Shadows of a second life

Elias walked out of the bathroom,the servants who saw him immediately moved out of the way, this must be the boy the lord warned them to be weary about, and he didn't seem happy at all. One of the maids spoke up as he walked past them,

"The young master really overdid it this time,I kinda feel pity for that boy,his parents are the cause of all this."

One of the maids obviously one with a bad history with kaiser immediately spoke up: maybe all of this is for the best,he should be taught a valuable lesson,she immediately walked away with the tray in her hand,as she walked she thought to herself that she honestly hates this family,the lord his wife and his son, that boy especially has been a thorn in the flesh for her, she's never been herself ever since she came here,kaiser has been all over her, using her as a device to calm his nerves after every fight with his parents, however her entire family was at the mercy of this noble house,she had no choice in the matter.

As Elias walked towards the main hall his mind raced with questions

"Why would he do that to her, was it because I accidentally bumped into him,is that why he'll just ruin my sister's coming of age ceremony,the most important celebration of a person's life.The bastard, I'll break all his bones today, he'll be lucky to make it out alive."

"Do to men what you want men to do to you and do to men whatever they do to you because that is what they expect you to do to them."

"I'll follow that commandment today."

His expression was ice-cold and unreadable. His dark hair fell over his eyes like a curtain, casting shadows across his young face. The remaining guests who hadn’t already left the event sensed the shift in the air immediately. Conversations died and music faltered.

He locked eyes with Kaiser Alden across the room.

The lord’s son was lost in thought before their gaze met,he tries to put up a smirk but it vanished the moment he locked eyes with Elias,he immediately scrambled for words.

"H...hey, what's wrong with..."

Before he could respond Elias cut back in like manner

“Hey you,” Elias said, voice flat and chilling. “You’re dying today.”

Before anyone could react, Elias raised his hand.

The first spell was a compressed air blade — remote cast, razor-sharp. It sliced across the floor and slammed into Kaiser’s legs, cutting deep enough to draw blood. The older boy cried out and dropped to the floor instantly as blood sprayed from his leg, staining the expensive marble floor

Elias didn’t stop.

A barrage of small rock bullets followed — enough to shatter bones, enough to bruise and break skin. Each impact landed with cruel precision: shoulders, arms, ribs. Kaiser tried to crawl away, screaming for help.

“Please! Stop! Father—someone—help me!”

Elias walked forward slowly, hair still covering his eyes. “Help? Did my sister get any help when you humiliated her in front of everyone?”

Another spell — a swirling water orb that slammed into Kaiser’s stomach like a hammer, forcing the air from his lungs. The boy gasped, vomiting tomato sauce onto the expensive floor.

The lord himself stood frozen near the head table, face pale. He knew exactly what a Rare-grade mage was capable of. One tantrum from this child could level the entire mansion — or the town itself. Intervening meant risking annihilation. He could only watch in terror as his son was systematically broken.

Elias closed the distance.

Now came the punches.

He grabbed Kaiser by the collar and drove his small fist into the older boy’s face. Once. Twice. Three times. Each blow landed with surprising force, powered by faint mana reinforcement. Blood sprayed. Kaiser’s nose broke with a sickening crunch. His lip split. One eye swelled shut.

“P-please… I’m sorry… I didn’t mean—”

Guards immediately rushed in trying to stop Elias trying to pull him back but he didn't stop, instead he conjured a water cannon and released it point blank,the force unleashed an intermediate spell that shattered glasses of wine and tablets sending them flying into the wall,all 4 guards.

"Elias continued, you were saying something right "

“Didn’t mean to?” Elias’s voice was eerily calm as he punched him again. “You changed your footing on purpose. You sped up the music. You mocked her. Did you think no one would notice?”

Another punch. Kaiser’s head snapped back,he followed up slamming the older boy's head straight into the marble floor , blood tricked from his head straight onto the floor, Elias spoke up, "where's that confidence, don't tell me all of it has vanished,oh how the mighty have fallen."

"You are pathetic "

“I’m sorry! I’ll never do it again! Please—!” the noble boy begged but Elias wasn't letting him off the hook so easy.

Elias paused, fist hovering. “Never do it again? You enjoyed it. You wanted to break her. Just like people tried to break me once.”

He drove one final, brutal punch into Kaiser’s jaw before stepping back. The fourteen-year-old lord’s son lay curled on the floor, sobbing and trembling in true terror for the first time in his spoiled life. His face was a bloody mess. The once-arrogant boy was reduced to whimpers completely wetting himself on the ground

The hall was empty now. All the guests had fled in panic.

Elara’s voice suddenly cut through the silence from the doorway. “Elias! Stop!”

His fist hovered inches from delivering a finishing blow. Slowly, he lowered it and stood up, breathing evenly. No exhaustion. No remorse in his eyes.

He looked down at the broken Kaiser.

“If you ever try to cross me or my family again… it won’t be a beating. It will be a death sentence.”

With that, Elias turned and walked away, leaving the lord’s son whimpering on the floor.

Elara stared at her little brother, eyes wide with shock and something like fear.

"She immediately spoke up,why did you...."

"She paused after seeing his expressionless fecade,if anyone tries to hurt me or who accept me for who I am,if anyone tries to harm my family I swear and I mean it, their lives, their families, their children, I'll kill them all again and again and again and again."

"Maybe you might not see any reasons for my actions now, but trust me you'll eventually see it, maybe ten or twenty or thirty years from now you'll understand, but even if you never understand why I'm doing all of this, I'll not stop, because I don't want any regrets in life, I'll live on my own terms and rules."

He immediately cleaned his bloody hands on the curtains before walking out.

The boy who had once been Haruto Takahashi — the average failure who died broken and alone — had just drawn a line in blood.

And he had no intention of ever crossing back over it.