《The Overlord》


 [Prologue] - [The Outsider ]

    Two people stood under a tree. They were watching a funeral. The young man was looking at the funeral, ignoring the man behind him, while the older one was often looking at his face and trying to see if there was any displeasure. His black hair with a metallic shine was cut fairly short and his eyes were black, but they looked much more dull compared to his hair. His skin was pale, excluding his lips which still had some pink color in them. His face had sharp features that gave him a masculine look. Somehow, he was really hard to notice and his presence was like air.


    "My lord, should I go and offer my condolences?" said the somewhat overweight man bowing as low as he possibly could. He looked so servile that one could imagine if the one in front of him asked he would even kowtow dozens of times. He was swearing inside his mind, cursing his luck. This man in front of him was named Drake. His fame, or rather infamy, had long been spread every corner of the underworld. That was why even though he could be said to be an influential character, he could not offend this man.


    Underworld was a place where powerful made rules. It was a dog eat dog world. He could be considered as one of the top dogs here in this city. But this guy was like a dragon who ruled the world. If he just kills him no one would say anything and even blame him for offending him.


    Drake was a killer by profession. A good one. His mastery in the field of killing had reached the level of being worthy to be called an art. Also since he knew how to kill, he naturally knew how to save too. That is, if he wishes to save at all. Unless one gained his favor or was more useful to him alive, he would rather put them out of their misery.


    Drake appeared out of nowhere one day and steadily climbed rank after rank. No one could stop him. There was nothing known about this mysterious assassin. But if he took a mission success rate was 100 percent. This made him very popular before his habits were known.


    One day the name Drake became the first spot among the underworld¡¯s top ranked experts. In addition, he also occupied the respected number one spot for bounty offered for his head. Indeed, his bounty was number one among the world¡¯s bounty ranking for a good twenty years. Almost every influential force wanted his head.


    That was not to say that no one was willing to take on this request; rather there was no one who was capable to taking his head. No one possessed the ability to touch the clothes on his body, much less the ability to kill him.


    He had a bounty of millions of dollars at first. Rather sizable amount of top rank experts took on this request. They went missing and were never seen again, not even their bodies were found. Then the bounty began to increase.


    But nobody dared to take on this request ever since. This was clearly a suicidal mission. If one is tired of life there are faster ways to go to hell! Even after the bounty was increased many times nobody took it. Because this Drake, even though he was old enough to be his father or grandfather, looked younger than him!


    It was said that there were people who could surpass limits of humans. Those people lived in ancient times and were worshiped as gods and great heroes! Their abilities were profound and mysterious. Nothing was known about them save for that they had immortality and were capable of great things. So how can this Drake be weak?


    No matter how much you value money, what is the point of it if you are dead? Life is more precious and only living get to enjoy money anyway. Unless Charon exists, there is no way to use money you earned once you are dead.


    Drake would act alone, unwilling to cooperate with anyone and was quite eccentric. If he does not like a client who offers him money for killing someone, he just might kill the client instead of the target. Thus he was not really getting any money or requests despite his success rate.


    To remedy that he began to kill people he found despicable left and right and "requested" money from their enemies. No was not an option. Most of these hapless guys were people who did not even know him or people who barely had anything to do with the underworld. If he finds his victim''s enemies detestable too he won''t hesitate to kill them.


    He had went on a killing spree like this until a great amount of people died by his hand. Even the Association did not dare offend him, so they offered him money and practically begged him not to kill that much. By then he had already killed heads of many influential forces and many people. Of course there were people that "disappeared" every so often still, but he did not slaughter wantonly. Besides death was not uncommon in this underworld.


    "No need. Leave me." he said making a dismissive gesture with his hand, like shooing a dog away. If it was someone like another one of his superiors, he would feel angry in his heart. But he was overjoyed instead. His current situation was no different than a man in the cage of a tiger. Every moment, every action he could meet death.


    Middle aged man did not even dare breathe until he entered his car. He was casually dismissed and was disrespected, but felt happy in his heart. If this Drake felt like it, he could break some of his bones at best, tear his head off at worst.


    But even that would be a mercy. If he truly disliked someone, he would leave them alive after ensuring they had a fate worse than death. If he disliked someone, but not that much, he would torture them until he was satisfied then kill them. He especially had a fondness for ironic deaths. He shuddered after he remembered the fate of those who were unlucky enough to meet this eccentric assassin and eagerly escaped.


    *****


    Rain fell down the world as if trying to wash it all away. Clouds try to cover the sun, yet some of it''s light still makes it to light the world in a shade of grey. Grey skies, grey streets, grey skyscrapers. grey cars... Soothing, peaceful, beautiful and melancholic. Drake took a deep breath as he walked in the rain and looked up.


    A piece of grey sky between skyscrapers rising like mountains. Blocking most of the light in the city and making it a world of grey. So lowest floors were generally inhabited by people who could be considered as poor. They most likely would live under the shadows of skyscrapers all their lives. Highest floors were better and affordable only by considerably rich people.


    On the other hand, he was given the highest floor in one of the best places to live practically for nothing at all. But he did not want to live there, so he sold it and used the money for charity. He even said he made this donation out of his kind heart. This line coming from an assassin whose very being was drenched in blood had made countless people speechless.


    Drake was a man who really disliked excessive use of wealth. He liked plain and practical better. Why would people sit on a toilet made out of gold when a normal one can do same thing? Why would someone live at the highest floors while low or middle ones were just as useful as a house? He really did not understand it. If they had that much money and wanted to spend it, it would be better to use it more practically. If one had to show off wasn''t it better to donate money to charity or science? God forbid, someone might benefit from it!


    He sighed in his heart. Raindrops were depressing. They were a lot like people. It had an existence of seconds and it''s existence not even remembered a minute. They were so small, so solitary, so alone...


    Imagine both a raindrop and a meteor falling from sky. Both are water. You would view meteor which is a big chunk of ice with awe. Raindrop? You will not even register it unless you are under it.


    In this example raindrop was one of the ordinary people and meteors would be one the greatest humanity has produced. Beautiful flames whose existence was same as a raindrop. They too had to fade away, but still they can leave behind something, living on in the memory of those who watched them. Most people would remember it.


    Besides the ones whom people we call great, others are not remembered. From the beginning of the world billions of humans lived. We only know a few of them. Mediocre - or rather average - people were the ones who could not leave behind anything. Most people would find that all of these great people as successful. Then weren''t billions of people unsuccessful? Besides what is success in life?


    But people whom we call great and admire, what made someone like that who they are? What allowed them to progress faster and higher than all others? What allowed them to burn? Was it fate or mere chance? He could not answer. There were so many variables. If one variable changed the entire history of that person might change. But there always was something that could be called "talent" and "luck". So one could say "fate" existed.


    Fate was an intriguing concept. Fate claimed that you had your own role in the universe. One simply cannot disobey fate or break free of its chains. But someone always HAD a choice. To live and to die is up to that person from the start. In a way you ultimately decide your own road, how you travel it. But you cannot choose the starting point and the vehicle you use. Some people start at a higher position and some gets vehicles way faster. This is what he would call fate. How can someone whose talent is like a bicycle can surpass someone whose talent is like a car? This race was rigged from the start.


    In a way we both lacked and had free will. Basically no one can be considered free, but no one can be considered to be slaves to their fate. This truly was an intriguing balance. For the sake of simplicity he named the force that gave one his start point and vehicle fate. He called the force that allowed you to choose destiny. When thought that way, fate and destiny seemed opposites, but they were not. These two forces combined made one whole. Beginning and end were decided. You were born and you would die. You could only decide what you do in between.


    He did not have any valuable talent than above average looks. He became who he is by chance. Otherwise his existence, he could not tolerate it. He rather wondered how other people could. Maybe their way of thinking was just different.


    Everyday like ants they do their daily races. He wondered what goes on inside their heads? Didn''t they realize just how much of their lives that they were actually living? Was their concept of living just different than his? He could not understand. In his eyes their existence differed little from worker ants. Do they not think about all of this?


    If they read about life of a slave, they would feel pity for them. But their own lives differed little from life of slaves. Yet nobody seemed to care or notice. Even if they did understand, he did not understand why they continued to live, especially since death was a more painless alternative. What goes on inside the brain of other people?


    His ultimate answer was he could not understand someone else for the world in his view and world in someone''s head could never be the same. Ultimately humans had a small existence and because of that they had a small world inside their heads. Their world was their families, friends, people they knew. Maybe that was the core difference.


    He himself did not have any family. Well, he did have parents and siblings he just did not consider them as family. He did not have any friends and he did not have a significant other. But these did not really bother him that much. He really did not meet anyone worth knowing after all. Even if he did, he doubted it would change him. He also sincerely doubted if he even wished to have a family, friends or a significant other.


    He was lonely, sure. But loneliness had long became the norm for him. Now that he thought about it, was there any time he was not alone? He had himself, which was all that he needed, why should he care about the rest? His world consisted only of himself. That world was enough. He cared not even little about others.


    He thought about his relatives.Funeral he just went to was his mother''s. Even though he did not consider her as family, his parents brought him up until he could stand for himself. So he made sure they both live in luxury for the rest of their life. What he felt was not love. He just felt that he owed them and it was his personal policy to pay all his debts.


    This funeral was the last debt he paid to his mother as well as his goodbye. Well, it was his last duty as a son. From now on he would not have to care about anyone and could leave this country when he could.


    He watched the funeral in silence and out of sight like he always had done. He never met them in person for quite some time, because according to the official records he died on the battlefield long ago. He was also distant with them from the start. So he really did not have any problems. He never saw them for years. It was a weird feeling to see his siblings he saw as babies, with grey hair and slightly wrinkled faces.


    He also found the custom of a funeral wasteful. After all, the spirit was gone, body was merely a vessel. Nothing but flesh and bone. It deserved no special treatment. Just dispose of it in any way convenient.


    What was the meaning of ceremony?  Not having it would be more practical. But then again, humans are not known as practical creatures and it is not like he needed money either. If he needed money then most of the world would have starved to death already.


    Even before being confronted with war, he always had thought about life itself. His exposure to a lot of death and suffering just drove him to find an answer to his questions. What, exactly was life? What was it''s meaning? What was the goal? Most importantly, what was the purpose of life? Did life mean nothing at all?


    He decided life''s goal was death. A game over in a sense. You may die yourself or someone might kill you. Both will get you a game over. Life is just a game, a game without an end except a game over and like all such games it is meaningless. He believed life itself was the time you "played". It might be hundred years or five years. To him both were same.


    Ultimately most people''s existences, including himself, wasn''t worth anything in vast universe. Humans themselves could only affect Earth and that too was worth nothing in grand scheme of things.


    Then what was the purpose of life? Since university, he found nothing to pursue in life. He went to war and saw only chaos, suffering and pleasure or guilt soldiers took from it. No greater calling or heroism. He had searched for the purpose of life in the place where people were most desperate to live. Still he had not found his answer. Then it dawned on him.


    He decided that ultimately life''s purpose was to have fun. Why does someone play games? Nothing changes in life because you beat demon lord. Nothing changes in life when one beats a game. It is a meaningless action, like all actions humanity had ever made. It''s ultimate goal was fun and satisfaction.


    Then he decided that he would live only for his own satisfaction. He would live only for himself, he would love only himself, he would trust only himself, to live all he needed was himself. Others? They were same as NPCs.


    Being sad or being serious was unnecessary. Everything he would do, he would do it to have fun. He liked ironic deaths, which kind of became his signature, because irony was funny. He also liked torturing those who deserved it.


    He did not know if he was a sadist or not. Because sadists were painted as people who took pleasure in others pain. He did not take "that" kind of pleasure. It was just fun and something he enjoyed, much like a hobby. Besides, when he killed someone wicked, it was just hilarious in a way a hilarious joke would be. It was odd, but it was a part of him.


    He would laugh whenever he heard people scream and die a gory death. He noticed this tendency when he watched a gory movie back in high school. Screams seemed funny, as well as flying innards and pain in their eyes. Weird enough, he did not like some people dying that way. Fun was entirely limited to those of whom he judged to deserve it.


    He also liked messing with other people. He had went to the fat guy because of this. What was his name? Screw his name. It was not like he was someone to remember. He liked to see him sweat profusely. Every word he says, he regarded as the word of a king. He was so nervous that it was amusing. He looked like he would lose control of his bowels when he went inside his home.


    He opened his eyes. He was already home. He had learned how to split himself. One was walking while the other was pondering about whatever. Thinking was one of his favorite pastimes. Splitting himself was something he had learned but was not something he could teach. Words could not define it. It was a strange experience at first, but he had gotten used to it.


    He threw himself to his couch and turned on his virtual dive. He disliked boredom most. So he liked games, novels and watching TV. They were fun and it was not like he needed to work to boot. Since the time he had returned from the war, he had a dream. To be the strongest in the world. Why? Because instead of bending to rules and trying to live by them, he could make them or ignore them as he wished and only strong had the right to own anything. Because only strong could keep what they loved. Strength ultimately was answer of all things.


    Power gave someone right to do anything. Power was truly above all. As the most powerful human, he was above all in this planet. No one would defy him. He could have everything he wanted. Whatever he deemed fun, he could do it without thinking consequences. He lived a truly carefree life. If he wanted money he could easily go rob someone. If he wanted something he could get it. Power had given him this right.


    Although he had power, there were actions he disliked. Not paying one''s debts or repaying good with evil. Breaking an oath or a promise. His most disliked action was to harm the innocent. These were merely actions he disliked and because he disliked them he would rather not do them. These were by no means absolute rules to be followed. If circumstances forces his hand...


    He also believed no matter how much humanity prettied everything up, we were not so different from our beast ancestors. Since the dawn of civilization humanity generally followed one rule: Might is right. He saw that it was true in the war. It was a place where you can do everything and no one would bat an eye. All soldiers had a small power. But power was power. More than anything else it was power that revealed someone''s true self. Power meant greater freedom. Power to rule above those who had lesser.


    He really did not have to go as far as go to war to see it. It could be seen everywhere. The weak, the forgotten, the abandoned... Those who suffer and those flourish on that suffering. In the end law of jungle did not change, it was only renamed "Law of concrete jungle". Strong only flourish more as weak perish. In the end man cannot abandon laws of nature. Weak could only suffer and curse their fate. For from the moment they were born their fate was to suffer and that was perfectly natural. It was harsh, but that was the truth.


    He closed his eyes and massaged his temples. Even though it was around noon, he felt sleepy. He had an uncomfortable feeling in his chest and an ache in his head. He had lost himself in playing Martial Arts Online 2 that was released  a month ago. He had not slept for a week.


    Why did he like games? By now he did not have any rivals, no one could compare to him. But in virtual reality that was different. Death was not an issue, all you would feel was a minor bit of pain. That is why he liked these games. In real life he would never fight a losing battle. But here he could. Being able to have not serious conflicts was good. Death not being serious was a plus. Point of games was the ability to do things we could not in reality. Games were greatest invention mankind had ever made! He could say this with pride.


    He even took his favorite martial arts from games to adapted to it reality! All of them were cool techniques and his most favorite ones. He was very pleased with this. Greatest expert and assassin in the world? That was just a side job. He accomplished the job he wanted in life. He could proudly decree that he was a jobless slob of a millionaire! He put his head on his pillow and quickly passed out then and there.


    *****


    A child was sitting in his room watching TV. He was watching a documentary about animals. He had a paper he was drawing on. Eventually, documentary was over and he had made his drawing. He would show it to his father later.


    He looked outside of the window to find children playing. He yearned for a friend as well, but he hated games they played. He really did not like running or going out for that matter. Also his grandfather''s foot was aching so he could not go outside. His parents were working late. He understood that they worked for him but he wanted to see them nonetheless.


    He looked inside his grey room. His grandfather called it gloomy but he liked this color. Grey and black was his favorite colors. He liked the night and the rainy days. He could watch people running to their homes fleeing from rain. Also children would not play then. It was a time where he did not have to envy anyone.


    *****


    Drake looked at his brother and sister. They were both playing. His father could come home fairly early and his mother did not work that much. He looked to his grey room. He liked it. He just picked a very big - and very heavy - book and put it on the floor. He was lying on his stomach reading "One Thousand and One Nights".


    Whenever he saw his siblings he was filled with anger. He did understand why. If possible he wanted to be a good brother like his parents told him. But his heart was filled with jealousy. Because what he did not, they had it all from birth. He had to wait for them to even see his parents, but now they were always around, watching over a crying girl and a mischievous boy.


    Only his grandfather was close with him and his parents sent him away. Every now and then he could go to see him but he could not stay. Apparently he was sick and needed a nurse to take care of him. He then decided he would be a doctor he would heal him!


    *****


    Drake was studying in his room while cursing the teacher that gave him so much homework. But he needed it or he would fall behind others. When he brought home good grades and were praised by school his parents would be happy, then he could do whatever he wanted. But if he did not, then his mother would force him to study under her watch.


    He especially hated math. He could not do it at all, so he had to exercise until he saw numbers everywhere. Why did it have to be so hard! He cursed once more in his head.


    He really did not like school. Everyone was playing around or going outside. He was content with simply reading books and drawing. If he had to say, he sucked at drawing but he liked to make his imagination into something that could be seen. He would read books and would try to draw it like he imagined it.


    He really did not know why he was not so good with others. Even if he tried it was like they just... drifted away from him. He had a best friend once, then a boy joined in. Before long, he started to feel like he was an extra. They had fun together and when he tried to talk they would smile at him, but he would feel that they were somewhat... displeased. Whether they really were or not did not matter. He would not stay where he wasn''t wanted.


    He could not particularly liked them after all. He always felt that he could not connect with them beyond a shallow bond. He liked talking to them of course, but even if they were to die he would not care. Perhaps this was why all his relations to people just collapsed. Maybe he just walked away and told himself that.


    He went out with a girl once. Eventually her presence just became a burden to him. A responsibility like homework or school. He really did not understand why but this was true for every human he had met.


    "Drake we are going to see your grandfather do you want to come?" said his mother preparing to go. His father loved his grandfather very much. He would definitely visit him once a week. His siblings was going with them too.


    "I have homework. I must finish it first!" said Drake with a serious. no-nonsense face.


    His mother nodded with approval and told his siblings to be as hard-working as their brother. Somehow that sentence was so humorous. He really would laugh. But he held himself back. He only showed a sad, mocking smile for a second. Did they even need to study? They already could skip grades.


    Drake looked at the numbers again. He really did not care about homework at all. He just did not want to go to there. The disease his grandfather had was Alzheimer''s disease. Even if he had become best doctor in the universe he could not cure him.


    His grandfather did not even remember him anymore. His father looked young so he could somewhat remember him. He simply did not know how to deal with him. Because he had gone to a time where he had not existed.


    He would have weird daydreams. He would claim a man was standing there for example. Why can''t you see him he would ask. To be honest, it was really creepy. What if that was true? What if we were the ones who were not able to see them? It really made him paranoid when he thought like that.


    He sighed. When he remembered his grandfather there would always be a dull ache in his chest. His grandfather who had an aching foot, who read him books, who bought him toys and snacks, who was always near him even when his parents were not, who was more dear to him than his mother and father, his most beloved person in the whole world... was just gone. He simply faded away...


    *****


    This year Drake would enter High school. He was nervous really. Because this was high school. Somewhere different. Like the first days of going to school. First time doing anything. He did not know about it, so he was nervous.


    "What happened?" he heard his mother say very worried. He looked to the entrance and was flabbergasted. His father was crying, saying:"Father." over and over again. His grandfather had passed away. What surprised him more was that his father was crying!


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    Should he have felt sorrow? Maybe, but he did not. He was instead in a mixed mood of being happy for him and some relief. He pitied his grandfather. But for him life was a curse, death was a blessing. Death freed him from his long suffering.


    He even thought that it would be good of them to put an end to his misery. Why did his parents and government prolonged his life and suffering both? He really did not know and he doubted he could understand. He already was worse than a dead man. Even though he was in pain, he was not even aware of it. Some patients should be able to choose death, if life was torturous and they would not be cured. For some death was the only cure.


    He thought back to moment of his own death too. Lights dancing underwater like soft silk, last of his breath leaving him, feeling only a sweet release, nothing mattered anymore... There was no sadness, there was nothing at all. But he was in peace. He thought of death as a blessing. Not something to be feared.


