| Master4thWall - Author Note | There are 1st-6th chapters merged into this first chapter, so it's a total of 15k words. I post in other sites too, where each chapter is a small 2.5~3k words long, but for FF-net's sake I am merging them. Enjoy!
Chapter 1: Regular at the Wheel of Reincarnation
There are supposedly three ways to kill a reincarnator.
Given that I have been reborn once again, I am unsure how much of that claim is true.
[The Order of the Crimson Abyss], the faction that bested me this time around, took pride in their knowledge of these three methods. Considering they did possess the ability to put me down once and for all, I feared it was the end when I was about to lose my life.
Yet, of course, this great venerable one has outwitted death once more. Throughout all of heaven and earth, who dares to try and kill me?
"..."
Perhaps I should learn to change my internal monologues' pattern a bit, since it may be unfit for the modern world I was reborn into. Which in itself was pretty exciting. Which in itself was pretty damn exciting.
Anyhow, back to the point. There are three ways to kill a reincarnator such as myself.
First, the most obvious one. To Soul-Kill them. As in, to destroy the soul completely.
The Order had tried that as I was just about to pass away, but it clearly hadn't worked. Whatever technique they used to try and destroy my soul, it was far too weak to erase me.
Second, to destroy all their memories. Not the ones stored in their brain, but their soul. So if the soul kill process fails, the target won't have any memories or sense of self left to know that they're a reincarnator.
There was a clear drawback to this path, as the reincarnator wasn't technically dead, and would continue reincarnating. Though some philosophers argued that without the memory, the reincarnator would just be a different person altogether? In that sense, this method made sense.
Third, third… I don't remember?
I paled. What? Dammit.
Despite my arrogance, it seems the Order's second tactic worked to a certain degree, enough that I don't remember the third method they used. Yes, the Order had tried all three of their methods on me, they truly wanted me dead, and two of them may just have worked.
The process of the three ways was actually done in reverse, I recall that much. First they defeated me with an overwhelming number of Cultivators and Sorcerors alike, and then they tried the third method on me. Then they used their second, to erase my memories. Then, lastly, they tried to erase my soul, which caused me to spring into another reincarnation.
Though perhaps… I received more damage than I believed I did. No, it wasn't just two of those tactics that worked, all three did – though seemingly not entirely as they intended, given I was still breathing.
It seems I have lived quite a number of incarnations after dying in the Order's hands without the presence of my memories. Only in this life did I regain my true senses. It was a pity, but I told myself everything turned out fine. I did survive, which makes everything else a minor inconvenience.
It's not good, though. I admit I am a little crazy in my head, living life so many times, making families, only to lose them again, building empires only for them to collapse whilst I won't ever know about them again. Life is… tedious when you live like this, your sanity begins to warp to keep you interested in living. To… not just commit suicide.
All right, let's wrap this up. Let's see how much I remember.
In the beginning, I was a normal human in a normal world where no such thing as mana, chi, chakra, or any other supernatural energy existed. Needless to say, no kind of superpowers existed either. I died at a pretty early age in that world, barely out of my teens, at the tip of the broken bottle of my drunkard of a father, when I tried to stop him from barging into my sister's room. Quite the noble death in my opinion, and perhaps decided by God or whoever else was touched by that, or maybe just by pure luck, I reincarnated in some kind of medieval fantasy world.
I lived the typical Isekai life there. Killed the demon king, bedded pretty girls, you know the usual. Then, I was stabbed in my sleep by one of my girls. She was the daughter of the late demon king, and she'd been waiting to take revenge for her father for decades. I spent decades with her, and yet she killed me. Demon bitches are scary.
I'd still stick though.
After that, I was reincarnated… again. Sadly, it seems the Memory Erasure technique from the Order had mostly erased memories of my 3rd life, I only remember the outline of it. Dammit. Anyhow, I remember bits and pieces that it was a rare world with no mana, and it was the 12th century.
The funniest part is that I was reborn as Genghis fucking Khan. Despite the lack of natural magic energy in the world, I possessed a few magical arts that allowed me to use my life energy, or others' if I sacrificed them through the use of blood rituals, to command magic. Funnily enough, it was a technique I learned from the same demon wife of mine who had murdered me.
According to my leftover memories I took over at least half of Asia and was sure to go down the pages of history as a legend, just like the original Genghis Khan. Though sometimes I do wonder if the Genghis Khan in my first life was actually just me. Anyhow, I am side-tracking.
Right after that, another few blank spots in my head. However, for whatever it counted, I did remember my 9th reincarnation clearly. It was the one where I was killed by the Order. It was also my longest life. I was reborn in a wuxia cultivation world, with flying swords and arrogant young masters, with power scales touching the heavens, etcetera you get the deal. Though the cultivars were also called martial artists as per usual.
The Order that I speak of is an organization spanning the multiverse. Though there is most likely a larger verse, an Omniverse maybe, beyond us.
As one would expect from a multiversal organization who hunted me down, I myself was a multiversal deity. I was not a God in the usual sense, no faith and divinity bullshit, but I was indeed an ultra-powerful entity who's so great that he could go against any celestial being from other worlds.
That was it, that's where my memories end. It wasn't as "whole" as I would have liked it to be but I can live with that. Whatever memory erasure technique they used, it was quite effective and managed to erase most of my memories of those past lives. Which was all I needed to confirm to let out a massive groan.
"Uaaua-"
"..."
When I realized all that came out of my mouth was a gibberish baby cry, I quickly stopped. Dammit, I always hate this part of my life. So defenseless, so weak. So… pathetic. Being an infant wasn't a fun job.
All right, enough crying. Not that I have cried at all, mind you. I'm a reincarnator, and as long as I live, all memories can be retrieved over time. Besides, I do have a lot of important memories anyway, spell books, martial arts and stuff. It would take some years, perhaps decades, but that's such a small time for my eternal self, and I am confident in healing all of my memories.
Instead, this was a good place for spending a few decades. I've been reincarnated in a modern world, I can see the large TV in this room, just beside the other baby casket beside mine. This was my 10th world, and it was my first modern world since my first life. Oh, and I have decided to call it my "10th" since the uncountable reincarnations after I met the order don't have any memories-
I suddenly stopped.
"Huah?"
A confused baby sound came out of my lips. No, there is a new set of latest memories that I have access to. It wasn't very exceptional, so I didn't notice at first, also since I hadn't regained my true consciousness in that life. Still, I did well. In the life right before this, I was a doctor.
As expected of this great venerable that is I-… hm, I need to learn to stop. This is a modern world; this type of speech will be seen as a clown's philosophy.
Gorou Amamiya, that's who I was in my last life. My 10th life; looks like I have to consider my current one my 11th. In my 10th life, I was a doctor in my early 30s who… oh, damn, that's an interesting death for a modern world. I was murdered, that too on the day when I was supposed to deliver the children of a famous idol. The recent memories before this death are filled with quite the emotions, compared to the rest of that entire life.
I was Japanese then, by the way. This room too had signs of belonging to a Japanese person. What are the odds that I'd reincarnate in a modern world twice in a row, being my first modern world since my first death, while also being in Japan both times?
Fun.
I yawned, my baby body not siding with me as tiredness took over and I decided to take a nap. I would enjoy this life. Maybe.
Aquamarine. That was my name now. If that hadn't rung any bell in my ex-anime addict self, the next scenarios fell into an unsolved puzzle perfectly.
This was interesting. Nothing like this had ever happened before.
It's been a few months since I woke up in this world, and I had realized some key things. This world that I was currently in, was the same world where Gorou Amamiya died. What's wrong with that? It meant I have been reincarnated in the same exact world twice. That was a new and odd development.
The weirdest part was that this was a world I knew of. This was a world based on an anime. I knew that because my memories have grown sharp over the years, and while I couldn't recall everything, I could recall most. There were characters of a particular anime all over this place, and over time I had no choice but to accept that I'd been reborn in a world that I previously thought was fictional.
Well, the multiverse existed, so the chance that the multiverse theory is real isn't weird.
After coming to terms with that, the first thing I did was search for my name on the net, the original name that I had in my very first life. I did some research, and sadly I didn't even exist in this world — which only further confirmed that this wasn't the same earth as my first life and truly an anime world.
Perhaps that explained why there was quite a load of mana in the air because this was a fictional world, where maybe Gods existed too if my memories weren't betraying me.
Back to the situation at hand, I slowly looked ahead.
"Say ahh."
"Ahh."
