“You mean he remembers his past lives? How is that even possible? I mean… if this was supposed to be a continuous cycle, then shouldn’t I also remember my past 27 lives?” Aether asked again, his voice carrying a mix of frustration and curiosity, as he watched the child die in yet another bizarre way he didn’t even want to think about.
!~Ding~!
[Negative! For that question, I am unable to provide an answer!]
Aether frowned deeply, narrowing his eyes as if he could feel something stirring beneath the surface. After a brief pause, he asked hesitantly, “Is it because of… Iteration No. 27?”
[….]
The system didn’t respond, its silence almost deafening. But that very silence gave Aether a vague yet unsettling idea—Iteration No. 27 had to be involved somehow, hadn’t he?
‘Come to think of it… he looked so badass. Damn! Am I really going to end up like him someday, wearing those insane armors and pulling off those crazy moves?’ Aether felt a flicker of excitement at the thought, only to have it die down as reality hit him. That guy—Iteration No. 27—had killed Sandra without even a moment’s hesitation.
His face darkened, a shadow of anger and doubt crossing his features as he demanded, “It was him, wasn’t it? He’s the one who killed Sandra, right?”
[Negative! Unable to provide an answer due to your current Level!]
Aether clicked his tongue in frustration. “Fine, then. What level do I need to reach to get this answer?”
[…. Once you reach Level 100… all questions will be answered!]
Aether let out a sigh but nodded softly…. His attention turned back to the boy, who was now surfacing from the water. Aether smiled faintly, watching the boy swim toward the seashore with all the determination of someone who had everything to lose.
“Yes! That’s it! Come on, boy, you’ve got this!” Aether exclaimed, his excitement building as if he were watching the climax of a gripping movie. The boy had failed so many times, yet here he was, pushing forward. It was exhilarating—so much so that Aether almost forgot the grim reality of his situation….
“Wait… he died?” Aether’s eyes widened in disbelief as he saw the seahorse-like creature easily catch up to the boy and devour him without hesitation.
‘Chew, chew…’ The monster tore into the boy’s body, the sound grating against Aether’s ears.
Rage flared within Aether, an instinctive, primal urge to kill the damned creature….
!~Ding~!
[Initiating Iteration No. 7…]
This time, things took a different turn… The boy, realizing he couldn’t win against the monsters on his own, decided to tell his parents about his reincarnation and everything he remembered.
Of course, the result wasn’t what he had hoped for…. Instead of believing him, his parents sent him to a psychiatrist!
The boy already had PBA (Pseudobulbar Affect), which had caused enough chaos in his life. Now this? Aether watched the scene unfold, his lips curling into a sneer. The parents, worried about their family’s reputation, seemed more concerned about societal judgment than their son’s well-being.
“Is this kid serious?” Aether muttered, rubbing his temple in disbelief. He watched as the boy repeatedly tried to convince his parents, only to have his words dismissed every single time.
Aether sighed deeply. Knowing the kind of parents they were, it wasn’t surprising when they had him thrown into a mental hospital. And yet, not even 24 hours later, the boy died—again—under mysterious circumstances.
Rubbing his forehead in frustration, Aether groaned. “Why am I even watching this nonsense? What’s the point of seeing this over and over again?”
What he really wanted was to uncover the truth behind Iteration No. 27…. That enigma clung to his thoughts, refusing to let go.
He turned his attention back to the scene…. The boy swam faster this time, his strokes stronger, more desperate.
“Damn, he’s going to make it this time!” Aether’s voice was tinged with hope as he leaned forward, rooting for the boy.
“Come on, man! You can do it! We can’t let this stupid monster treat us like a damn snack!” he shouted, his voice filled with an almost childlike enthusiasm. Of course, no one could hear him.
But, just as the boy seemed about to make it, disaster struck…. His leg cramped up, the pain too much to bear, and…
!~Ding~!
[Initiating Iteration No. 8…]
Aether clicked his tongue in frustration. At this point, he wasn’t even surprised anymore.
They were nothing but fragments of his past lives where death was inevitable…. So he didn’t feel much impact… Yet, even as these deaths piled up, his thoughts stubbornly circled back to Iteration No. 27 and the cryptic things he had said.
Aether clicked his tongue, Since it was not the memory and just his dead past where he was definitely going to die… Aether didn’t feel much impact on him… all his thoughts about Iteraion No.27 and something he said.
Aether hadn’t been sure before, as he had lost himself while fighting Sandra when he got Dora’s news, but he did remember hearing a few things. Something about her slitting his throat… which undoubtedly meant she killed him, didn’t it?
