exist, and I''ll fight until I breathe my last, even in the face of the mortal danger that awaits me, even against these impossible odds, even when there is no hope of victory, I''ll not allow myself to give up. I can''t.


    Smilling confidently, I head straight for the crack. For all I know, there could be a monstrous demon behind that beautiful curtain of purple light, but at the moment I couldn''t care less about that. If I die, then so be it. As the saying goes, we only regret the chances we didn''t take. With this, at least I can proudly say I''ve done my very best.


    As my hands touch the seemingly harmless light, I feel a slight resistance before a huge suction force drags me into the center of the crack. Violent energy sweeps through me, attempting to rip my soul apart. I feel like a kid in the midst of a storm, the pain is almost unbearable.


    Yet despite all this, I hold on, gritting my teeth to endure. Fortunately, this is just my soul, if it was my physical body instead, my whole jaw would have broken off.


    "I''ve got to hold on!!!" I roar, trying hard to keep my composure, but the tremor in my voice betrays me. For the first time in my long life, I feel true despair. To make things worse, the energy, as if possessing a consciousness of its own, becomes even more chaotic hearing my voice. This goes on for awhile.


    Everytime I thought I could finally hold my ground against it, the energy would immediately go on to prove me wrong by increasing the pressure several folds, taunting me, telling me that my efforts are in vain. This process repeats again and again dozens of times. Until I can feel my eyelids grow heavier by the second. Then suddenly, a fragment of condensed energy, like a hot knife through butter, pierces straight through my left eye. Too tired to even move, I can only helplessly look on.


    "A-at least I tri--" Before I could finish, darkness embraces me as I fall into deep slumber. So, I guess this it then...


    Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    ???????


    Pacing outside the birthing room, I impatiently bite my fingernails. It doesn''t take a genius to see I''m stressing out. But could anyone blame me? My wife is in there, screaming her lungs out while I can only stay here and helplessly listen.


    Her painful voice is like knives penetrating my skin, I feel so powerless that it causes me to wonder, just what is the point of me coming here for? I should be in there, she needs me and God knows I would trade anything just to hold her hands right now.


    My more emotional part tells me to ignore the doctor warnings and just rush directly inside to see if she is alright or not, but somewhere deep in my mind, I know doing that would only make this that much harder for them.


    Time trickles away slowly, only one hour has passed, yet it felt like eternity for me. Frustrated, I ruffle my hair, turning it into an even bigger mess than it already is. My red headband, which says ''Big Haul'' got loosenedand fell off, but at time like this, I could hardly care for it.


    Only when others start pointing fingers at me, did I finally realize I must look like an absolute nutcase right now. Unlike my usual appearance, my clothes are all messed up. Although my outfit is nothing special, just a cheap blue shirt and brown cargo pant, I always try to keep it as neat and clean as possible. It''s a matter of principal.


    Ignoring the stares, I temporarily force my mind off of the painful screams issued by my wife and sit down on one of those uncomfortably cold hospital chair. The coolness doesn''t help much, if anything, it only makes me more anxious. Other than that, I also have the urge to punch whoever it was that designed this chair in the face.


    Me sitting down doesn''t last long, however, as my patient is gradually running out, and I try to look through the glass panel, but the sudden lack of noises inside causes my blood to grow cold, and for a brief moment, I fear for the worst ~ That wasn''t it. Out of their mother womb, the baby lets out loud cries, making me fall flat on my butt. I, now reassured, can''t help but breathe a sigh of relief.


    "Thank God nothing bad happened to them..."


    Before long, the doctor comes out with a happy smile plastered on her face and tells me the good news, a moment I promise to never forget in this entire lifetime.


    "Congratulations Saibai-san, you''re a father. It''s a boy."


    Like a bomb has just been detonated nearby, I break into a run, using a speed that I never knew I had. Soon, the sight of my wife holding our son enters my eyes, and I, without any care in the world, immediately pull them both in a warm embrace. All those anxiety and nervousness come crashing down on me at once, and one by one, tears of joy slowly roll down my cheeks.


    ???????


    "So, have you thought of a name for him ?" The doctor asks. Me and my wife look at each other.


    "Yes, yes we have." I answer


    "It''s Rito, we''ll name him Yuuki Rito." My wife continues. It''s not a great name by any mean, but it is the first name we both agree on.


    Yes, he is my, Yuuki Saibai and my wife, Yuuki Ringo''s son. From now on, he''ll be known as Yuuki Rito.

 [V1] - C.1 : Memories (Reboot)

    The beginning of Rito''s new life involves a busy intersection, a speeding truck, memories and lots and lots of pain. It all happens so fast, in the blink of an eye. And before Rito knows it, he is already there, lying on the street with blood pouring down his head. His body, which has been twisted in an incomprehensible way aches every now and then, causing him to grimace in pain.


    Yet despite all this, he seems oddly calm. Almost as if he''s just another bystander watching the show unfold. Truth is, Rito''s brain has gone into complete overdrive, trying its best to understand those foreign memories constantly invading his mind without break like raging water from a broken dam. Due to this, the pain he feels has also been lowered by many folds as his brain has no time to register it.


    The whole process takes but a few seconds, maybe even less before all of his senses gradually grow duller, then, as expected, he blacks out. The last thing to enter his vision is his mother''s distraught and tears stained face. Soon, Rito falls into a deep slumber, embraced by the cold darkness as faint cries echo in his ears.


    ???????


    In the midst of a war-torn zone, stood a young boy, probably no more than ten years old. He had ashen blonde hair, and a beautiful, yet hollow pair of golden colored eyes. He would''ve been a handsome young lad, had it not for the blood that covered his face and the mountain of mutilated corpses surrounding him. Together, it was a scene that could be described as straight out from Hell, capable of giving others nightmares.


    There was also another distinguish characteristic about him. His slick, trident-shaped black tail, which was holding the neck of a man in heavy armor, then with a slight squeeze, it easily twisted his neck as the light in his eyes slowly dimmed. Done, the boy walked away, leaving the scene. He found no reason to stay now that he had finished doing what he came here to do.


    ???????


    Rito opens his eyes tiredly, only to be greeted by a desolate room and a bunch of hospital equipments attached to his small body. It would be a lie to say he is not disappointed, he had expected his parents to be by his side, but after giving it some thoughts, Rito doesn''t blame his parents in the slightest. The doctors probably didn''t let them in so he could rest since it is already a godsent miracle that he survived such an accident.


    Feeling relieved that he is still alive, Rito lets out a sigh, just to realize the big plastic pipe, also known as breathing tube shoved down his throat. Startled, he instinctively tries to get it out, his arms, however, feel like they are being crushed by a thousands tons boulder. Even lifting a finger proves to be a challenge for him. This situation renders Rito helpless as he could only wait for others to notice him.


    Gazing at the beautiful night sky distractedly, Rito bites down on his lip, trying to endure the pain that has been tormenting him ever since the accident as stream of extremely detailed memories continues to pour steadily into his brain. Strands of dark brown hair fall down, covering his eyes, hiding away the complicated expression that does not fit that of a child in his stare.


    If he had to, Rito would probably describe this as a weird feeling. Almost like he is watching a high quality movie while also experiencing the feelings, the thoughts and that agonizing pain the main character goes through. After awhile, his human body could no longer take it and he succumbs himself to the pain, being forcefully brought into a coma once more.


    ???????


    The man stared emotionlessly at his disciple, a boy with spiky black hair, crimson red eyes, and a very similar tail to his own. He gestured for the boy to continue, fully expecting the boy to give up, but contrary to his expectations, the young boy gritted his teeth as he charged forth... Only to have his attacks dodged by the man before falling down, seemingly out cold from exhaustion.


    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    Shaking his head, the man threw his disciple on his shoulder, carrying him like a sack of potatoes, yet written on his face were admiration and affection of a father to his son. He of courseknew that the boy wasn''t really his, but ever since the day he decided to teach the boy, he had already treated him as one of his own, not to mention they both had a similar tail that only those who were destined to become one above all others would have.


    After putting his disciple on a beatifully-made silk bed in the palace, his hand glowed a faint dark purple light, created from pure, untainted energy drawn from the depth of his being, this tyrannical energy then slowly started to slip inside the exhausted young boy, gently mending his torn muscles.


    "Sleep well, kid." Said the man before turning away, his lips slightly curved upward.


    ???????


    Outside the emergency room, Ringo is standing in the corner, worries evident on her face. She can''t understand it, the doctors clearly said her son was gradually stabilizing yesterday, so how did it come to this? Aside from this, she also blames herself for not paying attention to him, if she had been a better mother, none of this would''ve happened.


    Pushing these negative thoughts to the back of her mind, Ringo steels herself. She can''t break down here, not now, not when her son is experiencing God knows what. Instead of making it that much harder for them, she should pray for him. Thus, she sits down obediently, waiting for the results.


    Soon, her husband, Saibai also comes soaked in sweat, bursting through the hospital door. The poor man had run all the way here because he didn''t want to wait for a taxi, he too was very worried. Not that anyone would ever blame him, it''s his son after all.


    Ignoring his wife, Saibai stares intensely at the emergency room. Their relationship has been quite rocky since the accident, they are drifting apart and they know it. It is mostly due to Saibai, but it is understandable, everytime he sees Ringo, he remembers the day he received news about his son, and it pains him greatly, almost as if a knife had stabbed through his heart.


    Hours later, the same doctor who helped Ringo gave birth comes out, her face a bit paler than normal.


    "Saibai-san, Ringo-san. I have good and bad news, which one do you want to hear first." She says, lookinh between the two.


    "Good one first, please." Ringo quickly answers.


    "The good news is that not only has your son stabilized, he''s also recovering with an inhuman speed, and he should wake up soon. The bad news is we still can''t find out why he has gone into a coma, my guess is due to shock or residual after-effects from the accident, but we won''t know for sure until we check it." The doctor adds.


    Hearing that Rito is safe, both Saibai and Ringo breathe out in relief. They quickly ask the doctor to do a detailed test, which the doctor happily agrees to, before going home. During this, Rito has long woken up, his aura completely changed compared to the old him. He closes his eyes, concentrating hard on that familiar, yet also unfamiliar feeling.


    Contrary to his expectations, he doesn''t need to wait long before he feels great power coursing through his arms. It soon reaches his fingers and flares up, destroying most of the machines in the room. Even the light bulbs explode, broken into countless pieces. Yet despite this powerful demonstration, Rito doesn''t feel sastified at all as he furrows his brows in annoyance.


    He couldn''t help but think the human body is truly frail in comparison to a devilukean. If he wants to become as strong as he once was, he''ll have to cultivate not just magic, but also Ki. And where could he find these two in a universe filled with an entirely different energy substance? Just Mana is already hard enough.

 [V1] - C.2 : Any Means Necessary (Reboot)

    One of the most magical moment in a day is no doubt, sunset. The time when the sun goes down in the horizon ~ a place where Heaven touches the earth ~ as it willfully surrendering its place for the starry night to come.


    And even then, it still doesn''t forget to remind us of its beauty and magnificence by creating a view so pretty, the strongest of words are not nearly enough to describe.


    As Rito sits cross-legged in his room, which is warmly lit, watching the sun drowning itself in the endless horizon. Lost in the beauty of nature, his lips bear something resembling a soft, peaceful smile, something he never thought he was capable of even after a hundred years of living.


    His face, now aglow, bathes in the last of those magical orange rays that brought life to the Earth, while he enjoys this miracle given to us by the universe, a miracle that most are either too stupid, or too busy going on with their lives to notice, a miracle he has never experienced until now.


    It lasts for awhile, enough for Rito to feel sastified before twilight starts to beckon the stars. Looking over his shoulder, he sees his shadow slowly shrinking, and once again realizes he is not as big as he thought himself to be.


    He is just that, a grain of sand in this boundless space, but at the very least, he is no longer alone, not anymore.


    He has a family now, and although it is having some issues, mostly his parents fighting, he''ll fix it slowly, using any mean necessary. Beside, he is confident he can do it, this all started because of him after all. And as the saying goes, the sun always shines after a storm. He believes they will be even closer when this is all over.


    "Rito, dinner is ready." His mother''s voice, which he has long been familiar with calls out for him from downstairs.


    Rito once told her she didn''t need to call him everytime, especially when the annoyingly good smell of food has already invaded his room, but she refused, saying it is her duty as his mother. Knowing she only wants what is good for him, Rito could only helplessly comply to her wishes.


    Not to mention, this is also partly his fault. There was this one time he forgot to eat his dinner, which was about ten days ago, when he had just been discharged from the hospital, and all Hell broke loose after that. Since then, she always calls him for dinner. Sometimes, she even feeds him herself, causing him to feel very embarrassed. It sucks to be a toddler.


    "I''m coming, give me a second." He replies in a childish voice before running off into the bathroom.


    Splashing some cold water on his face, Rito lifts his head up, and standing there in the mirror, looking right back at him is a young, probably two to three years old child.