    How sad was it that he had never felt such a thing in his entire life? Granted it was a short life, but this should have been his most carefree times. He had almost drowned... nobody noticed. When he struggled, there was no hand to help him. There was no one who came to save him. No one at all. He felt the dull pain of being all alone in the whole world.


    He could only smile sadly. Then his breath left him and he became like leaf upon the wind, a boat upon the sea. Not hindered by anything. Flying like a bird upon the clouds. Completely free.


    He was feeling sleepy. He looked for the last time to the water and the beautiful lights. It was as if he had seen something very beautiful. Many such beauties entered his mind then, like starlight on the lake, setting sun''s reflection touching the shore, the forest stream under the morning sun, the mountains under the moon...


    He just blacked out. It was like going to sleep. But somehow he found himself alive, having reached surface of water, even he did not know how. Was it just a dream? But it was so real.


    That experience of death, he could not forget it. Whenever there was something unpleasant he would think back and let himself go. He was filled with peace then. Comfortable embrace of death. That was the time he had changed his view of death forever. He was always contemplating suicide in his mind. But he was stubborn. He would not admit defeat. He would break the world if it tried to break him.


    *****


    Drake looked to his younger siblings. His younger siblings who, by now, was going to same grade as him. They both were "geniuses" and their lives was much more easier than his. When he started high school math took a ridiculous turn. No matter how hard he studied, he failed. No matter how hard he tried, he failed. That was same for other classes. He just could not climb above the wall that was "average".


    But they on the other hand, were far better than him with less work. Unlike him they did not prepare for the exams, working for weeks and pulling all-nighters for days. They would study for some hours a week and boom... highest grades on all subjects! It was good to know hard work was meaningless, at least he did not have to work so hard anymore.


    He was not even Drake anymore in the eyes of others. He was Drake, the good-for-nothing elder brother of the genius twins. Completely living in their shadow, they were like twin suns. He was just a small star which could barely be seen by anyone.


    He had gotten used to ridicule, those who ridiculed him merely wanted an outlet for their own stress and failures. They were the real ones who were to be pitied.


    Some even tried to bully him once. He finally snapped and almost killed someone. They all ended up in hospital. Ever since then he did not hear anyone saying those things. Well, they were whispering instead. They really must have thought him blind and deaf. Needless to say it really did not do wonders for his reputation.


    There were also a lot of people who tried to take advantage of him. Like using him as a scapegoat among other things. Did everyone thought he was stupid? He was not. He merely could not do math and was average in other classes.


    God had blessed - and maybe cursed - him with a high emotional intelligence, ability to recognize the body language and animal-like sixth sense which had once allowed him to  escape to an open place before an earthquake. He could tell with what reasons they were being nice to him. He would not be used... if he could not use them even more so.


    For him most of the people were crazy. Who knows maybe it was him who was being crazy. Either he was the only sane man or the insane man. Besides they all used devices to talk to each other. He hated those. He could not tell what someone felt. He liked to talk to face to face. This was the reason why he would never use such devices. It truly felt like something was missing in that conversations.


    He did not really want "success" either. To be successful you had to go to highest university, be a drone of highest conglomerate, marry with someone of same status, have a few kids, then divorce, live to work, die all alone... How on earth was that a success? If these were sane people he would much rather be insane.


    Drake turned his eyes and looked at the sharpened knife on his desk. Just one cut. All of his problems would fly away. But he saw life as a challenge, a warrior he needed to defeat. He would not be defeated. But now he had hesitated in that conviction. It was finally broken.


    What truly broke this determination was the realization, that he - Drake - almost did not exist at the eyes of anyone, including his parents. They loved him, - When they remembered he existed, which was too rare and only when he had done something that made them angry - sure. But let us say that all three of their children were about to die and they could save only two... who would those two be?


    Answer was obvious. Even if they felt guilty, they would choose his younger siblings. Even if he thought about it a thousand times it was not possible for them to choose him. He could not even tell whether or not they would hesitate. They had children they wanted, he was just a defective product. That realization was the last straw that broke camel''s back.


    He had believed they loved him as much as his siblings. He believed in their unconditional love. That illusion was simply broken. If he did not exist at all, nothing would change. If he died today, his parents might cry a tear or two and move on, his siblings perhaps did not even know he existed so he did not know what they would do and no one from his school would care. His existence or non-existence could never make a small difference for anyone he had ever known...


    He made a self-deprecating pose and a mocking smile. He threw himself into his bed inside the grey room. He wanted to cry until tears did not come out. But there was no tears in his eyes. Even if he felt like shit, no tears would come out. It was times like these that he missed his grandfather. His grandfather was the only person who honestly cared about him. But then again, who could tell if things would stay that way?


    He got up and absentmindedly looked outside the window, a bird was taking flight. Flying, reaching the blue sky, racing with cloud, sun shining on it''s feathers. He too lifted his hand and tried to reach for sky. He felt the chains. Chains that clanged and pulled him down.


    He looked back at the knife. He could cut the chains, he could be free like a bird. Shedding his mortal, flesh and blood vessel. He felt trapped inside his body. He valued spirit more than flesh. In this world one diamond was worth more than life of someone. Some gold could buy one''s soul. This world was lacking...


    *****


    Drake looked to the letter in front of him, a letter that had came from government. He had to do his duty - serving his country as a soldier - and was called upon to war. Drake was not even worried. If he went away and died no one would grieve for him, save his parents and it could not be said that they cared for him beyond a sense of responsibility and maybe a shred of love.


    Besides even if he died, it was all the same to him. He would be one of the jobless who would spend his time searching for jobs and what not. His best prospect in life was being a third-rate something. He had lived as carefree as he could. When the carefree life ends he would commit suicide. Either way he sought death, so he had no problem with going to war. The life he would waste himself would at least have a meaning.


    *****


    Voices cry out. Sorrow, shame and pleasure. Drake''s face was twisted with disgust, but what could he do? He was powerless to do anything. He went to war, imagining a war filled with blood and corpses, heroes and comrade-in-arms from both sides fighting for their country...


    What he had found was a slaughter house. This war was simply unfair. It was like a knight fully armored in steel and a cavemen armed with stone doing battle. A knight could take a hundred of caveman and could still fight.


    When they attacked the army quickly crumbled. It was like throwing a boulder to break an egg. He learned the true meaning of the word "Overkill". Then they established refugee camps for safety of civilians, to appease anti-war factions.


    But there was no order here. No prisons and law enforcement were soldiers. So all they got was methods from ages ago. Good old beatings and executions. Punishment depended on mood and character of soldier, as well as the crime. Soldiers were judge, jury, executioner. Also these soldiers could only punish less than half of said crimes because of being understaffed to boot.


    To say no one had taken advantage of their positions here would be a lie. For example there was someone who was taken advantage of inside. But since he was a lowly private what could he do? Some righteous fellows screamed for justice. They all bravely died in a fabricated raid on this camp.


    He could kill that guy. But what was the use? Besides what could killing a corrupt man do? The one who took command after him is not necessarily better. It was a case of devil you know being better. At least he had kept his words to the women he received "favors" from. There were people who would not do that. Considering that he was not that bad. What would they call this... A lighter shade of black?


    He hated this place. But he had to serve more time. Everyday he would take his frustration on a low-life thug. Beating him to half death and then shooting him. He also would kill women or children whenever he could. There were all sorts of people here. By all sorts he meant ALL sorts.


    "Drake the Executioner" they called him. He had killed many people. Each time he killed someone he would feel that feeling that come to him again, when he was near death long ago. His heart would become peaceful like a still lake. It would not be a lie to say he craved that feeling. Maybe he was worse than people he punished...


    *****


    The night wind whispers, screams of those who are burning are almost lost in voice of hungry flames. Drake stood with a wine bottle in his hands. He then drank it slowly under the moon.


    Looking at the burning camp, he smiled. He remembered refugees who were all too eager to come here and could not get out. Because they harvested men''s organs, sold women as slaves, if they did not keep them to themselves and children often died of diseases.


    It was funny how someone''s organs were worth more than their lives. Their bodies were worth more than their life. They simply killed innocent, desperate people, if not made them suffer a living hell.


    This... mass of filth should be purified by fire. This place should not have existed. It was an affront to him, an eyesore. As long as this place stood he would not be at peace. What was worse was the fact they would be remembered as heroes! This fact made him laugh.


    But this place was just a small part of the world. there was a whole world out there with many things like this happening. Not in the public eye, but happening. He was just taking his frustration out of this place, but it was not to say this hell did not deserve to burn.


    This was a funeral. His own and many others. What Drake he was, before the war was dead here. He ultimately found what he had sought. Although it was not the answer he wanted. The purpose of life was to enjoy life. To have fun and find satisfaction. Everything that was done was for fun and satisfaction. Be it compassion or cruelty.


    All living beings are born selfish. When good deeds feels good, that person becomes good. But such good people do not do good deeds for other people. If other people''s happiness becomes one''s own then wouldn''t it be correct to say that ultimately that action was selfish?


    Act of taking a life is seen as immoral. But we all take lives. Is animals lives lesser than ours? They might not be as intelligent, but they feel fear and pain same as we do. Their lives are no lesser than ours. All living beings are like that. We kill them and eat them. We kill to prolong our own lives. This is one of the laws of nature.


    The laws of nature cannot be ignored. Social food chains will always exist among humans, as well as animals who live in packs. There will always be weak and strong. What strong gains weak loses. All actions are done selfish. Serving one''s self is the nature of all living beings. It is perfectly natural. One must take the path of forcing them to become good. After all he did not want to live in a place like this camp. But one man could not achieve much.


    He killed people more and more, until he felt a surge of power one day. He had become faster, stronger, better... The more he killed the more stronger he grew and now he killed four million people. His very being was filled with power. But that was a mere side effect. Once in life soldiers here were high and mighty, ruling over refugees, now they burn in the same fire. Life is unfair. But death... death is equal.


    He drank once more from the bottle with a serene expression. From now on he will do whatever he wants. From now on there is no consideration given for other people. He found this decision easy to make. This was what he had been from start. He never had been human. He tried to act like one. For all his life he looked from the outside and tried to enter inside. But even when he did, he only found out that he did not fit at all.


    Even when he pitied them he pitied them from the place he watched. He never was among them. He never felt their pain. He simply did not like it. He truly did not care even if whole world burns. He had always been an outsider...


    *****


    Drake opened his eyes suddenly with deep breaths. He let his tense body relax. For him these memories were like a nightmare. He had long left them buried in the darkest reaches of his mind. Did the nostalgia from yesterday brought them back to life?


    He got up and walked towards the window. Sun was rising and all of sky was dyed with purplish colors. He opened it and took the first breath of air or what was left of air, since half of it was smoke.


    He thought back. Did he really moved on from his past? He was not sure. Perhaps he never could. The Drake of the past made the Drake of today. So he was not certain if he ever could leave those memories behind.


    Whatever Drake had tried he found out he did not like it at all. When Drake ended his education, he had nothing at all to live for. Even now it was same. He did not care about his life or death. Was this truly living? If somebody asked he would answer no. Why did he live then? He was merely stubborn. His stubborn nature never changed.


    He looked down upon the streets. Like little ants thousands of people were going everywhere. He never liked humans of these times. All of them were like machines. All witless and soulless, death would be a mercy. Yet they were more content with their lives.


    If somebody asked Drake what he liked in life he would answer fiction, be it games, novels or something else. He found it so ridiculous. He had only found one thing in his life that he truly liked in this world and it had nothing to do with world itself. Wasn''t that funny?


    He sighed, brooding was useless. He should have a coffee and read something first. Then he would begin to game, taking all that frustration from the poor mobs. He smiled. He was making his coffee by hand. It tasted more natural this way.


    He suddenly let go of his coffee and jumped back. A piercing light appeared and destroyed his chair as it went up in flames. He was annoyed, he was going to have breakfast here. If someone wanted death they should find it elsewhere!


    He had not noticed them. He was just filled with a foreboding sense that he had to run. He indeed narrowly avoided death. So he felt he simply had to see this guy. They should learn results of pissing him off. Also he should vent a little of his stress on these people!


    He jumped out of the window and from rooftops to rooftops, trying to reach his would be killers. He was impossibly fast for a human being.


    "Drake!" said an elderly man in a surprised an alarmed manner, he swiftly dashed towards him. Drake simply threw a punch with normal power, not interested at all. Elderly man then tried to throw him using his power. Drake realized he underestimated him. But he had a counter for this.


    "[Dragon Slayer] - [Drop Dragon Back to Sea]"


    Drake simply borrowed man''s power and momentum and used it against him by catching him with his arms and legs and put him in a lock. Elderly man tried to escape but Drake simply had been too fast. Now he could not move his limbs and two feet beneath his chin was driving him towards the street. He felt his life was forfeit. He would end up like a watermelon!


    Drake let go of the man quickly and using elderly man''s chin as a platform he jumped with all his power, while elderly man began to drop faster and a laser shot again, his slippers was on fire!


    This meant that they had planned to stall him while snipers shot him again. This time laser came from the right. So either there were many shooters or sniper was extremely fast.


    He felt very annoyed. That slipper was a comfortable one! But he hated fighting these kinds of people. Fighting them would mean that they would have ample time to shoot him. Such weapons also was likely to have very long charging time and snipers should not be a lot weaker than this elderly man. Because these kinds of weapons were so powerful that other people could break from recoil.


    No matter how strong he was, he could not be stronger than that laser. Even experts would fear a gun. If they could not escape, it was likely that they would die. His flesh was strong against normal guns. Normal bullets would be unable to pierce him or deal serious wounds. But laser? His skin might as well be paper. He could use his mana, but he could not recover it fast. using it would mean he would need to rest at least a day. Earth was simply lacking in mana.


    He now tried to turn around and run away using cover from skyscrapers. It was annoying to fight these kinds of people. It was like trying to slap an annoying fly.


    *BANG!* Drake was surprised. So they even deployed a formation! That was the real attack! Everything up until now was to bait him! They simply did not anticipate he was this fast and the old guy had tried to stalled him!


    "Drake today is the day you die! I will have revenge for my family! I will make you regret the day you killed my parents!" said a man with a suit. His blonde hair was cut short and his blue eyes were staring at him with great intensity. If eyes could kill, Drake would be dead. He was outside the formation and he had come to taunt him.


    Formation was a strong one and it restrained space. Even he would have trouble breaking through. Drake was shocked to discover there were two dozens of true masters. He was in a pinch. True masters could not be said to be life threatening, but he would be very weakened afterwards and would be at mercy of snipers. But these experts are all sure to die.


    These kinds of experts could not be hired with money. For them to come at him they felt whatever that this suited man offered was worth their lives. What would make all these lofty experts who could live carefree lives come here to find death? He did not know. Even he did not have such a thing. Well, mainly because he did not need it...


    "Hmph! You think you can kill me? I never even used my full power! If I use it you all are certain to die! You are all courting death! Even if you kill me, I am certain I can take you all down with me. Do you not value your life? If you withdraw however, I will not pursue. You are not worth my time!" said Drake and sneered.


    He did not use much of his mana back then and could take one of them down. If he uses his mana he was certain that he could take all of them down, but he would at least be injured and would have to use most of his mana. He would need to recuperate! Snipers would not stand by idly then.


    All of the true masters were angry! This man dared to say he could kill all two dozen of them! They knew Drake was someone who was strong, but they were 24 true masters, they reigned at the height of underworld! Wasn''t he simply looking down on them too much? He even dared to say that they were not even worth his time!


    They ganged up on their target and were true masters! If they turned tail and ran away now, wouldn''t their reputation remain tarnished forever? They would be ridiculed to end of their lives. Each of them had pride of a king. They reigned at height of underworld! Even if they were all beaten they simply could not believe that he could kill all of them. This Drake should be bluffing!


    They all used their strongest attacks and charged to Drake. Drake seeing this simply felt like laughing. What kind of situation was this? These experts were prideful and arrogant. So, there was no exit. Even if they knew he was a lot stronger than them they would not stop!


    If he tried to bribe them or tried to talk them down they would feel he was afraid, so he acted overbearing to deter them. But it seems they would not be deterred by anything other than death! Then he would take them all with him!


    "[Divine Dragon Claw] - [Divine Dragon''s Nine-fold Strike!]"


    This attack would use most of his mana. But would no doubt render smash everything here to paste! Image of nine dragons appeared and each of them charged at one expert after another.


    Drake would never imagine that he would actually die today in such an absurd manner. What beef blonde man had with him he did not know. If you asked him when was the last time he had killed someone he would say Tuesday! If he killed someone however, he would only kill for three reasons: First, they were just scum and therefore deserved death! Second, for them death was better than life! Third, he was forced to kill them!


    Nonetheless, he had a great time. He had no fear or regrets. He had a spectacular and grand life. In this world, is there any other who could live as he did? He lived a free, delightful life, unrestrained by anyone or anything! If there was any regret he really would regret being unable to see the end of many novels he read and could not play MAO 2 until he grew sick of it...


    Drake who was expecting to fall in a severely weakened state, suddenly felt he was overflowing with power instead! It was as if a dam had been broken and mana endlessly surged inside him! Did he perhaps broke through a limit?


    But to his panic he noticed it did not stop! It was like water came endlessly like a surging ocean and he only had place enough for a lake! But the most terrifying fact was that it did not flow out. It forced itself to everywhere in his very soul.


    He looked at himself. His skin began to crack and from cracks some eerie and black liquid was flowing out. From every opening in his body that liquid flew out. His body could not take it. His vision was going dark. He would take the blonde guy with him!


    He rushed to blonde guy who could not run away. Then he pulled out something shiny with all kinds of colors and made a begging gesture. Drake could not tell anything beyond that, his vision was going dark! He could not hear at all. Soon he would not see.


    He slit the man''s throat and ate the bright object which he thought to be the thing this man had offered all those experts. It was broken to pieces in his mouth before swallowing so nobody can get the reward for killing him. Then he fell on the man''s body, no longer having the strength enough to stand.


    As he lied dying, he thought back to all those years ago, to the moment of his death. It was still the same. He was still all alone in the world. In the end he lived without regrets. But there was only one regret. He never could find someone he could connect to. In the end all he had was himself. But he always had wished for more. A true companion. Either a family member, a friend or a lover with whom he could connect. Just one person...


    He bitterly smiled. He could see himself in the end, as his life flashed in his eyes: The Drake who watched children run and play, the Drake who looked to books for companions, the Drake who could not connect with anyone, the Drake who always watched from a distance, the Drake who even forgot his own dearest wish, Drake who always felt like an outsider. If there were second chances...


    *****


    A very deep breath and scream like sound was released as Drake woke up. A dream? Then suddenly his head felt like it was being pierced by screwdrivers. His thoughts were not clear. His eyes could not really see well.


    The gate opened? Was there a woman? She was saying something, but he could not bother listening. He really could not make finer details because to him everything appeared as a blur. There was a person but he could not see her face. He asked:"Who... are you? Where... am I?". His head was going to explode. He barely could bring the questions out of his mouth.


    It was like someone was mixing contents of his head endlessly. His blurry vision began to turn worse and he passed out once more...

 [Chapter 1] - [Drake Awakens]

    "Valeria please step aside! I just must beat this dumb son of mine or I will explode! Even dogs and wild beasts get smarter when they are beaten, so no doubt this stupid fool will get his act straight, he is human after all!" said a man. Words he spoke was cruel, but they were really not spoken with the intent. It was just his concern for his son was manifesting. He was about 220 centimeters tall and had a muscular body. With his square jaw and sharp features, he looked like the very image of masculinity. His light brown hair was cut short and he had emerald eyes that was filled with vitality.


    "Erwin, please calm yourself. I know you are worried but now is not the time. He still needs res and he still needs a doctor to see him." said Valeria. She was about 210 centimeters tall with an athletic build that could still be seen through her everyday clothes. She had sharp features and three scars - two scars on her cheek, one small scar on her lip - on her face. Her black hair that would fall on her face was gathered into a pony tail and she had icy blue eyes. All in all, she looked just as intimidating as her husband.


