《Heavenly Sovereign》


 Prologue***

    In a secluded forest, there was a hut. The hut was nothing special. It was made out of wood found nearby and leaves to make the roof. Surrounding the hut was a field of flowers and herbs which caused the place to produce a heavenly smell. Many beasts were attracted to this smell, but an unknown force kept them from touching a single blade of grass near the garden.


    "Honey, you just have to hold on for a bit more!" a man with golden eyes and silver hair spoke. He worriedly looked at the woman lying before him.


    The woman panted and screamed in pain. Every breath she took seemed to drain her of her energy. Sweat was pouring out from everywhere and the piece of wood she was gripping cracked.


    Finally, after she cried out louder than ever before, she relaxed. Her face was full of anxiousness. Another man who was waiting for the baby to arrive quickly wrapped the baby in a clean piece of cloth and handed it to the woman.


    "Elaine, we finally have a son!" the man standing next to woman cried out. His smile seemed to stretch from one ear to another and he caressed the woman and the baby.


    "Ha, better thank me for going through this pain!" Elaine puffed as she used her remaining strength to hug the baby closer. Her eyes were full of love and it was evident that her words did not match what she was feeling.


    As the couple rejoiced in their new family member, the other man in the hut, being the third wheel of this group, quickly left. The father of the baby in the mother''s arms hugged them both and his loving aura enveloped the entire room.


    "What should we name him?" the mother whispered.


    "How about a combination of our names?" the father replied.


    The two thought for a few more minutes as they observed their newborn baby. They laughed and even cried from the immense happiness they felt. Their past burdens and worries were all put down and all their concentration was solely focused on the family they had.


    "How about Alizar?" the man suggested. He looked at the woman expectantly and excitedly.


    "I don''t know. How about..." as the woman was about to refute the suggestion, the third wheel rushed into the room with a worried face.


    "Raizel, what''s this about," the man frowned. He was in a perfect mood until now and he did not like how he was interrupted. Even if the man who broke the mood was his best friend who saved his life multiple times.


    "There''s no time for your sweet time!" Raizel brought out a stone seal that was usually without a single chip. On it, there was a clear crack straight down the middle. "Arian, you need to go. NOW!"


    "Damn it!" the silver haired man slammed his fist against a stone table next to him, shattering it into beyond recognition. "Why now! Heavens, you truly are evil!"


    The violet haired woman also had a frown on her face and hugged the baby with an even tighter grip. She looked at Arian while he also looked at her. As soon as their eyes met, they understood each other and both nodded simultaneously. Then, their heads turned to Raziel who looked the most normal out of the three.


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    "Raziel, you''re the only one we can trust with our lives," said Elaine. "Can we trust you with something with more importance than our lives?"


    "I-I can''t do something like..." Raziel started to refuse, but seeing the desperate faces of his friends, he gave in. "I got it. What''s his name?" Raziel became serious as the situation was becoming more dire for every second that passed by.


    "Thanks," Arian deeply bowed to Raziel, causing the latter to grow wide eyed and flustered. Arian looked back up and gave him a good and strong hug. They then shook hands as they reminisced about their adventures. "Take care of him well. His name is Aaron Ardyth Demos."


    As Elaine was putting Aaron in a basket that had strange markings all over it, the stone seal started to crack even more. The grave expression on their face showed how much they didn''t want to part with Aaron. However, they knew that if they wanted a normal life for him, they would need to leave him behind.


    "Raziel, I want him to live a life different from a cultivator," Arian said. "However, in the off case of him becoming a cultivator, I want him to be the best. I hope that you do not tell him anything about us unless he starts his martial path on his own." Raziel nodded back with a clear understanding. He knew no one wanted their child to go through pain and this was exactly what the couple was worrying about right now.


    "Before we go, I hope you would keep another secret," Arian pulled out a green amulet that had a perfect and refined surface with no blemishes. On the front of it was a strange rune that was impossible to comprehend, even for Arian who had the knowledge and the power even ancient clans would be afraid of.


