The Broken Halo

Chapter 52: Healing & Reflection

After Simon left the Hall of Pallbearers, he was guided by a short demon rat to the room where he was to be healed.

It was sort of funny being guided by a demon rat because he was a demon cat, and he saw the demon rat tremble a few times and nearly stumble because his bloodline instinctively feared him.

And this was despite the fact that the demon rat was a Lesser Demon and he had not even awakened his Demon Heart.

However, it was not abnormal for the demon rat to be instinctively fearful toward him. Not only was his bloodline a predator the rat’s bloodline, he was also physically stronger than the demon rat.

But did Simon care about this?

Absolutely not. He just wanted to get to the room where he would be healed.

And when he got there, he found himself in a room with black tiled floors and walls, and at the center of the room was a white bathtub.

The rat told him to enter with the most confident tone he could muster, and Simon approached the bath tub with eagerness and relief in his steps and eyes.

Inside the bathtub was a crimson liquid that smelled like blood mixed with herbs.

He saw some herbs he recognized and did not recognize floating on the surface of the liquid, and after scanning through the herbs and listening to his instincts, he removed what little was left of the rags that covered his private part and entered the bathtub.

The moment he entered, he hissed as a stinging pain jolted him from the tip of his toes to his short tail, then to his horns.

Simon had the urge to jump out of the liquid because of the pain, but he already expected such pain.

Besides, what was this pain compared to what he suffered ever since he was kidnapped by the clan?

The rat exited the room, leaving Simon alone, and Simon closed his eyes in immense relief as the liquid healed his injuries.

Although he knew that the main ingredient of the liquid was blood, he didn’t care. His morals as a human was being chipped away with every hardship he went through.

If he had to bathe in blood to heal his injuries, then so be it.

He could feel his missing flesh and severe internal injuries healing at a pace that was not too slow or fast.

He also noticed that the injuries to his heart and foundation which was caused by the extraction of his bloodline was also being healed, but not strengthened in the slightest.

The liquid gave him no increase in his strength or talent, it only healed him, and Simon hoped that it completely healed him.

As he lay in the bathtub while staring blankly at the black ceiling, his mind could not help but wander to everything that happened to him.

He had said it a million times that he hated his second life because of everything he had gone through, but as he did a deep internal reflection on himself, he realized something.

He realized that at the end of the day, he was the one at fault for his current situation.

Would he have suffered so much if he had not stolen the Devourer’s blood essence?

Would his mother have betrayed him so early?

Would he have had a soul devouring centipede in his heart if he had not stolen?

The obvious answer to these questions was no.

No, he would not have gone through all of the hardships he went through.

At the end of the day, it was all his fault.

He could blame his mother, blame Zaglur, blame the Shadowgrave Clan, but it was his fault for being greedy.

His greed had not only caused him so much physical, mental, and emotional pain, it had also led to the deaths of over a hundred demons.

Because of him, the Ashborne Tribe was no more, and though he didn’t care about a single demon, he still had to take responsibility for his actions.

’I had enough money to go to a minor clan and start over from there. It would not have been easy, but at least, it would have been safer.’

’My greed caused me this. I saw an opportunity to get stronger and I took it, ignoring the dangers that were staring right at me in the face.’

’I should not mainly blame my mother, Zaglur, the Shadowgrave Clan, or the demon realm. The main person I should blame is myself.’

’I caused this to myself, and I have to live with the consequences of my actions.’

Simon released a deep sigh as he pushed himself deeper into the bathtub. He looked up, and his eyes flashed with a determined light.

’I’ll survive, then I’ll take my revenge. Most especially on Pellin. He’ll be the first person I kill.’

His eyes flashed with killing intent and a tinge of madness, then he released another sigh to calm his nerves.

He decided not to think about other things for now, like what the tests might be, the six Pallbearers, or what his next steps would be.

Right now, he just wanted to sleep after performing this deep reflection of himself.

As he looked at the ceiling, he thought of nothing, and not too long after, he slept off.

It was a sleep he only had when he was a baby because of his habits of not sleeping too deeply.

The crimson liquid healed the external and internal injuries to his body, but what it couldn’t heal was Simon’s soul.

Just like the Pallbearers said, the human-faced centipede was actually a soul-eating or soul-devouring centipede.

Every bite it took of a person’s internal body not only affected the physical body but the soul.

Every chunk it took of a person’s internal flesh was a chunk taken out of the person’s soul. And though it was small, the soul was extremely fragile especially for Simon who was still very weak.

Despite the fact that he had reincarnated with his memories and blessing, his soul was not as powerful as before and it had been severely weakened just so that he could reincarnate and not be discovered.

Simon had no idea of this, but with time, these missing tiny pieces of his soul would affect him.