"What is this?" Grant felt the world turn into a blur for him. Space warped and reality seemed to be bent.
Around him, numerous lights flickered into existence, before a powerful tugging force dragged him towards an unknown direction.
The lights surrounding him turned into lines of pulsing light, indicating that he was traveling at a speed rivaling light.
Grant felt dizzy and his stomach churned. He felt like he wanted to vomit and the gunshot wounds didn't help either.
The space that had twisted into a passage now became stable. He soon found himself standing on solid ground once more.
His thoughts were all over the place and confusion washed over him. Grant couldn't make heads or tails on what had transpired.
[Foreign Entity Detected!]
It was a loud child-like voice that made reason come back to him. Grant shook his head and focused himself.
His senses took everything around him. The rosy scent of wood, and that strange yet enticing fragrance of orchid.
Grant heard it again and he shifted his focus unto the voice inside his head. He was curious and intrigued instead of being fearful.
[Integrating Entity Into System...]
[ERROR! ERROR!]
A panic voiced filled grant's mind much to the boy's amusement.
[What The Hell Is This???]
The child-like voice screamed inside Grant's head. Grant patiently waited for it to continue, acting as if unaware of what was happening.
[Nevermind... Foreign Entity Has Been Detected To Have Pre-Existing Data.]
[Updating Data...]
The voice grew silent, causing a grant to furrow his brows in response.
Feeling his vision blur, he soon remembered that he was just shot with a goddamn gun.
He would die from blood loss if he did nothing to at least save himself. And luckily, none of his vitals were torn apart by bullets.
The worst wound Grant sustained was a bullet that pierced through his stomach and exited through his left kidney.
The wounded one immediately sat cross-legged and dug his fingers into two of his three wounds.
Extracting bullets that made his eye twitch in pain.
"Who are you?" It was then that Grant sensed hostility. The room temperature immediately rose up at an alarming rate.
Grant felt the air turn dry and sweat started pouring out of his pores.
Grant saw a woman tightly holding a silver-colored sword while a circle of light floated under her hand.
Atop that palm was a ball of churning and roiling flame, it was causing the room to heat up fast.
The woman was beautiful. Her well-defined features proudly presented themselves to him like a peacock strutting their feathers.
Her body was mature yet she exuded a royal and somewhat youthful aura. Braided golden hair coupled with those deep blue crystal eyes made her look just plain lovely.
Grant shrugged and gave the girl's beauty a simple inward nod. She was pleasant to the eyes but he didn't care about that.
It was that sword and ball of flame making him feel threatened.
His instincts are screaming at him to be on guard and take needed actions against her.
"My name is Grant..." His simple yet carefree reply made the woman take a step back due to caution.
For someone to be bleeding and take out stone shaped arrowheads out of his body without issuing a groan of pain or caring too much about it made the boy look dangerous in her eyes.
She was trying to summon a low-class elemental for her use only to end up summoning something "Unique".
Never in her wildest dreams did she expect to summon a human. Her father was indeed right.
Anything could happen.
The woman couldn't help but furrow her eyebrows and let out a cold snort.
"Halt!" She commanded loudly to the boy who was shifting, reaching towards his pocket. He froze in response before staring at her dead-eyed.
Those blank hollow eyes lacking emotion made her back turn cold from sweat.
She was nervous and a bit anxious. There are tales of heroes hailing from other worlds being summoned to the world of Terrunn.
These individuals were extremely gifted and powerful. Terrunn trembled before their might as they left legacies around the globe.
Some stayed in Terrunn, praying a price while others returned to their homeworlds with their respective gifts.
Fighting a hero was far from her current capabilities. Luckily, she has a chance at survival if the person in question decides to attack her.
He was injured after all.
At that thought, the girl couldn't help but feel all smug. Thinking that there was no way she would be harmed by that strange clothed fellow who as bleeding before her.
Hell, she might even just have to wait for a while before the boy bleeds to death.
[Data Update Complete.]
[Status!]
The voice returned and Grant's ears perked up. His curiosity about that voice had been bothering him lately.
