32 Reminiscing About The Past

Rays of the sun shone through the colorful clouds, reflecting the light contained within by spreading it in all directions and giving energy to the life in the Lifeless Valley. On the roof of the mansion lay two tiny figures, almost invisible if looked at from above. They were Asura Ryuu and Asura Tenka.

There were many trees surrounding the area around the mansion and the lake because the mansion was situated in the middle of the forest, on the highest peak of the surroundings. Strangely enough, there was only one case when wild beasts came to this place, even though it was the peak. As everyone knows, the beasts love to explore the area they consider being 'their own' so naturally there should've been some curious beasts like that gray wolf from the previous time, but aside from it no other beast dared step here.

The wind was mild and cool, but even then one leaf from the tree separated from its branch and flew freely across the sky, carried by the wind. As it drifted through the air, unfettered and unrestrained, it magically landed on the girl's face that shielded the young boy under it from the morning sunshine.

His almost invisible angled eyebrows and long eyelashes fluttered faintly by the wind. The pair of eyelids hiding a deep abyss behind them slightly opened, releasing its restrained aura to the world. As if being blessed by the divine being's will, the life aura in their surroundings slightly increased, making the air fresh and cool despite the many suns in the sky. The occurrence was magical, as if this world wasn't naturally created but made by higher beings. It didn't operate according to the logic of Asura Ryuu's old world at all.

A pair of black eyes with deep red luster of the stars contained within greeted the world, madly absorbing the reflected light as if wanting to know everything, to absorb even more knowledge and uncover new, unfamiliar things.

Asura Ryuu stared at the sky, penetrated by various colors and with still visible stars that reflected the shapes of the galaxies they belonged to and marveled at the power of nature.

"I wonder how this world works...", he thought to himself while pondering about the event that was scheduled for today.

Today was a very important day because they would go to the main academy, coming in contact with the 'real' part of this world, its society and people. Even with all those lives behind him, Asura Ryuu was still nervous about how everything will go later. From many novels he'd read in his old world, he had a stereotype that there will be lots of young masters and mistresses with backing who would cry at the first curse he threw at them. If it really was like they described it in the novels, then the life he'd lead would be a very boring one.

After all, not knowing who had a powerful father or whose great ancestor could suddenly revive and rise from the grave to avenge their grand-grandchild despite being one eternity old and already dead was not something he wanted. He could only hope that people in this world actually had a brain to think and were not a slightly advanced race of monkeys who learned to cultivate.

At a certain moment, a small and gentle hand appeared over his left cheek, blocking out his field of view. He turned to his right side, where Asura Tenka slept, thinking she woke up but was greeted by a cute, angel-like sleeping face with a hint of devilish charm behind it. Her closed eyes adorned by a pair of long and beautiful eyelashes reflected the sunlight. The little girl turned in her sleep and her hand ended up on his cheek either by pure chance or by her subconscious will. But who knew what was really the cause? And who cared before everything else? It was enough that she was here.

He scanned her beautiful face with attention and noticed her eyebrows slightly furrowing as she curled up and her face twisted slightly. It looked like she was in pain. Asura Ryuu's heart felt baseless anger when he saw those beautiful contours twist in what appeared to him as agony. She seemed restless, as if in a nightmare. As if the past loneliness never got truly removed from the depths of her soul.

Suppressing the pain in his heart by force, Asura Ryuu swore to himself: "One day, I'll make all of those fuckers pay for this! I will let them experience the same they did to her, using them as fuel for the realm they pretended to care for."

Even while directing his anger to the heavens, Asura Ryuu still raised his left hand and turned around, hugging Asura Tenka and pulling her closer to himself. He wanted to let her know that she was not alone, that she had someone she could consider her own family in this world. Because he knew how it felt to be all alone despite being surrounded by so many people. In many of his previous lives he either didn't have parents or even if he had them they were 'invisible' until the moment they needed something from him.

He hated the fact that almost all people in his previous lives were selfish and did things because they were afraid of being shunned by society. He hated those who shunned others as well. Because of their own insecurities and because they were afraid to think for themselves, they accused and shamed those who did. What did humanity achieve that way? Inter-racial hatred and global depression. Majority of them had suicidal thoughts at one point in life, whether they want to admit it or not. It wasn't until modern generations took over that the world started rapidly changing. He still remembers that transition that happened in his last life. It took a short span of one decade to completely restructure the entire society from the core and its broken system.

The generation born on the edge of the old world and stepping into the new world as they grew up was responsible for all that. They were cursed at and considered worthless because they found peace on the place called 'internet'. Everyone could be what they wanted without a care in the world. Many of the elder generations hated that, because they themselves didn't have the chance to experience the same. They didn't know what 'understanding' meant, let alone 'respect', even though it was exactly them who told their kids to be understanding and respect others. To be 'good' kids - after all, only 'good' kids were not judged by others from their generation.

The very thing they were teaching was what they didn't understand and didn't want to, yet they called everyone else ignorant.

Asura Ryuu reminisced about many things from his last life. There were some wonderful memories from the lives before that, but nothing could beat the last life he led as a scientist. As someone of the younger generation who partook in changing the world, it was the greatest honor to live during that age. His happiest memories and greatest joy in life were also from that time. After technology took over and those who grew up with it became grown-up people capable of altering the fate of their own world, many things changed for the better. There were some people of the elder generations who were actually understanding and didn't judge others, but there were far too little of those in the age during which the world-changing youths grew up.

Many of those who changed the world weren't even aware they were the ones who will be responsible for it until the moment came. But it wasn't their fault. They were taught not to think and that a single person can't change everything - but wasn't it a single person who started the change back then?

The warm feeling between his brows suddenly interrupted his thoughts. The warmth came from the end of the outstretched finger that belonged to Asura Tenka. She woke up at a certain point while he was absorbed in his thoughts and did that because of his serious face. She didn't like that face because it meant he was angry. She didn't want him to be angry, so she poked his forehead.

The two looked at each other and smiled, exchanging their greetings and intentions in a single look. Nothing else needed to be said. That look was enough.