I ate my porridge with a spoon while observing the pretty purple-haired little girl feeding another blonde-haired little girl. Though I say little girl, there is a large contrast between the two's ages. The first is 16, and the second is a toddler.
Ai Hoshino and Ruby Hoshino. My mother and my twin sister. Don't ask, why in hell's name is your mother 16?
Honestly, I wasn't really surprised, having lived in a cultivation world for so long. People there did so much worse, this was nothing compared to that.
The most interesting part is; this 16-year-old is the exact girl that Doctor Gorou Amamiya – my previous incarnation – was supposed to deliver the children of. I have been reborn as my own patient's son, whom my previous incarnation had also been a big fan of.
What a mess.
Japan was crazy for things like this; I used to like the culture back when I was still a youngling, but over time I realized the harsh truth. In my current situation, that truth just hit home.
"Aqua,"
Suddenly, Ai Hoshino turned to look at me, who hadn't been eating for a while.
"What's wrong? Do you want me to feed you too?"
I was once again reminded that my new name is Aquamarine Hoshino. Dammit.
I, the great immortal venerable, feared by stars and nebulas, was now called Aqua. It hurt, but I had made a promise to myself in one of my earlier incarnations that I won't change my parent's given name ever. Unless it was too silly, like Dick Gayson.
Unwilling to cause her trouble, I just shook my little head, lifted a spoon, and ate.
"Aww,"
Ai smiled at me.
"I'm still surprised how you can do that at this age. My little genius. Must be genetics, huh?"
I just ignored her adoration and the jealous glare of the other toddler.
That toddler girl was my twin. That kid was a weird one too, she was a reincarnator herself, except not a celestial being such as I. From what my memories say and what I have observed in the past few months, she's an in-world reincarnator, someone who was a normal human in her past life.
Some God had gifted her a second chance, unlike my limitless reincarnation powers, and this was likely her last chance. Still, it was very fun to have a fellow reincarnator, even though I have yet to introduce myself to her. She was honestly bothersome.
Even if I knew who she was; she was a girl who died at my hospital in my last life, due to cancer. We were close, and I recall my last incarnation had fallen into depression due to her death. That was odd for a doctor who had seen so many people die, so it went far to say how much my previous incarnation liked her.
That part of me, and the true part of me that had watched this anime in the past, felt happy seeing her alive again. Thanks to the God who caused her reincarnation, she was getting to live her dream.
"Though really, Gods…"
"Hm? Did you say something, Aqua?"
Oh shit. Indeed, even a mortal such as her can notice my transcendent intelligence sometimes, so I ought to be more careful about what I say.
I quickly made baby sounds and titled my head; I had accidentally spoken out loud. After Ai just smiled at me, ruffled my hair, and went back to feed my sister, I frowned.
Gods. Gods were a thing in this world. I hadn't managed to roam the internet that much, but I was fairly sure from the bits I saw, along with Gorou's set of memories, that the existence of Gods or other supernaturals was as vague as in a normal world.
However, Gods did exist. I knew that from the somewhat blurry memory of the manga I had read. That meant I had to grow stronger, living in a modern world was going to be fun after so long, but that didn't mean I planned to die a mortal.
I am [Monarch of the Brightest Night], the supreme overlord of stars who never bowed to Gods and even heaven itself, after all.
The air was rich with ambient energy, and that meant I could grow. There were large gaps in my memories, but countless of my techniques and martial arts were unharmed. So, there shouldn't be any issue to become the God King of this modern world.
X-x-X
[Third Person Point of View – General]
Ai Hoshino was an incredible talent; she personally was aware of that. She was a very good liar, which made her a very successful idol.
Yet, being a teenager, it's not very unexpected that she would get into scandals. It was unfortunate that this particular scandal was particularly disastrous. Pregnancy.
From a foreigner's perspective, Japan's concept of Idols would be considered disgusting and filthy.
They are supposed to be pure, innocent, virgins. That was a stupid thing to expect from a popular figure, yet their fans couldn't help but fantasize about that delusion.
So it was troublesome that she got pregnant. Luckily, everything ended up well in the end, even if the doctor she had hoped the delivery would proceed by, had gone missing on the exact day. Everything ended up well though, and she gave birth to twins, one boy, and one girl. Both of them were super geniuses.
It had been a year since then. Naturally, Ai had remained away from the public's eye at this time, and the fire of her fame had died out a lot. She hadn't been active for that long, after all, even if the bit of time she was active was super-hit.
"As of today, the Idol Ai will make her comeback!"
A greenish-blonde-haired man said, grinning as he pointed his finger at the board behind him. It was filled with writings, and plans for Ai to return to the market.
As if startled by his loud voice, the little infant girl began to cry. The room was a studio and occupied by five people, amongst whom were two little babies. Ai sat on a sofa, with her two children in her arms. She stared at the man who just spoke, Ichigo Saitou, the director of Strawberry Productions, the company for which Ai worked.
Beside him, a strawberry-blonde-haired woman stood, helping with the board. She was his wife, Miyako Saitou.
Seeing the little girl cry, Ai leaned toward her face with a worried look. "Aww, what's wrong Aqua?"
"That one's Ruby." The director paused and gave her a look, looking stunned. "Are you sure you are their mother?"
"Oh, sorry, I am bad with names." Ai apologized, ignoring the director and nudging her nose with Ruby, who stopped her crying. "Now go on, director, continue."
The director sighed, while his wife shook her head, as Aquamarine Hoshino just observed the scenario in silence.
[First Person Point of View – Aqua]
I have to admit; my mother isn't quite suitable to be a mother. It made sense, given she was just sixteen, and I didn't really blame her for anything – other than being reckless and getting pregnant at this age.
Ai had no idea on how to handle us kids outside her home. She wanted to bring us to her work, to the park, but obviously, that would be a disaster. The director agreed to none of those requests. It was already bad that she had two kids, but it would only be worse if this became public news. Thanks to Japan's stupid idol policy, she had to keep a low profile and pretend to be single for the public.
"If any emergency comes, we'll take care of them. Don't worry, you can leave them at home, I'll leave Miyako here to babysit them." That was what the director agreed at last.
His wife had tried to protest but was shut down promptly. Miyako was a woman in her early 20s, she got married to the director and obviously envisioned a bright future, so the idea of babysitting didn't fit well with her.
After that, Ai left with the director, leaving us with Miyako. My twin sister seemed to want to bother the woman for fun, while I returned to my room for more useful work.
Naturally, I've been [Cycling] since I was born. I didn't like how weak I was, and the fastest way to overcome that was to help my body with the ambient energy in the air. It's not that big of a deal, but my mind is much clearer even in this baby brain, and my body is stronger than normal, close to a five-year-old.
As someone of my power and experience, I have seen countless martial art techniques and even power systems. On one planet, some may use Qi in one way, while on another they may train in these arts in a completely different manner. I've used my vast knowledge, at least the ones remaining, to choose which of those systems I'll be following.
This power system has 10 stages. With the start being [Foundation] level, where I am at right now. This is how ranking follows:
[Foundation]
[Copper]
[Iron]
[Jade]
[Gold]
The five other stages after this are each groundbreaking, so I'll leave them be for now. I chose this particular path because it is strong, and also versatile enough that it'd allow me to use my knowledge from my isekai world into play.
Cycling for babies who haven't even turned one-year-old is dangerous, and I'm only doing this because the foundation stage is relatively safe. However, this particular system allows fast growth from a young age, so after I turn one-year-old, I should be able to train more actively instead of what I am doing right now.
I am not using any Cycling Techniques yet. Oh, Cycling Techniques are known as breathing techniques in layman's terms. It will help me absorb the natural energy faster, but as I said, I am a baby — it can be dangerous for my future growth. So, what I did is to run around, make my body tired, and fall asleep. My body naturally recovers the energy in my sleep and absorbs the ambient energy in the air.
Normally, that won't happen. After all, if you could absorb the energy in the air just by sleeping, wouldn't everyone become a top-tier martial artist? That's the exact thought I had in the distant past, and so taught my body a simple Cycling Technique that works even when I sleep. I can control the rate I absorb, and since I'm sleeping — sending my body in a state of recovery — there isn't any danger.
So, I strolled over to my casket and stood up near it. I grabbed the border of the thing, which was a bit too tall for me, and pulled my body upwards.
I did a pull-up.
Then I did another, another, and then another. Just when I was about to do another, the door burst open.
"Hey, Aqua~ come play with your sister, I am bu-"
That Miyako woman walked inside with my twin sister in her arms. They both paused, their eyes looking at me as I was performing pull-ups.
