I opened my eyes as I finally regained consciousness. As I sit up, I realize the pain is fully gone.
I look down, and to my surprise, my blood-stained clothes are nowhere to be found, instead, I'm wearing a fresh set of the same garments.
I look around to get a better view of my room. There's a ceiling light hanging down, illuminating my entire room in a soft white glow. Next to my bed is an empty chair, and across from my bed seems to be a walk-in closet. Next to that is a desk with a chair and several books on top of it. In the corner of the room, I see a full-body mirror, my reflection staring back at me.
As a 10-year-old, I still looked very young. Long gold hair covered my head, and I had sharp blue eyes, just like my mother. I seemed frail, but that was to be expected with what I had just learned.
I was about to call for Akuma's mother, or I guess my mother, but as if on queue, my mother opens the door to my room.
She walks forward before sitting on the chair next to my bed. She stays silent for a few seconds,
"Akuma are you okay? Why did you push yourself so hard? You could have died. You're lucky that you survived that at all. Mana reflux usually kills, especially at your age; it's nothing short of a miracle."
"What did you do?" I ask her.
She looks at me, surprised. "I cast a heal spell over you and I fed your body mana while you were unconscious. You should be fine, except for one thing."
Her tone changed immediately, the anger clearly evident on her face. "Why the fuck did you do that? How could you be so fucking STUPID?"
"Your mana core is destroyed, luckily you can restart, but the chances of you reaching your full potential have been halved, at the very least. In fact, you should be grateful if you can even wield mana again."
"But above all, just why?". Her voice trembled and I realized she had tears in her eyes. "Why would you risk your life for something so insignificant?"
She could barely utter that sentence as she started crying. Suddenly her arms were around me as she hugged me tight.
"Don't ever risk your life like that ever again Akuma, if you need help all you need to do is ask. You know your father and I would do anything for you so please don't."
She was sobbing as she clung onto me.
Her warmth, it reminded me of my mother. Before I became known as the Heavenly Demon, I had two loving parents.
They would dote on me much like Akuma's parents did, putting me before them, they would do anything to make sure I was happy and safe.
Our family of three was perfect, we lived in a small village and everything was okay. They weren't cultivators, they didn't even know how to fight though.
Although we were weak, we were happy.
But of course, in Murim, the greatest sin one can make is being weak.
They were killed be rogue cultivators. They barged into the small town as they were being hunted down by law enforcement. The officers caught up to them and there was a big fight, it destroyed the entire town. Most of the townsfolk died, and the officers left after killing the rogues.
No compensation was given, nobody even cared. In the face of strength, what were you to do?
It had been years since I remembered the warmth of my parents, the love they used to shower me with, but this woman was doing the same thing my parents used to do.
I let out a gentle sigh before I put my arms around her.
I was Akuma, no. I am Akuma now. This is who I am, so I might as well embrace it wholeheartedly.
I'll make sure to protect my family this time, and I'll cut down anyone who dares pose a threat.
"I'm sorry, mother." I mumble.
We break our embrace as we hear a click. The door opens and my father steps into the room.
Seeing him for the first time, he looks like a warrior through and through. Even in Murim not many had a build as impressive as his. With a tall frame, he stood at over 6 foot. His arms clasped in muscles, every inch of him seemed to give off an imposing aura.
One thing I never lost during my reincarnation, was my ability to sense danger.
My senses were screaming at me to be careful, he's dangerous.
Sporting black hair and sharp green eyes, it felt like he was assessing whether or not to let me live, or to dispose of me.
I couldn't help but shudder a bit as he gazed in my direction.
Against my expectations, he broke into a soft smile.
Walking up to me he put his hand on my shoulder, "I'm so glad you're okay". He says quietly.
"But don't do that dumb shit again, you almost died. If we had been a second later even an elixer wouldn't be able to save you. Not that we have one anyways, only the royal families can hold suck precious treasures", he said chuckling.
"Akuma, you do know you don't need to be a mage. You could even laze around for the rest of your life and you'd be able to live comfortably", he said with a smile.
"But even then, we'll support you no matter what." My mother chimes in.
Looking at the two, I couldn't help but smile myself.
They're really just like my past life's parents.
To protect what's important to me though, I need strength.
"I still want to pursue magic." I say with a determined look on my face.
They both look at me and nod.
"If you can reform your mana core, we'll send you to Grislotts. The best magic academy in the kingdom." My dad says to me.
"New students typically go there at the age of 16. You have 6 years to reform your core and reach D rank. Grislotts is the most prestigious magic academy, so no matter who you are, you need to be at least D rank to be let in. This is a rule we cannot change or get an exception for, so it's all up to you," my mother explains.
D rank seems easy enough, but due to this body's lack of talen, it'd be very difficult for me, using traditional methods.
One has to remember that the original Akuma died trying to break through a minor realm. He was at F- trying to reach F when he experienced mana reflux, this goes to show how bad his potential is.
Luckily for me, I have telekinesis, so I'll find a way to make it work. Not only that but I have all my knowledge as the Heavenly Demon, I've used Qi countless times, albeit only when I was bored, as telekinesis was my main weapon. Since mana is similar to Qi, I should be able to find techniques to enhance my cultivation speed in this world.
Content with the terms, I gave my parents a nod and thanked them for their generosity.
They looked at me with raised eyebrows, "since when was our child so noble-like?" my mom asks grinning.
I frown, and give them a stare. "Okay okay I get it, I'm a recovering patient so if you please, I might die if I keep talking". I say while rolling my eyes.
They both smile and tell me to get better before exiting the room.
I lay back down onto my bed and exhale.
I have 6 years to reach C rank. My parents said D, but if I want to be safe, I need to surpass my limitations. Not only that, I need to learn more about this world, I don't even know the name of the kingdom I live in, for god's sake.
I need to know the structure of power, how everything is run, and who I should look out for. The last thing I want to do is offend some noble just to meet a dog's death.
I let out a sigh as I try to close my eyes.
I'll worry about that tomorrow.