Chapter 2: Rebirth

Rebirth

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In the village of Swaying Forest – named for the surrounding trees that grows at an angle as if they are swaying in the wind – there exist a married couple named Roko and a woman named Wida.

A few months into their marriage, Wida gives birth to a boy they name Adal.

Adal is a healthy infant of average weight and is normal in all ways. He is also a demon. He doesn't know it, but he is the reincarnation of a demon once known as 'Minori'. It had died mindless in an infinite black void eons ago and ended up reincarnating as a child in one of the thousands of villages that existed within a country known as Alvir.

This is nothing particularly special. There are many in Alvir who are the reincarnation of demons. There are many who are reincarnations of various fauna. Adal's father, Roko, is the reincarnation of a hoarder mouse.

As Adal is outwardly completely normal, his parents remain blissfully unaware that their child is a demon. Adal too will forever remain ignorant of his previous life. Five years will have passed uneventfully before Adal is even aware of what is outside his home. In the meantime, he mother gives birth to three other children. Two more boys – Data and Doto – and a girl Roko lazily named Bird.

One day, his father comes home and glares at him. "Do you think the boy will be worth anything?"

"How am I to know?" His mother replies not taking her attention off her duties. "That is what the test is for."

'The test' being the test that is held annually in Swaying Forest and that all children that reach the age of five must participate. Its main purpose is to test the magical aptitude of all children. All those in the world are born with power and their power becomes stable at the age of five.

In the world, the easiest way to success is to align oneself with the nobilities – those families whose wealth, prestige, and power are vastly greater than the common man. One way to do so is have excellent connections by being wealthy yourself. Another way is to make a name for yourself as an excellent soldier or scholar, but that also requires a lot of money for schooling and training.

For those families of little means, the easiest way is to be born gifted with great magical aptitude. If they are lucky enough to be born with such aptitude, a wealthy noble family will induct them into their ranks in order to increase their own power. If your aptitude is great enough, you may make it into one of the powerful capital nobilities or even the royal family.

For the people of Swaying Forest who mostly live in great poverty, including Adal's family, it is a great source of hope and thus why they look forward to the test which will test all children using what is known as a 'power stone'. It is the only instrument that can test a child's magical aptitude.

On the designated day which is universally known and looked forward to in the village, Adal's father brings him to the outskirts of the village where all the people are gathered in front of the power stone. A small black boulder with a smooth surface.

At the head of this crowd stand two proctors from the wealthiest and only nobility in the village – the Bear family.

One step forward to address the crowd, "We go through this every year, but there are young children here, so I will explain." He gestures to the stone. "This is the power stone and it is the most important object here today. It is so for it will determine the future of your family. Only by the success of your children can you succeed."

"The method is simple. We will call all the children up one by one. They will place their hands on the stone and keep it there. The stone will sense their inner magical aptitude and once it completes, it will result in a feedback force that will repel your child's hand off the stone. The longer it takes before your child's hand gets repelled, the greater his aptitude."

The protector gives a pointed look. "Do you understand? Longer is better. So I suggest you start praying that your child is worth something. If they can keep their hand on the stone for one minute, our Bear Family will offer to take them into our own family. You will be paid a fee and he will receive generous income."

The Bear Family makes the same offer every year. A child that is inducted into their family has the opportunity to get a noble position that will earn vastly greater income that what they could hope to get as a commoner.

Their standing and marriage prospects in the village will greatly improve. The children will also assist their blood family by sending money home which will make an enormous difference. In other cases, the children may help their family get jobs within Bear making more money than they would anywhere else. Even a servant gets paid as much as two silvers a month.

For a village where most people earn perhaps 10 silvers in an entire year, it is a highly lucrative job.

"One last thing. When your child put their hands on the stone, they will feel something. This is normal, so do not remove your hand. They might feel warm or cold. When they get the feedback, we might see a spark of fire, a splash of water, a gust of wind, or something like that. This is normal and it helps us find out what magic type your child is."

