That familiar warmth began to invade my exhausted senses. The darkness enveloping me peeled away slowly, like the fading husk of a cocoon. "What's happening?" I tried to move my arms, but they felt heavy... and ridiculously short! My vision was a blur, a white fog cloaking everything, and the muffled voice of a woman spoke in a language whose tone I couldn't initially grasp.
"Am I in a hospital?"
Impossible. The last thing I remember was the cold bite of metal piercing my body; that bastard dealt a lethal blow I couldn't have survived. Suddenly, a sharp, annoying wail cut through my thoughts. "Waaa... Waaa..." Damn it, is that my voice? I tried to protest, I tried to shout, but nothing came out except that infantile howling.
I had been reborn.
Between the pangs of longing for my family in the old world and a spark of hope for a second life, the fog began to lift. I found myself in a warm room with walls of ancient pine and a window to the left overlooking a landscape so breathtaking it made you doubt its reality.
Then, I saw her face. Her skin was bronze, like wheat under the sun, and her flowing white hair looked like threads of silver. But the strangest part was the white silk cloth wrapped around her eyes. My mother... is she blind?
She whispered with a voice full of melancholy as she cradled me: "I will take care of you, Cilian... I will be both father and mother to you."
Great. It seems my luck in this world started with an early "drama" package; my father is dead. No matter. This woman gave me a second chance, and I will be her protector.
(6 Years Later)
The years passed like a magical flicker. This "Isekai" world isn't just a fantasy; we are in the Kingdom of Vittoria—a resonant name that suggests corrupt nobles and towering palaces. But my interest wasn't in politics; it was power.
I discovered I wasn't an ordinary child. While others needed years to study grimoires and mutter hollow incantations, I could bend Mana to my will.
Fire Magic: A red flame dancing between my fingers.
Dark Magic: A deep, mysterious energy that absorbs the surrounding light.
And the most dangerous part? The Fusion.
When I mix the opposites, something terrifying is born: (Abyssal Fire). A black-purple flame that never goes out, incinerating both matter and soul. However, it devours my Mana like a starving hurricane.
My rank is currently Two Golden Stars. In a world that sanctifies the Five Stars, followed by the Red Stars for elite adventurers, and finally the Diamond Stars for Holy Knights, reaching my rank at age six is a true miracle. Add to that the swordsmanship skills I brought from my previous life... I am, for all intents and purposes, the complete Isekai protagonist package.
"Cilian!" My mother's voice broke my train of thought. She sat at the doorstep with her usual quiet dignity.
She possessed Sleep Magic, a rare and potent gift, but the price of motherhood in this world was steep; she lost half of her magical core after my birth.
We went for a walk; the village was a masterpiece of greenery and calm. As we walked hand-in-hand, she asked curiously, "What magic have you been practicing in your training, my son?"
I answered with feigned innocence, "Dark magic, mother, and—"
She stopped abruptly. Her calm features shifted into genuine terror. "Dark magic?! Don't you ever tell anyone! If someone asks, tell them you only use Fire!"
Her anger was strange, as if she were hiding a dark secret from this kingdom. Is Vittoria one of those realms that considers darkness a sin? Damn these boring clichés.
We returned home at sunset. I prepared a humble dinner: crusty bread and lentil soup. She ate with such gratitude it was as if she were at a royal banquet.
"I am grateful that I gave birth to you," she said, smiling.
I replied with a hint of bitterness, "I'm the one who feels guilty... I took your power just so I could live."
But she responded with a tenderness that shattered my defenses: "You are my reward from the Gods, Cilian."
I went to bed, trying to relax, when suddenly...
BOOM!!!
An explosion rocked the house. The sound of splintering wood filled the air as debris flew everywhere. It wasn't a natural tremor; it was the result of massive magical pressure.
I heard my mother casting defensive spells with lightning speed.
I stood up, my heart pounding violently—but this time, it wasn't fear. It was excitement laced with rage.
"What happened in my previous life won't happen again. I won't allow myself to lose anything ever again."
A small, arrogant laugh escaped my lips—the laugh of a child possessing the power of a demon.
"I'm strong... aren't I? Heh..."