rise of the dragon slayer

The first thing I realized was that I wasn't dead. That was a relief. The second thing I realized was that I was extremely cramped, warm, and, for some reason, hungry in a way I couldn't quite articulate. The third thing was that I was being squeezed through a narrow opening, which was… unpleasant.Then, there was light.Waaaaaah!I tried to shout, to make a profound statement about my new existence, but it came out as a desperate, wet scream. I blinked, my eyes struggling to focus, but the world was a blurry mess of warm colors."It's a boy! A healthy baby boy!"A boy? Well, obviously, I thought. Wait. Did they say 'a' boy?I heard another cry, slightly higher pitched, from somewhere to my right."And another! Twins, Paul! A pair of healthy boys!"Twins? I felt a wave of dizziness, not from the birth, but from the realization of the first wish coming true. I was in the world of Mushoku Tensei. And if I was a twin in this house, that meant…A face leaned over me. Red hair, kind eyes, covered in sweat. Zenith Greyrat.So, I'm a Greyrat, I thought. Okay, okay. Calm down, Cain. You died. You met God. You got your wishes. Now you live. First thing, check the specs.I closed my eyes, focusing on my internal state. The feeling was… intoxicating. A vast, deep sea of energy existed within me. It didn't feel like the typical, wild, elemental magic of this world. It felt refined, sharp, and cold—demonic energy. But that was only the surface. Deep below, resting like a slumbering mountain, was a power that felt ancient, void-like, and overwhelming. The power of the Dragon King.I am… absurdly powerful, I realized with a small chuckle that sound like a cough.Months passed. I realized my brother, the other twin, was special. He was Rudeus. I remembered the anime. I remembered his past life as a 34-year-old hikikomori. While I was in my crib, I listened to him, observing his behavior. He was… let's say, intense. He loved Lilia's legs, he was obsessed with magic, and he was terrified of returning to his old life.I was different. I didn't have the trauma of a wasted life. I was just a kid in a new body, eager to explore.By the time I was one year old, I had already started testing my limits. The first thing I learned was that having white hair and piercing blue eyes meant I stood out like a sore thumb next to the red-haired Rudeus. It made people look at me."Cain is so quiet," Lilia often said, brushing my white locks. "And he looks just like an elf, despite being human."I just smiled. Silence was power. It allowed me to train.My first ability was to control the demonic energy. Thanks to my "Vergil" package, I didn't need to learn to control it from scratch; I instinctively knew how to manipulate spatial energy. I spent hours in my room, focusing on a small wooden block. I imagined the Yamato, the katana that cuts through space itself.Slash.It wasn't a loud noise. It was a faint, clean sound, like air being cut by a sharp blade. The wood didn't shatter; it simply separated into two, perfectly smooth pieces."Impressive," a voice whispered.I looked up. Rudeus was watching me from the doorway, his own eyes wide with shock. He was holding a small wooden spoon he had been trying to levitate."Rudy," I said, my voice still small. "You saw that?""How..." he stammered, abandoning the formal, adult-like persona he often used in his head. "You didn't use a chant. That wasn't silent magic, that was… what was that?""Just a trick," I replied, grabbing the wooden blocks. "I cut the space around the wood. It doesn't need mana if you know where to cut."Rudeus sat down, his face contorting into a mix of admiration and, I could see, intense jealousy. He had been proud of learning basic water ball at this age. I had just demonstrated spatial manipulation."You're a genius, Cain," he said, finally."No, Rudy," I said, looking him in the eyes, ensuring he knew I was serious. "You are the mage. You have the understanding. I just… I just have the power. We are twins. I'll protect you, you teach me."Rudeus blinked, then a genuine smile, not a perverted one, appeared on his face. "Deal."That was the turning point. I didn't become a recluse. I was the opposite of my past life's laziness. I took my second power—the Acnologia package—and combined it with the Vergil abilities.No motion sickness? I thought. Excellent. I can fly.And I did. At night, when