-----
[Grant Simmons] Human (Sealed)
Lv. 1 (No Class)
HP: 438/1500
MP: 800/800
Stamina: 346/3600
Current State: {Injured} {Bleeding} {Tired} {Anxious (Supressed by Serene Mind) } {Highly Irritable (Supresed by Serene Mind)}
Attributes:
Str: 800
Dex: 900
Cons: 1200
Int: 400
Wis:520
Agi: 700
Skills:
[Enhanced Strength Lv 8] [Enhanced Senses Lv 9] [Pain Resistance Lv 4] [Accelerated Thoughts Lv 1] [Inhuman Durability Lv 2] [Serene Mind (Max)] [Self Recovery Lv 3] [Enhanced Endurance Lv 6] [Nimble Lv 7] [Unarmed Combat Lv 3] [Mental Trauma Lv 7]
Skill Points: 0
-----
Reading and observing the little blue-colored semi-transparent screen, Grant trembled and his eyes grew hollow. His breathing became erratic as he struggled to control his body.
His attention focused on his attributes. They were attributes that should not belong to a human. Like that certain person who abandoned him.
He started choking and the world seemed to dim for Grant. He slumped to the ground, losing consciousness. The last thing he saw was the blonde-haired woman taking large strides towards him, dropping the sword and dispersing the ball of flame atop her palm. And a notification alerting him of something.
[ [Mental Trauma Lv 7] overcame suppression from [Serene Mind] due to external elements! ]
-----
Cold, dark and the sensation of nervousness washed over me. It was hard to keep calm.
I could feel my body sinking yet I wasn't able to move, nor was I able to see anything. Everything that surrounded me was a total pitch black except for the occasional figures littering the darkness.
They glowed ever so brightly yet I could never discern what they are. It was as if a mist was surrounding them, blurring those figures and hiding their exact details away from prying eyes.
"Damn it! Where am I?"
"Is anyone there? Answer me!!!"
I could feel myself trembling. The emotions I had chosen to lock and suppress managed to overpower me and fill me with a sense of dread.
I do not like this anxious feeling that something would harm you by the next second. Nor do I like the fact that memories of that man resurfaced again.
The surroundings were pitch black with the exception of those figures all around me, littering the darkness and staining it a picturesque white brightness.
Every figure was blurred. All but one.
The figure of the back belonging to a tall imposing man from the distance grew clear. He emanated a warm and doting aura but deep down I could feel something else.
Fear, longing, sadness regret. I don't know anymore! These new sentiments keep on popping out and seeping into my mind as if they were ants digging through soft soil.
I wanted my body to move. I wanted to reach out to that man and run up to him and ask him the question I've been dying to know since the day he left.
But I can't. Just like back then I failed in stopping him from leaving me all alone to fend for myself.
Just like now where I am not able to reach him no matter how I wanted.
My dear father... Why did you leave me to die and rot in that old house?
I do not even know where you went.
"GODDAMNIT!" Frustration welled up inside me as I screamed to let it all out. I was mad. Mad at why out of all the seven billion people in the world, I had to be the one who gets left by my father.
I do not even know who my mother is!
I resent him for failing to fulfill his duty to me. Yet I am also thankful for the love and care he showed me up until I turned twelve.
But please do tell me the truth. Was all that love and care all part of one big lie? A lie to fool me into thinking that he had to leave me to ensure my safety?
The last time I saw him was when I followed him outside the house, running up to him and hugging his leg. Begging to not be left behind.
I saw a shocked woman standing by his side. And instead of coaxing me, that man proceeded to kick his own child away.
If it wasn't for my abnormal constitution then I would've died from the sheer force of that kick.
Is it my fate to be left alone for the rest of my life?
"Grant check this shit out!" A familiar voice called to me. And immediately I was reminded of him.
A special case. Despite being a rich kid born from an arranged marriage from two powerful enterprises, he wasn't a prick.
Daniel buddy... Thank you.
For tolerating a damned orphan and being a friend to me.
[ [Mental Trauma] has been reduced ]
[ [Serene Mind] has successfully suppressed [Mental Trauma Lv 6] ]
The sense of anxiety, fear, nervousness and irrational thoughts started dying out like candles being blown out by the wind.
I sighed internally before fully calming down.
I hate being led around by emotions.
Emotions are what make me human. And it makes living fun. But I prefer being calm all the time.
They are good but they serve as shackles. It would've been fine for me to be emotional since I am just 18 years old. Just turned legal a few months ago.
A little more time is needed for me to truly mature.
Whatever the case, my one true goal remains unchanged.
Wherever you are, I will find you and force you to answer me.
Father...