Life Delusion Chapter 4: Chapter IV: The Pain

Read chapter 4 of Life Delusion by The_lite on NovelPedia.

The next day, Aqua woke to the voice of the old man. He wished, with every fiber of his being, that all of this were just a nightmare… just a horrific, waking dream. But… reality crashed down. He opened his eyes, glanced at the old man, and sat up. “First,” the old man began, “you must understand that you are a Demon. Demons are classified into specific magical categories: Basic Demons, Concentrated Demons, Senior Demons, Superior Demons, Noble Demons, Grey Demons, and Black Demons. Keep in mind, Black Demons have been imprisoned by the Gods for ages. But if they ever manage to break the seal, they possess unparalleled power. You probably realize by now that classification depends on two factors: internal mana capacity and output capacity. From what I gathered yesterday, you have vast internal capacity, but since you are still a child, this capacity is still expandable. Let me measure it once more to see exactly where you stand.” The old man took Aqua’s hand. He stopped, frozen. A wave of doubt—no, shock—rippled through him. “I… I… impossible. Your mana core has strengthened. It’s grown so much stronger. But you haven’t done anything since yesterday… how?” The old man looked at Aqua. “Aqua, tell me right now, how old are you?” “Twelve.” Suddenly, Aqua stopped. It was his birthday. The first birthday without Rose. Tears welled up in his eyes as he continued, “Actually… today I turn thirteen.” The old man froze completely. He grabbed Aqua’s hand again, squeezed it, and closed his eyes. It was impossible. “Is something wrong?” Aqua asked. The old man said nothing. “It’s nothing. Let’s start the training. We’ll begin with the primary spells.” Months passed. Aqua grew stronger with every passing day. Until one day… The doors to the Soul-draining Dungeon creaked open. It was the guards. “Hey, old man,” one sneered. “Why is there no mana energy coming from you anymore? This is pathetic. The Grand Dwarf has ordered us to kill you; you’re useless now.” The guards approached the cell and were surprised to see that Aqua’s chains had been shattered. But it didn’t matter; the dungeon itself was a force-draining zone. They grabbed the old man and dragged him out. Right in front of Aqua’s eyes, one of the guards drew a sword and decapitated the old man, tossing his corpse onto the pile of other dead bodies. One guard looked at the other. “Do you want to keep the old guy’s head? It fits my collection.” “No, wait,” the other replied, casting a dismissive glance at Aqua. “Don’t bother with this brat, I don’t think he has much mana anyway.” With a smirk, he added, “Use his head when his time comes.” They slammed the cell door shut and left the dungeon. Aqua was left alone in the absolute darkness. Again… the same sequence of events. Why couldn’t he have a quiet life? Since the first time he saw his parents’ smiles, he had imagined, maybe this time I can experience life. Maybe… if he had just been stronger. Maybe if he had been a little smarter. Maybe if Rose hadn’t followed him… none of this would have happened, and he wouldn’t be here. The world had turned grey. As he knelt on the floor, he remembered his previous life: “Why are you alive? Because of you, Mother died. You think I’m going to thank you for saving my life just now? You should never have existed. You don’t deserve to live. You don’t deserve to live.” Maybe he was right. Maybe he truly didn’t deserve to live. Days turned into weeks. Each day, Aqua’s emotions withered, fading away. Each day, his connection to the world thinned, until a year had passed. Aqua was almost entirely devoid of feeling. He was sad, but he couldn’t feel sadness. He was furious, but he couldn’t feel rage. Nothing mattered anymore. Until his 14th birthday arrived. He sat on the floor. “Aqua… Happy 11th birthday!” Rose had jumped into his arms, laughing. Aqua stared at the cake his sister had baked for him—a cake made with love and care. For a fleeting moment, he heard a voice. It sounded like his sister wishing