I reacted fast and struggled. No need to worry about it, they caught me midway, and they didn't see me perform a rep. So I just had to pull myself into the casket, which I did, and then dropped in the bed, closing my eyes and pretending as if it was always my goal to come here and sleep.
"Oh,"
The woman muttered something, closing the door and walking away.
"I almost thought… haah, no way, am I going crazy?"
Filthy wench, how dare she interrupt my training arc? I made a mental note to punish her for her audacity, before quickly shaking the thoughts off.
No, nope, this wasn't the wuxia world of crazy young masters and arrogant lords, I ought to be a bit more benevolent than usual.
It has finally been a year since I was born in this world. Yesterday was my and my twin's birthday and it was bothersome. Too loud and too much cake on my face.
However, as the cake tasted good, I decided to forgive them. I enjoyed the day after that and waited until the next day came.
Today Ai, my mother, has a concert, so I will have some time to improve.
It still felt weird calling her my mother, both because of her age and because I haven't considered anyone as my "mom" since my first death, and it wouldn't change this time either. The longer time goes, the harder it becomes to consider anyone as my family. I did have a few whom I had called brothers and sisters due to sharing the same sect or masters, though there were only a few throughout my lifetime whom I truly counted that way, enough to set it on stone with a cup of sake, but even my masters have never touched the status of my parents.
It seems my twin, Ruby, is going to attend the concert. Ai wouldn't know since Miyako will be taking Ruby secretly.
Ruby is weird, she's a creepy fan of Ai. It hasn't changed even after she's been reborn as Ai's daughter. She wasn't a bad girl, so it's fine.
A few months earlier, Miyako seemed to endure enough babysitting and had almost given into her dark impulsive thoughts. She wanted to sell the information that Ai has kids to bag some big cash. At that moment, I was deciding if I should kill her with my toy knife or not, but Ruby intervened before that and pretended to be some Shinto God to scare the older woman. Since then, she's been basically worshiping Ruby, while I continued pretending to be clueless.
It would be too bothersome if that little girl knew I was a reincarnator too, she was so annoying as it is. It may come out someday since I wasn't exactly a stranger to her, I am the same doctor Gorou who had a special place for Ruby's previous incarnation, after all, but not today. This wasn't the time.
If I was going to take this life seriously, I instead needed to get stronger first. Ai will die soon, my vague memories didn't tell me exactly in what year, but I am sure it'd happen when I would still be a kid. So, I have to get strong enough to protect her.
It's true I didn't consider her as my mother, but I have promised myself in the past to be indebted to all who bore me for 9 months. Besides, the Gorou part of myself would just feel shitty stopping it while he could.
So, after Ai left, with Miyako and Ruby soon following, I got to work. I had the whole house to myself, and since I was finally one-year-old, it was time I made work.
It was time to reach [Copper] level.
I sat down on a carpet, crossed-legged and took a long breath in. My body shuddered and I let my breath out.
Now, this was the time I had to choose which Cycling Technique I'd choose, the Path I would choose.
In the world I was born in, it didn't run on these Paths or even the same power system, I only learned of this after I ascended and got to know about the other worlds in that universe. In that entire universe, this power system is the greatest.
The concept of these [Paths] in my head has always been that of a Skill Tree. There are all sorts of paths, and choosing one would give me skills from that path over time. Though the thing for normal people is that, they can only learn one path, otherwise their bodies and souls would crumble. I never had that issue with my soul, and I could also make my body strong too, so I could always learn more than one path after reaching a threshold with the path I'm currently on.
Still, the primary path that I choose will be useful when I'm still weak. These paths run on Qi, and thankfully the ambient energy in the air of this world is bare — it doesn't have any specific quality of Mana, Chakra, or Qi by default — so I can absorb it in any way that fancies me. That's lucky for me, since Qi is a superior energy to Mana. If a man had a large amount of mana, he would still die of old age, but if a man had the same amount of Qi, they will be young forever.
With that settled, I had to choose carefully.
I have five paths in mind currently, amidst which I have to choose from. They're as follows:
Path of the Celestial Radiance: A path running on the brilliant nine-colored Qi, a variation of pure Qi but with more destructive prowess. It can earn similar results to the legendary Hollow King path, though the mana-negation part is less focused, in exchange for stronger attack powers. Upon reaching the [Gold] rank, your eyes will be transformed into the Nine-Colored Eyes.
Path of the Black Flame: A path running on a mixture of Qi affinities between darkness and fire, turning you into a machine of destruction. Experienced users can demolish a continent into mere ashes with the [Black Dragon's Dance] attack. Upon reaching the [Gold] rank, you'd gain access to partial dragonification, as this is a path derived from a line of Black Dragons.
Path of the Raging Sky: A path focused on storm Qi; a mixture of water, wind, lightning, and cloud affinity. Experienced users can call forth typhoons with a flick of their fingers, and destroy several mountain ranges with another. Users can also heal wounds of their own and others, even spiritual ones; experienced users can even grant spiritual pathways to people who lack them. Upon reaching the [Gold] rank, you'd gain access to a passive aura of electricity around you, that'd send slight shivers of relaxation by default but can turn offensive to burn and pulverize any sudden attack or attacker.
Path of the Darkest Sun: A path focused on dark steller Qi; a mixture of star and moon affinity, a variation of Yin and Yang. This provides the fastest growth through Cycling, as there is stellar Qi everywhere in both and night, and moon Qi at night. Experienced users can call forth pillars of solar energies from the sky, erasing cities with each, and also devouring darkness that can swallow civilization like the maw of eldritch horror. Upon reaching the [Gold] rank, your eyes would transform into the Eyes of the Sun and Moon.
Path of the Hungry Deep: A path focused on devouring Qi; a mixture of blood and hunger affinity. Outside the usual advancement using Cycling Techniques, this allows the users to grow by another means. They can [Devour] the physical and spiritual strength of magical beasts and their latent authority, using them to empower the user. This devour is only usable on monsters and beasts, and is unusable on a humanoid creature due to the fundamental structure of the technique. Upon reaching the [Gold] rank, your forearms would be blackened and will give you an urge of constant hunger.
I had my eyes closed as I looked at the text materializing from my soul reflection. I had these five options in mind, with each equal in power level one way or another. None of these was multiverse level on their own, I'd need to expand my own power level that far to use these techniques on a multiversal scale, allowing me to erase galaxies with a sneeze, and universes with a punch.
Even though I'd been preparing for this moment for a year, I hesitated.
For a long moment, I wondered which path I should choose.
X-x-X
I already knew the Path I'd choose, even if all the choices were juicy and attractive. Still, I couldn't help but go through their perks and drawbacks one more time.
Path of the Celestial Radiance is strong and unique; it is especially useful against people who rely on external energy attacks. If the opponent is a physical brute, however, this falls short pretty quickly. As an example, Might Guy from Naruto would be able to wash the floor with me unless I reach the 9th cultivation rank. At the same time, I should be able to erase techniques like [Hakai] with a flick of my finger even without reaching the highest of ranks. Also, its [Gold Sign] the Nine-Colored Eyes allows quite a variety of optic powers, such as seeing the best lottery to choose, if a person is lying or not, etcetera. It has its pros and cons.
Path of the Black Flame is interesting, but this is more focused on the destruction aspect than anything. I can burn a city with ease, sure, but I won't be able to duel with people in fear of accidentally killing them – and more. Some might argue that is the best, but I have always liked to be more versatile. Also, the [Gold Sign] of partial Dragonification is annoying; a long tail and useless horns in my head aren't very useful.
Path of the Raging Sky is… interesting. Let's come back to this later.
Path of the Darkest Sun is strong, and it has versatility too. It's similar to black flames, as the affinities are pretty close, but the destruction is more controlled than the mindless destruction of a fire. I can release a straight beam of stellar Qi toward my target, lowering the intensity enough that it would just give them a slight burn instead of piercing through. I can also just vaporize them too, making this strong. The Eyes of the Sun and Moon allow one to perceive the pure and evil aura around everything, which is useful.
Path of the Hungry Deep is ludicrously attractive. Which fantasy reader doesn't love the idea of killing and devouring their enemies' abilities? On its base, this only provides physical boosts, though more than the other Paths, along with the ability to use blood Qi. Sadly, the blood Qi's usage doesn't stretch far enough to let you control others' blood, but it's still good. One can turn their Qi into a shield of blood to block attacks, a blade of blood to severe enemies, and so on. Plus, when you devour an enemy, you'd be able to gain their abilities as well. By far, this is the Path that screams "Hax!" the most. However, it has the worst drawback.
