《Blade Origin》


 Prologue

    In a dark place devoid of warmth, a gentle multicolored light roamed absently. It was a captivating sight to behold if one could see it but apart from the illumination, the place was desolate. And so, the light continued like this for an unknown amount of time. It had slowly started to develop consciousness at some point. How? it did not know nor did it care. Nothing mattered in a place such as this.


    It continued aimlessly until finally meeting resistance. Advancing was not an option, neither was retreating. Not knowing why things developed to such a point, it could only stay like this.


    Unknown to the light, there was a pair of eyes watching it intently.


    "Why is there such a thing in this place? How did it survive this long and who put it there?" The voice was unexpectedly clear and calm. Certainly soft and warm. It was a voice that could mesmerize anyone.


    "I''d very much like to help it, a soul as beautiful as this does not deserve to be in the void. The fact that it hasn''t been driven mad after gaining consciousness is a testament to its purity."


    The light trembled slightly as it felt the presence of another. It had been alone for a long time. It did not have a concept of loneliness but it knew that in this case, it was better to have than to not. Though it had no eyes, it was surely able to sense.


    "You are able to sense me. This is a surprise." It was the same voice from earlier. The light illuminated the figure, and it made the most beautiful sight. Not that anyone could see it.


    The light listened as the gentle voice washed over it. The next moment it felt like something in it was changing. As the soul took shape, it started projecting the image of its future host. While that was happening, she stole a peek at its memories that were sealed away from it.


    Awful, tortured screaming replaced the pounding of rain in his ears. His legs were frozen, whether due to the rain or the fear but he had to move them somehow. Why was it like this? What the hell happened?! The strongest race in the world was being slaughtered like animals by inhuman enemies that they had no idea existed until an hour ago. One of the creatures ran toward him. Brandishing a sword in his free hand, his eyes scanned restlessly for his mother. He knew not if she was alive or dead and that thought sobered him up a little. To rescue his mother, he needed to have a clear head. Celestials were a proud race that stood at the apex but now all that pride shattered like broken glass. They could not win, these creatures numbers were overwhelming. Flying away wouldn''t help either since these atrocities also had wings. As the creature neared him, his body twisted and his sword pierced cleanly through the head of the beast. The body fell, causing the earth to shake as he jerked his weapon free. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    He killed as his feet moved in the direction of his home. He had no idea how many died by his sword. He only had the thought of finding his mother. At the entrance to his courtyard, a mutilated body lay on the burnt grass. His bowels twisted in his guts. He couldn¡¯t stop staring at the Corpse. Mother. Her face¡­ if it could be called such. Almost unrecognizable but he knew it was her. He felt the bile churning in his throat. A gut-wrenching scream tore through his throat and pierced the air. A pain both soul and bone-deep wracked his body as his sobs harmonized with the screaming of his fellow kin. A snarl that would send shivers down anyone''s spine was heard behind him. He knew that sound. He knew he should get up and fight but his will, as well as his strength, had left him as soon as he found his mother. "This place will be my grave. Mother, just wait a bit for me." He whispered as he brushed her matted hair away from her face.


    A woman with unmatched beauty stood there. Her white dress perfectly stuck to every curve of her sculpted body. Through the slits of the dress, long unblemished legs went up to a tapered waist. Her breasts were almost spilling out of the confinement known as a dress but it did not seem to matter to her whether he saw or not. Crescent-shaped eyebrows looked down on sweeping lashes. Enticing, gem-like purple eyes gazed at him over her puffy, heart-shaped lips, and pointed ears poked through her flowing black hair.


    She spoke to him in a voice as sweet as a songbird. "Is something the matter?"


    "I cannot remember who I am. Did you have some part in this?" His voice was a smooth baritone that could charm any living creature. "I did not. The seal came from a higher being. Your memory, you will have no access to it." "Then do I at least have a name?" His brow rose in an inquiry. Truthfully he was rather disoriented. He strangely felt that he should be concerned but the past him and the him of now were two different people. How could he miss something he himself never had?


