Infinite Paths: The Raging Phoenix

Soon enough, Roan woke up and made a fuss again until Rain put him to sleep. Rain wondered for how long that would happen… his father needed to eat and drink, and he probably won't do that while he was in that state. While feeling like sighing, Rain ate some fruits that he had left and then went to sleep in the shade of a tree. It was hard to imagine that he would truly rest like that, though.

"... What time is it?" Rain thought when he woke up in the middle of the night. "Time to move, I guess… maybe if I shake the earth prison a bit, Dad's brain will shake as well, and that will dispel the brainwashing."

Rain was having some weird ideas because he just woke up. Such things were common occurrences since he was reborn, but such thought was left alone once his head began to work properly. Rain and his father moved toward home like that for the next two days.

Their speed wasn't great, but at least they didn't find any problems along the way, aside from the fact that Roan didn't eat or drink in almost three days. Things were starting to reach a dangerous level.

"Shit… what now?" Rain thought while biting his nails and seeing his father that was trying to free himself.

Rain made his father drink stamina and mana potions while he was sleeping so he won't die of thirst so soon, but those potions didn't help with the brainwashing. Feeding his father like that was difficult as well. At that point in time, Rain didn't think that he had the luxury of choosing his methods anymore. He had to try them all. Rain tried Minor Heal on his father's head, but it didn't work.

He tried to find a strange source of mana in his body, but it didn't work either. Rain also made his father spin and shake in the air, but that didn't change a single thing.

"Sorry, Dad… but I guess you will have to suffer a bit," Rain said. "Hopefully, you won't recall anything."

Memory loss, also known as amnesia, is a condition characterized by partial or total loss of memories. It can be caused by various factors, and the severity and duration of memory loss can vary depending on the underlying cause.

Retrograde Amnesia: This type of memory loss affects past memories. People with retrograde amnesia may forget events, experiences, or even their identity from a specific period of time before the onset of amnesia. In many cases, retrograde amnesia is temporary and memory can gradually return as the brain heals from the underlying cause. Recovery may be aided through therapy, support, and time.

Psychological Trauma: Emotional or psychological trauma can trigger dissociative amnesia, where a person forgets certain traumatic events. Therapy and counseling can help individuals recover memories and process the underlying trauma.

Stress and Anxiety: Temporary memory loss can be caused by stress and anxiety. Reducing stress levels through relaxation techniques and therapy can improve memory recall.

Rain decided to use all that as a basis to treat his father. He didn't believe one hundred percent that such a thing would work, but the only thing that he could do now was to make his father endure some trauma that would be stronger than the brainwashing.

In the end, Rain punched his father in the chin to make his brain spin a bit. He also made him spin in all directions. After a bunch of other things, he also made him stay upside down for a couple of hours. When Rain was about to give up and dash home to ask for help, he heard Roan groaning when he was waking up. That was a first…

"Dad? Is that you?" Rain asked. "Or do I need to keep beating the crap out of you?"

"That is a weird way to say good morning…" Roan said and groaned a bit more. "I am a failure as a father, warrior, and man since I had to be rescued by my seven years old son."

Based on Roan's words, Rain assumed that his father, while he was under the enemy's control, could still see what his body was doing. That was really the worst kind of torture someone could have endured. Being inside their bodies and being unable to do a thing. Just thinking about it made Rain feel his blood turning cold.

"I truly hope that you aren't under that woman's control right now. Otherwise, I will have to break all of your limbs," Rain said, and then he freed his father.

"From what I can tell, her magic was too strong, but it got weaker over time," Roan said while shaking his head when he fell on his butt. "However, staying upside down for a while made the blood disperse the mana, I guess… What a terrifying woman. A single look in her eyes and I was done."

"Just in her eyes? Mom will want to hear more about this in detail," Rain said and then shrugged. "She will use this for the rest of your life that while you were being manipulated by a hot girl, she was carrying and giving birth to your fourth kid."

"I had the feeling that such a thing would happen… I take it that she gave her a weird name as well?" Roan asked while showing a difficult smile. "Dana and Kei probably don't even recall my face anymore… and now the younger ones will see me as someone suspicious. I am truly a failure in all Aspects… still, how can you tell at your age that the brainwasher was a hot girl."

"I have eyes. Therefore, I can see," Rain shrugged.

"I am worried about your future like this," Roan said and then sighed.

Just like that, Rain rescued his father…

The trip back home took ten days because they used some time to make Roan recover from the days without food and water. After that, they dashed toward home. Roan explained that the woman could feel the presence of those she controlled, so while the spell ended, she might have sent assassins since she knew where they were heading.

Also, Roan explained that his brothers died on the day that he was captured. That had been the last day of the war, and he was only spared because he took a lot of enemies with him, and that woman decided to make him his bodyguard.