Everyone has one magic type. It could be fire, water, earth, wind, lightning, and, sometimes, there are even exotic types like ice or stone. The most common by far is fire type.

For most commoners, magic types are fairly meaningless. Most will never become adept enough to use their magic for anything even remotely useful. The few that do practice enough to become adept simply don't have the magical aptitude to do more than perhaps create a small flame in their hands.

Finished with explanations, the protector calls forth the first child who is a boy - the oldest of three – from a nondescript family. The boy places his hand on the power stone. 20 seconds later, his hand is thrown back as if hit and a few almost invisible sparks of fire appear. His face is of pure devastation as are the faces of his parents.

The length of time determines your aptitude and aptitudes are separated into grades that are known throughout the world.

Less than 60 seconds is called 'Common' – most people fall into this category and doing so means you will live a completely ordinary life. The 60 second mark falls into 'Earth', 120 seconds is 'Sky', 180 seconds is 'Star', 240 seconds is 'Heaven', and anything above that is 'Divine'.

The grades were determined by a consortium of nobles long ago after much researching and recording. However, there are still parts which remain a mystery. For example, no one knows why the unlimited 'Divine' grade was even created. No one has ever reached Divine grade.

In reality, achieving a grade above Earth is incredibly rare. Sky grades are very rare. The Bear family is blessed enough to have two, but most villages don't have so much as one. Star grades are extremely rare. The most powerful families in the entire country would be blessed to have even one.

There are no confirmed Heaven grades in the country. There are no confirmed Heaven grades in the world. Even the legends rarely have heroes who are Heaven grade as the idea is too difficult to believe.

'Divine' grade is an unlimited grade supposedly because it's considered impossible to reach so there's no point creating anything higher, yet there are no known 'Heaven' grades either so why even bother creating it? The 240 seconds mark for it is based on what is observed with the lower grades, but there is no confirmation that is where it begins.

In fact, in tests where most participants are commoners, it often is the case that there might be only one or two Earth grades found. If anyone gets that achievement today, it will probably be someone from the Bear family.

The next child is called. Then another. Then another. Each one is a disappointment. The longest last 26 seconds and he gave it his hardest forcefully holding his hand against the stone as if he can fight being repelled. The girls generally lasted less than the boys but not by much. Soon, sorrow fills the entire crowd.

At last, Adal's turn comes. His father looks at him with a face of resignation. "Just go up there and get it over with, boy."

So he did. When Adal put his hand on the stone, he feels…nothing. He scowls, but nothing changes. He doesn't feel warm or cold. A moment later, he feels a strong force against his hand throwing it off the stone.

He shakes off the confusion and looks up to see the proctor thinking.

"Hey kid, what did you feel on that stone? Hot or cold? I didn't see anything happen when the stone repelled you."

"I…didn't feel anything."

"Huh, a non-type?" He shrugs. "Well, it doesn't matter anyway. You only lasted 20 seconds. You can go now."

'Non-types' or those with no elemental affinity do exists, though they are rare. Theoretically, they have an advantage in that their attacks have no elemental weaknesses, but the opposite is that they have no elemental strengths either. As a commoner, Adal's type is near worthless. He walks back to his father who is stone faced.

The sullen atmosphere of the crowd only lifts when it is the turn of the last two children. Mutters go around. Some are resigned, some are bitter.

"Why the hell are we even watching? Of course they'll do well."

"It's unthinkable that two kids from the Bear Family will do badly."

Despite this, all are paying attention closely. Even knowing it's not their own children, it's hard to ignore the tingling of curiosity and excitement at how high of a rank a child can go.

These next two children are nobles from the Bear family. They are cousins but both their parents are Earth grades. Theoretically, that means they are more likely to be Earth grades.

The first child, a boy named Roccoco, go up. He places his hand on the stone and an audible inhaling can be heard around the crowd. 10 seconds. 20 seconds. He reaches 30 seconds. When it reached 50 seconds, everyone watches completely stiffed.