    He grins at the reflection, which holds the image of a handsome young boy with rich brown hair and mismatched colored eyes. Left and right, purple and golden, one is the color of royalty while the other represents wealth and riches.


    Others often find his eyes to be weird, some think it is a sign of his uniqueness, that it signifies his supposedly great future, a minority of people, also known as religious fanatics say he is cursed by the gods. And even after years of research, doctors have yet to find out the reason for this.


    Only Rito himself knows the truth, the real reason why his left eye is of a different color. It is not because he is unique or in anyway, cursed. It is because he was stabbed in this eye by an energy fragment when he passed through universes in his soul form.


    Stolen story; please report.


    And while a great amount of people may not know this, truth is the soul has a significant effect on creating the physical body. When someone experiences something shocking, they have a one percent chance of engraving it on their soul, and in their next life, this mark will help shaping their body while they were still in their mother''s womb.


    Some may get a birthmark, some that are unluckier may be born crippled. In Rito''s case, he was born with a mismatched pair of eyes. Not that it matters to him, he even finds it kind of cool. And although he hasn''tfound it yet, Rito believes his left eye must have some sort of power considering its unusual origin.


    "It could''ve been worse." He says, chuckling at his own reflection, which seems both familiar, yet also unfamiliar at the same time. It could''ve been worse, indeed, he could''ve been born blind.


    Eventually in the end, others get used to seeing his eyes. And no one gives it any thought anymore. But there will always be those people who don''t know about this, thus to avoid others pointing fingers, Rito always wears a black eyepatch whenever and wherever he goes out.


    Satisfied with his looks, Rito strides in large steps, skipping through the stairs. As he lands, he sees a woman, not overly beatiful like those models, but very pleasing to the eyes.


    She has curved orange hair and yellow eyes. In spite of her perfect vision, she still wears glasses. Apparently, this is some kind of trend lately. Who could this be other than his mother, Yuuki Ringo, who is studying to become a designer.


    He doesn''t know the details, but according to his father, becoming a designer has always been her life-long dream since young.


    He also can''t help but notice her belly, which has swollen up a lot compared to a few months ago. After the accident, his parents haven''t touched each other, and her belly looks at least several months old so this baby must have been conceived long before that.


    Most children would normally feel anxious, thinking their parents would no longer love them anymore, yet Rito is excited instead. It can''t be helped, he had lived through his past life immersed in loneliness, how can he not be happy now that he is about to get his first ever sibling?


    As he flies into the dreamland, a cough quickly drags him back to reality. And right there, towering over him is his mother, she is standing, hands on her hip as she stares angrily at Rito, seemingly about to spew fire from her eyes.


    "R.I.T.O! What did I tell you about skipping stairs! It is not safe, what if you get hurt?!" Says Ringo, snarling like a startled beast, yet worries are visibly written on her face. An average child wouldn''t be able to see this, but fortunately, Rito is no normal child.


    He quickly apologizes and swears he''ll never do again. Only then did Ringo finally let him go. Due to his child appearance, it takes quite some time for Rito to climb on his seat, which is almost as high as him.


    His father, Yuuki Saibai who he could only describe as weird offers him help, but he swiftly refuses. Acting like a child has already thoroughly damaged his pride enough, Rito would rather die than letting someone help him get on a two feet tall chair.


    Soon, his mother brings out the food, and the little family of three starts to eat in silence. Ignoring the intense atmostphere and awkwardness that reign over their dinning room.

 [V1] - C.3 : Any Means Necessary? (Reboot)

    The being glanced at the destruction around him, then with a flick of his sword, the once haughty young God got reduced to nothingness, his power destroyed, body torn to shreds, the only remaining proof of his existence, his soul, like the rest, did not manage to avoid its fate of getting crushed to smithereens. And just like that, the God of War was no more.


    Witnessing such monstrous power, the battlefield grew deadly silent, from demons to gods, all eyes concentrated on the being. Some looked at him in admiration, some stared silently while others glared at the being with undisguised bloodlust, yet behind it, fear was clearly visible.


    As for the being in question himself, he continued to watch the last bit of soul particles disperse before his eyes, seemingly undisturbed by the gazes others gave him. Then, just as his blood red cape got blown back by the wind, the being muttered under his breath.


    "Absolute Nothingness."


    Despite the screams of mortals, the shaking of the Heaven and the rumbling of the Earth, not a single person on that battlefield missed what he said. Allies cheered loudly for the being while his enemies ran for their lives. This soon changed, however, as they all realized something was wrong.


    Not long after, space around the being started to distort. The small blue cube he clutched tightly in his left hand shook, accompanying it was a large shock wave so strong, it ripped apart reality itself.


    ???????


    Rito wakes up drenched in sweat. Such power is unimaginable even for him. At his peak, he could at most take down two to three patron gods depending on the situation and environmemt. That just now wasn''t a fight, it was a complete massacre! A being of that caliber could easily squeeze the old him to death without lifting a finger.


    Yet this only creates more questions for him. Who is that man? What does he want? Why does he appear in his dreams? Rito''s curiosity is piqued, but he knows it''d be pointless even if he somehow managed to meet that man, which considering his current strength, he seriously doubts will happen anytime soon.


    So far, his progress on Ki has been decent. It''d be quite slow if compared to others youngster of that universe, but Ki at its core is essentially a type of energy created when the body moves so he reckons basic body exercises should work. And it indeed works, even better than expected.


    Despite the slow speed, his Ki is more robust than ever before. It''s also much easier to circulate it. As Rainer, his power leaned more towards the magic side, but that doesn''t mean he is clueless about Ki. And according to his knowledge, a new martial artist definitely shouldn''t have this kind of power.


    That said, this way of practicing is hundreds times slower than simply absorbing Ki by mediation. It''s also very tiresome and one must be incredibly hard-working to see any real result, it''s no wonder no one used this method. To be honest, Rito himself also hates this method, it''s too troublesome yet lacks noticeable results. But as the saying goes, beggar couldn''t be chooser.


    As for Mana, so far, he hasn''t had much luck finding it. Part of this is because he has been grounded. Ever since the accident, his parents act like he''s made out of glass, they dare not let him go outside for fear he would get hurt. At the same time, he also hasn''t been able to fix the relationship between his parents.


    But all that is about to change. Rito chuckles creepily, a mischievous light shines in his beautiful eyes. He pulls up a black mask made out of worn old cloth to his face and sneaks out, running agilely like an elf through the dark hallway that would normally give children nightmares at night, in less than a minute, he reaches his destination.


    Then slowly, but surely, he turns towards the camera, his eyes look straight at the readers and says as his mouth curves up into a meaningful smile.


    "Kids, never go to your parents'' bedroom at night if you don''t want to get traumatized."


    Finished, he carefully turns the door knob as to not wake up his sleeping parents. There, on the bed lay two figures. Occupyingthe left side and most of the bedsheet is unmistakably his biological mother, Yuuki Ringo. On her right is no doubt his father, Yuuki Saibai. Both are sound asleep.


    After making sure they''re still sleeping, Rito goes down stairs. It is very dark but not enough to stop his Ki-enhanced vision. He continues to the kitchen, taking out two home-made portions of food. Returning to their room, he puts down the meals, sprinkles some suspicious looking powder into his father''s water and backs off, closing the door behind him.


    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    ???????


    That morning, Saibai wakes up feeling very tired. As usual, he reaches out for his water to refresh himself then starts preparing for work. He is a mangaka so realistically, he shouldn''t need to go anywhere, even new chapters for his mangas could be sent to the company using either printer or email.


    In spite of this, he still rents a small apartment nearby, his reason is he couldn''t concentrate around other people, but both him and his wife know this is just an excuse. Their relationship has been quite rocky for the last few months, and now that the anger of almost losing his first born has subsided, he desperately wants to fix it, but him being the crude man he is, Saibai doesn''t know how.


    Sighing out loud, he takes off after putting on his favorite outfit. A dark blue shirt, cargo pants and his red headband which says ''Big Haul''. Some people call him weird for always wearing the same headband, what they don''t know is that this is how his teacher used to look everytime he met him.


    Although the old man has been dead for a long time now, Saibai deeply respects his teacher and wears this to honor him. It''s his own way of saying thank you. Well, it''s not like he needs to explain himself to anyone. The only person he has told this to is his wife, who he has a very affection relationship... Who he HAD a very affection relationship.


    Only after trying to open the door knob did Saibai realize the door wasn''t budging at all, but that wasn''t all, his body was also burning up to the point he wanted to rip off his clothes. Moments later, his wife sits up, rubbing her eyes sleepily. Her cute gesture is the final straw for him...


    ???????


    Rito who has been exercising in his room smiles when he hears his parents going at it.


    "If they''re trying to keep it down, then they''re certainly not doing a good job at it." He chuckles to himself.


    His plan is quite simple, lock them up and let them sort it out together. The real problem is his father, the guy is as dense as a log. His solution for that is love potion, in this form, no matter where he goes he wouldn''t be able to buy such a thing and even if he can, he doesn''t have any money anyway. So he personally made one.


    It really wasn''t that hard, though it did cost him a few sleepless nights sneaking onto the mountain. Near their city is a forest mountain, it isn''t that big and has nothing valuable, at least in others'' eyes so it''s relatively deserted. It''s also the place where many couple go to... As for what they do there, I don''t think I need to explain.


    It took Rito appropriately a week to collect all the ingredients. Individually, these plants are quite useless, even after they''ve been proceeded and turned into medicine, it still has very weak effect, but with a bit of Ki poured in and KABOOM! You''ve got yourself a home-made family-friendly love potion!


    At first, he wanted to make something more effective, however, as a battle-crazed, his alchemy is bad. That low-grade love potion he made was so badly done that had an alchemist been there, they would''ve had an irresistible urge to punch him in his perfect teeth.


    Though if his father is already like this after using a small portion of that low-grade love potion, he wonder what would happen if it was something more potent. When he actually thinks about, Rito scraps the idea, he''s afraid they would die in the midst of doing it.


    Most love potions consume a lot of calories, there have been several cases where the user overdosed and died as a dried up corpse, otherwise he wouldn''t have prepared food for them.


    When this is all over, he doubts they would be able to continue ignoring their feelings. They ought to have the talk that they so desperately avoided. He could only do that much, the rest is depended on them. Still, if he had to, Rito would say he himself is pretty nervous about it.


    Although the chance of them breaking up completely is near zerohe couldn''t help but think ''What If?''. To take his mind off the matter, he has no other choice than to train. Thus begins his longest training up to date.

 [V1] - C.4 (P1) : To Kindergarten And Beyond!

    The being trod through the blank space that was once a battlefield as reality itself was trying to patch up the cracks in space and time created by the combined attack of Absolute Nothingness and the Pandora Box. Everywhere he went, destruction followed, ripples of energy leaking out from his worn out body tore open those cracks before they even got the chance to repair themselves.


    Despite all this, he didn''t stop, he didn''t even spare them a glance. He was almost there, the one who had taken everything away from him was finally within his reach. All that stood before him and his long awaited vengeance was a gate, seemingly made out of pure mithril at first glance, but the being knew what it truly was, he knew its true worth. That didn''t stop him from destroying it however.


    ???????


    Feeling embarrassed, Rito covers his face as he walks alongside his parents. If you pay enough attention, you''ll realize he is actually standing as far away from them as he possibly can. Alas, the supermarket near their house isn''t all that big so the distance between the three is relatively small coupled with the fact that he''s always following them makes pretending to be strangers not an option.


    While it is true that he wanted to mend their relationship, this romantic atmosphere and the judging gazes of others are killing him. With every step, his face continues to darken, part of him feels relieved that his plan was a success and they didn''t break up, the other part just wants to kill itself out of shame.


    "What''s the matter, son? You look upset." Asks the Saibai, who Rito has recently been calling ''Dense Idiot'' secretly in his head.


    For a moment there, Rito thought he would flip out. It takes him everything he''s got to contain his anger and shame. His eyes, which hold no emotion whatsoever bore deep into the young couple, making them flinch instinctively.


    "Can we go home now?" He asks, his voice sounds unusually cheerful despite his expressionless face, completely ignores his father question from before. Such a sight is truly terrifying indeed. That night when they got home, a comical sight unfolded in the Yuuki''s resident as the young couple got reprimanded by their barely four years old child about manner. After all, manner maketh man.


    ???????


    Time flies by quickly and soon enough, it''s time for Rito to attend kindergarten. While he himself opposes the idea intensely, mostly because he doesn''t like the idea of hanging out with a bunch of snotty brats, his parents are weirdly forceful about this. They say he has been hiding in the house long enough and it''s time for him to experience new things and make new friends.


    ''I wonder whose fault it was...'' Thinks Rito as he clicks his tongue.


    Eventually, he gives in to their desire. This would give him more time to explore the outside world while also makes his parents happy, it''s a win-win situation no matter how you look at it. Beside, the students are all simple-minded children so how bad could it get?