    The unparalleled beauty looked at the naked young man before her. Eyes the color of blood that had a hypnotic effect locked onto her. Truly, if she were a weaker being she would definitely be bewitched. His lips were just as glaringly red as his eyes which only made a stark contrast to his vividly pale complexion. Pointed ears adorned with numerous piercings only made him look more devilishly charming. The long raven hair that looked silky smooth spread haphazardly across his back, shoulders, and chest. He was just as handsome as she remembered him, with an added wildness that made him stand out more.


    "It''s Soleus. Your body is that of the fourth young master of the Blade clan in the world you''re being sent to."


    "So this body is incorporeal?"


    "It is so. You felt pain because your soul was being reconstructed. The size of it needed to be compressed. Ah, don''t worry, the quality didn''t decrease, just the size."


    "It was a blunder on our part to put you in such a place so I have spoken with Father and he will send you back to your world. You will experience great pain. I cannot change this so bear with it for your own sake. I hope we meet again under better circumstances."


    Then all he knew was pain.


    The pain first shot up his arm like fire, making him cringe. It felt like his whole being had been replaced with fire and ice. It exploded in his head with a blinding whiteness that made him faint.


    Back in the void, Her legs no longer able to keep her upright, the beauty collapsed as soon as Soleus left.


    "Darling forgive me for deceiving you, but I had no choice. If I knew it was you before I spoke to father I would''ve kept you with me for all eternity."


    Tears streamed down her face as she recalled her most cherished memories with her beloved.


    She did not tell him that the body he would possess was one of his descendants with the exact same appearance he had in his previous life. They were one in the same, only a fragment of his soul was stored within his current body. He was born a fool but his family, especially his mother loved him beyond compare.


    "Finally, finally I found you. Though you may not remember me, I have not for once forgotten you. 1300 years have passed. I will surely be by your side in this life. Mother and son. Husband and wife. All will be reunited."

 Chapter 1 - Compensation

    By the time he awoke, the pain had lessened to a dull throb. Opening his eyes, he saw trees that were like towers blocking out the sky. The scent of woody incense assaulted his olfactory and the view of the sprawling trees indicated he was in a forest of sorts. Sitting up on his elbows, he took stock of his surroundings. Voices could be heard coming from nearby, though he could not pinpoint the exact location.


    Soleus finally realized his whole person was soaking wet. The cause was the pool of water he was in. Having no idea where he was and why he was here, a touch of anxiety started creeping in. Despite his better judgment, he called out to the voices he heard earlier.


    "Hello? Can someone help me out of here? It''s freezing!" His voice cracked, but he assumed the words were intelligible since a bunch of women came running towards him. At the forefront of what could only be seen as a stampede, Soleus saw a woman that could only be described as beautiful. She had a gentle beauty and elegance that could not be faked. At the moment though, she looked frantic as she rushed to his side.


    "Who is it?! Rena, search the surroundings and find out who was it that was here with Soleus. There should not be any trespassers with the security we have here. Find them within the hour!"


    A figure dashed by him, blowing his hair into dissaray.


    "Son, are you ok? Are you hurt?" Her hands caressed his face as well as his entire person as she tried to find if he was injured. Soleus tilted his head in confusion. Son? At that thought, a sharp pain exploded in his head then went as quickly as it came.


    I am the fourth young master of the Blade clan. Soleus Blade. I remember the beautiful lady mentioning I would possess this body. Without memories, it''s best to continue on as this young master for now.


    "I am fine mother." The cracking of his voice was grating on his nerves but there wasn''t much he could do about it at present. The lady froze for what seemed like forever, as she stared unblinkingly at him.


    "Y-you! How?!" Her screamed almost ruptured his eardrums as he tried to shuffle out of her embrace.


    "Is something wrong?" Tilting his head once more in confusion, he stared at the woman who seemed as if her soul flew away. A tear slid down her cheek as she sat there dumbfounded, then her arms wrapped around him as she squeezed him to death.


    "The heavens have not forsaken this mother and son."


    The other ladies crowded around the duo and tried to make sense of what they were seeing.


