"Mhmm... so comfortable," Loki mumbled as he snuggled in his bed.
Knock knock
"Young Master, I'm coming in," a gentle, melodious voice called from the other side of the door. Bella, the ever-dutiful maid, entered the room with a polite smile.
"Young Master, wake up! the breakfast is ready. You have fifteen minutes before breakfast is served." Bella remarked as she snatched the blanket from Loki.
"I'm up. Let's go." Loki jolted up from the bed and approached the bathroom while Bella quietly arranged the bed.
Dining Room
Loki joined his parents at the table as they started their meal.
"Son, how are you today?" A worried look appeared on Amelia's face as she gazed at Loki.
"I'm fine, Mom," Loki politely responded as his heart warmed internally seeing her worried face.
"Son. Amelia and I are going to the Ravenwood Forest near our territory for some personal business. We will arrive before sunset, so try not to leave the mansion alone." William announced with a 'be careful' look on his face.
"And also, take this. It's a defensive artifact that will protect you in case you are in any danger." He passed a necklace carved with an intricate runic design to Loki.
"Thank you, Father. I won't be wandering outside the house as I have some reading to do." Loki reassured them and gave a quick hug to his Mom before leaving the room.
He wandered around the huge mansion. It was immense and exceptionally beautiful. It was a two-story building with various rooms on each floor. He explored the kitchen where the chefs were focused on their creations. There was also a beautiful flower garden beside the mansion where different species of flowers were planted.
While He was exploring this huge mansion, He stumbled upon the library, albeit a small one.
"Just what I needed." He quickly picked a book about this world's history and started reading it. Time passed by as he became fully immersed in the book.
Meanwhile
At the mansion's gates, five shadowy figures approached, their movements swift and silent.
"Halt! State your Identity!" The guards announced to the 5 individuals near the gate.
"Sure," one of the figures responded smoothly, stepping closer.
Swish
Two heads flew by as they quietly beheaded the guards and rushed inside.
In an instant, two heads rolled to the ground, and the intruders slipped through the gates.
---
zip
"Hmm?!... Did the lights go out?" Loki muttered as he closed the book and navigated my way through the darkness.
He suddenly felt an intense chill from his back as he swiftly ducked.
A sharp dagger passed right through where my head was previously.
"Hoh!... You dodged that. Impressive!" A person clad in a black outfit from top to bottom, which screamed a typical assassin outfit, appeared in front of him.
Swish clang
He rushed towards Loki with a killing intent in his eyes. Loki couldn't see properly in the darkness as he stumbled on the floor and fell.
He heard a dashing sound as a silver glean appeared in front of his vision. It was the dagger shining in the darkness.
Just as the dagger was about to pierce Loki's head, the necklace given by his father glowed intensely, and a translucent shield surrounded him.
"A defensive artifact… bad for you I bought this dagger just to counter this." He snorted as the dagger in his hand glowed slightly with blue light.
clang creak creak
"Huff… Huff… calm down." Loki took a deep breath and gazed upwards.
The barrier that was separating him from the assassin had tiny cracks all over it and was in terrible shape.
"Tch... quite tough." The dagger glowed brightly as it nearly pierced through the barrier.
"Oh no... This is bad. The barrier won't last after another attack. What should I do?" Panic surged through Loki, his mind racing for a solution.
clang creak swish
"Gotcha..."
The dagger pierced through the barrier and went straight for Loki's heart.
sigh
"To die on the second day of my reincarnation." Loki helplessly watched as it tore through the air and viciously sped towards him.
Just as it was about to pierce his heart, suddenly his right arm lifted upwards and slapped the assassin's face at lightspeed. The assassin vanished from existence before he could notice anything.
Loki astonishingly gazed straight, not at the previous assassin but at the holographic display before him.
[Ding! Emergency detected]
[Host life in danger...]
[Activating safety protocol...]
[Partially Awakening the Deceitful System...]
[Danger cleared...]
[System Shutdown]
"W-wait, what do you mean, shut down?!" He yelled at the system.
[Ding! Providing Mission...]
[Mission]
[Train your physique to its maximum capacity before your awakening.
Reward: Deceitful System Fully Awakened
Failure: Death]
"W-wha-" A burning sensation passed through my right arm as my vision blurred. I noticed two individuals running towards me as I passed out.
---
Unknown Space
Far away, in a realm unseen by mortal eyes, an ethereal voice murmured, "Hmm?!... Wasn't he dead?!"
A lone figure shrouded in mystery, turned their gaze towards the distant energy signature they had just felt.
"Disappeared?!... Did he pass his inheritance to someone before his death? Interesting." A musing smile could be seen on his face as he vanished from his place.
"DESPICABLE BASTARD, EVEN AFTER DEATH YOU WON'T LEAVE US ALONE!!" A powerful roar emitted from a divine palace as the roar traveled far and wide, informing everyone of its awakening from slumber.
---
"Ughh... Did I die again?" Loki carefully opened my eyes and looked around, noticing he was in his room.
"Who put me here?" He weakly mumbled as he tried moving his little body.
"Huh!... Wait, my arm." he suddenly remembered the pain he had felt before he passed out. He swiftly lifted my right arm and examined it.
"H-How?!... Shouldn't it be looking like roasted meat?"
slam
The door opened as someone swiftly passed through the door and tightly hugged me.
"Son, are you fine? Does it hurt somewhere? Can you move your body?" Loki was bombarded by questions from Amelia as he listened to her sobbing voice.
"I can't move my body, Mom." Loki winced, and Amelia immediately loosened her grip, her face a mix of relief and guilt.
"S-Sorry. I was just worried about you." She sniffled, and my heart ached to see her tear-filled face.
"I'm alright, Mom. But how did my arm heal and how are you here?" He inquired.
"Your arm was healed by me, and we received a signal after the artifact got destroyed, so your father rushed here only to find your unconscious body. *sob* *sob* I despaired watching your body, so I thoroughly examined and healed you." She sniffled with fresh tears falling from her eyes.
"Where is Father?"
"He is searching for evidence to find the group behind the attack." She answered as he suddenly remembered the notification he got before my faint.
"Mom, I'm hungry. Can you bring something?" he pleaded with her, and it worked as she jolted away from my room to bring back some food.
As she left, Loki called out softly, "Status."
"..."
"Hmm... it was mission right," He mumbled as instantly a holographic screen appeared before him.
[Mission]
[Train your physique to its maximum capacity before your awakening.
Reward: Deceitful System Fully Awakened
Failure: Death]
"You want me to train this 10-year-old body of mine. Do you think I'm a masochist?" He exclaimed at the system.
"..."