    "I know, I know. I will call a doctor." Erwin said and sighed with concern. He had an expression of helplessness and anguish as he spoke to his wife:"Valeria what should I do with this son of ours? When he was fifteen he made a lot of bad friends, who taught him how to drink and how to play around. From then on he - in three years no less - became the most famous debauchee in the entire Empire of Sun! He has a lot of talent, but instead of practicing he plays around in "flower" shops with those bad "friends" of his! I swear upon graves of my ancestors, he gravitates away from texts larger than a sentence, when he sees a book he gets dizzy, when he hears the words "practice", "working" or "lesson" he disappears faster than a falling star! Now this has happened! What should I do?"


    "Erwin, you go and bring a doctor, while I take care of him. First a doctor should diagnose his injuries, I think they are light but it is better for a doctor to examine him. After he recovers we should have a talk with him then beat this debauchery out of him! Who knows, maybe with this disaster he might turn a new leaf, have a change of heart." she said. While they were sensible words, she was more worried than her husband. It seemed like she said that last sentence to console her husband and herself. Erwin just took a deep breath and sighed in exasperation. Then he quickly turned over and went to call a royal doctor. He was a Prince Consort so he was royalty as well as his son.


    Now that Erwin was gone Valeria entered her son''s house. It had been about ten minutes since her son had an accident while he was drunk and fell down into the river. It looked like he hit his head so even the slightest injury must be examined or she would not be able to rest. To her astonishment she discovered her son was already up! But his face looked terrible. She immediately ran over him and said:"Aeron, are you okay? Where does it hurt? Aeron you made me so worried today. I was scared to death!"


    After she opened her mouth all of these words were spoken without breath. Aeron - who was actually Drake - looked at her left and asked:"Who... are you? Where... am I?" These words was spoken so hard and were so low in voice one might not be able to hear it. But to Valeria''s ears this was like sound of thunder. She simply froze and Aeron fainted again.


    *****


    "...His highness the prince does not have any serious injuries, it seems he hurt his head however. I have done all I can, from now on he needs to rest and please do not move his head, it might make the situation worse. Do not worry please, he probably was muddle headed. But if his memories are lost, this can happen after a hit to head or maybe experience of death shocked him... I am sorry your highness, but this old fool cannot tell. If he lost his memories, he might get his memories back in days, weeks, months, maybe even years or perhaps he might not regain his memories his entire life. I apologize that this old incompetent man cannot do anything else." said an old doctor as he bowed and walked out.


    "Erwin what shall we do? What if our son has lost his memories? What if our son never regains his memories?" said Valeria in a worried voice as she caressed the head and back of the cat on her lap. Erwin sighed, he knew Valeria looked intimidating but was actually a soft person, with an even softer spot for cute things. So she was a doting mother who often indulged her children.


    "What can we do? If his memory is lost, it is lost. If he forgot then think of the bright side. If he forgets, he can change and turn over a new leaf. Besides, didn''t you hear the doctor? He might be muddleheaded. Even if he lost his memories he might get his memories back. Whether he has his memories or not he is still our son. We will treat him like we always have. Even if he never gets back his memories we can always make new ones." said Erwin in an optimistic voice. What can they do? Even the royal doctor said that there was nothing he could do, so how could he do anything? If you cannot change something try to look on the bright side of things. If he lost his memories perhaps he can make this debauchee a honest, hardworking person.


    He smiled and embraced his wife who cried her heart out. Women are more emotional then men, especially a mother. Valeria would be concerned over slightest injuries and would always be afraid of worst. Women also were quick to cry as a result of being emotional. Women were like full moon, which filled humans with emotion, filled scholars and artists with inspiration and that was why Luna was referred to as a she. Valeria could not stop, her tears contained so many different overflowing emotions.


    The reason he was so composed was that his father had always said most useful skill for a person is to know when to admit defeat. He also said that to admit defeat was fine, but this defeat should be admitted for victory. Battle might end in defeat but if war is won who cares about battle? Otherwise admitting defeat would be a shame. There was always a way to win. It was the job of generals to find it. It was their job to bring this victory! This was the reason why his father was bestowed surname of "Victor" by the emperor himself! He was a victor because he never let his defeats stay as defeats! Ironically it was being a sore loser that made him a victor.


    He was son of such a general! How can he give up? They were family after all, even if he did not love them at all, they would love him! Where on earth was a parent who did not love their children? A person''s heart is much like a mirror, what you show is reflected back to you. Even if he lost his memories and those memories never come back, one day they could repair their relationship.


    They both looked upon the face of sleeping young man. They did not know what would happen when he woke up. That was what scared them most. To look upon face of your son and have him not recognize you at all... It was a nightmare like scenario. But it had happened to them. What made them most sad was that their son had forgotten them, but they were also hopeful. He might have been muddleheaded. Even if he lost his memories he could regain them. Erwin smiled when he looked to him. He was almost as tall as him now. He had his mother''s hair and had grey eyes. He had his sharp features but his skin was white enough to put beauties to shame. He remembered an old memory.


    *****


    "What is this skin of yours! The girls in the shops you go should feel embarrassed! If you just had a wig and some women''s clothes you would make a fine beauty so long as we hide your Adam''s apple! Perhaps they would even call you "Jewel of Sun Empire"! To think I would have a grandson like this! Heavens what have I done so wrong!" cried an old man, veins bulging in his forehead and his face flushed red with anger. He was about 220 centimeters tall and had greying brown hair with green eyes. His muscular figure had never diminished even with years it endured. His skin was rough had many scars. He looked about thirty years of age not counting his hair.


    "Today I simply must beat you in your parents place! You like flowers huh? I will make your butt "blossom" today! You will now learn why flowers are red!" he said then picked up a broom following running Aeron to courtyard. Waving the broom in his two hands and striking at his butt!


    "Grandfather, I have done wrong! I have done wrong!" cried out Aeron and ran like a rabbit. Xander wanted to hit more but, Erwin intercepted him trying to talk him down:"Father stop if you hit him maybe he will run away and might even be more stubborn. If you let him go and lecture him eventually one day he might get his act straight. I have faith in my son! If not I will personally appoint him to Aryas to duty! When he comes back he will not even think of debauchery!"


    "I don''t care! I must catch this brat today! I must! Look at his skin! It is whiter, smoother and even softer than a baby''s skin! It shows that he does not even practice as much as a child! How will he amount to anything? I must just smack him once or twice or how will I contain this fury!" Xander cried tears in his eyes. To think there would be a debauchee like this in his lineage! From whom did he inherit this debauchery?! All of his ancestors were heroes, mighty warriors, all of them were man of steel, forged in fire of hundred battles! Nowhere in his family tree there was a debauchee like this!


    Of his two sons he lost youngest on the field of battle. He never cried because his son died with valor as a hero, crying would shame him! His wife later died of grief, he finally let his tears go. He could be considered young for his peers but his hair had became grey from grief! He cried only three times! One time was when his son and wife died. Other two times was because of this grandson of his! Not out of sorrow but out of anger! What he was wasting was the most important years of his life! Right now was the time his growth was fast, best times to cultivate his mana and body. But he skipped on the practice and would even snark back to him until he turned mad with anger!


    He could not even hit him appropriately! Whenever he raised his stick he would remember the cute baby he was, then his heart and hand would become soft like jelly. Being a grandfather was different than being a father. He could do nothing but cry out his frustration as his grandson became more and more of a debauchee. Erwin knew this. His father was soft on his grandchildren and wherever he tried to raise his hand he could not hit seriously. Though he was a slave driver when it came to his own children...


    *****


    Erwin now looked sad. If he truly lost his memories then he would not remember these. For him those times never happened. If memories made experience and experience defined a person, then when he woke up wouldn''t he be a completely different person than his Aeron? How could he not understand what his wife was upset about? The child they knew would be gone. He would change. It was not knowing how he would change that made them most anxious.


    Then he thought of Aeron himself. He realized he would wake up in a place he did not know with people whom he did not know claiming to be his family. His struggle would be even bigger than his. When he thought about that his heart sunk once more. He would have more troubles than them. For him role of a father was like being a mighty tree. Even if his children flew out of their nest they could always have a place safe they could come back to. He would be like an enduring mountain shouldering the skies for them if he has to!


    "Valeria, think about this from his point of view too. He will wake up in a place he does not know, surrounded by people he does not know. Perhaps he will feel lonely and will lose his place in the world. Perhaps he will have doubts about his self. Remember he could have drowned in the river, he could have died. Who knows the way of heaven? Perhaps this will be a good thing. But if he wakes up wouldn''t he be lost? Isn''t it our duty to provide him with a place he can feel at home?" said Erwin wiping his wife''s tears with his hand. Valeria stopped crying and tenderly looked to her son. Erwin was right. She could not let herself go now. It was true that he could have drowned, he could have died. This was far better. Even if he did not remember he was alive. He was alright. She calmed herself with deep breaths.


    "Mama! Dada! Why is bro sleeping?" said a little girl about four or three years old. She had a bell on her bracelet, which she liked and it also allowed them to find her when this mischievous devil ran off. She had brown hair with cute blue eyes. Unlike them she had soft features. She was a little bundle of cuteness. Valeria thought she must have ran off to her brother. Zara would often annoy Aeron until he finally got annoyed and tickled this little devil until she cried she would not do it again.


    "Shh. Your brother needs rest, he cannot play with you today." said Valeria. Upon hearing these words little imp ran away again bells jingling as she ran away. Valeria could hear the screams of maids and servants. She giggled. Zara was much like her when she was a child. She had lightened her mood. Children were like cute, little, fragile bundles of joy. It was because they were fragile that she was worried about them so much.


    *****


    "So that is what happened. Hmph! I told him he would end up like this! So what happened? Is it anything serious? He only needs rest? How long? Should I get him a potion? It would fasten his recovery." said Xander appearing tough and stoic, but soft inside. When Erwin saw this he would remember his slave driving father - who was like a demonic drill sergeant with training methods from hell - and would wonder how can this person change like this? Did old age mellowed this old man? He was not particularly old though, he was not even about halfway there. What would they call it? He was not really middle aged but not a young man too.


    Whenever he spoke of remarriage he would refuse him. Perhaps his memory of his mother was still there, but he should not spend his life alone. His mother had long been dead. Dead people were dead, life moved on. It was sad but, it was beautiful too. A person dies and from his remains there grows a tree and blossoms. That was the beauty of nature. Old lives fueled new, more beautiful ones. In the Empire of Sun utmost show of filial piety was to surpass your parents. This practice would drive each generation to be stronger than the last.


    He was rather shamed that he could not still surpass his father in any way. This old fox was so cunning that he could sell a merchant, merchant''s own wares! He practiced often and gave lessons to promising young blood in the Blazing Sun Academy. There were many academies in the empire but strongest was Blazing Sun. It was also the most rich in resources granted to their students.


    Blazing Sun Academy was the dream of every youth. Be it lowliest, poorest of peasants or highest of nobles it did not care. So long as one had talent they were welcomed with open hands and were granted best possible resources, as well as teachers. Sun Empire long had been known for their love of talent. Talented youths from lower positions in other country''s society would often travel here to show their skills and be accepted in government.


    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    His ancestors were warriors who did not really rose high in military, because there were so many people with their talent. If there were many talented people rising high would be hard. People who were at the top of their craft was always shown greatest respect. Be it a general, a scholar, an artist, an artisan...


    His father had entered the Blazing Sun Academy. Seeing he was highly talented in strategy and had possessed talent as a martial artist. He was given the most valuable books, potions and most accomplished teachers. It was because of this that Sun Empire was still flourishing without an end. They valued and cultivated their geniuses.


    He had graduated from there as a hundred man commander and rise rank after rank until he became a highly respected general. He still had no equal in this kingdom as he possessed great military knowledge and martial valor! He himself was still a young general who barely could even count as a general. How could he ever surpass this amazingly talented father? Heavens gave him a task that seemed impossible to achieve!


    Xander looked at Erwin. He was going to appoint Aeron to Aryas mountains just this night, so military would tame this debauchee. Sun Empire valued talent like a thirsty person valued water. It was also because of this they had worried about him so much. Aeron was born as a prince. But Xander had a higher status then him. In Sun Empire results determined a person''s life. Especially royalty. He might soon be removed from the imperial city of Ebonguard, the jewel among barren lands and deserts.


    Ebonguard was the homeland of their race called either high humans or tall humans. Barren wastelands, sands, struggles of survival with great predators had forged a mighty people. Each and every one of them was almost two meters in height and would carry heavy armor and weapons with ease.


    After following Founder-Emperor Sol they built Ebonguard and founded the Sun State. They were proud warrior people and they valued strength and talent above all. Everything depended on this, so women''s status was not low either. What men could do women could do as well. But nature had given women gift of wisdom, while to men it granted gift of strength. That is why among scholars and magi women numbered more than men. Among warriors men numbered more then women. Some of the most successful ruler''s were Empresses who ruled kingdom wisely. Previous Emperor before retiring or dying would choose a heir whom he thought could rule best.


    As for matter of marriage, it was up to individual. Nobody would give any thought to someone''s private affairs. They were a lot open minded, but homosexual relationships were frowned upon. Because such unions would not produce children, so such unions were seen as wasteful. But it was not illegal.


    Because of this this debauchee''s future was bleak. Who would give their precious children to this debauchee? Who would take care of him? Even if they were successful, their influence had a limit. Those from nobles or royalty that shamed their household would be appointed to some backwater town as a magistrate, only in name to boot. It basically meant they could live as they wanted. But they could not do anything with their lives that people would respect them for. Who wanted such a future for their children?


    Xander looked at his grandson again. He had not always been the debauchee he was now known as. He had strayed off the path when he was fifteen because of heart issues. He had never told anyone, but he had learned it a few weeks ago. He was going to talk to him about this matter. But this grandson of his avoided him like a plaque.


    Xander sighed in his heart. What he had hidden so deeply even he did not know. But he could only function by drinking his sorrows day and night. He would go to flower shops and would drown himself in debauchery. He even suspected this was no mere accident. His grandson might have tried to commit suicide! If he lost his memories then that might actually have been a blessing in disguise.


    "There is something I should tell you. I suspect that Aeron has tried to commit suicide!" said Xander with a very solemn face. Expressions of shock and disbelief filled both Erwin''s and Valeria''s faces. Their son tried to commit suicide? Why would he try to kill himself? They tried their best for him.


    "How can that be father-in-law? Why would my son kill himself? Why would he do this to himself?" said Valeria with a face filled with wanting to disbelieve but not being able to. She was his mother. She had long known there was something in his heart that made him this way. She thought he would get over it himself or would tell them one day. She never thought he would actually try to kill himself!


    "I do not know why. But you should know that this is true Valeria. Maybe this matter of him losing his memories is a blessing in disguise." said Xander. Erwin had looked down. He was never this ashamed of himself in his entire life! He had tried to be a good father. He tried to be a good son to his father too. But he had never noticed Aeron''s heartbreak. His face was filled with self loathing. What manner of father was he? He had failed his son when he needed his help most!  So they stood there silently in the evening. Each lost in their own thoughts.


    *****


    Drake woke up. He was in a realm of black with a shimmering ever shifting road. With every step he took way shifted like auroras. Countless colors changed when he blinked. An ever-shifting road. He looked around ad could not see anything. He looked behind and saw with every step he took the piece of road he left behind would disappear. He would panic, but what was the use of panicking now. He simply walked forward.


    After a walk he did not know how long, he reached the journey''s end. He did not know how much time passed. He honestly could not tell. It might have been a second, might have been an eternity. He stood near an ever shifting darkness behind a glass. He felt like he was beckoned there. Was he meant to enter? He cautiously touched it. A sound - akin to metal breaking glass - rose and ever shifting darkness expanded breaking though the glass.


    He was floating now in the darkness. But he could see everything clearly and there was light coming behind his back. He turned back and a light blinded him. A seven colored and seven floored pagoda with a huge snake climbing it. This should be what he ate. What was it doing here?


    "Welcome master!" said a floating, pink... jellyfish?! He stared, a little dumbfounded. But to his credit Drake adapted quickly. This was clearly a dream, stuff that happened here was not real. He was sleeping. Yup, he would wake up and would see everything was a dream. Why was his dream so weird? There was a floating, tentacled, talking, pink jellyfish with a girls voice...


    "How rude master! I am real! I am Sophia!" said the jellyfish. Drake still stared and pinched his cheek. Yup, it hurt. So this jellyfish is real? What is it doing in my spirit? But somehow he felt a familiarity to this jellyfish. It was instinctual, he knew her. He felt he knew pagoda too... No the thing inside the pagoda. Why was this pagoda that important enough for all those masters?


    "You mean that Heaven-Ascending Pagoda master? It contains an Imugi. A snake who failed to ascend to heaven and turn to a dragon. A miserable existence. Imugi is now undergoing the process of becoming a dragon. When it is finished you will have a dragon soul beast! As for why they wanted this imugi. This imugi was very brilliant master. It made himself a pagoda from the heart of a star and coiled around it. Star heart will allow someone to cultivate much faster. While they cultivate however this imugi would drain some mana for itself. When he had enough mana he could solve what was wrong with it''s body and ascend to heaven to become a dragon. Now this imugi is your soul beast. It will obey your words and cannot betray you or harm you in anyway." said the jellyfish that named itself Sophia


    As for me I was made by previous master to help you! I am S.O.P.H.I.A.! Series Omega Personal Helper and Ideal Advisor! I suspect previous master just wanted to name me Sophia but thought it would be more cool this way." said Sophia. Drake said nothing. He just could not find the words to say. Rather did those words even exist?


    "We are bound together for all our lives! I will help you achieve any goal of yours and in exchange I will be able to see the world through your eyes!" said jellyfish excitedly. Drake just accepted it and did not think about it. In this world everything was possible. When you just walk home from school a car might fly to you, you might get arrested because a serial rapist looks like you, you might be involved a plane crash - because plane crashed into your tent - or you might barely escape fate of getting hit by a meteor... He had first hand experience in this matter.


    "So Sophia. What do you do here then? Who is this previous master? Also did you just read my mind?" said Drake. Since she was a personal helper and advisor, he more or less understood her role, but it would be better to ask. She would also reply to his thoughts. He actually could not believe himself. He was just naturally talking to a floating, pink, speaking jellyfish. His adaptability surprised even himself, he actually began to call a jellyfish she....


    "I help master! I give master advice! I handle everything! Previous master was named Chalfon. I can read your thoughts to serve you better master! Of course you can close me off if you want to, but please don''t! It is boring in here!" said Sophia in a begging voice. Drake did not really care. He was just curious. But he noted the ability to close her off.


    He thought back to the moment he was dying all alone... Now that he thought about it, with Sophia he would never be alone. He had found a companion who could understand him. He smiled when he thought like that. He was determined to obtain many such people. For him they were as precious as air was to drowning men.


    "So Sophia. I think I am alive. Am I alive? I should be. But what is a true god? Explain it all to me. Explain everything." said Drake this was what troubled him most. He died in a very bizarre manner. But he was saved. He felt confused. He was saved right?


    "Master, you are alive. But not in the way you understand it. You were reincarnated. It is a really long story to explain. Shall I explain it?" said Sophia and Drake made a nod.


    "Master it is actually rather simple. Chalfon was a true god that symbolized change." said Sophia with her tentacles showing him a picture. A dragon that instead of scales has human-like shadows. Suddenly picture came to life. Drake looked with interest. A true god. Everywhere on dragon eyes opened. Myriad eyes, myriad mouths and myriad hands. As drake looked he felt a sense of... longing and familiarity?


    "Change includes everything. Let us say that master Chalfon separated himself to many parts and was reborn. Because he himself was change so he did not change in any form. Just imagine you are standing still in a constantly moving creation. He said that he was bored and split himself then took path of reincarnation. He then made us to serve his young selves. You are a part of him. A god of death. Because of this you are also essentially immortal. You are not affected by the river of souls who washes memories of all souls. Also you on earth had became a heavenly being. Earth exists in a material universe with heavy restrictions on supernatural. You just became immortal thus the world itself killed you by causing backlash during your ascension. Did you not think about how many times you almost died and found it odd? The world you were living on WAS trying to kill you." said Sophia.


    "Sophia, I shall be honest with you. I am not going to believe you just because a jellyfish said that I am part of a fucking god..." said Drake. He usually would not swear. He would act gentlemanly in every action. That is why swearing signified him being angry. Only when he was angry - but not enough to go into a murdering rage - he would talk rude. He finally felt that he was obviously going crazy. But he was considered crazy compared to other people so he did not really care..


