I am scared. What's going on. Where are they dragging me to?

I was brought to a room that seems like a storage.

The guards then lifted a part of the carpet covering the floor. A wooden door was revealed.

As he opens it, a stair leading to the basement is revealed. The guards then starts to drag me into the basement.

The walls are dirty. Moss were seen to grow and dirt stains painted the stone wall. As I reach the basement, I was horrified.

Rooms, or I would rather call it space divided with rusted iron bars are seen. No. These are cages.

'W-what is this place?' I quietly ask the guards.

"You will be staying here from now".

I don't understand. What is going on? What did I do? So much thoughts and fear pops in my head.

I don't want to be here. The guards pushed me into one of the cell and lock the gate.

"Stay quiet and don't make any noise. Food will be served twice a day."

Tears starts to flow down my cheeks. I feel scared, I feel overwhelmed. My feet are dirtied from from the dirt beneath me. I feel weak and my legs tremble as I realised what situation I was in.

The guard take a look at me. He eyed me for a second, with pity in eyes.

My tears still won't stop. The guard then walks away with his partner slowly leaving me behind. Only the light coming from torches on walls dimly light the space.

I sat down on the corner of the cage. The floor is just dirt. Its hard, dirty, and there's a section covered with a wooden plank with a hole in the middle.

Am I supposed to shit here? There's no bed and no pillow either.

Why is this happening to me?

I tried to keep positive and maybe, I will get out of here soon. But... I was wrong.

I was not sure how much time has passed, perhaps hours. I lost my sense of time as the only light source barely reaching me are from the torches on the walls near the entrance.

Soon, I can hear someone opened the door leading to the basement.

The steps slowly approaches. And as the figure comes closer, her steps echoed louder and louder until her face .

'Mother!'. I was hopeful that my mother came to get me out of here. She stood, rummaging the keys in her hand for the right key.

As she opened the gate, she went in and stood in front of me. Her blue eyes pointed towards me with a sharp hateful look.

"Stupid brat."

'What?'. My jaw slightly opened at the unexpected word from her .

Mother had always been gentle. Even though most of the times I spend my time with the maids or the language tutor, once in a while mother will invite me and brother to drink tea at the garden. Aside from asking 'how is your day?' and asking my brother how is school, she barely speaks with us. She never was a doting mother, but she still check on us time to time. She was gentle. However, the woman I called mother is no longer here.

Suddenly I can feel the temperature rising. Sweat starts to form around my neck, trickling down my chest.

With a furious look in her eyes, she raises her one of her hand forward and a red magic circle appears in front of her. The intricate magic circle glows brighter as she pointed her hands at me.

"M-mother?"

'WHO ARE YOU CALLING MOTHER!?'

Fire shoots out of her palm searing my face.

"Aaagghhhh!!!" I screamed as pain throbs across my skin.

Its painful, it's so fucking painful. My face. My fucking face.

"Aaaargghh!"

I can only scream at the pain coursing through my body. The world turns dark as my sight was lost from the burns.

The pain seeps deep into my skin, into my flesh and to my very bones. I screamed on topped of my lungs, losing air and I passed out from the pain.

After some times, I woke up.

I was lying on the ground feeling drowsy and tired.

Red and black stains the dirt and wall behind me.

My sight has returned to my surprise. I vividly remembers what happened. My mother- no, that crazy woman has burned me with magic.

I recalled the pain coursing through my face - and my whole body consumed by fire. I touched my whole body to realise they were smooth and it seems as if I was never harmed to begin with.

I know what happened was real. Why am I fine? Why am I alive?

Sometimes later, I hear someone coming in.

It's a guard. As his figure came to view, a surprised look carved on his face. He had a look full of questions.

'How is he alive and look unharmed?'.

I was not sure too. In a second, I remembered the talent I had as shown by the status screen.

And as soon as I think of it, suddenly a status screen appears in front of me.

---

Name: Cassius Bloodfallen

Level: 1

Mana: 160/230

Attribute: Water (S+)

Talent:

Mana flow (B)

Mana control (B)

Mana acceleration (B)

Mana agglomeration (C)

Regeneration (A)

Skill: Self regeneration

---

I figured out what happened. I gained a skill.

When I was unconscious, I healed my own body completely from all the burns I received although I still feel dizzy and tired after the ordeal. And it consumed my mana too.

The guard then leave. Sometimes later, he came back with food on his hand.

'Eat.' he places the plate of food on the ground in front of me and steps out of the cell, locking the cage and leaves.

I feel some numbness in my face and part of my body. I reaches out to the plate.

It was soup, with some pieces of breads in it. There's some pieces of meat too. It was edible, but bland. I had no choice to swallow it whole as thirst irritates my throat and my body screamed to eat something.