Its [Gold Sign] is very annoying. I don't mind blackened forearms for great power, even if I'd have to hide it for this sensitive society, but what I do mind is the urge to feed. To begin with, devouring only works on beasts, as in magical beasts. They don't seem very common in this world, so I don't know how often I will get to devour any beasts. Yet, the urge to devour will always exist even if I don't find any 'food'. It's very annoying and mentally straining, so this is my least favorite.
Now, here is the thing. I will be able to choose other Paths in the future, after gaining a level of proficiency on my primary Path. However, I won't gain any [Gold Signs] from them, as I'd have one from my first Path anyway. That's not a bug, that's a feature.
Damn, I am beginning to learn modern talks again. Whoa.
Anyhow, this means that, if I choose a Path with a very good [Gold Sign], it's the best for me. Since I can always just choose the other, more useful Paths later, without their annoying [Gold Sign] like the Hungry Deep. That means I am here to choose the one that has the best [Gold Sign], not power. I can always manage that later.
So, the smartest pick would be Path of the Raging Sky. Not only is it one of the stronger Paths of the five I talked about, allowing me authority over water, wind lightning, and cloud, but the [Gold Sign] is very juicy. I'd gain access to a passive aura of electricity around me, that'd send slight shivers of relaxation by default, meaning anyone I spend time with will like spending time with me. They'll be relaxed and have fun. At the same time, this aura is intelligent like a program, it can turn offensive if it senses any sudden attack or attacker, which it can burn into ashes or pulverize. Since the aura is electricity, the speed at which it reacts would be faster than me for a long time, meaning I will be safe against bullets and such without ever worrying.
This is easily the best Path for me. Did I forget to mention that I can even heal wounds on a physical and spiritual level? Something that'd I'd only gain after Gold rank if I don't pick this. I already said I like versatility, and this is by far the most versatile Path of the five.
Some might say- why such hesitation if this is so good? Well, the speed at which I will be able to cycle the storm aura is slower compared to the other classes. Because while wind is present everywhere, lightning and clouds aren't. The most optimal way to Cycle in this path is to do so while flying over clouds, but sadly that's not possible since I can't fly yet. So cultivating in this Path before I learn how to fly will be slower than the other paths that have an easier accessible aura to help.
Whatever the case, I have already decided.
Taking a deep calming breath, I began to Cycle my Qi. I said it's best if I was flying within the clouds for this, but it's coincidentally raining right now in this part of the city, so I can gather the storm aura with ease.
My body was still from an outside perspective, while my spirit was busy condensing the Qi into a ball, to create my Core. It was located in my lower abdomen, swirling with energy as I gathered Qi into a ball. When I knew I have gathered enough Qi, my breathing paused for the entire session, I let out a breath and then quickly took a sharp one in.
Then, I began to breathe Qi in the pattern of the mythical Cycling Technique titled the [Heaven and Earth Swirling Wheel]. In a matter of seconds, an invisible aura burst out of me, and I felt a shiver of pleasure run down my body. My eyes snapped open to find a world of nostalgic colors.
I have reached [Copper] rank.
I also gained my [Copper Sight] that is filling my optic receptors with unlimited colors from the world. Ambient energy, also called Natural Aura, is everywhere in the room, and storm aura is particularly thick right now. I missed this. It's just been a few months, but not having this made me feel as if I was blind, I am relieved.
I stood up, far more easily than ever, and leaped at the window. I could jump better than ever, as I grabbed the window and opened it. The sky roared, and rain splattered across my face. I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath, my lips widened and my eyes reopened.
"Beautiful."
Thus began my journey of walking the Path of the Raging Sky.
Ruby's presence in the concert turned out to be profitable. Ai noticed her swinging a light stick in the middle of her singing and made an expression so dazzling that Japan became a fan.
Ruby herself became a famous baby, in all of Tiktok and Instagram reels, and she seemed to like the baby fame a lot.
It's been a year since I entered the Copper Rank. It will take me a bit more to reach Iron, but I am going there. One thing that's good is that, now that I'm two years old, I can walk and run around without anyone suspecting anything. I still had to stay very conscious of staying at baby speed while people were looking.
Now that we can talk, my sister has really started going at this big time.
"Mama! Mama! Gimme a pat!"
The little girl hung from Ai's neck. She has fully evolved into a pathetically spoiled fan of this idol, whom she loves to call Mama. Ai just giggled and patted her daughter with a lovely smile, she had come far from being the useless mother she once was.
Then again, she still couldn't be considered a mother if one nitpicked, but she sure was trying to fulfill her role. It was touching.
I was playing with a toy motorbike, just to keep appearance – nothing more, definitely – and watched the two girls interact.
Frankly, I have missed this sort of innocent interaction a lot after my long life in my 9th incarnation. Sure, I had the memories of my 10th life, the one where I was Gorou the doctor, but it still didn't feel like my own since I didn't have my memories.
"Haah~ the blissful pure land of amitabha." Ruby nurtured with her eyes closed as Ai patted her head, causing the older woman to pause.
"The blissful pure land of amitabha? Huh, where did you learn such a difficult term?" She looked weirded out at such complex words coming from a baby, causing Ruby to flinch as realized her mistake.
In the end, Ai just grinned. "That's a whole new level of genius! Must be the genetics, hehe." She hugged her daughter.
I laughed, and perhaps a bit too much as the two girls turned to me. Seeing this, Ai's grin widened as she pulled me into a hug as well.
"Look, Aqua is laughing~ Aww, he rarely laughs. He should laugh more, right, Ruby? My little cuties."
The 18-year-old hugged us both, her cheeks rubbing with mine and Ruby's, as the little toddler girl gave me a jealous glare before she sighed and hugged me too.
No, that's not good. It won't be good if she began to lose her jealousy. Since she thinks I'm a normal baby and she's mentally older, she might start acting like an older sister. I was born 2 minutes and 33 three seconds before her, plus my mental age of hundreds of years makes me older than her. My pride wouldn't let me stay silent if this little girl began to act like an older sister.
It was hard on its own to endure a little girl like Ai treating me like a child, but I'm used to having younger mothers. However, this new problem won't be endured.
Perhaps it's time I put some hierarchy into perspective.
First of all, I had to make sure that I wasn't overthinking. I had to be sure that she truly wasn't jealous anymore, and in the next few days that turned out to be true.
But it felt a little awkward to just bust the bubble. After so long, she would annoy me why I didn't tell her before. Plus, a lot more other questions. So sadly, I had to wait until I was presented with an opportunity.
Back to the present, I was a bit excited. Ai has a lot of jobs nowadays. Like Modeling, Radio Assistant, and Voice Acting. Today she was going to attend a job that seemed to be a mix of all those.
"Mama is finally going to act in a drama!"
"It's just a small role, Ruby."
Ruby and I were accompanying Ai. The three of us were inside a car, riding in the passenger's seat while the director's wife, Miyako was driving. Ruby and Ai were talking as usual, while I stayed silent and read a book on the Japanese language. I had yet to master it, even if I understood it very well.
Suddenly, Miyako warned us once again that we – namely Ruby – shouldn't refer to Ai as "mama" while in the filming location. She also warned me, gently, because she thought I was a dumb toddler.
Soon afterward, we reached the location. It was an open grassy place surrounded by trees and had a building in one corner. We were led to that building, and upon entering it we found ourselves face-to-face with the director.
It was a man in his mid-30s, looking like a homeless person with his long brown hair and black jacket.
He frowned when he saw us enter. He stood up from his chair and walked over, crossing his arms and looking at Ai's face.
Ai fumbled. "Um, is there anything wrong, director?"
"These your kids?" He suddenly turned to me and Ruby, who was standing behind Miyako.
Ai maintained her composure as Miyako smiled hesitantly. "They are mine, sir. Don't worry, they won't be a bother."
"Hmm, a manager bringing her kids?" The director narrowed his eyes, and Miyako sweated. "Fine, whatever. I am just a bit annoy- surprised how there are so many kids here today."
Did he say annoyed? He did, I'm sure he said annoyed. It was somewhat rude, but I understood why one wouldn't want kids in his workplace. I could relate to this hobo man.
Though, how many kids must be there for him to complain? I turned my head around to give the area a glance and instantly found myself pausing.
Destruction Mana.
