Grey. All I saw was a dull grey. Not black, not white, but a suffocating grey that consumed me and all my worth.
My soul, my past, my origin as a human - I searched for them in the mirror, through these cursed eyes, trying to understand myself, to understand why I was born in such a doomed fate, only to unearth something unexpected.
Something so drastic that it changed who I am and the way I perceived the world, literally.
I am Leon Keys Vermilion; that's what others call me in this world.
But I used to have another name in my past life, one that ended prematurely. One that I had just achieved my lifelong quest to prove myself, becoming a professor at such a young age. Only to die pointlessly in a plane crash, never to meet my family again, never to set foot on my homeland another time.
A future that never bore fruit.
A future I couldn't reach, even after so much dedication.
Such a pathetic life… not even worth remembering.
But compared to my current one, at least that one was much better. At least I was healthy, and the world didn't judge you for your magical ability or your talent for the sword.
I sighed and pried open my crimson, cursed eyes.
The first thing to greet me was the grey, ugly ceiling of the prison I called home. I was in my dirty, cold room, all alone.
Agony radiated through my body. My skull throbbed like it was splitting open, and my vision swam, infested with something no human should ever have to witness. I saw the jagged cracks in the world, the messy red veins that held reality together - the death lines.
Every time I came close to death, they appeared.
Bile rose in my throat. A violent wave of nausea hit me as the lines crawled further and further across my sight.
Everything seemed so fragile.
Such was an abominable view.
I squeezed my eyes shut. I didn't want to see it. I couldn't stand looking at any of it. Everything looked horrendous, fragile, and rotting, as if the whole world would crumble to dust with just the lightest touch of a finger.
Just like me.
A lonely existence. An abomination that shouldn't exist, let alone survive to this age.
But I live regardless, because life is the only thing left for me.
My gamble paid off, I gazed at my own existence. And now I understand why I am the way I am.
I regained my past-life memories, all of my knowledge, my pain... my yearning for a better life. A better future. A happy ending.
And because of that, I swore not to waste this chance in this world.
So I took a deep breath, clinging to the raw joy of being alive, of knowing I was still standing and having a tomorrow.
With a clear state of mind, I opened my eyes again.
"[Eyes of Solomon], deactivate."
My vision returned to normal, and the pounding in my head subsided. Sure, a lingering pain remained, a sting buried deep within my brain, but it was practically nothing compared to that migraine.
[Eyes of Solomon]
I was born with them - the ability to see everything. But it came with a heavy price: a fragile body, an empty mana pool, and zero potential to grow.
The limit to see things, naturally, is my own mind. Which isn't that good.
I looked toward the window, catching my reflection against the glass - A feminine young boy with silver hair and crimson dead eyes.
Leon Keys Vermilion.Age: 6 Race: Human Level: 1/1 Mana: 0/10 Traits: Cursed; Magic circuit necrosis; Fractured soul; Flawed physique. Status: Awakened. Special Ability: [Eyes of Solomon]
Of course, this stat table was just a construct, a super-limited form I created to streamline the information and reduce the strain on my brain.
But the fact still stood, every parameter here was accurate without fault.
"It is what it is. I was doomed from the start."
My asshole of a father, my dogshit relatives and servants... they were right. They didn't treat me this way just out of spite. I really am a useless piece of trash when it comes to combat. A failure of a noble, especially for the Vermilion lineage, one of the four pillars of the Kingdom of Falconia.
Well, there is no point moping about it. There are things you simply cannot change, no matter how hard you try.
And these eyes aren't just a curse, I can still exploit them for my own gain. Just like the 'me from before' did. Only this time, armed with a 'fully developed mind', I should be far more efficient.
But first, I must face the consequences of my actions.
Later in the day, I was summoned to my father's room for a final verdict. Of course, he wasn't there, just the old butler handling a letter to me.
The result? I was to be sold as a slave to some old hag. People called her the 'Grand Witch.' A fitting name for a pedo who had an interest in young boys.
I had predicted as much. I failed to prove myself as a valuable asset to him; it was more advantageous for him to sell me away.
The only reason I risked my sanity to gaze into my own reflection, trying to find some power that wasn't there, was fear - fear of abandonment. I didn't want to be sold away, losing my freedom.
Awakening my past life was unintended. Worse, the strain knocked me into a coma for two weeks, locking me into the fate of a slave.
Yeah, there was no way out, at least right now.
To that dog, I was nothing but deadweight, a constant, gnawing reminder of his dead wife, my late mother.
He won't kill me outright because of an oath, but he can't stand my existence either. And he sure as hell didn't want to raise me as his son, let alone allowed me to call him 'father'.
But I had changed, mentally; I wasn't the same Leon as two weeks ago. I don't care now, being a slave is even more favorable than staying here. The sooner I leave, the better.
So I stood there, waiting solemnly for my new 'master' in the cold, snowy wind.
It was cold, especially when I had nothing on my body other than a big piece of rag. But I'm used to it, this doesn't bother me as much as my headache.
In front of the massive golden-cladded gate, I stared up at the shadow of the mansion I once lived in - The Wuthering Heights. It was a massive, gorgeous beast of a place - so enormous that you couldn't walk every hallway in a single day.
Such a pity that this place carried so much evil in it. One day, I will purge it with all of its inhabitants.
