Chapter 5
"Damn that god!" Grey groaned, his head heavy as his senses struggled to return.
First came his sense of smell—the faint scent of fresh shampoo tickled his nose. Then, he felt something soft beneath him, warm and comforting. His hearing followed next, a soft, angelic voice breaking through the fog in his mind.
"Grey! You're awake?!" the voice cried.
His vision sharpened, and he saw a beautiful woman leaning over him. Her eyes were red and puffy as if she had been crying for hours.
"Mom?" Grey whispered.
"Oh, Grey, my darling son!" Clara sobbed, wrapping her arms around him in a tight embrace. Her body trembled as tears streamed down her face.
Grey hugged her back, guilt weighing on his chest. He had almost made his mother mourn a second time in a single day.
"I'm fine, Mom," he reassured her, his voice laced with regret.
After a few minutes, Clara finally pulled away, wiping her tears with the back of her hand. She sniffled, trying to regain her composure.
"Why did you go into the forest? Were you trying to get yourself killed?" she demanded.
"That was the plan," Grey muttered under his breath.
"I'm sorry, Mom. I was in shock... I didn't even know where I was going. It felt like my body was on autopilot."
Clara's eyes glistened with fresh tears, but she quickly blinked them away. "I'm sorry you had to go through such a terrible experience."
Grey sat up, glancing around in confusion. "Wait... I'm back home? How?"
Clara sighed, recalling the events. "After you ran off, I searched everywhere but couldn't find you. I begged the neighbors for help, and a search party was formed. We looked all over town until we ventured into the forest. That's where we found you—lying unconscious next to a dead beast. No matter what we did, you wouldn't wake up."
She clenched her fists, her voice quivering. "For a moment, I thought I'd lost you. But then someone checked and said they could hear a heartbeat. We carried you back home, and the neighbors left. Hours passed, but you wouldn't wake up... I was terrified."
Grey's heart clenched at the thought of what he had put her through. Tears welled up in his eyes as he suddenly pulled her into another hug.
"I'm so sorry for making you go through all that. You're the best mom ever, and I promise I'll take care of you from now on. I'll never leave you again."
Clara hugged him back tightly, her silent sobs soaking into his shoulder. "And you're the best son I could ever ask for. I love you, Grey."
"I love you too, Mom."
As they pulled away, a loud rumbling sound filled the room. Clara chuckled. "You're hungry, aren't you? Wait here. I'll get you something to eat."
As she walked toward the kitchen, Grey clenched his fists. I promise to rid this world of beasts so no one else has to suffer like I did. And I'll destroy the system that discriminates against the weak. That's my vow.
Moments later, Clara returned with a plate of food. Grey didn't waste a second before devouring it like a starved beast. When he finished, he thanked his mother and went to wash the dishes.
Back in his room, his eyes landed on the knife—the one he had intended to use to end his life. Without hesitation, he picked it up and tossed it out the window.
"That mage didn't even tell me what my affinities are," Grey muttered. "How am I supposed to start training? Damn that mage!"
He paced back and forth, deep in thought, until an idea struck him. "I should start with mana cultivation. I remember reading that mages must form a mana core before they can use spells."
Sitting cross-legged in the center of his room, Grey pressed his palms together and closed his eyes.
Good thing I have a strong memory. I remember this technique... I even tried it once, but I wasn't able to succeed.
He took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly, repeating the process as he moved his hands back and forth, as if drawing something from the air into himself.
Minutes passed. Then thirty. A strange sensation stirred within him, though he couldn't quite place it.
Unbeknownst to him, mana from the air had begun gathering around him, drawn into his body through his nostrils. A subtle energy coursed through him, and deep inside his chest, something started to take shape.
Is this it? Am I forming a mana core? Excitement surged through Grey as he pulled in more mana, eager to complete the process.
The energy flowed into him rapidly, filling him with an intoxicating rush of power. But then—
The bliss turned into agony.
His chest tightened, his breath grew ragged, and sweat poured from his body as a searing pain exploded in his heart.
"What the f*ck is happening?!" he gasped, clutching his chest as he collapsed to the floor, writhing in pain.
The mana inside him spiraled out of control, twisting around his heart like a vice. His vision blurred, his consciousness slipping. A final, terrifying thought crossed his mind before darkness claimed him.
Am I going to die from this?