A Second Chance

The first day, the fat in my body was burned.

The second day my muscles were suddenly compressed with the fat that had been burned in my body to reinforce my muscles.

On the third day, my muscles were forged into steel.

It was broken and reformed until it became compatible with my body.

On the fourth day, my spirit was thrown into the lake of prana, and I was almost drowned in an imaginary lake located between the realm of the in-between, and on the fifth day, I was molded into the form that the sacred sword and the wraith's essence had given to me.

On the fifth day, my body was given the coldness of the winds of the in-between, and new blood was poured into me. The sixth day came, I was joined with the essence of the wraith. His memories, his pains, and his sufferings became my strength.

On the seventh day, my body was thrown into the forge once again and was hammered by the blessings of the bloodline that was in me. By the time I opened my eyes, I was back in my room which was dirtied with impurities and waste from the ritual.

I feel like my voice was strained by my screams. The horrible smell of burnt flesh and waste invaded my nostrils. I reached out to the table and took hold of the elixirs that I had Micah prepared. I drank the elixirs without minding their effects. The essence within the elixirs healing my body and cleansing the rest of the filth that the sacred sword was still trying to remove.

The sacred sword of Ortiz was gone. I could feel the sword was part of me and inside me. I opened my hand and summoned the sword and it came before me, answering my call.

I succeeded! I was able to survive the ritual but my mind was different. I could tell that my mind had strange thoughts. These thoughts were a result of my body taking in the essence of the wraith. It was strange! And yet it was like the knowledge of the wraith was part of me now.

Could this be the 'hidden' essence that my father had talked about?

I was given a chance. I was given a new body and was given a mind free from the taints of my past. My past and my sins remained, my memories were intact, and yet at the same time, I could feel like there was something in me that was holding onto memories. I stood up and saw how the flesh that had clung to me had fallen. I moved my body and executed the moves that the wraith could remember.

The swordplay focused on deadly strikes and breaking the guard of the opponent. I know nothing of swordplay and was copying the movements that were implanted to me by the wraith that gave its essence to me.

I truly was reborn because of this. I let go of my sword and it vanished in front of me. I dragged myself on the giant chair that was made from me and placed a cloth on my lower area.

I called for Micah. Micah appeared shortly with his eyes filled with obvious surprise. He inspected me silently and kneeled in front of me. Not minding the filth that gathered before me. Maybe it was the wraith's essence that was influencing me. I did not like seeing Micah on his knees.

"Micah, you've served me for years. How could you kneel?"

"My lord!" Micah said. "How could I be so brazen!?"

"You can be. You have that right among them."

Micah hesitated. He stood up and bowed his head instead. "I understand, milord. It seems like the young lord had been awakened."

"Did...father had this awakening as well?"

Micah shook his head. "His transformation didn't last for seven days, my master and it wasn't like this at all."

"I see. Have you made sure that none could hear me?"

"Only Angie knows of the ritual. She has been ordered to not let anyone enter the room."

Angie was my personal maid. She had been staying with the family ever since she was fifteen and had been serving me thoroughly within the day and night. I do not understand why Angie would stay loyal to me in the end. It was only because I had her thrown away that she barely survived the purging of the Ortiz Family.

Micah didn't survive. I saw his body hung and his left arm missing. There was a large cut on his chest which certainly was fatal. I could remember it. My stomach churned at those memories.

"Milord?"

"Nothing," I said to him. "Purchase me some clothes and have...Angie helped me in this mess."

"Shall I prevent anyone from knowing this, milord?"

I straightened my back. I looked at Micah directly. "Carwyn is an ambitious woman. She will try to devour the Ortiz Family."

"Is this why the Lord decided to change?"

"No. But seeing my daughter made me do so."

"The young...lady?"

"Yes," I smiled bitterly. "Would you believe me?"

Micah looked surprised. "I believe you, milord. No wonder you seem to be fond of her at first sight."

"I am. I will let her mother raise her as she wishes. Give her the funds and let them manage it."

"Will it be okay?"

"It is. Micah, am I a good ruler?"

"Do I have permission to speak freely?"

"You may."

"You are a normal one, milord. But your reputation...leaves more for wanting. I wish the Archduke would do something about it, but nonetheless, I wouldn't dare to quicken your progress when the lord has merely awakened from his long dream."

"Long dream...you could say that."

