Chapter 53: I Choose All (2)

Chapter 53

ALL TEN SKILLS HAVE BEEN GRANTED.

Remnant Soul Energy Bar unlocked.

The change hit immediately.

Rayden felt an eerie presence coil around his body. But that was not all. The new bar on his interface caught his attention.

Before he could even focus on it, something vast happened.

An unbearable weight crashed into his already compressed soul.

His baby body could not handle it.

Rayden blacked out almost instantly, his small form going limp.

Selene and Callack, who had been close by, noticed at once. They rushed forward, catching him before his head could slam into the ground.

The last thing Rayden heard was his mother’s terrified scream.

The last thing he saw was the worried look on his human father’s face.

So… the system might have been right after all.

I might actually die from this.

His eyes closed.

Several minutes passed.

Or maybe hours.

Rayden could not tell.

Time felt broken where he was. But one thing was certain. Something had passed. And slowly, painfully, awareness began to crawl back into him.

By the time he finally managed to open his eyes, he instantly regretted it.

Light flooded in.

Blinding. White. Endless.

Pain stabbed straight through his skull and he snapped his eyes shut again, a sharp throb pounding behind them.

“He’s awake.”

The voice was excited. Relieved. Almost trembling.

Rayden sensed two figures rushing toward him.

Then warmth.

His small body was wrapped tight, pulled into a trembling embrace. He did not need to see to know who it was.

His mother.

He must have scared her badly.

Rayden opened his eyes again, this time forcing himself to endure the brightness. Slowly, painfully, his vision adjusted.

Just as he expected.

Selene and Callack stood there, looking down at him. Genuine smiles on their faces. Relief written all over them.

For some reason, that sight stirred something strange inside Vastro’s chest.

Calm.

Satisfaction.

It was unfamiliar. Unwanted. Yet he had grown used to it without realizing.

He had relied on these two humans for a while now.

It could not be helped.

His first set of parents had been nothing but monsters. The fact that his real father hunted him for thousands of years made the concept of love feel foreign. Abstract.

But these two were different.

Vastro swallowed hard, suppressing a small hitch that rose from his chest.

Annoying.

He was touched.

But emotions could wait.

He needed answers.

How had he survived?

He checked the system.

The moment his interface appeared, the reason became clear.

At the end of the ten skills list was Soul Conduit.

Greyed out.

Thirty times usage.

That was all it took.

His mind connected the dots instantly.

Soul Conduit had activated the moment the weight of the skills crushed down on his soul. The burden needed fuel. Something had to give.

So he gave it Soul Remnant Energy.

He forced Soul Conduit into overdrive, burning through his remaining reserves to stabilize his soul.

Not just saving him.

Tempering him.

Strengthening his soul under pressure.

Rayden smiled faintly.

It had been a gamble.

He did not fully understand Soul Conduit when he chose it. But he had bet on one thing.

That hell would not give him a skill that killed him outright.

And the bet paid off.

Now that he understood how he survived, his focus shifted.

At the far end of his system tab, a dull black counter caught his attention.

Soul Remnant Energy.

50,000.

Rayden’s eyes narrowed.

He was certain he had seen at least five million before the collapse.

So Soul Conduit had burned through that much just to keep him alive.

Costly.

But that was the price of hell-granted power.

Without the Soul Remnant Energy bar and Soul Conduit, he would be dead already.

And that would have been far too early.

He had only just arrived in this world. Not even a year had passed.

Rayden exhaled slowly.

For now, that could wait.

He needed to ease their fear.

At least that much, he owed them.

Rayden smiled.

An adorable, harmless smile. Just enough to convince them their child was fine.

They had been worried sick when he fainted weeks ago and did not wake up. Days turned into weeks. Fear had sunk its claws deep. But now he was awake.

That was all that mattered.

The family spent time together. Quiet moments. Soft voices. The tension slowly melted away until the incident faded into the background, almost like it had never happened.

Almost.

At this point, both Selene and Callack had started to suspect something was strange about their adorable little Rayden. But neither of them said it out loud.

After all, what could a months old baby possibly do?

The answer was simple.

Quite a lot.

Several days later, Selene woke up and instantly felt it.

Something was wrong.

Rayden was not in their chambers.

Callack was already awake. They searched the small cave they were currently residing in, every corner, every shadow.

Nothing.

No Rayden.

“Where is he? Is he in danger?”

Selene’s voice trembled. Panic bled through every word.

Callack placed a hand on her shoulder, wearing a confident, reassuring grin.

“Don’t worry too much. I’ll find him. Rayden is smart. He wouldn’t drag himself into unnecessary danger.”

He was wrong.

Several meters away from the cave, maybe tens of meters, baby Rayden sat calmly on top of a small cliff.

Blood streaked his skin in thin lines. Nothing deep. Nothing fatal.

His injuries were not what held his attention.

His gaze was locked downward.

Below him, several mid sized snakes struggled violently. Not powerful beasts. Not weak either.

They were completely trapped.

Intricate vines twisted and weaved together in a brutal lattice, wrapped tightly around their bodies. Every movement only made it worse. The vines constricted like living chains.

The snakes thrashed.

They did not escape.

Not even a little.

They had been marked.

Rayden grinned.

He stared down at the tangled mass of coils and vines, eyes cold and focused.

This would be fun.

He closed his eyes.

When he opened them again, they were no longer normal. A hellish glow burned within them, sharp and merciless.

His lips parted.

One word slipped out.

“Burn.”

To be continued.

Author’s Note:

Alright, warriors, this is where you come in.

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If you want faster updates, more brutality, more tension, and more unfiltered madness, this is your moment. Vote. Review. Collect. Comment.

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