The story begins in the midst of a war—one that was ignited by a single man. But to understand how it all began, let's rewind to the day before.
Man in his twenty's walked out of an office building, clutching a small box in his hands. His pale face and dark-circled eyes revealed that he hadn't slept for days. And his name his Ethan our protagonist, as he reached a crosswalk, his gaze fell upon a couple on the other side of the road. The man and woman were walking arm in arm, smiling. Ethan's breath hitched as he whispered, "That's my girlfriend..." His voice was barely audible, filled with pain.
Without thinking, he stepped forward, oblivious to the traffic signal flashing green. The blaring horn of a car was the last thing he heard before the impact sent him tumbling. As he lay on the pavement, blood pooling around him, he could see people gathering, staring down at him. Among them, his girlfriend and the man beside her simply walked past.
"These tramps are everywhere," the man scoffed. "Because of them, accidents keep increasing."
She nodded in agreement without a hint of concern.
Something inside Ethan shattered and he his eyes started blurred out. As darkness enveloped him, memories surfaced.
"Why me?, it always been me"
He recalled his childhood—never knowing his parents name and face, growing up in an orphanage, clinging to the rare visits from his aunt. Then, one day, she stopped coming. Weeks later, he overheard the caretakers watching the news as he his inside the caretaker room while playing hide and seek.
"A young woman was killed in a car accident. The driver claims it was a brake malfunction," the reporter announced.
"Poor boy," one caretaker murmured.
"Don't pity him," the other replied. "He's bad luck and this what if you pity him."
Ethan had clenched his fists back then, swallowing his grief. He knew it wasn't an accident. No one dared to speak against the man responsible since he came from a powerful family.
Ethan had endured bullying, beatings, and isolation, all because people feared the misfortune that seemed to follow him and always treated like an outcast. But then, someone loved him. He fell in love, thinking he had finally found happiness, only to be betrayed.
As his soul drifted in the dark abyss, a voice echoed in the void.
"Oh, poor boy... Let me give you another chance. Entertain me."
"What?" Ethan's weak voice responded.
"Wait patiently," the voice said. "You'll understand everything in time. Until then, goodbye—one of my keys."
Pain engulfed him, searing through his very being. Then, he saw a brilliant light flashed in the dark abyss and he started was pulled towards it. When he opened his eyes, it was bright and blur. After a few blinks and he saw that he was in the arms of a nun, his body covered in blood. She spoke in a language he didn't understand. Nearby, another woman was crying.
Looking at his tiny hands, realization struck. "I... I've been reborn?"
Before he could process it further, exhaustion overtook him, and he drifted into sleep.
[Ten Years Later]
A boy ran across a small field in the middle of a forest with an wooden plane shaped toy.
"Sebastian! Dinner time!" a woman called.
"Coming!" he replied.
Ethan—now Sebastian had found something he never had before: a home, a family, happiness and even though he was reincarnated he acted like a normal ten years child which he was never been able to before. Magic was real in this world, and his father was an earth magician who used his abilities for farming and his mother is healer whose a housewife.
Sometimes he used go with his father for selling crops in the city and it was peaceful.
That night, they enjoyed a peaceful dinner until a violent knock shattered the moment.
His mother grabbed him, whispering, "Hide!" She stuffed him inside a closet.
Through the small cracks, Sebastian saw his father's severed head rolled into the room. His mother's screams filled the air as four men loomed over her.
"No! Please, leave us!" she sobbed.
One of the men slapped her before dragging her into another room, followed by the others. Hours passed. Their vile laughter and jeers echoed in the house. When they finally emerged out of the room, one kicked his father's head aside.
"We took the money and had our fun", a scarred man said "Burn the place down. We'll report this as a Firihino attack".
Flames consumed everything.
Sebastian emerged from the closet, his small hands trembling. He entered the room and found his mother lifeless on the bed. Covering her with a sheet, he dragged her outside. Then, he took his father's severed head and carried it by the hair and dragged the body.
The house and field were nothing but ashes and by side. He dug two graves and laid them to rest. As the sky wept, he stood before the graves, whispering, "Why me? I never wanted a new life in the first place. I thought I had found peace, but this fucking curse follows me."
He clenched his fists. "I promise... that their blood will soak this grave."
With tears streaming down his face, he turned toward the forest and walked away.
This was the beginning of his path to vengeance.