    Arian took the baby''s finger and pricked his finger. A drop of blood flowed out and fell onto the amulet. The amulet immediately glowed in bright green light and disappeared.


    As Raziel was looking at the process, he couldn''t help but be shocked. If someone other than him had known that the amulet that made everyone turn with greed was given to a boy, he or she would be writhing on the floor with a painful feeling of loss in their hearts.


    After process was over, the baby was handed to Raziel. As Aaron left his mom''s arms, he started crying louder than a lion roaring with all its might. The couple looked at the crying baby and they both started to cry. Their tears were quickly wiped away and their eyes now had a fierce look in them.


    "I''ll make them pay," whispered Arian, "for ruining my happiness and my life." He had a mad glint in his eyes.


    "Good bye, son" said Arian. "I hope we can meet again..."


    As he ended his words, the stone seal completely broke and suddenly shattered. Arian, with not even a hint of disruption in his face, started to write on mid air. Every time his hands passed through the air, a bright light appeared. When he was finally finished, a complex array was drawn. The array glowed brightly and enveloped Raziel and the baby. Elaine and Arian smiled with tears in their eyes as their hope safely escaped. Then the entire sky turned dark...

 The Cries of one who is Lost

    ¡°Argh!¡± I grunted as all the air in my lungs rushed out. The pain around my chest made me roll up in a ball, barely being able to breath. Tears pooled around my eyes, but I did my best to show none. It was better to endure now then let loose later.


    ¡°Stop,¡± a cold voice brought an end to the seemingly endless blows. I felt relieved for a second, but when I remembered who gave the command, my expression turned sour.


    ¡°Bastard, you shouldn¡¯t have crossed my path,¡± said Cain. ¡°Did you already forget about the last time you got beat? You should just leave this village just like your parents did!¡± Cain laughed at his own joke and looked at his followers. Soon they followed in jeering me.


    I wanted to say something back to him, maybe even spit in his face. His words just retrieved a memory that I did not want to remember. However, I knew that I would be falling into his trap if I retaliated. I could already imagine what his ideal plan is.


    If I attacked, he would have struck back with all his followers. Then, he would use his influence as the mayor¡¯s son and say that him beating me was all in self defense. Of course all the people would believe him. Why wouldn¡¯t they? It was a rich man¡¯s words against an orphan, the outcome was clear.


    I calmed my mind and stayed silent. I didn¡¯t look up and this seemed to piss Cain off more than if I attacked. I discretely smirked, knowing that I fouled his plans. I knew I would get a few more punches and kicks in the way, but it was better than having my fate controlled by another.


    ¡°You little shit, if I see you again, you¡¯re dead!¡± Cain, being clearly pissed about his unsuccessful plans, ordered his henchmen to surround me once again. Hoping that the pain would end soon, I endured.


    Fist after fist and kick after kick continuously battered my body. I almost fell unconscious, but I held on. I didn¡¯t want to seem any more submissive than this. I wanted to show others that I was strong. However, I knew I couldn¡¯t right now.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Cain sneered as he motioned his henchmen to leave. ¡°You should just die,¡± he said coldly. Before finally leaving me alone, he spat on me, showing disgust on his face.


    ¡®I wonder why they left me,¡¯ I thought.


    I was an orphan. In this village, I was the only one without any parents. From what I heard from the villagers, I was found floating on a river nearby the village. If I wasn¡¯t pulled out by a fisherman, I would have lost my life. Strangely, I had no memory of anything that happened before I was found. This was why even my age was a mystery and the only thing in my head was my name.


    Thankfully I was taken in by the fisherman who rescued me. I was able to stay in his house for shelter. However, the villagers never opened up to me. They hated outsiders staying for more than a month. Even when merchants from other cities came, they weren''t too welcomed. However, they were more well received than I was.


    Since I was first found, two years had passed. People, by looking at my height, judged that I was about five years old back then which meant that I was around seven now.Throughout these two years, I was bullied and outcast from all the other children. No one was willing to hang out with me and everyone kept at least a meter distance away from me. The only person in this entire village that had the smallest care for me was only the fisherman who continuously fed me with fish for these two years.


