《FCBM - FATE CANNOT BIND ME》 Chapter 0 - Prologue GOLDHORN CONTINENT - APRIL YEAR 9989 - ABOVE THE CREATION FORMATION ____________________________________________________________________________ A white semi-transparent circular platform rested up above the clouds. It emitted a soft warm glow and gave off a slight thrumming sound. Suddenly, two figures wrapped in the same white light being emitted by the platform burst through the clouds. It was possible to see that one figure was dragging the other. The dominant figure landed gently on the platform, still holding the second figure. The light encasing him dispersed revealing an amiable looking old man. The man proceeded to gently release his grip on the figure in his hand, a lean but strongly built youth with dark green eyes, who crumpled down onto his knees and coughed up a huge mouthful of blood. ¡°Whoa now, you alright kid.¡± The old man said as he kneeled down next to the youth. His voice sounded young despite the clearly ancient body it was coming from. He reached out to the youth and a golden light was emitted from his hands. When the light touched the youth his previously pained expression seemed to ease up. The Youth looked up at the elder. ¡°Thanks for saving me from those chains back there senior,¡± and with that he proceeded to get down on one knee and crossed one arm over his chest ¡°I Hishima hereby swear by the laws that govern the heavens that I will strive to aid senior in any way possible as soon as I have saved my loved one,¡± the youth shouted in a determined voice. On his home continent this posture was one that would be assumed when one was trying to show the utmost sincerity to another individual. ¡°Heh, heh, laws that govern the heavens huh. That''s actually the only reason I saved you kiddo¡± A strange glint appeared in the elders eyes as he looked at Hishima. ¡°Hey kid, aren¡¯t you wondering what those chains that tried to kill you right now were?¡± ¡°Junior is naturally curious¡± said Hishima, still maintaining his respectful posture. ¡°Then I¡¯ll explain everything to you, but I¡¯ll have to start from the very beginning. After I''ve finished you can decide what you think about the so called laws of the heavens yourself¡± The old man had a smile plastered on his face, as if he was anticipating Hishimas reactions to his following words. It was also quite clear that he had been in this exact same position with other individuals before. ¡°Hmm, lets see. As you know cultivation is the process of absorbing the world''s energy that surrounds us and refining it to a form where we cultivators can use it as we please. The energy takes the form of levels of a tower in our dantian. The dantain is the space within our bodies that stores this energy and it is located around our abdomens. This energy has many names, qi, aura, mana, whatever¡­ but the point is they are all the same thing, energy belonging to the world around us.¡± ¡°Junior obviously knows this sir¡± Hishima said, still maintaining his respectful tone to the old man, but wondering why he was mentioning the basics. ¡°Good good. Now then, in terms of cultivation we are supposedly limited by two things: bloodline and talent. The maximum a person can progress in their lifetime is three levels of cultivation. However that doesn''t mean everyone is a mere generation three cultivator. Instead, we can learn and acquire the maximum cultivation level the previous generation of our family has gotten to, and we then build as many layers limited to three on top of that. Let¡¯s take the Blackweight Family as an example. Their founder was able to progress two layers of cultivation in his lifetime. His sons and daughters were able to reach the second layer of cultivation via their fathers teachings, and they then built a further three layers on top of that to reach the fifth layer of cultivation. At that point the Blackweight family would have been known as a fifth generation family¡± Hishima interrupted and said: ¡°Senior, this young one already knows all of these things. The only things you have left out are that it is extremely rare for an individual to even be able to build two layers of cultivation beyond what the previous generation reaches.¡± A cold glint emerged in the old man''s eyes: ¡°Kid, you want me to throw you off this platform and be done with you¡± ¡°No, no, no just pretend this little one said nothing great sir,¡± Hishima screeched in a nervous voice. A fawning smile emerged on his face¡°please continue your preaching wise sir.¡± The elders eyes returned to being warm and a friendly wide smile once again emerged on his face. It was as though his cold persona from moments ago had been a facade. ¡°Ha, ha seeing as you value these old man¡¯s words so highly I¡¯ll continue. Now then kid, I have a simple question for you¡­ why is it only possible to progress three levels of cultivation? Why can¡¯t we build higher???¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it simply that cultivators do not have the capability to understand beyond three levels of cultivation¡± asked Hishima confusedly. This was common sense, general knowledge something anyone who knew anything about cultivation would know. ¡°Think about it kid, if a cultivators father was a founder and developed the families first three layers of cultivation, then the cultivator them self built a further two layers for a total of five, then said cultivator has knowledge of five cultivation levels. He¡¯s already broken your theory¡± ¡°But said cultivator had help from his father to comprehend the first three layers. That''s why He was able to progress further¡± replied Hishima. ¡°That¡¯s still wrong, no matter what the cultivator has knowledge in his mind of more than three layers. Therefore your argument has fallen through¡± The elder looked looked at Hishima with a smirk ¡°the real reason is all to do with a families founder¡± ¡°Their founder?¡± Hishima looked at the elder questioningly. ¡°Heh, heh, heh indeed. If one is born with no family background in magic one is known as a 0th generation. The only way to get rid of this status is for you yourself to become a cultivator. These first generation cultivators are known as founders. But there¡¯s only one way to become a founder.¡± ¡°Travelling to the creation formation at the centre of the continent¡± Hishima chirped in. ¡°Correct. This is what you, boy, have been aiming for these past few months. You came here to start cultivation in order to take back your little Maaya or whatever.¡± Hishima blushed but decided not to interrupt or deny the elders words. ¡°Question number two kiddo, who set up the creation formations???¡± A look of befuddlement filled Hishima¡¯s face. ¡°What do you mean who senior. It¡¯s not possible that any being set up the creation formation. The creation formation is the size of an entire territory, and supposedly contains such boundless spiritual energy that even the younger generation of the Goldhorn family, the rulers of the continent, legendary hundredth generation family members come here to train and absorb energy. The creation formations on every continent were naturally formed by the universe itself, no???¡± ¡°WRONG! You¡¯re right that the creation formation contains monstrous levels of power, which just goes to show how monstrous the ones who set it up are¡± Hishima¡¯s eyes shone as he said: ¡°Could it be, the legendary thousandth generation families only spoken of in legend set it up?!!¡± At this statement the elder paused and looked at Hishima with an incredulous look on his face. ¡°Your joking right, those children couldn¡¯t even set up a subsection of a subsection of a subsection of the creation formation. No. The ones who set it up where the millionth generation families¡±Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. ¡°WHAT. MILLIONTH???¡± The elder paused as if to relish at the sight of Hishima¡¯s befuddled face ¡°Heh, heh, heh. No matter how many times I do this, looking at kids shocked faces when they hear that millionth gen families exist is the best.¡± He gave an evil grin, ¡°anyway yes, millionth generation families exist. And if puny thousandth gen families are able to impress you than you can imagine the power millionth generation families hold. Moooore than enough to setup the formation beneath us¡± Hishima¡¯s mind was starting to blank out. He himself was merely a 0th generation. To him even tenth generations families were leviathans ¡°So¡­ so how do the millionth generation families link to us only being able to build three layers of cultivation???¡± ¡°The millionth generation founders were some of the first cultivators ever. When their families were powerful enough, they set up the creation formations to help more people cultivate. But at the same time they wished to keep their positions of being the most supreme powers. They wanted to help individuals cultivate in order to have more sources of income, from all the offerings these new cultivators would have to give them, but didn¡¯t want them progressing to a stage where they might be a threat.. To balance out increasing their sources of income and not angering these new cultivators into uprising, a solution needed to be found. The solution was what you saw today kid, the chains of the creation formation¡± Hishima suddenly shook, remembering the massive thirty metre thick, hundred kilometer long chains which had tried to squash him like an insect mere minutes ago. If this senior hadn¡¯t saved him, those chains would have succeeded in taking his poor little life.¡°Those chains were trying to kill me. Are you telling me most new cultivators are killed or something?