RAEGIS VALRUCH

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Raegis Valruch, the only Martial Saint who broke through the Sixth Constellation and entered the Seventh Constellation rank. The half-brother of the Maxwell Valruch, who was the only Eighth Constellation rank in Baram Continent. Compared to Maxwell who is over a millennium in age, Raegis was still young. Barely reaching century old and this is why he was hailed a genius. Everyone could see that Raegis will soon surpass Maxwell.

But unknown to them, Raegis did not have any intention to do so. In fact, the only reason why he worked so hard to reach his current rank was that he wanted to protect Maxwell. The age difference between them was so large and the reason for this was due to their scum of a father.

In the whole of Baram Continent, who doesn’t know of Lord Valruch? He was the only person who reached the rank of the Ninth Constellation of both Elemental and Forging path. He was the strongest and back before Maxwell reached the Eighth Constellation, the second strongest was only the Seventh Constellation rank Elemental Saint. He was someone that people should look up to if it were not for his one shortcoming. Lord Valruch was a very well-known philanderer. Be it men, women, elves, beastmen or even the dragonkins, as long as he took fancy of them, he will have them.

Because of this, he has many descendants. Raegis and Maxwell were just two of many more. And at the same time, they were also the closest. The main reason for this was that Raegis’s mother died during childbirth, and Lord Valruch simply threw Raegis to his closest descendant at that time. Coincidentally at the time, Maxwell was also in the same city to do his own mission.

Thus, the responsibility of raising Raegis fell into Maxwell’s hand. Compared to Lord Valruch, Maxwell was more of a father to Raegis. To him, Maxwell was his friend, his guardian, his mentor, his saviour and most of all, his white moonlight. He understood that such feelings were forbidden, and he had already prepared to bury the secret, carrying it to his grave. He was content to simply protect his brother as a Martial Saint. After all, Elemental Saint would be in danger without anyone to protect them if their enemy managed to get close to them. Even the Fifth Constellation rank could kill them if they engage in close combat. And Maxwell didn’t seem to mind his protection.

Which is why, when Maxwell betrayed him and poisoned him to his death, he was unwilling to believe it. In his dying breath, he could only look at his brother, silently asking him: ‘Why?’

Unfortunately, Raegis never got to hear the answer as he drew his last breath.

The experience he had after his death, was something that Raegis could never understand. Everything was dark, his movement was constricted and yet, he felt as if he was floating. No matter how much he tried, he couldn’t even move a finger. But despite this, he was surrounded with a warmth which calmed his heart. This continued for a long time of which Raegis had lost track of. Occasionally, he could hear voices but it sounded too far away and Raegis was unable to make head or tail of it.

Like this, Raegis continued to simply float away like this in a relaxed manner. Until suddenly, he felt his surrounding quake. Out of instinct, Raegis formed a protective barrier around him but it was to no avail. The warmth that has been engulfing him all this time started to move away and Raegis tried to reach out to it. Unfortunately, this action of his also bore no fruit.

Without the warmth, Raegis started to feel cold and suffocated. He tried to breathe, but it was as if something was stuck in his airways blocking most of the air from going into his lungs. This feeling reminds Raegis of the time when Maxwell had poisoned him. How long has it been since? Raegis himself did not remember anymore. But with him experiencing this, he wondered if it was all because he has one unfulfilled wish and thus, he was forced to experience the moment before his death again. He wondered if this time, he would get to hear his brother’s answer to his dying question.

Just as he thought that he would die again, he suddenly sees a light so bright that he had to close his eyes. Then, he felt something large grabbing onto his body, pulling him upwards. The pressure on his body as he was grabbed was too strong and if before Raegis was merely suffocating, now he truly couldn’t breathe. His body became even colder and he could feel his consciousness fading.

“Do…or! The Chi-… -eathing!”

Raegis could hear voices but they were intermittent. Not long after, he felt his back being hit by something similar to a very large hand and suddenly, whatever was blocking his airway from before disappeared. Raegis could finally breathe again. Taking several deep breaths, Raegis could feel his body became warmer. Then the pressure around his body change and it moved around. The sensation reminds Raegis of when he wiped his sweat every time during training or during bathing.

Once Raegis felt that he had gotten used to his current weird surroundings, he slowly opened his eyes. Imagine his surprise when he saw a very large face looking at him. He wanted to summon his sword or even his spirit beast to vanquish whatever monstrosity he was looking at. But both did not respond to his call.

“Oh, his eyes are a shade of violet! As expected of someone born from the House of Vitalis!”

“Alright, don’t speak too loud. Can’t you see that you’re scaring the child until he isn’t making any sound?”

“Isn’t it good if a child didn’t cry?”

“Good?! He’s a newborn! All newborns are supposed to cry!”

Raegis could hear the conversation, and he was confused by it. He didn’t understand what they meant by newborn until he raised his own hand and saw how small and chubby it was. ‘This… don’t tell me the newborn they mentioned is actually referring to me?’

“If you have already cleaned him and bundled him up, hurry and bring him out so they can check his secondary gender.”

