Mike blinked a few times and barely opened his eyes a slit; all he could see was darkness.
"Am I alive?" he wondered, surprised. The last thing he remembered was sending Hero-sama off to the inheritance ground, and then nothing.
"Wait, I should be dead!" He thought more and remembered his death scene. "But how can I come back to life? Did Hero-sama find a way to bring me back?" He thought.
"What is this?" He felt very comfortable in a strange liquid.
"I am in the womb," he realized.
"I was reborn after I died!" He was astonished and quite happy. This meant he could serve Hero-sama again.
"Why do I want to serve him? He used me all my life and gave nothing back in return. In the end, he sacrificed me without batting an eye." He felt strange that he still thought about Jack.
"But wait, I was loyal to him and sacrificed my life for him just a moment ago, and now, I have no loyalty to him? Did being reborn do something to my brain? Something is not right!" He felt more and more confused.
Unfortunately, the brain of a fetus is not enough for him to think for long; he fell asleep and continued sleeping for who knows how many days.
...
After an unknown amount of time, Mike felt as if passing through a tunnel; he was born!
...
“It’s a boy!” the nurse said to the father of the child who was waiting outside.
“Does he have it?” The father asked excitedly as he ran into the room.
“Congratulations! Your son has it; you are a noble now!” The nurse smiled and slightly bowed.
The father went in and observed his son, specifically the top of his head, where two tiny horns on both sides were visible.
“Yes! My son is demon-born!” the father jumped up and down like children.
“Give him to me, let me hug him!” the mother said. She was conscious during childbirth, yet the nurses and doctors prevented her from seeing her son for more than 5 minutes.
The father picked the child up, went to the side of the mother, and gave him to her.
“Look at his beautiful tiny horns! They look beautiful!” the mother looked at her son with loving eyes as she carefully kissed the little horns on his head.
In this world, around 1% of all people are born with horns. Those born with horns are believed to have the blood of demons. They can cast magic and protect the world against chaos; they are heroes that everyone admires.
In many places, those who are born different are alienated and hated, but not here. In this world, those with demon blood are seen as heroes from the moment of their birth.
Parents giving birth to demon-born children would be granted a noble title.
Having a noble title means a monthly stipend from the government, free housing, free schooling for all of their children, free college, free food, discounts at government stores, and many other benefits. Many couples get pregnant again and again just for a chance to give birth to a demon-born child.
Demon-borns are extremely critical for humanity's survival; they are the only humans who can use magic and the only layer of defense against the chaos outside the walls.
...
The doctors called the Demon-born Management Bureau and carefully cleaned and dressed the newborn child.
In some very rare cases, demon-born children may have too much demon blood, making them closer to demons than humans. In such cases, they would be taken away from their families and placed in very strict schools to teach them how to suppress their demonic desires.
In most cases, demon-borns are much closer to humans; but for having a pair of horns and the ability to use magic, they have no other differences.
The department's agents arrived; they were two men, both with horns at the top of their heads.
This hospital was where most women in this city gave birth, so the presence of agents was not abnormal. In fact, the Department of Demon-born Management had placed two permanent agents near this hospital to reduce the time it takes for its agents to arrive.
Even though it was not unusual to see people with horns in this hospital, the bystanders still looked in awe as they observed the horns. They were majestic, at least 30 centimeters high, with very sharp tips, and looking sturdy.
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One agent had red horns, while the other had black horns.
“Everyone, leave!” the two agents observed the wrapped-up child, who was placed on a table, and said.
“Steven, is this normal?” The woman asked her husband; she had just given birth, and they already took the baby away.
“Dear, let’s leave; these are just formalities!” Steve said and persuaded his wife to leave.
The doctors were used to it, so they also left and closed the door.
The two agents took out their equipment. It contained many wires and a device that looked like an oversized compass.
The agent with red horns put the compass down on the ground and opened it; inside, there was an empty space big enough for a baby to fit comfortably.
The other agent put the baby inside and closed the compass.
The baby, who had been quiet until now, started crying as if he didn’t want to be placed in the compass, but the agents didn’t care.
The agent with red horns took out a crystal; it emanated dark energy as if it was swallowing the light itself. He split the crystal into two halves and placed them in two places, one in the north and the other in the south.
Then, he connected the crystals to the giant compass using wires.
“Turn it on,” the agent with black horns, who seemed to be the leader, said.
The agent with red horns clicked something, and the two dark crystals started melting and shrinking at a speed visible to the naked eye.
The compass spun wildly and didn’t stop. This process lasted for one minute; the pointer of the compass just spun and didn’t stop at all.
