As I stood there in the dojo of the orphanage, a wooden sword clutched in my hand, I attempted to regain some semblance of control over my body. It had been nearly thirty minutes of practice, trying to move, to swing, to do something, anything, to test my physical abilities.
But my body had other plans.
The dizziness hit me like a tidal wave, and my vision blurred as if the world around me had suddenly become a painting smudged by careless strokes.
My balance faltered, and I stumbled, the wooden sword slipping from my grasp and clattering to the floor.
My head throbbed with a merciless intensity, as if a thousand drums were pounding inside my skull.
The pain was excruciating, a relentless reminder of the tumour that had plagued me for so long.
"Damn it," I muttered through gritted teeth, fighting to stay on my feet.
The world spun around me, and I desperately tried to focus on my breathing, to calm the turmoil inside.
Singh's brain tumour.
The words echoed in my mind like a cruel chant, a reminder of the merciless affliction that had haunted my life.
It had taken so much from me, robbed me of my health, my childhood, and now, even my chance at revenge.
After what felt like an eternity, I managed to regain control over my breathing, the pain gradually receding to a dull ache.
With trembling legs, I left the dojo and stumbled outside into the park, seeking the solace of fresh air to soothe my battered body.
But the pain remained, a constant companion. It was a cruel reminder that my journey, my quest for vengeance, was not going to be easy. My body was frail, my time-limited, and the odds stacked against me.
As I sat on a park bench, clutching my head in my hands, I couldn't help but wonder if I was truly prepared for the challenges that lay ahead.
The memories of Mana drug, the secrets hidden within my Journal, and the power of the Aulria family loomed over me like insurmountable obstacles.
But I had made a promise to myself. I would make them pay for what they had done to me, no matter the cost. Even if it meant battling the relentless pain that threatened to consume me.
With a heavy heart and a determined spirit, I looked up at the dark horizon, ready to face whatever challenges awaited me on this path of revenge, even if it meant fighting against my own body every step of the way.
***
After a few minutes, I began to feel pain had left my body. There is still pain in my head but it's tolerable.
I'm looking at the night of the past.
From sitting here I remembered that I still didn't reveal the name of the orphanage I am currently in.
It's Aulria Orphanage.
Not far from the city centre of Eldoria, this place, where the clear wind from the forest and stream blows, is a welfare facility with an over 200-year tradition.
As it's operated by the Aulria family, it's quite large. The premises include dormitories, a dining hall, a playground, a sports field, a park, and other facilities that you'd expect in a decent school.
"It is 2012."
"It's amazing."
Amazingly, I can take in this night sky.
Amazingly, I'm alive and breathing.
I am certain that when I died, it was 2027, not 2012, just a week ago. My body must have been turned rotten by that knight.
"Should I be happy?"
I'm curious.
Did I regress?
No, even if I did, is this regression good for me?
I still have a disease in my body, and it's uncertain whether my condition can be treated with the current state of medical technology.
Isn't it just a repetition of incurable pain?
"Why now, of all times?"
For that reason, I can't help but complain, even though I've been revived.
…The timing is strange.
I slightly touched the side of the head where the brain tumour was.
Still hurting from all of that physical movement.
If only it had come just one year earlier.
Damn it.
"Hey, Kevin!"
Suddenly, my name rang in my ears. On the orphanage's sports field, a shirtless man was calling me.
"Aren't you training?! Didn't you hear the news?! If we can't beat the Warriors in a match, our orphanage will be shut down!"
"…Oh."
Training, there's no need.
First, my body could not handle it.
second.
In that 'match', active knights disguised as warriors will come.
We can't win, even if we die trying.
The orphanage will be shut down, and the 1000 or so who grew up here will scatter in all directions….
What will happen to 'me'?
Before the regression, I probably blamed myself. I saw the closure of the orphanage and the failures that followed, even, as my fault.
I blamed my pathetic talent, which couldn't help Aulria, and my damn bad luck of carrying around a disease, all on my 'unlucky' self.
Despite this, I wanted to live, so I stubbornly earned money by taking jobs like delivery and driving, admitted myself to the hospital, and fought the disease——then I realized something.
The family called 'Aulria' was the root cause that messed up my entire life.
"Ah, forget it. As long as the others win. Kevin, this bastard, is so irresponsible these days!"
But what was his name again?
Anyway, he runs. But the world is cold. Running well doesn't solve anything. If you fall while running, you only hurt yourself.
I sank into the bench.
I absentmindedly opened the 「Journal」.
The very first page contained a diary.
"…Is it really because of this?"
A diary that roughly explains the reason 'why I regressed to 2012-'.
[February 14, 2012]
I'm going to start writing a diary from today. I will record my day-to-day life. Why? Yesterday, I had like half of my body get penalized for 5 minutes, so I went to the hospital, but they suspected that I had again brain tumor again and told me to go to a more distinguished hospital...
February 14, 2013, Monday.
The day I first wrote a diary in the 「Journal」, which until then only contained things like my to-do list, list of preparation items, and cheat sheets.
It was also the day I received a diagnosis that Cancer of the Magic's Core was suspected at the hospital.
That exact day is the point in time I returned to after regressing.
"So, did the Journal cause the regression?"
Was the potential of the 「Journal」 this much?
It's hard to believe.
"Ugh."
I turned off the diary.
Then the screen changed to [File List].
{. [ ¹0 / 100]
■ Diary
■ Memory. }
This is how organized it is. My 「Journal」 has a capacity limit, so if I don't organize it regularly, it gets full.
Of course, it has never been full. Just a bunch of text-
"…What's this 10, huh? What's that?"
But the capacity was too full, and a folder that wasn't there before caught my eye.
■ Memory
Memory. I don't remember creating such a folder. Where did it suddenly appear from?
"Memory… what is this?"
MemoryThe memory of what? What's inside?
So I opened the folder.
└Untitled.
There was a file inside.
I opened that 'Untitled' as well.
The procedure is straightforward. Simply think 'Open-' in your head. Because the Spectrum was simple, so was its application.
'Open-
The moment I thought that.
"—Huh?!"
Suddenly, my mana reacted. The deepest part of my body trembled.
"Kuk!".
A violent surge of mana burst. Springing up from the lower abdomen, spreading to the blood vessels… a sense of amplification all over the body?
I quickly blocked the mana.
"What the."
Nevertheless, my body was already hot, and my blood vessels were so red that they appeared to be about to burst. I felt dizzy as if everything around me was spinning
"What the hell…"