The beginning of Rito's new life involves a busy intersection, a speeding truck, memories and lots and lots of pain. It all happens so fast, in the blink of an eye. And before Rito knows it, he is already there, lying on the street with blood pouring down his head. His body, which has been twisted in an incomprehensible way aches every now and then, causing him to grimace in pain.

Yet despite all this, he seems oddly calm. Almost as if he's just another bystander watching the show unfold. Truth is, Rito's brain has gone into complete overdrive, trying its best to understand those foreign memories constantly invading his mind without break like raging water from a broken dam. Due to this, the pain he feels has also been lowered by many folds as his brain has no time to register it.

The whole process takes but a few seconds, maybe even less before all of his senses gradually grow duller, then, as expected, he blacks out. The last thing to enter his vision is his mother's distraught and tears stained face. Soon, Rito falls into a deep slumber, embraced by the cold darkness as faint cries echo in his ears.

•▪•▪•▪•

In the midst of a war-torn zone, stood a young boy, probably no more than ten years old. He had ashen blonde hair, and a beautiful, yet hollow pair of golden colored eyes. He would've been a handsome young lad, had it not for the blood that covered his face and the mountain of mutilated corpses surrounding him. Together, it was a scene that could be described as straight out from Hell, capable of giving others nightmares.

There was also another distinguish characteristic about him. His slick, trident-shaped black tail, which was holding the neck of a man in heavy armor, then with a slight squeeze, it easily twisted his neck as the light in his eyes slowly dimmed. Done, the boy walked away, leaving the scene. He found no reason to stay now that he had finished doing what he came here to do.

•▪•▪•▪•

Rito opens his eyes tiredly, only to be greeted by a desolate room and a bunch of hospital equipments attached to his small body. It would be a lie to say he is not disappointed, he had expected his parents to be by his side, but after giving it some thoughts, Rito doesn't blame his parents in the slightest. The doctors probably didn't let them in so he could rest since it is already a godsent miracle that he survived such an accident.

Feeling relieved that he is still alive, Rito lets out a sigh, just to realize the big plastic pipe, also known as breathing tube shoved down his throat. Startled, he instinctively tries to get it out, his arms, however, feel like they are being crushed by a thousands tons boulder. Even lifting a finger proves to be a challenge for him. This situation renders Rito helpless as he could only wait for others to notice him.

Gazing at the beautiful night sky distractedly, Rito bites down on his lip, trying to endure the pain that has been tormenting him ever since the accident as stream of extremely detailed memories continues to pour steadily into his brain. Strands of dark brown hair fall down, covering his eyes, hiding away the complicated expression that does not fit that of a child in his stare.

If he had to, Rito would probably describe this as a weird feeling. Almost like he is watching a high quality movie while also experiencing the feelings, the thoughts and that agonizing pain the main character goes through. After awhile, his human body could no longer take it and he succumbs himself to the pain, being forcefully brought into a coma once more.

•▪•▪•▪•

The man stared emotionlessly at his disciple, a boy with spiky black hair, crimson red eyes, and a very similar tail to his own. He gestured for the boy to continue, fully expecting the boy to give up, but contrary to his expectations, the young boy gritted his teeth as he charged forth... Only to have his attacks dodged by the man before falling down, seemingly out cold from exhaustion.

Shaking his head, the man threw his disciple on his shoulder, carrying him like a sack of potatoes, yet written on his face were admiration and affection of a father to his son. He of course knew that the boy wasn't really his, but ever since the day he decided to teach the boy, he had already treated him as one of his own, not to mention they both had a similar tail that only those who were destined to become one above all others would have.

After putting his disciple on a beatifully-made silk bed in the palace, his hand glowed a faint dark purple light, created from pure, untainted energy drawn from the depth of his being, this tyrannical energy then slowly started to slip inside the exhausted young boy, gently mending his torn muscles.

"Sleep well, kid." Said the man before turning away, his lips slightly curved upward.

•▪•▪•▪•

Outside the emergency room, Ringo is standing in the corner, worries evident on her face. She can't understand it, the doctors clearly said her son was gradually stabilizing yesterday, so how did it come to this? Aside from this, she also blames herself for not paying attention to him, if she had been a better mother, none of this would've happened.

Pushing these negative thoughts to the back of her mind, Ringo steels herself. She can't break down here, not now, not when her son is experiencing God knows what. Instead of making it that much harder for them, she should pray for him. Thus, she sits down obediently, waiting for the results.

Soon, her husband, Saibai also comes soaked in sweat, bursting through the hospital door. The poor man had run all the way here because he didn't want to wait for a taxi, he too was very worried. Not that anyone would ever blame him, it's his son after all.

Ignoring his wife, Saibai stares intensely at the emergency room. Their relationship has been quite rocky since the accident, they are drifting apart and they know it. It is mostly due to Saibai, but it is understandable, everytime he sees Ringo, he remembers the day he received news about his son, and it pains him greatly, almost as if a knife had stabbed through his heart.

Hours later, the same doctor who helped Ringo gave birth comes out, her face a bit paler than normal.

"Saibai-san, Ringo-san. I have good and bad news, which one do you want to hear first." She says, lookinh between the two.

"Good one first, please." Ringo quickly answers.

"The good news is that not only has your son stabilized, he's also recovering with an inhuman speed, and he should wake up soon. The bad news is we still can't find out why he has gone into a coma, my guess is due to shock or residual after-effects from the accident, but we won't know for sure until we check it." The doctor adds.

Hearing that Rito is safe, both Saibai and Ringo breathe out in relief. They quickly ask the doctor to do a detailed test, which the doctor happily agrees to, before going home. During this, Rito has long woken up, his aura completely changed compared to the old him. He closes his eyes, concentrating hard on that familiar, yet also unfamiliar feeling.

Contrary to his expectations, he doesn't need to wait long before he feels great power coursing through his arms. It soon reaches his fingers and flares up, destroying most of the machines in the room. Even the light bulbs explode, broken into countless pieces. Yet despite this powerful demonstration, Rito doesn't feel sastified at all as he furrows his brows in annoyance.

He couldn't help but think the human body is truly frail in comparison to a devilukean. If he wants to become as strong as he once was, he'll have to cultivate not just magic, but also Ki. And where could he find these two in a universe filled with an entirely different energy substance? Just Mana is already hard enough.