    "T-the fourth young master has spoken! My goodness, who knew that the spring would finally work. It was my idea you know."The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    "Yes, yes." Said another voice hurriedly. "That may be true . But all the effort came from fourth young master, it could not have been easy to stay in that frigid water for two days without an ounce of internal energy."


    It was silent for a while until another girlish voice said, "What do you think the Patriarch will do now that the fourth young master is no longer a fool?"


    "It''s best we not try to think about the matters of our betters. Do well to remember that."


    "Mother, it''s good that you''re happy but could you help me out of this water. The longer I stay, the more I fear for my little brother. I''m frozen stiff and not in the way I''d like." If Soleus wasn''t in such a bone chilling predicament, he might have been sweating bullets. It wasn''t a joke that he was really scared for his son. Who knew when it would just snap off if he continued to stay like this.


    "Oh. Oh!" His new mother practically lifted him by his armpits and settled him on a dark patch of grass.


    "Someone find Rena and tell her to come back. Seli, quickly come and dry Soleus and the rest of you go back to the main house and inform the Patriarch."


    It was a buzz of activity as what he assumed to be maids, flitted about to accomplish their tasks.


    Soleus noted that his body was very weak, though he supposed it was because the previous owner of this body was a fool, who could barely walk and had never spoken a word since birth. From the memories he inherited, Soleus knew of the situation in regards to his family but it wasn''t much to go on.


    Another thing to take note of was the fact that his personality was perplexing. Soleus could innately feel that he was someone mischevious. Was it a lingering effect from his predecessor or was he like this in his previous life? His instinct was pointing him to the latter, but he had no way to confirm. Something nagged at him that things weren''t exactly as the goddess(?) explained. Either way, the only choice he had now was to live in place of the original and figure things out as he went along.


    "Come son, let me take you back to your room. The air is getting chilly and you getting ill is something I do not want happening." Soleus, with the help of his mother, slowly made his way through the forest and towards an impressive courtyard.


    The gateway led into an expansive courtyard separated into two segments by a smooth slate path. One section held a graceful, flowing weeping willow that stood proudly beside a lake but what caught the eye was the grand building painted in pristine white. Both sides of the structure were flanked by a row of toweling Cyprus tress. The whole thing was truly too beautiful. The other segment showcased a house similar to the first but much less grand and smaller in size. Why did a fool live in a courtyard as magnificent as this?


    Now in a bed, Soleus didn''t have the luxury to assess his surroundings. There was hustle and bustle throughout his household and it didn''t help his headache any. Before he knew it, the room was packed with unfamiliar faces. Well unfamiliar to himself. From his memory, he could make out his father, three brothers and a younger sister who was supposedly Soleus''s twin.


    Not getting a chance to say anything, Soleus was patted all over by his father. Pinched unceremoniously by his sister because she just ''had to be dreaming.'' And his brothers kept shouting over each other about something that had to do with rankings.


    With no other alternative, Soleus feigned sleepiness and it finally got rid of his family and the noise they brought with them.


    Miran, Soleus''s mother, was very reluctant to leave but she knew her son was overwhelmed, so she gave him the space he needed. She could always come back to check on him. In 30 minutes. Yes that was sufficient time.


    Sighing as he laid on his back, Soleus stared at the crystal adorned ceiling. "Why do I feel like I landed in a circus." Hmm? Circus? This word seems foreign, but not at the same time.The thing that''s most needed now is rest, everything else can wait until later.Truly, this day has been exhausting.


    Before he succumbed to sleep, Soleus parted his robe and hurriedly looked in his underwear.


    "Heaven is truly on my side. It didn''t break off and it most definitely isn''t a little brother but a big bird. Appropriate compensation for being born a fool." He gave a thumbs up to the ceiling and then his eyes closed as he drifted off to sleep.

 Chapter 2 - Stud

    I can''t talk for long, but you might have questions regarding your body. Yes you''re currently weak but that''s only because your soul has yet to fully adapt to your new body. It hasn''t stabilized, as such you''re as strong as a newborn calf. I have to go, so please be careful.


