Chapter 8: A Surprise

After a few minutes of pause, Davis opened his eyes. He couldn't fathom what had happened just now, but he could certainly feel the change intrinsically. It was as if his soul started growing and attained a shape all of a sudden.

He could also tell that he could recall his past memories as vividly as if he was currently experiencing it. This made him quite stunned.

Claire wiped off Davis's tears and smiled proudly.

"You've made Mom proud, Davis!"

'Wait? I cried?'

Davis couldn't understand what exactly took place in his soul just now but decided to ask since he felt compelled to know.

"Mo… Mother, what happened to me just now?"

"Davis, you just advanced to the Nascent Soul Stage!" Claire exclaimed jubilantly. Her tone contained an enormous amount of disbelief, but at the same time, she sounded immensely gratified.

"Nascent Soul Stage? What is that?" Davis had some idea about it since he heard of it while studying but decided to ask anyway.

Claire giggled, "Silly, for this, you need to know about the Cultivation System. Let me explain it to you slowly."

Davis got excited to learn about it. He had seen Magical Beasts like that Wyvern and other Magical Beasts and even people flying outside the Imperial Castle. It would be a lie if he said that he wasn't interested in it.

"There are three types of Cultivation Systems." Claire started to explain, "First, Essence Gathering Cultivation. Second, Body Tempering Cultivation, and Third, Soul Forging Cultivation."

Claire grinned and pointed over his forehead, "What you achieved just now is the First Stage of Soul Forging Cultivation, Nascent Soul Stage. What you've done is a quite unbelievable feat, Davis. Usually, only people who had reached the Third Stage of Essence Gathering Cultivation System, Revolving Core Stage, will be able to advance in their Soul Forging Cultivation because a human's soul is rather weak."

"You can't sense it, not until you reach the Revolving Core Stage..."

Davis felt the difficulty of achieving this feat in his age with her words, but considering his real age, or perhaps his soul age, he felt that it should be set in stone for him.

But even if it were a hundred-year-old mortal, that mortal wouldn't still be able to sense their soul. Davis could guess this fact, but he had failed to consider it.

In fact, Davis was only able to reach the Nascent Soul Stage because of two conditions, his powerful soul due to the Transmigration Stone's strengthening effect and the fact that he had managed to conquer his Heart Demon that he currently had no idea about.

Davis took a moment to understand what she said.

"Davis!" Claire called out to her son with a solemn expression.

"Mhm?" He woke out of his trance.

"Did you awaken your previous life's memories?"

*Boom!~*

Davis looked like a cat that had its tail stepped on! He immediately took a step back as it has been totally unexpected for him, or should he say that he had rather failed to consider while taking in all this new knowledge and let his guard down.

Claire immediately embraced him again, not letting him go.

"It's fine, Davis, you don't have to say anything, you're still my son. This doesn't change anything." She hurriedly comforted him.

"Mother, I'm sorry..." Davis started to cry as tears fell over his cheeks. He can only let her misunderstand the situation. There was no use lying since the suspicion was already cast on him, and he had slipped up.

Seeing that Davis was crying, Claire smiled, she was reassured that it was still her son and not some old demon from ancient times. With how pure his emotions were, she felt that it could not be faked, at least, not easily faked.

They stayed like that for the time being. Perhaps, both were feeling insecure.

After a few moments of mother-son bonding, Davis decided wholeheartedly to be her son, both in body and soul, as it didn't sit well with him to cheat a pure soul.

At least, he felt that's the least he could do for the dead Davis.

"Davis, let's call your father here and explain ourselves to him, shall we?" Claire included herself in Davis's situation.

But if he wanted to hide this fact to his last breath, she wanted to respect his privacy.

"Mother, is it fine? Won't father get angry?" Davis had his misgivings.

If more people knew about this fact, then his life could be in danger.

Davis's father, Logan, had visited him a few times to play with him, albeit stricter, because he wanted his son to be headstrong while facing hardships.

Davis rather felt that his father had many burdens on his shoulders, so they weren't able to bond to the level of what he and Claire reached.

"Your father will get angry only if you don't tell him, if you come out with it, he will start believing and trust you to a certain extent. In truth, he is an easygoing person and not stern at all. If you don't tell him, he may entirely distrust you because you simply have no way to hide your cultivation for now." Claire explained with the best intentions in her mind.

She also believed that Logan would trust her words and not harm Davis.

"Mhm, I'll obey mother then.." Davis spoke sadly with an adorable expression on his face. He believed that even if the situation goes south, perhaps, his mother would protect him.

The way he saw it, though the Emperor seemed to be the person with the greatest status, he treated the 'figurehead' Empress, his mother as his equal, and was also in head over heels for her.

"Lovely..." Claire pinched his face as if she couldn't get enough of that cute expression.

Claire then contacted her husband through a fist-sized crystal, telling him that she wants to see him immediately.

"Mother, what is that?"

"This? This is a transmission crystal. This is used to contact whoever owns the other half. There are many types of crystals. I'll explain them later to you."

Hearing her explanation, Davis nodded his head.

A few seconds later.

Logan opened the door to the study and closed it. He possessed a stern expression on his face. However, his expression suddenly became jovial.

"Hahaha, what is it, my love? What is so important that you made me hurry here alone?" 

Logan then noticed his son's peculiar gaze and then turned shocked, "Nascent Soul Stage!?"

