A Glimpse into the Past and Revelations

Ethan's Pov:Thinking about everything that had happened, I could hardly fathom how quickly everything had descended into chaos. Just a single mistake had caused this. Now, I didn't even know if I was going to live or die. As my consciousness awoke, I found myself inside a void of darkness where I couldn't see anything. I kept waiting, and the thoughts I had kept at bay started coming after all of this had happened. Memories surged, revealing how everything had changed in my past life. From what I could remember, my parents never had time for me. My childhood was a blur, but the flashes showed me their absence from major parts of my life. They never attended my school festivities or took me out to play. For all problems, they just threw money at me. Ethan, you want to go on a vacation? Take this money and go with your grandparents," they would say. "You want us to come to your school events? Sorry, we're busy people; we don't have time for those things." They were mere spectators in my life, throwing money at me and demanding perfection. My father, a very successful real estate developer, and my mother, a partner in a law firm, always had expectations beyond what I could achieve. I tried and tried but never met their standards. If I got a 90, they demanded a 100. I scored 92, 94, 95, but all they saw was the missing perfect score—100. I was fed up with all of this. One day, after a fight over a result they thought was bad (in which I had just gotten 88), they started demeaning me without even asking why it happened. They didn't even remember that just before the exam, I had been suffering from a viral fever. I don't think they even remembered that; they just started saying things like I would achieve nothing in my life with this kind of result. In anger, I asked them, "If you guys are so unhappy with me, why did you even have me?" Their response changed my life. My mother told me they never wanted me, that I was just an accident, and I should be grateful to have been given a chance to live. I thought that was low, even for them. I saw a flicker of embarrassment on her face and anger on my father's face directed at her, but it didn't matter. It changed me. I stopped trying at everything—studying, playing, and, now that I think about it, even living. Days passed, and I spent all my time watching TV shows, movies, and anime, and then novels, which became my escape from reality. I kept up this monotonous routine and, due to this, lost my friends because I had just stopped talking to them. Somehow, I managed to reach university, but I was burdened daily by my parents' belittling words. I was dying slowly, every day—until that day when I truly died. When I think of it now, that's why I accepted dying and reincarnating so easily—there was nothing left for me in that world. Now, in this darkness, I wondered if my parents would have even cared about my death. Well, I don't think I cared about their reaction. As these thoughts passed through my mind, I also thought of Lydia and how foolish I had been. From the moment I had awakened, from the day of my awakening and even before that, she had shown so much care for me, met all my demands and eccentricities, and yet asked for nothing in return. She wasn't even my mother, yet she had given me more love in these few months than my parents ever did in my past life. Yet, I was still trapped by the insecurities from my past life. I feared that if Lydia knew more about how different I was, she would abandon me, or she would start expecting more and more from me, burdening me once again with the weight of those expectations. Reflecting on this, I realized how foolish I had been. Until now, I had blamed all my poor decisions on the limitations of my child's body. But no—it was my own insecurities and preconceived notions that had led me to this point. Now, as I reflected on how she must have felt—a child she cared for and protected every day, who had just hurt himself so badly without her knowing—I realized she must have blamed herself, thinking she had neglected me. I remembered her tears as she held me in her arms, somehow healing me. Even Sir Rodrick had come. Everyone in this house had shown me nothing but care and love, yet I hadn't given them an ounce of trust. I needed to change this. My insecurities from my past life were ruining my new one. My second chance at being a better self was being destroyed by no one but me. With these thoughts in mind, I began to wait. Gradually, I started feeling better and better, and my consciousness from this void began to recede. Though still in darkness, I could sense my body. When I checked the veins in my hand, they were renewed; I was astonished by the healing. I also noticed my mana recovering, and I patiently waited for it to fully return. Soon, I gained more and more control over my body. Suddenly, I felt my entire body, and with that, I abruptly opened my eyes. As I opened my eyes, I realized I wasn't in my room; I was in Lydia's room. Startled by this realization, I tried to sit up. While doing so, I felt Lydia approaching and embracing me tightly, expressing how happy she was that I had regained consciousness. I could sense her tears, and in response, I hugged her back and said sorry. As she heard my apology, she released me from the