¡± ¡°No, no, no. That wouldn¡¯t make any sense. Those chain¡¯s purpose is to instil their power into the blood of any founder cultivators. This power ensures that a cultivator can never build higher than three levels. As all cultivators obviously share the blood of their founding ancestor, they too are unable to progress past this three layer limit. This method ensured that it would be impossible for any others to surpass the millionth generation families, but progression in cultivation was still possible so no-one could complain. Furthermore ordinarily those chains are invisible and people dont even know they are being limited or that the creation formations are man-made, so no-one bothers the millionth gen families. Not that they could anyway¡± ¡°Then why were they trying to kill me??¡± Wailed Hishima ¡°I was just trying to establish a couple layers.¡± ¡°Well the thing is boy, you have quite good talent. I reckon without the chain suppression you alone could build twenty to thirty layers of cultivation by yourself.¡± Hishima froze. Then gave off a slightly mischievous and arrogant grin, ¡°well, well. I always knew I was something special. I can''t help it that the heavens love me. I¡¯m just too amazing.¡± With that Hishima put one hand to his head which he began to shake left and right slightly. He still had a massive grin on his face and seemed to be pitying all the individuals of the world who, in his eyes, clearly paled in comparison to his awesomeness. ¡°Don''t get cocky you little brat. Kids belonging to thousandth generation families have to comprehend ten plus layers of cultivation a day or they¡¯d never make progress. As for you, in your entire lifetime you¡¯ll be able to develop a maximum of thirty layers. You¡¯re actually quite pitiable¡± Hishima looked like he¡¯d had a bucket of ice thrown over him. His grin was gone in seconds. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter anyway¡± he sighed and looked down through the platform at the clouds. ¡°With those chains in the creation formation in place, it looks like I won''t even be able to create a first layer, let alone thirty.¡± He again sighed, this time even deeper. ¡°Oh don''t worry about that kid. I can help you get around the chains.¡± Hishima looked up excitedly. ¡°Really senior.¡± Hishima had long since stood back up from his kneeling position, but as soon as he heard these words of hope from the old man he rushed to get into his respectful oath taking position once more. ¡°Senior, as long as you help this lowly one reach even the third layer of cultivation, this lowly one will proceed to save his loved one and then rush to your side and serve you till the end of my days.¡± An almost worshipful gaze was being given off by Hishima. ¡°Hmm, your loved one Maaya huh. I actually have bad news about that.¡± Hishima became frantic when he heard something might have happened to Maaya ¡°What, what is it great sir, is she hurt? Did the Cyanbright family do something to her? Did she get lost somewhere? Did she run away and they tracked her down? Are they starving her into obedience?????¡± ¡°Calm down, calm down kid¡± the old man said. ¡°Your little wife is perfectly fine at the moment. It¡¯s a future problem she¡¯s gonna face¡± ¡°What is it? Please speak.¡± Hishima exclaimed, still very frantic. ¡°Well, from looking at your memories it seems that your little friend is a super genius. At the mere age of twelve she¡¯d already developed two further layers of cultivation. Now at the age of eighteen she¡¯s halfway through developing her third layer. Without the suppression she might have been able to develop a full hundred layers just by herself. Heh, heh¡­ she¡¯s much more talented than you.¡± Hishima calmed down slightly and said: ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean she¡¯s in any danger right. It¡¯s just a shame she¡¯s being suppressed.¡± ¡°Normally no, she wouldn¡¯t be in any danger. However unfortunately the reaper period is about to begin.¡± A chill felt like it was jolting down Hishima¡¯s back ¡°Reaper period??¡± ¡°It¡¯s another technique used by the millionth families in order to ensure stability in their rule. Every couple of thousands of years, they use the creation formations to release a massive spell which covers the entire continent. Every outstanding individual will either fall sick and die, have an accident in cultivation and die, or somehow encounter extremely misfortunate circumstances and die. Did you notice what those three situations had in common?¡± Hishima¡¯s eyes darkened as he understood what this meant for the fate of his precious one. He slowly lowered his head as if trying to look through the clouds at the creation formation. His voice became a mere whisper as he said: ¡°Senior, that means that¡­ Maaya, she¡¯ll die soon. Actually no¡­ the millionth generation families will try to kill her??