He couldn't believe his senses!

Davis and Claire looked at each other and nodded their heads.

Logan promptly noticed the solemn atmosphere in the room.

"Logan, Davis, and I have something important to tell you," Claire informed with a calm expression on her face.

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"Hmm? You and Davis? Let me hear it then..." 

Logan then set up a barrier made up of his soul force, knowing that it's important. 

Soul Force was none other than the type of energy born from the essence of the soul. The further a person increased his Soul Forging Cultivation, the further that person's soul force would improve and be enhanced, becoming stronger.

Claire then explained the series of events that happened a few minutes ago.

"So, you are saying that our son has gained his previous life's memories?" Logan possessed a strange expression on his face.

"Basically, yes..." Claire had a helpless expression.

There was a moment of silence, albeit heavily awkward.

Logan took a deep breath, he then looked at Davis, but his gaze wasn't one of looking at a son anymore. He released a heavy pressure that stemmed from his soul.

Davis trembled. His father's gaze was sharp, and the sudden pressure engulfed him heavily. He felt as if his soul in his glabella was suppressed, making him unable to even move his finger!

"Logan!" Claire defended her child as she stepped forward.

"Stay quiet! I only want to question him for now."

Logan's expression wasn't as stable as he waved his arm. It startled Claire to a great degree.

"Who are you?" Logan questioned in a solemn tone.

"Davis...." Davis replied without much change to his expression. 

He had expected this, after all. He felt that even he would do the same, confirming whatever he doubted with his own methods.

"Lies! What are you after?"

"Father, I'm not after anything!" Davis had tears forming in his eyes inadvertently. He was not after anything, and his undeveloped body had rather failed to keep his emotions in check after getting berated and accused falsely by the one he recognized as the father.

"Don't call me Father!" 

Logan rather had a heavy expression on his face.

"Father, please..." Davis muttered. 

He didn't want to create any kind of estrangement between the three of them. He had an aggrieved expression on his face. He felt as if he couldn't take this anymore.

"Logan! You've gone too far." Claire shouted with an angry expression on her face.

Logan sighed as he took back his pressure and retracted his gaze. He looked at him again. His gaze was back to like what one would look at a son.

"At least tell me if you were a mortal or a higher existence such as a cultivator or even higher?"

"I'm a mortal" After a moment of silence, Davis chose to reply without averting his gaze. His gaze shone pure with no evil intentions.

Logan could feel Davis's soul fluctuations along with the feeling behind his words. If he lied, then he would know about it. There were no unusual fluctuations in his soul, so he could at least verify in a sense that his son wasn't lying.

Perhaps, only seasoned liars would be able to control their soul fluctuation, but he wanted to not see his son as one of them.

Logan heaved a sigh of relief.

He carried Davis into his arms and whispered, "I'm sorry."

"I could only do this for the safety of our family."

Davis nodded his head, not taking it to heart. He knew that his father took action based on family security and must be very worried about his son. He knew that his father's past was extremely complicated and even heavy, to say the least.

Claire walked towards them as she felt heartened.

The family then hugged each other, perhaps, not feeling well about their insecurities. Their hug was heart-warming, and it was the best comfort they felt that they could experience now.

"Husband, you took your prank too far..." Claire teased Logan as she tried to lessen the heavy and awkward atmosphere.

"I know, I'm sorry." 

Logan chose to end the embarrassing yet important topic right then and there.

There were just too many myths in this world for him to ignore his son's abnormality. As far as he knew, no one had managed to break through into the Nascent Soul Stage when they were just three-years-old and that too, without even breaking into the Revolving Core Stage.

He felt that his son was an absolute anomaly in this world. Hence, he wanted to absolutely make sure that his son, who seemed to regain his previous life's memories, wasn't a threat!

Honestly, he didn't know how to face his son anymore. He even felt awkward lifting up his son, feeling that his son could have once been an old man.

But when he looked at his son's face and eyes, which awfully resembled him and had his mother's blonde hair, there was no doubt in his eyes that Davis was his son, their son.

Besides, he had already confirmed it in the bloodline chamber after his son's return.

Davis suddenly laughed a bit, causing them to laugh along with a sense of not knowing what's going to happen anymore.

"Hahaha~." 

The three of them laughed together like they were an ordinary family, but their laughs did indeed soothe their current awkward situation.

Davis felt quite embarrassed to shed tears at the same time but presumed it was because of the child's undeveloped body. It would make sense since he hadn't fully mastered the child's emotional reactions.

'When was the last time I cried when I was on Earth? Ten years ago? Fifteen years ago?' He mused.

Although he felt guilty of not telling the truth he perceived, that he had killed their son, he was happy as long as they think there is another 'Davis' inside their son. This would help him remove the guilty feelings that he had for hiding this matter entirely.

Though they misunderstood his situation, it was similar to what they understood other than the part where they do not know that he had accidentally killed or taken over their child.

In actuality, he wanted to maintain this status quo.

Claire suddenly had a change of expression over her face as if she couldn't hold it in anymore. She hurriedly went to the restroom as she hid her mouth with her palm.

"Mother!" 

"Claire" 

Both of them shouted in worry.

Sounds of vomiting could be heard from inside the bathroom, and after some time... Claire came out with a shy expression on her face, "... Looks like I'm pregnant."