He was more curious to see those memories rather than this!
Anyway, the boy, after realizing what had happened in his past iterations, seemed far more cautious now, carefully watching his every step. Discover hidden content at My Virtual Library Empire
Aether nodded with satisfaction, pleased to see the boy finally learning from his repeated mistakes. However, the situation quickly took a turn for the worse. His parents, increasingly frustrated by his constant laughter—an uncontrollable symptom of his PBA—began to resent him.
The boy’s cheerful facade, unintentional as it was, only made things harder for them to understand…. Their love slowly turned to disdain, and the family began to fracture under the pressure.
Unable to bear the guilt of watching his family suffer because of him, the boy made a heartbreaking decision. He told his parents he would leave soon so they wouldn’t need to worry about him anymore or bear the weight of his condition.
But his parents, misunderstanding his words entirely, dismissed him, thinking he was simply acting out like any troubled child would….. They didn’t take his pain or his resolve seriously.
And then… he died again, just as he had before.
This time, however, something had changed.
The boy’s resolve had solidified into an unyielding determination…. He refused to let his death lead to yet another reset, only to watch his family suffer all over again because of him.
Aether observed the child with a bittersweet smile pulling at his lips. The boy was too selfless for his own good—so much like…
[Like someone I know]
Aether couldn’t help but chuckle softly.
And this time… the boy did it.
He actually managed to escape the seahorse, narrowly surviving its relentless and unforgiving chase.
Aether clapped his hands together in excitement, grinning at the boy’s hard-fought success. “Fuck! Finally, after seven deaths… well, he was an infant before, so let’s call it three,” he muttered, nodding in approval as he watched soldiers intercept the boy and take him back to the mansion.
“So… I’m just going to keep watching this over and over again?” Aether asked himself, his face twisting into a bored expression. “I mean, the guy’s going to die anyway, so what’s the point?”
However, his complacency was shattered in an instant.
Aether’s eyes widened in disbelief as he saw the old man—Mortimer—kill the boy without even a second’s hesitation.
Blinking in shock, Aether tried to process what had just happened.
“What did you just say? You’re a reincarnator? Interesting… but that makes you too dangerous to let live,” Mortimer said, his grin twisting into something far more sinister. His face, though calm and composed, carried an unmistakable air of deadly seriousness as he stared down at the boy.
The boy, frozen in ice after revealing the truth, could only stare back helplessly, his young eyes filled with fear and betrayal.
Aether clenched his fists as he watched….. He already knew Mortimer’s smooth-talking ways.
That cunning bastard!
The boy, only seven years old, had been far too naive, falling for Mortimer’s affectionate words and deceptive tricks…. And now, that same old man had frozen the boy without the slightest hesitation, as if the child’s life was nothing more than an insignificant obstacle in his path.
Aether felt something stir deep within him…. It was as if an old wound, was beginning to heal ever so slightly.
[….]
The Log knew… his once conflicted soul was flickering, as if it despised what it had become and yearned to prove that its will to live still remained.
It was a feeling no one could truly comprehend—not even Aether himself. He was barely aware of just how broken his soul had become after he had taken his own life.
Because he had never once seen himself, to be honest…. His current form was nothing more than a fractured soul—a web of cracks that originated at his neck, spreading outward like veins of shattered glass.
It resembled what happens when a glass falls to the ground: instead of shattering completely, it cracks from a single point, with jagged lines radiating in all directions. That was how Aether looked now, though he had never witnessed it with his own eyes.
And yet, now… something unexpected was happening. A small, almost imperceptible crack was beginning to mend itself, without his knowledge or understanding, as he stared at the boy—frozen in ice, helpless and broken.
As had been said before, Aether’s soul was unique…. It had never truly wanted to die.
It possessed a will of its own, just as the Mother Goddess had once told him.
When Aether had used his own hands—his own soul’s hands—to end his life, it had caused his very essence to fracture. The act had torn him apart in ways that went beyond physical or emotional pain.
A conflict had emerged—a battle within himself. His own soul had rejected his actions, rebelling against the choices he had made, against the very act of self-destruction. It was as if his soul’s innate will to survive had refused to align with the despair that had driven him to that point.
But now, watching this scene unfold, something within him stirred. His soul flickered, trembling with unspoken emotions—raw, powerful, and undeniable.
Aether’s gaze remained fixed on Mortimer, the old man who now loomed over the frozen boy. And then, it happened.
Mortimer, without the slightest hesitation, shattered the frozen boy into particles, his expression devoid of remorse.
It was as though the boy had never existed at all.
!~Ding~!
[Initiating Iteration No. 9…]