¡± ¡°Correct¡± affirmed the elder ¡°however I¡¯m willing to offer you a route out. The whole reason I saved you is because I want you to join me in resisting the millionth generation families. Me and many others who have found out about the millionth gen families ways are moving to stop and fight back against them. I¡¯ll help you cultivate kid, then you grab your little wife and meet up with me. You¡¯ll make a fine soldier against the millionth gens and you get to be together with your loved one. It¡¯s a win-win situation right.¡± ¡°I REFUSE!¡± shouted Hishima suddenly as his head snapped back up from looking at the clouds. It was possible to see that his eyes were bloodshot and that he was emitting a dense killing intent. ¡°Oh¡± the elder muttered. His amiable aura receded as his cold persona returned ¡°are you not satisfied in some way punk. I saved your ass and offered you your ideal life and that''s still not good enough.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not it senior¡± whispered Hishima again in a voice that could sever nails and chop iron. ¡°It¡¯s just that I refuse to become a mere soldier. That wouldn¡¯t be enough for me. After all, these millionth gen bastards dared have intentions of harming my Maaya¡± With those words the killing intent that surrounded Hishima seemed to intensify ¡°I NEED TO PAY THEIR KIND INTENTIONS BACK FULLY MYSELF!¡± The elder froze in place and gave Hishima a stupefied look once more. ¡°Ohhh, I''ve never seen someone react like this before. Kid youre refusing the easy choice and aiming for a colossal, almost impossible task.¡± The elder gave Hishima a sharp look ¡°I can help you¡­.But are you sure about this kid?¡± ¡°I made an oath promising to make Maaya my reason to live. Anyone who therefore even thinks badly of her¡­. MUST DIE¡± With those words rain started to pour down from the heavens and lightning seemed to be beginning to form. It was as if Hishima¡¯s emotions were affecting the weather itself. ¡°Heh , heh, HEH, HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAA, kid, you¡¯ve caught this old mans attention, it is my good fortune to have encountered you. I can feel your resolve and I¡¯m willing to help. Originally I planned to make you a soldier and make that Maaya girl a general when you brought her to me, but what the hell, your determination has interested me. GUESS I¡¯LL JUST MAKE YOU A GENERAL THEN¡± By this point the elder was shouting in order to get his voice to be heard over the rumbling thunder and crashing rain. ¡°LISTEN KID, IN ORDER TO MAKE YOUR FOUNDATION I¡¯M GONNA NEED TO BREAK THE CHAINS OF THE CREATION FORMATION BELOW US AND USE THE CREATION FORMATIONS ENERGY TO FORM YOUR FIRST LAYER. THAT¡¯S GOING AGAINST THE SO CALLED LAWS THAT GOVERN THE HEAVENS YOU WERE RAVING ON ABOUT EARLIER. WHAT¡¯S YOUR RESPONSE KID?¡± Hishima paused and thought of all the things he had learnt about the greater world. ¡°THE LAWS OF THE HEAVENS ARE THE LAWS OF THE MILLIONTH GENERATION FAMILIES. BUT THOSE LAWS ARE UNJUSTLY TRYING TO TAKE WHAT IS IMPORTANT TO ME. THEY ARE TRYING TO BIND MY FATE. THE ANSWER I GIVE IS THIS.FATE CANNOT BIND ME. I REFUSE TO LET IT BIND ME. SENIOR, DESTROY THOSE GOD DAMNED CHAINS!¡± ¡°PUAHAHAHAHA. GET READY THEN KID.¡± And with that the surrounding lightning converged upon the white platform, which brightened and brightened and brightened as it accumulated power until, ¡°ping¡±. It broke apart¡­¡­. Chapter 1 - Accept That This is Goodbye GOLDHORN CONTINENT - NOVEMBER YEAR 9988 - BLACKWEIGHT TERRITORY ~ FOREST SURROUNDING THE TOWN OF AMDALE _______________________________________________________________________________________________ "I said you''re not taking her anywhere, I don''t care what generation family you come from or what power lies behind you, Maaya''s staying here in Amdale where she belongs" Despite the brave words Hishima shouted and the fact that he held a branch in his hand ready to attack, the actual fact of the matter was that his knees were shaking and his mind was falling into a state of panic. "Damn, damn, damn! What the hell is a branch gonna do against a monster from a 12th generation family. Even if I dropped a tree on him it wouldn¡¯t do a thing," he screamed internally to himself. The ''monster,'' in question, was in fact a man who looked to be in his early twenties. The only part of him that gave away his real age were his eyes. They seemed to contain too much wisdom and experience to belong to any youth. He had handsome features and wore a blue robe that, despite being made purely out of cloth, gave off an almost neon luminous glow. The ''monster'' looked at the scrawny kid in front of him. He of course picked up on the boys shaking knees. A look of appreciation and pity filled the mans eyes. "Like I said earlier kid", the man uttered in a soft and almost comforting voice,"number one, you have absolutely no way of stopping me." With that remark the man his lifted his hand into the air and pointed directly upwards with his index finger. A wave of light identical in colour to his robe emanated from his abdomen and rose up to his