    Soleus''s sweat drenched body shot straight up as he suddenly woke to the sensation of tingles at his shoulder blades down to his back.


    His vision was also blurry for some reason. Blinking his eyes slowly, he waited until things came into focus. After looking around the room, all he could see was luxury. What could only be expensive furniture and majestic looking doors that led to who knows where.


    Enduring the pain in his back, Soleus continued scanning the room until his eyes fell upon a lavish full length mirror. Struggling to stand up, he straightforwardly walked slowly toward it.


    The reflection in the mirror showed a fair and delicate looking young man. The thing that stood out to him the most were his red eyes that looked to be glowing faintly. From what he saw, no one in his family had eyes of this color. Not bothering to ponder about it anymore, he nodded to his reflection. Soleus was satisfied that his looks were up to par.


    Walking to the closest chair, Soleus sat with one leg crossed over the other and a hand propping up his chin. Going over his inherited memories, Soleus couldn''t suppress a sigh. As for the reason ¡­ disregarding the fact that the body''s previous owner was a fool, and the fact that he had no martial talent or internal energy to speak of, the root of the problem was that ¡­ he was engaged to the kingdoms most beautiful girl. Why? Because he was a member of the Blade clan, who were known to produce mostly male children. Apparently the male to female ratio was 3 to 7 in this world.


    Basically, he was being married off as a stud horse. Were the people of this world idiots? Soleus couldn¡¯t make sense of it. What he did know though was he needed to find some way to annul the engagement. He didn''t want to be tied down after just essentially being born.


    Opening the door, Miran entered Soleus''s room without the slightest sound in case she woke him, only to be met with him in a pondering posture sighing every other second.


    Just what sort of troubles could this boy have after gaining sense just yesterday?


    "Soleus, is everything ok?" Her voice resounded throughout the room, breaking him out of his thoughts.


    "Hmm? Oh, mother. Sorry I was lost in thought for a moment." Shaking off his depression, Soleus stood and made his way back to bed.


    "If you say so. I came to check on how you were doing as well as to inform you that your betrothed came to pay you a visit. News travels fast it seems." She had no indication to point out that it was her who spread news of his recovery.


    "Are you sure that someone like me should be engaged to someone like her? My memories may be fuzzy due to me being daft, but I can perfectly recall that she''s the kingdoms treasure."


    "Certainly she''s an impressive girl but the engagement was made before you both were born. Neither your father nor the patriarch of the Spear clan could be persuaded into annulling the engagement." His mother gently took his hand as she sat beside him on the bed.


    "I think we need to break it off. I''m not good enough for such a girl. Mother you have to help me." His eyes turned watery as he stared at his mother imploringly.


    Surely such a pitying look will sway her. In no way is this me being manipulative. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    "Oh, don''t give me those eyes. I''ll see what I can do but I make no promises." Standing up, Miran started walking to the door. "Are you capable of getting yourself dressed or do you need on of the maids to do it?"


    "I can handle it myself. I''ll be out shortly. I will need someone to be my guide though. I''ve never actually stepped foot out of the courtyard while conscious after all."


    A gentle laugh echoed through the room as his mother closed the door behind her.


    Dressed in an exquisite black robe with fine gold stitches, Soleus followed behind an old servant of the family as they made their way to the main house. Just as he stepped foot into the parlor, he saw his brothers marching out one by one with drool running down their chin. These brothers of his were very hardworking and were very popular but the only negative thing about them was that their too salacious.


    They should leave such unscrupulous behavior to him. He had to succeed in something.


    Without giving them an extra glance, Soleus strode into the room and his eyes were immediately drawn to the girl sitting not too far off from his mother. Hair the color of wheat was tied together with a red string and skin just as pale as his. Though she was sitting and her red robe hid much, he was sure she had curves that could drive any man crazy. Eyes reminiscent of the sky stared at him with a penetrating gaze. Well deserved praise. Soleus could honestly say that her beauty was on par with the goddess he met just yesterday.


    Not knowing how to greet her, he shrugged his shoulders and sat opposite his mother. Soleus wasn''t here to impress her, so if found fault in his behavior, well wasn''t that fine? Plus, he had no intention of changing his mind about breaking off the engagement, even if she was a feast for the eyes.