It's nothing compared to what I ate with the family as we sat together in the dining hall before.

No... were they family? Why are they doing this to me. What did I do?

For 7 years everything was just fine. Is it because I don't have fire attribute? Is that a big deal?

I want to get out. I want to live a life. I don't want to stay here. With so much negative thoughts... I slowly eat the soup, stopping my grumbling stomach.

I soon fell asleep, still feeling drowsy and weak. As I lay down the floor and closed my eyes, I made a wish that everything was just a nightmare.

...

Clink. Clink. Clink.

I was waken up by sounds of metals clashing with each other. And I heard the gate being opened, producing a creaking sound as the hinges of the iron cell grit their sides.

I slowly raise my head and focus my eyes to look at the entrance to see the figure in front of me. It starts to come into a clear view and it was- mother.

'I thought I had killed you'. Spoke her coldly.

S-she really meant to kill me? Her blue eyes have a cold, emotionless look.

'But now I have a different idea'.

A creepy smile carved on her face, her wide lips makes makes her smile looks even more scarier as it stretch out to her ears abnormally.

And then, I hear more footsteps.

Guards too come in and they start to come close and tie my hands and feet with iron chains. They pinned the chains that locked my hands to the wall with a large iron nail.

'I feel so mad. So mad. So angry. Why did I give birth to you? Useless. You brought shame to me. Its all your fault! It's all your fault! Your fault!'.

She screamed in hysteria.

I trembled at the sight of the crazy woman in front of me. For the 7 years I knew her, she barely speaks- and when she does it was soft and calming. But now its scary.

I feel scared. I remembered being burned by her and tears starts to flow down my cheeks. I struggled to shake the chains off my hands but it's useless.

My worst fear come true, she starts to point his palm towards me and starts chanting.

The bright red circles starts to come into view.

The sight of the bright red light causes me to lose my breath, my heart suddenly beats faster and faster - loud enough I can hear them and strong enough I can feel my body trembles.

Fear surged in me making me to panic and sweat formed on skin.

"N-no!! Please, stop I be-!'

Before I can say anything much, the sensation of heat and pain starts to course through my body. I can only scream as my body burns in bright light, convulsing making loud noise as the chains tying me clanks with the wall.

For some times which feels like eternity, I was in so much pain.

Slowly I opened my eyes to look at my body.

All of my skins are burnt. I can see dark burnt flesh of mine, blood and pus erupt from various parts of my body. The pain pulsate through my body here and there.

Tears still flowing down my cheek and I grit my teeth trying to hold on. Soon, the pain slowly dissipate as I watch my body starts to heal abnormally.

The dark burnt flesh starts to loosen and fall off and I saw new flesh grows- pink flesh and veins grow in the burnt spot and then new layer of skin covers my body.

It feels like, having worms or insects crawling in me as I heal to the point that it seems like I was never hurt at all. The rate I heal is, inhumane if I say so myself.

'Hahahahah!'.

I flinched at hearing the laugh. The crazy woman in front of me laughed like a maniac.

I realised she was still there. The pain made me temporarily forgot she was there.

To my horror, she raises his hands again and red magic circles appears again. 'Die, you useless brat!'. The pain course through my body whole again.

I screamed yet again until I left with no more energy.

'I want to die. It hurts. It hurts. Kill me. Just kill me'

I muttered in my head as the pain keeps on going.

I wanted to scream but I no longer have a voice. My body keeps healing over and over again.

I don't know how long has it been. Even a minute is could feel like an eternity.

Has it been hours? But she stops burning me at one point.

A guard came to her to tell her something urgent. Without looking back, Julia leaves me behind in a hurry.

Leaving me sitting down the floor charred with black and dark red.

Another tear drop down my cheek. My body started to heal once more- but it stops abruptly.

Blood keeps flowing out of me until a fresh pool of blood forms beneath me.

Since I use mana to heal, I think I ran out of mana.

I feel extremely weak, dizzy and tired. 'I will die here' I thought.

My vision starts to becomes blurry. I am losing consciousness. I will die here.

I start to remember my past. My past, is traumatic as well.

I completely forget about the specific events after I was reincarnated as it never once crosses my mind. I guess, this is what it meant when they say life flashes before your eyes when you re dying?

In my previous life, I was bullied by people and was left alone because I loved someone that I shouldn't.

My parents can't accept me even though they still provide me with basic necessities. At some point we stop talking to one another.

And about him, yes, I remembers him.

He told lies about me to others. He told me did care for me. We have spent our time together, deluded thinking our love was real.

We embraced each's others warmth but it meant nothing. He never cared for me, he made fun of me with his friends.