I leaned my cheeks on my knuckles. The pain still lingered and yet it felt like it had subsided as well. "Go and do your normal duties, Micah. Tell Angie that she shall become to me right now."

"As you wish, Archduke."

Micah left. I stared at the door and closed my eyes for a moment.

#

Angie did not know what was happening to her Master. All she knew was that there was a ritual going on. The Head Butler commented that it was a natural awakening that all Leaders of Ortiz had gone.

That the young master would change.

Angie opened the door and saw someone. If it wasn't for the familiar blue eyes that all Ortiz had. She would not have known that this was her master.

His body resembled a marble statue. The bloated toad that she once served was nowhere close to the person in front of her any longer. The only thing she could recognize was the piercing blues of the master of House Ortiz.

"Angie greets her master," Angie bowed.

Her master studied her. Angie didn't dare to look up. "Angie, you have served this family for years now. I am giving you a choice now, and that's to leave, get compensation, and live a free life. Or will you choose to stay?"

"Master...do you not need Angie any longer?"

He raised a brow. "No, I have taken your precious chastity. It is heinous of me to even speak of these when in truth I am doing this to soothe my guilty heart."

Angie did not understand. She looked at the face of her master. There was deep guilt that he didn't bother to hide. Though the master was lecherous and disgusting. He was rational and did his best in his own way. The Archduchy was prosperous and the citizens barely had any complaints about how the land was run.

Angie was disgusted by how the master looked. But the difference between serving a master who was like a bloated frog and a master who looked like a marble made by a sculpture was far too different. If her master would stay like this then she would have no qualms about serving a master like this.

She did not have anywhere to go other than this mansion. The moment she had lost her chastity. She was destined to serve this mansion and forever stay by her master's side.

Angie lowered on her knees and placed her forehead on the ground. "Master, Angie belongs to the Master, and if Masters permits it then please let Angie stay by Master's side."

"Are you really sure? I can offer you enough wealth to last for your lifetime. You can pick any knight you fancy and be free from my grasp."

Angie teared up. "Does the Master do not fancy Angie?"

"That's not it. You have served me well. I treat those who I cherish with sincerity and you are one of the people that I think is worthy of my sincerity, Angie."

"Then please let Angie stay by the master's side."

Angie didn't know why the master insisted. Perhaps this was the change that the butler said to her. A great change that made Angie want to devote herself to the master.

She did not mind whatever form the master had. The master would remain the same and perhaps it was because she knew that there was going to be a day where the master might change. Now that the master had finally changed and shredded his weakness. How could Angie leave now?

"Very well," the master said to Angie. "Then serve this family as you have done so, Angie."

#

Angie bowed her head. She tried to serve me but I explained that what I wanted, for now, was to help me clean myself and the room. The servants were already cleared by Micah. It came to me that although I asked Angie to help me clean. I instinctively know how to and that Kiran, the name of the wraith that became part of me, had a wish that seems so comparable to mine.

'Maybe in this world, I can make it.'

'I'll try to live and try hard as everyone else.'

His words made no sense to me at first. Truthfully I came in contact with the wraith when I was in prison. He was nothing more than an essence who had mocked me for many days.

He saw himself in me. He was nothing more than a thief who stole memories of better than him in order to live. I was chosen not because he thought of me as worthy. It was because my body had the chance of going through the process. Not to mention that I have the sacred sword that would act as a catalyst for the ritual.

I was a perfect target for the wraith. Let myself become the wraith's tool because our goals were the same.

We wanted to try our best. And so became one in order to understand one another. He told me that I would soon know what I wanted to have.

He was right. I had love but did not cherish it. I had everything that I could offer to them but I denied them. Out of spite, they worked harder than ever. I mocked them for their hard work and called what they had done with sweated blood and tears nothing more than an accumulation of their talent.

I cheated death because of the wraith by him offering his essence and the wish that he held so dearly in life.

I do not intend to stay in this mansion for so long. I still have many amends to do so before I leave this mansion.

I finished cleaning myself up. I walked back to my bedroom and found it amusing that I had such a large bed. I stared long at my bed for such an idiotic reason and began to laugh.

I looked at the mirror and saw a person that was different from that bloated bipedal frog that I was. But I know that this was a second chance that I could not waste.

I need to get hold of this new body first.

I had to refine the memories that the wraith had and integrate them into this vessel that I had been given.