    The first time I got beat up was when I started to realize how unwelcomed I was. I couldn¡¯t understand why people avoided me even if I was just a human just like them. Slowly, after being beat a couple more times, I began to comprehend that I was the only one in the village without parents.


    This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.I couldn¡¯t remember anything about them. Any memories of them weren¡¯t present and every time I tried to go deeper, dizziness and pain hit me. I tried a couple of times but stopped after getting tired of the pain.


    Giving up on the thought of my parents, I turned to see what the world I woke up to was like. For some reason, I knew many things. Other than loosing my memories for my parents and all the events that happened in my life before I ended up in the river, everything else remained. I could read and write better than most adults in this village.


    The two years of this life was spent avoiding the bullies. If I was seen by other kids, they would throw rocks at me. If I was nearby adults, they would look at me with disgust, some even shooing me away with words that hurt. This was why I spent most of my days in the woods near the village. Everyone always avoided this forest for some reason. The quietness of the woods and the sounds of nature always calmed me down. It was the only escape I had from the harshness of life.


    Today, I was heading to the forest again to go on a nice run. I was also planning to hunt some rabbits which were not too hard to find. Hunting was a skill I developed on my own. Also, I was able to instinctively make traps and follow traces of animals. Although the food the fisherman gave me everyday was fine, it was enough for only one meal. I could tell that the fisherman didn¡¯t truly like me. I didn¡¯t really like him either, even though he saved my life. He was just like all the other villagers except a bit better since he let me stay at his house.


    Anyways, I was heading towards the woods through some back alleys. I usually did this so that I could avoid the gazes of the villagers. Feeling excited about returning to the calm nature, I decided to run. I ran and ran and was at the last corner before leaving through the village gate, but as I turned, I ran right into Cain. The obvious outcome? Me getting beat up of course.


    Feeling the emotional and physical pain, I struggled to stretch my limbs out to stand up. The physical pain wasn¡¯t unbearable. Afterall, I¡¯ve been hit by other kids for more than I could count. It was the pain that I felt in the heart that was truly hurt.


    My longing for the peace and silence was deeper now. Although it was hard to walk with bruised legs, I persevered. One step after another, I moved past the village gates and limped towards the woods. I could feel the stares of the guards, but I ignored them and continued my way.


    When I finally reached my usual spot, I sighed in relief. I lied down on a large stone without any trees in a ten meter radius. I stared at the sky above and sighed once again. ¡®I want to escape this life,¡¯ I thought. I didn¡¯t want to be bullied anymore. I didn¡¯t want anyone pushing me around.


    Suddenly, anger welled up in me. It was like an unstoppable wave that towered high like the mountains. As it came crashing down, I howled and cried my heart out. I cut loose and let everything that piled over me spill over.


    ¡°WHY!¡± I cried, ¡°WHY AM I ALONE? WHY DO I FEEL THIS PAIN? WHY DO I NOT HAVE MY PARENTS!¡±


    After not hearing any answers, I started crying. Then I swore to myself that one day, I would not be alone, I would not feel this pain and that I would someday find the parents who abandoned me and ask why.


    ¡®I will be powerful,¡¯ I promised myself.


    That day I did not return to the village.


    [th_092_.gif]  Hello readers! Thank you for reading and I hope you liked it! Anything that you think I can improve on, please tell me. Till next time.................!

 A Faint Line of Hope

    The chirps of the birds and the cool morning dew woke me up. I looked around, confused for a moment. After finally realizing that I fell asleep on the rock, I got up and shook my body to regain the feelings in my muscles. I rubbed my slightly swollen eyes - an outcome of my uncontrollable crying - and I stretched my aching body.


    After a few minutes of breathing in fresh air and clattering my teeth in the cold, I decided to head back. Since the sun was barely showing its head and the path to the village was covered with the shadows from the trees, I easily found my way back. This was because I traversed through these paths almost everyday for two years. I could walk through here with my eyes closed if I wanted to.


