Hey guys if u like the fanfic and want to read ahead by 5+ Chapters or just want to support take a visit on my patreon.
(P).(A).(T).(R).(E).(O).(N)
http://patreon.com/Marin_kitawaga
~~~~~~~~
"Do you understand what you did wrong?"
My mother was looking at me with disapproval. I stood before her, my head bowed in feigned shame.
That worthless piece of filth had ruined our time together. If I still had my former power, his soul would be experiencing the tortures of all six paths of reincarnation right now.
"I should have taken into account that we were in the city incognito," I said, "and punished that vermin for attempting to touch you in a less conspicuous manner."
A heavy sigh escaped her lips.
"He lost his hand. Without a highly skilled healer, he will be a cripple for the rest of his life, unable to earn a living."
"He should be grateful to be alive. According to the laws of Hell, a commoner who assaults and insults a noble is to be put to death."
"He didn't know we were from the House of Lucifuge."
"Ignorance is not an excuse. Besides, I will never allow any random passerby to lay a hand on my sister."
A hand gently ruffled my hair, and the tension in my body instantly melted away. I looked up in surprise as my mother knelt before me, her crimson eyes filled with a deep, troubled concern.
"Inflis," she said softly, "I don't know why you are so obsessed with me, but I have done nothing to deserve it. And I can only vaguely guess where this indifference to the lives of others comes from. But can you, for my sake, at least try to value life a little more? Cruelty and indifference rarely lead to happiness."
"I hear you, sister," I replied. And I will hide them, until you are ready to accept the world's cruelty once more.
Suddenly, she pulled me into a hug, her soft chest pressing against my face. I blinked, momentarily stunned, still not used to this new, affectionate side of her. In my old life, her displays of affection were limited to a rare touch of my hair. I decided I liked this new quirk.
"You're just so cute, I can't stay mad at you," she murmured, her voice a soothing balm. I wanted to stay wrapped in her warmth and softness for all eternity. But after a few, far-too-short minutes, she released me.
"Well, even though the guards delayed us, the day isn't over. Shall we visit another city?"
"Yes!"
….
After bidding my mother farewell, I reluctantly made my way to my room, searing the day's memories into my mind.
This new side of her was… unusual. For a fleeting moment, I even thought that her losing her memories wasn't such a bad thing.
No. Sin. Without her memories, my mother had lost a great deal of her power.
I shook my head, locking the door to my bedroom behind me. I walked to the window and stared out at the purple sky, a constant reminder of the sea of blood in my Soul Mirror and all the things I had done for her and our clan. I would not lose her again.
I drew the curtains and went to my desk.
With a wave of my hand, a dark crimson aura spread out, and the severed arm of that trash from the market fell onto the tabletop with a wet slap.
It was so much like a human arm, yet subtly different, in the way the flesh of a Golden Core cultivator differs from that of a peasant. I needed to understand those differences.
My own body was now different as well, altered by my soul to be more compatible.
But since my soul had not gone through this world's cycle of reincarnation, my body now possessed unique characteristics.
I needed to study the properties of both my own body and those of these "wrong" demons.
Many of my most useful abilities, like creating jiang-shi puppets and bone artifacts, depended on a thorough understanding of anatomy.
I touched the arm with my fingers, focusing my spiritual sense to see the invisible flows of energy.
Under the influence of my crimson aura, the top layer of skin on the arm slowly dissolved, revealing the demonic flesh beneath for my examination…
….
"…Merlin Ambrosius, the creator of human magic and one of the greatest mages in history. His new system of magic was created after studying demonic magic, a fact confirmed by Mephistopheles himself."
"However, unlike demonic magic, which relies on imagination and creation, Merlin's system is based on knowledge and calculation."
"It has its advantages, such as being safer and requiring less natural talent, and its disadvantages, such as being more complex and less… flexible. For example…"
The magic tutor, a demon who looked to be in his forties with a vibrant mane of red hair, took two bowls from a table cluttered with alchemical reagents and placed them in front of me.
Two blue magic circles appeared near his palms, each slightly different in its complexity. With a splash, water magically condensed and poured into the bowls, though some of it spilled. A moment later, the circles vanished.
"Now, young master," he said, "tell me which of these magic circles belongs to human magic, and which belongs to demonic magic."
I studied the two bowls. "The one on the left is human magic," I answered. "The one on the right is neither."
The man stroked his stubbled chin and nodded, pleased. "Good. You didn't fall for my little trick. Now, explain your reasoning."
"The left circle had far more symbols and repeating geometric shapes. It activated with a delay, and some of the water was spilled. The right circle contained several Norse runes, and its control over the water was much more precise."
"Excellent," he praised. "Human magic requires exact calculations for nearly everything. A single miscalculation, a missing variable, and you get spilled water. Or, a fireball that flies back in your face, or a gust of wind that blows you out of your own house."
"The system Merlin created may be safer than demonic magic in some ways, but it offers no protection for idiots. The other magic I used was, as you correctly deduced, Norse rune magic. We can discuss that another time. Today, we focus on the human system."
~~~~~~~~
Hey guys if u like the fanfic and want to read ahead by 5+ Chapters or just want to support take a visit on my patreon.
(P).(A).(T).(R).(E).(O).(N)
http://patreon.com/Marin_kitawaga