    "Do you remember what you need to do? Go to school, listen to your teacher and--"


    "And get back home as soon as I''m allowed to. I get it! You''ve told me this dozens of times already!" Rito says, interrupting his mother before she could start lecturing him for another hour.


    This brings forth a pout from Ringo, she wants to care for her child, but he''s way too smart and mature, lately he even cooks for the family when she''s busy with her work as a fashion designer.


    At first he was very bad at it, the food he cooked, just from its appearance alone could barely be called food. Sometime he even got confused between sugar and salt which made the whole family fall sick that day.


    But that''s only at the beginning though. Starting from that day, as if feeling his pride has been damaged somehow, Rito focuses on learning how to cook and eventually surpasses Ringo herself. This causes her to feel depressed for several days, only returning to normal after successfully forcing out an ''I love you, mom'' from her adorable son.


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    Remembering it brings a smile to her face. She kisses him on the cheek and watches him panick for a slight moment, the smug smile he has been keeping up for years slips off,revealing a flustered expression beffiting a child.


    One of the few things she has learnt about her son througout the years is that he''s really weak to affectionate actions. When facing such a thing, he''d always end up embarrassed, not knowing how to proceed or what to say.


    While teasing him a bit more would be fun, Ringo doesn''t want her son to be late the first day to school so she takes it upon herself to repair things before he gets upset. Looking at her son who has been standing there, rooted in place, she caresses his head.


    "Go Rito, make mom and dad proud."


    After receiving a nod from him, she''s sastified. Yet oddly enough, he doesn''t leave for school and instead gives her a kiss to the cheek in return. He also kisses her swollen stomach, saying. "That''s for my little baby sister." Before running off. For awhile, Ringo just stands there, at lost for words.


    ???????


    Ashamed, Rito grabs his bag and runs off. He doesn''t know if that is a good move or not. Knowing his mother''s personality, she''d definitely not let this go easily. To be honest, he didn''t think much when he did it, now that he has the time, he is seriously regretting his desicion.


    Just as he runs past the temple near his house, still deep in thoughts, he feels a slight pain in his left eye, slowly the pain becomes more intense, almost as if he was back into the energy storm that sent him here.


    The more he tries to move away from the temple, the heavier his body feels. Knowing there wouldn''t be a way out of this no matter what, Rito goes with the flow, letting the energy lead him.


    When he arrives at the inner part of the temple, he sees something he didn''t expect... He sees a dimensional crack. One much larger than the one that brought him into this world.


    There it stands, glowing beautifully. As if possessing a will of its own, the purple colored light curtain dances excitedly in his presence. Rito also feels his left eye reacts to the crack. With a stomach full of doubts, he jumps into the crack, knowing full-well it could lead to his death.


    "Oh well... My eye wouldn''t let me leave anyway."


    ???????


    A few hours later, when afternoon starts approaching, emerges from the crack is no doubt Rito. This time, his presence seems to have changed completely, his eyes shine in the dark temple while his body has grown at least two inchesvin height. The clothes his parents had just bought him a few weeks ago already feel stuffy from his point of view.


    He pays it no mind however as he''s reminded of his first day to kindergarten after seeing his backpack.


    "I''m so fucked..." He says in a small voice, wondering what his parents would do to him when he returns home. Surely they won''t kill their only son, right?


    Thinking ''til that, he begins to head home, but when he comes near the house that used to seem so safe yet now feels like a execution block, Rito unconsciously diverts his path, walking aimlessly on the street.


    After awhile, even he doesn''t where he is anymore. That''s when a faint cry for help lands on his sensitive ears, which have been enhanced many times by Ki.


    Normally, he''d ignore such a thing, but this voice seems young, probably no more than four to five years old. Back in his past life, Rito didn''t have a good childhood, he was an orphan that lived off of the meager amount of money he made by either stealing or robbing from other kids like him... Until he got captured bythem.


    Maybe it''s because of his trauma, or his hatred for people who abuse the weaks, hell! It might be because he feels a certain familiarity to this cry, a cry that''s very much like his own, the only difference between the two is that no one had answered his plea back then. And just like that, without an ounce of hesitation, Rito runs towards the cry.

 [V1] - C.4 (P2) : Inside The Dimensional Crack

    Behind the beautiful light hides a space much like the one Rito once escaped from. There, no sound could be heard, no object is to be seen, only completely nothingness ~ A sight feared by many, perharps even more so than death. Though to Rito, this is practically Heaven.


    His dried up Mana veins jump in excitement as the foreign energy approaches it. Unfortunately, his happiness doesn''t last long, however, as it is quickly replaced by disappointment when he finds out the identity of this energy, Qi, a combination of Mana and Ki yet is somehow inferior to both.


    "Oh well, you know what they say. Beggar couldn''t be chooser. Qi is fine I suppose, there are no life threatening dangers nearby anway." Sighing, Rito says to himself as he sits cross-legged, his body floating in the dark space.


    Cultivating Qi would undoubtedly ruin all of his plans as it has many restrictions, a flawed energy mostly practiced by jacks-of-all-trades, masters-of-none, but there''s no other choice left. Building up Ki by doing bodily exercises is too slow for him to endure, if things continue like this, he might never reach the first circle of Ki.


    ''As for Mana...'' He thinks, a bitter smile creeps its way on his face. Shaking the thoughts out of his mind, Rito closes his eyes and starts to concentrate, slowly slipping into what people from the other universe call the state of nothingness.


    Unbeknownst to him, ancient looking runes appear one after another until his entire body is practically covered in them just as he entered the state of nothingness. They then release intense purple light that seems to overwhelm even the dark space, illuminating nothingness itself.


    ???????


    Stood before the being was a woman, a very beautiful one at that too. She looked at him lovingly, her smile seemed to cleanse away all of his dark thoughts. Vengeance, rage, pain, none of those things mattered to him in the slightest as he took her hand.


    Together, they danced under the moonlight for hours. Their beauty made even the prettiest of gods feel inferior. As they slowed down, the woman reached out to the being, then gently, she kissed him...


    The moon turned red, crimson blood flowing down the woman hands dyed the field of white flowers in a ominous black color. The moment she drew her last breath, the being''s heart froze in a thick layer of ice, he felt pain, despair then anger.


    Forcing down all of his rage, the being roared towards the Heaven where he knew the gods were watching. They must be laughing right now, but they''ll pay, he''ll make sure of that.


    After calming himself, the being slowly turned towards Rito with tears of blood pouring out from his eyes, he said, but Rito didn''t hear it, he couldn''t. The being said again, this time seemingly louder, yet Rito still couldn''t make out his voice. Losing patience, the being shouted, his voice thundered.


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    ???????


    Rito wakes up, his back drenched in sweat, the voice filled with rage still echoes in his head, unwilling to let go. Alas, to him, the voice only seems to talk in broken, nonsensical words that he can''t make out.


    "Just who--?" Before he could finish the sentence, Rito''s entire body freezes up as he checks his cultivation.


    There, laying in his mind are four circle. Two made out of Mana, the other two are obviously formed by Ki. Seeing this, he can''t help but let out joyful cries, throwing his hands up. He soon calms down though.


    He understands in spite of how it all looks, the current him is weak, incredibly so compared to others. He can''t even be counted as a First Circle mage or martial artist. The four circles are not finished, they still haven''t taken a concrete shape.


    "At least my theory is right." Rito chuckles, the joy in his eyes has yet to subside.


    Now you''re probably wondering, he already has two circles of Mana and Ki each, why doesn''t he count as a First Circle mage / martial artist right? It''s very simple, because all four circles are just vague power that have yet to turn into real circles, they''re incomplete, the energy around them is moving like wisps of smoke. The imagegives others the impression of melting ice.


    As for how he managed to create two circles, it''s due to his extreme understanding of the two energies. This is normally impossible for newbies as they need time to familiar themselves. There were also old monsters who had thought of this method, creating a smaller circle inside the first, but none succeeded until now.


    The reasons are simple, to use this method, one has to start since the First Circle, those old monsters were all powerhouses, they didn''t want to cripple their own powers to try a method that may or may not work, to be honest, even Rito himself wouldn''t have used this had he still possessed his old power, it''s just too risky.


    "But I succeeded..." Mutters Rito, a sastified smile once again appears on his face.


    With this, his prowess would be doubled when he reaches the First Circle, becoming as strong as a Second Circle mage / martial artist. That said, this method also has many flaws. First of all, it needs doubled the amount of Ki and Mana needed when cultivate using the normal method, which he very much lacks at the moment.


    His cultivating speed would also slow down considerably. Worse yet, this is an extremely risky method, one mistake and he could be crippled for life, never be able to cultivate again in this life...


    "But that''s the problem for future me." Smiling, Rito walks toward the dimensional crack.


    Now that he thinks about it, Rito can''t help but feel weirded out, the energy he sensed when he came in was definitely Qi, how comes it suddenly turn into Ki and Mana? "Screw it, I ain''t one to agrue with a good thing."

 Between You And Me (Not A Chapter)

    Between you and me, I''ve been quite busy recently, so yeah, sorry I''ve not been able to upload anything new these few days... I''m still trying to adapt to my new schedule, you know, school just started and all. Anyway, I''ll try to spare some time to write, new chapter is probably on its way soon, next week I hope. But yeah, just wanna let you know why I haven''t uploaded new chapter, it''s just that I''ve been very busy lately, life happens you know... I also had some legal issues I had to deal with, it''s not anything serious though, just trafic tickets...Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    Well, as always, I wish you guys a wonderful day, thanks for reading this kind of a rant of mine, and like I said, I''ll try to get out new chapters next week, no promises though.

 [V1] - C.5 : Traumatized

    Rito''s heart pounds against his chest as he runs at a pace as fast as his enhanced small legs could carry him, a determined look remains on his immature face, and as the sky grows darker by the second, his eyes also become sharper, more so than ever.


    The excitement of confronting an unknown foes and the raging anger, a deep seeded hatred he has always felt towards the unfairness of the world now burn in his body, it threatens to spill out, to break open the cage he created for it so long ago... Finally, he has reached his destination.


    The alley is dark and dirty, aside from the gleam occasionally given off by an, obviously new, knife and glistening tears streaming down the blonde, probably six to seven years old, little girl who trembles before the two tattooed men, not much else is visible, at least not to normal eyes.


    "Careful! The boss doesn''t want her hurt." Says one of the men, whose appearance alone screams ''bad guy''.


    At first glance, these men seem to be amateurs. But Rito knows more than to underestimate his enemies, his years of being a mercenary taught him to never judge something by its cover.


    Sure enough, his judgements are proven to be correct. Despite their sloppy actions, which he concludes due to their lack of experience in doing things like this, their movements are all fast and decisive. Before the poor girl could even struggle, she has already been grabbed by one of them.


    Of course, this isn''t a proud feat or achievement of any kind, and to a martial artist, is kind of insulting. It did, however, give Rito an insight into their identities.


    "Trained veterans, no ellite, but trained nonetheless..." He mutters under his breath, his eyes once again focus on the two men. For someone to order two trained men to capture a little girl, it truly begs the question, just who the hell is she?


    Surpressing his curiosity, Rito grabs a nearby rock. Given the situation, direct confrontation is a no-go, despite his strength and speed probably surpassing them, he couldn''t be sure they wouldn''t take the girl hostage, not to mention how restricted he is by his own body.


    As for magic, with his cultivation not even reaching the First Circle, he couldn''t depend on it as its prowess wouldn''t be high, it could at most annoy the two gorillas, but making lethal wounds? He doubts it.


    "Now would be the best time to act." He decides after struggling for a bit. The girl is still causing a ruckus, and according to the men, they can''t hurt her or their boss will be mad so he has some time.


    Holding the rock near his chest, Rito makes sure that his feet aren''t staggered before drawing his left leg up, he leans backward, his right arm bends flexibly in an almost incomprehensible way.


    "Now!" Aiming his throw at the nearest man, Rito stomps his feet. The sound of the rock cutting through the air echoes, drowned out by muffled cries of the girl and the two men grumbles.


    Almost instantly, the rock reaches its target, sound of skull breaking makes the other man widen his eyes in surprise. Alas, it''s already too late. Before he could react, a hand, although small, possesses incredible strength punches out. And just like that, the poor bastard''s balls are mercilessly crushed.


    Rito''s arm twiches in spasm, begging him to take the knife, now laid peacefully on the ground, and take it he did.


    ???????


    Sitting on a pink chair in a beautifully made garden, the small blonde girl looks up at the stars, lost in its beauty. Contrary to her parents worries, what turns her into this wasn''t fear, but something else entirely. Try as she might, the throbbing in her heart refuses to stop. "Is this love?" She asks, automatically toning down her voice until it''s barely audible.


    "Saki-sama, are you sure you''re alright?" A worried voice calls out to her. There stands her best friend and soon to be bodyguard. Had it been any other normal day, Saki would''ve replied cheerfully like she always does, yet this time, her head seems to float on the cloud as she plucks a nearby flower.


