Reincarnator Returns: Second Shot

Eren studied Ræzoň for an entire lifetime. It was the only thing he could do in the Palatine of Wisdom. He couldn’t cultivate, but he knew the theory from heart.

Now theory overlapped with reality.

The raging fire on the doctor’s hand felt warm to the touch. It coursed through his body like electricity, making his muscles twitch and shiver.

But it wasn’t uncomfortable. It was new. Exciting. This was the first time he actually felt that marvelous power that could move mountains!

It held the same weight and indescribable intensity that he’d studied for years and years. But now, it was real.

Ræzoň was on Earth! And the best part of it all was that he could finally relish it in all its glory.

He was no longer in his crippled body. If he was, he wouldn’t have felt that fire. He wouldn’t have even seen it. But now, it gave him warmth.

Is this a dream, he thought.

Eren couldn’t wrap his mind around that realization. The aching pain in his body became the only evidence that this was real life.

Ræzoň’s here.

It was here... but how? How could Ræzoň have appeared on Earth?

Clearly, it had been here a long time. The nurses were unfazed by the doctor’s fiery hand. They even had their own name for it.

”Psion...” Eren muttered out loud.

Expressions turned awkward. The nurses turned to the doctor, waiting for her permission to speak. They were hesitant to say anything they shouldn’t, as if he was some kind of fragile glass.

”A lot of things changed while you were in a coma,” the doctor said, trying to placate him. ”But why don’t we worry about your recovery before you do anything else?”

They said he had a coma before the Cataclysm. Was that when Ræzoň entered this world? Or was it something else?

”What’s the... Cataclysm?”

The doctor ignored him. ”Nurse, check his blood for any abnormalities.”

Medical machines beeped as they measured his vital functions. They followed protocol to the letter, making sure his medical condition was stable and without problems.

After that, the doctor asked him some basic questions to test his cognitive response. They called it a miracle that he could even speak after 10 years in a coma.

”If you can speak like that, your mental faculties seem to be in order,” she assessed. ”Your vision is fine too.”

”What was that fire on your hand?” Eren asked. He guessed it was an application of Ræzoň. Like a spell molded from mana.

He couldn’t confirm it. The doctor skirted around the conversation like it was the plague, no matter how many times he asked.

Every time he tried to bring up anything about the outside world, they either turned silent or switched topics quickly.

He couldn’t blame them. He did just wake up from a ten year coma. Any normal person would find it hard to get a grasp on themselves, much less on this strange new world they woke up in.

When he first reincarnated, he must have cried and fussed for a month straight. Too much, even for a baby. But eventually, he learned how to deal with it like he did now.

After his medical assessment, they left him alone to recover—as if years of sleep wasn’t enough rest. But he did need it. This was the time to assess his current situation.

The hospital room was bare. Just a twin sized white bed, a few necessary medical equipment, and a flat screen TV hanging on the wall opposite him.

According to the doctor, it had been ten years since his coma. Technology hasn’t changed that much since then, he concluded.

He would have rejoiced if he could. The cold air conditioning refreshed him. It beat having to fan himself during the summer days in the Palatine.

And of course, the bathroom. If he could walk, he would have gone and savored the convenience of running water.

The TV too. One of the things he missed the most were the fantasy and animation shows he watched during his childhood. He realized quickly that it wasn’t fun to actually live in a fantasy world, especially if you were a cripple.

In conclusion, things looked the same as they were in 2016.

But if things really were the same as before, the nurses wouldn’t be so cagey about the outside world.

They wouldn’t have barricaded the windows with steel bars. They wouldn’t have unplugged the TV before they left.

They were trying to hide something from him. Protecting him from something he wasn’t yet ready to learn.

If Ræzoň is here, then what other things migrated?

Despite this sense of foreboding, Eren felt excited. He was no longer as useless as he was before. He could cultivate!

But first things first. If he were going to navigate through this new world, he’d need information. Searching for it himself was a no go. He couldn’t even get out of bed.

He had to get it from his doctors.

They had to tell him the truth eventually. But when? After his years of physical rehabilitation was complete? He couldn’t wait that long.

He had to convince them he was fine.

A couple of hours later, the opportunity came knocking. The door’s lock opened from the outside and a female nurse came in pushing a metal cart inside.

”Oh, hello,” the nurse greeted, a bit surprised. ”I’m here to take your blood.”

She awkwardly rushed to his side and prepared the needle. Eren observed her as she did.

The name on her tag was Nieve. She looked young. Her hair was neatly tied to a bun, her uniform neatly presented. She had prominent make-up on her face, as if she wanted to stand out.

She’s inexperienced, he concluded.

Veteran medics knew better than to waste their time with frivolities. And amateurs took any chance to stand out. He was sure that was true in both worlds.

”Sorry... Can you please stay still?” she asked him.

”It’s hard not to. I can’t even lift my head without groaning,” he replied, his voice hoarse.

She slapped her own head in disappointment. ”Sorry, that was inconsiderate of me. I’m just not used to patients... moving.”

It seems she’d been the one taking care of him while he was in a coma. What’s easier to practice on other than an unconscious patient?

”It’s okay,” he assured her. He laid out his arm for her to grab.

Nieve’s face turned serious. She indecisively moved the needle above the crook of his arm. She found it hard to find the vein.

”What’s a Psion?” he suddenly asked her.

Her focus was entirely on his arm, making sure she placed the needle in correctly. It almost made her forget she wasn’t supposed to say anything to him.

”It’s the—Sorry, I can’t say that.”

”Why not?” Eren asked.

She pursed her lips. ”You’re not ready for it. It’ll be too much to take in too soon.”

Eren winced as she inserted the needle a good half inch away from the vein.

”Sorry! Urgh, Dr. Reid is going to kill me. I can’t make mistakes like this—”

Nieve, in the middle of her panic, flinched as Eren suddenly held her hand.

He took the needle from her and deftly pricked his own arm with it, perfectly lodging it in his vein without even looking at his hand.

”How... how did you...”