Gemstone Ruby

Lyounus left the two of them with the gem inside his pocket. Though the forest was dense and full of danger for a young boy his age, he entered it with not a glimpse of fear in sight.

The blood of the boar smeared his clothes and the stench of it was quite unbearing for regular animals but for apex predators, it was an invite to fine dining, because of that, he entered the place by following the river downstream. After walking at a calm pace, he soaked all of his body inside the calm current along with his clothes, sitting down as if he was in a hot spring.

The water was crystal clear and fishes at the average size of an arm or less could be seen from above. The wind gently bruised star-shaped leaves on the nearby tree before they danced in the air and fell down, following the stream to either a lake or sea.

"Lyounus Laventain... damn old man, giving me the revelation after I..."

He didn't finish his words and took a deep breath. He remembered that what the old man did was to strengthen his soul for the preparation of the activation of the Reverse Scale Scroll.

"The pain was beyond your explanation old man, I was wishing to die then."

Lyounus furrowed his eyebrows as he contemplated, "I see, I think my soul is injured? Is that why I'm having hazy memories about certain parts?"

A sudden growl was brought to his attention. He rubbed his navel in the realization that the body demanded the supply given to it.

"I guess a fish would do," said Lyounus before he pulled out his old rustic sword with a reverse grip and thrust it downward without wasting a second.

Lyounus looked at the wiggling fish under the water before lifting it up and threw it to the banks. All of this was done without him getting up from his position.

He looked at his arm which was holding the rustic sword before shaking his head, "My body is currently too weak, just from those actions alone I feel the strains in my muscle. Now that I think about it, how old am I? Hmm...Maybe between twelve to fifteen."

Another growl was heard before he smiled wryly. He got up from the water and looked at the surrounding for dry wood. The dense forest was quite bountiful with the stuff he needed for a fire.

The crackling sound of the fireplace he made from simple resources was calming his mood. The fish was roasting above the flame as he slowly watched the water dropped down and vaporized. His face was sweating from the sun and the fire that he made.

Though his eyes appeared to be watching the fish, his mind had already wandered off. The more time he blinked the more an image replaced the one on his current gaze.

"Is that the fire you make? Hahaha, let me show you how to do it right!"

A tomboyish voice, though it was quite distant it was also very familiar. He couldn't see her face but the fraction of her laugh and her smile made him grin. The woman crouched down

He held his own shoulder as another image emerged.

"A son—"

He was snapped into reality before he felt a strain on his forehead. The crackling sound soon occupied his ears and the burnt smell of the fish woke him up to the situation. Seeing the food he had obtained wasted, he let out a sigh before kicking it and stomped the fire down.

He proceeded to walk down the stream as he muttered, "What did the old man say?"

The last image that he saw was definitely the last moment before the activation of the Reverse Scale Scroll however not a single fabric of information emerged as he forced himself to remember the last seconds before he was sent back in time.

"Bah! My memory has become a puzzle now and the pieces that are available leave gaps on the board!"

He pulled out the gem and held it in his hand. It was half the size of his palm and it was as light as a thin book. The rough shaped was a piece of nature's art while two distinguishable white streaks circling around inside it.

"The red gem, ruby. They said the power of Chaos resided within these gems. Emerald, sapphire, topaz, amethyst, and finally, onyx. Each of them aligned with human's attributes, allowing them an opening to be enhanced."

He bit his thumb until it was bleeding a little before muttering, "My current Energy Lines should be able to withstand it."

Lyounus put his thumb over the ruby before he sat down and closed his eyes. He was feeling the channels within his body one by one, from head to toe and back. This complex invisible network that webbed in his body was called Energy Lines.

He furrowed his eyebrows before he tightened his grip. One of the streaks immediately swam inside his body and into his Energy Lines causing one of its lines to bulge. His veins popped as his muscle turned tense because, by the natural order, the system denies the foreign thing to disrupt the harmony within.

"Hold it! Hold it!" said Lyounus to himself.

Slowly but surely the meridian line that was bulging started to thin down. His breathing also gradually returned to normal but his forehead was still having a cold sweat.

Lyounus let out a sigh of relief as the pain subsided. Under his heavy breathing, he stood up and looked at both of his arms. He turned it around back and forth but there were no changes in their appearance.

He looked around and found a giant rock in the river, bravely facing against the calm current. The height was an arm taller than him and the width was almost the same as a medium-sized tree.

The feet entered the clear water once more and the fishes immediately scrambled letting the predator no chance of catching them. However, he had no interest in the cowardice the fishes displayed.

Standing right in front of the giant rock, Lyounus pulled his right arm before as he let out his breath, plunging it forward. The sound reverberated across the forest as the water slightly splashed outward.

"Tch."

His right hand was dangling and blood could be seen running from his knuckles. Though the bones of his fingers were not shattered, they were certainly broken.

The sound of a growl was heard once more before he rubbed his belly with his left hand. He walked away from the scene after picking up the ruby and saved it in his pocket.

The fishes returned to their spot near the giant rock before little debris from above startled them. As the thick clouds above moved away, the sunlight came and smeared its vision. Slowly, it was revealed that a fist imprint was embedded on the giant rock. Cracking noises were suddenly heard before like thousands of snakes retreating to different directions, the giant stone crumbled down.