Paul and Zenith were asleep, I would slip out of the window. I wouldn't fly high, just low over the fields of Buena. I felt the wind, the freedom. But more importantly, I could feel the magic in the air—the mana. It was different from my energy. My energy was a void; the mana was a river.One night, I felt a presence. Not a person, but a powerful, draconic presence.Acnologia's power, I realized, it lets me sense other dragons.I looked toward the distant mountains. I knew who was there. Orsted. The Dragon God."Not today," I whispered, turning back toward the house. "I need to get stronger first."The training continued. I discovered that I could summon the Yamato's energy around my hands, making them harder than steel. I started practicing the Judgement Cut, the technique that allowed me to cut anything in a specific area. I would practice in the backyard, slicing through leaves that were falling from the trees, turning them into confetti before they hit the ground.Paul, our father, found me doing this one day."Cain," he said, his voice serious. "Where did you learn that?""I just… imagined it, Dad."Paul watched me, then walked over to the tree. He ran his hand over the tree's trunk, which had a faint, invisible mark on it. "That's not just imagination. That's swordsmanship that requires… a lot of something else."He didn't scold me. Paul was a swordsman, and he recognized power, even in his own child. He started training me with a wooden sword, but it was useless. I was too fast. I didn't need to swing it; I was using the demonic energy to predict the movements of his sword."Okay," Paul said, sighing. "You're not a normal kid, are you?""I want to be able to protect everyone," I said, a little defensively. "Rudy handles the magic. I handle the… whatever this is."Paul looked at me for a long time, then patted my head. "Just don't get yourself killed, alright?"I promised, but in my heart, I knew I was destined for more. I was a hybrid of the strongest swordsman and the strongest dragon.The day Roxy Migurdia arrived was a turning point for the whole household. I was two years old, but I looked and acted like a four-year-old. Rudeus was terrified of leaving his room, but I was excited.When she walked in, with her blue hair and her staff, I couldn't help but smile."Hello," I said, walking up to her. "You must be the teacher."Roxy stared at me, her eyes widening. "You... you can talk? And you are so young?""I'm Cain. And that," I pointed to the room where Rudeus was still hiding, "is my brother, Rudeus. He's a bit shy, but he's a genius."Roxy smiled, a gentle, kind smile. "I see. Well, Cain. I'm Roxy. I hope we can learn a lot together."The lessons with Roxy were… interesting. Rudeus would chant, making small, almost pathetic water balls. I, on the other hand, was tasked with controlling the flow of mana, which I found boring."Cain," Roxy said, frustrated. "You need to focus on the mana, not on your… weird energy.""I know, Roxy," I said, trying to control the mana, but my dragon-slayer side was making it hard. My energy was absolute, while the mana was a foreign substance. "It's just… different.""Try to think of it as… flowing," she said, showing me how to cast a water ball.I focused. I didn't just feel the mana; I used my Acnologia powers to consume the mana and then release it, a technique I called "Dragon's Breath."Whoosh.A massive, incredibly fast torrent of water erupted from my hand, slamming into the target, not just hitting it, but obliterating it.Roxy dropped her staff.Rudeus looked out from his room, his jaw dropping."Well," I said, brushing my hands. "It's flowing, right?"Roxy stood up, her face a mix of shock and confusion. "Cain… that was not just water magic. That was… you just… you destroyed it.""I did?" I acted innocent.That was the moment Roxy realized I was not just a genius; I was a monster. But she didn't fear me. She was a teacher, and she was determined to teach me, even if it meant she had to learn a few things too.The life in Buena was peaceful, but I knew it wouldn't last. I looked at my brother, who was starting to gain confidence, and at Roxy, who was becoming like a part of our family. I promised myself I would make this life better. I would use the Yamato to protect them from the things that the anime never showed.I am Cain Greyrat, I thought, looking at the setting sun. And this world will know my name.