Chapter 2 - The Unfamiliar Familiar

"Huh?" I murmured, my voice tinged with confusion. Abruptly, the sensation of being dragged through an endless void of darkness was replaced by a voice — familiar, yet one I hadn't heard in ages. My eyes struggled to open, squinting against the light that now slowly flooded the room.

"Young Master Kaien, wake up! It's morning," the voice called again, its insistence wrapped in a tone of gentle care. It sounded like the maiden who had looked after me since my youth.

Suddenly, a burst of sunlight filled the room as she drew back the blinds, banishing the shadows.

As my vision cleared, I realized I was still in the bleak, solitary room that had been my prison. However, something felt different about it. Instead, I found myself in a space radiating warmth and light. The surroundings felt different, oddly comforting at that. My heart pounded with uncertainty.

I initially thought they had somehow revived me, perhaps using a health potion just as my health points dwindled to nothing. But something wasn't right. The room was cleaner and more organized than I remembered. There were no empty health bottles scattered on the floor, no neglected cloths from maids who had left me unatended. Instead, the room was fragrant with lavender, a stark contrast to the constant scent of charred skin that used to cling to it.

'I-It... doesn't hurt?!'

Sitting up, I felt an energy and vitality I hadn't experienced in years. The pain, the scars, the debilitating weakness that had been my constant companions — all had vanished overnight. I looked around, half-expecting everything to revert to the dismal chamber that had encapsulated my suffering.

'Ha, this must be some kind of dream. This can't be real. Is this some final kindness from God before passing to the other side?'

I was still grappling with this surreal shift in reality when the woman's voice reached me again.

"Young Master Kaien, how many times must I call you? Today is the first day of your training. You asked me to wake you early to prepare, and here you are, still lounging in bed."

As I stared at the woman standing before me, disbelief washed over me.

"E-Elora?"

She was the maid, a lady in her 40s, who had been a constant presence throughout my childhood, assisting my mother in caring for me. Time seemed to have left her untouched; she stood there as if the years had not worn her down at all. It was as if she had always been by my side, never having left.

But I knew all too well that this couldn't be. She had retired from her position as a maid long ago. How could she be here, looking just as she did in those days? Her familiar, caring gaze and the gentle smile that had always brought me comfort were exactly as I remembered. It was almost as if time had rewound, bringing me back to an era that I thought had long passed.

Still in disbelief, I managed a weak smile. "You... you look just the same, still so kind." I said, with a mix of wonder and confusion.

She chuckled softly, a sound that brought back a flood of memories. "Oh, Young Master, you always had a way with words. But let's not dally any longer. You have a busy day ahead. I'll get your clothes ready, so go and wash up."

Watching her tidy up the room so easily, I tried to make sense of what was happening. Her being there was comforting, but I was also really confused.

I swung my legs off the bed and my feet hit the cool floor. This feeling surprised me – I hadn't felt anything like this in a long time. My damaged veins had taken away my sense of touch, leaving me with only pain. But now, I felt no pain, just the cool floor under my feet. It all felt so real. Could this really be just a dream?

I made my way to the washroom, still trying to grasp the surreal nature of my situation. The washroom was polished with stone tiles lining the floor, and the walls were adorned with intricate mosaics designs. Casting a warm glow across the room from the oil lamps.

I approached the basin, a beautifully crafted piece of porcelain, and turned the brass tap. Cool water flowed over my hands. It was then that I caught my reflection in the polished bronze mirror hanging above the basin.

"T-This..."

The shock of what I saw rendered me speechless. Staring back at me was not the broken, scarred figure I had become accustomed to, but a much younger version of myself. My skin was smooth, free of the wounds that had marked my body, and my eyes held a vibrancy that had long been extinguished. I looked to be about 14 years old, the age when I was at the peak of my potential, before everything went awry.

"H-How? T-This has to be a dream..."

A whirlwind of emotions swept through me. If this was a dream, it had taken me back to the best moment of my life, a time of promise and hope before my downfall. But another thought slowly crept into my mind – what if this wasn't a dream? What if, somehow, I had been regressed back in time?

I touched my face, half-expecting my hand to pass through a mirage, but the reflection remained solid and real. My heart pounded with a mixture of excitement and apprehension. This was either an incredibly vivid dream or a miraculous second chance – a chance to change my destiny and avoid the pitfalls that had led to my ruin.

I splashed water on my face, each drop feeling like a touch of reality, anchoring me in this bewildering situation. But there was one definitive way to test the authenticity of this experience, something that could confirm whether I was truly back in time or caught in a dream. Taking a deep breath, I focused and uttered the words that had become second nature to me, "System Window... Open."

I waited, my heart pounding in anticipation. If this was indeed the past, the System Window, a hallmark of my previous life's, would appear with different information, confirming the impossible. If not, its absence of change would signify that I was merely lost in a vivid dream, a fantasy conjured by a longing mind.

The familiar translucent screen materialized. There it was, the System Window, just as I remembered it – a floating display showing my stats, skills, and inventory, all the intricate details of my prowess or what it could be.

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Name: Kaien Arashi

Lv:01

Sub-Class: N/A

Health: 100/100

Mana: 100/100

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Attribute:

Str: 05

Vit: 05

Int: 05

Dex: 05

Points: 0

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Equipment

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Skills

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Locked

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I stared at the System Window, a mix of disbelief and realization washing over me. This wasn't a dream. Against all logic and reason, I had been granted the unimaginable – a chance to relive my life, to turn back the clock to a moment when my potential was still raw and my fate not yet sealed.

The key to this realization lay in the numbers displayed on the screen. My attributes had reset to the levels they were before my training and, crucially, before the coming-of-age ceremony where I received that cursed skill. My stats were those of a younger, untrained version of myself – a clear sign that I was indeed back in time.

"Ha...HaHa..HAHAHAHAHAHA!" My laughter echoed off the washroom walls, a sound tinged with disbelief and a laugh that shattered the chains of a doomed fate.

As I stood there, the weight of the revelation still settling in, a thrilling sense of liberation surged through me. I was no longer a prisoner of my past mistakes. With the knowledge of what had transpired in my previous life, I now had the power to steer my destiny in a new direction.

The errors that had led to my ruin could be rectified, and the tragedies that befell my mother and me could be averted.

As I turned off the tap, the last droplets of water felt like the closing of an old chapter and the beginning of a new one.

As I walked away from the washroom, the memories of my deathbed contemplations flooded back. During those final, agonizing moments, I had endlessly pondered the countless ways I could have averted my fate. Now, granted a second chance, I was determined to put those reflections into action. I knew exactly what needed to be done to not just survive, but to thrive.

Yet, I also understood the consequences of deviating from the set path. The Arashi family, bound by tradition and a rigid sense of honor, would undoubtedly ostracize me for choosing a different route. But the thought didn't faze me. I had already experienced their 'love' – a superficial affection that crumbled when I was most in need. Why should I concern myself with their opinions now?

Their love had been a façade, one that vanished at my most vulnerable hour. So, who was I to care about their judgment or approval? If defying the family's traditions meant preserving my life and avoiding the horrors of my past, then so be it.

I would happily challenge the conventions of the Arashi family. The thought of their disapproval, which once might have terrified me, now seemed insignificant compared to the chance to rewrite my story. I was no longer the obedient son, bound by the expectations of lineage. I was a survivor, armed with the knowledge of a painful future and the will to change it.

"This time..., I will not walk the same treacherous path."