Damian did his best to hold back the tears welling in his eyes.
Standing before him was the woman he'd never thought he'd see again—his mother.
In his past life, she had been poisoned and left to die by the very people they called family. The king had prepared a burial, sure, but his absence at the funeral said more than any words could.
Damian still didn't know who was behind her death.
But this time, he'd make sure she lived long enough to find out.
Sniff... I'm glad I got to see you again, Mother... he thought, a single tear sliding down his cheek.
"Damian? What's the matter?" she asked gently, noticing his face beginning to crumble.
"Oh, it's nothing, Mother," he said, trying to smile.
"Don't lie to me, Damian. Was it Kai again?" Her voice hardened, even though they both knew she could do nothing if it was.
"Um... No, it's not Kai..." he muttered beneath his breath. "I just got emotional seeing you is all."
"And what would make my strong boy so sad?" she asked, her fingers brushing his cheek.
He hesitated, and gathered his thoughts. In this moment—he needed it to work.
The item he needed for his awakening wasn't a blade or a potion, but something his mother owned a d cherished deeply.
"Mother," he said nervously, "do you still have that necklace? The one Father gave you back then?"
To some, it was a plain old beautiful necklace, but to someome like Damian, wasn't just a pendant. It was an Ester Crystal, a rare gem infused with a teeny bit amount of divine mana—often used in decor, but precious beyond measure to the right kind of mage. And for someone like Damian, it was exactly what he needed.
She blinked. "The crystal one? Why?" she asked, a little perplexed.
"Umm,... You see,... The thing is..." He stuttered.
"Well out with it" she cut in.
"Ok" he exhaled. "I need it… for my Awakening," he said.
"I know it sounds strange, but that necklace, it—" he cut his sentence shirt as he didn't want anyone finding out about his regression. I promise I'll explain everything later, but right now I need it, and… it might break." he added "Like into lots of pieces, but I'll promise I'll get you a new on-"
"Sure"
"And I uh... wait seriously? I was expecting alot of questions." Damian replied.
Her hand instinctively reached for the necklace hanging around her neck. A beautiful, star-shaped crystal shimmered faintly—an Ester crystal he thought.
Handing him the necklace, "Just don't forget you owe me a new one" she smiled.
He chuckled. "Wouldn't dream of it." as he took the pendant, and with a hug and a "wish me luck," he was on his way to his next location.—To begin his awakening.
After their talk, he made his way toward the living room where the crystal orb was prepared for him. On opening the large double doors, he realized that his siblings were already there as standing for his father—Not all of them though.
Aeron was gleaming with his usual smug smile. Kai and Kaia, the twin terrors, glared daggers at Damian.
He remembered the last time he was in this room—how terrified he'd been of them. The fountain incident, the thorns in his shoes, the time they locked him in the crypt overnight.
But this time, he smiled right back at them.
'Kai actually flinched. Good.' he thought.
Damian sat casually on the couch and reached out toward the orb resting on the polished table.
No one paid much attention. It was just a decoration, after all.
The butler approached. "focus on the orb young master. It only lasts a moment," he whispered with a wink before retreating.
With a deep breath, Damian pressed his palm against the crystal—and crack.
A small crunch, a light shimmer... then the world warped.
Space distorted, twisting like water being drained down a sink. In the blink of an eye, Damian was floating in darkness. Before him were two glowing screens: one for Skills, the other for Classes.
His heart skipped.
Then he noticed it.
His Points—top right corner—were dropping fast.
"C'mon, c'mon..." he muttered, fingers already scrolling through the alphabetical skill list.
There it was.
[Gluttony]
The skill that devoured all others. Rare. Dangerous. Perfect.
But it was still grayed out.
His points were already below average—Beelzebub's essence was doing its work, eating away at his stats.
Damian gritted his teeth.
But just as despair crept in—hope sparked.
The divine mana from the Ester Crystal finally activated.
His points surged upward like a geyser.
Still... not enough.
He flicked over to the Class tab. There it was: a shining option available only to those infused with divine energy.
[Prince of Light]
Elegant. Rare. Non-combat. But with enough potential to place him at the top of every power game in the empire.
Just then, the numbers began to glitch—flickering, jittering, scrambling.
Exactly as planned.
The clash between the Beelzebub essence and Ester mana was forcing a system malfunction.
The points counter broke. Instead of numbers, it read one beautiful word:
[NULL]
Then the voice echoed through the darkness:
> [System Malfunction Detected... Impurity Defected... Preparing to fix in 3...]
Damian didn't hesitate. His finger darted toward his chosen skill and class. Loading icons appeared.
> [...2...]
"Come on..." he whispered.
> [...1...]
> [Malfunction Fixed. Impurities Cleansed.]
[You may now select your skill and class.]
Too late.
He already had them.
Damian's face was obscured by his hair, but the stupid, satisfied grin on his lips said it all.
> [You have acquired the unique skill: "Gluttony."]
[You have acquired the unique class: "Prince of Light."]
He couldn't help but laugh.
"Haha! It actually worked."
Then his eyes wandered back to the screen. "Oh?... I guess I can pick a second skill after the reset..." he muttered with amusement.
That same dumb grin still stretched across his face.
"Now, what skill should I choose next?"
---
Let me know when you're ready for Chapter 4: The Ceremony. Want to brainstorm the next skill options too?