    "Master you are not going crazy. Remember your past actions. When you killed someone you felt at peace, did you not? You said presence of death was like embrace of a mother. That is what a god of death feels. Also with every person you kill you absorb their lingering thoughts allowing you to get more and more stronger. The more lingering thoughts there are the better. Hatred is a powerful grievance, you should use it. Kill people who hate you most and you gain most benefits. Also if that person is stronger you get more power." said Sophia. Drake sighed. He had heard enough. If it was real, then it was real. If it was not, then it was not. He simply should enjoy the moment without caring about anything. If cared too much you would only go mad. Besides, reality depended on the person. If he believed everything could be real. Belief was such a powerful force...


    "That''s the spirit master!" said Sophia making a do your best gesture with her... tentacles. Drake bid her goodbye for now. He closed his eyes and slowly tried to rise.


    *****


    Drake rose from his slumber. Now feeling more comfortable but not enough to jump from his bed. He slowly rose still feeling a bit sleepy and tired. His head was not really good either. He looked at his body. He was taller than what he remembered. Clearly he was reincarnated. He tried to touch his temples but found that they were bandaged.


    He turned and looked at the people sitting in chairs all in their own worlds. A burly man whose head was greying and an exact copy of him with brown hair was sitting on right side. Black haired intimidating woman was sitting on left. He gathered his courage and decided in his heart he would play amnesiac. Drake said:"Who are you? Where am I? Who am I?"


    ______________


    I wrote the last parts of chapter when I was fairly high from staying up all night, university... [th_096_K.gif] *sighs*


    It seemed more interesting this way so I decided to go like this. I am also going to go with a gamer-like MC who advances in power as he kills stuff, including people. I read the gamer and liked it except for the MC. So I am trying to write something unique from combining all the I genres that I like.


    Please write and allow me to know what you think about this. :boworpushups:


    Xianxia+Game-like+Some light hearted stuff=>*something happens*=>Profit???

 [Chapter 2] - [Mirror Sky Pond]

    Silence covered the entire room when Drake spoke. He fired all these questions what after another. This left Xander and Erwin completely in an awkward mood. Which question were they going to answer? Who would talk? Rather how would you even answer those questions? They began to plan a conversation inside their head. But Valeria was not even awkward. She ran up and held his hands without a moment''s hesitation.


    "Aeron, you woke up! You made me so worried that something would happen to you. But so long as you are alright it is okay..." said Valeria and cried tears of relief. Drake noted that his name in this body was Aeron. But well, he saw these people one minute ago and woke up a minute ago. Only thing he knew about this world was that he knew nothing about this world. He was playing amnesiac to boot so he should have some doubts. Drake asked:"Aeron? Is that my name?"


    "Yes you are Aeron. My Aeron, my son, my little Aeron..."said Valeria initially a bit shaken, at this moment she teared up even more while caressing his cheek lovingly. Her smile was drenched in tears. Drake felt in his heart that he was simply a bastard. The son she loved so much was already gone, to somewhere she cannot follow. Is this what a guilty conman feels?


    Biologically speaking, yes he was her son. But what made Aeron who he was was his memories and those memories were long gone. Aeron was dead, he was a usurper who had took his body. But even if he said he was not Aeron and was reincarnated or something, they would think he hit his head too hard.


    He was a man who did not like lying or fooling someone, especially toying with sincere emotions like love. That was why he never entered a relationship. He was also a virgin because he did not wish to sleep with someone he was not attracted to, very idea made him puke. He also never formed friendships with people because he knew even though he liked them, he would not care a single bit if one of them died.


    He knew he could not connect to someone and that would only cause someone pain if he had close relationship with that person. Emotional wounds were much more painful than physical ones and often more long lasting. He was never afraid to kill anyone. But he disliked dealing pain to people who did not deserve it, be it physical or emotional.


    To him a being that exists was not physical manifestation, which is body, but spirit. Get a beautiful girl and an ugly girl, then cut them up, their blood flows red their flesh is same, their bones are same white. But if you looked at the spirit that was unique. He was more attracted by beauty of spirit then beauty of flesh.


    For him flesh and blood meant nothing. that was also why he did not even notice her scars. For him appearance was least important of all things a person can be judged for. Appearance does not really make a person who he is. That was why even though he was in a different body he could still say he was Drake.


    He looked at the sincere emotions of a mother and felt it was wrong to deceive her like this. But he was now in a world he did not know. In this situation he needed knowledge, a way to protect himself, a way to get necessities like food and water and luckily he had such a way. His bed was soft, every piece of furniture looked expensive and beautiful to the point of making him feel irritated. He was a man who liked simple things and disliked all these stuff. But from this one would understand that this family was rich and influential, thus could easily get his needs.


    Drake then though it would be okay so long as he became their son? He was physically their flesh and blood anyway. It was their duty to take care of him when he could not and he would take care of them when they could not. It was simple when said like this. But he never called his relatives as family because he thought family was something spiritual, not something like merely blood related people.


    My cheek feels warm... It is as if emotions are flowing into me. Worry, sadness, relief, but mostly joy and an overwhelming feeling. It is indescribable. Makes me want to hug her and get spoiled by her. I feel like a child... So this is how a parents love feels? It is boundless... It makes me sad somehow. For I am not her son. But I will be from now on... This feeling and this connection will belong solely to me!


    He accepted her as his mother in his heart that instant. He was quick to act. Good things come for those who act. What would one accomplish by waiting and hesitating? Only result would be regret and wasted time. He acted quickly based on his feelings and instincts, just like a young bird first learning to fly. He felt he could trust this woman with his life and believed himself to be a fairly good judge of people.


    When he finally returned from his mind Drake really was awkward. He did not know how to continue. Valeria moved his heart but he did not know how to answer to that love. It was like a person who stayed in a cave for fifty years suddenly was thrown outside, forced to look at sun. It was just too much for him.


    Erwin saw that Drake was awkward and he held Valeria''s shoulders. When Valeria looked up he shook his head. He clearly was confused and sudden outburst of emotion from Valeria made him awkward. He would take over this conversation.


    "Aeron, you had an accident and hit your head to a rock in river, almost drowned. We took you here immediately and called a doctor. You are in no danger now, but you lost your memories." said Erwin making a solemn face. He tried to use a matter-of-fact tone but could not hide strain in his voice. It was his son who almost died after all. Though he was in control of his emotions it did not mean he was without them.


    "I am Erwin Victor, your father. This is Valeria Victor, your mother and the old man who sits over there is Xander Victor, your grandfather." said Erwin smiling in an attempt to dispel the odd, heavy mood in the room that weighed heavy on his heart. Drake noted these names and looked to old man. Who was standing there like an immovable mountain not even a muscle moved.


    At that moment an adorable, laughing little girl came in with the voice of a bell jingling, a childish bracelet on her wrist and ran to Xander, jumped and hugged him like a koala saying:"Grandpa! Play horsey with me!" while pulling on his clothes and looking with upturned eyes.


    Xander lifted the mischievous little devil up with his both hands and said:"If you give grandpa a kiss, grandpa will play with you!" and laughed heartily. Little girl kissed Xander on his both cheeks and then he put the giggling little girl on his shoulders and walked out of the room feeling relieved. He felt like a third wheel the whole time and took the opportunity to run away.


    "That was Zara, your little sister. She is a little mischievous and too active..." said Valeria with a tired smile and then that smile was replaced by worry as she held his hands tightly again: "But Aeron you did not eat anything. Do you need some food? Some drinks maybe? Whatever you want, just tell your mother or call your maid, Sinah. Do you need rest more? Should we leave?"


    "I still did not finish talking! You are spoiling him too much! He should-!" said Erwin before he looked at Valeria''s face. Then Valeria looked up to Erwin with the aura like that of an angry dragon. Then Valeria sent Erwin out of the room - despite his protests - saying:"Aeron needs rest! Now leave!" and literally kicked him out and shut the the door to his face. Drake shuddered.


    Whoa! Does this mean this woman is stronger than him? She should be around the level of "True Master". I wonder where does she rank in terms of power. It would give me an idea about general power levels in this place.


    Drake nodded and said:"I need some time alone. I need to think." with a guilty and solemn face lost in thoughts. Valeria looked him unsure of what to feel. Her son was right here, yet also far away...


    Drake then he lifted his head and reluctantly said:"Thank you... mother. Good night."


    Seeing his reluctant look Valeria felt he was cute. In her eyes her son was still a boy, he never grew up. She bowed down slightly, caressing his hair and kissing his forehead. Then she looked into his eyes and said:"Rest well, Aeron. Your mother loves you... Don''t worry about your father, his only saving grace is that he is tough! Sweet dreams." she started to walk to the door. When she was about halfway there she turned back and sent a glance again. Then she continued, got out of the house and shut the door while taking one more peek.


    Drake then put his head on his pillow and began to think about what has happened. He then decided to abandon his name, Drake. From now on he would be Aeron, Aeron Victor. First step was to accept the situation. Second was to adjust to it. From now on he would call himself Aeron and this reincarnation would be a secret. He would never tell anyone.


    From now on...my name is Aeron! Aeron Victor, son of Erwin and Valeria Victor. Grandson to Xander Victor and elder brother of Zara Victor! This is my identity and this is my new... family and Drake is dead... I wonder why that sounds so lonely..


    *****


    Erwin walked to main house. He had made Valeria upset. Normally Valeria was rather soft, amiable woman. But when it came to her children she turned into a demon. He shuddered when he remembered the angry Valeria.


    Nowadays only when she stood for her children it was clear that this woman was a heroine, filled with martial valor and fighting spirit. When she married him and had children she more or less was retired taking care of them. But this woman was once known as the Bloody Queen, as an expert she was more powerful than him.


    Zara was riding on Xander. Number one among his generation, Xander, was tamed by this mischievous little girl and was letting her ride him. Erwin smiled when he saw this picture. He then imagined Valeria and himself on the chairs looking at them and Aeron who teased his sister. It was this picture that he wanted to build. He failed once, he would not fail again!


    Earlier he tried to lecture Aeron. In truth he felt responsible. He trusted Aeron would eventually find the correct way. He thought of it as something that came with puberty, once he grew older it would go away. Maybe he was wrong. Maybe something had happened to him. Whatever it was, he felt that Aeron losing his memories was a blessing. He would like him stay in ignorance forever. Especially if ignorance allowed him to move on with his life.


    Maybe he should have sent him to Aryas, but he could not. He was indulging in debauchery and did not train, so could not put much of a fight, it was just dangerous to risk his own son like this. If he sent an expert to protect him or allowed him to use his badge, how could military train him?


    He could not send his son also because he had faith that he would one day get better. Isn''t Erwin sending him to Aryas meant he did not have any trust in his son? Maybe all he needed was time, he had thought at the time. Erwin smiled bitterly. What ifs filled his mind but none of them seemed correct.


    He sat on a chair watching his father and daughter while massaging his temples. This matter with Aeron was like a bolt out the blue for him. He had never expected such an outcome. Maybe he should have been more strict. He failed at being a proper father for him. He failed to do his duty as a father and had allowed Aeron to come to harm for so long...


    Main house was where Erwin, Valeria and Zara lived. Xander made himself another, little house consisting of only one room saying this house too extravagant and he was not used to this much1 luxury. Aeron moved out during his debauchery to avoid seeing them. All of the rooms were wide, all furniture were crafted by masters, statues as well as calligraphy and paintings decorated the house. All in all it was an extravagant manor. After all Valeria was precious daughter of the emperor himself.


    "Dada!" said Zara, jumped off her "horse" and ran to him, hugging his leg. Erwin grabbed the girl with his two hands and holding her up and then he talked a little with her. But this girl could not stay in one place too long and jumped down from his lap and ran off to play with her tops.


    After a while Valeria arrived. When she sat near Erwin she made an irritated sound and pouted. Erwin got the message:"Okay, I was wrong, I was wrong... Alright, I am sorry." and bowed in apology. He was aware that right now arguing more would just make her angrier.


    "Of course you were wrong! Doctor said he needed rest and you tried lecture him! You blockhead!" said Valeria, venting her anger. She then just breathed and calmed down. Turning to Xander, she said:"Aeron said he wanted some time alone, to think. What should we do now father-in-law?"


    "We should leave him alone for now. He should have some time to think his thoughts, But tomorrow on we should monitor him closely. Also act like you normally do. Then when he makes a full recovery I will whip him to shape and make him a worthy heir of Victor name! When I am done with him he will never think of returning to his debauchee ways!" said Xander now grinning.


    "Yes grandpa let''s beat him! Hit him ''pa! pa! pa! pa! pa!'' with your broom until his butt is swollen! Then make him play with me for the entire day! I want to go to market! Then bro will buy me all the stuff I want!" said Zara while running around with a pinwheel in her hand. Even though Aeron and other household members had grown estranged, Zara and Aeron was close. For her he was her kind elder brother, who doted on her all the time and would buy her sweets and pretty dresses, new toys. Naturally Zara liked his brother most. But was not above seeing him being beaten for her own amusement.


    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    Sun was already setting so it was this little imp''s sleeping time. Valeria got her not even listening to her protests and calls for help to Xander and Erwin. She would scream like this to her father and grandfather, asking for help. Then screaming "save me please, someone ,anyone!" while crying. If outsiders heard this they would think her mother was beating her or torturing her.


    Valeria tucked the little girl in her bed and sang a lullaby until she was asleep, looking like an angel. But when she woke up this girl was like a devil.


    *****


    Aeron stood in front of a golden pot. He had a forced smile on his face, His room was lit by something like a wooden hand-like object holding a glowing stone. He did not know what exactly these were. He made a mental note to ask about it. A servant brought this when he demanded some light.


    Of all the things to miss in this world, I am missing a toilet! That''s a first I guess... Well, I miss my virtual dive too. I really miss my games! Damn it! I am bored to death...


    Aeron sighed and looked at his arms. He was taller than he remembered. It was like he was in middle of puberty all over again. He thought his step would be shorter his arm would be shorter. He was used to act in his old body. he was not really tall but not really short. This body was more than thirty centimeters taller than his old one.


    When he took a step he unexpectedly would take a longer step than what he was used to, hitting his toes everywhere. When he moved his hands he would not be able to grab something without paying attention for same reason. He needed to get used to his body or he would have trouble doing everything. As long as he did practice he could be used to it in a day or so.


    Then he would go to get some information. A library would be ideal, as rare as books were in ancient times this family seemed rich, they should have some books. If not there should be a library somewhere. Books kept knowledge and experience so it could be taught to young more easily. One book could educate thousands of students, while a teacher could educate some. Books were precious resource for any country or organization. This world should be no different.


    Aeron began to practice, throwing punches, kicks, elbows and knees. In any martial art these were used. They were the most basic of basics and that is why people saw them as not really as good as other, more complex moves along the way. But these moves were the most basic of basics not because they were easy to learn. They were the strongest. All of those complex moves were built upon a simple move. It was the foundation, stronger the foundation, the stronger those complex moves would be.


    In his past life he was an expert who was a master in all kinds of weapons. But it did not mean he could take it easy. His body had changed, he only now barely began to properly walk. He was not used to his body and he needed to adjust himself to this body to become better. Otherwise he could not really do much, even if he knew how to fight.


    He just came to this world this day, why was he so hardworking? Right now he felt anxious. Compared to his past body this body was much more powerful. Yet in earth there was heavy restriction on supernatural. So according to Sophia if he was in his previous body, here he would be a great expert. He could not tell how strong he would be, because he had no way to judge, but he would at least be at level of that old man, nah he just might even surpass that.


    So he felt weak. Who could blame him for being anxious? The nature was a dog eat dog world. He was an ant, only protection he had was that a lion would not even notice or make an effort to eat an ant and his backing seemed powerful. But that backing was not his own power. His own power could not be removed but his backing could be.


    Considering all what ifs was his nature. He would plan for the worst while hoping for the best. So even if the worst scenario happens he would be able to deal with it. He should, at the very least, be able to hold his ground against opponents whose power was slightly higher or equal to his own for him to live in this world.


    Skill of an expert was like skill of a chef. A chef, no matter how skillful, could not make a bread without flour. In same way an expert no matter what his skill was needed power. Skill was merely applying the strength in most efficient way possible.


    When cutting someone you would want your sword to be perfectly straight. Because if it is straight all the power in your swing will go to the sharp edge allowing you to slash with greatest efficiency. Force of your swing is entirely on the edge. Even a deviation of  1 degree counts. After training for a very long time you will be able to perform it. Because even though it seems easy, it is hard.


    That one degree deviation would allow 1-5% of the blow to turn into blunt force and spread. This spread would reduce force on area and this in turn would not allow sword to cut as good as it could have cut. Be it a sword, a gun, a fist or a kick they all had their own ideal ways of using them. It was ideal because this way less energy would spread and most of energy would stay behind the blow allowing sword to cut cleanly.


    There were three reasons he was doing this training. First was that he was bored to death and could not sleep as a result of apparently sleeping all day. Second was that he felt ill at ease thanks to his own weakness. Now that he accepted this family - or at least Valeria as his mother - he also accepted them as one of his people, He had a duty to at least make an effort to protect them. But the current him could not even protect his own life, how can he protect others?


    Third was that his own mind was in turmoil. His own nature was not that of a normal human being that much was true. Who know if because he was - apparently, according to a jellyfish inside his mind, which just sounded ridiculous - a death god or something more mundane like the life he led, he was just filled with a strange emotion.


    The urge to just walk away. To run away from this place.. Hatred and anger, urge to kill the woman who smiled at him with tears. Why he felt this, he did not know. Before he would accept this urge. But he tried not to give in now that he had died. He died a lonely death, all alone in the world. He had changed nothing and had just ran away his entire life. He saw nothing wrong with running away. His world was that unpleasant for him. But now the situation changed.


    He still hesitated when he tried to take this head on. He would rather fight those masters again rather than to deal with this. But he did not want to live alone, so he had to face this somewhere along the line. He must throw himself into the water to see if he would swim or would drown. He might as well start from here on. His first task would be to accept this family as his own.


    But even if he did, a side of him would always be afraid of their feelings changing. He knew change was inevitable. But he never had came to terms with it. He had just ran away from that too. He had feared change but he never stopped to consider that change can be for the better. If he tries hard enough there is nothing in this world that can not be done! He did not want to die alone again.


    He realized these as he lied dying and found out that he had only been a child. When it came to emotions he did not grow at all. He just suppressed them to never feel hurt again. From his childhood he had only experienced bitter disappointment. But this was a new world, a new life! Like a new character in a new server! This was a second chance!


    He just took a very deep breath and slowly breathed it out. He would only think more about this if he stayed here. The room was displeasing to his eye. He turned to the door and slowly walked out. He slowly walked through pavement in the garden. It was a bright night, moon and starlight rained down from skies.


    He slowly walked to the pavilion overlooking a pond. The pond did not have any architectural beauty and was just a mass of water. He was expecting a water garden but he did not see it no matter how he looked at it it was just a pond. There were no flowers, no fish or animal.


    "Aeron so you came out for a walk! You are up early, or should I say late? Did you had enough rest? If so, come join me!" said the old man with grey hair and a large body with scars. Aeron recognized the man as Xander. He was sitting in the pavilion Pavilion had a large table and many seats. Xander was eating some fish and drinking wine. From the looks of it he was a bit tipsy.


    "Hello... grandfather." Aeron said awkwardly. His grandfather was the one he loved above anyone else in his life as Drake, so he found some difficulty saying it. But now that he was reincarnated he found himself in middle of a family he had to acknowledge. He felt he rather liked Valeria. Zara was a child who was just naughty and energetic. But as for Erwin and Xander he had no idea who they were.


    Xander seeing his grandson''s awkwardness he understood what troubled him. He had no idea whom they were and he had to act close to not hurt them. He then said:"You can drop the grandfather if that makes you awkward. Call me old man instead!" and laughed.


    "No grandfather. It was that... I do not know anything about anyone here. What if my memories does not come back? What will I do then? I do not know anything about you or mother, father or anyone for that matter." said Aeron and made a solemn face. Needless to say he was just putting on an act.


    "Is there anyone who can know each other without spending time together? If your memories do not return solution is simple, just make new ones. Now come and join me for a drink. What do you think of my pavilion and pond?" said Xander as he filled both glasses with wine and gave one of them to him.


