Ashes in Reverse

After a few days.

Hiroshi and Kami started training with Leon, teaching him various things. Master Alvis was just observing them and taking notes of their physical and mental progression.

Leon was trying his best to become powerful, but his performance wasn't as expected and was poorer than any other HIT. Still, Hiroshi and Kami tried their best to help him improve.

---

Two months passed.

They all were in the garden sitting beneath a tree when they saw a crowd of HITs.

"What's that?" Leon asked, pointing toward the crowd.

"It's not something we should mess in. Let us just relax," Hiroshi said as he stretched his body and leaned on the tree. Kami was swinging her wooden sword at a distance, clearly focused on her form.

Leon stood up and went to see what was happening there. As he reached the place, he saw a beautiful girl with purple hair and purple eyes beating up a guy with a smirk. All the HITs around were cheering her on and enjoying the fight. While some others were talking about her, Leon asked a guy in glasses beside him,

"Who is this girl? Why is she beating that guy?"

The guy first stepped a little away from Leon like everyone else.

"She is Celestine Lysandra, the seventh princess of the Lysandra royal family. She is the second strongest hunter in training, and currently, she's beating the guy she intentionally bumped into. It's a normal habit of hers. That's why we always stay away from her."

Leon took in the information about her. His eye twitched seeing her beat a guy for something he didn't even do. He walked straight toward her.

"Wait, where are you going?!" the guy in glasses tried to stop him, but Leon was already too far ahead.

Celestine was kicking the guy in the face with her sharp shoes and smirking.

"Bump, now bump into me, asshole!"

Then, a tight hand rested on her shoulder. She looked back to see who dared to touch her. It was Leon.

All the people there were completely stunned after seeing him - the guy who ate bread from the floor touching her, the arrogant beauty. But this time, they weren't feeling disgusted. They were feeling pity for Leon, as something very dangerous was about to happen.

"Stop beating that guy for no reason," Leon said, looking down at the blood-covered boy. His grey hair was soaked, and he was nearly unconscious.

But before Leon could react, a punch hit his stomach, sending him flying into the girl hostel building. The wall was strong enough to stop him outside. Otherwise, he would have flown through and been thrown out of the area. He spilled out blood.

What was that? Was she the one who punched me? I didn't even see it coming...

Before he could react much, she suddenly appeared in front of him.

"You motherfucking disgusting bastard, how dare you touch me?!" Her voice was full of rage and disgust. She started punching him constantly on the face. Leon used his hands to protect his skull from getting dislocated.

She's too strong. Of course, she should be. She's the second strongest. Is there someone even stronger than someone like her? My hands are giving out… I won't be able to hold for much longer...

Leon thought as his arms weakened, and her fists started landing directly on his face. He had accepted that today might really be the end for him. But the ending wasn't near yet.

Suddenly, the punches stopped.

As he opened his eyes, he saw her fists were caught by Hiroshi, who was yawning.

Hiroshi glanced at Leon, his tone flat but serious. "I told you we shouldn't have gotten involved."

Kami suddenly walked over, lifted Leon onto her back like he weighed nothing, and started walking away.

"Kami, wait—she's the second strongest HIT! Hiroshi can't beat her!" Leon warned, alarmed.

Kami chuckled, turning her head just enough to look at him with a smirk.

"She's second… not first. So there's no problem at all."

Leon blinked, confused. "What do you mean? Who's the first strongest then?"

"Hiroshi," she said simply.

Leon's eyes widened. He looked back toward Celestine, and for the first time, saw something rare on her face - fear. She took a step back, clearly shaken. She pulled her fist away and snarled, "Don't touch me. You know who my family is! You never cared before, so why now?"

Hiroshi let out a quiet sigh, rubbing his eyes like he didn't care.

"Because he's my friend. If he wasn't, I wouldn't waste my time."

And with that, he turned around and walked away.

As Hiroshi walked away, Celestine let out a slow breath, her shoulders finally relaxing.

Hiroshi Nozawa… the son of the legendary entity hunters, Matsuri Nozawa and Ren Nozawa. A prodigy from the Nozawa clan of the Old Eastern Kingdom, one of the Five Great Clans.

Her fingers curled into a tight fist, her expression darkening.

That kingdom may no longer exist… but I hate to admit it - at one point, it was even stronger than my own family.

---

Later that night, after dinner.

Leon opened the door to his room. His face was wrapped in bandages, and even he had no idea how he managed to eat earlier. He stretched his body and dropped onto the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.

"It's been two months since I came here. I don't feel that anxiety or nervousness anymore… but there's something far worse than that. Something I still haven't overcome."

He clenched his fist tightly.

"Why am I so weak? Why didn't I get any cheat skill or hidden system like those reincarnators in those ani..."

He paused. A strange emptiness washed over his face.

"Wait… what was I about to say? Ani? Those shows I used to watch… made in which country? What was the name of that country?"

Leon's eyes widened in fear.

"Wait… am I forgetting my past life? But I remember I was reincarnated. Then why are pieces missing? Is my memory… fading?"

He sat up on the bed, trying hard to recall anything - any name, any detail. But nothing came.

"What the fuck is happening to me?"

He dug his nails into his skin and slapped his cheeks in desperation. But no matter how hard he tried, the memories just wouldn't come back.

"What's going on?" Leon asked himself, his voice trembling as fear gripped his chest. He sat frozen in place, terrified by the realization that his past life, his memories, his identity, was slowly slipping away into nothingness.