embrace, her tearful eyes fixed on me. In that moment, I felt deeply ashamed. Now, my mind raced with questions about how to explain everything. Where should I start? How much should I tell her? I wanted to confide in her completely, but I didn't know how to explain my unique traits. Even one of my titles contained the word 'heretic'—what would she think? Would she see me as a demon? And my other trait, 'Fate's Chosen,' I didn't know how to explain that to her. These thoughts swirled in my mind until Lydia's voice interrupted them. "Why are you apologizing to me, young master? It's all my fault. I should be asking for your forgiveness for my negligence. We nearly lost you," she said, her voice trembling with emotion. While I moved to comfort her, I noticed another person in the room, standing near the door with his eyes fixed on me. I could sense his questions, mirroring Lydia's unspoken ones. In that moment, I made a decision: they were both my protectors and had never intended to harm me. Today, they had saved my life; without their intervention, I would already be dead. I couldn't keep hiding everything from them. I resolved to explain what had led to this situation. First, I called Lydia over to me again, embraced her once more, and said, "Please, I request you not to think of this as your mistake. Everything that has happened is due to me and my decisions alone. You have always shown me love, and even today, you saved my life." I knew she wanted to say something, so I gently asked her to please listen to me. Then, I asked Sir Rodrick to come closer and inquired, 'I know you must have many questions.' He nodded. 'I am not going to lie. Lies and attempts to hide things have led to this situation and will continue to cause problems in the future.' Hearing this, I knew they both had many questions, but I asked them to wait. First, I apologized for not trusting them as they deserve. Now, I was ready to share, but I also requested that they keep this information confidential. I asked if this room was secure enough for us to talk without our conversation being overheard. For that, Lydia replied it was secure, but she would enhance its protection further. Afterward, I saw Lydia use runes for the first time. The runes enveloped us in a dome, and I could feel immense mana emanating from them. Lydia explained that it was one of the highest privacy runes she had, ensuring our conversation wouldn't be overheard. Finally, I took a breath and began: "You must have noticed how I've been different from other children. I know what I'm about to tell you will sound nonsensical, but it's the truth. I don't know how you'll feel after hearing this, but first, thank you for everything you've done for me." Lydia couldn't help but interject, stating I had nothing to thank her for, mentioning how much my father had done for her, with Sir Rodrick and her help being insignificant in comparison. I listened to her and replied, "I understand you may feel obligated due to my father, but from my side, I'd like to thank you." Afterward, I began to explain: "Lydia, you must have noticed a change in me since I was six months old, which she affirmed. Well, that change occurred because I awakened memories from my past life."After dropping this bombshell I saw surprise and bewilderment on their faces, so I continued, "By the time I reached six months old, I remembered everything from my previous life. Since then, I've been aware of my surroundings and gradually noticed differences between this world and my past one. To understand this new world better, I felt a need to learn more. One day, during my studies, I suddenly felt something ethereal, like a change within me. Drawing on knowledge from my past life, I discovered that this world has a system." After a few seconds, Sir Rodrick's question became clear: "Young master, I think you made a mistake. Did you just say 'a different world?'" It seemed he wasn't questioning reincarnation itself but rather the concept of another world. Observing my expression, he elaborated. He explained that my father had once met a reincarnator in his youth, a man who had been reborn after a thousand years, but who had originated from this world. Rodrick also mentioned old books that spoke of powerful individuals who died and reincarnated, though such tales were typically regarded as mere legends. This revelation indicated that the concept of reincarnation wasn't as straightforward in this world as I had assumed. It also explained my trait of being labeled a "Foreign Reincarnator" and hinted that the world held more secrets than I had imagined. I explained that my past world was nothing like this one; it didn't even have magic or a system. This raised more questions one by one, which I tried to clarify. I explained that my world lacked any magical elements; there were only stories of worlds like this one. After some explanations, they began to understand a little. Lydia asked, 'So you're saying in your previous world, you read books that talked about worlds like ours, which helped you discover the system, Young Master?' I could sense the disbelief in her tone. I know it must sound very unbelievable, but I'm telling the truth," I replied. Rodrick confirmed this, mentioning his truth-detecting skill that he used on me. This earned him a death glare from Lydia and