    Soon, I was able to see the faint outlines of the village. I unwillingly restarted my aching legs and walked towards the gate. As I got closer, I realized that the village was a lot more rowdy than I ever knew it could be. Usually, only adults would be awake and the other kids would be asleep.


    Although this was strange, I put it out of my mind and continued, but suddenly, I was stopped by a guard that stood by the gate. I looked at him questioningly since this has never happened before. Even though the adults disliked him, they didn¡¯t swoop low to the levels of children. But when I saw the look in the guard¡¯s eyes, I thought that today was going to be the day of me getting beat up by some adult.


    ¡°Kid, you aren¡¯t welcome here,¡± the guard said, ¡°Here, if you go north, you¡¯ll find a town. You can scram over there.¡±


    The guard¡¯s words shocked me to my core. I mean, I did hate all the people in this village and I thought of leaving everyday, but I still needed to live. I knew that even if I loved nature and even if being in the woods was nice, it was only because it was a form of escape. I doubted that a supposedly seven year old like me could ever survive long enough to get to another village from here.


    I really didn¡¯t want to beg, but I saw no other choice. If I wanted to survive, I still needed a group of people around me. Although I might get insulted every day, it was better than loosing my life. I clenched my fists hard and I was about to kneel to beg, but something stopped me.


    Something inside me roared out, crying out that it would not yield against anything. Something inside of me refused to bend under this choice of life and death. My inner voice silently whispered to me, ¡®Nature cannot stop you. Nothing can!¡¯ Listening to the voice, I stopped my bending knees and stood back up. I looked straight back at the guard and had a fierce staring battle with him.


    ¡°Let me go in,¡± I said calmly. I didn¡¯t know how I was able to keep calm in this situation, but I did not care at that moment. All I had in my mind was getting all the things I had left in the fisherman¡¯s house and leaving this village for good. I, for some reason felt quite confident about surviving in the wild for a few days. ¡°I will grab my things and leave, but for now let me go in. I promise you that I¡¯ll be gone from this town before the sun sets today.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± the guard replied. The coldness and the unwillingness to argue about this was clear in his eyes. However, I wasn¡¯t going to give up.


    ¡°Sir, let me go in and I¡¯ll be out before you know it,¡± I said again.


    ¡°I said no,¡± the guard scowled. ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear me you orphan? Nobody wants you here! Now get out unless the place you want to go is the afterlife!¡± He pulled out his sword and threatened me by swinging it around.


    ¡°Can¡¯t I just get my stuff? You people are going to throw it out anyways!¡± After being denied two times in a row, I felt a little heated and I lost my calm bearing. However, the guard saw this as a provocation which he obviously did not like.


    ¡°You piece of shit, just die!¡± as the guard shouted and swung his sword down, I felt the air in front of me split apart and the sense of death of blaring in my head. When the sword blade was almost upon my forehead, my body started to move instinctively. Time suddenly started to move slowly and everything seemed to move at the speed of a sloth¡¯s.


    I tried to move out of the path of the sword, but I realized then that I was also moving at the speed of a turtle! I slowly became more horrified as I saw the time returning to its normal speed. As my death was coming closer I remembered all the events that happened throughout these past two years and I swore to myself that if I was reborn, I wouldn¡¯t be weak like I was now.


    I closed my eyes and waited for my end. Five seconds passed. Then ten seconds passed. For some reason, I did not feel the sharp edge of the blade. Was I killed so quickly that I couldn¡¯t even feel it? I opened my eyes and I saw a man erupting with a holy aura.


    ¡®Definitely heaven,¡¯ I thought


    ¡°Hmph, I thought I was told that all the children in this village was already present,¡± the man suddenly said. I grew curious at his words. Was this not heaven? I thought he was supposed to judge if I was sinful or not.


    Not being able to understand the situation, I looked at my surroundings and finally realized that I still haven''t crossed the gate of death. I sighed in relief, I grew even more curious about the man in front of me.


    ¡°My lord!¡± I saw a fat man running towards us in an unsightly way. I soon recognized the man as the mayor of the village. ¡°Huff, huff, huff,¡± he wheezed and breathed quickly, seemingly trying to rid the burning feeling in his lungs.