At 63 seconds, Roccoco gets pushed back with fire sparks and the crowd collectively releases its breath. Even the proctors, who are Roccoco's cousins, let out a breath of relief. After all, Roccoco may be their family and a noble, but that was no guarantee that he would be special.

Next is Roccoco's cousin, Bluska. She gulps nervously and places her hand on the stone. This time, the crowd isn't nearly as attentive but they still watch silently. 60 seconds is just barely hit when Bluska gets repelled with a gust of wind.

The girl lets out a relieved sigh. The proctors also do as much. They may be nobles with good parentage, but it could still have very easily been the case that both Bluska and Roccoco would not make Earth grades at all.

"Only the rich kids make it. Life is still unfair. Big surprise." Someone mutters.

This isn't entirely the end. Theoretically, people can still train and become stronger eventually attaining a higher grade. In practice, though, it just doesn't happen unless your aptitude is extremely close to the next grade. Even then, it is still rare and could take an entire lifetime.

A child that only held on for 55 seconds will most likely not make it to Earth grade. Adal, who only held on for 20 seconds, will not make it to Earth grade.

Instead, people like him – Common grades – will, at most, use their meager power for only small tasks. Perhaps starting a fire or cutting grass. Even then, as Adal has no elemental affinity, he can't do that.

The event moves to the second and final part. A competition. Though the first part – the magic test – only allows 5-year-olds to participate, the second part is designed for anyone who wants to take part as it's meant to be an entertainment event.

It is an inexact competition unlike the first part and what kind of competition it is actually varies between villages, though most don't even have anything beyond the test.

In Swaying Forest, it is a straight forward thing: a one on one fight.

At this point, many of the parents leave with their children because they have jobs to do. Some stay for the mild entertainment, but they don't pay too much attention. The combat test that comes every year is hardly special.

Adal and his father are among those who go home. There, his father falls into a chair as his mother looks up knitting clothes to sell in the marketplace. Her face is momentarily hopeful but falls upon seeing her husband's demeanor.

Roko sighs, "Another year. Another disappointment. Not that I expected anything other than lifelong poverty."

"Oh, can it. Adal is our first child and we have more." Wida says crossly. "There'll be opportunities to see if our other kids make it. Maybe Data will make it."

"All those opportunities will be the same, woman. What are the chances that a common family like ours gets a child that makes the Earth grade?"

"It's possible." Wida insists. "That's why the Bear family holds this test. Because it's possible and everyone knows it too."

"What they know is that it's free to test everyone so they might as well do it." Roko says. "I saw their faces. After each result. They knew the outcome."

"We have more children." Wida repeats. "We might get lucky."

"I would call it lucky if this one-" Roko gestures to Adal. "-doesn't die before he can start working and making money for us. Beyond that? I'm not hoping for a damn thing."

Roko glares at Adal. "You hear me, kid? Make me some money and I'll be happy. I don't want anything else from you." He turns to Adal's younger brothers. "The same go for you lot. I would also tell your sister if I thought she could understand me."

His father intends to make sure he gets something from Adal for all his troubles of raising him. Not even three months passes before he comes home saying that it's time for Adal to learn to hunt. The purpose being for food and for meat to sell on the market.

So Adal learns to hunt, to trap, and to fish. Roko isn't great at any of those, but he is passable and he is able to pass on some of his skills to Adal. Eventually, as Adal practices and his magic adapts more to his body, he is able to use magic better.

Not that there was ever much of a use for it. As a non-type, he couldn't create a flame or water or gusts. At best, he finds that he can just create a light bluish glow of energy on his hand that feels warm for a moment before disappearing. He didn't see much of a use for it, so eventually, he stopped even trying.

With the help of Adal, the household income increased to a silver a month and become steadier. Winter became more bearable.

