(Kieran POV)
My eyes fluttered open to an almost blinding light.
'It's so bright'.
It took a moment for my vision to adjust, and I realized the light was coming from a lamp on the ceiling.
'Where am I?'
I was on a stark white bed in a room I didn't recognize.
White walls and a statue of a skeleton were in the corner of the room. There were a few cabinets and a desk in the room.
This was a hospital room.
'We can't afford this.'
I quickly tried to stand up to get out of the hospital as fast as possible. Being in the hospital meant that they probably healed me, which is expensive.
That is when I noticed a small, transparent window in the corner of my eye.
It was blue and just as big as a small window. It had words that had a faint white color, and there was a small green rectangle highlighting one of the words in the middle.
What does it say?
Unfortunately, I couldn't read because it cost too much to go to school.
I shook my head.
'Focus; I need to get out of here before they ask me to pay.'
As I was about to get out of bed, someone opened the door.
"You woke up? That is good."
A middle-aged man in a white coat entered the room. He had a gentle smile as he took a chair and placed it next to the bed.
It's too late for me to run.
He was about to sit down on the chair.
"I don't have money. So don't ask me for it." I said it with a hostile tone.
He laughed as he sat in the chair.
"Don't worry about that. It's free."
He took out a strange object from his pocket and reached out to my chest.
I tried to avoid it by angling my body backwards.
"It's okay; this thing is called a stethoscope, and it measures your pulse."
Seeing the worried look in my eyes, he continued.
"This is for your own good; it's not going to hurt. Please remove your shirt."
I removed my shirt, and his eyes lingered a little on my chest, but he quickly looked away.
"It's a birthmark."
That was the normal reaction when people saw the birthmark on my chest. So I didn't mind that he stared.
"I see."
He reached out with the stethoscope, and I could feel the cold surface on my skin.
Closing his eyes, he focused for a few moments, until he removed the stepschope from my body.
"It's all good; there is nothing wrong with your pulse. Do you feel any discomfort in your body?"
I shook my head.
"Why am I here?"
He looked a little puzzled.
"You passed out and were led to the hospital. Do you remember anything before you passed out?"
Was that why I was here? Because I passed out?
I tried to remember what was going on before I passed out.
I was with my parents, and then the monster alarm rang out. They told me to hide in a small space between the floors, which was open because we couldn't afford to fix it.
As I was hiding, I saw a big, faint red barrier cover the sky through a hole in the ceiling. But the barrier was quickly removed.
That was when I heard a loud noise, and.
My eyes widened as I realized what had happened.
I clenched the sheets as I couldn't believe the last few memories.
"Kid, you have become an awakener." The doctor said it with a gentle tone.
"An awakener?"
He nodded his head and said, "Yes, an awakener, you have unlocked your insignia."
He patted my shoulder.
"Becoming an awakener is a dream many people have, so your family must be proud."
His words went in one ear and out the other.
An awakener? I became an awakener.
The scene of my parents appeared in my mind.
"Kieran, you don't have to become an awakener to make us proud. We are already proud that you exist with us," my mom said.
"But I want to make you happy, and if I become an awakener, I can get a lot of money."
My parents laughed, and my dad patted my head.
"This rascal. Who says we aren't happy right now? Well, if you ever do become an awakener, just buy me a steak. I have always wanted to try that."
I saw the white sheets.
"It's not true. It has to be a dream." I said, and my voice stuttered as I clenched the sheets.
"Yeah, it is just a bad dream that I haven't woken up from." My voice quivered.
"I heard about it from Delan; I am sorry for your loss. It's normal to get awakened through trauma."
He stood up and took out a round, transparent ball.
"But I need to measure your mana. Can you hold this ball in your hands?"
My body was on autopilot as it took the ball and held it in my hands.
"Now try to use your mana on the ball; it should feel natural."
I didn't focus on his voice as I tried to comprehend what had happened.
My parents died.
I became an awakener, but what was the point if the only people that I cared about died for it?
A tall person with black hair and tan skin appeared in my head.
"Your parents died because I was afraid of pain."
I clenched the ball.
Because you were afraid of my pain, my parents had to die?
The transparent ball turned a bright green color. It started to light up the room.
"This brightness? That has to be at least B rank; wait, this could be even A rank." The doctor said it with a shocked voice.
"An 8-year-old starting as an A rank? That is unheard of."
The doctor sprinted out of the room.
'I will kill you'.
I will do everything in my power to make you die.
In an instant, as if something clicked inside my head, I knew what I had to do.
The transparent window was the answer. Strangely enough, as if by instinct, I knew that the transparent window would be the path for me to get what I wanted.
I clicked on the green rectangle in the middle of the transparent window. And a monotone voice appeared in my mind.
[Welcome user to the Purification System]
[The purification system does not have enough mana to activate]
[Do you want to use your current mana to activate the Purification System?]
'Yes'
[The purification system will use the host's current mana to activate]
In an instant, the bright green light dimmed until it was only a faint green color.
At the same time, the layout of the transparent window changed, but I still couldn't understand its contents.
For my first step in my plan to get revenge,
'I have to learn to read and write.'