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    "He loves me. He loves me not. He loves me..." As her handsquickly move, tearing off each petal, Saki repeatedly says what seems to be a curse at first glance. She is also staring intensely at the white flower as if wanting to burn a hole in it with her eyes.


    Unfortunately for the love-struck girl, her luck is quite bad. At the end of the flower fortune telling game, she gets a ''He loves me not''. Depressed, the girl falls down on the field of flower while her body curls up like a cat. This makes the already worried Rin panick as she runs off to find help. As professional as she is, the girl is only six this year, no one could really blame her.


    As for Saki. She lays motionlessly on the ground, staring at something so close yet so far away. Soon, memory of this afternoon floods her mind.


    ???????


    In that dark alley, the disgusting smells of rotten food and dead rats were unbearable even for a homeless person, not to mention an Oujo-sama like Saki. Though that didn''t matter, at least not at the moment.


    Her father, Ryuuga Tenjouin was the CEO of a large company and while this background came with a lot of benefits, it also came with a whole bunch of disavantages. For example, she couldn''t have many friends due to most people fearing her, her father also didn''t want her to easily make friends as to avoid others from using his one and only daughter.


    Wherever she went, there always had to be at least one bodyguard. The moment anyone approached her, her bodyguard would let out an ominous vibe to shoo them away. While Saki herself knew this was for her own good, she couldn''t help but hate her fate. It was bad enough that her parents almost never spent time with her, she couldn''t even have friends.


    And that''s why she ran... She gave into the pressure and ran, leaving behind her bodyguards assigned to her by her father. How could Saki have known that her father''s enemies were waiting for this chance? Thus immediately after she, somehow, managed to escape them, Saki was chased down by scary two men.


    Her small stature allowed her to play hide-n''-seek with them for quite a while. Still, she eventually got caught, cornered in this alley. Just when she thought it was over, he came... Her knight in shinning armor came. Saki forced herself to stay awake for a few minutes, enough for her to see her hero. Then the exhaustion hit her and everything went black.


    When she woke up, she was in her family mansion. Apparrently the two criminals were captured at the same time the police found her, one was put into vegetable state while the other had his private part crushed and his hand tendons completely cut off. It was so brutal that it gave the police the chill.


    When they asked her what she knew about her savior, Saki obediently said what she knew without giving off her hero''s identity ''cause as far as she''s concerned, although samaritan acts were encouraged, making lethal injuries was frowned upon, so she did her best to not give off anything, not that she knew much. The alley was dark and she was exhausted, the most of her hero she had seen was his back.


    After asking a few more questions, the police left. She was scolded and grounded by her father and had been in a trance like this since. People were worried she was traumatized, but her best friend, Kujou Rin knew the truth. She knew why her Oujo-sama was being like this.


    ???????


    "My knight... Where are you." Clutching the torn flower petals in her hands, Saki continues to lay there unmoving, her eyes unfocused.


    As for said knight...


    "RITO!HOWCOULDYOUBETRAYMYTRUSTLIKETHAT?!!!ANDWHEREISYOURSHIRT?!" He is having the time of his life.


    "I''m sorry mom..."


    That night, the Yuukis didn''t go to sleep until three in the morning. And unlike the love-struck princess, the knight was forever traumatized as he vowed to never provoke the demon that''s his mother ever again.

 [V1] - C.6 : Danger

    This hospital reeks of contaminated sterility, still, it''s far nicer than the foul human odor James was used to. There is even high class hospital food for him to eat, and had it been any other day, he would have.


    Letting out a tired breath, he takes a look at the room assigned to him, there are two mutilated corpses wearing standard police uniform in the corner, a pool of blood and a chair which is currently occupied by a man in his mid-twenties.


    Despite his young appearance, James knows the man could easily knock veterans like him down in less than a minute with close to no issue, after all, he has seen the man in action before and it was terrifying. No matter how hard his enemies screamed or begged, the man just directly stomped their heads open, his face didn''t even change as he did so.


    "A kid you say..." The man mutters with a bored expression before asking, seemingly irritated. "Do you take me for a fool, Mr. Sterling?"


    This answer is already within James'' expectations, the cops said the same thing, so neither does he feel surprised or offended in any way, not to mention even the person himself find his words hard to believe. In fact, if this had happened to anyone else but him, James would''ve called it bullshit too.


    While it is true that he''s just another goon who can be replaced anytime now, James used to be a soldier in the U.S army, he spent almost ten years in Afghanistan until he was injured in battle and fell short of requirements. There''s realistically no way for him to lose against a child, trained or untrained, yet he somehow lost.


    Of course, there''s the possibility that his attacker was a midget, but to be honest, that might be more embarrassing. "I dare not lie to you, it really was a child who attacked me, the alley was dark back then so I couldn''t take a clear look, but I''m sure he''s a child..." Or a midget - James swallows the last part down his throat.


    "Fine. I''ll believe you Mr. Sterling, rest assured, after what you''ve done for the organization, we''ll definitely take good care of your family." Finished, the man takes out a red pill. "Now choose, do you want to do it yourself or do I need to do it for you?"


    Staring at the pill, James trembles in fear as his face cramps up into a bitter smile as if he was about to cry. He knew since day one this would come eventually, he just didn''t think it''d be so soon. This was supposed to be his last year, after this, he could go home to his five, or was it six, years old daughter. God knows how he wishes to meet her, to see that beautiful smile one last time.


    But it''s too late. He can no longer go back. His wife. His daughter. He''ll never be able to meet them. Not anymore...


    "L-Let me, I''ll do it myself." Knowing there''s no way out, James takes the pill using his trembling hands. It''s hard to hold something when your tendons are sliced clean off, but he did it, he somehow managed to do it. "P-Please, t-take ca-are of my family."


    One...


    Two...


    Three...


    Not long after James swallowed the pill, his muscles spasm uncontrollably. Blood starts dripping out from his eyes, nose and pores. What used to be a handsome middle aged man soon turns into a bloody, unrecognizable mess. James Sterling is gone.


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    As for the other man...


    "A kid huh? Interesting..." He chuckles darkly, a wicked smile creeps its way on his face as he splendidly ignores the corpses nearby. Standing up, he fixes his suit as if nothing had happened and just as he''s about to go out, a purple haired beauty barges in.


    "JongSoo-senpai! Are you done with that guy yet?" The beauty asks, her voice loud enough for people inside the room to hear, but to others outside, not so much.


    "I''m done, let''s go, Yuri." The beauty named Yuri nods happily, her ponytail swings left and right like a tail, combined with that small stature and slender body, she reminds others of a puppy. Her opponents are no exception, they often underestimate the girl, and that''s why most of them are dead, those who aren''t are mostly likely crippled for life or in a coma. You''d be surprised how much force those pair of legs could produce.


    "Tell the headquarter we''re going to stay here for a while. I need to find something, or rather someone. Also, send men to take careof that guy''s family."


    ???????


    After cultivating inside the dimensional crack, Rito has grown taller by at least three inches, his muscles are well-toned. Comparing to his peers, while not to the behemoth level, he''s definitely bigger than most, his clothes are no longer suitable for him, and because of this, he''s currently out in the mall with his mother who too needs new clothes due to her pregnancy.


    With Rito''s handsomeness, black eyepatch and, weirdly enough, gentle smile, the two bring quite a lot of attention to themselves, it was fine at first, their admirers only stood faraway, but ever since that first girl, they are becoming more and more bold over time.


    If it''s teenagers or beautiful women only, Rito wouldn''t care, but now even those middle aged housewives are coming. And he''s pretty sure one of them took advantage of him just now. As for where he was touched, Rito''d rather not say. Still, being taken advantage of is the final straw for him.


    His face grows colder, that gentle smile disappears as if it had never been there to begin with and his bloodlust, which has been built up to a terrifying level in his past life leaks out. Albeit just for a moment, but that''s enough to scare people who have spent their entire lives in peace.


    "OUT.OF.MY.WAY!" He says, the pressure seems to build up with his every word as the large crowd of women immediately backs off in fear, some even lost control over their bladders.


    With them scared shitless, Rito turns to his mother, only to realize he has gone too far releasing his bloodlust. Her face, which was originally of a healthy pink color is now pale white, despite her efforts, her body doesn''t seem to listen to her as it trembles.


    Seeing this, Rito grabs her hand and takes off, leaving the still stunned crowd behind.

 [V1] - C.7 : Fear, Anxiety And Freed

    The two mother and son make their way towards the rest area. Although Ringo is still in shock, she has mostly regained her senses, the slight tremble has also disappeared. But now that her thinking capability is fully function, she is left full of questions and slightly afraid.


    To be honest, her son has always been an odd ball, he''s way too mature for his age and sometimes does weird things that leave both her and her husband speechless. Still, they love him nevertheless. As for his weirdness, they try not to think of it as much and consider it his special trait.


    That''s on the outside, however. Both of them know deep down something is wrong with their son, they just don''t want to admit it. They''re too afraid of the possibilities. It''s different now, after that demonstration, it''s hard for Ringo to continue to ignore that feeling.


    "R-Rito... What was that just now?" She shutters, looking down at her son who has remained quiet for quite some time, completely unlike his normal self. That handsome face she sees everyday has never been so unfamiliar to her.


    And the atmosphere around him seems a bit sad. Guilt is present but it''s soon overlapped by fear, something she has rarely, if ever, seen on him. Seeing him like this is a first for her, and she realizes whatever he''s hidding from them, it must be something big, bigger than what they could imagine, something he''d rather lie to his own parents than talk about.


    The sight of him overwhelmed by fear makes her heart ache in pain. Her motherly instinct forcefully presses down her curiosity. Gently, she puts her hand on his head, his hair, which was neatly combed just this morning is ruffled into a mess by her.


    "What are you doing, mom?!" Rito grumbles in annoyance, if there''s anything he hates more than being touched by old hags than that''s someone messing up his hair.


    He react just as Ringo had expected, that moment, her fear disappears, she understands no matter what happens, he''ll always be her son. It doesn''t matter if the sky were to collapse, nothing could change that fact. Hugging Rito in her arms, Ringo whispers in his ear.


    "Don''t worry, no matter what happens, you''ll always be my son... Nothing could change that." Not even Gods - She thought.


    This unexpected move leaves Rito tongue-tied. Back when he was Rainer, he never cried, even when his legs were torn off by the three-headed dog Ceberus, or when his comrades died on the battlefield fighting the Empire, he didn''t shed a single tear.


    He thought that he could no longer cry, not after what he had experienced... Today, a mere mortal proves him to be wrong as drops of tears fall silently down his face.


    Rito knows he can''t hide the fact that he''s a reincarnator from them, not anymore. They deserve to know the truth, about him and his past. It''s very simple, if they can still think of him as their son after knowing, he''ll stay. If they can''t then he''ll leave. It wouldn''t be the first time he had to survive on his own anyway.


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    They return home that evening, nearing dinner time, bringing back a few bags worth of new clothes and as they eat dinner, the Yuukis each has their own thoughts.


    ???????


    Having a great economy system, it''s to no one''s surprise that Japan quickly rises above its neighbors, becoming one of the richest country in the world, only slightly lagging behind the U.S and China.


    As such, the people''s standard and needs for necessities are naturally much higher, this in turn lures many big companies to set up their branches here, which adds to the ever growing weath of Japan.


    And while this would normally be considered a good thing, in this case, not so much. You see, despite being third place in term of wealth, the Land of the Rising Sun has an enourmous weakness, that''s its lack of lands. About 73% of Japan are either mountainous, scattered plains or intermontane basins.


    This creates a big problem for the government as they can''t deny all those big companies access to the country, but they themselves also have their hands tied due to the sheer difficulty of expanding the lands.


    Of course, this is their problem, it has got nothing to do with Rito whatsoever. In fact, he even feels glad that theyhaven''t found a way to expand into the mountains yet, ''cause if they had, he would no longer be able to enjoy this peaceful atmosphere anymore.


    Staring up into the stars, Rito lets his mind wander about. He thinks of many things, he thinks about the now destroyed organization that captured him years ago, he thinks about his disciple, that little brat with unkept spiky black hair that wouldn''t straighten up no matter what he did, then he thinks about his life in that world, but in the end it all comes back his life as Yuuki Rito.


    It hasn''t been long since his reincarnation, four years at most, but it was the first time he felt so happy. He didn''t know having a family, being cared for could be this good. And he knows telling them his secrets might destroy everything, in fact, he even had second thought a few times already...


    "But they deserve to know..." Rito mutters, his eyes never leave the starry night sky. This could be his last day with his family so he wants it to be as memorable as possible, and what could be more memorable than this beautiful spectacle given to us by the universe?