Money is always tight in their household, though. Eventually, the burden grows great enough that Roko is forced to teach his second oldest child, Data, to start learning hunting a little sooner than he started with Adal. The boy is clumsy, though, and rarely brings home anything resulting in many beatings from Roko.

When the magic test comes around again, Data's turn comes up and he holds on for only 10 seconds. Around this time, Roko also told Wida to forget about further children as he can't afford anymore. She crossly fires back that it all depended on him.

Doto is soon taught to hunt too. He's about as good as Data. Now both he and Data are getting beatings from their father. Afterwards, they often stare resentfully at Adal who doesn't get beat as often due to being a better hunter. The relationship between Adal and his younger brothers becomes frayed.

The test comes again and it is now Doto's turn. He holds on for a whole 25 seconds surpassing both his brothers.

At home, Roko said 'congrats' to him for attaining the family record, then told all of the boys to get the hell out of the house and start earning some money.

By this time, Adal has become quite a good hunter by his estimation. He now catches something small at least daily and he gets a good catch at least once a week. Fishing comes even easier to him. He used to earn his family an extra 10 coppers a month but now it's more like 30.

He has become so good, in fact, that he started taking shortcuts. He uses a crude homemade bow and arrow to hunt, but it's usually enough to kill an animal or at least bleed it to death by the time he finds it.

Trapping also used to involve him going up to the struggling animal and shooting it with an arrow at point blank range. When he got better at it, though, he would just quickly grab it and smash the animal against the ground or tree to kill it. He found it saves time and ammo. This got him in trouble because he sometimes damages the meat or valuable skin, but it led to a discovery.

One day, he comes up to a trap and discovers he caught a mouse. He reaches for it, hits it against a tree, and thought that was it. He got careless. As it turns out, the mouse wasn't dead, and it rears up and bites him drawing blood.

Adal shouts and throws the mouse away nursing his wound. The creature is severely injured and could barely crawl trying to get away. In a rage, Adal grabs it and squeezes hard intending to crush it and take its life with his bare hands.

That's when something amazing happened.

His hand feels warm and a light blue glow appears. The mouse then turns into a mummified corpse right in Adal's hand. He is so surprised that he yelps and throws the corpse away. After, he stares at his hand in surprise and confusion. He did so for a long time, but no answer came.

At last, he decides to do a test. He goes to the next few traps. Luckily, one of them had another mouse in it. He quickly grabs it, though he makes sure to keep its head secured. He proceeds to squeeze. It got crushed to death. Adal holds its limp corpse wondering why nothing happened.

It is nearly a week before Adal learned how to repeat what he did. It wasn't the action. It is the thought. The desire. He has to grab an animal and want to take its life. To force energy and will into his hands. Upon doing so, his hands will lightly glow blue and the animals turn into mummified corpses.

So he solved how he did that. The problem now is that he couldn't figure out what its purpose is.

He doesn't feel any different afterwards. He thought he might have been eating them somehow, but their insides are still intact, albeit mummified too, and he doesn't feel any different afterwards. He tries the same technique on other animals and fish too. He eventually begins to refer to this technique as 'devouring' the animals as he's taking their life from them and into himself. Kind of like 'eating'.

After three months of doing this, he succeeded in two things. First, he angered his father greatly and earned many beatings for it. After all, mummified animals are useless for food or selling. Second, he discovered what the technique did. It makes him stronger.

It is almost imperceptible, but 'devouring' those animals with his hands makes him stronger. After three months of doing so, including devouring some prized larger catches, Adal noticed an improvement in his physical abilities. He can run longer, jump higher, lift heavier objects. Not a large difference, but enough for him to notice.

He almost thought it was just natural growth but even his father expressed surprised and set him to work chopping wood.

The prospect excited him but he also realizes its limits. It takes so many animals to increase his physical abilities. It'd be a lifetime for any notable improvement in his abilities. The thought kills him. To think he has such a cool ability, but can do so little with it.