finger, where it was then discharged as a tiny sphere of light with a diameter of barely one centimetre. The sphere rose rapidly until it was over a hundred meters high. It then burst into what looked like a beautiful firework. However, despite its beautiful aesthetics, the shockwave created be the ''firework'' was nothing to marvel at. The wind generated by the tiny sphere knocked Hishima clean off his feet and his sent him flying a few meters away. This was the result when the sphere had not even been aimed anywhere near Hishima, and had not even had the purpose of causing any harm to him. "It seems i''m really gonna die today" Hishima muttered to himself. He shakily got up and looked around, the forest they have been standing in now had a clearing around a kilometre in diameter. This astonishing level of power from that small sphere actually caused fear and hesitation to flash in his eyes, however when he thought about the fact that he might lose Maaya forever, Hishima stood up straight, looked the blue robed man in the eye and lifted up the log once more. "You''re right, I have no way to stop you.... but I''ll bloody die trying"This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. When the blue robed elder saw all these emotions and actions from the kid he actually became quite pleased. "He''s reckless but he''s not an idiot. He clearly knows that his actions will most likely result in death, it''s just that his willpower and principles are preventing him from giving up on the one he cares about," the, despite his youthful appearance, old man thought to himself. "What a character, if only he was born into a decent family". "Secondly kid," the elder continued, "I am in no way taking your friend by force." With that he stepped aside to reveal two figures behind him, one male and one female. Hishima''s attention quickly turned to the female. As for the male, it was as if he didn''t exist to Hishima. "Maaya," he cried,"let''s go back to the city, there''s no reason for you to go with them." The girl in question looked up guiltily and lovingly at the boy in front of her. She then said to him in a voice filled with tears, "I''m sorry Shi, but I have to go. In order to protect my family I need to get stronger, to do that I need to build a third and final layer of cultivation. The only way I can do that is to go with them" "No" Hishima screamed at the top of his lungs, "I''ll help you train get stronger for sure, you¡¯re a genius Maaya, you don¡¯t need these people, so don''t go Maaya..... I''m begging you, please don''t." "SHUT UP!" Maaya screamed, finally bursting into hysterical tears. "The only way for a person like me from a mere 3rd generation family to get any stronger is to be adopted by a higher family. I HAVE TO GO." She gave Hishima a pained yet determined looked. "Please accept that this is goodbye." she whispered in a cracking voice, tears were still running down her face. When Hishima saw the determined look in her eyes his mind went blank. He knew he was being selfish and that this was what was best for Maaya, but he also knew she didn¡¯t really want to leave. However, as the old man had pointed out, he really didn¡¯t have a way to stop this from happening. After all, he was a 0th generation himself. He had no cultivation, no power, no status. It was a miracle he was even able to befriend a non-0th generation individual. The branch in his hands slipped through his fingers and landed on the floor with a thud. Emptiness filled Hishima''s eyes. "It''s me. I''m so bloody weak" he thought as he fell to his knees, tears finally leaking out of his eyes. Maaya stood there and looked at him, also crying. "Lets leave" she quickly whispered, worried that if this situation lasted any longer her resolve to leave would falter. With those words the elder waved his hand. A circular platform formed of that same blue light appeared beneath them. It lifted them up and flew away at incredible speed. Within seconds they were out of Hishima''s line of sight. As the group left the elder cast a glance back, he sighed. "What a sad set of events. The kid has a good character and a decently strong will. Might as well leave him some good fortune and offer the poor lad some hope...". The elder waved his sleeve slightly. An envelope emerged and proceeded to fly back in the direction they had just come from... Chapter 2 - Barely Twenty Seconds Hishima plopped lifelessly onto his bed back at the orphanage, his face moist with tears. He had lost her, she was gone. His mind was filled with conflicting emotions. He could tell from the look Maaya had given him that this was something she HAD to do, yet he simply could not accept this outcome. They had been together for years, she was his rock after the sad events which had happened to him. With all these thoughts flowing through his mind Hishima could not help but think back to the time they had first met... _______________________________________________________________________________________________ GOLDHORN CONTINENT - BLACKWEIGHT TERRITORY - MAY YEAR 9980 - ORPHANAGE IN AMDALE "Everyone gather round, we have a new arrival today" shouted an old granny to a crowd of youngsters,¡°this is Hishima, take good care of him." ¡°Yeeeeeeeeeesssssss¡± chorused the group of children. ¡°Now Hishima introduce yourself to the rest of the children.