I saw everything in his social medias.

Everything starts to go wrong when his friend simply asked if I liked him in front of him trying to make a gay joke out of us.

He's, afraid that others know about our relationship. That was it.

That was the reason for those trauma. I had to quit college because I had depression.

I remembered everything clearly again.

And I remembered that he's a stupid fucking piece of shit.

Yes.

He's a trash that broke his promise, had the audacity to tell he do care but leaves me, abandoned me, and treated me like a joke.

And I had to go through so much alone, all by myself. I feel mad. I feel so mad. I don't deserve any of this shit.

My life was so shit and now in this life I was born into a shitty family with crazy woman who burn their own 7 year old child.

Right. I am 7 years old. I am not even 26, remembering my memories up till my age of 19 in my previous life.

That crazy woman burns and torture a 7 years old child. I feel mad.

I don't deserve this. If anyone has to die, it's her.

That trash from my previous life too, deserves to die for what he did.

The crazy part of me starts to come out as I remembers the trauma in past life.

Hahahahaha!

A laugh escaped from my throat, and I smiled with madness. I will kill them.

I will kill them! I will not die here!

They deserve to die, not me.

As anger and flame of hatred starts in my heart, I can feel... Energy around me.

I mustered all my strength to focus on the lingering energy in the air. I can feel them.

And, as if it's natural to me, I instinctually gather these energy into small spots around me. And soon, small bright particles becomes visible around me.

Mana.

This energy are mana. I starts to focus even more to gather them and the particles of mana starts to form multiple glowing threads.

It seeps into my body and I can feel my body starts to heal once more. The bleeding I had slowly came to a halt. And although not as fast, my body starts to heal once again.

With anger and madness reflected in my eyes, I swear to kill that crazy woman and everyone who turned a blind eye to what she has done. More mana particles forms and gather inside me. I can feel that I have the ability to kill that crazy woman.

Knowing I have water attribute, I start to channel mana in me imagining water molecules sticking to one another as they expand.

A conglomeration of pure mana with water attribute forms in shape of threads and strings, which then moves around in my hand. I can control them freely. It's like when I gather mana to absorb the energy. It's just the opposite.

I can feel that the threads formed with my mana is strong.

Strong as steel, yet fluid as water.

This is it. I will wait for that crazy women and kill her. Before that crazy woman come again, I will practice and perfect whatever magic I am using now and kill her.

A lot of time passes. The guards come and go to bring me food. But the woman was not seen.

I think it's already been a week.

Everyday, I practiced forming the threads of pure water magic while at the same time absorbing mana in the surrounding. This way I can sustain my magic for a long time.

I know the chance for me to escape is slim. Perhaps the guards will catch me even if I escaped. And my mother cannot be underestimated.

She was married to Duke Augustus Bloodfallen for a reason.

She was worthy in Augustus's eye, bearing abnormally large mana pool and fire attribute talent matching even from those of Bloodfallen clan. She might kill me instead but I don't care.

I will try to fight my way out to my death. I no longer care if I die. Dying is better than staying here anyway.

***

After a long wait... Finally my revenge time has come. I will kill her and escape.

Slowly, the figure of the mad woman come into view. She opens the gates and enters the cage. I pretend to stay still, seemingly lifeless. I start to form threads of mana in my closed hand, ready to break free.

'Finally. I can kill her.'

She sighed, and complained the same things as she said last weak. Telling me its my fault or something.

I don't bother to listen.

And soon she raises her hand, and the bright red circle appears. Upon seeing this, fear starts to come in me. My pulse increases. My heart feels like exploding from the sudden rush. Sweats starts to form.

But I smiled.

Instead of fear, I wanted to tear her apart. Quickly, the threads of mana I already prepared wraps the chains around my hand.

And then, I pull the strings of mana and completely crush the chains, releasing my hands free instantly.

Upon witnessing this, the crazy woman startled and the magic circle disappears as she stuttered 'H-how can you use magic!?' then she tried to regain composure and starts to form magic circle again.

But she is too slow. With my hands forwards, threads of mana grows and fluidly wraps around her hands and I pulled them making she fall over cancelling her cast. From my hands, more threads form and gathers to forms spikes.

As if it's a part of me, I threw the spikes as it flies and pierces to the ground and walls. With the strings of mana connected to it, I pulled the woman up as she stays tied afloat in the middle of the room.

"Was it fun torturing me?"

'YOU! RELEASE ME AT ONCE. GU-' before she can screams more, I use my magic to wrap her neck, with pressure choking her.

'G-Guh-'

As I increase the strength of it, blood starts to cover the string around her neck dying it red.

