Chapter 3
Chapter 3
Chapter 3
Reincarnation (3)
Day 270 after birth.
I walked out of the room and stood in front of the bathroom.
"Oh my."
The neighbor lady who had come to visit was looking at me with amazement.
Is watching a person walk that fascinating?
I just ignored her and spoke to my mother.
"Mother, please open the bathroom door for me."
"He's already speaking like that? It's surprising enough that he's walking on his own!"
"My children grow a bit quickly."
If it were up to me, I'd like to grab and open the bathroom doorknob myself. It's possible if I jump a little, but I'm holding back.
Because the neighbor lady's expression was unsettling.
I didn't want to create problems unnecessarily, so I waited for my mother.
"Son, can you do it by yourself?"
"Yes, Mother."
I still remember.
In the beginning, I came to this place called the bathroom and urinated with my mother's help.
I remember being embarrassed enough that my face turned red.
-To think the Heavenly Demon can't even pee by himself.
When I became able to control my body, the first thing I did was urinate alone.
Now the bathroom was even comfortable.
This time too, I emptied myself and sat on the toddler toilet.
'Tonight's the night.'
Today is a special day.
Last night, I succeeded in the Great Heavenly Cycle.
The energy that explosively burst out from my two Dantians circled through my entire body, putting me in a state of ecstasy, and soon led to the Great Heavenly Cycle. It was a growth speed even I hadn't expected.
I clenched my fist.
'Good.'
My muscles tightened and I felt strong power.
Compared to my previous life, it's the crawling stage, but I judged this was the best for this kind of body.
'This is where the bitter connection ends.'
The time has come.
The time for the decisive battle is approaching.
I sat on the toddler toilet and steeled my resolve.
That night.
"Our twins. Sweet dreams."
My parents kissed my cheeks and lips in turn.
At first, I felt resistance, but I got used to this too.
'You don't know what will happen tonight.'
My parents left the room with their usual warm smiles.
'I will be filial enough for the Witch's share too.'
I had already told the Witch it would be tonight.
With the Heavenly Demon's pride, I couldn't make a surprise attack, could I?
I told her to face me fair and square.
This isn't a simple duel.
It will be a life-or-death struggle.
I concentrated my mind and listened to the sound of my parents' breathing beyond the wall.
Confirming they had fallen into deep sleep, I got down from the wooden-barred crib that now felt cramped.
The Witch also stood up before me as if she had been waiting.
"Shall we begin?"
I asked the Witch.
"Anytime."
I also received her answer.
There's no reason to hesitate.
The battle began with me kicking off the floor and lunging forward.
Having closed the distance, I used footwork with my short legs.
'Blood Shadow Steps.'
It was an assassin's footwork.
The Heavenly Demon Divine Art, which was my main martial art in my previous life, couldn't be used due to insufficient internal energy.
The characteristic of Blood Shadow Steps was approaching using the strength of the ankles without upper body movement.
I closed the distance in an instant and aimed at the Witch's neck with my clenched fist.
Chaeng.
My fist was blocked by a transparent barrier just short of the Witch. It's called a Shield, something like a mage's protective barrier.
Even in my previous life, the Witch's Shield was on a different level from other mages'.
However, I remember breaking it with continued attacks.
"Hup!"
Drawing in a breath, I changed my fist to a palm and struck again.
Chaeng!
The Shield shattered into ice fragments.
The moment I felt my hand pierce through the Shield and reach her neck, the Witch's body disappeared.
Since I had experienced this pattern in my past life, I didn't panic and ran toward the back. As expected, the Witch was there.
I could see the Witch's eyes widening.
'Got you.'
Preparing for the Shield, I pretended to strike her neck while executing the Bone-Locking Hand with my other hand. I intended to break the Witch's wrist joint.
Suddenly, stinging pain assaulted my back. Ice fragments had embedded themselves in my skin.
'Going in.'
I couldn't stop.
Ttuk!
I broke the Witch's left wrist. In return, dozens of ice fragments stuck in my back.
When I pulled the wrist I had grabbed to close the distance, a fireball formed between the Witch and me.
'Damn!'
Too late to dodge. I crossed both arms to protect my body.
Peong!
The fireball exploded and pushed me away.
Bounced by the explosion, I hit the wall but pressed hard on the floor to maintain my balance and stood.
One of the Witch's arms was hanging limply. Since the Bone-Locking Hand had properly connected, the bone must have broken.
"How dare!"
White frost began to form around the Witch.
"That's more like it."
Ten ice arrows rose around the Witch. I also burst out my energy wave and rapidly circulated the energy in my Dantian.
Pat!
I kicked off the wall first and launched my body toward the Witch.
Due to my body structure, this method was much faster than running.
But there's no retreat. I could only fly in a straight line.
The Witch also launched her ice arrows.
'Endure.'
I took the ice arrows with my body.
My flesh tore and blood spurted up. Still, I maintained my posture.
For a single strike.
Finally, I reached the Witch.
I launched a single strike at the Witch with all my internal energy.
Chaechaeng!
The frost surrounding the Witch's body shattered like glass.
All those fragments embedded themselves in my body, but my fist struck above the Witch's heart.
Tuk.
The Witch collapsed, unable to withstand the impact.
'Damn, too short.'
My arms were too short to properly press the vital point. The force didn't penetrate to one point but scattered throughout the body.
As expected, the Witch who had fallen staggered back to her feet.
'This smell.'
Smelling blood after a long time made me smile. The Witch glared at me.
It's time to engage again.
This time, one of us will really die.
