Light. Soft, diffused, gentle — not like the blinding blade of lightning striking a battlefield, but like the quiet whisper of dawn. He felt it even through his eyelids, as if someone had gently touched his face with a warm palm. Somewhere far away, just at the edge of hearing, words were spoken — foreign, yet strangely familiar.
— …Demian… live your life for yourself, not for others. Be happy…
A woman's voice. Quiet, soothing. Not an echo of memory — something else. As if the universe itself tried to whisper something important.
Demian opened his eyes.
First — spots, glares. Then the ceiling. Worn, wooden, with a cobweb in the corner and moldy boards. The smell — old dust, dampness, and something subtly familiar.
He slowly propped himself up on his elbows. The walls — rough, lined with wood. The floor — creaky, stained with ink and wax. Near the window — a crooked table, with a broken quill and crumbs of stale bread.
A back room. His old room.
How?..
The thought hadn't even formed when a thud rang out. The door shook, then burst open with a crash. In the doorway stood a scrawny blond boy, about fifteen, with a cocky grin and clothes too expensive for this dump.
— Awake, scum? — the voice was cocky, forceful. — What are you doing here, bastard?
Demian said nothing. He looked at the boy, but something inside wouldn't let him react immediately.
Who is that… Liam?..
The thought didn't finish. A crack — then sharp pain in his shoulder. The floor vanished beneath him. He fell, hitting the wall with his side. A cabinet wobbled, books scattered with a creak, a candle rolled under the bed.
He wheezed — from surprise, from pain… and from shock.
I didn't even… feel him swing…
He jerked his head up. His heart pounded wildly, hands trembled. His body — thin, unusually light. Lacking the mass forged through battle. No strength, no mana. Emptiness.
He got to his knees and looked into a cracked old mirror.
A boy. Black hair, wrinkle-free skin, a confused gaze. Fourteen years old. A weak frame, a bruise on the cheek…
— …I'm back… — he breathed. — Fifty years… ago.
Worn floorboards, footsteps. Liam stepped closer. In his hand — a stick Demian hadn't noticed before. Hidden behind his back, of course.
— Don't pretend. Thought no one would notice you stealing bread scraps from the kitchen? — he sneered. — Shame your mother was a commoner. Everything about you is just… filthy.
A swing. With a whistle. Fast. Too fast — for a regular teenager.
Mana-enhanced… bastard. That strike wasn't just to hurt… it would've cracked my skull if it landed.
Zing!
The world trembled. Light flashed in the air.
Before his eyes appeared a window, as if cut from another reality:
[SYSTEM WINDOW]
Welcome, user.
Attention: new quest received!
Defeat your brother Liam. The harder you beat him — the greater the reward.
A system window?.. A quest? A reward… for beating Liam?
He chuckled.
— Heh… sounds almost like a reincarnation gift. And I did want to explain something to him.
Demian lunged to the side — awkward, clumsy, but just in time. The stick slashed through the air where his head had been a second ago.
— What…?! — Liam didn't understand how he dodged. — You…
Demian grabbed the first book he could — a battered volume with a bookmark — and raised it against the next strike. A dull thud. The blow sent him stumbling, bones aching dully, but he held on.
— Against a strong enemy, — he said, — trickery always works.
At that moment, he slammed the book into Liam's eye. Clean. With a crack.
— Aagh! — Liam recoiled, clutching his face. — You…!
He dropped the stick. A mistake.
Demian didn't hesitate — he grabbed it and swung straight into Liam's groin. A dull thump, a squeal, like air forced out of a pig.
Liam fell to his knees, breath escaping with spit.
— M-Mom… — he wheezed.
Tears streamed down his cheeks. He clutched his crotch, gasping. His eyes, reddened, shook.
Demian stood over him. Still scrawny, but with a straight back.
— Come now, brother, — he said with a slight smile. — Your training has only just begun.
Liam raised his head, trying to say something, but only a strangled groan came out. One thought echoed in his mind:
Why… why did I mess with this demon…?!