Everyone logically believes that a newborn infant has no memories of that time.
But the facts are otherwise.
At least Loki remembered.
At the very beginning of his birth, the cheers he heard.
"He is born!"
"The King!"
"The God of the Sky, the King on Earth!"
"The revolution is about to begin — the promised era is about to arrive!"
That was the cheering of the entire world.
But at the same time, Loki also remembered other words.
"Tell Harald that what I gave birth to is a stillborn — throw this thing into the Underworld!"
"He is not my son. He is simply a monster."
The person who said these words was his biological mother.
That woman named Estrida, possessing a noble and ancient Giant bloodline, and a beautiful face.
"I don't want it. That horrible thing is not my child."
Accompanied by such words, the infant Loki was thrown into the Underworld by her own hands.
Thus, Loki heard the world's angry howling.
"That foolish woman!"
"Truly infuriating!"
"The honor of birthing our King — she actually views as a curse!"
The world's angry roar could only be understood by Loki alone.
Manifested outwardly, it was the many disasters Elbaf encountered that year — the earth began to suffer from drought, fierce winds blew day and night without rest, lightning disasters and earthquakes struck from time to time, and cold waves continued year-round.
That was the world raging for their King.
But precisely because of this, Loki completely cemented the title of the 'Cursed Prince'.
"Hey, don't come near — monster, you will bring disaster!"
"It's said this guy has already tamed the Lords of the Mountain in the Underworld, and even lets them attack villages... he shouldn't have been born!"
"He even caused the death of his mother!"
"Cover his eyes!"
That's right — he was a monster.
So being abandoned by his mother since childhood had a reason.
So being discriminated against and tormented since childhood, while his father was absent from Elbaf for long periods, was also natural.
So Loki couldn't deny it.
"Being born isn't my fault either — if possible, I don't want to live either."
He sincerely had such thoughts.
And in fact, he had attempted to seek death.
He had jumped down from the Underworld countless times.
But unfortunately — as mentioned before, he was a monster.
Both in terms of physique and strength, this was true.
So even if he wanted to seek death, there would never be a result that satisfied him.
Until one day, he met that person.
That person... mm...
"Who was it again?"
Loki was suddenly jolted slightly from his memories.
His ignorant consciousness faintly seemed to hear some voice coming through, but couldn't make it out clearly.
It was as if he always felt there were many important things in his mind he had forgotten, but he could never clearly remember.
"It doesn't matter. Anyway... I am a person who shouldn't exist."
A voice in his heart said this.
"No one will care about me. My death might be the best outcome..."
But thinking of this, his thoughts suddenly paused again.
Because in his mind, another person seemed to appear.
That was a gentle woman — not particularly beautiful, but warm.
"Who was she again?"
Loki had forgotten again — forgotten her appearance, forgotten her name.
This made Loki instinctively resist.
Something was wrong — he shouldn't have forgotten those two people. They should have been very important.
"Nothing is important."
The voice in Loki's heart was still speaking.
"Nothing matters, does it?"
"What's important is, you and I are one — we are Loki, and also Teach."
"You don't need to think. You just need to sleep. Everything will become normal — there will be no more struggles, entanglements, and pain. Your power will be utilized perfectly. You just need to sleep."
That voice seemed to carry some kind of power, making Loki's thoughts become chaotic and muddled.
But exactly at this moment—
"...Loki..."
That faint voice came again, and seemed to become clearer. "Wake up..."
Wake up?
Loki's chaotic thoughts were puzzled.
But right now, he felt some kind of power pouring into his thoughts — it made his thinking somewhat clearer.
"I am Uma, one of The Zodiac, subordinate of Star Lord."
"Rocks made you the final member of the Rocks Pirates, didn't he?"
"The responsibility entrusted to you by the captain you chose — are you just going to give it up like this!?"
That voice and that power became increasingly sonorous, to the point where Loki could almost no longer hear that obscure voice in his heart.
"Rocks..."
Loki repeated the name.
Within his thoughts, something seemed to be reviving.
"Suicide? Why would you do such a boring thing?"
"Brat — you are a man. And since you are a man, doing such weak things will make this great one laugh to death!"
A voice seemed to arrive at his ear.
"Since you are a man, go find your own value for this great one."
"If you find it, offering your life for it is only natural — being sad here over some irrelevant fools... don't make me laugh!"
He seemed to recall that person's name.
Rocks D. Xebec — the person who changed his life.
He made Loki start desiring to become a pirate. He made Loki start to be full of interest in the sea. He made Loki start learning to ignore the strange looks cast by Elbaf, and start wanting to find his own value.
"How could I forget him?"
Loki's thoughts became increasingly clear, and some hidden memories began surfacing.
"Intruder — who are you?"
"Me? I am Rocks' son — Davy D. Teach. My old man told you, right, about us being 'Davy'..."
"Teach... Rocks did mention his son had this name, but how did you..."
"There's a reason for all that. Zehahaha! I have many ways to prove my identity — let me into Utgard Castle first?"
Those were memories from not long ago.
But—
"You're not allowed to think!"
A low roar. The familiar feeling of chaos and ignorance began to sweep through Loki's mind anew.
Those memories he had just brought up seemed to be gradually suppressed and forgotten again, and he seemed about to return to his original state once more.
But this time, Loki instinctively began to struggle.
"Star Lord... Rocks..."
He recalled the content of what the voice had just said, and realized he shouldn't forget the name Rocks D. Xebec.
But—
"It's useless! Stop resisting, Loki — I am you, I am Teach, and also Loki!"
"Hand everything of yours over to me, don't—"
The voice in Loki's heart spoke like this, but it was clearly fierce in appearance while weak within.
And it was exactly when the words reached this point—
"Loki, my child."
Loki heard a female voice.
And at the same time that voice rang out, more and more memories in Loki's mind could finally no longer be suppressed.
They were like a released flood, pouring frantically out through the floodgates of memory.
That was a woman who appeared when Loki's life should no longer have had any concept of family.
She treated him as her own — gentle and affectionate towards him.
"You won't be alone, Loki."
"Although I am not your biological mother, I will stay by your side... my child."
"So, don't give up on yourself — you are the pride of me and your royal father."
"Hurry up and wake up. Your younger brother and I both need you. Elbaf... needs you!"
(End of Chapter)
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