My [Copper Sight] was filled with a red hue of pure destruction as I looked at the red-headed little girl playing with some other kids. They were in one corner of the room, and it was only the long red-haired girl who had any mana at all.
That's not a normal girl… no, she wasn't even human. I sensed a sort of dark energy that Demonic Cultivators released. What was she?
"That's the daughter of a higher up, though I don't even know his name." Abruptly, the director spoke, as if a toddler could understand his complex words. "I am talking to all four of you. She seems to be from some big-shot family, so maybe keep your kids away from her, in case they fight or something."
While Ruby looked a little nervous, I just frowned. I couldn't remember her from the Oshi No Ko anime, but her figure looked strangely familiar nonetheless. Curious.
Based on the demonic aura, along with the much more prominent destruction aura, and her appearance, plus the conspiracy theory in modern worlds that the secret higher-ups of all the entertainment industry are related to the devil, I could take a guess.
"Rias Gremory?"
"Huh, how do you know her name?"
The director's statement all but confirmed my guess.
This was a shared world of High School DxD. Devils existed here.
X-x-X
How stupid of a world. High School DxD?
Wasn't this supposed to be a wholesome and lovely normal world where Gods didn't meddle with mortals? I barely held back a peal of crazy laughter. What was the little sister of Satan doing here? I love this.
I obviously wasn't panicking. I felt great, in fact. I was in the face of a humongous opportunity. If DxD was real, that meant the scale of this world was higher, which meant I could grow faster and earn more benefits than I believed at first.
Still, I am going to avoid her though. I had no intention to draw attention. Plus, I am 2 years old, and she seems to be around 5 years old. I don't want to interact with her, there is no benefit from that.
I quickly concealed my Qi, though I was half sure she couldn't sense it anyway, and then jumped into Miyako's arms.
After that, Ruby and I were snatched by all the staff and actresses in the vicinity.
"Ohhh, twins!" – was their reaction before they began to torture my cheeks.
At about that time, I also noticed that Rias had been left alone by the kids. From the beginning, she wasn't really playing with them, she was trying to — but the kids did their best to find an excuse and run away from her. Now, she was alone, sitting on a chair and staring out the window.
She wore a cute dress with a purse hanging from her shoulders. Her hands clutched down on the bag, even though her expression was normal. It almost made me want to go talk to her, but luckily the beautiful woman who was hugging me like a stuffy toy didn't let me go.
Afterward, when I finally managed to pull myself away from the lady's soft bosom, I made my way to find Ai. I was curious about what my mother had to do in this sort of job; living hundreds of years without any touch of modernity rendered me curious about these things that I previously didn't care about.
Instead of finding Ai, sadly, I came across the director from before. He paused when he saw me, and crouched down to my eye level, pointing a finger.
"Oh, aren't you the manager's brat?" He said as I decided how to react. "I don't mind you being here, but if you dare start crying during our shoot, I'll kick you out."
The arrogant overlord part of mine said I should annihilate this baboon who dared talk to me like this, but I had learned to control that side of mine in the last two years.
I had quite a few Rules of Reincarnation that I kept in mind, one of them being the name-change one that I have already talked about before. For a person like me to enjoy life, I needed these rules.
Another rule of reincarnation is this: "Be like water, be formless." It goes along with the, "When in Rome, act like the Romans do." So when I'm in the modern world, I don't wish to show my ruthless self. I would if it required it, but I wished not to. Otherwise… it would be hard to enjoy anything, trust me.
So, I pretended to be a scared child and blurted out apologies instead.
"Oh, absolutely not! I understand me and my sisters are mere babies, but I shall try my best to not cause any inconvenience! I am fully aware of my own limitations and the rules to be upheld in a prestigious place like this, so please rest assured. Don't be harsh on Ai because of us, and consider working with her in the future as well!" I bowed, sounding frantic, and waited for his response.
His response was an understandable yell. "Holy! This baby sure can talk! Where did you learn such words?"
I looked up at him. This is the part where I'll lie for more than one benefit. I said I'd need to prove my status to Ruby, right? This will allow me that opportunity.
"YouTube?" I lied, watching the man give me a stunned look.
"Y-youtube?! You can learn such things from there?! What a progressive era we live in!"
He lifted me with his arms, smiling. "I have seen quite a few baby prodigies, but you definitely take the cake. Can you act too? Are you an acting prodigy?"
Am I? Of course, I am. I've been acting since my 2nd life, I had to pretend to be a normal person and not a reincarnator. I've been lying to my birth parents for so many lives, pretending to be a normal baby. When you live as long as I have and meddle with old men scheming to take over nations and planets, you'll have to know how to lie. How to act. I knew how this game worked.
"You'll make a good face on the screen. My name is Taishi Gotanda, I want to put you in something. What do you say?"
Finally, the opportunity had arrived. With my acting ability, I could put the seed of doubt in Ruby's heart, and she would come to ask me about what I was. I gave him a nod even as I prepared plans in my head.
Soon we left, but before leaving I couldn't help but go give Rias Gremory a KitKat. She looked too sad for my liking, and the candy seemed to do wonders to lift her mood. As I planned, she didn't get to drag me to play with her since we were leaving, we didn't even exchange any words.
A few days later, we received a call from Director Gotanda. It was a small movie he was directing, where Ai will be a supporting character. However, I too will be acting, as a minor character.
"Whoa, my cutest Aquamarine sure caught the director's attention." Ai hugged me in the car, rubbing her cheeks with mine, as Ruby gave me a jealous glare that was very rare recently.
Sadly, I have lived my life acting, so I had no desire to take this as a career path. I knew that the main character in the cannon timeline had become an actor, but I had no intention to walk that path. This is purely a one-time thing.
"Listen up, prodigy baby,"
We reached the filming area, which was an open forest-like terrain with mountains in the background this time, and the director pulled me away to the side to talk.
"The casting is almost always decided by higher-ups. Only a handful of super big shot directors can choose their own casts, either that or it's the directors who are working on a small-scale movie."
Director Taishi Gotanda was working on a small-scale movie, I recalled.
To my surprise, he lifted me up and then pointed at a tree in the far, under which a red-haired girl sat. My Copper Eyes caught the destruction aura coming out of her.
"I heard you gave that girl candy. She was so happy that she told her father to give her a chance to produce a big film if you were in it. So while this was supposed to be a small project at first, now that I have a big producer, I think this will be popular. Thanks, kid."
Oh.
I just stared at the girl who ate a KitKat bar while staring at the distant mountains. As if noticing my gaze, she turned to me and gave a smile, the red aura of destruction calming around her.
Fucking KitKat. I didn't plan to attract her attention.
[Third Person Point of View – Ruby]
She didn't like her twin brother. He was a normal baby, yet he now had an acting career.
All right, to say she "didn't like him" would be wrong. She did like him, he was cute, and his usual silence was lovely. She was just a bit sour about why he got the acting offer but not her, while she was a reincarnator. She didn't really hate it though since she always wanted to be an Idol, not an actress.
Though she wouldn't hesitate to say she didn't like this director. He was scary.
Ruby was in Miyako's arms when she walked over to the director, who put Aqua on the ground with a dark grin on his face.
"I am using Ai in this film, in exchange for you being a part of it. We call in bartering in this market. So tell her to give you some kind of treat, I don't know, since it's all you who gave her this opportunity."
Saying so, the director walked away while Ruby glared at his back. Miyako shook her head with a nervous sweat.
"Using Ai's son to barter, what a scary man." Miyako leaned down to look at Aqua, who she thought was normal of the two twins. "That director sure likes you, Aqua. What did you even do?"
Aqua just shrugged and walked away. Both Miyako and Ruby found it odd, until Ruby noticed Ai was nowhere to be found.
Taking a deep breath in, she began to cry. "Mama! Mama! I wanna go where Mama is! Take me to her!"
Oh oops, right, Miyako was supposed to be her mother here.
That particular day, there was no acting, just some rehearsals that Aqua had to go through. Ruby noticed that his acting there was… strange. She didn't know how to explain, it felt too real, too fluid.
Still, she waited until the date of the proper shooting to confirm her suspicion. Where she would confront him with her suspicion. Today was that day, they had returned to the location.
Yet, annoyingly, Ai didn't come with them today. It was only Ruby herself, Aqua, and Miyako.
"Mama! Mama! Why isn't Mama here?! Take me to her!"
She cried while sitting on the floor, and since Miyako wasn't nearby she didn't care to have anyone question the situation. Only Aqua was by her side, but he was a normal baby, it was fine.