¡± Hishima stepped forward slightly, allowing the many children to get a clear look at his face for the first time. Hishima¡¯s skin was a light brown colour, it almost appeared to be the same colour as sand. He had dark green eyes and an extremely skinny frame; a stranger may believe that he had been starved for weeks. However, what stuck out most of all to the many children was the expression he wore, and, more specifically, his eyes. Despite the uniqueness of them, the colour of his eyes was not what stuck out, but rather it was their emptiness. It looked as if his eyes belonged to a man who had journeyed into the depths of hell, and had spent a great passage of time there. The woman noticed Hishima¡¯s lack of response and vacant eyes ¡°Ah, you must have a lot on your mind young one, no to worry, take some time to rest¡± she said in a comforting voice. She put a hand on his shoulder. ¡°Remember this, you are safe now, absolutely nothing bad can happen to you here.¡± Noticing the woman''s kind intentions and not wanting to be rude Hishima looked up and gave a small nod along with a small smile. However, even a young child could have told that this smile was empty, forced and fake. _______________________________________________________________________________________________ Hishima was an only child. He had lived happily with his mother and father for six years in a remote village. However, one year ago a war had broken out in the territory Hishima lived in. The Goldhorn continent was comprised of 26 different territories, each of which contained numerous cultivation families, with the most powerful family being the ruler of their respective territory. The Territory that Hishima and his family originated from had been called the Greymedal Territory and had been ruled by the powerful Greymedal family. However, roughly a year ago the Greymedal family had somehow offended the rulers of the continent, the Goldhorn family. As a result the Greyhorn family had been uprooted and destroyed. This led to the next most powerful families who resided in the Greymedal Territory, the Pinelight and Rustruler families, to begin a war to vie for ownership of the now leaderless Greymedal Territory. Hishima¡¯s family had been forced to flee from their village and find a new home. For almost a year they had been travelling toward the neighbouring territory, the Blackweight territory. They had to travel slowly and cautiously as various dangers were present. Massive beasts trained by the warring families to kill all non-family members. Elaborate traps such as nets linked to explosive spells. They also had to avoid any members of either family who might suspect any wanderers of being spies or messengers for the enemy family. Despite these dangers Hishima¡¯s family had made it all the way to the border of the Greymedal Territory and were only a day away from the Blackweight Territory. From Hishima¡¯s point of view, it had seemed that everything was going to be fine. He believed that the war would soon end and he and his family could return to their village and go back to their old lives. Sadly, this would not come to pass, the last of the three dangers had occured. _______________________________________________________________________________________________ ¡°Tomorrow we should be entering the Blackweight territory¡± exclaimed Hishima¡¯s father excitedly. ¡°We¡¯ll finally be safe, no more four meter tall bears or crazy lightning spells to worry about!!¡± ¡°Safety¡± Hishima¡¯s mum whispered ¡°one truly only appreciates something when it¡¯s gone¡± This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°Honey, there seems to be the remnants of a village up ahead, we can camp in a random house tonight.¡± ¡°A warm place to sleep¡± Hishima smiled joyfully ¡°camping is nice but I prefer a bed¡± ¡°Me too darling, me too¡± Hishima¡¯s mum said as she stroked his head lovingly. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Later on that night. ¡°Did you hear something¡± said Hishima¡¯s dad as he scrambled up from the floor of the shack they had been sleeping in. ¡°Oh god, we need to hide quickly.¡± With that Hishima¡¯s mum grabbed her son who had been sleeping beside her. She pushed Hishima into the small clearing beneath the stairs and hid him behind the furniture and rubble ¡°Shi, listen to mother. This is the most out of site spot so you should be safe. Me and your father will hide upstairs. If anything happens stay hidden until it¡¯s safe. Then run in the direction we¡¯ve been travelling in these past few days, towards the sunrise okay.