    "I was told you were here to see me? How may I help you? Ah, sorry I don''t even know your name." Soleus''s eyes flicked to his mother and she imperceptibly nodded her head then stood up to leave, making an asinine excuse. Surely you could have done better, mother.


    Now that they were alone, the last vestiges of civility left him.


    "I''ll say this quickly so we both can be on our way. I have no intention of continuing this farce of an engagement. I''m sure you don''t want to be associated with a retard, so let''s do each other the favor of putting an end to it." Soleus leaned back as he looked at the girl that did not once take her eyes off him since he entered.


    "Whoever pegged you as a fool were fool themselves. You are too articulate and intuitive to be a retard, as you put it. I might not seem like much, but don''t insult my intelligence. Furthermore, as far as the engagement goes, I have no say in the matter. Believe me I''ve tried on countless occasions to change father''s mind but to no avail." She took a sip of her tea then continued on, "Also, my name is Luna Spear, an absolute displeasure to meet your acquaintance." Though her words were somewhat harsh, he voice was pleasant to the ear. As to her confessing about trying to break off the engagement, Soleus didn''t give a brown rats ass.


    "The feeling''s mutual I assure you. Try talking with your father once more, I''ll do the same on my end." Soleus stood and so did Luna. They continued to observe each other in silence until Luna finally turned around and left without another word.


    Tilting his head back while releasing a long breath, Soleus tried to rid himself of the discomfort. His underwear was much too tight all of a sudden. Thank goodness he held out until the bitter end. Being alone with an attractive woman was dangerous. It''s been the second time in two days and he didn''t know how much more he could take before his bird forcefully invaded someone''s nest.


    "A monk seems like a good profession. This young master cannot stand being around beautiful women. They''ll surely bring trouble." He exited the parlor, only leaving the linger of his words.


    Making his way through the rooms in search of his mother, he found her in the Dining room, along with the rest of his family. It only just dawned on him how early the time was.


    Visiting so early in the morning. Tsk. What a presumptuous lass.


    Taking the empty seat next to his brother, Deseus, he nodded his head in greeting to them and proceeded to eat a breakfast of things he had no idea of. It was surprisingly delicious.


    "Now that you''re finally better, what do you plan to do with yourself?" Soleus''s father, Hector broke the peaceful atmosphere around the table.


    I can''t tell him about becoming a monk can I?


    "I Just came to yesterday, I hadn''t the time to think about it but I''ll do so from now on. I''ll have an answer for you by the end of the week." He needed to figure out how to solve the issue with his body and soul.


    "Very well." The discussion ended there. Soleus came to the conclusion that his father was strict in nature but he was also very caring towards his loved ones. Soleus wasn''t sure if he had that in his past life but it was nice to have it at present. It''s a pity that their actual son is no more.


    After breakfast, his sister ran up to him before he could sneak away back to his room. Naila Blade was the female version of Soleus with the exception of his red eyes. Her eyes were a lovely shade of brown. This family was blessed with good genes it seems.


    "Where are you off to Soleus. I can finally have an actual conversation with you. Do you know how hard it was to talk with you when you couldn''t respond? I was labeled as a strange girl thanks to you."


    Soleus knew firsthand that though this girl looked sweet and gentle, her personality was the exact opposite! Despite that, he felt a good affinity with her. Was this the influence of his blood bond or something else?


    Suppressing a sigh, he faced Naila and caught the glint that flashed across her eyes.


    "What do you want Naila?" He couldn''t help rubbing his palm against her head gently.


    "Let''s go out and explore the city together. You''ve never been and you might like it. "


    It wasn''t a bad idea, Soleus had to admit.


    "Can we go tomorrow? I''m still somewhat tired today. Plus I think I should take it easy as much as I can for a while.


    Pouting, Naila reluctantly nodded her head before running off.


    I''ve only just gotten up and I''m already exhausted. Another sigh slipped past his lips. Soleus felt like he had been doing that a lot today.