"Ai is shooting on a different date, can you stop crying?" Aqua said, making her stop crying. Right, she was the older one here, there was no need to pretend to be a baby now.
Still, she didn't like why she had to be here when she wasn't even going to act. It would have been better if she was left home with Ai instead.
Around that time, the door of the room they were in burst open, and a girl around their age, if a bit older, walked in with a frown.
It was a girl with strawberry-red hair and a fierce expression. "Hey! Acting is a pro's line of work, you know? If you don't like it here, go home, stop crying!"
"I already stopped- wait," Ruby gasped as she registered who the girl was. "You're the child genius who will lick a lying snitch!"
"Flick a crying switch!"
This little girl was kinda popular, Ruby recalled. Was she going to act with Aqua? How annoying; why wasn't she picked?!
[First Person Point of View – Aqua]
"Everyone says I am great at crying scenes, cus duh! They're great."
The little girl was too arrogant; she gave me the vibes of those annoying young lasses from big martial art clans. If young masters were annoying, imagine how those young mistresses who thought the world belonged to them would feel. I don't like her.
At least, that Rias girl wasn't around today. I avoided her that day in the rehearsals as well, and everything had worked out perfectly since she hesitated to approach me by herself, worried that she'd scare me away like others.
A while later, after a loud introduction, the girl – Arima Kana – looked at me with a frown while holding up a stack of papers with the label "Script" written on top of it,
"By the way, neither you nor the Idol have any actual lines in the original script! You came here because of connections, right? It's not allowed, you know!?" she looked at me in disapproval.
"That's not exactly…"
"I saw the last drama she was in, and she barely had any screen time. I am talking about Ai."
The little girl said, interrupting me. Interruptions were a bit annoying, but since she was a child I could-
"Must be because her acting was bad, isn't it? That's why they had to cut all her lines, and she had such low screen time."
"…"
The girl said that tried to storm out, and I felt my fingers twitching. Ruby was yelling something from behind me, and I released a sigh to calm myself. That was a child, even if she was insulting a legendary talent that was Ai – even I had to admit her acting was stunning – I ought to be kind and benevolent.
"Ouch!"
I picked up a little stone that was on the floor and threw it at the girl. It hit her on the back of her head. She cried in pain, turning to me with wide eyes.
"Y-you! How dare y- ouch!"
My expression was calm, my eyes filled with kindness, as I bestowed upon the girl a shower of meteorites specially controlled to not do any serious damage.
In the end, the girl turned around and rushed out crying. Tsk, children.
….
The shooting soon began. To summarize what was going on, the film is about a woman who has no confidence in her appearance. She decides to get plastic surgery from a hospital deep in the mountains, and Arima Kana and I are the kids she meets at the entrance of the village.
"Welcome, honored guest. We are here to greet you." Arima said with a dark expression on her face, talking to the woman in front of us while cameras surrounded us from all directions.
Her acting wasn't up to my standards. I have seen quite a few wicked children in my life, off-spring of great people who passed down their genetics to their children. Compared to those lying little brats, this Arima wasn't any big deal. However, in the context of this world, where entertainment was greater than back in my original world, she is good. Very good, I could understand why someone like her would grow arrogant given her age.
Soon, her lines were done, and it was time for me to talk. The director hadn't given me any instructions on what to do, but from what I recalled about what happened in the cannon, and the hints the director was giving, I am supposed to act like a creepy kid.
Easy. I put my hands behind my back, like an old man.
"You are the 4th one this month," I said to the lady in front of me. I didn't have any lines, so I was supposed to use my wits to fit in the plot. "Four of the girls who entered, none of whom returned… Foolish mortals."
I continued my act, with my hand under my chin, as I felt all the gazes slowly focus on mine. When a great immortal venerable speaks, it's natural for people to look, and their stunned expression was understandable as I talked a bit like my 9th incarnation. There was an underlying hint in the film that I and Kana were some wandering ghost who died long ago, so it suited me if I acted old and mighty.
"C-cut!"
The scene was finished on the first take, as the Director yelled with a goofy grin on his face. He crackled while everyone continued staring at me. Kana began to cry, yelling for a retake – because she apparently did too much worse than me – while Ruby just stared with wide eyes.
I turned to her as my blue eyes met with her red ones, and she frowned while looking at me in nervousness. The seed of doubt had blossomed into a flower.
X-x-X
Miyako was showering me with compliments the entire ride back. It was already a good thing that both Ai and I were acting in the same movie, earning money for ourselves and the Agency, but who would have thought I'd deliver such a spectacular performance?
Sadly, for whatever plans she was cooking in that wicked head of hers, it'd all be for naught as I don't plan to become an actor. There is no point in that.
The entire ride back home, Ruby stared at me with dagger-like eyes, her frown deep in suspicion. She had a million questions, but she couldn't ask any because of Miyako's presence.
Half an hour later, we reached our home. Our house was a typical modern Japanese house, if a bit more luxurious than normal. This place was bought by Ai with debt, but thanks to the last two years as Ai regained all of her previous fame and went beyond, the debt has been paid.
Ai had been impatiently waiting for us to return from the rehearsals and hugged us both when we entered. I don't… like leaving her alone in the house; butterfly effects are real, so what if the plot proceeds faster and the killer visits us earlier than expected?
"Whoah! Is it true, Miyako-chan?! Are you not exaggerating?"
"No, really, I couldn't even move when Aqua was acting. Oh, but, I did have my phone recording, so I actually have the clip! Do you want to see it?"
"Nice, show me!"
I was in Ai's embrace as she watched the video from Miyako's phone. I heard people felt embarrassed seeing their own recording, but I didn't. Being as great as I am, it's natural that people will want to record me and share.
Seeing the massive smile on Ai's face, with a massive blush along with it, I couldn't help but sigh towards the world. Ahh, have I once again snatched a maiden's heart with my outstanding display? Unfortunately, she is my mother.
"Kyaah~ my cutest Aqua, you really pulled off the creepy kid act!" Ai suddenly lifted me up in the air and grinned at me. "Will you marry mommy when you grow up?"
"…I will think about it," I said dryly, as both Ai and Miyako burst out laughing. Only Ruby stayed silent, glaring at me.
Only when it was nighttime did Ruby find the chance and courage to come to confront me. Ai wanted to sleep with me and Ruby tonight, but the toddler girl insisted we sleep in the casket, which allowed us some privacy when she stood up and looked at me.
Our casket was placed side-by-side, and she could see me lying down silently when she stood up. I was cultivating with my eyes closed; it was slightly less effective than when one sits cross-legged, but it works even if I am lying down.
I opened my eyes when I felt her gaze, a spark of electricity splashing outwards that she must think was her hallucination.
"You," she said in a voice much less emotional than usual. "Are you a reincarnator?"
The elephant in the room, she went right at it. In the cannon-timeline, the exchange of our reincarnation status happened quite early, so she was open to the concept. However, from her current nervous expression, she wasn't sure how to feel if the answer was 'yes'. She would rather believe my acting was just a result of my genetics.
Now, here is the thing. I can't tell her I am Gorou Amamiya. That'd make her too clingy to me, and that Gorou part of me really wants to tell her and hug her – maybe shed a tear or two seeing her alive again. However, Gorou Amamiya wasn't my only identity.
I am the Monarch of the Brightest Night, also the Last Hero of Mankind. Those old and cold parts of me were just happy seeing her alive, they didn't want to disclose the identity of my 10th life if it'd make her so clingy.
Besides, she wasn't asking who he was, she didn't need to know his identity, she really just wanted to confirm if he was a reincarnator or not.
"Yes," I said, looking into her eyes. "I am just like you, indeed. Though forgive me for having hidden that information until now, I didn't see much reason to reveal it."
Ruby stayed silent. She just stared at me for a long moment.
Contrary to my expectations, even though I wasn't explicitly expecting anything, the girl took in a shuddering breath as tears swelled up in her eyes.
Oh.
Ruby sniffled and wiped her face, causing snot to rub all over and her lips quivered. She was crying. Why?
"I- I thought this was just a dream," Ruby's voice was filled with relief. "That I died… and in my last moments, my brain created a fantasy that can never be real. I read some theories about this before, where they say people hallucinate before death. I… some parts of me thought that may be what was happening."
So that dilemma. "Is this real? Is anything real?" That was something that I used to think about a lot in my past reincarnations. After all, it didn't make sense, me being some immortal soul was too good to be true. Why me amongst all the billions, trillions, and infinite people living in this reality?