    It is just a pond? But if I say that he would be displeased. I should praise it somehow. But what is there to even praise! It is just a big mass of water. There is no flowers or animals inside. The pavilion is rather simple too. What is the point of this pavilion and pond? They are so plain that you cannot even praise them somehow. I mean, I would be blatantly lying.


    Then Aeron suddenly was enlightened! This old man was a genius, as well as someone with artistic taste! He was impressed thoroughly. He never expected such a big fellow to have such a refined taste. He even drunk wine correctly! His respect for this old man had grown to new heights.


    "Pavilion is rather plain but that is not really important. What is important is this pond. You actually made a pond to display the night sky, the moon and stars! Other ponds display beauty of fishes or flowers. But you display beauty of the night! This is just... genius! I definitely am impressed by it and by you grandfather!" said Aeron as he sighed with emotion.


    Xander was stunned. He expected that he would say it was either plain or praise it without meaning a word of that praise. But unexpectedly he actually understood why he had made this pond! He looked at him again. This grandson of his somehow had gotten smarter since he hit his head!


    He was his only grandchild who did not have any future. His eldest grandchild Laila was his deceased son''s daughter. Her mother was the principal of Pale Moon Academy. Her father had died when she was five. She was not close to them and she was training hard, so they would see each other once in a year. She would come every year during anniversary of his death to pay respects to her father. She had talent and would definitely be successful. Zara was still a child but he had high hopes for her.


    On the other hand Aeron was a downright debauchee. When he was born seeing he had genius level high talent that had surpassed his own he was extremely jubilant. He had high hopes for him and would brag about him. But afterwards it made it much harder for him to tolerate his debauchery. He actually had talent, if he had tried, even half-heartedly, he would be someone important and would be successful in future. But he did not even try! If he tried and failed he could at least respect that...


    Just who knew he was a man of so many talents! He had picked up gambling, visiting flower shops, wine and all kinds of thuggish activities and became the most detestable debauchee in country in three years! Three years! Even if someone tried to do this they would fail, country was far and wide and talk did not really spread so much. But he had succeeded in three years! That in itself was an absolute talent. Absolute genius!


    That grandson actually said these words. He felt like checking his fever. Did he drink too much wine? Those words came out from the mouth of this debauchee? He felt extremely happy! There was still hope! It seemed like miracles really did exist. He then began to talk with Aeron agreeably while drinking wine.


    -------------------------------------------


    It is the final days in my university and I barely have any time to write this now. I feel like I should have posted this later. When I actually had time. Here is a chapter I wrote, writing some sentences everyday.

 [Chapter 3] - [Do I Have a Say in This?]

    "You there! Yes, you! Guide me to the library!" said Aeron. Normally he would use a more politer tone but he was a prince and this was just a servant... If he used polite tongue then that would be awkward. From his chats with Xander over two days he had learned new things. For one Victor family was a new family that had risen to prominence in the empire. Xander was the sworn brother of emperor and had once saved his life from an assassination.


    He was considered a genius and had the title of Commander-in-Chief. Which meant he could order any military force in the empire. He had the authority to do so. Just from this one could tell how much emperor trusted Xander.


    Xander was untouchable by nobles, nothing could stop him. He could even kick a minister out and no one would utter a word. That was the extent of personal, as well as political, power he wielded. To be fair, he never truly used it fully. His son had married a princess and his grandchildren were royalty. This family had now gained much prestige in the empire. Except for Aeron who was known as a disgrace...


    Also he learned what a scum this person whose body he had claimed. So it was true that he who slaughters a pig shall be reborn as a pig! He killed too much despicable scum and ended up reincarnating as one! He always wondered why maids never answered his calls and avoided him.


    Even though he was in this position he was not one bit concerned. After all he was not that kid. Now he understood why servants feared him and maids avoided even his eyes. He thought it was because he was too imposing that servants felt fear. As for why maids avoided any contact with him he had thought that he was too handsome...


    Well to be fair he really was handsome. But his reputation was below the mere level of infamy! He was stuck with the body of this person... He first worried about friends of this guy or maybe this guy had a lover. But screw having a lover or a friend, it was a miracle this family still loved this Aeron. Respect... He was filled with endless respect. Clearly these people were tougher than stone, more patient than water! This kind of family was too much for this bastard!


    In a way this also relaxed him too. Too much human contact drained his energy, so to speak. In the past he had went on an entire year not talking to anyone. Here he did not have that option. He simply had so much free time with nothing to do, if being bored to death was possible he already would have died. He was already bored of being bored.


    So he had spent his time talking with his new grandfather, for whom he had found respect. He was simply a genius and was very experienced in life. More like he talked to him because he felt more comfortable around his own age group he guessed.


    Though he was similar in age he found his world view inferior to his. He could only touch the bitter roots of wisdom and not the fruit. Clearly this man struggled through negatives of life to find his own positives and succeeded. If he was not a general he could have become a great philosopher or an artist.


    He also wrote poems that expressed sacrifice, brotherhood, heroism of iron man forged by battles. Poems was filled with the fiery atmosphere of battlefield, he found his blood was boiling and his heart ablaze, reaching to his throat the urge to shout a war cry and let that fearsome fire upon the world. He could barely restrain himself. Each time he spoke with Xander he found that his respect just grew more and more.


    "M-Master we are at the library. May you have a fine day." said the servant and ran away after he dismissed him telling him he had work of importance. All of them acted as if he was a predator out for their blood. There were many stories of him beating servants for looking at him wrong way. Also molesting his personal maids - mostly - and other maids.


    Hell, he had a maid but she never appeared near him. Clearly this shoved the level of trust here. As a human being he was at rock bottom. Rather than a human as a living being maybe? If they called him a bug, he suspected bugs would feel offense When he heard these from Xander he felt thoroughly ashamed to be this person. After he one night''s sleep shame wore off though, for better or for worse he had thick skin.


    First day he woke up he felt surprised. He had seen trees and grass so he thought that he was in a lush land. The manor was the top of a mountain and there was a really long way down. Who knew this Ebonguard was carved out of a black mountain surrounded by deserts and cracked, barren lands? The very reason that there was trees and and grass here was that this was a manor. Most people down would probably not see grass if they do not leave these lands.


    Well it was rather warm but not really blazing. He suspected this to be because of a formation that keeps the heat outside. Well concept was simple so anyone could do it so long as they had mana.


    He also had learned a shocking truth! He did not have any affinity with elements thus could not use spells, but had a rather high talent with martial arts. Well, it could be worse. He might not have possessed talent at all. But he would only be a common warrior and not a cultivator like a mage.


    Warriors were weak. Warriors would gather mana in their lower dantian for a stronger body. Mages would gather their own in their upper dantian. Warriors and mages were practically same, warriors were just a bit more sturdy in body. But who did not have an affinity with elements could not really have high quality mana. Mages had higher quality in mana and also spells that could not be performed by warriors.


    They were called mages because most of them preferred to use spells. There were also cultivators who chose to practice martial arts. But martial arts were seen as weak and such a thing would be considered a waste. Aeron whose wish was power enough to protect his own interests, naturally wanted to draw circles in the ground because he did not have an affinity.


    He just said hello to librarian and when librarian offered to guide him, he refused. He simply entered the library collecting books. His knowledge of the world was lacking. He should remedy that as soon as possible. He gathered books and maps and spread on the table.


    Aeron looked at the map. There was an empire which covered half of the deserts and so,e lush lands, Empire of Sun. Home of High humans. High humans were called high because of their body which was taller and more powerful than most of mankind. They were known for their use of heavy armor and weapons and deploying of their armored beast cavalries.


    Their empire worshiped the god-emperor Sol. Who ascended to divinity but chose keep his eye on his descendants. Sol was someone who descended from a dragon. Most of the beings known as dragons here were mere dragon-blooded beasts. True Dragons were divine beasts. There was no true dragon born in this world. Because true dragons were higher beings.


    Each every one of high humans possessed some dragon blood and it was supposed that because of this they were superior to any race in physical battle and possessed higher quality of mana. An adult high human who had not trained at all could lift 50kg with one hand. This was also the reason why they had used heavier metals other people just could not use.


    Sun Empire''s banner was a dragon whose eye was sun. They referred to sun as dragon''s eye and referred to moon as dragon''s bride. Dragons were holy in Sun Empire and dragon blooded beasts were respected and would be tolerated so long as they did no damage to their people. Most dragon blooded beasts knew this and did not touch any high human. Perhaps this was because of their common ancestry, it was mere courtesy to treat one''s kin with respect. In other lands however they would usually be hunted because they had dragon blood, which made them more valuable than any other beasts of same power.


    There were many options on high humans. Most people feared them and called them savages. yet these savages had a flourishing culture and a rich empire which conquered the western duchies and because of their lasting war with demihuman tribes had stopped from invading to Holy Union which was the church that had brought all humans together.


    Holy Union did not care about wars between kingdoms, but if they were invaded by an outside force everyone was honor-bound to send their armies to their aid. No matter how superior in quality invading force was, it could not mach the army of humans which reached millions.


    Sun Empire had once invaded them but was forced to stop and retreat because of sudden battle erupting in south. Tribes of demihumans had attacked the Empire. They could march to gates of Ebonguard, but Ebonguard proved to be unassailable. They had no choice but to bitterly retreat.


    They were unprepared for such an event because tribes of demihumans were tribes of barbarians. It was just that a king had gathered them all together under one banner, They were referred to as the horde and were feared by humans who always suffered their assaults. Sun Empire and the Horde had sent their armies to southern borders in the Aryas. There both armies stared at one another and some small skirmishes occurred,


    While in the east these three forces battled each other, on the westernmost side of the continent lived elves and other magic races. No one would go through their borders. Those lands were very mysterious and magic races were secretive people. Those who step foot in their lands would never return. No one would even want to go there either, there were numerous magic beasts who lived there,


    Magic beasts lived everywhere in the world. In this world word "animal" did not exist. There was no normal animals, every animal was a magical beast. They mostly inhabited the seas because there was no one there. This was one of the reasons no one would dare to take to set sail with ships. Trade was only done from the land routes. Which was why bandits were all over the world,


    There were also celestial races like angels and demons. who battled in the frozen north. They hated each other to their core. Angels and demons for all intents and purposes preyed on other, lesser races and were ironically were pretty much same as the other party they hated.


    His grandfather was commander-in-chief of Sun Empire. From this one could conclude his family was one of the top existences in this world for Sun Empire valued strength and talent. They clearly were elites. If elites of this world was "True master" class he would have no problem surpassing them!


    But the fact that he could not use magic at all was a disappointment. Mages in this world was exalted existences. They often ignored wars and affairs of "mortal world" as they called it. Each of mage academies could decimate an army. But a kingdom would not be bullied either. So there was a balance between both.


    A mage could decimate an army of common warriors and could take on cultivator warriors of same power and could easily win. Before a mage warriors were nothing. Aeron decided he needed to find a way to get an affinity to an element and he searched for books that contained such information.


    He closed books and sighed. First method was consuming mana of those who had affinity, such as magic beast remains, cores but that was way too expensive and way too rare. Also mana was another problem.  To fully infuse it to your body you had to "digest" it which could take quite some time. It was like lottery, but with a lesser chance of winning and these affinities would not be strong either.


    Second method was extreme exposure. Extreme exposure to that element would slowly make you get an affinity to the element. But it truly was EXTREME. For example to gain dark element they would need to remain without light for their entire lives and maybe even that would not be enough. But that was darkness, imagine being exposed to fire instead. Second method was clearly a torture with no guaranteed results.


    Third method was to transform to creatures permanently. According to creature one could gain affinities. Such an example would be liches gaining darkness affinity. But to be a lich one needed almost one thousand years of preparation. Also most of these creatures were hunted because of their value. You needed to work hard and would earn only death. All in all none of them was affordable to him.


    Then he spent rest of the day reading various books. Value of gold for example. Thousand bronze coins made one silver, thousand silver coins made one gold coin. But of course there was difference from money to money. Money from Empire of Sun was more valuable than money from other kingdoms. Imperial road was the longest road. It was also called "road of blood and gold". Because someone, somewhere would always be killed everyday. Be it bandit, merchant or guard...


    *****


    "Master, master! Master, you will not believe this!" said a young man. He had black hair and brown skin. His hazel eyes that glittered with light. He was tall, like the rest of the people who inhabited this city.


    "What has happened. Did something happened to Aeron?" asked Erwin looking at his trusted subordinate. His name was Jace. He had seen him in his academy days and found his talent was rather good. So he had recruited him as his subordinate. To this day he did not marry, which was because of a broken heart. He still could not get over it. He was a man who was very loyal and unwavering in his convictions. Perhaps this was also why he just could not forget his dead fiancee. He felt rather sorry for his subordinate whom he saw as a friend, but what could he do?


    "Master, young master Aeron bumped into Commander-in-Chief yesterday night." said Jace. If Erwin heard this some days ago he would just send some workers to repair whatever was broken. Xander and Aeron was like gunpowder and fire. Whenever they bumped into each other some fight would happen, Aeron would run away and Xander would thrash something. Xander would be in a foul mood and Aeron would not show at home for days.


    "Don''t tell me some fight happened?" asked Erwin. Hie made an expression of curiosity. He wondered how did the conversation between them go. He himself felt too awkward to speak him. So he believed he had to take some time first before seeing Aeron again.


    "No, not a fight! I would not think I would ever say this in my life but they both chatted agreeably while drinking wine and enjoying the night view! This morning young master even went to library!" said Jace smiling. If this was a few days when someone would tell him these Erwin would reply with:"Are you joking?"


    "If this was mere three days ago, I would not believe it even if I had testimony of thousand witnesses! I must simply see this with my own eyes!" said Erwin hurrying along to library. He simply moved eagerly and was walking quite fast. It did not take long for him to reach to library.


    "Master, young master is here. He is too absorbed in the books however, he did not even hear me calling for him. It seems young master has an innate gift for studying. He simply reads so fast that he finishes one book after another  He already read many books by now." said librarian, respectfully bowed and praised Aeron.


    "No need! I heard that this rascal had went to library, so I simply had to see it with my own eyes. No need to disturb him if he is so absorbed, being absorbed in search of knowledge is good! Do not let anyone disturb him either. But send me books he read when he is done." said Erwin with joy. He felt a weight on his shoulders and heart go away. He felt as light as birds right now. His worries lifted he went home almost skipping. Jace seeing Erwin this way could only restrain his laughter.


    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    *****


    "I am sorry your highness, but I really cannot! Master left me very specific orders to not let anyone disturb him." said librarian explaining his case to Valeria who came with a herbal medicine.


    "Do not worry! You think your master says the last word in this house? Indeed he says the last word and that is ''Okay honey.'' Now you can go home." said Valeria. Librarian just bowed and quickly disappeared. Valeria entered the library and slowly ascended the stairs to Aeron''s table.


    Seeing he was working so hard she was filled with a warm emotion. She put the medicine bowl there and said in a soft voice to not startle him, while patting his shoulder gently:"Aeron, you can always finish reading these books later. Drink your medicine and go to bed."


    "Interesting. punishments seem just, but I personally would not use these punishments. There are better ways to punish people. After all people are a resource like money should not be wasted so much," said Aeron nodding to himself. It was already night and he was reading in the light of that wooden hand that held an orb. He simply decided to call it "light". He was absorbed in his reading and did not hear Valeria at all.


    "AERON!You can finish reading those books later! You need to rest! Drink these medicines I had the doctors make for you and go to your bed! NOW!" said Valeria seeing he did not even hear her. Erwin did not care too much, saying she was too worried. This made Valeria think fatherhood must be a different feeling...


    "Mother! I am fine. I feel fine." said Aeron who initially jumped from fright. He had not noticed Valeria entering. She had startled him his heart was beating so fast right now. He took deep breaths to calm himself.


    "I do not care young man! You are to go to your bed and that is FINAL!" said Valeria, adamant. Aeron sighed. He could handle not sleeping for days. This was a unique ability gained by gaming countless nights. He could handle going one night without sleep.


    "At least not medicine, please! What is even in that unholy mix?!" said Aeron. That medicine was disgusting. Okay medicine could be bitter, but this one just made him want to empty his stomach''s contents. What did the doctor put inside it? Given what he knew of medicines made in medieval ages, he was probably better off not knowing. It could be anything from a dried up things of animals to powdered bugs.


    "No! You just got better your condition can easily get worse. It is just medicine. I had it even tested for poison! Now take your medicine young man and go to your bed, or I will make you drink it and drag you kicking and screaming to your bed!" said Valeria frowning her arms crossed.


    She kept sending a death glare to Aeron until he gave up. He just drank the medicine complaining about the disgusting taste and had gone to his bed also complaining all the way. When he was forced to do something Aeron would complain about it while doing it.


    *****


    "Hell yes, level up!" screamed Aeron with joy. He was level 70 now. Suddenly he went blind and he felt ticklish pain in all of his body. He instinctively rolled to side and tried to run but he felt something like a hook entering his body. So it was an assassin! He smiled when hook and pull was activated. He countered it by using the momentum to deal a very powerful kick. He felt a ticklish pain in his shoulder and he felt what he had hit was sent flying like someone hit by a truck. His eyes finally began to see. He looked at his status and saw that half his health was gone. This assassin was good. But he should not have picked a fight with him. He smiled and rushed to him.


    *WHAT THE-" screamed Aeron as he felt the force on his stomach that felt like something fell on it and he fell off the bed. He had a coughing fit in middle of it. What the fuck is happening? He had a dumb expression on his face. He looked back and saw a little girl pointing at him and giggling. Then he heard Valeria''s voice telling:"Zara what are you doing to your brother! Quickly apologize!"


    Zara pulled her eyelid down and stuck her tongue out. When she saw Valeria coming to discipline her she did not wait a moment and jumped off the bed, quickly running away. Valeria went after her and caught the little girl lightly swatting her arms and capturing her. She then told her to apologize.


    "Sorry bro." said the girl giggling away in Valeria''s embrace without one bit of sincerity in her apology. Veins in Aeron''s forehead were bulging with anger, but he could not do anything to little girl. After all, she was just a child. Aeron smiled, he had a great idea!


    Aeron slowly moved near Zara moving his fingers like he was tickling someone. Zara who understood her fate and tried to escape, but Aeron captured her and put her in his bed. He tickled her until he considered it punishment enough. Then Zara took a deep breath and quickly ran away with sounds of bell jiggling.


    Valeria looking at this scene smiled. Aeron and Zara was like they always were. Then she called out:"Sinah come introduce yourself!"


    Then came a black haired girl with brown eyes, about twelve year old. She then hid behind Valeria''s back cautiously  Aeron looked her with then looked back to Valeria with one eyebrow raised. Valeria sighed and said:"She is a little shy."


    "Mother can I ask something. Is Sinah really my personal maid? I never saw her for days. Also are rumors about me true?" said Aeron. Valeria looked extremely uncomfortable but seeing Aeron''s expression looking down guilty. She could not help but answer:" Yes, Aeron she is your personal maid, but she is new and not used to maid duties. So she had not come to meet you and servants came in her place. Also yes Aeron the rumors are true but exaggerated. Do not worry you did not do something really bad. You did nothing wrong." and tried to comfort him by hugging him. Valeria thought he must have felt bad about it.


    Sinah is my personal maid. They said that this kid had molested his own maids. This means... He was THAT kind of person?!OH MY GOD! Aeron''s eyes opened in horror and disgust. He looked to his body with disgust and shame. Aeron thought himself as a thick skinned person, but original Aeron must have been so thick skinned that his own skin was like paper.


    "S-Sinah did I touch you?" asked Aeron to ask it to victim. Sinah looked down blushing, and murmured while touching her index fingers together, hiding behind Valeria:"Yes master. You touched me."


    Valeria looked at Aeron in confusion. She saw Aeron smiling really wide, then laughing with tears. Aeron had cried a few times in his entire life. He was so ashamed to have to be this person. Valeria felt something was wrong and held tighter when he tried to squirm from her embrace. To think I, the top expert would be stuck in a body like this! Screw it! I refuse!


    "AHAHAHAHAH!*breathing very deeply while squirming with all his power* Do not hold me mother! I simply must die! THIS SHAME CAN ONLY BE WASHED AWAY WITH BLOOD!!" screamed with madness. Valeria understood what Aeron had meant now! She immediately said:"Wait Aeron, wait! She thought you asked her literally, you never did anything bad to Sinah!"


