Hellbound: Rebirth Of The Strongest Slayer.-Chapter 54: What could a baby possibly do?

Chapter 59

Screw this.

I really believe I could die for sure this time.

The thought barely formed as Rayden’s mind grew more and more blurry. The flames were closing in, so close now that he could feel the heat licking his skin, feel it burn, feel it crawl.

This was it.

Everything was approaching its end.

But no.

What the hell.

He did not come this far to end like this. Someone feared and revered across the entire Eighth Realm should not die in such a meaningless way. He was strong. Extremely so.

Yet the truth glared at him without mercy.

If nothing changed, he was going to die.

Before his heart of defiance could finally crack, something flashed across his fading vision. He felt a hand wrap around him. His consciousness was already slipping, barely holding on, but the voice that followed made his heart finally settle.

A rough, loud male voice spoke.

"Rest now, Selene. I found him," Calack said.

"Well, it seems he will disappoint death today. His guardians are here. He is not dying today."

With that final thought, Rayden lost consciousness.

Fog.

Endless fog and clouds spread infinitely around him. Rayden found himself standing in the middle of it all.

"Where am I?" he asked, looking around.

No answer came.

After waiting and getting nothing in return, Rayden started walking. Step after step, the strange feeling grew heavier. Something was wrong with this place.

The cloudy darkness filled everything.

The more he walked, the sleepier he became. His consciousness felt like it was being dragged down, pressed under the black clouds. His ability to think clearly began to fade.

Something is definitely wrong here.

Rayden took a deep breath. Inhale. Exhale. Again. And again.

After repeating it a few times, realization struck.

His eyes glinted faintly.

The fact that he could think at all meant this was not his physical body. Well, that made sense. He was still a baby in the real world.

That left only one answer.

This was his soul.

His soul was deeply linked to his body and mind. Whatever affected it would inevitably affect the rest of him. That explained everything. The deeper he walked into the thick dark smoke, the weaker his body became. The more his mind dulled.

No wonder it took him so long to figure it out.

The fact that he still had a soul, that this space even existed, confirmed one thing.

He was still alive.

Somehow.

Rayden let out a long breath of relief.

That was close. Who would have thought his petty vengeance would almost be the end of him.

Now that he knew he was alive, there was only one thing left to do.

Find a way out.

Minutes passed as he thought, analyzed, deduced. Eventually, one answer rose above the rest.

The solution was simple.

Clear the dark smoke.

Clear the weight crushing his soul.

The real question was how.

How does one clear the burden dumped onto a soul?

For most people, this would be an impossible task. An ordeal that could take years. Maybe forever. No attack would work on something like this.

But Rayden was different.

And that difference was about to matter.

Yes, some of his memories were sealed.

That was inevitable. There were too many secrets buried in him, secrets that would pose a direct threat to his new life if he had full access to them. Still, even with those seals in place, his experience and processing speed remained terrifying. Nothing compared to his peak, sure, but still leagues above almost everyone else.

Within seconds, he found a way out.

Rayden walked forward, deeper and deeper into the fog.

The exact opposite of what he was supposed to do.

He did it anyway.

Call him crazy if you want. Like he cared.

His mind felt drugged. His body felt weaker with every step. The pressure on his soul thickened, trying to grind him down, trying to erase him. Still, he pressed forward, forcing himself onward through sheer will.

Step by step.

Until the effect began to lessen. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

The fog thinned.

The weight eased.

Then, finally, it vanished entirely.

This was not luck. Not hope. Not some miracle nonsense.

The reason stood right in front of him.

In the vast space of his soul was a massive boundary of pure black light, the shape of his very existence. Etched deep into it was a red sigil, pulsing steadily, radiating waves of heat that forced the fog to retreat.

Rayden smiled.

Yes.

His plan needed one thing. A hostile presence. Something that refused to share space.

And that something was the Hellbrand.

Rayden inhaled slowly. Then exhaled.

Through his connection to the Hellbrand embedded in his soul, he gave a single command.

"Burn."

His will asserted absolute control over the space. The Hellbrand answered eagerly, intolerant of any rival presence. The pulsing heat exploded into a roaring inferno, devouring the fog inside his soul until nothing remained.

Rayden smiled wider.

The Hellbrand was definitely the jealous type.

He closed his eyes, and his form dissolved.

In the physical world, baby Rayden finally opened his eyes.

The first thing he saw was his mother.

But this time, her face was not filled with relief or panic.

There was concern, yes.

But beneath it was something sharper.

Questioning.

And it made Vastro feel a sudden sense of danger.

She knows something.

"Hey, Rayden," Selene said calmly. Too calmly. "Don’t try to lie to me."

Her eyes locked onto his.

"Did you cause that fire?" she asked. "The one that burned almost half the forest, killed several beasts, and nearly destroyed the entire area?"

Rayden froze.

Every instinct screamed at him not to lie.

That was ridiculous. Impossible.

And yet, he stayed silent.

If she asked why he was not answering, he would just act ignorant. After all, how intelligent was a six month old baby supposed to be?

Selene kept staring at him, as if trying to decide whether he was truly her child or some demon wearing a baby’s skin.

Rayden did not know why, but he suddenly felt extremely nervous. There was something about her gaze that compelled him, pulled at him, demanded truth.

The only saving grace was his age.

He could not really speak yet.

So when he tried, all that came out was meaningless gibberish, sounds Selene could not understand.

"What are you trying to get at, dear?"

Calack’s rough but cheerful voice broke the tension as he sat beside Selene, roasted meat in hand.

"You can’t seriously believe our cute Rayden was behind that," he said lightly. "He is just a baby. For crying out loud, what could a baby as adorable as him possibly do?"

Selene did not look convinced.

"If he knew nothing about the fire, then why was he found there?" she shot back. "From here to that place is several meters. How does a baby even get there in the first place?"

Her gaze hardened.

Rayden’s instincts screamed again.

This was clearly not ending soon.