'I want to torture you back after what you did to me. But I am afraid the guards might think something is up. So I will be quick with it. You should be thankful'.

Her bloodshot eyes stares straight at me. With tears forming in her eyes. She tried to say something but couldn't because I was choking her.

I start to wrap more strings of mana around her mouth, forming a thin layer covering her mouth shut. And more covering each of her fingers and limbs.

CRACK!

'MMhhmmffffhhh!!!' she let out a small sound as she felt pain.

The sound of her fingers being crushed as I contracted the threads of magic was music. CRACK! CRACK! Crushing her fingers one by one, slowly, indeed, I suppose this is on same level as what she did. No, its not enough.

Threads of mana crawl on her face as if it have a life on its own and crawling into the crevices of her eye. And soon.

Plop!. Blood spurts out.

'MMMhhhmmmm-!' She tried to scream as one of her eyes gauged out. With tears of blood flowing down from the empty socket. Or maybe its just blood. It profusely bleeds from the hole left there.

"I will end this. You should be thankful you can't heal like I do". I tighten the strings wrapping her neck even more. Tighter. Tighter. Tighter.

CRUSH!

Ah. I overdid it. I accidently beheaded her, crushing her necks and severing her flesh too. Blood gushes out like a fountain from her headless neck.

The crimson colour covers the walls and floors of dirt, dying it red.

I slowly let the dead, headless crazy woman down. That was easier than I thought. Even though Julia have the talent to be one of the greatest fire magic user, a noble woman like her lived a sheltered life only to be used as a political pawn in marriage.

Weak.

'Status.' I muttered. And status screen shows up in front of me.

---

Name: Cassius Bloodfallen

Level: 2

Mana: 54/260

Attribute: Water (S+)

Talent:

Mana flow (A)

Mana control (A)

Mana acceleration (B)

Mana agglomeration (B)

Regeneration (A)

Skill:

Self-regeneration

Mana Threads

---

I levelled up. Some of my talent increases. And I gain a new skill, mana threads which is the magic I used.

It seems like I used a lot of mana. Seeing that the threads of mana still attached to the dead body, I gather them back into my hand and absorb it back. The strings of mana becomes thinner and seeps into me.

I regained almost half of the mana back, and I gathered more mana until its full.

I slowly step out of the cage and head towards the entrance. I climb up the stairs and open the wooden door covering the top of it.

I peeked my head to see if anyone in the storage room.

There's no one.

I climbed out into the dusty storage room. Now, I only need to escape.

It's too dangerous to get out using the main entrance of the mansion. The kitchen is safer, as it leads to the back of the mansion. However, even then, there's guards patrolling and maids and butlers can be alerted.

I look around the storage room and see a glimpse of hope.

This is it!

A very small window, very high up in the room letting some light in.

The window is very small, but big enough for a 7 year old body to pass through. It's very high, but I can stack the stuff in here to climb up.

But of course, my 7 year old body can't do that quickly.

With quick thinking, I form spikes with mana and attaches them to the walls and ceilings.

I wrapped myself with the strings and pull myself up.

I opened the small window and soft gush of wind touches my face. I breath in the air coming in, air of freedom. I crawled through the window and landed on the ground beneath.

'Hey you! Stop right there!' I was seen by a patrolling guard! I quickly ran towards the forest.

I noticed there's snow beneath my feet. My feet freezes as the skin of my sole freezes.

But I can heal. I am not sure where I am heading but I keep on running.

Soon, I can hear horses coming chasing me.

Fuck. I already come this far.

Quickly, I form threads of mana and wrap them between trees trying to slow them down. As I run I can here some of guards chasing me fall over. I keep running until my legs are giving out.

Even though my legs doesn't feel sore as I keep healing my legs, but I feel so tired. I am running out of breath. I am losing my speed. And my mana is slowly decreasing.

Soon, I saw light at the end of the forest. And I reached a high cliff with waterfall. It was so high, I doubt I will survive if I go down here. But there's no other way. I noticed that the sound of the horses coming have abruptly stopped.

I turned my back and sees- father. Duke Augustus Blackfallen. The menacing figure with black hair and red eyes staring at me with annoyance. He came down his horse and slowly approaches me while sheathing his sword.

'Troublesome'. He spoke one word. And suddenly, in a mere second he was directly in front of me. I was startled, as he swings his sword I stepped back and tried to block his sword with my arms with threads of mana covering them. But it's not enough to block the attack.

SWISH!

Effortlessly both my forearms were cut clean, blood gushes out as it paints the figure with crimson eyes in same colour as his eyes and I fell into the cliff and into the freezing water beneath the waterfall.

Upon hitting the surface of the pool of water beneath, the sudden pain and pressure knocked me out of consciousness.