Aingard City.
Within the Qiwel Clan's compound, the destiny of a small figure began to change.
Profound light poured from the heavens, seeping into a humble domicile, passing through the roof of the building.
Divine and ethereal, the light moved unseen, converging into the motionless body of a young man buried under a pile of mysterious treasures.
Moments later, the young man's eyes opened wide. He immediately shot up from his bed, his head hitting the hanging lantern above.
"Ack!" Luen yelped as he fell back to the bed, rolling to its edge before crashing on the cold wooden floor.
The small incident ruined the glorious moment, and soon, the light retreated back to the sky, as if embarrassed by the sight.
Meanwhile, the youth clutched his forehead in pain, but eventually recovered. His mind cleared, immediately recalling what had transpired.
As the memory of being pursued by immortals resurfaced, Luen's body stiffened slightly.
Then, recalling the treasure book's secrets, his expression loosened, but remained somewhat tense.
As he studied his surroundings, Luen couldn't help but comment.
"The Book of Reverse Heaven… Such a profound effect, truly a heavenly treasure!" He exclaimed with deep emotions.
Luen knew where he was.
This had been his room in his childhood, back in his clan, before he was banished and hunted by those he once called family.
Thinking of that distant past, Luen's expression grew ugly.
Then, recalling that this was, in fact, his new reality, his expression became even more unreadable.
But soon, all the negativity vanished, replaced by a bright smile.
Luen grabbed his pants, checking its contents.
Upon finding his long-lost junior back to its rightful place, Luen grew emotional.
A profound sense of relief washed over him.
"We are one!" Luen shouted foolishly.
They were finally reunited!
The thought made him extremely excited.
The latter seemed excited, too.
At that moment, the door of his room suddenly slammed open, revealing the hurried figure beyond, attracted by the strange commotion.
Luen glanced at the new arrival, his eyes flashing in recognition.
It was a familiar face.
"Ah, sister! Look! I have a—"
"An erection, you crazy bastard! Don't show it to me!" His sister shouted, flustered by his eldritch revelation.
Seeing her worries were needless, she immediately shut the door, leaving as quickly as she came, both rattled and confused.
Her visit was fleeting.
With a wry smile, Luen pulled up his pants, understanding that his conduct had not been ideal.
He had many things in mind, but for now, Luen decided to first adjust to his new environment and learn how to act normal.
***
The next morning.
Luen sat on a wooden chair, surrounded by fake incense, inhaling wisps of stinking smoke.
"Is this really necessary?" Luen voiced in exasperation.
With a dark look, Lana, his sister, opened her mouth to say something. But the old shaman spoke faster, his nonsense filling the room.
"Silence, foul spirit!" The shaman yelled.
Luen looked at the old man with narrowed eyes, his annoyance and nascent resentment quickly transforming into a bloodthirsty glare.
The self-proclaimed spirit doctor reeled back in fright, stuttering as he tried to utter something in indignation. Eventually, the old man gave up, unable to recover from the chill that grasped his heart.
'This…' The old shaman thought nervously, his heart beating wildly. 'There might actually be something wrong with this young man!'
That would be troublesome.
He was only here for easy money.
He never intended to solve anything!
Not that he could.
Alas, he couldn't turn back now…
So, the shaman simply continued chanting gibberish while swinging a stalk of burning incense.
'That should be Wild Delusion Grass.' Luen thought with a sneer. 'What a cheap trick.'
Soon, the ritual ended.
The shaman glanced at Luen, and although nervous, his gaze remained intense with scrutiny. Afterwards, the old man made some weird hand gestures, shook his head, and spoke gravely.
"It is unfortunate, but your brother has truly been possessed by an evil spirit!" The old shaman declared solemnly.
"But there is no need to worry! It may be expensive, but with my methods—"
'Want more money?' Luen's eyes gleamed.
He did not hesitate, immediately planting his fist on the scammer's face.
"If I'm possessed by the devil, then you're possessed by a black eye. Now fuck off, you fraud, before I change my mind!" Luen roared, looking down at the collapsed shaman with contempt.
The old man tried to stand, but Luen immediately kicked him towards the door. When the shaman made another attempt to stand up, he kicked him again.
"Luen! What are you doing!" Lana screamed in dismay.
"I'm doing nothing, can't you see?" Luen said, his tone even.
"You punched the shaman!" Lana yelled, then added: "And now you're kicking him!"
Luen smiled pleasantly, trying to defuse the tension.
"If you knew, why ask?" He said right after.
Lana finally exploded, but Luen did not relent.
Why would he?
Amidst the tensions, the shaman was caught in the crossfire. The old man did not dare to act rashly, yet even his most subtle attempts to stand were caught, met by Luen's merciless foot.
But eventually, the old shaman was enlightened by the relentless kicking. Realizing the trend, he no longer tried to stand and simply crawled his way out of the devil's den.
This time, Luen did not stop him.
Upon exiting the house, the shaman immediately checked his pocket. Finding the sack of coins present, he sighed in relief.
It was fortunate that he had asked for payment in advance. Otherwise, he would've left without gaining anything.
That would be horrible!
The old man shivered and chose not to linger, immediately crawling through the streets.
The eyes of the passersby widened at the peculiar display, wondering if the old man had been possessed by an evil spirit.
Even with the shaman's departure, the argument raging inside the house did not cease as quickly as their neighbors would've liked.
"How could you treat a senior like that?!" Lana spoke loudly, pointing at Luen aggressively.
'Technically, I'm older.' Luen thought, but did not comment.
It was a sensitive topic.
"It's possible with enough practice." Luen answered, not understanding the problem.
Lana was dumbfounded.
'...With practice?'
What is that even supposed to mean!
Finally, she sighed.
"Just… What is wrong with you? You've been acting strangely since yesterday!" Lana voiced in frustration.
"Really?" Luen asked, feeling a bit lost.
He thought he was acting very normal already.
"Yes!" Lana shouted in response, her tone without a hint of doubt. "I thought calling a shaman might fix you." She added, facepalming.
Suddenly, Luen felt the urge to facepalm, too.