Chapter 77: Awakening Through Pain

Kael opened his eyes to the bright, warm sunlight of the day. The scent of freshly baked bread and herbal tea with honey wafted into his nose. The scent was so familiar... it transported Kael back to the past, to the days he spent in the village.

He looked around. He was inside a small, peaceful house in the countryside of the Eastern Kingdom. A breakfast spread was laid out on the wooden table. Standing at the head of the table was a woman in white; her face was so kind, her smile so familiar, that Kael's throat literally tightened. Right behind her, his father, setting the firewood he was holding aside, was walking toward him.

The family scene he had dreamed of since childhood—one that had never truly existed—

was right in front of him.

"So you're finally awake, sleepyhead," his mother said, walking toward him and running her hand through Kael's hair.

"Come sit down; I just poured your tea."

Kael was in a daze.

"Am I... dreaming?"

The warmth of his mother's hand, the wind brushing against his skin—it all felt so real...His father touched Kael's shoulder and asked, "What's wrong, Kael? You're looking at us as if you're seeing us for the first time. Are you okay?"

Kael's eyes welled up, and he sat down at the table.

"I... I just felt like I'd missed you so much," he said, his voice trembling.

His mother smiled gently as she placed a roll on Kael's plate, saying, "We're always here, son. We never left you—or did you have a nightmare?"

Kael reached for the roll, listening to his father's laughter. Everything was so perfect and warm that Kael felt more at peace than he had ever felt in his life.

But right in the middle of this happy moment, things began to go wrong in Kael's dream.Just as Kael was about to touch the teacup, the color of the cup in his hand began to fade. He lifted his head and looked at his father. His father's voice came through clearly, but his image was slowly becoming transparent.

"Dad? What's happening?" Kael called out...

He turned toward his mother. She was still smiling at him with tenderness, but she, too, was beginning to fade away just like his father. The table in the garden, the green grass, the sun in the sky... Everything seemed to have turned into a cloud of mist.

No matter how hard Kael reached out with his hands, he couldn't touch his family. The surroundings were rapidly darkening; that warm home was giving way to an empty darkness.

"Mom! Dad! Don't go!" Kael shouted. Overcome by the helplessness of losing them, he screamed one last time:

"Mom!"

Kael opened his eyes with a scream.

The wooden ceiling of the cabin was right above him. He was gasping for breath, cold sweat trickling down his forehead. As he tried to sit up, he saw Master Videl sitting across from him.

At the head of the bed, clinging to the edge, was Olivia, who had fallen asleep from exhaustion while waiting for Kael to recover.

"Are you okay, son?" asked Master Videl.

"Master Videl... I..." Kael tried to speak, but his voice was weak. When he brought his hand to his face, he noticed something odd.

His nails were pitch-black and sharp. When he looked into the mirror standing right beside him, he couldn't believe what he saw.

This appearance... Kael was in his half-demon form. Two black wings protruding from his back fluttered slightly.

"Your body must be injured, so your half-demon blood has kicked in to heal itself, Kael. There's no need to panic,"

When Kael fully came to his senses, he realized that the warm breakfast table and his family he had just seen were nothing but a dream.

"I know it was a dream... but I wish I could have spent more time with Mom and Dad," he thought.

Videl filled a glass with water from the pitcher on the table and handed it to Kael. As Kael sipped the water slowly, his gaze drifted to Olivia, who was sleeping at the edge of the bed.

"Master Videl... Olivia..."

Videl sighed deeply and turned his gaze to his granddaughter.

"I don't know what to say, child. Olivia was suffering greatly because of her past memories. As her grandfather, I couldn't bear to see her in that state any longer, so I sealed away her memories. I honestly don't understand what caused those memories to resurface. If you hadn't entered her mind and rescued her from that darkness..."

"Don't blame yourself, Master Videl. What matters is that we're both here and safe right now. We can't erase the past completely, but we can learn to fight it."

Videl remained silent in the face of Kael's words.

"How is Olivia doing, then?"

"Olivia seems to be doing well right now; her mind has completely calmed down."

"And how is your body, Kael? Do you have any aches or pains?"

Kael placed his hand on his chest and arm. The pain from those broken bones had completely vanished. He got out of bed, stepped onto the floor, and hopped a few times with light steps.

"I'm fine, Master Videl. I can move around comfortably."

Seeing Kael's condition, Videl let out a sigh of relief. he had expended a significant amount of mana to heal Kael and anchor his spirit in this dimension; she was truly glad her efforts hadn't been in vain.

Meanwhile, hearing the sounds of their conversation, Olivia opened her eyes slightly. When she noticed Kael standing right in front of her, she jumped to her feet.

Seeing that Olivia had woken up, Kael turned toward her.