¡± ¡°Yes mum¡± Hishima said obediently. ¡°Good boy. I love you. Be good and stay here¡± Hishima¡¯s parents then proceeded to run upstairs to try find a hiding spot. A few moments of silence passed. Suddenly a scream was heard echoing through the house along with loud shouts. ¡°Thought you could hide from us huh¡± spat out a giant man. He entered the main corridor of the shack, within viewing sight of Hishima¡¯s hiding place, dragging Hishima¡¯s mum along behind him by the hair. The man in question was fully 2.2 metres tall and had a nasty scar running along his cheek. ¡°LET HER GO¡± shouted Hishima¡¯s father as he wrestled with another man as he tried to reach his wife. ¡°DONT TOUCH HER U PIECE OF SHI¡­ urggg¡± Hishima¡¯s father was barely able to looked down to his chest before the light faded from his eyes. Lodged in his chest was a luminous-green coloured, one meter long spike. The spike had suddenly appeared when the giant man waved his hand¡­¡­¡­ it was magic belonging to one of the two warring families. ¡°I couldn¡¯t have vermin like you call me such a disgusting thing now could I???¡± The giant man said menacingly and with a savage condescending look on his face. ¡°And you, hag¡± he said pulling on Hishma¡¯s mums hair ¡°Admit it, you''re from the enemy camp right? You work for those bastards rigghhhhtttttt¡± ¡°No, no, my husband, why¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take that as a yes then¡± grinned the giant man. With another wave of his hand a second green spike flew towards Hishima¡¯s mum¡¯s heart and pierced straight through, blood spurted everywhere. She was dead before Hishima had even registered his father¡¯s death. Everything had happened so fast. Between the first scream and both his parents deaths barely twenty seconds had passed. ¡°Two spies killed in one day¡± said the giant man ¡°great work Ming¡± ¡°Boss, how do you know they were spies¡± asked the man who had been tussling with Hishima¡¯s father ¡°We didn¡¯t even get to ask them questions before you killed them.¡± ¡°Shut up Ming you idiot. They actually started insulting ME, a great sir from the majestic Pinelight family. How the hell could they be anything other than spies. Anyway, if we report them as spies we should get some reward or another¡± ¡°Right, right sorry boss¡± ¡°Anyway let''s get out of here¡± The giant man waved his hand, and again luminous green light was emitted. It enveloped Hishima¡¯s parents and with a shhhhhh sound they burned up into ashes. Both men left as swiftly as they had arrived, all the while not knowing that barely two meters from where they had killed the ¡®enemy spies¡¯, Hishima had watched the entire thing. All he had been able to do was watch, for he was frozen with fear. He was confused. His parents were gone? Just like that. Why? Because they were spies? Their murderer hadn¡¯t even interrogated them before killing them. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Hishima didn''t really remember what happened after that. His eyes had a dead look in them as he shuffled in the direction the sun rose from the next morning. His mind was blank as he trudged along to the extent that he didn''t even bother hiding, leaving himself vulnerable to attack. However as he had already been at the border, he somehow made it to the Blackweight territory safely, where he had then been found and brought to this nearby orphanage. _______________________________________________________________________________________________ Following Hishima¡¯s first supper at the orphanage, he was permitted to roam the grounds freely. The orphanage was located at the border of a town, and closeby was the an enormous forest, with trees that towered over the buildings that made up the town. Upon being set free, after a quick detour at the orphanage¡¯s kitchens, Hishima dashed into the forest, not bothering to remember which direction he was walking in. Once he felt that he was a great enough distance away from the orphanage, Hishima pulled out an object that he borrowed from the kitchens. An extremely sharp kitchen knife. It was clearly a knife that could slice even the hardest of vegetables with relative ease, which meant it could just as easily pierce flesh. It was for these reasons that Hishima had chosen this knife to end his life and reunite with his parents. Hishima closed his eyes which had dark black bags under them. He saw luminous green light flash and felt that he could hear his mother''s dying scream. This obviously caused his eyes to snap back open. This had happened every single time he had closed his eyes in the past week. ¡°I¡¯m sorry mum, dad¡± he muttered, tears rolling down his eyes ¡°but living, it¡¯s just¡­. just so painful¡± Hishima held the knife tightly with both hand, raised it into the air, and.. slash!