Chapter 5: Healing process

Caius headed back to the classroom to grab his bag. The hallways were empty now, the other students having already left. He preferred it this way—no more shoves or sneers to deal with for the moment. He slung his bag over his shoulder and made his way outside.

As he stepped out into the school courtyard, his eyes caught sight of a familiar car pulling away. It was a sleek, black vehicle—his sister's boyfriend's car. Caius paused, watching the car disappear around the corner. He recognized it immediately. That guy always picked her up after school.

"Guess I'm walking today," Caius muttered to himself, letting out a sigh.

He adjusted his bag and started walking toward the school gates, his thoughts drifting.

As Caius continued down the street, he noticed a group of students gathered in a small park off to the side. They were dressed in white uniforms with black belts, practicing Taekwondo. Their instructor was guiding them through a series of kicks and punches, and the group seemed energetic, focused, and excited.

Caius heard snippets of their conversations as he walked by.

"Did you hear? I gained two points in Strength after the last session!" a boy exclaimed, grinning widely.

"Seriously? I only got one point, but my Agility went up," another said, clearly thrilled.

"This is great! If we keep training like this, we'll get strong fast," a girl chimed in, her eyes sparkling with enthusiasm. "We might even get a class upgrade soon!"

"Yeah, and if we're lucky, maybe we'll even get noticed by the scouts," someone else added, throwing a roundhouse kick with impressive form.

Caius watched them for a moment, listening to the excited chatter. The students were practically glowing with the thrill of gaining stat points and leveling up through practice and training. They seemed to believe they were on their way to becoming something significant.

He shook his head, his lips curling into a slight smirk of disdain. "How boring," he thought to himself. "Leveling from what? There are no monsters, no dungeons to fight through. Just flailing around and gaining points? Pathetic."

To him, it all seemed meaningless. In his old world, power was earned through real battle, through blood, sweat, and danger. This world's way of leveling up felt shallow and empty in comparison. They were playing at strength, not truly earning it.

Caius turned his gaze away from the group and continued walking, ignoring the bursts of laughter and shouts of encouragement behind him.

After a long walk under the blazing sun, Caius finally reached his home—a modest two-story house with a small front yard and a rusty metal gate. He pushed the gate open with a creak and made his way to the front door. His legs felt heavy, but he was used to this body's weakness by now.

He opened the main door and stepped inside. Immediately, the sound of the TV blared loudly through the hallway, almost deafening. Caius paused and looked toward the living room.

There, sitting on the couch, were his twin sisters, Serena and Celeste, laughing at some variety show on the screen. His mother sat beside them, equally engrossed in the program, a half-empty glass of wine in her hand. None of them bothered to look his way or acknowledge his presence; it was as if he were invisible in his own home.

Caius stood there for a moment, staring at Serena, his eyes narrowing slightly. She had the same long, wavy hair and bright smile as his sister Seraphina from his past life. A pang of pain shot through his chest, and his jaw tightened. The resemblance was uncanny, stirring up old wounds he thought he had buried deep.

He shook his head, muttering to himself, "Relax, Caius. She just looks like Seraphina. It's not her."

He took a deep breath, willing himself to stay calm.

Ignoring them all, Caius made his way down the hallway and climbed the stairs to his room. No one called after him, and no one asked where he had been. It was clear that they didn't care.

Once inside his room, he shut the door and leaned against it, letting out a long breath. The quiet in his room was a stark contrast to the chaos downstairs. Here, at least, he could be alone with his thoughts. He walked over to his desk and dropped his bag, feeling the weight lift off his shoulders.

"Another day in this life," he muttered to himself, rubbing his temples. Caius closed his eyes, leaning back against the door, and let out a slow, deliberate breath. "I need to regain my strength from my past life," he muttered under his breath.

He moved to his bed and sat cross-legged on the edge, his posture straight and poised. This body was weak, but it wouldn't remain so forever. He had to work with what he had. Ever since he had realized that this world had no magic like his own, he had been trying to recreate his old techniques from scratch, using only his knowledge and willpower.

Placing his hands on his knees, Caius focused inward, his breaths becoming deep and rhythmic. He felt for the dormant energy within him, the essence that he used to wield effortlessly in his former life. A faint spark flickered in his chest, and he honed in on it, coaxing it to grow. A gentle warmth spread through his body.

A soft, blue glow began to form around his hands, faint at first but growing stronger as he concentrated. He could feel the energy flowing through his veins, slow and sluggish like a river running through a dried-up creek bed. But it was there, nonetheless.

"I've been doing this for a week now," he murmured, eyes still closed, his face calm and composed. The blue aura surrounding him grew brighter, enveloping his entire body in a soft, ethereal light. His breathing steadied as he guided the aura toward his chest, feeling it seep into his skin and deeper into his weak heart.

"This body has a weak heart and a frail constitution," Caius thought, concentrating harder, his brows furrowing. "For now, this is all I can do. But if I keep this up, the illness will soon go away."

The blue aura pulsed around him, growing thicker, more vibrant, as if responding to his determination. It was the same technique he had used to heal himself in his previous life, though much weaker in this world. Still, he could feel it working, mending his damaged cells, fortifying his frail muscles, and steadying his unsteady heartbeats. His breathing deepened, and his body warmed as if a gentle fire was stoking his insides.

After what felt like an eternity, Caius let out a long exhale and slowly opened his eyes. The blue aura faded, dissipating like mist in the morning sun. He could feel his body was lighter, his heart beating a bit steadier than before. A small, satisfied smile crept across his lips.

"Just a little more," he whispered, flexing his fingers and feeling the slight tremor that remained. "Soon, I'll be strong enough to change things. And then... no one will push me around ever again."