    Showering under the brilliance light, Rito immerses himself with nature, all the tension, anxiousness and fear that haunted him seem to go away as he falls into deep slumber, his thoughts cut off, the tiredness he felt is drowned out by a feeling of sastisfaction, now that he has decided to give up his secrets, the invisible pressure he has purposely ignored before disappears as if it had never been there. For the first time after regaining his memories, Rito can truly relax, freed from his burdens...


    That night Rito didn''t come home, he stayed out in the mountain, sleeping. It''s unfortunate that no one was there to witness it, but it''s quite a sight to behold, something that even the more aggressive animals didn''t want to destroy.

 [V1] - C.8 : Hostility

    "I-I don''t know what to say..." Stutters Saibai, trying his best to wrap his head around everything he had just heard, and even then, it all sounds like a fantasy of some mentally ill person to him. The same goes for Ringo, although she seems to take it better than her husband, the young woman still experiences a variety of emotions.


    Confused and slightly afraid, the couple stare at their son, fully expecting him to burst into laughter looking at their faces, to tell them it was all a prank, something he cooked up to mess with them. Alas, their hope becomes dashed when a small flame flickers to life in Rito''s palm.


    And yet, part of them still wants to deny reality, they unconciously convince themselves that this is all in their minds, that they''re seeing things. But they aren''t, the flame in their son''s palm is as real as the sun hanging over their heads and the earth under their feet.


    "W-We need some time, could you please give us a minute, honey?" Asks Ringo, her expression is unusually stiff. But Rito doesn''t mind, he understands how they must feel when their one and only son suddenly told them he had memories of his past life.


    That''s already hard to accept, the fact that he told them almost everything about him, including the powers and position he once held makes it that much harder for them. And let''s not forget all the lores, stories and legends that they must know just to understand half of his story.


    It''s too much information to take in, especially for normal mortals like them. Not to mention he had changed everything they thought they knew about the world, or most probably, the universe, not that they knew much to begin with. In simpler words, they would need time to accept the truth about the universe, and probaly time to be sure they haven''t gone crazy. After all, he hasn''t exactly spared them the time to sort everything out.


    How much time is needed he doesn''t know, but he''ll give them a week or two. That''s his limit, he doesn''t want to stay just to have his heart broken if they can''t come to term with it in the end. Thinking ''till this, Rito picks up his newly bought leather backpack that has a simple appearance, but somehow gives off a classy vibe when worn by him.


    Finished with his preparations, he decides to go to school, leaving his parents to their own thoughts. He''ll probably get his answers this evening anyway, no need to rush things.


    ???????


    His school isn''t that far, just a few thousands meters away from their house so it doesn''t take long for him to reach it. Now, stand before him is a funny colored building, there are a few parents dropping their kids off in the background while the kids cry their eyes out, it seems that despite it''s been days since the start of this term, the kids are not yet familiar with school.


    Giving them a glance, Rito shakes his head, thinking they''re too soft on their children before he takes off on his own, trying to find the place he''s supposed to be studying in. Although school started days ago, he has yet to visit his class due to many reasons so technically, this is his first day at school.


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    Five minutes later, after many embarrassing mistakes were made, Rito finally reaches his destination, class-A. It seems to him they''ve already begun their study, not that he understands anything they''re talking about, given what he was in his past life. Not wanting to disrupt the class, Rito decides the best course of action is to leave quietly.


    But just as he''s about to leave, the teacher spotted and called him in. Through their short conversation, he learns the teacher name is Megumi Tanaka, she''s twenty four this years and is the happy-go-lucky type. She''s quite cheerful and optimistic, but still single.


    Of course, she only told him her name and age, he just deducted the rest according to her personality and way of talking. As for the single stuff, it''s because she doesn''t wear any type of wedding ring, her fashion style is simple and formal but highlight out her curvy body. And most of all, she gives off an energetic vibe that only single girls possess. Still, these are only deductions, if he wants to find out more about her, he''ll need more time. Not that he wants to or anything.


    It''s just an old habit of his as a mercenary. And old habits die hard.


    "Come! I''ll introduce you with the class." Says the overly energized girl as she drags Rito, who gives up after knowing it''s futile to resist, along.


    Together, they enter the now quiet classroom, it''s a small class of barely thirty students, evenly split between boys and girls. All the students watch them with interest, the girls'' eyes are practically sparkling the moment they saw Rito, small gasps could be heard from here and there. Some bolder girls even openly stare at Rito while the shy ones stay seated, blushing occasionally when they thought Rito was looking at them.


    "My name''s Yuuki Rito, pleased to me you." Rito introduces, his face is as emotionless and stiff as it could be as he bows his head.


    That might''ve been a brash introduction from Rito, but said boy doesn''t think it''s nessecery to appear friendly, he has opposed the idea of going to school since the beginning after all, and dealing with snotty brats is not his specialty either.


    "Then Yuuki-kun, you''ll be sitting next to Yamamoto-kun." Megumi tells Rito, pointing her finger at a seat in the corner, next to that seat is an unremarkable boy, he has a plain face that blends in with the crowd and a bored aura that says ''Don''t bother me.'' The only distinct feature he has is his unkept dark gray hair. Overall, he is completely different compared to his soon to be neighbor.


    Seeing Rito still hasn''t moved, Megumi thought he was shy, thus she gives him a small push in Yamamoto''s direction.


    Understanding her intention, Rito walks towards his seat, his eyes remain focused on Yamamoto and just as he sits down, his seemingly bored neighbor taps him on his shoulder.


    "So you''re Yuuki Rito, huh? Pleased to meet you, I''m Yamamoto Ren." Says Ren, a graceful smile plastered on his face. The boy is good at acting, and is even better at hidding his feelings but Rito could feel it, hidden behind that friendly facade is hostility, although not to the point of bloodlust or anything like that, it''s very close.

 [V1] - Special : Yamamoto Ren

    A tragedy. That''s the only suitable way to describe the life of Arima Shigeaki. Born in a working class family, Arima had three siblings, two elder sisters and one elder brothers. Given the size of this family, it''s to no surprise that his parents didn''t want to give birth to him at first.


    Though as unwilling as they were, after some asking around, they soon realized they couldn''t afford an abortion with their meager salaries, forced into a corner, the couple had no other choice but to let Arima be born, it''s either that or use the traditional way of abortion, which wasn''t guaranteed a completely success rate, not to mention the risks accompanied it.


    Thus, Arima came to be. When he was born, nothing special happened, there were no shooting stars or weird events taking place, he just came straight out from his mother''s vagina like all babies, albeit a tad bit easier due to his mother''s loose vagina ? It''s no secret to the town they lived in that his mother worked as a waitress in the morning and a whore at night.


    As Arima grew up, it became apparent to everyone around him that he was a smart kid, possessing intellectual prowess far beyond that of a normal child. Things that took other kids his age weeks to learn, came to him as natural as breathing. His parents, knowing this, tried their best to make money and give him the needed education that they had never given to any of their child ? Other than him that is.


    Still, his school life wasn''t all flowers and rainbows, far from it actually. Standing between the awkward line of normal and blessed, not really leaning to either, Arima couldn''t exactly be considered a genius, the word normal also didn''t fit him either. And you know how kids are, they hated and mocked those who were different to them.


    Arima, being the only one in class fitted that description, was bullied a lot, his classmates had decided to make a living Hell out of his life, and his ugly appearance, unsurprisingly, did very little to help. To make things even worse, he was also hated by his siblings.


    They felt unfair and somewhat threatened by his existence. Why did he get to go to school and they did not ? Would their parents hate them now that they have him ? ? Not quite, but their thoughts were more or less same as these. Even so, Arima never complained once, he knew deep down there were tons of people who had it much harder than him.


    As time passed, they, his classmates and siblings, eventually got bored of bullying him. Of course, some still snickered or scoffed at him, but it was much better than before. Like this, Arima spent years working his way up, finally achieving his goal, which was to become a respected teacher of University A.


    Just when things started to pick up, just when he thought his days of struggling were over, disaster suddenly struck as fast and hard as a speeding truck, rendering him unable to react.


    He still remembers clearly what had happened that day. It was normal like any other, the weather was damp and cool, not exactly his favourite season but a bit better than the scorching sunlight of summer. He was teaching in class while his mind wandered towards the new manga in his drawer he picked up recently, To Love Ru was its name.


    Having such an ugly face, he naturally wasn''t famous with girls, thus poor Arima often spared time to read mangas with harem and romance as its main genres. Of course, being a sane person, he didn''t let anyone know about this specific hobby of his, lest history repeated itself and he''s shunned by his colleagues.


    Little did he know his efforts were actually for naught and it all wouldn''t matter after today. As the class neared its end, Arima was giving homeworks for his students, two detectives suddenly kicked open the door to his class. In their hands were police badges and guns.


    For a brief moment there, Arima blanked out. He just couldn''t comprehend what was happening. Only when handcuff was already put on him did he react, screaming loudly in protest.


    "What are you doi--?!" But he was unfortunately cut short by one of the detectives.


    Looking coldly at him. The man said, his eyes were as if he was staring at a disgusting insect and not a man.


    "Arima Shigeaki, you''re charged with rape. Everything you say will be used against you in the court of justice. Please refrain from making a fuss lest we have to use violence." It''s over ? This was the first thought that popped into his mind.


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    It turned out, the one who accused him of rape was actually one of his students, a fat female whale with hair dyed purple, these people were generally known as feminists, they''d been on the rise since 2013 and apprently in their eyes, males were vile creatures that did not deserve to live.


    Arima didn''t know why she targetted him, but with everything going on at the time, he honestly couldn''t care less. Soon, after being judged guilty for a sin he had never committed, Arima was thrown in jail. Sure enough, the TV shows that showcased life in prison did not lie and he was tormented everyday by the inmates.


    At first, he felt sorry for himself, sorry for his family. Gradually though, that sorry turned into anger, hatred. Like a butterfly, Arima shedded his skin, reborning anew, yet the thing that came out was but a shadow of his former self, a monster created by his anger, his hatred, his rage. A physical proof of we''re all one bad day away from insanity.


    Released five years later after proven false accused. Arima started his hunt. The bullies in his school, the people who mistreated him in the past, he hunted them all down, killing them in the worst ways possible. Everywhere he went, death followed, leaving behind a large trail of mutilated corpses. Eventually, he reached his final prey.


    The bitch that ruined his life. She was taking trials in California, charged for falsify rape accusations. Walking into court armed to teeth, Arima shot everyone who dared stand in his way. God knows where he got all those weapons. When he finally saw the bitch, Arima raped her in front of everybody there, her screams, her pleads for mercy, it all only served to make him more excited.


    Cumming serveral times, he realized there were no more holes for him to fuck, so he made them himself. Using a military knife, he cut the bitch open again and again. Of course, such an incident didn''t go unnoticed by the polices. Surrounded on all sides, Arima blew the bitches'' head with a shotgun and commited suicide.


    ???????


    "Little one... Are you alright?" The ancient voice called out, waking him up from his stupor. At first, he had thought he was dreaming or simply sleeping, but that doesn''t seen to be the case. Confused, the young soul looks around only to find pure, seemingly unending darkness.


    "Where am I?" He asks, trying to figure out as much as he possibly can. "You''re in the place between universes, we call it The Void."


    "The Void?" The young soul repeats, growing even more confused as he tries to find the origin of the voice talking to him. But there is nothing, only nothingness.


    "Do you wish for a second chance?" Staring out into The Void with his nonexistent eyes, the soul hesitates for a moment before he, or is it she, steels himself. "I-I do! I wa--No! I need a second chance!"


    "Good! The world... The universe you''ll reincarnate in is a place you know, read from a book. I believe you''ll recognize it when you''re there, as for your memories, fear not, they too will soon return. Now, begone young one." Says the voice, his words booming all around The Void.


    And as soon as he finishes, the young soul feels a sucktion force dragging him. Then, he disappears. Leaving The Void behind to once again sink into eternal silence.


    ???????


    "What should we call him?" Asks the middle-aged woman, her dark brown hair wet from sweat, a gentle smile blooming on her face as she stares lovingly at her newborn, and possibly only child in this life, given hers and her husband''s age.


    "I''ve thought about this a lot yesterday. Yamamoto Ren, what do you think? It''s good, isn''t it?" Her husband, a man seemingly in his fourties, says, his eyes still shining like a child as he looks at his son.


    The woman nods, flashing a smile to her husband. "It''s decided then! Our son name will be Ren!"

 [V1] - C.9 : Cat And Mouse

    After being given a second chance, Ren swore he''d live this life to the fullest, and when he realized this was the world in his favourite manga To Love Ru, he was excited, thinking about the possibilities and changes he could make. At the same time, however, he''s jealous of Rito.


    How could he not? Having a caring sister, three princesses and all kinds of beautiful girls falling for him one after another without even needing to do anything, now that''s the dream. Not to mention Ren also feels annoyed and frustrated of how much of a wuss the original Rito was.


    If he wouldn''t, I''d do it for him ? Ren thought.


