Story of the past(1)

[So what do you want in the library, mister?]

[To continue with your studies, but it looks like you don't want it.]

[Um, it's not that I don't want it, but it's too difficult for me.]

[If you want to become stronger faster, you need to get used to difficulties.]

[Um, but can you please make it a little easier for me? I think I had that nightmare because of studying.]

[Hm, fine then. I'm going to give you less new study material.]

[Thank you. And, um, can you tell me your name? It's kinda weird to call you mister all the time.]

[As I said earlier, I don't have a name. Of course, I had one, but it's from the past, and I was a different person at that time. Just keep calling me mister. I don't mind anyway.]

[Um, what if I give you a name, mister?]

[As I said, I don't mind. You can call me whatever you like.]

Ethan started to think of a fitting name for him, but after contemplating for a while, he didn't manage to get a proper name for him.

[Um, what about Ethan?]

[Isn't it your name?]

[But I don't know any other appropriate name for you.]

[Hmm... If you don't like to always call me mister, you can call me teacher.]

[Um, okay then, teacher, are you from a different world? I get this feeling that you don't know much about our world but nonetheless have vast knowledge.]

[I guess.]

[Um, then can you tell me about your world and about your past?]

[Fine, but it's a bit of a long story, so let's go inside the library. Or do you want to listen to it while staying on your feet in the corridor?]

[Um, right, let's go to the library.]

Ethan was already in front of the library. So he just opened the door and went in.

He sat down in the chair.

[So, from where should I start?]

***

My family was slightly better than average. My mother was a teacher, and my father was a lawyer. They were both orphans, so I don't have any grandparents.

And although we weren't swimming in money, we weren't poor either. My parents can afford a big house in a nice area and go on trips on airplanes to other countries every year.

My parents loved each other greatly, and of course, me. You can say I had a happy childhood. I had everything that I wanted.

And when I learned how to read, I was completely engrossed in books. I was four years old at the time.

Time went by, and I started school. I was six years old, and around that time, my little sister was born.

She was a lovely little girl, but as she grew up, I started to see that we were different. My sister had red hair like my mother and green eyes like my father. And my mother had brown eyes, and my father's hair color was blonde.

But I didn't see any similarities between me and them. My hair color was black, and my eyes were gray. It was bothering me, so I started to search for answers, and after some time I found some papers that were well hidden. It was about my adoption from an orphanage.

Something snapped inside of me, but I didn't tell my parents about my findings.

I was twelve years old at that time.

My relationship with my family started to become colder, and I started to spend more time outside of home.

My parents thought that I was going through my rebellious period, so they didn't bother me much.

I started to hang out with some delinquents. And I started to notice that I was slightly different from other people. It wasn't about my look, but about my brain. I was lacking some emotions. But it didn't bother me much. I was fourteen years old at the time.

Hanging out with delinquents and not properly studying started to affect my grades, so my parents decided to talk with me.

They called me to the kitchen and started to ask me if I had any problems. They were worried about me... And I don't like it because I wasn't their biological son, so what right do they have to worry about me?

So I told them about my findings and that they should abandon me and send me to the orphanage again.

My parents were shocked, along with my little sister. Only at that time did I manage to notice that she too was inside the kitchen. It looks like she was worried about me.

After the initial shock dissipated, my father became angry. And my mother and sister started to cry.

I thought that my father was angry because I found out the truth, but that wasn't the case. He was angry because I treated myself like I wasn't part of their family.

And after both of my parents told me about different problems that they went through in the orphanage, when they became adults and married, they decided to adopt me so I could have a better life than they had in the orphanage.

I don't remember each word they said clearly, but I remember the meaning behind them.

My parents told me that even if I don't think of them as my family, they will always treat me like I am their son, no matter if I was born into the family or adopted.

My little sister hugged me and asked me to return to the family. And I understood that I was a fool to think that if I wasn't related by blood, then I wasn't part of the family.

Even though I lacked emotions and couldn't feel regret, I knew that what I had done previously was bad, so I asked for forgiveness from my family, and they forgave me easily.

I stopped all my contacts with my delinquent friends and focused on my studies. I wanted to be able to feel emotions like a normal human, so I started to study how the body and brain work. So I can find a cure for me.

I finished school with perfect grades and won a scholarship to a prestigious university. I finished my university studies without a problem and then started to work as a researcher at one institution. They were searching for ways to enhance human capabilities, so it was perfectly fitting for me.

And in a short time, thanks to my efforts and talent, I became a head researcher.

But shortly afterwards, demons invaded our world through the gates. Luckily, my country wasn't one that was invaded, but nonetheless, it affected all of humanity.

In a month, demons occupied half of the planet, but it wasn't because humanity was weak, but because it was unexpected and because we lacked knowledge about our enemies.

Humanity united, and the demons advance was stopped. And our institution, like others, was tasked with researching demons, their strange powers, and mana. And in one year, we managed to make some progress.

We learned more about our enemies and how to handle mana as a power source. What helped us greatly. After all, we had many technologies that had great potential but lacked proper energy sources. Like heavy armored exoskeletons.

But in one year, there weren't only positive developments. There was great panic at the start. Many people lost their homes and families and became refugees. Almost everyone who could fight was summoned. And on top of that, there was food shortage.

There were other problems too. Strange religious sects started to appear. But it doesn't bother me much.

My allowance was good, and even though my parents lost their job, we weren't lacking.

But everything changed for me at the end of this year.

As I said earlier, many religious sects started to appear, and many people who had lost all hope joined them. But the government was busy with other problems, and most sects were docile, so the government let them be. But not all of them were like that. There were some radical sects. One of such was the salvation sect.

They believed that demons were sent by God to help humanity ascend to heaven by killing them. And they believed that it was their duty to help them.

One day, one of their members blew himself up with the bomb. And he did it within a crowd of people.

Many people died. I don't care about other people, but my parents and my sister were there too at that time. My family was gone, and with them was my reason to live.

No, I was left with one reason why I should be alive: When I found out that my family was killed, I felt anger. I never felt it before, but it was so strong that it's become a driving force for my revenge.

Shortly after my family's funeral, I quit my job.

I started to plan my revenge on the salvation sect. And in the process, I found that my brain, which was previously tasked with research, could be used perfectly in my revenge, alongside my lack of emotions.