some remarks, but I intervened, understanding his need to uncover the truth since I had kept things hidden from them, thereby putting myself in danger. Rodrick explained that he only sought the truth, emphasizing the importance of accurate knowledge to protect me in the future. Lydia understood this as well, and our conversation continued. I then asked them how they remained so calm after the revelations. Lydia replied that they were used to high-tension situations over the years, which had developed a few mental calming skills they started using once my truths began to emerge. I was relieved because it would have been very difficult to explain if they had bombarded me with questions. Then Rodrick asked me about the feeling that led to the discovery of the system, suggesting it must be due to a skill. I confirmed that it was indeed due to a skill. He then asked why he couldn't see any skills in my status. I actually blanked out for a few moments. As I thought about it, my memory went back to the day when I had used Conceal on my status without considering that I should have left my basic skills with their levels lowered. Instead, I had simply willed my status to show only as Level 1 without any skills. As I pondered this, Lydia asked if I was okay and reassured me that I didn't have to tell if I didn't want to. In response, I told her that I trusted them and was just reflecting on the foolish decisions I had made in the past. I explained that I had a Concealing skill that allowed me to hide my status from anyone regardless of my level. I had used this skill to conceal my status. This revelation prompted Rodrick to comment that it must be a very unique skill, as he had only heard of skills that veil status based on their skill rank and levels. Questions kept coming one after another. Next was the question about how I had so much mana. Rodrick speculated that I must have used my stat points, which I confirmed. He then asked how many points I had added, considering I had so much mana. Truthfully, I replied that I had added 100 points and also received natural growth, which astonished both of them. "Young master, how many levels have you truly gained? And since you had no combat experience, you must have acquired them through skills. How many skills do you have?" Rodrick inquired. I explained that I had traits that provided me with extra stat points each level and also facilitated acquiring more skills easily. As for the traits and their origin, I admitted that I didn't know much; I only had speculations. I mentioned that one title was due to my reincarnation and another was related to fate. Therefore, I couldn't explain them in detail at the moment, but I suggested we could discuss possibilities later.They confirmed their amazement and agreement that they had never heard of a trait providing such substantial benefits each level. They agreed to revisit the discussion about traits later. Regarding showing them my progress, I wanted to display my status, so I asked if there was a way to show it. Lydia initially asked if I was sure about showing them my status, suggesting they were fine with just being told. I assured her that I wanted to show them, believing it would help them understand and assist me better. To display my status, I simply willed it to happen. [STATUS ] [NAME: Ethan Runeblade] [LEVEL: 10] [EXPERIENCE: 700/51200 [TRAITS: Foreign Reincarnator (Heretic), Fate Chosen (Absolute)] [HEALTH: 220/220] [MANA: 1250/1250] [STAMINA: 140/140] [VITALITY: 22] [STRENGTH: 6] [ENDURANCE: 14] [DEXTERITY: 4] [MIND: 125] [INTELLECT: 25] [PERCEPTION: 32] [STAT POINTS: 52] [SKILLS: [Body Coordination(Uncommon) - Level 9/20] [Arithmetic (Uncommon) - Level 12/20] [Advanced Balancing (Uncommon) - Level 3/20] [Visualization (Uncommon) - Level 9/20 ] [Advanced Literacy (Uncommon) - Level 5/20] [Focused Meditation (Rare) - Level 21/30] [Mana Sense (Rare) - Level 23/30] [Persuasion (Rare) - Level 2/30] [Mana Diffusion(Rare - Level 19/30] [Pain Resistance(Rare - Level 7/30] [Mana Absorption(Rare - Level 4/30] [Mana Manipulation (Epic) - Level 24/50] ]  It has been a while since I last checked my own status, so seeing all the growth was astonishing. Vitality had increased by 12 points, strength by 2, endurance by 4, and dexterity by 1. The Mind stat saw a substantial increase of 20 points, bringing it to 125. Intellect remained unchanged at 25; however, given recent decisions, I jokingly felt it should decrease. Perception also saw a notable increase of 5 points, now standing at 32. I could notice that the main gains were caused due to my stupidity; nearly dying at least resulted in good stat and skill gains,I thought. I also looked at my skill level gains, which were astounding compared to before, mainly due to the struggles. Now, I could think about growth later; I should see what they have to say. At least I could see how my growth compares to others." Well, when I looked at their faces, I could see their expressions changing rapidly. I think the first thing I noticed was Rodrick's jaw dropping, but he quickly composed himself and began examining my status. For a few seconds, there was silence in the room, then I heard Lydia's voice, tinged with a mix of anger and sadness, 'Pain Resistance?' "I thought out of all those skills, she had to notice this one only with a groan.