    "Really?" Aerin looked at Valeria and Sinah with a questioning gaze. Sinah hurriedly said:"Yes master you did not touch me in a bad way at all! You just petted my head one day when it was morning!"


    "Thank God"  aid Aeron and relaxed with a big sigh. Valeria did not let him go still. Valeria screamed:"Have you gone mad? How dare you try to kill yourself!" and looked at him with a mostly angry gaze.


    "Since you were a child I never could have the heart to lift my hand to hit you, but I simply must harden my heart today! I will give you a beating until you come around!" said Valeria and approached him with a smile, but her eyes were not smiling...


    *****


    "HAHAHAHAH! Sinah thought Aeron asked you literally and Aeron thought he had molested her, so out of embarrassment  he tried to commit suicide?! I cannot stop!!" said Xander laughing until tears came out of his eyes. Valeria looked at him with a very pissed off expression and shot a death glare his way, then said:"Father-in-law! Aeron was trying to commit suicide and you are finding it funny?!"


    "All is well if it ends well! You have to admit though it was actually pretty funny!" said Xander still smiling under the death glare. Then she moved in an instant and attacked Xander with a knife hand, but Xander just redirected it and grabbing her arm and subdued her by putting his hand on her shoulder while holding her wrist and forcing her down. He said:"You want to hit this old man? You are hundred years too early daughter-in-law!" and laughed.


    "Grandpa is so cool!" said Zara, pleased about her mother getting one upped by her grandfather. Xander made a proud expression, while Valeria was pouting with her arms crossed. Aeron thought Valeria had a surprisingly childish and then looked at Zara making a thumb up to her grandfather and Xander giving her a victory sign then thought that they were no better. Then rubbed his aching butt. It was very embarrassing to be spanked in his age... I think I have a black eye. To think I who once shook the world, would be spanked like a child! Too embarrassing!


    Erwin walked on in this scene and saw Valeria sitting on ground, pouting with her arms crossed, Xandre grinning while making a victory sign to Zara, Zara thumbing up to Xander, a black eyed Aeron rubbing his butt. Aeron then just sighed while shaking his head and began to gobble up Xander''s cake taking advantage of confusion and was smiling a bit more with every bite.


    "Okay, what the hell happened?" asked Erwin with confusion. Xander said:"Nothing much! Just daughter-in-law got agitated and tried to hit this old man. Then I showed her she was hundred years too early." with a big grin.


    "You were laughing at Aeron trying to commit suicide! What kind of grandfather are you?" said Valeria still shooting a death glare. Xander said with a dismissive gesture:" Come on all is well that ends well. Besides, he could not commit suicide with you there no?" and just extended his hand to Valeria.


    "Father. You have to be a lot more sensitive! How can you laugh at this?!" said Erwin while sighing to himself. Xander was a man who considered past in the past. He would often say:"All is well that ends well." and consider everything water under bridge, no matter how serious, once it ends well. He would think others did think like him as well.


    "It is all a misunderstanding. Come on! You both will get wrinkles! It is all water under the bridge!" said Xander while sitting back on his chair. But when he looked for his cake. But it was gone. Xander said:"Who took my cake?!" while looking at Aeron who was eating Xander''s cake right now. Needless to say, obviously thief was Aeron.


    "Why are you looking at me grandfather? This is my cake. I do not know about your cake at all." said Aeron with a dismissive gesture and an innocent expression, blatantly lying. Xander grew red and shouted indignantly:" What about the cake you are eating right now?!"


    "Oh, this cake? When I saw rich breakfast I thought ''Oh how I would like some cake'' and it suddenly appeared in front of my eyes!" said Aeron with exaggerated gestures, still lying obviously without even blinking. Aeron had sweet tooth and after seeing a cake he could not stop his hands from taking it. When Xander asked him he wanted to apologize but only lies would come out of his mouth. This was a bad habit he had picked up when he was young since he often stole his younger siblings sweets as well.


    "Why you little brat?! Who do you think you are fooling with such an obvious lie!" said Xander who simply felt like fainting after listening to Aeron.


    "What lie? When have I ever lied? Lying is one of the things I dislike most. I am telling you one and only truth." said Aeron still lying shamelessly. Erwin would feel that he was telling the truth if he did not see him take the cake. Xander would let it all go if he just admitted it, but this brat was still lying without even blinking.


    "As if a cake could appear out of nowhere! Brat you think I am so easy to fool? You think I have all these grey hair for nothing? You think I have gone senile?!" Xander said indignantly.


    "Fine, fine take it." said Aeron and returned it, or tried to. His hand was shaking back and forth and he was looking at the cake like bidding goodbye to his lover. Xander sighed as he looked at Aeron who wanted to return the cake. It seemed like he was meaning to give it back, but could not bring himself to. Aeron''s expression was the definition of "puppy eyes".


    "Fine, keep it. You make me look like I am bullying you. Go ahead and eat it." said Xander sighing while massaging his temples. Aerons smiled from ear to ear. He began to hum and with every bite he looked more happier.


    "I want one too! Give me one too!" said Zara pouting and pulling on her mother''s arm showing he the cake, jealous of Aeron. Valeria sighed and said:"Aeron give your sister some cake, I will have chef make more for you afterwards."


    Aeron did not hesitate a second and gave it to her. He would get a whole cake for a piece! Then he sighed. He liked sweets so much that it was better for him to live in an environment without them or do a lot of exercise after eating them,


    Erwin looked at Aeron and smiled. It seems he had picked up a strange habit. Yesterday when Aeron was sleeping he had examined each and every book he wanted to read with Valeria and Xander.


    There was Map of Aetun. Travelogue of Kare, Imperial Laws, History of Aetun, History of Sun Empire, Records of Herbs and Plants, Records of Beasts, Myths of Aetun, The Forbidden Lands, Classics of Empire, Of Demons and Their Ilk, Of Angels and The Kindred, Guide of Wisdom, The Art of War to tell the least. He had finished those books scholars could not finish in years, in a mere day to boot! From the notes he had taken it was clear he had understood everything! This learning pace was beyond genius. He clearly had a bright future! He could even become prime minister! Clearly Aeron had very high talent and was capable of this but because he escaped from books this talent was not revealed.


    "Pumpkin, are you considering your future? You read so much books, poetry and look at arts. Perhaps you would like to be a scholar?" said Valeria to Aeron. Sinah and a few maids could barely suppress their laughter and hid their faces to hide their smile  Aeron wanted to just dig a hole and bury himself...


    "Wait! What scholar?! He should enter government. He has understanding of law, philosophy, economy and can even improve upon that knowledge. So long as he enters government he might become prime minister before long!" said Erwin to Valeria.


    "Oi! He is going to join military and become a general like his grandfather! Look he even read art of war, thoroughly investigated the map, and even read so many strategies. He does other stuff for fun! He is going to be a general of course!" said Xander completely sure of himself.


    Aeron looked at the three bickering between each other and just gave up. Aeron said:"Do I have a say in this?"


    "OF COURSE NOT!" they all said in unison.


    _______________________________________


    Happy New Year!

 [Chapter 4] - [The Mirror of Memories]

    "They just went on and on. My head really hurts." said Aeron rising from his bed. He had planned to go out of the house yesterday. He would tour the market and commons look at how people were living in this city. But he was detained by Xander, Erwin and Valeria.


    They argued with each other- not that his presence was even required - and came to decision of Xander giving Aeron martial arts lessons and Valeria hiring him a teacher for his studies.


    Erwin was eliminated by Valeria, who just said he could be a highly respected scholar then could join any government work he wanted if he wished to work in government. Erwin could not hold on and agreed with Valeria as he always did:"Okay, honey." Then Valeria told Xander it was two versus one, so he should give up.


    Xander called Erwin tied to her apron strings so he would not acknowledge it. Then he passionately talked about his ancestors who were all in military. Then he claimed that for descendants of such illustrious warriors entering military should be a no-brainer!


    Valeria and Xander went on and on until it was evening. Aeron could not say okay to neither of them while other was looking with an intense gaze and was not allowed to leave too. He wanted to choose neither. Finally they agreed on him learning both science and art, as well as martial arts .


    He sighed, a day was wasted! He looked at the mirror looking at his black eyes. Medium black hair, his grey eyes and white skin that would make models bite their nails in jealousy. In such a face two black eyes... He had to admit he looked very amusing.


    He originally had a black eye and a swollen butt. But Zara had to make it look symmetric too! One eye courtesy of Valeria, other courtesy of Zara... This Aeron had not worked hard once in his entire life and never practiced. Even tiniest hit caused his eyes to become black like a panda.


    Zara challenged him and he agreed because she pestered him. Since she was a four year old child he decided to take the hit and admit defeat. She ran up and punched him in the stomach. Of course he did not dodge it just so he could make it look like she had hit him so she would be happy.


    Children were competitive so as an elder, you had to lose. An elder brother had to lose against younger siblings when they played, since younger siblings would be more immature. After taking her hit, he fell on his knees touching his stomach saying:"I admit defeat!"


    She really should be proud, she defeated the great me after all. Well I let her, what my dignity would be if I seriously fought with her... It would be worse than a high schooler bullying a four year old kid.


    He nodded to himself in his heart, agreeing with his thoughts. But he did not realized Zara did not expect him to surrender like that. Zara could not stop after he admitted defeat and she accidentally hit his eye with an inexperienced kick!


    Valeria gasped and jumped after little imp. Zara ran away to her grandfather hiding behind his back saying:"Grandfather help me! It was just a mistake!"


    Xander did not allow Valeria to touch Zara, told Valeria he was defeated, so  as winner she could do whatever she wanted with him, the loser.


    Feeling angry Aeron took the matters to his hand, while Xander and Valeria was arguing and tickled her until he felt his anger calmed down.


    But this matter obviously did not stay in family and by evening whoever he saw hid their face, trying not to laugh. Rumors spread really quick. Only one who did not laugh at him was Sinah. He was not a very liked person so if they had an opportunity everyone would laugh at him of course.


    Rumors were such a thing that farther it got from the center the more exaggerated it became. One would become two, two would become four, four would become sixteen, sixteen would become two hundred fifty six and so on.


    By night "Young master was feigning defeat, but the young mistress hit him and his eye became black." had already became "Young mistress Zara, defeated the young master in one move and beat him until his eyes became black like a panda!" and in the end he really had no face left...


    He did not particularly care, but he felt bitter and indignant, he originally wanted to be a good elder brother and he was now being ridiculed because of it. This made him very angry, As a man he cold not help such feelings. He was seen now as beaten by a four year old girl. Wasn''t this just adding insult to injury?


    But Aeron had a tough mind and a big heart. Even if he was ridiculed everywhere and became subject of gossip to the point where someone else might start to consider suicide he would not. So long as he relaxed by himself a little and slept a bit,  he would get it all out of his system.


    He had a little bit of pride he had built over the years. After all, he was the highest expert. A king would have a king''s pride. So this had been hard for him. After all, his fall was like falling from sky to earth. It was akin to a millionaire becoming a beggar overnight.


    Honestly, so-called tough mind and big heart was just a nicer way of saying truth. The truth was that he simply possessed a hide thick as an elephant. He was capable of feeling shame, but usually it would fly away in a second.


    He was going to market today and then he would walk, wandering around in commons. As for the matter of him being ridiculed he did not care, He would do whatever he wanted and go wherever he wanted. To a shameless person all ridicule was pointless.


    A martial artist would deaden nerves and make his elbow or shins tougher to the point where elbow would not bruise but cut! Their skin would be tough making all their moves more and more effective. Of course, slowly by hitting mitts or they would cripple themselves.


    If someone was ridiculed too much or beaten too much they would naturally gain a resistance. If you were shamed too much you would gain resistance to shame and if you were beaten too much you would gain resistance to pain.


    What does not kill you makes you stronger. Aeron would not give a damn to what other people thought. He had been subject of gossip all his high school years. Somewhere along the line he got used to it.


    "Young master, young mistress Zara is here. What should I do?" said Sinah knocking on the door. His house although considered a house, was just one huge room, all dedicated to himself. But it was richly furnished so it looked much smaller.


    "Zara? Why did she come? She may come in." said Aeron. Why would Zara visit him? Did she came to play with him? Honestly after yesterday he was less eager to play with her.


    The door opened and Zara walked in looking shy. She fidgeted a little and then said:" Sorry bro. I did not mean to..." and gave him a package. When Aeron opened it he found a bun-like cake, or something like that.


    "Can you forgive me?" asked Zara fidgeting around and looking up with puppy eyes.


    WHAT IS THIS CUTE,  LITTLE, ADORABLY ADORABLE CREATURE?! Guess I found out why she gets away with pretty much anything!


    "Sure I do." said Aeron and rubbed the head of cute little girl. Then he took a bite from his bun-like thing and he found out his bun-like cake was filled with whatever Zara could find that was sweet. Even for him it was sickeningly sweet.


    He then looked at the expectant little girl. Looking at those eyes he only could say:"Delicious!" and smile. What made him happy was that she had obviously made this bun-like thing on her own and then brought it to apologize. His heart felt warm.


    "Really?" said little girl, happy that her cooking was praised. She had made this muffin without help of anyone...  Cooks tried to interfere but she did not let them. They only helped her bake the muffin.


    "Really" Aeron said nodding and giving a wide smile. Little girl giggled and hugged his leg. She had forgotten all her guilt and everything about being sorry. Zara said:"Bro, I am bored at home, I wanna go out to market! Mother is not letting me out! I am grounded!" and made a pitiful face with puppy eyes.


    Aeron was originally going out, but really had no idea whatsoever where market even was. He thought so long as he asked he would learn. Now he had gained an adorable guide! Besides, he would not get bored or would be forced to study things that he already knew better than these people. He smiled mischievously and said:"Yes, lets go to market! We will look at toys, then eat sweets!" causing little girl to jump in joy.


    *****


    A little girl was riding on shoulders of a young man. Young man was careful, holding her ankles in case she tried to do something mischievous. Everyone else gave them way and whispered among each other, snickering at two black eyes on his white skin making him look like a panda.


    "Zara, what about that pinwheel? Isn''t it pretty?" said Aeron.to Zara who rode on his shoulders. They had toured the market for hours. When Zara said no Aeron sighed. This girl was only interested in toys that were as pretty as her own. He suspected that brat had them custom made for her from most exquisite stuff.


    Little girl felt down, so he took her in his arms and lifted her up and down, making her giggle with happiness. After all he did not need to buy her toys, he just needed to play with her. After a few more lifts she had already forgotten about toys. She hugged his neck and gave a little peck to Aeron.


    "It seems like there is nothing here! Lets go and eat lots of sweets instead!" said Aeron smiling. Zara quickly nodded her head and was excited. Aeron smiled, he quite liked this adorable little girl.


    "I am swearing on my mother''s grave, I did not steal anything of yours! I may not be considered rich, but I earn a living with my own sweat. Why would I steal anything? Officer please believe me!" said a young man with short hair and wide forehead. His height was normal, around 180 centimeters. His skin was tanned from working in the sun. His eyes and hair were both light brown.


    Aeron stopped to look for a while, but while he was moving on his eyes had seen a purple jade sword necklace. It was not really very expensive or anything, but it caught his fancy. He wondered if it was because he liked color purple? Aeron was honest to his desires when he could be, so he asked himself if he had liked it. Answer was yes.


    Now he thought, to obtain it what should he do? If man was a bandit or thief there would be no problems with stealing from him. He then thought that this guy was in a tough spot, he would save the man and would ask for it in return.


    No one really noticed but the man who was making accusations was partners with another man who expertly slipped a ring into his pocket. He would not notice too, if the thief did not stay to pick more pockets.


    "What is happening here? We came to eat in peace but there is a ruckus!" said Aeron with an irritable tone. The man who was accusing the young man looked at him up and down, then he remembered someone rumored to look like a panda. Then he shut up not speaking at all.


    "I greet your highness! Prince Aeron, Princess Zara!" said officer and knelt quickly. Aeron made a gesture, allowing him to stand. Aeron said:"What is happening here? Why is this man accused? Is there evidence? If there is evidence take him to jail, If not then go on your own way!"


    "...There is no evidence. You heard it his highness wants this ruckus to end! DISPERSE!" said officer amd clapped his hands, everyone who had gathered went to their own way in an instant.


    "I thank your highness!!" said young man kneeling before him and looking at him with admiring eyes. But regards to his panda like eyes he could only wonder. Aeron sneered it was obvious that this person had come from some backwater village. He did not even know his reputation.


    "If you wish to thank me, then give me that purple jade sword. After all one turn deserves another. I scratched your back and got you out of jail, so repay me with that jade." said Aeron and opened his palm.


    Then young man remembered what they said about Prince Aeron and felt the need to laugh at himself. He had thought he was someone who was righteous and just, doing a good deed. Who knew he was doing it to rob him of his jade and not feel guilty later!


    But it was true that this person got him out of trouble he had been in and this jade was of medium quality and was not even green, it only had some value as a trophy from his expedition into the Howling Plains. Something an ordinary man could buy; expensive, but affordable. Besides if prince wanted it how could he refuse?


    So the fact that he, the debauchee prince, did a small favor to him also meant that he was completely fair in his dealing with him. There were nobles who would give dozens of jade to get this kind of help.


    He then reached for his jade and then felt one more extra. There was also a ring he had not seen at all in his breast pocket. He then thought that this was a conspiracy and he would end up arrested! In the end he did save him from jail, beating and fine.


    "Of course, your highness! It is my honor!" said man and quickly gave his purple jade sword accessory with great respect. Aeron took it with a pleased smile, then just walked off saying:"With this there is no debts between us, you do not know me, I do not know you." and put jade to his pocket. The man saluted once more and then just walked away.


    "Brother why did you ask for it? You do not need such low quality jade and it is not even green." said Zara and blinked while looking to him with confusion. Aeron was not going to tell the real reason, that this jade had only caught his fancy.


    "Zara when you help people you must do so in a way that will not make them embarrassed. If you were rescued, you would want to thank your rescuer, no?" said Aeron and Zara who was still confused nodded.


    "But that man had no means to repay me so how could he ever repay? After all we are royalty, how can a common man have something we want? I took his jade jewelry and said that he owed me no debts so he could relax and go on his way without shame or feeling  indebted to me." said Aeron lying without even blinking and flaunting his actions to little girl.


    "Brother is cool!" said little girl, giggled and pecked Aeron''s cheeks. Aeron seeing Zara''s eyes filled with admiration felt happy. Why shouldn''t he? He could go the easy way and just take his jewelry but he went out of his way to clear his trouble to demand the purple jade from him.


    In fact that guy should feel honored to even give it to him. Ninety percent in the empire might have wanted to see a prince and still might not see one their entire lives. He then turned his attention to Zara and said:"Now let''s go eat sweets! you can eat whatever you want, however many you want1"


    "YAY!" said Zara hopping in Aeron''s arms and hugging him tighter, pecking him again.


    *****


    "Aeron! Why were you not home? Your teacher has come this day and we had to send him away!" said fuming Valeria. her son was going to be her death! He had ran off with his sister and played in the market instead of seriously studying. When the teacher had came they had to send him back, causing her great embarrassment.


    You would run too! I already know things better than all of those scholars! What can they teach me? What is the use of seeing things you know again and again?


    "Mother! For you it might have been eighteen years that I wasted time playing, but for me it has only been a week! I do not want to study or practice! I just want to figure out my own life first! I can do everything else later and see I am reading books and studying everyday." said Aeron with a solemn face and a firm voice. though he spoke politely and cited he was studying, he was resolute.


    Valeria was shocked. She had not considered his son''s view of things and tried to force him to study seeing that he had lost his memory. If he regains it he might turn into a debauchee again!


    So she wanted him to become a scholar, after all a scholar''s life was unrestrained by duties and he would be able to stay here. Besides when he read all those books on moral and just actions he might reform himself even if he remembered again.


    Although her intentions were good, they were heavy to bear to an amnesiac person. Valeria again remembered haste made waste, so she should not rush it or be so forceful with her wishes. She sighed.


    This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    "Okay, I am going to send a message to your teacher and going to tell him that you will not take lessons. I am sorry for forcing you, pumpkin." said Valeria and smiled tiredly. She slowly walked to the door and opened it.