Suddenly, I felt the crying girl in front of me a lot more relatable than I ever thought was possible. It was like seeing a junior… no, a younger sibling, going through that painful stage of life that you have passed through already once.
I stood up and reached out a hand. I don't know why, but I decided to help her out with this. She probably already believed this was real after hearing me out, but I decided to help her clear any remaining doubt of her existence.
It was a Magic Spell. I hadn't created a Mana Core for myself, but this particular technique worked with Qi too thankfully.
Ruby didn't shy away as my finger reached closer to her forehead, and then my index pressed into the middle of her forehead.
[Sorcerer Spell: Transcending Mind from the Metaphysical Consciousness.]
Ruby's body paused in time, and I felt the edge of what she was going through. Her mind had leaped out of her body, and her consciousness was flying around the earth at the speed of light, yet her mind was able to comprehend all the scenes.
After spinning around the earth, she was thrown into a higher dimension, the realm that only those who tested Ayahuasca had seen before. A realm of geometrical mess, with eldritch beings unbothered by her trespassing.
She came across the Pyramid Eye in that realm, and when her eyes met with it, both of her lives flashed past her as if she had just lived through them again. From the time inside her mothers' bellies, to the day she learned how to walk, and to now.
Ruby returned to her body and fell to her butt. She sweated buckets, the A.C. was not helping her, and she stared at the floor for a long moment. Then, she looked up at me.
"W-what are you? Are you Kam-"
"Shh."
I put a finger over her lips. It would be troublesome if her words attracted the gaze of some Shinto God.
"I am not a deity, rest assured."
"Ah…"
"Go to sleep, it will be easier to come to terms with everything."
I told her and laid back down. Her mind must be busy, but her body was begging to sleep, so I heard her snoring before I myself fell prey to exhaustion. That spell took a lot out of me.
….
When I woke up the next day, I thought over whether it was fine to have revealed the existence of magic to that girl. I didn't know what had taken over me last night to act like that.
Not that I regretted it. One of my rules was to never regret anything.
Turns out, there was no bad outcome from this. Ruby was happier than ever, and she was very welcoming of my revealed secret. She stopped trying to act like an older sister too, because she knew even if I am not God, I must be someone beyond whatever she was.
So, to conclude this stage, the mission was successful. I won't be bothered by her in the future.
I am finally three years old.
Life for the past year has been surprisingly more fun than the two years prior. Ruby was enjoyable company as a fellow toddler; I'm a bit surprised to admit that since my initial impression of her loud and annoying personality wasn't very good.
It made sense why I had this change, of course. Knowing her story from the anime and even from the perspective of Gorou was one thing, but seeing her life with my own senses was another. The spell I used on her that day allowed me to see the edge of what she went through. It wasn't very clear, but it was better than what I had before. She was so pitiful in her first life, that it rendered even an old soul like mine happy when I saw her enjoying life now.
She had cancer, and her parents abandoned her. She died alone in the hospital, with only the sound of Ai's concert and the hand of Gorou clutching her own with her till the end.
Back to myself. Today, I'm going to hit the [Iron] rank. It will be a bit more dramatic than my Copper advancement, however.
The Fountain stage makes one's body and spirit ready for the latter ranks. The Copper stage improves your spirit power, granting a great increase in Qi. The Iron stage, on the other hand, heavily improves your body.
Currently, at the age of three, I am at peak human condition. Meaning physically I am still within the boundaries of humans. With Iron rank, however, I will be able to surpass my human limits and step into the category of superhumans.
Before you step into [Iron] rank, however, you'd have to choose a [Iron Body] type. There are a lot of options, and optimally it's suggested you choose a body that supports your Path. This is your foundation, and you can never change this again.
The Path of the Endless Sword for one, is the best with the Blade Forged Iron Body. Likewise, my Path of the Raging Sky also has a dedicated Iron Body for itself, called the Storm Forged Body.
The problem is, there isn't any reason for me to choose that since my Paths will vary in the future. It would be troublesome if my body was only good at water, wind, cloud, and lightning affinity. I needed more so that I could switch as I pleased.
In my past life, luckily I wasn't born in the world where this Path power system worked because if I was, then I would have most likely been stuck with an Iron Body I didn't like. Iron Bodies would actually be changed despite what I said, but you'll lose a lot of your cultivation by doing that. So it was truly lucky that I was born in a more usual cultivation world with a usual cultivation power system, even if the highs there are low.
However, if you have a choice to choose the best Iron Body possible, this path power system is the best for anybody. Thankfully, I have thought that over in my last life and created a body concept for myself, for when I would inevitably die someday and use that Iron Body.
The Grandmist Forged Body, or Grandmist Body for short, would allow me many perks when I'd reach the higher ranks. I know this name exists somewhere, but the effects are entirely different.
At my current stage, until I reach the 10th rank of this power system, this Iron Body will mostly provide me with passive effects only. One such is the ability to switch to other paths in the near future, along with a state of mental buzz for anyone who might try to read my mind. It's simply the best, I made it with many perks in mind, to cover for any weaknesses I might encounter in the future.
However, there is one slight problem.
One will have to go through a bit of trouble to achieve this Iron Body.
For example, if I wanted to gain the Storm Forged Iron Body, I'd have to sit in an open field when it's raining and hope that I'll be struck by lightning. Or I can make it faster by poking a finger in an electric socket while soaking in the rain. It would hurt, but I will gain what I want.
For this, however, it's a bit harder. I need a peculiar situation and place. Thankfully, I've just found it.
Once more, I had to thank Ruby. Without her, I couldn't have run away from home for a night. My mum will be worried, and so will the director and Miyako, but this couldn't be helped.
I was in a graveyard, and it was an eerie stormy night. The sky was raging with rain and lightning, yet the moon was red; somehow under the rain, fireflies roamed around the area and corpses seemed to rattle underground. Today was a Lunar Eclipse, where the sun's Yang aura was overlapping with the moon's Yin aura, causing a thick Creation aura to wash over the planet like never before.
The corpses in the graveyard also provided a negative aura, while all the flowers and trees in the graveyard provided a positive aura. This truly was a unique situation, hard to come by, which was perfect for my plan. If I didn't encounter this rainy Lunar Night today, I would have to wait for the next one with rain. It could have taken years. As for why?
The energy of Grandmist was infinity. Infinity gave birth to the primal chaos, and the primal chaos transformed into yin and yang. First, there was grandmist, then there was primal chaos, after primal chaos was the division of yin and yang, and finally, there was the formation of the five elements. Meaning, Grandmist was the source of Mana, Qi, and whatever else energy present in the universe.
By obtaining the Grandmist Body, I don't need to establish a Mana Core in my heart. I can use my Qi as a replacement for Mana, effectively making me twice as effective as my old self right away. The potential of this life of mine is endless, to say the least.
I had a few hours in my hand, absorbing the opposing energies like a sponge. My skin was blackening, and while getting cured seconds later, I was losing my eyesight while gaining better eyes a moment later. My skin tore apart, replaced by new, and my bones turned into ashes, before forming new and stronger.
It was a painful process, but I let out no scream. Lightning hit the tree under which I was sitting, and it began to burn. Fire aura lit up in the area, and suddenly I had access to fire, along with the water, lightning, and earth that had already been present. The process grew faster thanks to the fire, but it meant the pain grew as well.
The next day, the clouds cleared and the sun peeked out. The graveyard was flourishing with flowers and trees, in places that they didn't even exist before, and the tree that had burned due to a lightning strike last night was three times larger now.
I slowly stood up from under the tree, my mortal sight clearer than ever before, as were my five senses. My cold gaze pierced the sky and saw the airplanes beside the clouds; I could smell the river in the far, and hear the sound of children playing in the park far from here.
I have advanced to the [Iron Rank].
I have stepped towards becoming a Celestial Sapien.
Chapter 6: Fate & its Defiant
[Third Person Point of View – Ai Hoshino]
It has been two years since her son did that acting gig, and it was better received than she thought. Though sadly for her son, she stole his and, well, even the main actress' limelight with her own acting.
'My cuties will have to try harder than this if they want to match up against mommy.'
Ai couldn't help but giggle as she walked into the telephone booth located at the side of the road. She couldn't use her own phone for this call she was about to make.
Both her children were geniuses, maybe a bit too suspiciously so, but they were still kids. Ai was avoiding this for a long time but… it was time she introduced them to their father.
