Pov: Vik
After getting Lina out, I teleported back to the manor. She was slightly conscious and, in a sleepy state, looked at me and said, "Father! Father! I always knew you would come to save me. Those people are lying and saying you died."
Her words made me realize she might have a tragic past like Lu Xiaoran. She could have some trauma regarding her father. For now, though, I focused on getting her to bed so she could sleep.
As I entered the manor, I saw Roman sitting on the sofa while Sherry slept on another sofa beside him. I thought he should have given her a warning before she fainted.
Seeing the girl in my arms, Roman looked at me, confused, as if asking who she was. I replied, "Roman, she will probably be my third disciple. She'll be junior to you and Lu Xiaoran."
I laid her down on the empty sofa and asked the system to check her health. My spiritual energy confirmed she was healthy, but she wasn't opening her eyes, even when I shook her.
Following my command, the system began a health test.
"Ding, running a full body health check on target Lina Rosewell."
"Analyzing the data."
System: "Host, she is fine and does not have any serious conditions."
Vik: "Then why isn't she waking up?"
System: "Host, she is currently in a deep sleep with some nightmares. You could say she's experiencing past traumas. You can wake her up forcefully, but that's not recommended. Facing past traumas and nightmares is part of the healing process."
After hearing the system's explanation, I stopped shaking her and sat by her side. Meanwhile, Roman looked at us, and I signaled him to be quiet. He understood and went to the kitchen, probably to get something to eat for me.
Pov: Lina Rosewell
Right now, I'm walking in the garden of my family estate. Around me are my escorts, some maids, some guards, and a few friends, or you could say bootlickers.
Many people surround me, all trying to gain my favor, especially my peers. I'm 16 and still studying at an academy mostly run by my family.
As I walk, I soon reach the main gate where an entourage of cars is waiting for me. I get inside them and arrive at my academy, "Rosewell Magic Academy." It's practically my academy.
Why? Because I am Lina Rosewell, the heir of the Rosewell family. My family is so wealthy that they started a magic academy right after I was born so I wouldn't have to go far for a proper education.
My life is perfect. I have a father who does everything to make me smile. Fortunately, he is the head of the Rosewell family. The Rosewell family is one of the biggest families in the Magic Kingdom of Mercury on the western continent, which is under the rule of the Empire of Solaris.
In addition to our kingdom, we even have some influence in the Empire of Solaris. Our family history goes back to the post-apocalyptic era. My father told me that before the apocalypse, our family was very rich. After the apocalypse, everything was destroyed, and money lost its value. My ancestors relied on what they were masters of: technology.
My ancestors were pioneers of the new era and among the first to combine technology with magic. They merged spiritual energy with technological weapons from the old world.
This led to the creation of new weapons, which are effective against beasts up to C-rank. While they aren't perfect, they gave large groups of humans a chance to fight back. The real strength of humans comes from their numbers. After that, armies worldwide, once powerless against beasts, began to push them back.
Humans still had to be careful with B-rank beasts and above, but those creatures are territorial and don't attack unless provoked. Soon, help arrived as humans learned to harness spiritual energy and cultivate it. Various events occurred, like the appearance of dungeons, but my ancestors' contributions are still remembered. No matter how many high-level cultivators you have, they aren't better than millions of regular humans wielding weapons capable of killing Golden Core realm cultivators.
Currently, I'm sitting in my academy classroom while the teacher repeats this history to all the students. No matter how often I hear it, I feel proud to be born into this family.
My life is normal. I wake up early, go to the academy to learn various subjects, and take a class on magic cultivation. Finally, I have lunch with my father, my only family member. Apparently, my mother died right after giving birth to me.
After that, my father never remarried and devoted himself to me. I do have many relatives from the side branches of my family, but I mostly live with my father, who is also my mother. Thinking of this, I return to my family estate, where my father is waiting for me.
But when I arrive, I see a horrifying sight. My entire family estate is in ruins, burning, while some guards are fighting against unknown attackers. I barely have time to process this before I see someone buried under the rubble.
It's my father. I immediately run towards him. When I get close, I try to rescue him, but his body is half-burned. I don't know who did this, but I need to save him. Slowly, he opens his eyes and looks at me. He tries to say my name, but his voice is faint.
His vocal cords are nearly burned, yet he holds my hand. Before I can say anything, he places a device on my wrist. I'm not sure what he did, but the next thing I remember is a pale blue light enveloping me. Then, a large ball of purple fire shoots toward my father and engulfs him. I try to run toward him, but my body suddenly teleports. I find myself in the back alleys of some unknown city