The time nears for Adal's little sister, Bird, to take the magic test. Roko doesn't even make a pretense that she has the slightest chance.

"Aren't I a lucky man?" He says. "I have two boys who aren't any good at hunting. I have a boy who was good but seem to have become senile and lost his ability at the old age of seven. Now I have you."

Bird cowers before her father.

"The test is three months away. You will probably fail the test and you don't have the looks to get into a good marriage. If I'm lucky, I might make some copper from your work."

Wida admonishes him. "Stop that. Leave her alone."

"Why should I? Do you know that Riva, the daughter of the fish merchant Toro, is as pretty as a flower? The boys can't keep their hands off of her. I hear that she has been seen walking around with Roccoco Bear!"

"So what the hell do you want me to do? What do you want your daughter to do?"

He continues. "I also hear Goll the merchant is trying to setup a betrothal between his son and Bluska Bear. It's costing him a bundle but word is that he might succeed. He's moving up in life for sure."

"Easy to do that when you're a rich merchant."

"Or have a pretty daughter."

"If you know how to change your daughter's appearance, then tell me how." She snaps at him. "Or do you want to try for more?"

"I would if I could afford it!"

"Then make more money!"

"Then give me better children!"

He stomps out slamming the door. Adal glances at his sister and feels for her. He feels for all of them, really. His father is right. They're going to be poor forever. Only people like Riva and Goll the merchant gets to be rich and happy.

A month later, Riva, the daughter of the fish merchant Toro, is embroiled in scandal.

Adal is in the yard at the time chopping wood while his siblings help their mother. Bird is crying because one of her brothers is picking on her and she claims he's stealing her clothes. Their mother yells at all of them, including Adal even though he is standing off to the side just chopping wood.

Moments later, their father arrives looking particularly satisfied. Wida notices this.

"Why are you so happy?"

"I'm happy because I just got word in the village today that the fish merchant Toro's daughter is a whore."

"What?"

"Mm-hmm. There's word that Roccoco is breaking off their little relationship because he discovered she's not a virgin."

"Oh my!" Wida says in shock. "I can't believe girls these days! And she is just a young woman!" She pauses. "How did Roccoco discover that she's not a virgin?"

"How the hell should I know? Maybe he got frisky only to discover that she's not as pure as he thought. All I know is that he's mad as hell and things look ugly for her. The Bear family is not happy with the fish merchant family right now. Even Goll the merchant is punishing them with higher prices."

Wida shakes her head. "Foolish girl. She should have known better."

Adal had listened the entire time and shrug his shoulders. He passed Riva a few times and certainly thought she is really pretty, but also knew other boys did too and knew he had no chance. He didn't think much about her otherwise. He didn't really want to think about the situation, period.

It is hard to avoid, though. The scandal becomes the talk of the town. His father, in particular, loves updating his family on it. He hates the fish merchant family for coming closer to success than he ever did. He also hates the Bear family so takes joy in seeing them both unhappy.

A month later, he is even forced to come face to face with it. As he is pulling a fish from his fishing line and contemplates devouring it, he hears a noise and turns to see Riva standing there.

She looks miserable. Her face is tear streaked and bruised. Her clothes looked torn at places too. Riva wipes at her eyes and mutters at him bitterly.

"Are you going to mock me too?"

He shakes his head. "I'm just here to fish."

There is a pause. "I am innocent of those things people are saying about me."

Adal hesitates. "I haven't heard everything they're saying about you."

"I bet you're heard most of it." She snaps back. "The people of this village are unbelievably cruel. There are people – people I've known my entire life and thought cared about me – who are saying the most horrible things about me. The girls I used to play with mock me. The boys who used to say I'm pretty and follow after me like puppies are calling me a whore."

"Even my own family." She hisses the last word. "No one has mistreated me more than them. They would believe those vicious Bears over their own daughter."

Adal squirms uncomfortably. He's seven years old. He just wants to catch fish.