More than once, she had heard the two kids talking about their father. Usually, it went about Ruby bad talking about him, asking Aqua why that man would leave someone as bright as their mama, while Aqua told her to forget it.
Frankly, her relationship with that man was strange. Maybe that'd be an understatement. Logically speaking, it was her fault that she didn't have the abortion for the kids, so the father isn't obliged to do anything. To begin with, they weren't married, just two teens who didn't know the best for themselves and made a mistake.
So, she felt a little awkward calling him now of all times. Still, it was for the sake of her kids. Aqua was lost once last year, and she felt like her world had crumbled. She looked everywhere, but he was nowhere to be found. At last, when he returned the next day with tattered clothes that had flowers sticking to them, she hugged him tighter than ever while crying.
In the last four years, Ai hadn't regretted giving birth to them even once, so she was going to take this mother's job seriously.
She hesitated after fully dialing the number and then called. It rang for a long minute but was ultimately picked.
["Hello? Who is this?"]
The voice sent various shivers of emotions across her heart. Ai took a shivering breath in and began to talk.
"Hey… it's me, do you remember?"
["...Ai?"]
He did remember! Well, she would have been mad if he didn't, given he was the father of her children.
For the next few minutes, they talked in an awkward tone, until she managed to pull the courage to get to the point.
"So, you know… the kids grew up. They are four years old now. I was wondering if they should meet their father once."
["Hey, are you…"]
"I'm not s-suggesting we get back together. We both know it won't work out. Just… I am asking for a visit. To manage a few hours of your schedule and come see us."
There was a long silence from the other side, and for a moment she wondered if he had cut the call. Just when she was about to ask if he was there, his voice returned.
["Sure. Tell me your current address."]
[First Person Point of View – Aqua]
A year has passed since I advanced to Iron. I do hate the fact that my growth is so slow, that I wasn't a Jade yet, but there is nothing to change this.
I don't really have any sparring partners, and thick storm auras are rare. So, I have decided to teach my little sister some tricks. I wouldn't have done this if this was a truly normal world, but if DxD was real, then that means there were mages in this world, there were Heroes, Gods, and Devils. The smart choice for me would be to teach Ruby some tricks so that she can protect herself.
Besides, it's entertaining to train someone. I did have a few disciples in my earlier lives when I grew too bored and old, and those were somewhat of a fun time.
"Hey! Teach me some magic already, this is doing nothing!"
Yet, teaching her was annoying. She had no respect for him as her Master and just yelled to teach her magic when she hadn't even formed a Mana Core.
"This is the 13th time I am telling you, you need to form a mana core first. Without it, you can't cast jack-shit."
She gasped. "Don't curse."
"...Oh right, my bad." I knew better than to not curse, in case Ai or Miyako heard.
He had chosen to teach Ruby Magic and not Martial Arts, because her body is more mana sensitive than qi sensitive. She could sense mana with ease and had learned how to do so after a week's worth of training. It seems her good genetics went further than just her looks.
I said quietly this time, "You need to form a Mana Core in your heart."
"But I can't do it!"
She threw her hands around, and if she was anybody other than who she was, I would have thrown her out of the window at this moment.
I've regained some of my memories from my 4th to 8th life. In my 4th life, I was dragged into becoming a wandering hermit, it was a humble life. However, in my 5th life, I was called the Sorcerer of Eternity. People would sell their daughters for a single lesson from me, and yet this puny mortal dares to…!
I quickly dispersed those thoughts when I looked outside the window. It was night and the stars were twinkling at me. Indeed, in this entire cosmos, I am the most benevolent one. Why must I be mad at this innocent soul?
I turned to look at Ruby again, smiling.
"I understand, my cutest imouto-"
"Eww, creep!"
She screeched in fright and dashed off the room. How rude.
Last night was fun when I got up and ran after her. She kept yelling until she began to cry in Ai's arms. It weirded her out when I act too nice because usually, something bad happens afterward.
However, when I woke up today none of last night's smile remained. There was a bell I heard that startled me awake.
Since the day of my acting, doorbells have been my utmost priority. Whenever I hear a doorbell, I rush to the door before anybody. Nobody was suspicious as children usually did that a lot, so I got away with it.
However, today a bell rang when I was sleeping. I am an early riser, so someone at the door when I was sleeping is rare. In the four years of my life, that has happened a rare few times.
I jumped awake from my casket and leaped across the door. I couldn't take any chances.
I soared through the air, leaving a trail of lightning behind me. I was supposed to pause before a turn and take a sneak peek, but my enhanced nose picked up a scent that told me not to waste time. I made a sharp drift in the air and found myself facing the door.
"Good morning, Ai. How are the twins doing?"
My mother, Ai was just there, and the world was slow as her smile was vanishing and her eyes were widening. She had just accepted a bouquet of white roses from the hooded man at the door, which were quickly turning red from the splash of blood coming from her abdomen.
My mouth widened for a moment before I shut my lips tight. My eyes went cold as I found myself moving like a trail of lightning. I side-stepped near Ai, pushing her away with a gentle push, while my hand leaped out to grab the bastard in a choke.
"Augh!"
The idiotic son of a bitch who had come to kill Ai just because she had kids because she had fallen in love and wasn't a virgin, groaned as I pushed him against the grass outside our house.
I was old, I have lived through a lot. Only a few things made my emotions stir, and this happened to be one of them.
"Pathetic shut-in bastard!" He'll pay with his soul for this foolishness.
The disgusting loser tried to say something, but my strength was beyond any normal human now. I wasn't here to listen to him talk, I wasn't Ai, I wasn't going to talk to him about the wrongness of life, the lie of love.
I am only here to destroy his soul. Qi swelled up on my palm as I emptied out half of my core with a single attack. The raging Storm Qi rushed out of my channels in a specific pattern, as I performed one of the basic three techniques of my Path.
[Wrath of the Roaring Sky]
Electric blue energy spread through the loser shun-in in a split second, the sound of meat sizzling filling the air, as the garden was lit up as if another sun had risen here. The otaku's body was pulverized into fine dust a second later.
Not even bones remained as mere ash rested on the grass, my hand clutching down on it.
I stood up, turning my head to look at the bleeding woman leaning against the wall. She looked frightened at the sight, her eyes locked on the ashes, and she gulped. When her eyes met mine, she paused, hesitating before she called.
"A-aqua?"
I walked over to her when she spat out blood trying to say my name. She was too careless, too innocent. If I hadn't intervened, she would have recognized the face of that loser and would have talked to him nicely instead of calling for help. Naïve.
I walked over to her and suddenly felt angry at myself instead. She… wore an apron, and from the scent I got from the kitchen, she was making a cake just now. She was making a cake for us because it's a holiday.
Her white apron was red; a knife was sticking out of her abdominal aorta. It was a serious injury.
"Aqua-"
"Don't speak."
I didn't meet gazes with her. I will just pretend to have been possessed later, for now, I had to pretend to be someone else and save her. I wish this didn't come to this, that she wasn't stabbed and I would have taken care of that lowly loser earlier.
I grabbed the knife and pulled it out. She tried to tell me to stop because the wound would bleed more with the knife out, but I didn't listen. I then grabbed her apron and gently took it off over her outfit.
Why the hell is she wearing a maxi?
It would have been easier if she was wearing a tee shirt, but fine. I grabbed the hole in the maxi through which the knife had penetrated, and tore apart the fabric. I accidentally tore it apart too much, but my eyes were focused on the wound alone.
I gently placed my palm over the wound.
"Aqua, I-"
"Shh."
I couldn't help but look into her eyes once.
"You are fine."
I didn't want to admit it back when I chose my Path, but one of the main reasons why I chose the Raging Sky path was because of the healing properties. Without this, she would have died today.
[The Pure Storm Baptism]
A warm light emanated from my hand, in a circular shape, and Ai took in a sharp breath. It must hurt like hell, but her eyes went wide for something else. She realized what was happening to the wound as she stared at me in shock.
I sped up the process, cursing in my head at how much energy such simple healing was required since she herself didn't have any Mana or Qi until I lifted my hand a minute later.
No wound remained on her skin, it was as clean as ever.
I smiled and then felt my body falling over, exhausted and out of Qi. Only for a moment did I realize that my face had fallen on her naked chest before I passed out.
Today, I have once more defeated fate with ultimate ease. Truly, Cannon Events are no match for the most venerable one in this cosmos.
Master4thWall: There you go with the first chapter. Next chapter, he isn't a kid anymore, and so we'd have smut soon. Hope you enjoyed it! Please leave some reviews if you did.