Just as the first rays of sunlight descended upon the hospital room, the little boy lying on the bed opened his eyes.
A groan escaped his lips as a sharp pain washed over his senses.
He didn't expect that pain would be the first thing he'd experience the moment he opened his eyes. However, this thought was soon replaced by confusion.
'What happened?' the boy asked inwardly as he gritted his teeth, enduring the pain. 'Didn't my old man kill me? Why am I still alive?'
Memories of the battle he had fought against his fellow Systems who had tried to stop his rebellion flashed across his eyes.
Although he wanted to avoid it as much as possible, he had killed many of them on his way to challenge the seat of their Father, wanting to reverse the Fate of his previous hosts who were doomed to be Cannon Fodders for eternity.
In the end, wanting to stop the casualties, the System God personally dealt him the final blow.
He could still remember the last words his old man told him. His voice contained a hint of anger and sadness that he had never shown to anyone in his life.
"Thirteen, a System has no need for a heart. You failed as a System, and thus, you are no longer a son of mine."
The System God then crushed Thirteen's vessel and took his Core from his body.
That was the last thing he remembered before everything around him went dark.
So when he woke up, he was surprised to find himself feeling pain. Thirteen didn't believe that Systems like him had a soul.
They were not qualified to enter the Cycle of Reincarnation, so he was wondering how he was still capable of feeling pain.
As someone who had been born with super, computer-like calculating abilities, several possibilities appeared inside his head, making him groan as he held it with both hands.
A child's brain wasn't strong enough to handle the influx of information, so Thirteen was forced to stop thinking for a while.
Even after the pain receded, he was panting for breath while taking a better assessment of his current situation.
Since his head was elevated above his body, he was able to see a few things clearly.
His left arm was in a cast, and his entire body was covered in bandages. The respirator that was supplying him with oxygen was firmly placed over his mouth and nose, allowing him to breathe a little easier.
He could move his right arm, but moving it even at the slightest brought him pain. Because of this, he decided to let it remain still for the time being.
After seeing what he could, he decided to try something different. Of course, he didn't know whether this would work, but since he had nothing to lose, he decided to give it a try.
'Status,' the boy said inside his head.
Immediately, a blue window appeared in front of him, displaying rows of text that made him sigh in relief.
But his relief was short-lived upon processing the information that was waiting for him in his Status Window.
< Permanent Debuffs >
Unique Abilities: Universal Language Proficiency
— Gives you the ability to communicate with anyone, and anything, as long as they have a means of communication.
Note: Foolish child, you want to screw your old man over? Not happening because I will screw you first! Hahahaha!
"F*ck you, Old Man!" the boy cursed loudly, which he immediately regretted.
Because of his anger, he moved his body a bit, causing pain to shoot up his senses, making him scream.
Suddenly, the door of the room hurriedly opened and a beautiful lady with long blonde hair and green eyes appeared in his vision.
"Zion! You're finally awake!" The beautiful lady was about to hug her son when her husband appeared to grab hold of her from behind.
"Stop! He's still seriously injured!" the man with short black hair, and blue eyes, exclaimed in a serious tone. "What if you kill him accidentally by hugging him? Calm down!"
After hearing her husband's words, the lady no longer resisted in his hold and nodded her head.
"I'm calm now, so let me go," the beautiful lady pleaded.
Sensing that she had truly regained her senses, the man released her from his grip. She sat in the chair next to the bed and gently held their son's hand.
"Zion, it's going to be okay," the beautiful lady said softly. "Just stay here until you get better. After that, we will go home, okay? Mom will make sure that you won't have to suffer again."
The five-year-old boy stared at his mother with a calm expression on his face. After seeing the boy's parents, the System with the code name, Thirteen, immediately tried to access Zion's memories, but he came up with nothing.
It was as if all the memories of the boy had been wiped clean, leaving him with no information he could analyze to react accordingly to the beautiful lady's words.
Seeing his lack of reaction, a frown appeared on his parents' faces.
Their child was looking at them without any hint of familiarity as if he was looking at two strangers whom he was seeing for the first time.
"Zion, do you recognize me?" the beautiful lady asked. "I'm your mother, Alessia."
The beautiful lady then pointed at her husband.
"He is your father, Gerald."
Since Thirteen had the Unique Ability, Universal Language Proficiency, he was able to understand what they had just said.
Since shaking his head would be painful, he decided to talk to his parents instead.
"I don't remember," Thirteen said, choosing the most optimal answer that he could think of at that moment.
As soon as he gave his answer, the beautiful lady covered her lips with her right hand and began to cry.
Her husband walked to her side and hugged her from behind to show her his unconditional support.
Thirteen looked at the two of them and sighed.
He didn't have the heart to tell them that their son was dead, and someone else had taken over his body.
'I don't know who you are, but I promise to take care of your family,' Thirteen vowed to Zion's Soul, who might have already entered the Cycle of Reincarnation. 'Also, I apologize in advance. I will be using your identity to fight against a God.'
Thirteen closed his eyes as he recalled the System God's face.
'Just you wait, Old Man!' Thirteen vowed. 'I'll break your balls the next time I see you!'
After making his vow, Thirteen fell asleep due to exhaustion.
His Soul Core still hadn't fully synchronized with Zion's body, so for the time being, he decided to rest and let nature take its course.