"Olivia, I'm—"

Before Kael could finish his sentence, Olivia lunged forward and clung to him desperately. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she began to sob uncontrollably.

"I'm sorry! Kael, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to hurt you—I almost killed you... It's all my fault!"

Uncertain how to react to Olivia's sudden outburst, Kael placed his hand on her head,

"Calm down, Olivia. You're fine, look, I'm standing here. Nothing happened to me, please don't blame yourself."

In the days that followed, every time Olivia made a move toward Kael, she acted with incredible caution—almost timidly—as if there were a glass doll standing before her. Her attacks had slowed, and she had completely suppressed that destructive power.

When Kael noticed this obvious strangeness in the girl's movements, he lowered his wooden sword and asked:

"Olivia... Are you still afraid of hurting me?"

"I... I'm just worried that I might make you go through the same things again, Kael..."

"I'm not that easily broken, Olivia. Trust me, let your mind go free."

Things continued this way for a few months. During this time, Kael had begun to gain better control over his body and the power brought by the 5th Ring; he could now control his demonic essence much more comfortably.

One morning, Master Videl called Kael over to him on the training grounds.

"Kael, come here, son. I think your body has grown strong enough. It's time to open your closed mana veins,"

Kael looked at the old man with curiosity.

"Mana veins?"

Videl began to explain:

"Not all mana channels in our bodies are open at all times, Kael. There are hidden mana channels that remain completely closed from the moment we're born. There are two ways to open them: Either you have them opened by a master acupuncturist using special needles—and in the entire kingdom, there are only two or three people capable of doing this, or perhaps even fewer. The other method is to force them open; you can unblock those clogged channels by subjecting the body to intense pressure. If all the mana channels in your body open, your growth rate increases incredibly. But enduring that pressure is difficult, Kael. No matter how painful it is, you must keep your consciousness clear."

Kael knew he needed to grow even stronger.

"I'm ready, Master Videl. Let's try it."

When they stepped into the open area, Olivia, having learned of the situation, approached Kael with concern and took his arm.

"Kael, you don't have to do this. You can get strong enough with regular training."

"It's okay, Olivia. I can handle it. Trust me."

Olivia realized she couldn't change Kael's mind and stepped back helplessly.Master Videl took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Within seconds, six black wings emerged from the old man's back. Videl extended one hand toward Kael. When the old demon general opened his eyes again, he directed an unstoppable surge of mana—powerful enough to shake even the sealed dimension—straight at Kael.

It felt as if tons of weight had suddenly crashed down on Kael. The ground beneath his feet began to sink slightly under the immense pressure, and the surrounding earth started to crack. Every bone and every muscle fiber in Kael's body felt as if they were cracking one by one.

"You can hold on, Kael... Don't lose consciousness!" he thought to himself.

Olivia watched Kael from the edge of the square, her eyes filled with great anxiety and fear.

"You're doing well, son,"

"I'm increasing the pressure!"

Videl tightened his grip slightly, doubling the mana pressure on Kael. The sinkholes where Kael stood had grown much deeper.

"Grit your teeth, Kael! I'm sending the final mana wave!"

When Videl sent the final and heaviest mana pressure toward Kael, he had reached a point where he could barely breathe. His heart was pounding wildly. Though every part of his body was burning with pain, he didn't forget Videl's warning and struggled to keep his consciousness clear, even if it took all his strength.

When Videl finally lowered her hand and completely lifted the crushing pressure from Kael, he collapsed to his knees, then fell face-first to the ground.

Olivia ran over to Kael's side,

"Kael! Are you okay?!"

Kael swallowed hard, took a deep breath, and lifted his head slightly.

"I... I'm okay."

Master Videl came over to Kael, reached out his hand, and helped him to his feet. A proud smile was on the old man's face.

"You held your ground well, Kael. How do you feel?"

Kael was shocked when he brushed the dust off his clothes, raised his right hand into the air, and clenched his fist tightly. The mana flowing through his body was circulating through his veins at a speed incomparable to before. All the blocked pathways had been cleared.

"I... I feel much better."

"Don't push yourself just yet; I've prepared a special healing pool for you in the pond behind the cabin. Step inside and let your body rest completely."

Videl had filled the small pond behind the cabin with pure, healing mana. The moment Kael took off his clothes and stepped into the water, all the lingering aches and fatigue from the pressure on his body vanished instantly. The dense mana in the water was being drawn into his body through the new meridians that had opened up.

A few days later, Kael felt stronger and lighter than he had ever been before.

When they returned to the training ground, Kael, who was at the 5th ring, was using elemental magic and physical mana control so flawlessly that he could easily keep up with Olivia's moves—even though she was at the 6th ring—without any difficulty.