    While these aren''t enough of a reason to justify what he wanted to do to Rito, it needn''t be since he''d have done it regardless, but Ren likes to think himself as a good person, and the idea of killing an innocent kid doesn''t sit right for him, that''s why he pulls such a half-assed excuse.


    As for how he''d do it, apparently reincarnation comes in a whole package. Aside from being given a second chance, Ren was also gifted with abilities, or in simpler words, superpowers that would otherwise be considered fictional in his old world.


    Back when he was still known as Arima the nerd, Ren played a great deal of video games, in fact, before he was introduced to manga and anime by his fellow nerd friends, playing games was pretty much all he ever did. This naturally led to him buying more games, and as this went on, his standard for games grew.


    No more was he sastified with simple hack-''n-slash or normal FPS, even Open World Colossal like GTA or Saint Row no longer made him feel anything, that''s when he saw it, his all time favourite, Prototype.


    Gameplay wise, Prototype wasn''t that different from GTA or Saint Row, it was also an Open World hack-''n-slash with a pretty shitty shooting mechanic. But something about using cool-looking transformed claws to rip tanks and shred people to apart just drew him in.


    Thus, for three years, Ren''d always go back home early to play Prototype, then came Prototype 2, and history once again repeated itself, of course, he eventually grew bored of it, yet getting rid of something you''ve been doing for years proved to be quite the challenge.


    It seemed the game had unknowningly taken root inside his heart, no matter how good those new games were, to Ren, they''d never be able to replace Prototype. Now you''re probably wondering ? What''s up with the advertisement?


    Well, the ability, or rather, the virus Ren got after his reincarnation was the Blacklight. The one that granted both Alex Mercer and James Heller their awesome powers. This is why he wanted to meet Rito, so that he could absorb and replace him. It shouldn''t be hard to act as someone else given the virus'' memory absorbtion.


    As for his new parents? He couldn''t care less about them. Hell! He has never called or considered them to be his real parents, part of it is because he feels guilty to the couple who gave birth to him in his past life as Arima, but it''s mostly because of the mentality he developed in prison.


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    So, it was all planned out, he''d kill Rito, absorb and take his place. Alas, reality is cold and cruel, he had taken everything into account, except for the possibility that Rito might be someone like him. A reincarnator.


    Only when he met Rito in the mall the other day did he realize how arrogant he was, thinking that he was better than everyone else because of his past life and new abilities. Fact is, he was hardly any special than anyone, he just got lucky for once in his miserable life, and if even he could get lucky, why couldn''t others?


    Still, this fact isn''t enough to deter him. After knowing someone was reincarnated into Yuuki Rito''s body, and not only that, instead of the plain face the original Rito possessed, they got a very handsome new face, Ren feels as if something had been taken away from him. He feels enraged beyond reasons.


    Why couldn''t he have reincarnated into that body? Why this plain, ugly face? Why this oily, tanned skin? Why this spiky thin hair? While he certainly has a new, caring and clearly, very rich family, Ren stil feels cheated. In the end, he is but a minor character, someone that could only stay behind the scene, decorating the background for the main characters.


    He was reincarnated, yet somehow he once again finds himself at the shorter end of the stick. In fact, if asked, Ren would say it''s only normal to be mad in this situation. Even though a great many people would disagree with him, Ren himself isn''t exactly sane to care.


    If he wasn''t being cautious about the other party, he''d have pounded on Rito and absorbed the shit out of him. Though chances are he''d probably get his ass handed to him instead, considering his crappy luck. Lucky bastard ? Thinks Ren, gritting his teeth in hatred.


    As he''s inwardly cursing at Rito, said boy suddenly turns to him, purposely dropping his pencil near Ren''s feet. Not that Ren notices this, and it''s not really his fault either, Rito has been a mercenary-slash-assassin for years, it''d be weird if he did notice Rito was actually acting.


    "Ah! Could you get me my pencil?" Asks Rito using the most innocent voice he could muster, his face seemingly flushed red in embarrasement.


    Jarred back to his senses, Ren is barely able to hide his hostility before he picks up the pencil and gives it back. Unfortunately for him, Rito has seen the look on his face. While he doesn''t know why Ren holds so much hostility towards him, he could clearly feel it. He just wanted to be sure.


    "Thank you." Rito says, trying to be as polite as possible lest he rouse the other''s suspiscious.


    "You''re welcome." Replies Ren, his train of thoughts going in the same direction as Rito.


    Thus, unbeknownst to the others in class, the game of cat and mouse officially begins.

 [V1] - C.10 : A Display Of Affection

    Rito stares at the beautiful blue sky that he had never had the time to appreciate before, waiting for class to end. Stuff they teach in kindergarten really isn''t much, just a few addition, subtraction and volcabulary, he fears his IQ would plummet instead if he continues to listen.


    Even ''till this day, it''s a mystery how similiar Japanese is to his own language. They''re, of course, not completely identical, but have enough in common to make it so much easier for him.


    Not that Rito would complain though. Despite being a very hard-working person, re-learning language is one of the few things he doesn''t want to do.


    Memories of the past when he was forced to learn languages of that universe still lurk at the back of his mind, haunting him in his dream.


    Although he could be called a genius, that statement is to describe his fighting instinct more than anything. As for intellectual stuff, he is only barely better than normal people, perharps even a little worse compared to Ren. This is also the reason for his neglection towards alchemy.


    Now this would normally mean he needs to put a lot of efforts into studying, fortunately, kindergarten stuff is, as said, much easier. Meaning he could afford to mostly laze around for the next few years.


    "Yuuki-kun!" Seeing Rito immersed in his thoughts, Megumi calls out. Honestly in her heart, she doesn''t feel mad or angry, suddenly taken away from home and thrown in a completely different enviroment, it''s quite normal for kids to blank out occasionally. In fact, she has seen many cases like this throughout her years of teaching.


    But she needs to be stern, it is her duty as their teacher. Even if the other party is a cute little kid. ? She says inwardly, yet the apologetic smile coupled with that nature charm Rito unconciously releases make her feel bad. As if she was the one in the wrong instead of him.


    "Is my teaching that boring to you?" Still, she continues. She can''t let him off that easy else the others might follow his example. And that''s the last thing she wants in her class.


    "N-No. I''m sorry sensei, it won''t happen again, I promise." Stutters Rito, seemingly both embarrassed and ashamed at the same time.


    Faced with such reaction, Megumi herself doesn''t know what to do. She doesn''t want to appear petty, yet doesn''t want to be seen as carefree and easygoing either. In the end, she lets loose a sigh, allowing Rito to sit while reminding him the importance of staying focused in class.


    Forgiven, Rito''s face brightens up considerably, his happy expression captivates all the girls, including Megumi, not only that, evem se boys in the class can''t help but look at him. Inside, however, Rito snickers. It seems he hasn''t gone rusty despite the years of peace.


    This scene reminds him of his past, the time when he was still a wandering mercenary. In those days, his home plannet, now known as Deviluke was divided in two pieces. One ruled by the old aristocrats while the other was in control of the previous king, in other words, the father of his disicple.


    Due to this, business was very good, everyday he''d get at least dozens of assassination missions, that was until he was captured by those fuckers, but that is a story for another day. Back to the topic, while it is true he was strong, incredibly so, but Rito dislikes the idea of storming the enemies'' bases.


    Unlike his fellow mercenaries, to him, treepassing into an unknown territories is something needs to be taken serious. That''s why kicking down the door, gun blazing was a no-go for him.


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    He prefers a more secretive, silent approach. And because over half of his targets were females, it was easy for him to finish his missions. Especially missions concerning female nobles of the aristocrats faction. You''d be surprised how twisted in the head someone you see everyday can be.


    Over 60% of his targets were shotacon and sadists. Apparently something about torturing young boys just makes them horny. Back then, he had never been able to understand why, and he still doesn''t now. Not that he cares, the reason he acted timid and shy isto test.


    So far, at least to his eyes, humans and devilukeans aren''t that different. In fact, they''re pretty much the same as devilukeans, aside from the whole tail, superpower,... He wanted to check if acting timid and shy could arouse sympathy from others. And this little experiement shows that it does.


    As for why he suddenly did this, it''s for his future. If his parents still want him to stay even after everything they''d heard then all is fine-and-dandy, if they don''t, it''s okay. He will definitely be sad, but won''t cry over it. What''s more important is how he''s going to survive.


    This world seems to be peaceful so killing people is not an option, well, not a good one, it should be left as the last resort. Although this sounds kind of hypocritical but tealing and robbing are both against his conscience so that''s out of the way too.


    The only way left is to latch himself onto someone, at least until he''s grown big enough to find a real job. And who''s better to latch on beside rich women?! Huh? What? Pride? What''s that? Can it be eaten? Will that help raise Rito? No? Then why care about it. Worse comes to worse, he''ll just hunt down criminal and take their stuff.


    Thus, the rest of class was spent thinking ways to make money. Megumi also saw how distracted Rito was, but thought back to his previous reaction and could only reluctantly give up. Inwardly, however, she decides she''ll talk to his parents in their upcoming meeting.


    ???????


    Not much happened after that and school ended without any issues. Ren and Rito occasionally talked, but with how absent-minded Rito was, the conversations seemed very one-sided.


    Done with school, Rito immediately left alone, ignoring everyone else. At first, he thought he''d be fine even if he didn''t have a family, he thought he could return to his old way of living. This train of thoughts was proven wrong the moment he reached the school gate.


    Out there, standing in a brown coat was a woman, beautiful curly orange hair, brilliant yellow eyes that seemed to reflect everything they saw. Who else could this be other than his mother?


    The distance between them was less than a hundred meters. Yet seeing that loving expression on her face, Rito froze, seemingly rooted in place.


    "M-Mom..." He stuttered, not knowing how to react. While he expected his parents to do a lot of things, he certainly didn''t expect this. "W-Why are you here?" He asks, trying his best to calm himself.


    "What are you saying? Of course I''m here to get my son." Rito didn''t know what it was, it could be this child body, after all kids aren''t exactly known for control over their emotions, it could be the feeling of being loved and cared for, but he ran towards her embrace.


    Although to outsiders, this is just a heart-warming scene of a mother hugging her child, to people involved, however, it''s much more than a simple display of affection.

 [V1] - C.11 : The Mantis Stalks The Cicada, Unaware Of The Oriole Behind

    Time passes, soon it has been a month and a half since school started. As always, Rito is sitting in class, his small hands are holding a book. From outsiders'' perspective, this book probably has an ominous vibe to it due to the seemingly old leather cover, though truth be told, this is only a normal novel.


    Recently, Rito has found a new hobby. And that is reading novels. Not the cringy, written by amateur authors type that are often found on the internet, but the famous sci-fi and dectective type sold in the bookstore.


    Just when he is reaching the exciting point of the novel, the part where they''re about to find the murderer, an angry voice calls out, dragging him back to reality. "Yuuki-kun!" ? Jarred back to his senses, Rito looks up to find a resentful face of his teacher staring back at him.


    Despite her efforts, instead of scary, she just seems cute in his eyes, as if a puppy that had its food taken away by its owner. If she''d had dog ears, it''d have been pulled back. Of course, there''s no way he would ever say these thoughts out loud, especially to her face. That is just asking for troubles.


    "Y-Yes?" He quickly replies, his hands lower, holding his book against his abdomen while looking down at his feet as if ashamed, it''s truly amazing how fast he gets into character, and it''d have been convincing too, if he hadn''t used this same trick everytime he got into trouble, that is.


    "Stop! That trick won''t work on me anymore." It takes some time, but Megumi finally manages to steel herself and spit out these words, her voice firm and cold, leaving no room for agrument. It seems thourghout the time she teaches him, she has developed some kind of special resistance.


    After seeing this, Rito knows for sure he won''t be able to use this trick anymore, though expecting it to work everytime is a bit far-stretched, he really thought it''d take her longer to realize he was faking it. That said, it doesn''t really come as a surprise given his continuous violation of their previous agreements.


    Putting down his book, Rito drops the act. A wry smile hangs across his face as he says, this time using a more mature tone. "Sensei, studying something I already know is very inefficient, and I''m not exactly distracting anyone so can''t you just ignore me?"


    Faced with the sudden changes, Megumi is stumped. She stares hard at Rito, as if he had grown a second head. Now that she thinks about it, what he said is true. His grades are already sky-high in the first place despite not studying much, and he doesn''t talk to anyone either, granted, the sight of him reading is very distracting.


    However, he can''t be blamed for that, after all, it''s not his fault that he was born good looking.


    "Fine! But you can''t talk to anyone and must ensure your grades. If you agree to these two conditions, I''ll leave you alone. Deal?" Megumi asks, seemingly unsatisfied yet has no other way than to compromise. She is sure that even if she uses the rules to threaten him, he won''t care anyway so why not choose a solution that helps them both?


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    With this, she can spend more time focusing on the other students, and if his grades drop, she''ll have all the rights to punish him without being called petty. It''s a win-win situation no matter what.


