The darkness turned to light, and with it, a familiar sensation washed over her body.
Liam recognized this feeling in no time. It was neither more nor less than pain. Too much pain.
However, this pain that he felt was nothing compared to everything he suffered during his time in the slums of the city.
So, Liam was able to tolerate it to a degree. He was even able to tell what kind of pain it was.
He felt as if his skin was riddled with wounds while his bones were fractured. Furthermore, he also felt dizzy. Symptoms of excessive blood loss.
"It's ... like I've been beaten to the point of seriously hurting me ..."
Liam as someone who had a dream of becoming a doctor in the future, had studied a bit before his parents died.
With those few studies that he had done a long time ago, he knew how to recognize some symptoms.
Thanks to this knowledge, Liam had survived in the slums until the winter storm swept through the city.
Remembering that storm that shook his bones, Liam remembers that his consciousness had faded before falling into complete darkness.
In short he had died.
"Then I couldn't weather the storm ..." Liam couldn't help but feel sad for a few seconds. He couldn't keep the promise with his dead parents.
But his sadness was quickly replaced by curiosity. "If I'm supposed to be dead, then why do I feel like I'm alive?"
With no answers to his question and not knowing what was happening, Liam opened his eyes.
The first thing that was in front of his gaze were the delicate and beautiful leaves of a tree that fell slowly on his face.
The oak tree, where the leaves that fell from its branches came from, was too big.
"How beautiful ..." They were the only thoughts that crossed his mind when observing this beautiful scene.
Regardless of the beauty that this place conveyed, for a strange reason, he felt that he was related to this tree in one way or another. Although he has never seen it before in his life.
Being under the shade of this tree allowed his mind to relax. His mind settled and his thoughts organized.
The vision of him pierced the leaves and he stared at the blue sky with clouds everywhere. "What happened to the storm?" he thought doubtfully in his mind.
The situation became increasingly strange and mysterious for Liam.
It was not necessary for him to pinch his arm to know if it was a dream or not. His own body hurt from him was already in charge of that.
Using his forearm to cover her sleepy eyes from the sunlight, Liam looked around.
Once he saw where he was located, his mouth couldn't help but open in surprise.
Liam was surrounded by a forest with no apparent end. Nature was everywhere. In the middle of this vast forest, Liam could see a city with buildings on all sides that stretched to the horizon, if not beyond.
"A city?" The instant he saw the amazing city of great magnitude, Liam felt as if a strange padlock had been opened in his brain, and the city was responsible for opening it.
Like an old movie, a ton of memories swept through his mind. Liam felt like his brain was about to explode.
It was as if a thousand blades were stabbing the entire surface of his brain without leaving any part aside. Liam had never felt this kind of pain before.
His thoughts turned hazy as his consciousness faded again. He fell unconscious due to pain.
Unfortunately, his brain forced him to wake up for the same reason… more pain.
This cycle was repeated an indefinite number of times. Imposing, Liam could only bear it silently. He didn't even have the strength to form a word, let alone a thought.
Only the slight moans of him could be heard on top of a small mountain located on the outskirts of the city.
Meanwhile, in Liam's mind, memories of a new life flashed through his head.
Even childhood memories were no exception. Liam lived someone else's life in a matter of seconds. Thoughts, emotions, memories, frustration, weakness, helplessness, nothing got lost in his head.
After a few minutes of constant suffering, the pain in his mind faded until he was completely gone.
Although the pain was gone, it took Liam an hour to collect himself. The feeling still lingered in his head. It was unbearable. "Shit ... what was that?"
Liam grabbed each side of his head with his hands and as he closed his eyes, he organized his thoughts.
After another hour to think and calm down, Liam opened his eyes. "Did I just reincarnate?"
As stupid as what Liam said might sound, there was no other possibility for what was happening right now.
Liam was never a believer in any religion, much less reincarnation. He saw it as stupid and unreasonable. He thought that if one died, he would only go to heaven or hell to rest forever.
Not that he was going to reincarnate in his next life without any memory. But analyzing his current situation, that thought could be wrong.
The memories of the life Liam lived, plus the familiar feeling that the tree in front of him gave him, only increasingly confirmed the idea of reincarnation.
"The body in which I reincarnate has the same name, age and appearance as me. This cannot be a coincidence. " Liam thought. "This is getting more and more confusing ..."
The body in which he had reincarnated was called Liam Verlock, the same name he had before he died, but a different surname.
Liam discovered that the original owner of this body belonged to a weak and talentless boy who was born into one of the powerful families that had the greatest influence over the Blue City.
These powerful families were the so-called Great Families, viz.; Evans Family, Goork Family and Verlock Family.
Each one with a high capacity and control in the domain of Mana and a specific element.
It must be said that Liam learned from the memories of this body that magic and monsters existed in this world.