"I'm not a whore. I was a virgin. Roccoco's third cousin raped me." This catches his attention. "I screamed my lungs out and the servants saw what happened. His own family saw what happened."

She sobs miserably. "But it doesn't matter! They're family! Roccoco stops seeing me and I get blamed for tempting him! What was I suppose to do? Fight off someone twice my size and an Earth grade at that? Why can't anyone understand me?"

"What about you? What do you think of me?"

He decides to be honest. "I just want to catch fish."

She stares resentfully at him. "So that means you don't care about me. It figures. If my own family don't care, why should you? Well, I'm here to drown myself."

Another voice calls out. "Is that right? Well, what are you waiting for?"

The voice gets both their attention. A girl steps out from behind the trees.

"Gray the radish farmer's daughter?" Riva says wide eyed. "What are you doing here?"

"I followed you. I lost you earlier but then I heard voices and came over. I heard you say you were going to drown yourself. I figure I'd watch."

"You evil girl! We played together when we were kids, now you've come to watch me kill myself? Do you do this to all your friends?"

"We stopped being friends when you stole Roccoco from me!" Gray snaps back. "This is your just fate. Never did I have imagined how loose you are."

"Stole, she says! Don't joke with yourself. You never had a chance. You aren't as beautiful as me. You will live and die a poor radish farmer's daughter!"

"Shut your mouth!"

Gray launches herself at Riva who yelps in surprise. They fall backwards landing near the water's edge. Adal has to jump away to avoid getting caught in the fight. Riva angrily slaps Gray's face then flips her over submerging her head under water.

There, she uses her magic type – lightning – to shock Gray. It is weak, but in water, it becomes much more powerful. The shock also hurts Riva, though, and she lets go and runs away.

The other girl comes up gasping for breath and coughing. She falls onto her back nearby. Adal hesitates a moment before walking over. Gray breathes heavily not reacting. He touches her face and she merely stares back at him wheezing.

That's when a terrible, awful idea comes to him. What if he were to devour a human?

It isn't merely a thought. His fingers tingles at touching her and something deep inside of him seem to purr pleasurably. The urge is overwhelming. He cups her face.

"What are you doing? You are…the eldest son of the hunter Roko?" She asks getting her breathing under control. "Help me up."

"I'm sorry."

Before she could say anything else, he initiates his power. She struggles briefly and there are only slight twitches in her as she becomes mummified.

When Adal pulls himself up, he is equally filled with horror at having killed someone and elation at the power he feels. Devouring a human is nothing like devouring an animal. For the first time, he feels a change in his power. There's also a surge of energy that goes through him making him feel something. Stronger? Healthier? He's not sure.

It's been a long time since he even bothered using his power, but he feels he should try it now. He gathers his energy and, in his palm, a tiny ball of light blueish energy forms. Barely bigger than a pebble. He throws it at the ground.

It…hardly does anything. The grass moves and singes a bit which is far more than it did before, but still hardly worth anything.

The elation leaves him. All that's left is the realization that he killed someone. Adal glances at Gray's body realizing he has to do something.

A few hours later, Adal returns home. His father meets him at the door.

"Where the hell have you've been, boy? It's dark now. You were supposed to have been home hours ago."

"I lost track of time fishing."

"Is that right? Well, then where are all these fish?"

He pauses. "It was too dark to see. I tripped and lost all the fish back in the water."

Roko beats him hard for that. Afterwards, he has to limp to bed with his siblings and he has trouble lying down from pain. His brother, Data, laughs asking if he had a fun night. He thought of devouring him.

He feels a pinch of shame at that. Gray isn't even dead a day and he's already thinking of devouring someone else. His own younger brother even. Will he think of devouring his entire family too?

There must be some limit and it's probably not a good idea to devour people in his own village.

Vaguely, Adal recognizes that it seems he's already decided he will keep devouring. The question is not 'if', but 'how'.

More importantly, what happens if he devours enough?