    Hearing her words, Rito smiles, holding his hand fowards. "Deal." Megumi takes his hand, shakes it once and get back to her job while Rito returns to his book.


    ???????


    As Rito walks back home, a rare solemn look hangs on his face. The reason for his worries being the people who have been following him since he left school. They give off the same feeling as those two guys he crippled months ago in that alley so he is at least 70% sure they''re people of the same organization. They''re probably here to get revenge or some shit like that.


    But this is good. The fact that they haven''t acted yet means they aren''t sure if he''s really their target or not. And since this is the case, why not make his enemies fight each other instead? Thinking ''till this, a devious smile appears on his face. A smile that would give the Devil a run for his money.


    At this very moment, JongSoo and Yuri who are tailing behind Rito feel a shiver running down their spine. While JongSoo seems to have his mind focused solely on the boy ahead of him, Yuri looks bored out of her mind.


    "JongSoo-senpai... I''m bored! Why don''t we just kill him? He''s just a kid, I doubt he can resist us." She nags, preparing to take out the gun in her bag but is immediately stopped by JongSoo.


    "Endure it. We don''t know if he''s really that person or not. If we kill an innocent kid, the higher-ups won''t be happy. Beside, I never said I want to kill him. Think about it, if that person can beat up two trained veterans when he''s only a kid, just how deadly he would be if he was given proper training?" JongSoo replies, seemingly irritated by the constant nagging. And yet even as he talks, his eyes remain on Rito''s small figure as if he wanted to see through him.


    "Geez... If you want to recruit the kid, just kidnap him and be done with it, it''s not like he can do anything about it." Unsatisfied with his answers, Yuri mutters under her breath, annoyed that the great her has to follow a kid around all day.


    Unfortunately, it seems she''s not the only one with their patient wearing thin. Turning his head sideway, JongSoo stares at Yuri, the coldness in his eyes makes her involunteraly shiver. "If you can''t follow orders then fuck off." With each word, his volume and the pressure JongSoo gives off increase several folds, to the point where it''s hard for Yuri to even breath. Panic-stricken, Yuri lowers her head.


    "I-I''m sorry JongSoo-senpai, I won''t complain anymore." These words just come pouring out her mouth in a rush. Then the two continue whatever it is they were doing and follow Rito all the way ''till his home in silence. Unaware of the fact that he already knows about their existances.

 [V1] - C.12 : A Ruse

    Ren feels hands against his back, small, child-like hands. Then, a large object fills the corner of his vision, sounds of brakes lock and squeal enter his ears. Looking up, he spots the massive front grille of a truck only seconds away from hitting him. The whole world goes silent, time seems to stop.


    For a moment, Ren despairs, thinking he''d die. But then the fact that he is no longer the weakling he was before kicks in and he opens his eyes, determined to survive. Oddly enough, he finds his fear and worries all but gone, replaced by incomparable calmness.


    His body tenses up, his brain goes into complete overdrive, the biomass in his arm shifts and moves at a break-neck speed, visible to naked eyes, yet somehow still fast enough to cover his entire arm in what seems to be glossy black steel, just in time for him to meet the truck head-on.


    *BAM*


    The collision finally happens, followed up by a shockwave strong enough to cause a small dust storm to form. Only after the dust settles did everyone nearby realize what had happened. What is even more shocking is the unexpected outcome of this incident.


    The boy, Ren, who was supposed to be a mangled mess of blood and flesh is there, standing firm on his feet, perfectly fine, not even a scratch could be found on that body of his. The same couldn''t be said about the poor truck though.


    Before Ren now lays the unrecognizable piece of trashed metal that used to be a truck. Its driver completely crushed along with its destruction, fresh blood could be seen dripping down the shattered windshield.


    Reasons clouded by rage and anger, he turns back to find the one who is responsible for this mess, the fucker who pushed him into a speeding truck. But there are only adults behind him, and those hands he felt on his back were too small to be an adult''s, even if the person in question has very small hands.


    Seeing the expression on Ren''s face as if wanting to shallow a person whole, everyone flinches in terror, the previous sympathy and tenderness quickly disappear, overtaken by fear.


    Taking a look at his surrounding, Ren realizes there''s nothing he can do. He can''t find the culprit with his [Infected Vision] and there are way too many people here to kill without any consequences, even if he tells them to keep their mouths shut, there is no guarantee that they''ll do as told. Fear is just a temporary solution, it can''t be used for long.


    "Shit..." Unable to restrain his anger, Ren curses under his breath. His face continues to darken seeing the terrified expressions of people around him.


    "This day just keeps getting better and better." Says Ren sarcastically, although he knows complaining wouldn''t help him, and truth be told, it''ll probably only make him more agitated, but he couldn''t resist the urge. In fact, it''s already a damned miracle that he hasn''t smashed someone to smithereens.


    Beside, after all this, it''s not like he has an appearance to keep anymore so why care at all?


    Letting out a tired breath, Ren soundlessly grabs his bag, which had been thrown several meters away when he collided with the truck, and decides to leave. Ignoring all the stares he is getting, Ren lowers his stance, with a mighty kick, he leaps up, disappearing behind a house.


    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    ???????


    Standing on top of a building one block away, Rito has his hands hidden away in his pockets. He looks curiously at the speedily retreating figure of his classmate and grins. It was truly unexpected, he knew this kid was weird the first time they met but he didn''t think he''d be this... Special. Ren''s power easily exceeds Rito''s initial expectations.


    If they were to fight, there''s no doubt that the current him would lose in terms of pure strength and agility. However, if his years of experience are taken into account then it is hard to determine the winner.


    Not that he needs to fight the kid or anything. Instead, he''ll use him as a ruse to draw those guys'' attention. After all, between a weird kid who wears eyepatch everyday and a seemingly normal kid but can trash a truck in one punch. No matter how you look at it, the latter is definitely more suspicious.


    In case you haven''t realized yet, the one who pushed Ren was Rito. He didn''t do it in person though, but used the spell [Telekinesis]. There are two forms of this spell. The first uses spiritual energy, this has close to no limit to its power, as long as you have enough spiritual energy to back it up.


    The second type uses Mana as its fuel. This is a severely weakened counterpart compared to its predecessor, created by an Archmage, otherwise known as Ninth Circles Mage in the past. Not only does it have an uselessly small range, there is also a limit to how much force the user can put into it.


    To make things worse, this spell controls the energies in the atmosphere to form an invisible hand, the problem is the connection between user and this invisible hand can be forcefully broken and replaced by a stronger mage. When this happens, the previous user will receive needlessly severe injuries to their soul, some even directly went to Heaven.


    Meaning this spell is incredibly useless in that universe. Its only use is to intimidate someone by showing how much stronger the user is in comparison to their enemy. And this is really not worth risking your life over.


    Fortunately! There are no mages aka. Mana users here so he doesn''t need to worry about being detected or getting hurt even with his meager strength. Now with that done, he just needs to lay back and enjoy the show. News will probably reach those two very soon, though he''ll have to act normally ''till then lest he rouse their suspicious.


    It shouldn''t be hard given his acting ability. While he admits he might not be confident about his other skills, acting is one of the few things Rito believes he won''t ever lose to anyone.


    Smilling mischievously, Rito packs up his stuff and leaves. But before that, he chants a weak [Clean] spell to remove all evidences that he was here. He doubts anyone could find out about his involvement, still, it''s better to be safe than sorry, right?

 [V1] - C.13 : Birthday

    Rito glances at his clone, a smug smile plastered on his face. Beautiful brown hair, mistmatched, yet captivating colored eyes and a face that could suck out the souls of males and females alike.


    It doesn''t take a genius to see he is very proud of his appearance. While one might say this is the result of his parents'' superb DNA, that actually isn''t the case. Unless he had the same parents in both lives, and that is neigh impossible.


    Beside, one look at this little family and you''ll realise that Rito resembles neither his father nor mother, truth be told, he looks completely different to them.


    In the past, many people even suspected he isn''t actually their biological son, but adopted. Though DNA test seems to say otherwise, still, that doesn''t stop them from talking behind their back, not that Rito or his parents particular care.


    To be honest, Rito even partly admires these... Gossipers. Not only is their information network fast and full of variety, their acting is also amazingly good, for normal citizens, that is.


    In the face of true experts, however, they''re at most at baby level. Back when he was a wandering mercenary, he once met a guy who could read people''s expression, their heart rate, and determine whether someone''s lying or not.


    The time he spent with that guy was brief, but enough to leave an impression on Rito.


    Shaking away these nostalgist thoughts, Rito once again focuses on his almost identical counterpart. Putting his hand on the clone, he quietly mutters an incarnation.


    "Return to the earth, where you belong, for your job here is done. [Purify]." A soft golden light shines in his palm, it then proceeds to cover the clone in its warmth.


    The light gives off a warm, comfortable feeling before fading away completely, which is soon followed up by the fall of the now lifeless clone.


    "So much preparation and yet so little use..." Rito can''t help but complaint, the smile wiped off his face, replaced by a frustrated look. It is only at time like this that he truly misses his old power.


    While it is true that he could gather all the materials by himself with little to no problem since they''re not exactly precious, he could''ve certainly died happily without ever knowing how carrying a dead pig at the dead of night feels like.


    ???????


    Flashback :


    After coming back home, Rito started to prepare for his grand plan. For this to work, there are many factors needed to be taken into consideration.


    First is that kid, Ren''s schedule, the path he often used to get back home...etc. Next is the corpse of an animal as big as him, a few herbs to mask or at the very least, lessen the rotten smell and lastly, a soul, good or bad, tainted or pure, it really doesn''t matter, any soul would do just fine.


    These alone took him weeks to prepare. If it was before...


    Setting things up wasn''t easy either. Finding out Ren''s path pattern was hard enough, he needed a soul too. Most after death went to Heaven, Hell or reincarnation circle, depending on their religion.


    Which means looking for a wandering soul is very hard, so he gave this idea up almost immediately. The only way left was summoning. Since a random soul would do, why not call one up using a spell?


    Using the spell [Alchemy], he forcefully turned the dead pig into a replica of himself. Don''t be mistaken between alchemy and [Alchemy].


    Alchemy is using herbs and magic to create potions, while [Alchemy] is directly changing something into something else, the catch is they have to be things of equal value.


    When all was done, he still needed to wait for the right moment.


    Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    If he acted too soon, he was afraid they might be suspicous, but waiting too long didn''t sit right for him either. Ever since he was monitored, Rito hadn''t been able to do his routine practice and now, his body was aching for more actions.


    In his past life, he neglected martial arts and physical training because he didn''t need them, his natural strength was enough to overwhelm most beings he had met, but that wasn''t the case, not anymore.


    Without Ki, he was sure this body wouldn''t be able to withstand the tyranical might of Mana.And no matter how strong he was, it is still the current him that really matters.


    Throughout his life, he had met his fair share of reincarnators. Most of them were arrogant little shits, bragging about their past achievements. Some even bragged about their powerful disicples.


    There is a famous saying : One who can, does. One who cannot, teaches. If you want others'' respect, do something worth respecting, what''s the point of bragging about stuff that happened in the past? That''s not awesome, that''s fucking pathetic. It only shows how much you''ve fallen from grace.


    After he made sure everything was up and working, Rito waited at the road Ren often used. When he came, he used [Telekinesis], pushed the poor boy into a speeding truck. Once done, he sat back to enjoy the show.


    As for those who followed him, they had already been distracted by his clone. This is where the soul comes in. While he had made an exact replica of himself, it is still an object, it didn''t have a consciousness.


    To solve this, he enslaved the summoned soul, put it in the body and told it to act as him, giving him time to set things up and prepared his plan.


    ???????


    Which brings us back to present time...


    Rito shakes his head back and forth. "No use thinking about the past." He says, pushing those thoughts to the deep depth of his mind. He then looks at the lifeless body on the floor and can''t help but sigh.


    "What do I do with you?" Asks Rito, the question is directed to no one in particular, but his brain has always worked better when he says things out loud, questions like this are also easily solved when voiced.


    This is one of the few unanswered mysteries he has been wondering about since young. And it remains unanswered ''till this day.


    He could leave the body in the mountains, those wild animals definitely won''t give up such an easy meal, but this is a very risky method since someone could stumble on it on accident.


    Struggling inwardly, Rito looks at the darkening sky and finally decides to burn the body. Just as he is about to drag it into the nearby mountain, a familiar voice calls from outside his room.


    "Rito! Are you in there?" It is none other than his loving mother, who he feels has been avoiding him lately, but hand-full with his grand plan, he hasn''t been able to address the matter.


    "Y-Yes?!" He replies, somewhat panicky as he inwardly curses his crappy luck before throwing the body in the closet. He could only imagine the followed mess if his parents found the damned thing.


    "Come down, we have something to tell you." Making sure the body won''t fall out once more, Rito breaths, relieved that he had locked the door instead of leaving it open as usual.