Both of us were already not in a state to endure one more impact.
Then, I heard the sound of my parents waking up.
'Oh no!'
I let my guard down.
When my mind was distracted by my parents' sounds, the Witch threw a fireball.
'Crazy!'
The fireball was three times the size of my body. If it's this size, it won't end with just me getting hurt.
Since I couldn't lose my life, I raised my short arms to block the front.
Kwang!
The fireball finally exploded.
From the aftermath, I was bounced to the wall once more, and the Witch also collapsed, her strength drained.
Beolkeok!
The door opened.
It was my parents.
Shocked by the explosion sound, my parents rushed in, and seeing mine and the Witch's conditions, they became dazed like people who had lost their minds. Then my mother screamed.
"Uram! Yuri!"
Mother hurriedly entered the room that had become a mess.
I lost consciousness watching that sight.
When I regained consciousness.
My parents were crying.
The Witch and I were lying on two beds placed side by side, and needles were stuck all over our bodies.
I saw my mother crying as if she had lost the world, and my father with an expression as if he carried every sin that exists.
Father could only tremble his hands and couldn't even touch me. Instead, he let out a tearful voice filled with sincerity.
"Just don't die. It's okay even if you become disabled, it's okay even if you become foolish, so please just don't die. This father will take care of everything, so please just don't die."
Mother repeated the same words with reddened eyes.
"Mommy's sorry. Mommy's so sorry."
What did they do wrong?
Why must they cry so sorrowfully?
I had turned my innocent parents into sinners.
The emotions I had erased myself in my past life came back.
Guilt.
The emotions that rushed in like a storm drove me mad.
My eyes felt itchy.
I learned one more thing.
'I can cry too.'
I was an absolute being who didn't cry. I lived a life substituting sadness with anger.
But now, the tears wouldn't stop.
'This is the weight of family.'
I have an obligation to be healthy.
A relationship with obligations as great as absolute trust.
This was family.
Five days passed.
My parents no longer cried. The Witch and I had already fully recovered.
My parents were happy, but the doctor wasn't.
"This is truly unbelievable. This is a miracle."
The doctor came to the hospital room where the Witch and I were lying several times a day.
The doctor wanted to conduct various tests.
His expression was like a martial artist who had discovered a secret martial arts manual.
"I don't want to."
The Witch and I firmly refused. No more strange machines scanning our bodies.
I don't want to enter cave-like machines, and the blood drawn by needles is precious.
The treatment methods were so different from my previous life that I felt strong resistance.
The annoyance didn't end there.
"Father, Mother, could you come out for a moment?"
The doctor took my parents outside the hospital room. Meanwhile, one woman in her 30s entered and sat beside the Witch.
"Your name is Yuri, right? I'm Police Sister. You know what police are, right?"
Without answering, the Witch nodded.
"I heard you speak well, will you talk?"
"If you have something to say, say it."
The Witch answered coldly.
Surprised by the Witch's tone, the police officer asked carefully.
"Did your dad hit you by any chance?"
Listening from the side, I was dumbfounded and looked at the woman called police.
What is this woman saying?
Father is not someone who would hit us.
"That never happened."
"You can tell Sister."
The police officer spoke in a tone confirming her suspicions.
"Sister and the police officers will protect you."
Absurd words continued.
Protecting the Witch.
Excluding me, even if all the humans in this hospital attacked together, they couldn't beat the Witch.
"That never happened."
The Witch's tone became even colder. Then the police officer came to me this time.
"Your name is Uram, right?"
"Yes."
"Didn't your dad or mom hurt you?"
"No. My parents aren't those kinds of people."
The police officer sighed deeply. Then she spoke to both the Witch and me.
"You can tell the police the truth. We'll protect you. Really. We'll make sure you're not hurt anymore."
I couldn't understand at all why she was saying such things.
Unable to contain my curiosity, I asked.
"Tell us first why you're saying such things."
The police officer looked back and forth between us once each, then opened her mouth.
"We saw your wounds. Yuri had traces of assault, and Uram's wounds were even worse. They were burns from something hot."
Now I understood.
I was organizing the situation when the police officer's words continued.
"The doctors saw your wounds and reported to the police. Saying there seemed to be children being abused."
I need to learn a bit more about this world.
To think these people called police step in on behalf of children being abused by their parents.
The intention seems good, but they've picked the wrong targets.
"First, your dad and mom will be investigated. Until then, let's stay together with me. If there's anything you want to say, tell me anytime."
I wanted to shout right away to bring my parents back. However, I became cautious.
I couldn't guarantee what consequences my actions would lead to.
The Witch also glared at the police officer with cold eyes, then turned her gaze away.
For now, we said nothing.
My parents returned only late at night, and looked very exhausted.
The aftermath continued even after discharge.
People who appeared to be police visited unexpectedly and examined the inside of the house. They questioned us about assault and blatantly suspected our parents.
Each time, my parents made wronged expressions and said it wasn't true.
Seeing those expressions, I felt the urge to kill the visiting police officers. The Witch's atmosphere was also unsettling.
"They're good people. They're just misunderstanding."
If Mother hadn't seen my expression and comforted me, that police officer would have died.
I said the most difficult words to my mother.
"I'm sorry."
I apologized.
Words I had never said even once while living as the Heavenly Demon.
Mother hugged me tightly.
"Sorry for what. I'm thankful that you're here. I'm so thankful for everything that things like this aren't even hard. I just need you to be healthy."
Mother simultaneously embraced both the Witch and me with her small frame.
Her frame was small, but Mother's embrace was not small.