"Hm, just you wait." I put my hand in my pants' pocket, thinking of a cig as an old habit. But there wasn't any for an obvious reason.
If I had a one, I would have probably taken a drag just to calm my nerves. But, well, my body is still small and developing. That probably wasn't a good idea.
Another thing on my bucket list of annoyance.
"Leon! Wait, do you really have to go?"
Suddenly, a voice rang out from the side of the gate. Emerging through the whiteout was a little girl who bore a striking resemblance to me. Silver hair, crimson eyes. The only difference was that her skin glowed with health, and she wasn't dressed in dirty rags like me.
Kiara Keys Vermilion.Age: 6 Race: Human Level: 30/500 Mana: 9999/9999 Traits: Blessed; Magic circuit enhanced; Peerless soul; Invincible physique. Special Ability: [Sigil of Hero]
My twin sister. The only one at the estate who ever showed me a shred of compassion. But we rarely spoke, and when we did, it was always cut short. That piece of shit made sure to keep us apart.
And he succeeded. I didn't hold any affection for her, only pity that she had to be the twin sister to trash like me.
"Why are you here? Please, just go back inside the house so Father won't make my life hell," I asked, turned my head back, gaze focusing on the grey sky.
Reading the ability and power of someone I know is easy, but any further would cause a painful migraine.
For now, I can't control it just yet. If I became too curious, it would automatically activate, so looking at her is a no-go.
"This is my final goodbye, thank you for everything, but we probably won't see each other ever again." I stepped forward further into the blurry world, trying to distance myself.
But she didn't listen to me.
"Leon, please, stay. I can ask him to let you take the test again, just don't go!" She slashed the gate open with a burst of wind magic and ran toward me.
Why was she like this? Why bother getting emotional? Did I matter that much to her?
Probably not. She just pitied me, feeling sorry for having all the good stuff while I suffered.
But I hated it, I didn't want anyone to feel sorry for me. What I wanted was respect.
And she didn't understand that a bit. I couldn't blame her though she is only a six-year-old toddler, after all.
"No, I'm not leaving! Why are you acting like this all of a sudden?"
"Because I have no other choice! Can't you see how much I've suffered?!"
I yelled, unleashing a downpour of hatred onto the only person who actually cared about me.
Am I a horrible person for saying that to her? Sure, but that was what I wanted.
"Just go. Please."
I wanted her to hate me.
But she stood there, unwavering. No, she is even more aggressive now.
"No."
Kiara leaped at me, tackling me to the ground.
"… All I have is you. If you leave, I'll be all alone. I hate it here, Leon!"
Tears streamed from her brilliant crimson eyes, the warm drops splashing onto my face as her sobbing grew louder. It was so tight, she clung to me as if I would disappear the moment she let go.
This child… she is really desperate.
But I couldn't soften my heart. If I did, I would be stuck here forever, forever living in her shadow.
So I slapped her across the face.
"Get off me!"
"It's all your fault! Because of you, Father doesn't love me. Because of you, they look at me with disgust. And because of you, I was born this way."
I glared at her with my dead eyes, my voice cold.
"I have always hated you."
Kiara stared at me. Her eyes went cold. The tears stopped.
Her small body trembled, her face twisting into an expression of pure misery. She let go of me without a word.
But just as I got to my feet, a shattering impact slammed into my back, sending me face-first into the snow.
Pain exploded through me. It felt like my spine was breaking apart.
"How dare you speak to her like that?"
That voice, loaded with hatred and fury, but deep and cold as ice. I recognized it instantly.
My father.
The origin of all of my suffering.
Fuck him. Fuck this piece of trash. I wanted to kill him so bad. I wanted to destroy everything he had built and crush it right before his eyes.
I wanted him to live in misery, forever lamenting for treating me like this.
But I had to be calm. Now wasn't the time to rage; he would kill me if I retaliated.
So I clenched my teeth and swallowed the pain.
I didn't answer him, didn't scream in pain, didn't give him the catharsis of hitting me even as the death-line appeared, swarming my eyesight.
"Are you pretending to be mute?"
He kicked me hard in the back again.
My head spun from the impact. Bile bubbled up in my throat, but I forced it down.
He continued the assault - kicking me, then healing me with his magic. My broken bones mended, and my flesh knitted back together, just so he could break them all over again.
He did it over and over again, but during this torturous session, I never screamed.
I'm used to this anyway. This piece of shit tortured me every time our paths crossed.
"...Father, please… stop."
It was Kiara again. She was crying, begging him to stop.
She truly pitied me, even after all the shit I just said to her.
Ha… ha ha ha.
What a foolish, selfish girl.
If she truly loved me, she would have stopped this sooner. No, she should have prevented this from happening from the start. But she didn't. She only stepped in when I was already beaten to a pulp.
It was always that way.
That was why I rejected her. I could never trust that crybaby.
"Tch. Hear that, you ungrateful brat? Leave, and never let me see your face ever again."
I felt a stream of warm liquid splash over me. Then, I heard their footsteps fading, drifting farther and farther away.
That piece of shit. He actually pissed on me.
"Dammit."
The humiliation burned worse than the wounds. In my past life, I had never had to endure such shit.
Mark my words.
"I will have my vengeance"