“Alright, alright!” the person who was carrying Raegis replied.

When Raegis heard the word ‘secondary gender’, he thought that maybe he was born with a defect. ‘No, wait! Before that… I’m born again? Is this what they call reincarnation? But why do I have all my memories still?’

While Raegis was deep in thought, the person whom Raegis assume to be a nursemaid brought him along as she walked. Raegis didn’t manage to look around as he was still trying to process what was happening to him. It wasn’t until the nursemaid stop and started to talk did Raegis return to reality.

“Professor, here is the newborn child of Major General Mitchell. I’m bringing him here for you to check his secondary gender,” she said.

“Alright, place him there.”

Raegis could only crane his neck to take in his surrounding. No matter how much he looked, everything is very unfamiliar to him. There as nothing remotely similar that could be linked to Baram Continent. He suspected that he may have been born again in a different world. ‘But since I’m still alive, I can simply cultivate again and when I am strong enough, I should be able to open a dimensional rift between spaces. That way, I should be able to return to Baram Continent.’

Raegis watched as he was carried over to a bed, then the nursemaid gently placed him down. His whole body was wrapped in blanket thus he was unable to move other than his eyes and head. Turning to his right where the nursemaid was standing, Raegis could see another person approaching, a male based on his figure. The clothes that he wore was unusual.

‘If I remember correctly, he was called ‘Professor’?’Raegis thought as he continued to stare at the man. The man seemed to have noticed this because a smile formed on his face.

“Don’t worry. It won’t hurt at all,” he said to Raegis as if trying to assure him.

“Professor, you’re funny. He’s just a baby, can he understand you?”

“They say a newborn carries with them knowledge from God for a while before they slowly forget them. So maybe he does understand,” the professor replied as he took out Raegis’s small hand. Then, with one quick movement, he pricked Raegis’s forefinger with a very thin needle.

The needle was very thin that Raegis didn’t feel anything, and even his finger didn’t bleed. After finishing his task, the professor returned to his table and placed the needle into a foreign device to Raegis. Soon after, the professor let out a heavy sigh.

The nursemaid who had now picked Raegis up again noticed this and she couldn’t help but ask the professor: “What is it? Don’t tell me that Major General Mitchell’s newborn son is another omega…”

The professor didn’t reply and simply wrote something down before he handed a folder to the nursemaid. “You can give this to the Major General. Whatever happened after, do not get involved. Once he’s done, just make sure that the omega and his child stay in comfort and recuperate.”

Just by that answer alone, the nursemaid already understood the situation. She could only look at the newborn child in her arm with pity.

Raegis was unable to talk, nor was he able to move with his hands being constrained in the blanket so all he could do was stare at the nursemaid back.

“You poor child. I hope that at the very least, your father will remain kind to you and your dad.”

Raegis blinked his eyes then he found that there was something wrong within the nursemaid’s sentence. ‘Woman, did you accidentally mix things up? What do you mean father and dad? Why repeat? Did you mean to say, father and mother?’

It wasn’t until Raegis met with his ‘mother’ did he understood that the nursemaid did not make any mistake. He stared at his ‘mother’ in disbelief, then his eyes darted down to his ‘mother’s’ chest. ‘Flat… so is he really a man? Can a man give birth? This world is really weird!’

Auriel could see the gaze that Raegis was giving him and he couldn’t help the smile that was formed on his face. He gently touched Raegis’s cheek, feeling the warmth of his little baby. To see this small bundle of a child, Auriel felt the suffering he experienced these past few months was worth it.

On the other hand, Mitchell was standing beside the bed, hand clutching at the files that were given to him by the nurse. “Is there really no mistake?”

“Major General should know that our hospital has the best equipment. There was no mistake.”

The nursemaid’s reply made Mitchell’s mood plummet even more. In the end, he dismissed the nursemaid before glaring at Auriel who has yet to notice his foul mood. Seeing the omega smiling happily at their newborn son, Mitchell could feel the anger rose in his chest.

“Can’t you even do one thing right?!” Mitchell roared as he threw the files over to Auriel and the baby. Luckily, Auriel seemed to have noticed it in time and immediately shielded his son from the incoming stack of papers. Though the papers are not too thick, it would still harm a newborn baby.

Feeling the stack of papers hit him, Auriel stayed quiet. He knew that even without Mitchell telling him, just by the other’s reaction, his son was born an omega. Auriel lowered his head and stayed quiet as Mitchell continued to berate him. He didn’t know how long time has passed until Mitchell finally left the room.

The door shut close and Auriel finally let out a sigh of relief. He looked at his son with a helpless smile on his face. Gently caressing his son’s cheek, he whispered in a very gentle tone: “Don’t worry. Even if your father doesn’t want you, even if the whole world doesn’t want you… dad will always be by your side.”

Raegis watched the man and he felt pity for him. He wondered what was so wrong with being an omega. ‘Is it a birth defect? Or is it something else?’

It wasn’t until a year passed did he found out what being an omega means. When he did, his face was so dark that even Auriel was worried if he had eaten something wrong.