After 1 minute and 5 seconds, the two dark crystals were completely gone.
“Done, take him out!” the agent with black horns said.
The red-horned agent opened the oversized compass and took out the child, who was unconscious.
The agent with Black horns started writing something on a piece of paper:
Number 19.9.6557DYM18.33HMCODE99***8
Blood Purity: 99% (EXTREMELY PURE)
Demon Blood: 6% (YELLOW)
Potential: S (EXTREMELY HIGH)
Placement: S
Pointer: 0% (UNKNOWN)
After writing down the result, the black-horned agent looked at the baby with complicated eyes; he was envious of the child! The test results were amazing, the best he had ever seen.
Demon-borns have demon blood, that much is clear. However, it is more complicated than it sounds. Generally speaking, the higher the percentage of demon blood, the higher the potential of the demon-born. But that is only superficial; in fact, the most important factor is the purity of demon blood.
Generally speaking, demons with impure blood are low-level demons with not much potential. On the other hand, demons with pure blood are powerful, with deep roots and high potential. The same is true for demon-borns.
For example, a demon-born with 1% demon blood and 10% purity is more valuable than a demon-born with 10% demon blood and 1% purity. Not to even speak of the issues having a high demon blood intensity may bring.
There are five levels: Green, Yellow, Orange, Red, and Black.
Green signifies a 0.1% to 4% mix of demon blood. Those in this level have a very low chance of inheriting chaotic aspects of demon characteristics, not counting the small pair of horns at the top of their heads. These demon-borns are basically humans with the ability to use magic.
Yellow signifies a 5% to 10% mix of demon blood. This indicates an increased risk; demon-borns at this level may be required to use some drugs to tame some of their demon desires, but overall, those at this level are stable enough and can live in human society without problems or restrictions. Demon-borns at this level have larger horns but very little chance of displaying demonic characteristics other than the horns.
Orange signifies an 11% to 24% mix of demon blood. Those in this category are guaranteed to have inherited some additional demon traits, such as tails, red eyes, pointy ears, etc., and must be under the supervision of demon specialists and use drugs to keep their chaotic desires in check. They are prohibited from visiting certain places, such as schools, stadiums, and anywhere where a lot of people gather. People in this category cannot have normal lives and must always be careful not to allow their chaotic desires to take control of them. They must hide their demon characteristics from the public. Information regarding their existence is a secret.
Red signifies a 25% to 49% mix of demon blood. Those in this category have a lot of physical demonic characteristics, such as extra eyes, wings, sharp fangs, claws, etc. Most times, the human mothers who gave birth to them die in the process. Demon-borns in this category are directly sent to specialized schools. They have a chance of taking control of their demon desires. If they fail to pass very detailed tests and evaluations by the age of 14, they would be considered full demons and irredeemable and would be euthanized.
Black signifies a 50% to 100% mix of demon blood. Those in this category are more demons than humans. They also have human characteristics, but overall, they are closer to demons. Human mothers giving birth to them are guaranteed to die. In fact, most of those in the black category will never be born because their mother would die during pregnancy. Those in this category are directly taken away and euthanized or used for experimentation. There is no chance of redemption; they are evil and chaotic by nature and are treated as full demons are treated.
The pointer of the compass is also important. Those demon-born whose compass points in a certain direction are at risk and would never be placed in sensitive positions.
The pointer would point to the demon relative of the demon-born. If it points in any direction, it indicates that the demon whose blood contaminated the fetus is still alive. In this world, demons who father children can cast terrible blood magic and take control of their offspring. Therefore, if the demon is alive, the demon-born, no matter the potential, would not be placed in sensitive positions and would remain under surveillance for the rest of their lives.
This newborn had perfect test results: a low mix of demon blood, high purity, and no pointer. He would have high potential and a very bright future.
The agent with black horns placed him in the S group, meaning he would go to the best magic academy in the capital. His parents would be given a higher noble title, and the government would meet all their needs.
His birth basically set his future.
“I wish my test results were half as good as his! Maybe I wouldn’t be forced to do these trivial tasks!” the black-horned agent commented and sighed.
After a few minutes, he and his partner exited the room, spoke with the doctor and the parents for a while, and then left.
Steven and his wife Mary came into the room and took the little Mike.
That’s right; they named him Mike.
Soon, a few of the Demon Born Management Bureau's civilian agents came and guided Steven and Mary through the process. After all, they had a lot of work to do now; they had to relocate to the capital, both had to quit their jobs, sell their house, etc.
Of course, the bureau would help them every step of the way.