    Done, he runs downstairs, half-expecting his parents to say they know what he has been doing all this time. His worries are proven unfounded when they spring up behind the worn-out brown couch, holding a large cake in their hand that has ''Happy Birthday'' written on it.


    Seeing this, he can''t help but feel guilty, wondering if they''d ever see him in the same light if they knew he had just ruined a kid''s life. A car crushing, superpower possessing weirdo, but kid nonetheless.

 [V1] - C.14 : A New Member To The Family

    Cars filled roads, people pushing, trying to navigate through the already extremely crowded streets, flocking every nook and cranny of any stores that are still open as unlucky employees try their best to calm their over excited customers from hitting each other.


    Scenes like these could be seen everywhere in the normally quiet Sainan city. For most, this is simply the time to prepare for the up-coming Christmas, lest everything runs out and they''re stuck with their hand-made gifts that nobody wants.


    For the Yuukis, however, things are completely different. Although they too are very nervous and anxious, their reason has nothing to do with Christmas, or any other holiday for that matter. In fact, truth be told, they''re so busy that they couldn''t even spare the time to care, much less prepare anything at all.


    After all, how could a simple holiday be more important than their soon to-be new family member?


    Indeed, Ringo''s pregnancy is coming to an end, this period has been stressful for not just the woman herself, but also her husband, Yuuki Saibai. Ever since the day he found his wife collapsed on the floor after coming back from work, the man has yet to leave her side, always staying nearby in case she needs him.


    He even refused to sleep, only taking occasional short breaks after Rito assures him that he knows how to handle pregnancies and has had some experience in the matter.


    That was before, now that the actual delivery comes, he is ten times more extreme. Standing outside the birthing room, he walks around back and forth aimlessly, his mouth is constantly mumbling inaudible words. If it wasn''t for his ability to see souls, Rito would''ve probably thought his father was possessed by now.


    Sighing out loud, he looks at his father, combs his hair with his hand and says. "Please sit down, tou-san. You''re scaring people."


    "B-Bu-!!" Not letting him finish, Rito cuts in as he holds back the urge to roll his eyes. "Walking aimlessly like a zombie won''t help. Beside..." He stops, as if to make things more dramatic. "... Have you forgotten who I am?" A confident smile creeps its way on his face. "I won''t let anything happen to them."


    Seeing his son so calm and composed, Saibai forces down his worries. He sits on the chair next to Rito, his eyes remain fixed on his supposedly son.


    As for the boy in question, he ignores the look his father is giving him, brings the book in his hands to his face to hide the now glowing eyes and chants in whispers. As he finishes, runic patterns appear at the top of his finger, as if a small, moving tattoo.


    Closing his eyes, Rito wills the Mana in his body, forces it to circulate at a speed much faster than normal, forming a misty, purple tendril. This tendril is very faint, however, as it was designed so only the user can see it clearly. To others, they can atmost see a different in color of the air, nothing more.


    Of course, those with stronger psychic power, the supernaturals or some of the few alien life forms on Earth will be able to see it, but those are rare, as rare as a needle in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. In his four years of life on Earth, Rito has only met two alien life forms that can probably feel his Mana if he actively releases it. As for the supernaturals, Asian was a land of Youkai and these beings rarely appear in the mortal plane.


    He might be able to find some demons, maybe vampires and lycanthropes in European, but there is no way his parents would let him go as he is right now. Thus even though Rito is very curious about this universe standard of power, he has no means to move around, there is the option to use [Teleportation], but with his current strength, he could only use it to travel hundreds of meters at best.


    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Now that the tendril has become more stable, Rito guides it towards the door. Whatever the tendril sees, Rito will also be able to see it. Such a feeling is weird even for the young reincarnator, but he gets used to it pretty quickly. Minutes later, the tendril slowly penetrates through the door, revealing the figures of a young woman lying ontop the patient bed.


    Beside her is the doctor, about thirties years old in age, she has flaming red-hair and cold blue eyes, the two colors that should''ve contradicted each other give her an unique type of charm. Though that illusion of beauty is immediately shattered by the inappropriate stuff that pours out from her sexy, moist red lips. Stuff that Rito would rather not repeat.


    Controlling the tendril to move forwards, Rito ignores the vulgar woman and continues towards his mother. But the moment his tendril reaches her, Ringo opens her eyes, marvelling at the weird, seemingly living being before her.


    It is a fact that she doesn''t have strong psychic power, she also couldn''t cultivate Mana since there is none in this universe so Rito is not sure how she could see the tendril,but then a thought hits him.


    Smiling ear to ear, he wills the tendril towards his little sister. When a mother is pregnant with a psychic baby, the mother would sometime inherit part of the child power as long as the baby is still connected with her through their navel-cord. This, of course, doesn''t happen that often. The cause of this unusual phenomenon is usually the child, it has too much psychic power for its own good and is forced to transfer some to another person because its fragile body couldn''t handle the shock.


    Most childs with such terrifying psychic power grow up becoming insane, immersed in depression or just straight up die. The reason is very simple, the mortal brain can only hold so much, psychic power on the other hand forces the user''s brain to its maximum capability, causing severe damages. Such a large pool of psychic power becomes a big advantage for people who practiced Mana, Qi and the likes however, as they can perceive and control these energies more easily.


    This was why gods and other races in Rito''s old universe often sealed their descendants psychic power from young, waited until they were a bit older then released the seal. Knowing the terrible fate awaiting his little sister, Rito''s tendril immediately coils around Ringo''s body. Moment later, a comfortable sensation pours into her, she feels like a dried up tree that suddenly recieves water, sweet and gentle water.


    Not only does her pain lessen, her mind also becomes refreshed.


    Then the tendril continues to do its work and penetrates Ringo''s stomach at the same time, reaching the child in less than a minute latter. After making sure he wouldn''t accidentally hurt the child in the process, Rito starts doing his job. Due to limited source of Mana, it takes Rito ten long and exhausting minutes to make the seal.


    One that looks almost identical to the one on his finger with some minor changes in the pattern. Now there''s nothing to worry about anymore, the seal should hold until his sister turns eighteen as long as noone deliberate breaks it.


    Done, Rito finally realises he has been standing all this time. He wipea out beads of sweat that are rolling down his forehead and falls backwards on the chair. Exhaustion is a feeling Rito hasn''t felt in ages and it honestly isn''t a good feeling, yet despite that, a small smile still appears on his face.


    Many people, mostly women, who are walking by at the time see this smile and are instantly smitten. It''s a child-like innocent smile that could make the coldest of heart melt. Unfortunately, it only last for a few short moments before he blacks out from exhaustion.

 [V1] - C.15 : Epilogue

    The Yuuki resident is exceptionally lively lately. Their neighbors one after another comes to congratulate the young couple and give blessings to their newborn daughter, though Saibai suspects they are mostly here to meet his son.


    It is no secret that Rito is the best kid in town. He is kind, hard-working and surprisingly good with children, he also doesn''t nag or cry, which is a big plus.


    "If only they knew..." Saibai can''t help snickering, if a hundreds years old monster cried like a little kid, now wouldn''t that be embarrassing.


    Regarding his son''s confession, Saibai has many conflicting thoughts. While he is grateful of him for telling them the truth, he just can''t see the kid in the same light as he had been before. Fortunately, Rito doesn''t push it either, and for that, Saibai is thankful.


    Part of him thinks ''what if?''. What if he had been there the day the accident happened? What if he had been able to save his son? Would any of this still happen? Would his son become this? Too many questions left unanswered, and as time goes on, this list only grows.


    Of course, he could ask the kid directly, but he knows there are things better left unsaid. Ignorance is bliss after all. Beside, if realising his son is a reincarnator has this much effect on him, he couldn''t imagine what would happen if he knew all of it.


    Does a multiverse exist? Are gods really benevolent as described? These thoughts linger in his mind since that day, the more he thinks about it, the more his fear feasts and grows, the fear of knowing how insignificant he actually is. His body softly trembles as a realisation dawns on him.


    Beings that can destroy planets at whims truly exist, they lurk in that dark void known as the universe, waiting for a chance to strike.


    His tremble increases, his face pales, turning several shades whiter than its initially healthy bronze color. It''s at this moment that a hand, small but firm touches his shoulder. Waves of comfortness wash over him, somehow forcing his overactive mind to calm down.


    For a brief moment, he swears he could hear sounds of bird chirping in the background.


    "It''s alright." Then, a soft voice, as if afraid of scaring him away reaches his ear. "I know how it feels."


    Turning left, he sees his son, hands glowing, an apologetic and guilty smile plastered on that childish face. "I''m sorry." Rito apologizes, leaving Saibai both baffled and confused.


    "It is my fault. I knew from the start that this could happen but I told you anyway... I should''ve left quietly, but I was afraid of losing my family, of being all alone again." A single drop of blood falls down from his violet eye, staining the floor.


    Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    Seeing the normally calm Rito in this state, Saibai realises how hard it must''ve also been for him. He is sure that he hasn''t been told everything, but he knows enough to see how much pain his son feels, how he is being slowly crushed by the guilt that plagues his conscience.


    "It''s alright... I forgive you." He gives Rito a small hug, patting his back wanting to console him.


    ???????


    Two men sit opposite, their faces deep red in color, the obvious prove of their embarrassment. Sharing a look, they both resolutely decide in their hearts that what just happened will never leave this room. And if it ever did, they''d make damn sure it can''t spread using all means necessary.


    Coughing, Rito breaks the awkward silent. "I''ve cooked dinner, Kaa-san and Mikan should be coming down soon so..." Before finishing, he already darts towards the door next to him.


    Yet he doesn''t go out, a solemn look creeps over his face. "Also, about the growing fear inside you." He points, seemingly at Saibai''s chest, but is actually pointing at his soul. "It''s due to the corruption in your soul, I''ve already sealed the corrupted parts, but you should be careful. I''m currently not strong enough to remove it, I''ll soon so wait."


    Done, he continues on his way towards the dinning room, leaving a baffled and in awe Saibai behind.


    As he walks, Rito sighs tiredly. He really didn''t expect this to happen. After all, the Void doesn''t normally reach out to mortals since their movements are restricted by the gods, and if they''re going to possess someone, it''s often time a strong person.


    Despite having no concrete evidences, the only reason that Rito can think of to explain their action is him. By doing this, they''re pretty much declaring war on him. What bugs him the most is how they found him, if they wanted to attack why didn''t they possess him instead, surely the current him won''t pose any threat to them? And lastly, why?


    While he wasn''t exactly best friend to the Void, he could be considered their ally due to his bad relationship with the gods. Not to mention, targetting him would''ve been much easier, why bother with his father?


    "I guess I''ll know it once we meet..." Rubbing his temples, he fakes a smile and gets to the kitchen. Although he did not voice it out, Rito knew if he wanted to protect this new family of his, he must get stronger fast. That day, despite the happy atmosphere, Rito ate with heavy heart.

 Announcement

    Now I know a lot of you are gonna be mad about this but I''ve decided to drop this project... Now before you start flaming, hear me out first. As you have probably noticed, recently, it''s taken me days to post a chapter and there''s a reason for it. You see, I fucking love To Love Ru... It''s one of the first mangas I read, and despite it having tons of the typical anime/manga clich¨¦, it still has a large place in my heart. At first, this project was supposed to be a adaptation of the original with a slight change to the protagonist .aka Yuuki Rito. The problems arose when I started writing, if you haven''t realized, there aren''t much known about the characters in To Love Ru... We don''t know about these characters'' grandparents (or parents), it''s almost as if they don''t exist, which means to write this I had to make up a lot of characters, story-line, past,...etc. And it sucks. Everytime I pick up my phone to write new chapter, I think to myself : "Can this really be called a fanfic of To Love Ru? Especially after everything I''ve changed?" You know that pressing feeling in your chest when you did something wrong right? That''s how I always feel when I start to write... And it affects me, more than I thought when I first started this. Not to mention, To Love Ru current has 2 seasons, Darkness and Trouble, I can''t be sure those characters I make up would match those the authors create, if they were ever introduced, this story is fucked. And I don''t want to write a ton only to scrap it all out because it''s different to the original.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    Due to all the reasons above, I''ve decided to drop this project and start anew with my own story. Thank you all for accompanying me and I hope you can forgive me for dropping this. I know how frustrating it is to read an incomplete story, but I''d rather do this now when this is still in its infant state than later when I''ve written like dozens of chapters...

 Announcement

    So some readers told me to post ny next story up if I write one and here it is : http://royalroadl.com/fiction/14703/ascended-the-unbound</a>


    It''s still in its infant state, I haven''t written much but I have things planned for it.


    This time I try not to reveal too much and write it in forst person since I thought it''d be cool.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    But as you all know, writing in forst person is a lot harder than third, that''s why I''ll try to come up with one or two chapter per week, however I can''t promise anything.


    I hope you could enjoy this story as much as you did with this one.


    Last but not least, if anyone here and anyone at all is good at coding, please help me  (I''m shit at coding so I can''t make a table)