    ¡°My lord, this boy isn''t from our village,¡± said the mayor. He looked at the man exuding an holy aura with awe and respect. However, he soon turned to me and looked at me as if I was worse than a pig in his farm. ¡°He''s just an orphan. Definitely not something that deserves your attention, my lord.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, is that so?¡± the man said. He stroke his short yet well groomed beard. Then a formless pressure appeared on top of the mayor.


    Boom!


    As the pressure pressed down, the mayor struggled to keep standing. However, no matter how much strength he put into his legs, he couldn''t go against the power of this man. I grew wide-eyed as I saw one of the stronger men in this village made kneeling without a single touch. I watched the man in awe and I imagined becoming as strong as him. I wanted to be domineering and carefree just like this man.


    ¡°My l-lord,¡± the mayor struggled to lift his face with tears running down his cheeks, ¡°what h-have I done wrong. P-please, my lord, spare this unworthy man.¡±


    ¡°I do not like people who decide that they know what I deserve,¡± the man stared at the shameful appearance of the mayor. Then he turned to me and said, ¡°Child, go join the others in the village.¡±


    I did as I was told, but I still couldn¡¯t understand what was going on. I did feel good about the mayor being pushed down to his knees. Every time I looked at the mayor, I got reminded of Cain so seeing him in such a state did bring me a sense of great joy. As I passed the mayor who was still on the ground, I smirked, quite clearly seen by others. The angered face of the mayor brought me up to an even greater mood.


    As I reached the center of the village, I finally understood why the village was so rowdy. Everyone who was a part of the village was gathered around here and surrounding them were men with full plated armor. When I walked past the armored men, I felt like a demonic beast was glaring down at me. Just their presence alone was enough to make my knees shake. This was a whole realm of difference compared to the guard who threatened me before.


    If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.After going into the encirclement of the armed men, all the other villagers looked at me with disdain. Knowing that I wouldn¡¯t be welcome by anyone, I chose a spot and just stood there, wondering about what this was all about.


    Soon, the person who saved me and the mayor had come back. The mayor, however was somehow looking refreshed and clean. Not a speck of dust was on his clothing and his hair was well combed. He had a big smile on his face, looking as if the previous incident didn¡¯t even occur.


    ¡°Hmh,¡± the man coughed, ¡°Citizens of the kingdom of Alzen, I am here on the orders of the king. Children under the age of ten will all be tested. If they were to have the potential of becoming a martial artist, they will be allowed to come with me to the capital.¡±


    At these words, all the villagers erupted with clatter and murmurs. Some were cheering and some were disappointingly staring at their weak constitution. However, overall everyone was happy at the chance of being able to go to the capital. In the village, no one had a future, other than becoming a farmer or hunter. This chance was one in decades and if one didn¡¯t grasp it, they would regret it for the rest of their lives.


    I, as I realized that it was a chance of becoming stronger, grew extremely delighted. I shouted and howled as tears of happiness dribbled down my cheeks. The thought of finally escaping the bullies and moving to a new place with new people excited me beyond belief. ¡®This is a sliver of hope the heavens are giving me,¡¯ I thought, ¡®I need to pass this test!¡¯


    I clenched my fists with determination. I stared at the villagers and looked at the people who had always bullied me. I engraved their faces and names in my heart, promising my self to take revenge.


    ¡°Everyone, please line up in front of me and place your hand on this ball,¡± the man spoke as a transparent ball suddenly appeared out of nowhere.


    Everyone¡¯s eyes widened enough to resemble the full moon. I also could not understand what had happened until a glimpse of a memory resurfaced for a second. I saw small clips of images flash by so quickly that I couldn¡¯t understand what was happening. However, I had heard one word that matched this situation.


    ¡®Spatial ring!¡¯ I thought. After this word popped up in my head, I understood everything about it. It was a pocket of space that was stabilized by something called arrays which was engraved onto an object, usually being a ring.


