I felt it. In the forest beyond the walls of the mansion around us. A huge group of monsters rushing at us. I jumped down from the balcony with a stable fall which almost didn't hurt.
I called Joyle "Joyle come over here. We're gonna have a little trip out of the mansion, you coming?" Her face was filled with curiosity "But mistwer didn't you say that it was dangerous to go outshide shince monsters roamed?"
"Well, I'll protect you this time so no one will be able to hurt you. Come let's go for a walk."
As I said that she held my hand and we headed towards the gates. As we walked outside, I noticed how creepy these trees looked and realized they weren't trees at all. They were treants, disguised trees who could suck out the souls of humans but these seemed different for some reason. As soon we went outside, they woke up while shaking off the huge amount of mud and sand attached to their roots only those weren't roots. Those were feet. As they walked towards us, I gathered a point-sized energy of eon at my fingers. I was ready for them if they attacked but they didn't, instead, they kneeled on one knee. All of a sudden, they bloomed at the same time.
Being a blood energy user (here he derives blood using his eon energy), I was often surrounded by corpses as I sat atop like a king. People resented me, widows, orphans, and beggars all wished for my death for being the source of all their misfortune and yet here I was surrounded by flowers. Some lilies, sunflowers, orchids, and even some wunders often used to craft wonder drugs in mass quantity.
All of them were smiling. Like they had faces grinning in a non-evil and absolutely not creepy way and yet I could feel no animosity from them. As Joyle looked at me with her thumb in her mouth as if she wanted to pluck every flower in her sight and make a kingdom to which I couldn't say no at all. So instead of sending her alone, I went with her. As she plucked the flowers to make a wreath crown as she gave it to me.
Then suddenly the docile treants started moving and I pulled Joyle towards me. The treants gave way for a fat lady in a dark dress with dazzling jewels shining on her neck and ears. It was repulsive.
I searched the memories of Fallenhyde who this bitch like woman was and found out she was the mother of this little ball of Joy holding my hand and yet Joyle hid behind me.
Something else I also found out from my memories was that this lady often came over and tried to abuse Joyle so instead of her, it was always Fallenhyde who received the beatings. I could feel the pain Fallenhyde went through for Joyle and yet he never once complained about his life. In his memories, I saw Joyle crying at the door as Fallenhyde had his skin ripped from the whip. He kept his smile for Joyle to not cry anymore and yet the lady kept whipping him over and over.
Back at present, Bartica the second daughter of a rich CEO who owned huge enterprises across Athanasia married Drivago, another entrepreneur of rich origins. They gave birth to three children Joyle being the youngest. The first left them at the age of 16 while the second left at 10. Only Joyle was unlucky to have to face the atrocity of her parents and yet here she was facing them again. But Fallenhyde is gone and I'm here.
I couldn't help but grin. The grin of excitement. As I tried to control my emotions, she kept walking while ignoring both me and her daughter "Why're you grinning you lowly servant, Is there something on my face? Go and prepare yourself."
That cut off my grin, "Marqioness Bartica, we will be leaving this estate." She stopped herself and saw back "And do what huh? You're just the unaccomplished son of a failed duke. If you hadn't had some worth for taking care of this little witch, we would've never even considered you. now go be a good little servant and prepare the room because today you have just earnt yourself some more punishments."
I could feel my grin widening, I conjured my energy back to my fingers as walked towards her and kept my hand at her neck. She turned with her eyes widened. I spoke "Joyle, would you like your mother to no longer exist to trouble you or me? We could go on a journey away from your parents, you and me."
Joyle had her eyes down. She was wary of Bartica but I could hear a tiny voice "Yes" which traveled the air. "So, close your eyes my little Joyle," I said and she abided.
Bartica screamed, "You insolent little bitch, I'm the one who bought you into this world, gave you food so you wouldn't freeze and die easily in this place and this is what you give me in return …..." Well, she couldn't finish throwing her tantrum as by then my hand was deep inside her neck with blood gushing to the ground. I then used my magic to control the blood from the ground and used battery magic to store and use it for later. As much as I hated this disgustingly putrid blood, it can serve its purpose.
I then smoothly lay her body on the floor, cleaned my hand using a ragged towel, and said "Joyle, now you can open your eyes." As she slowly opened her eyes, she didn't scream like a normal child upon seeing the blood. She just slowly shed her tears and came towards me.
I looked into her eyes and what I saw shocked me. It was a stigma. A divine seal placed on those with a huge amount of power they can't hope to control.
Back when I was in my original body, a normal human who lived a normal life. Got married and enjoyed life but it was turned upside down when he learned of his daughter's stigma. The king's apocalypse knights came and imprisoned her on charges of being a demon due to the stigma and in the end, her power left uncontrolled and untrained turned against everything creating the largest disaster in humanity. 6 million dead, 70 thousand left injured and disabled.
Now that it has manifested exactly at the time of my reincarnation, it probably signifies that a new age is starting but who cares? I can probably make Joyle into the finest warrior and for that, I will have to unseal the stigma but all in due time.
Before everything else, I'll have to recover my power since this simple act has drained my entire body of its energy unlike before when I could easily manipulate everything I wanted.
Now I will also have to collect information and recreate my empire.