    Before closing the door she sent a glance to Aeron and then closed the door. In Valeria''s eyes her son had always been her little baby. Then she saw her son, a man standing firm, defending himself. Her son had grown up. This feeling was sour, bitter and sweet all at once.


    She could not help but tears fall. Even though she possessed grief, she also possessed joy and a mother''s pride. Her little son had stood up for himself. She remembered his figure and laughed at his two black eyes. He looked like a panda so she just could not remember that scene seriously.


    But that was the scene her son first stood against her, choosing his own way, adamant on following it. She remembered  Aeron when he was a baby. The time he first crawled, the word he first spoke, the time he first stood on his legs, the time when he first began to walk... This was one such time.


    With his every step to maturity Aeron got away from her. Aeron was once her own flesh and blood, closer to her than anyone... With every step towards being an adult he stopped depending on her he faded away from her reach a little more. She felt lonely.


    She looked at the moon and sighed. Right now she was filled a lot of complicated feelings. She needed some outlet for these feelings. She just went to her own home fully intent on making poor Erwin an outlet for all her emotions and tell that little imp she was grounded for a week!


    *****


    Aeron looked at the door, now closed and he sighed. He was bored. The only entertainment he had here was speaking with someone. But even if you love to speak, how many topics you can find to discuss all day long?


    Aeron sorely missed his virtual dive. He was having withdrawals. He was not a game addict, it would be more correct to say that he was an entertainment addict. This world was very boring! He was thinking if he should pick up a hobby like painting or playing music.


    Aeron had so much free time that he did not know what to do.. Once someone has too much of something he will begin to waste it. He did not want to waste his time. Right now he was practicing looking at the mirror trying to see if he could do punches perfectly yet.


    We never spend a lot of time thinking about it but during most of our lives our weight is carried by our own two legs. You can bet someone whose weight is more than yours would have more powerful legs, unless you trained your own.


    When punching one''s leg must be touching the ground. Using ground toes, heels and ankles generate power, this power travels to the calf muscles, the shin, the hamstring, the waist and from there travels up to shoulder then travels into arm and then wrist finally entering out of the body with a punch.


    There was no need to look far, just watch one martial arts match. Now think that there is no safety measures. When done like this it is not rare for a martial artist to kill another.


    There were difference from punches to punches. Take a master and an amateur. A master''s punch can kill someone in one hit, amateur''s punch might break nose at best.


    The reason for that is not power. Reason for that is technique. A master''s punch involves his entire body. An entire body''s power concentrated in one punch. An amateur also uses his body to power the punch but it is less effective.


    When throwing out a punch one should start from correct position, each and every muscle must move correct way, each twist must be correct to add to power of punch, each action must be correct with the sole purpose of throwing out a punch as powerful as possible.


    People fear blows to their upper body, but blows to lower body is just as dangerous. No matter how one fights each and every move involves standing on solid ground. If your legs become weak inevitably your punches will become weak and you will lose fighting ability.


    But that is just concerning bare handed battles. If someone has a weapon there are so many ways to deal a fatal blow to human body, - or body of any living being really - so many ways to kill someone or something that if written about that itself would be a huge book.


    When such knowledge is put on a book you would realize that, ironically, that book would be like a medical book! That is why Aeron thought:"Since those who save know how to kill, those who kill also should know how to save."


    Everyday before going to bed he would tire himself out by trying to make each and every move correct. He would be exhausted and would sleep comfortably and peacefully.


    "Young master, I brought what you ordered." said Sinah''s voice from outside came in. Aeron stopped practicing and looked at himself now. he was sweating everywhere each and every one of his limbs felt numb and aching. His blood flow had fastened, trying to supply energy to his body. His face was as red as a tomato and his bruises had became purplish in color.


    "You may come in." said Aeron.He disposed of clothes on his upper body and was using a towel to wipe his sweat. He would go and have a bath later, then he would eat his sweets it was important to eat when one practiced when one was hungry your body was consuming itself. Eating was also a part of training.


    "M-Master, what are you doing? Why have you became so wet with sweat? I shall go ahead and prepare your bath." said Sinah, quickly put the cookies on table and ran off with a face red with embarrassment mumbling "Awawawawa!"


    Aeron laughed and gave a wicked smile as he threw a cookie into his mouth. Sinah was simply unlucky, Aeron was bored and decided to thoroughly tease the little girl.


    *****


    Aeron sighed with pleasure, he was within within a large bat tub filled with warm water encompassing his body. There were also two little soft hands working hard, scrubbing his body.


    Opening his eyes, he saw the young maid, Sinah. Her head was wet and her face was red from the heat. Her small hands were holding onto a soft towel, she was cleaning his back with it. Her lips were pursed up tightly, her face filled embarrassment, she looked like she was going to cry.


    Her eyes were deliberately directed upwards, only glancing down for a moment when she needed to scrub some other area. After that, she would move her eyes away again.


    "M-master, I believe rest of your body, you can wash yourself!" said Sinah, her eyes directed upwards. Aeron seeing this felt that she was cute and wanted to tease her more.


    "Where are you looking Sinah? It is proper courtesy to look at the person you are speaking to." said Aeron with an admonishing voice and a serious expression, complete with a warning finger.


    "M-M-Master! You are naked!" said Sinah blushing covering her face and eyes with her hands and ran out. Aeron laughing at her, just went on to wash himself. and then with a towel around his waist, he stepped out of the bath.


    He walked to his room his undergarments and clothes were all laid out for him to wear and his cookies were still on the table. He threw away the towel, stretching and saying:"This is life." and sighing. Every part of his body was aching and he could not really move it that well, so wearing his clothes took quite sometime.


    He sat down the table and began to eat his cookies, some minutes later Sinah came and took the towel. Aeron called her:"Sinah come here!" and beckoned her.


    "What is it master?" said Sinah unable to look at him in the eye, turned her head with embarrassment again.


    "Didn''t I tell you to look at the person you are talking to?" Aeron said this time with a smile and a teasing tone.


    "Master stop teasing me!" said Sinah puffing her cheeks, looking angry and left. Aeron laughed, messing with this girl had been entertaining so far.


    He sighed, she was about nine or seven years old. Why was such a young girl working here? She did not have any family either. He had been slightly curious but it was better not to ask her, he could find out from Valeria tomorrow. Something bad might have happened to her family. If that is the case why should he remind her?


    He then got up and laid down the bed. He was intent on meeting Sophia today. It did not mean that he trusted what that jellyfish said, but he should test it. If he is a god then he would at least have capacity to become a true cultivator.


    *****


    Aeron walked within familiar ever-shifting dark domain. As usual he did not really have any sense of time. He came to here in an instant, or maybe days. Flow of time did not exist here. This place inside his spirit he had tried to go there countless times, but was thrown by some sort of wall. The day he first came here he saw a mirror which broke. Was that mirror a seal?


    "Master! What a pleasant surprise! How may I help you?" asked the jellyfish. Aeron looked at the pink jellyfish. He was half expecting that she was a dream and did not exist.


    "You should know why I came here and what my question is , how you may help me, perhaps even better than I know myself." said Aeron simply stating this in a matter-of-fact tone and stoic face. He really did not like to beat around bush with something important. She previously demonstrated her ability to know what he thought.


    "Master you are too stoic. Smile a little! If you make that face it will get stuck like that, you know" said Sophia with a admonishing voice while puffing herself up. Aeron sighed and said:"Good to see you too Sophia. So now will you answer my question?"


    "See? That was much better! You lost nothing by offering common courtesy!" said Sophia. Aeron said after her:"I lost time, I am impatient to know the answer, so now just tell me!"


    "Where do I begin... You for a reason I do not know at all sealed your own memories, at the cot of the most of your own power. Body affects spirit, as spirit affects body. For your soul to slowly change your body you need nine years. In nine years you will not be able to access the ability to devour remaining thoughts of souls."


    "But of course if you unseal your memories you will gain most of your own power. Right now the change of your body by your soul is like the smallest brook trying to fill an ocean. But if you can unseal your memories you will be able to instantly change your body making you able to absorb remaining thoughts."


    "If you do not, however slowly and slowly you will change over nine years and also you will suffer a limit to how strong you can be, you will absorb mana that is not so pure and be a normal cultivator. If you unseal it however you will change instantly and you will have no limits with much purer mana,"


    "What made you seal your memories I do not know. Master in truth you "died" by choosing to forget. That much I know, but previous "you" did not let me look or touch anything so I do not know anything about your memories." said  Sophia explaining with doing what body language might be to a jellyfish.


    "Then show them to me make me remember, if that will make me more powerful!" said Aeron. This past seven days he had practice like he never had but did not see improvement at all. The pace he was going was too slow for him. He also could not become a true cultivator!


    "I cannot. In all actuality, I cannot do anything here by order of the highest authority." said Sophia and just lifted her tentacles making a shrug.


    "You call me master, yes? Then I am the highest authority!" said Aeron with a little anger, was this jellyfish kidding with him?


    "Yes, indeed, you are the highest authority." said Sophia. Then Aeron understood. Since he was the highest authority he was the one who did this.


    "Then Sophia how do I even open it? Give me instructions." said Aeron with impatience but Sophia extended her tectacle doing a "Stop" gesture.


    "It will be revealed to you when you make your preparations master. If not you will lose your sense of self. Remember the memory that makes you you and cling onto it." said Sophia with a serious tone now, explaining confused Aeron. Then Aeron just closed his eyes and felt what kept him afloat disappear and fell into the darkness.


    *****


    Under the sun a soldier was digging, some sweat on his forehead. He stopped and pulled out a bottle of water about 2L and  drank about 1.5L. Then he lifted it and poured it down on his head for some relief from heat. He cursed the sun, summer and again began to dig.


    Near him was three corpses. One of them belonged to a male in his fifties, one belonged to a female in her twenties and a boy about four or three years old.


    They only could curse their luck, they happened to annoy captain when he was down. He got trigger happy and they died. It was up to him to dispose of the corpses.


    He looked at them. they were just people who fled from their home, fled from war, or so they thought. There was no reason whatsoever for them to die. They had no sins, even if the man and woman had sins child was innocent.


    His grandfather told him everything happened for a reason. Then what was the reason of this. He looked at the child, a hour ago he was alive, playing. Since he liked him he gave him a candy.


    Now he was dead. What was the reason? What was the reason for this cruelty? If there was a reason for everything what was it? He looked at the sky and then looked at the corpses again. He just buried them and made a makeshift grave from two branches.


    He headed back. those people were dead, but captain was alive and would not be punished in any way. There would be no justice, there would be no consequences whatsoever.


    What was the reason? What was their sin so that they had to die. There was nothing at all. They were simple people who were trying hard to live like any other in the world.


    And then he saw an eagle swooping down from sky and catch a baby deer. It''s mother ran away. Baby deer was eaten.


    Upion seeing this scene he understood everything. He saw order in the world. That child was dead, because he was weak, because his parents were weak, because his people were weak, because good people among soldiers was weak.


    But if they were strong instead he himself would die. If it was his people who lost the war he would be lying in a ditch somewhere.


    That was perfectly natural. After all, eagle ate deer. For one side to live, the other must perish. When we eat we eat to prolong our lives. We eat life to prolong our own. An animal and a human are not that far apart when it comes to pain and desire to live. For us to survive they must perish.


    World of men was not really away from the nature. So called civilization was never above nature, merely a part of it. And in nature weakness is a sin.


    Strength only mattered. If one is not strong enough one might as well die. Power above all. Power, the answer of all things.


    *****


    Aeron woke up and made a he made nostalgic smile as he looked at Sophia. He was a lot younger that time. A lot more ignorant, as well as innocent. This was the one memory that had most impact on his life. That was the time he learned his own truth and he grew older. All in the span of short two hours.


    "Master, think of it again! You will experience thousands of years filled with both joyous and tragic events. Are you sure you want to do this?" asked Sophia.


    "I am sure, rather I have never been surer of myself and besides, it is not my current life, he is not current me." said Aeron with a smile. Today while playing with Zara he thought back to this old memory. He had a new family, true. But he did not have the power to keep them safe! That was why Aeron right now was obsessed with power. He would gain it come hell or high water!


    "Okay, just close your eyes and call it forth, then go ahead and enter." said Sophia. Aeron just moved his hands and revealed a great mirror. As he looked into the mirror he saw that it was not reflecting anything. He touched the mirror and it caused a ripple like surface of still water. He then jumped in.


    ____________________________________________________


    I thank everyone for supporting me!

 [Chapter 5] - [The Glottonous Wolf]

    Aeron jumped in the mirror, then it felt like he was falling. He looked below and panicked for a second he was falling from so high that clouds looked like specks of dust! He immediately calmed himself and tried to imagine that he could fly.


    His fall slowly stopped and he ended up hovering just above ground. He tried to touch a tree but his hands passed through, making him feel like he was a ghost.


    Then he saw a boy who was running in his direction. Boy had silver hair, golden eyes, pinkish white skin and a little sharper ears. He passed through him and was going off to somewhere behind him.


    He turned and saw something right out of the medieval ages. Men with fair hair from platinum blonde to silver were working. They similarly had golden eyes same as boy. They were not dressed luxuriously, but their clothes were not really lacking. They were just ordinary, unlike boy''s vest and shirt which looked expensive.


    He then saw a man in the distance who could be said to be the grown up version of boy. Like all men in the fields he was using a hoe and plows was all around him. He would use his hoe again and again. He was drenched in sweat.


    The boy jumped up and climbing a stile he sat on fence. He had admiration in his eyes as he watched man move. When men did notice them they would smile, quit swinging their hoes and while waving their hand they would say:"Good morning, little lord!"


    The boy they called little lord would wave back and would continue to watch them all with great interest. Be it animals or men they both were working, cool breezes of autumn was blowing and withered leaves falling to the ground.


    He then looked up to sky and discovered that there was actually two suns. Whatever this place was it was not a place he knew about. Was he watching his memories? Like a movie or something?


    "Yinfang! So your mother let you out! Did you do your homework today?" said the man who was boy''s grown up version while wiping his sweat with a cloth and drinking a lot of water in one go.


    "Yes father!" said the boy jumping down from the fence. He ran quickly to his father and while holding the hoe he asked him:"Father can I do it too? I want to do it!"


    "No certainly not! You are still a child when you become an adult only then you can use this!" said his father and laughed as he pat the boys head.


    "Hmph! When I am grown up I am going to kick you all out of the house!" said the boy running away while sticking his tongue out.


    Aeron suddenly felt the world twist and turn around him.


    *****


    Aeron was now inside a forest. Unlike last time trees had flowers so it should be spring. The boy called Yinfang looked more older. He was taller and had a longer hair. Currently it was before sunset and he was jumping over obstacles and from tree to tree.


    He clearly was expending a great effort and was in a great hurry. His head was red and sweat was running down on his forehead and back.He jumped one more time and he came upon a clearing.


    Aeron gasped! What beauty! This clearing had thousands of beautiful flowers under an extremely old tree whose head reached the clouds and whose flowers fell in the wind one by one. Two suns were setting dying the sky and sea in every dazzling color of rainbow.


    Surrounded by blooming trees and flowers watching such a beautiful sunset... If he wanted to express this moments magic with words they would not be enough, if he wanted to paint it one would need absolutely divine skill as a painter. No, perhaps it could not be expressed in any form!


    Beauty beyond words, beyond reason, beyond all measure and comparison! How can something like this could be put to words, or painted? Aeron sighed, what he would not give for some wine to drink as he looked to this scenery! Being able to see this, even if he were to die this instant he would die without regrets!


    "Sorry Yuxuan! I was late, I had to escape from my mother''s grasp!" said Yinfang and grinned to a girl he called Yuxuan. She also had silver hair and golden eyes, he was more like a girl version of Yinfang, except clearly younger and more delicate,


    "If you look so tired I cannot be mad at you anymore!" said the girl called Yuxuan, pouting. She then smiled and said:"Come here big idiot!"


    Yinfang ran to Yuxuan and they shyly held hands as they looked into the horizon. Then they turned around and looked at each other.


    At that moment he saw Yuxuan and Yinfang grow, into teenagers and they were kissing with great passion. It was less like they were kissing and more like they passionately devouring each other.


    Aeron wanted to tell them to get a room, but alas this was his memory. He had guessed this Yinfang was his past incarnation long ago.


    "Tonight I am going to ask your hand from your father. Please go back and wait for me!" said Yinfang when they stopped kissing. Yuxuan giggled and she went home skipping and singing a tune. Yinfang looked at her, almost enchanted.


    Then the strange twist happened again and scene changed.


    *****


    Aeron looked around it was summer or spring and this was the usual town square. Just the atmosphere here was really heavy.


    He saw many man marching to battle. One by one they were all saying goodbye to their families. He saw Yinfang there too, with Yuxuan.


    "Please, you must come back alive! Promise me!" said Yuxuan as he kissed Yinfang''s forehead and gave him a necklace. Necklace of a wolf with thirteen black eyes and silver white fur. Then she ran away barely concealing her tears.


    Yinfang turned with a determined expression marching to his unit. All men were determined and desperate. There was a gloomy atmosphere among them. Aeron looked at them and their form was not good, it was not bad either. Clearly they learned basics but did not advance.


    "Little lord, how do you think our chances of survival are?" asked a man. Everyone looked as if everyone wanted to ask that question.


    "I will not lie, probably we will not survive. Hell I am uncertain even elite troops will survive." said Yinfang. the gloomy mood got even gloomier. Aeron could see they breathed hard, walking, no, dragging their feet. Their eyes were looking at the town, they clearly wanted to run away but could not.


    "But if we do not fight what will happen to our families? We must fight!" said Yinfang. Gloomy mood was not dispelled but everyone''s eyes burned with determination. Their steps got steadier and their posture became straight.


    Yinfang lifted up the white necklace of a wolf that Yuxuan had given him. He looked at it longingly then kissed it and wore it around his neck. He closed his eyes and two tears fell. Then he opened them again blazing with determination.


    Aeron then saw multiple scenes, battlefields, camps, all kinds of scenes. All of them lasted shorter than an instant. Then one scene stopped and Aeron saw Yinfang crying as his town was burning, fires reaching to skies.


    Then the scene stopped as if a pause button was pressed and another Yinfang appeared, This one was a lot more older.


    "I am Yinfang. I was born and raised in this town as the little lord who would inherit all these lands. I thought I would live with Yuxuan and lead a peaceful life. I was wrong." said Yinfang with a sad expression on his face. Aeron just looked at him, kind of an empty look. He had watched all these memories like one would watch a movie.


    "This is where I made a mistake. I let the beast free for power. " said Yinfang and disrobed, half naked showed him the tattoo of a wolf. Upon his heart there was a tattoo, tattoo of a wolf with thirteen eyes.


    "Who knew what Yuxuan had given me? I wonder if she knew herself. Probably not. Within it lived the beast. The beast whose hunger could never be satisfied. I exchanged my heart for heart of a beast." said Yinfang looking at the tattoo with disgust.


    "What I did afterwards, I regret it every instant of my whole life. My name Yinfang, became name of a legendary creature. A wise trickster, a cruel warrior, a murderer whose hands were dyed with the blood of billions. Unspeakable, heinous crimes I did them all." said Yinfang.


    "Even I could not guess what would happen next. I was betrayed by people I loved most." said Yinfang and the scene shifted revealed a coffin and within it someone wrapped up in seals, bound to coffin by chains and stakes, which was driven to every one of his major meridian points.


    "Yinfang Bloodriver. We condemn you for your crimes! May you be damned in suffering forever in the abyss!" said a voice.


    "They thought they had won, but I was too powerful. Do you know what the abyss is? Within it runs river of souls that absorbs every memory. Abyss is not realm of flesh and blood, but of spirit. I could not hear, I could not see. Imagine being trapped in the middle of space, feeling nothing and completely aware. Rage of beast and my own was the only thing left of me. I clutched at straws of my own rage." said Yinfang with a solemn face.


    "When I was free, I sought vengeance. But the creation I woke up to was not the creation I was living. There were none of my enemies, even their names were long forgotten. My name was too. Everything about me and them were. It was all long forgotten, only I remained. There was no one to take vengeance on! But the rage unbearably boiled in my mind." said Yinfang and made his hand into a fist.


    "So I chose to simply forget. To start anew." said Yinfang and pointed at Aeron.


