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A female cry echoed through the hallway as the sun began to set, the last dim rays of sunlight streaming in through the windows.
"Will I ever be able to forgive myself?" Angel muttered, her voice trembling. "That freak has fainted more times than I can count."
He kept cursing at her, claiming she was only supplying mana to her clone. The clone had no heart; it was created solely for battle. And so, it continued to ruthlessly beat him, showing no mercy.
"If his mother finds out, I'm dead—no, not just me, my entire family!" Angel's thoughts spiraled. The worst part was that he tricked her into signing a mana contract, one that forbade her from disclosing anything to his family.
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I kept fighting, and the pummeling continued. My heart had already grown cold, and now I felt numb to the endless kicks from the clone. I'd lost about ten teeth by the fifth day.
I had to tell Angel to keep convincing my family that I was meditating in preparation for the Awakening Ceremony. I just told her to give them any reason she could think of.
Thankfully, they didn't suspect a thing. After all, it was normal for kids to be nervous before the awakening.
I kept enduring, pushing myself beyond my limits—until I couldn't anymore. It was a punch to the neck that finally knocked me out.
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After that, I didn't know what happened—whether time had passed or stopped, I couldn't tell. Everything blurred into a haze of exhaustion and numbness. My body felt distant, like it wasn't even mine anymore, just a vessel that had been pushed far beyond its limits. But it didn't matter. None of it mattered. Not the pain, not the passing of time, not even the creeping darkness that threatened to swallow me whole.
All I could think about was Arizona. That damn lunatic—if his theory was wrong, if this suffering was for nothing, I swear I'll find a way to reincarnate just to kill him. And if I can't reincarnate, I'll drag myself into the depths of hell and keep killing him over and over again. I didn't care if he was a ghost or a demon or something even more twisted, I'd find him, and I'd make him pay. Could he still have the same power he had when he was alive? No, he couldn't. But even if he did, it wouldn't matter. I'd figure something out. After all, how much worse could it get?
As these thoughts consumed me, time lost all meaning. I was drifting in an abyss, the darkness pressing in on all sides. My mind started to wander, and with it came the fear that Arizona's theory might be nothing more than the ramblings of a madman. But I pushed those doubts aside. I couldn't afford to believe that this was all for nothing. If I did, I might as well have given up already.
But then, just as the numbness started to feel permanent, something changed. The darkness, which had been so overwhelming, suddenly receded. In its place was pain—real, searing pain that ripped through me like I'd been set on fire from the inside out. It started deep in my core, a burning sensation that spread outwards, filling every inch of my body. My internal organs felt like they were being shredded, my bones like they were being ground to dust, and my muscles... my muscles felt like they were tearing themselves apart.
I let out a roar, a primal scream of agony that echoed in the abyss. The sound of it surprised me—I hadn't realized I still had a voice, hadn't realized I still had the strength to scream. But the pain was overwhelming, consuming everything else. It felt like millions of red-hot iron needles were piercing me from every direction, like my very being was being torn apart and put back together again, over and over.
I wanted it to stop. I wanted it to end. But at the same time, something deep inside me knew that this was what I'd been waiting for. This was the moment Arizona had talked about, the moment of breaking free from the shackles that bound me. I had to endure this. I had to survive it. Because if I did, I would be reborn—stronger, better, free.
The pain continued, each wave worse than the last, until I wasn't sure how much more I could take. My mind was slipping, the darkness threatening to close in again. But I held on, gripping the thought that this was all part of the process, that this was the path to something greater.
In the midst of the agony, I felt something shift. It was subtle at first, a slight loosening of the pressure around me. But then it became more pronounced. The pain started to change—not lessen, exactly, but become more focused, more intense in specific areas. My muscles, which had been on fire, now felt like they were being reforged, strengthened by the very flames that had threatened to destroy them. My bones, which had been on the verge of crumbling, now felt like they were being reinforced, made stronger than before. And my internal organs... it was like they were being purified, the searing pain burning away any impurities, leaving behind something more powerful.
I realized then that I was going through a transformation, just like Arizona had said. This was the shattering of the first shackle, the breaking of the chains that had bound me for so long. The pain was the price I had to pay, but the reward would be worth it. I could feel it now, the power that was slowly building within me, the potential that was being unlocked. It was like a dam had burst, and now the energy that had been trapped inside me was free to flow.
But it wasn't over yet. The pain continued, relentless and unforgiving, but now there was a purpose to it. I wasn't just enduring—I was fighting, pushing myself further, forcing my body to adapt, to evolve. I was in control, even as the agony tried to break me.
I didn't know how long it lasted—minutes, hours, days? It didn't matter. All that mattered was that I survived it. And finally, after what felt like an eternity, the pain began to subside. It didn't disappear entirely, but it became more manageable, more distant, like the echo of a nightmare that was slowly fading away.
I took a deep breath, my first real breath in what felt like forever. My body felt different—stronger, more resilient. I could feel the power coursing through my veins, the energy that I'd unlocked. I had done it. I had shattered the first shackle.
I had been reborn.
As I lay there, exhausted but triumphant, I couldn't help but think of Arizona again. Maybe the old maniac had been right after all. But if he was wrong about what came next... well, I'd still find a way to make him pay.
But that was a concern for another time. Right now, all I wanted to do was rest. I had earned it. The real fight would come later.