    Everyone else was clueless about how this mystical ball magically appeared out of nowhere. I silently laughed at how they were still trying to understand something they couldn¡¯t comprehend. Soon, however, most of the villagers broke out of their stupor and they started to line up for the test.


    I had wasted time laughing at other kids being so surprised that I ended up being around the last. I didn¡¯t think this was bad, though, since no matter when I do test the results would be the same. Also, it was a chance to see the average talent for people and compare them to me.


    ¡°Announce your name and age,¡± said the man as the first villager walked up to him. Then with a threatening smile, he said, ¡°Do not try to fake your age since I will know when you are lying.¡±


    ¡°M-my name is D-Darron and I am n-nine years old, sir!¡± said a skinny looking boy.


    ¡°Place your hand on the stone,¡± the man said.


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Darron shouted and immediately put his hands on the stone. After waiting for ten seconds, the ball lit up with a small and almost insignificant light that was barely visible.


    ¡°Tenth ranked mortal talent, you fail,¡± said the man. He then waved Darron away and tried to move on to the next person. However, his steps were stopped when Darron clung onto the man¡¯s right leg.


    ¡°Please, sir,¡± the skinny boy cried, ¡°please let me go with you to the capital!¡±


    The man looked annoyingly at the boy and signalled one of the armored men. After exchanging eye contact, the armored man came up to the boy and grabbed him. The boy tried to stay on the man¡¯s leg with all his strength, but the power of the armored man was undeniable and soon the boy was out of the way.


    ¡°I forgot to mention this, but if you¡¯re talent is under fifth rank mortal realm, then please immediately dismiss yourself,¡± the man said without any emotion in his voice.


    The test continued and this time, there weren¡¯t any complaints from the kids. After seeing that none had passed even after ten people being tested, the ones who failed felt relieved. It was always better to be with others than being alone. If there was only one person who had failed, then that person would have become an outcast. Just like I had when others realized I was the only one without parents.


    As more people failed, the hope that the villagers had of living another dream was shattered. They realized that reality wasn¡¯t fair and only people who were truly chosen by the heavens would be able pass. The faint line of hope that they had was almost completely crushed until a bright light shined like a second sun.


    ¡°Hmm?¡± the man raised his eyebrows, looking surprised at the unexpected outcome. ¡°A third ranked mortal talent in this waste yard? You pass, go stand behind me.¡±


    The entire village erupted with cheer. Someone from their village had finally passed this test. Everyone had smiles and laughs plastered all over their faces, but I couldn¡¯t possibly let out a smile after seeing who had passed.


    ¡®Cain!¡¯ anger flashed across my eyes as I stared at the person who had abused me with words and hits for two years. I couldn¡¯t believe that he had passed. The one person I truly wished to fail this test was him, yet he passed with flying colors!


    I had to have a greater talent than Cain if I wanted to be free from bullying. I put my hands over my beating heart and prayed that I had a talent that was higher grade than Cain. While I was closing my eyes and silently saying that I was better, I heard another round of gasps and awes.


    I looked up to see a shining light that was a bit dimmer than Cain¡¯s but was still not too far behind. The man also had a slight smile, albeit being barely noticeable. The already consolidated line of hope had become even stronger and everyone was leaping with joy. With the exception of me of course.


    ¡°Claire, right?¡± the man smiled. ¡°Fourth ranked mortal talent is pretty good, too. You pass.¡±


    Two of my worst enemies were up there with smiles on their faces. Claire, being the village¡¯s most spoiled brat, had always ordered others to beat me up every time I saw her. Supposedly, she didn¡¯t like breathing the same air as I was.


    After Claire, everyone was more relaxed. Five more people were able to pass, but they were all fifth grade mortal talent, just barely passing. However, these five were still talented enough that the capital would take them. The line slowly became smaller and smaller until it reached me.


    ¡®I¡¯ll go to the capital and be stronger than anybody else!¡¯ I thought as I walked towards my new fate.


    [th_108_.gif]  Hello readers! A new chapter is finally out! The next will probably be here in a week or two. Until then....!