    "It seems you are my incarnation. I sealed my memories so you would not be affected by me. Now that your personality is already established, If you take my power, I can just leave!" said Yinfang with a longing look in his eyes. Aeron then opened his hand and willed his power inside him.


    "Beware of the power you take and take care that you never end up like me, whose strength amounted to nothing." said Yinfang with melancholy and slowly faded away. Aeron was now standing in a darkness behind him was the mirror he once came from.


    "It was not that your strength amounted to nothing... It was that you were not strong enough. Your body was powerful, but your mind was not. You gave up, and all to easily. You should have done more. If one makes a decision one should follow it to the end." he looked back with contempt in his eyes before making his way to the mirror.


    "That was that I guess... How lame that guy did turn out in the end! I am disappointed." said Aeron coming out of mirror and stretching.


    "Welcome back master! How did it go? Did it go well? I think it did!" said Sophia as excitable as ever.


    "Well, I was just thoroughly disappointed in myself... But never mind that. So what now? I do not know what comes next." said Aeron furrowing his brows.


    "Well, this whole area is yours master. In fact this place is a separate dimension a pocket universe with no laws at all. But among the living only those who have established soul bond with you may come here."


    "Also you can use your tattoo as a gateway into this pocket universe. But bear it in mind that whatever you store its weight will not disappear. So you cannot take everything that is not nailed down, then take nailed down things and their nails like you do usually master..." said Sophia to an Aeron who was thinking "HELL YES!".


    "Well, that''s a shame... So Sophia can I override the command of highest authority?" said Aeron smiling.


    "Yes, of course master!" said Sophia thrilled so much that she "swam" everywhere in the empty space.


    "Well then Sophia, from now on you have second highest authority, only inferior to me! Help me from now on!" said Aeron smiling.


    *****


    "So Sophia, you can work like a game interface right? Showing a mini map, scanning the area, instant memorization of a book, status and levels!" said Aeron over the moon with the fact Sophia can do that.


    <table><tbody><tr><td>Yes master! I am greatest of all! I was built in with many options!</td></tr></tbody></table>


    "Show me my status then!" said Aeron grinning.


    <table><tbody><tr><td>I have scanned your body master, but I do not know how I should show them. I mean let us take Strength for example. Let us imagine that I told you that your strength is 10. If an ordinary human''s strength was one then you would be ten times as strong as him, while if an ordinary human''s strength was ten you would be equal with him.</td></tr></tbody></table>


    "Hmm... Lets take this simple then. Consider an ordinary human''s level 0 and consider their stats one." said Aeron eager for results.


    <table><tbody><tr><td colspan=''4''>Status Screen</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Name</td><td colspan=''2''>Aeron Victor</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Level</td><td colspan=''2''>0</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Cultivation Points</td><td colspan=''2''>0/600</td></tr><tr><td width="25%">Strength</td><td width="25%">6</td><td width="25%">Vitality</td><td width="25%">8</td></tr><tr><td width="25%">Agility</td><td width="25%">5</td><td width="25%">Willpower</td><td width="25%">6</td></tr></tbody></table>


    "Wait... what? How is that even possible?" said Aeron. Now he noticed his body felt weak. He was already weak, but now he felt even weaker.


    <table><tbody><tr><td>Well master your cultivation has been reset and mana was harvested to turn it into purer one.</td></tr></tbody></table>


    "I see. So how do I cultivate mana? Do I go out and kill some fluffy stuff?" said Aeron.


    <table><tbody><tr><td>Well... yes, I guess. I mean you need to kill something. Because of your power, you are not able to level up by meditating and stuff. Although you can also absorb ghosts of the dead.</td></tr></tbody></table>


    "Hmm... I have to test this!" said Aeron and quickly dressed up. He looked at himself and saw that his bruises have already healed. No more looking like a panda! Now he quickly moved on exiting the door.


    "Good morning master!" said Sinah as he went out. She was lively, energetic and was whistling a tune as she swept the pavement.


    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    "Good morning! Sinah, where is the kitchen!" said Aeron to Sinah who was looking with confused eyes.


    "If master wants to eat something then Sinah will bring it to you. Master does not have to go, just tell me what you want" said Sinah making her hands into two fist and waiting an order. She was emitting an eye beam.


    "No, I just want to go to kitchen. I am not going to help you ditch your cleaning duty. Show me the way!" said Aeron with a dismissive gesture.


    "Okay, master" said Sinah, obviously down and showed him a building west of main house. Valeria had the kitchen outside her house so the smell does not spread inside.


    Aeron walked to the kitchen. He had come here to kill some magic beast that was going to be breakfast. Meat was the most used ingredient of high humans. They would eat meat practically every meal, every day.


    "Greeting young master! Why did you come here today? Madam shall be expecting to see you in breakfast. Tell us what you order." said a middle aged maid as she bowed.


    "I want to slaughter a Sand eating mouse." said Aeron. Sand eating mouse was a mouse who hid underground in deserts. It was at the size of a chicken, obtainable just about anywhere because they bred very fast, giving birth to dozens of  litter. They were main food of every creature which lived in the deserts. Well, even tough they were mouses they tasted good actually.


    Maid felt that young master''s request was odd, but he had been weird ever since he hit his head on a rock. Besides she could not question his commands. She went and brought him a mouse and another maid brought him a cleaver.


    Aeron lifted his cleaver and chopped off its head or he tried to. He ended up slitting mouse''s throat, but unable to go further because it was stuck in a bone. He discovered his strength was not enough. Aeron asked when the mouse died:"So, how much was that?"


    <table><tbody><tr><td>You gained 10 cultivation master.</td></tr></tbody></table>


    "MWAHAHAHAH! IT WORKS! IT WORKS! MWAHAHAHAH!" screamed and laughed Aeron all of a sudden frightening the maids. Aeron was pretty satisfied with finding out that fighting does not matter. Even if he kills them without fighting he gains experience.


    "So then scan this mouse and tell me what level it was and what would I gain by eating it!" said Aeron with a smile on his face.


    <table><tbody><tr><td>Okay master!</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td colspan=''4''>Status Screen</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Name</td><td colspan=''2''>Sand-eating Mouse</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Level</td><td colspan=''2''>4</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Cultivation Points Gain</td><td colspan=''2''>6</td></tr></tbody></table>


    Aeron ordered them to cook the sand mouse and then send it to his room.He made his way towards his house giggling like mad. The maid who greeted Aeron has turned around and whispered to other:"Young master just talked to himself right?"


    "He did! He even screamed ''it works'' when he killed the mouse! Clearly he damaged his head when he hit that rock! Poor madam!" said the other maid.


    *****


    Aeron entered his house and began wiping his sweat with a towel. Just walking had exhausted him. He just now thought about his status. If an ordinary human''s strength was 1, his was 6. He was six times stronger than an ordinary human. He also must ask why he is so exhausted!


    "Sophia how come I am six times as strong as an ordinary human? Can you explain this to me? as well as how these stats work and what they represent?" said Aeron. He had to understand how his stats was being handled.


    <table><tbody><tr><td>Certainly master! First off You are dragon blooded and you have very strong will, this granted you an increased rate of obtaining strength and willpower. Second your Vitality is strong due to the technique you are practicing. It is called Thirteen Art Death God. First art was [Gluttony of Wolf] which gives you cultivation as you eat remaining thoughts of what you have slain and remaining thought that formed ghosts at the expense of being unable to meditate to improve your level. But you can also use resources cultivators use to advance like fruits that contain mana and cultivator bodies, like bodies of magical beasts. </td></tr></tbody></table>


    "Which, I really am thankful for! If I had to meditate in a cave for years I would literally die of boredom!" said Aeron, shivering


    <table><tbody><tr><td>Second gives you vitality even more increased than your strength and willpower! It is called [Undying Death]. It actually gives you vitality - because I cannot find any other animal to compare with I deeply apologize for comparison - like that of a cockroach...</td></tr></tbody></table>


    "Well, possessing vitality of a cockroach is not really what I would consider an insult. Anyway, explain more!" said Aeron.


    <table><tbody><tr><td>Well while an ordinary human, regardless he is a cultivator or not, uses %10 of his strength you can use %50! This is the reason why your stats are so high!</td></tr></tbody></table>


    "I understand, so normally a human has 1 strength because they cannot use more without injuring their bodies and I can?" said Aeron.


    <table><tbody><tr><td>Yes master! Although you will find that if you use your entire strength you will become tired easily. While your body can use five times the power, it also uses five times the energy! But with your vitality stat increasing you will be able to handle more work with less energy!</td></tr></tbody></table>


    "I see while my stats are higher, my consumption of mana is higher too! I get tired very easily, like I am right now. So this was the reason!" said Aeron nodding to himself. He should also train to use less strength or he won''t be able to hold back his power at everything he does. But really if he wants to hide his strength while a normal human was going to use %10, he had to use %1!


    Aeron furrowed his brows and thought about how to determine how much power he used. He would need practice and plenty of it before he leveled up. If he levels up more his power would be greater thus harder for him to control. After all one could control a fire at size of a fist, but who could control fire that was burning the entire forest?


    <table><tbody><tr><td>For now put those thoughts aside, I am going to explain what stats represent master!</td></tr></tbody></table>


    "Sure, go ahead." said Aeron, nodding his head. Now was not the time to worry about it.


    <table><tbody><tr><td>Yes master! Listen carefully!</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td>Strength''s effect is self explanatory. You can deal more damage with physical attacks.</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td>Agility is the overall fitness and reflexes. You can run faster, you can attack faster and you can increase your reaction time to be better!</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td>Vitality is the resistance of your body. It affects your ability to resist poisons, illnesses and parasites. Also it increases your regeneration rate as well as your ability to resist physical and magical attacks.</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td>Willpower is the power of your will. It increases your mental resistances as well as your ability to regenerate mana. It also increases your damage with spells and soul attacks.</td></tr></tbody></table>


    "What about level ups?" asked Aeron. How was levels being determined?


    <table><tbody><tr><td>If an ordinary person at the level of 0 needs to level up he needs to have 100 cultivation points. When he reaches level 1 all his stats increase by 1, when he reaches level 5 all his stats begin to increase by 2 and he gains an increase of 5 for all stats!</td></tr></tbody></table>


    "Wait, wait, wait! Why do I need 600 cultivation points then?" asked Aeron.


    <table><tbody><tr><td>Master obviously you have a very strong foundation. A common cultivator builds a hut while you are building a castle, how can two be equal?</td></tr></tbody></table>


    "I see. So because I am stronger I advance more slowly. What about my stat increase then? How much do you think my stat will improve when I become level 1?" asked Aeron.


    <table><tbody><tr><td>Vitality improvement of 8, Strength and willpower increase of 6, rest of them increase by 5!</td></tr></tbody></table>


    "I see. I understand! From now on I should begin practice my hiding technique so I can hide my level of power. It should also allow me to lower the level of power I use. Editing it so I can appear like a normal guy. After all Sun Tzu once said to ''Appear strong when you are weak and weak when you are strong!''" said Aeron nodding to himself. While Sun Tzu''s Art of War was old, the advices were good. He would not reveal his secret to anyone. It was nice to have aces in the hole and besides if he continuously used his body at full power he would not be able to have enough energy to fight at all!


    <table><tbody><tr><td>Master, there is another method to practice! You can offer up your Cultivation points for incorporating skills into your body!</td></tr></tbody></table>


    "I can?" asked Aeron excited by the possibility of not throwing millions of punches and kicks to advance them to their perfect form!


    <table><tbody><tr><td>Yes master! Because you have already comprehended highest level you will only need to pay 1000 cultivation points to incorporate them. But this is the most basic of basics. Do not think everything will be cheap like this!</td></tr></tbody></table>


    "Damn! I have to level up first then! I must find an excuse that will let me kill something!" said Aeron, wanting to cough up blood when he heard her say cheap! He needed to kill 100 mice to get it! Sure it was faster, but he did not have an excuse to kill hundred mice! But the moment he finished that thought he already had found the answer!


    "I need to become a butcher!" said Aeron. If he became a butcher he could kill animals by hundreds. But how was he even going to become a butcher?


    "I am prince after all, If I tell mother that I wish to become a butcher, I am afraid she will butcher me first!" said Aeron. trying to think an excuse for being a butcher!


    "I can go to gramps! If I tell him that I become giddy at sight of blood and need to kill to get used to it he would surely allow it!" said Aeron finding the answer on how to become a butcher.


    "Young master! I brought your food you ordered from the kitchen!" said Sinah and came with a plate filled with all kinds of vegetables as well as meat from mouse and accompanying it yogurt made out of the milk of a Three Humped Camel!


    Aeron''s stomach growled. Sinah who heard this quickly put the plate down and said:"I deserve to be beaten! Young master was hungry and I made him fetch his meal himself! Please young master forgive me!" with a pale face. Stomach growling along with burps and farts were shameful for the person whose noise was heard.


    It could be said that if a person''s noise was heard he or she would not have the face to go out of the house for a day. That person might not even have the face to be seen again by the people who heard this noise and would be ridiculed. It was basically a social death sentence.


    But of course Aeron had no idea about common sense in this world. So he said:"No need to apologize Sinah! You are forgiven" with a confused expression.


    Sinah who heard this only then dared to breathe and wishing him a good meal she ran away citing that she must clean the pavement. She never looked so eager to do housework in her life.


    Aeron whose mind was on the butcher thing, thought again carefully. Being a butcher would be nice but he would kill mice all day! Also there was a fact that mice would eventually be too low for him to gain exp from.


    He absentmindedly began eating his food. But when he swallowed first part, it was delicious! He quickly ate from the yogurt and found out that it too was delicious. He could not endure anymore and began to devour it with abandon.


    The more he ate the hungrier he became. The more he ate the more delicious he found it. It was without exaggeration most delicious food he had ever eaten! He could not resist the urge to eat it all to the point of licking the plate clean!


    "What happened to me!" he asked when he came to. It wasn''t that he was unconscious, it was that the urge to eat overwhelmed his rational mind. He could not stop it or control it in anyway!


    <table><tbody><tr><td>You gained 6 CP!</td></tr></tbody></table>


    ___________________________________________


    Thank you for your encouragement, What is your view on game-like or should I go full Xianxia?

 [Chapter 6] - [Raising a Tiger Cub]

    "So I do not need to become a butcher at all. I can just relax and eat things? They give same level of experience and I feel my stomach is not a stomach but a hole." asked Aeron. If not working was possible he would take it. His stomach was still empty after eating that.


    <table><tbody><tr><td>Not really master. You are just in level 0. There are many levels, can you eat thousands of mice? Besides mice just provided you with 6 CP. If you depend on eating that soon you will hit a bottleneck.</td></tr></tbody></table>


    "Oh well, but at least- Wait a second! I can eat magic cores of beasts!" said Aeron now he had thought of that! If he ate cores he would improve swiftly! But there were only one concern, they were expensive. Aeron had checked his house and found hundred gold. In fact, one gold was enough for a middle class family and he had hundred!


    With this it should be possible to go to market and look for some magic cores and other parts of body of beasts. When he was powerful enough he could join the Blazing Sun Academy. He wanted to compete with talents and make friends. Of course when he joined the academy he could have bounty hunts or missions.


    Bounty hunting literally killed four birds with one stone for him. First he would be able to kill, second he would be able to increase his own power, third he would get money from government, fourth he could loot their hideouts!


    Bandits would eventually would have gathered quite a lot of wealth. Wealth that he would need. For him they were wery convenient targets.


    He also could go on a hunt for magical beasts. With more people he could wander in to areas he could not go alone, kill things he could not kill alone. His speed of getting magical cores would be faster.


    Also he might find out what ghosts were and where he could find them. Every kind of knowledge in the entire country was gathered there. He had a rough idea but not the exact details.


    But if he wanted to gain entrance he must show talent. Talented enough to actually gain entrance. He was already 18. If he could not gain admittance by the time he was 20 he could forget about entering it.


    To advance the best way he could come up with was hunting and eating magical beasts. Killing bandits and outlaws was also fine, so was killing corrupt people. Evil done unto evil would be considered good.


    Probably from cicada''s eyes mantis was evil and oriole was good. For mantis cicada was food and oriole was evil. For oriole mantis was food and cicada was not even in his sights.


    For common citizens bandits were evil and bounty hunters were good. There really was a food chain among living people. So long as someone was on the top of that chain he could make even the emperor bow before him.


    Now that he thought about food chain, as ridiculous as gaining power from eating something may have seemed, each and every part of food would come from something which was once alive. Act of eating was consuming life of something else to prolong his own.


    Especially in earlier cultures there was a great importance in eating. One who eats tiger will take tiger''s power inside him and it would be the truth. Tigers every part could be considered a medicine and would improve body. In a way they did consume tiger''s strength along with its body.


    It was also the truth. Meat is highly nutritious and filled with proteins good for development of bones and muscles. Which is the benefits everyone could get.


    Also all of the animals and some plants possessed mana. Most of these were used to make countless potions. His ability just allowed him to use unprocessed ingredients to get the processed result!


    Aeron''s stomach again growled like it wanted more. Aeron could only sigh, he still was feeling like he was starving. He felt like he could eat an entire feast and could go on eating again.


    He decided to go out now and changed his clothes to new ones. If his strength increased really fast and he was seen buying magical cores it would raise suspicions. There would be some who would believe he had gotten some treasure.


    Belief did not really even needed some proof and he did not know what power levels in this world were. He had to proceed with caution. If a careful person measured twice and cut once, he would measure dozens of times.


    He was not afraid of anything, but if such a thing happened this could invite calamity to people he loved. It was better to think twice before acting.


    For now he should simply go out and check out the places that sold those cores and potions. He could act like a prodigal person and he would not stand out one bit. His infamy had already spread to four corners of the world.


    As he just opened his door, Valeria was going to knocking on the door and was not paying attention. Her hand unintentionally touched Aeron''s nose.


    "Oh my! Sorry about that Aeron! Were you going out?" said Valeria. Aeron looked at her. Why did she came?


    "Yes, mother. I was thinking of having a stroll in the garden or going to market, maybe buy little Zara one or two toys" said Aeron. When he said little Zara his eyes lightened up with a soft expression, his mouth formed a little smile when he remembered her.


    Even he himself was suprised at his change. Zara was a little child and he rather liked children but, he never liked one this much.


    He liked children for their purity. They would be untarnished by the world, a blank page. It was because this was beautiful that he liked children. He was a doting brother, huh? There were a lot of new sides to himself, even he did not know.


    "Hmph! Don''t buy her anything, she is still grounded! You dote on her too much." said Valeria with a strict expression. Zara was like herself, how would she not know of her habits?


    Valeria remembered her mother. Who knew she had done so much trouble for her? She now could say karma existed. Zara since when she was a baby, was a little imp. She would sleep when Valeria was not there and when Valeria dared to come to sleep, she would begin to cry two hours straight.


    "So mother why did you came?" asked Aeron. Valeria whose thoughts wandered off thinking of those long sleepless nights opened her eyes again like she was awakened from a sleep.


    "Oh, we were going to eat breakfast, since you did not show up I came to get you." said Valeria. Valeria was thinking that all the family should be united for meals, so they would talk. Normally Xander would be in his garden closed off from the people or in academy giving a class, which was all too rare.


    Erwin would train day and night and would go to the court in place of his father. So this was the time for family members to be united, much of their discussion would be while eating meals. She was taught that it was the duty of the mother to bring the entire family together.


    "Okay, mother." said Aeron and followed Valeria. He thought he should use this family gathering to announce he was going to join military and would be under Xander''s tutelage. So him swiftly advancing would be considered natural.


    *****


    "Everyone may I have a moment of your time? I have decided! I want to train under grandfather and join the military!" said Aeron when everyone sat down for dinner.


    "O The Great heaven! Great ancestors! O, The Great Sol! You all finally have opened your eyes and saw me! You have finally heard the pleas this descendant!" said Xander before everyone could even speak and he fell on his knees, raised his hands and head to skies and began to weep.


    With my gramps teaching me I can say that I made improvements while hiding the fact that I am eating those cores. I should also hide my identity. There is no one in this world who cannot tell who I am. If I go to market like this I would be exposed.


    Aeron intended for Xander''s teaching him to be his cover, so he proposed that Xander teach him. He would eat cores and mana gathering potions to advance while using training as his cover. Who knows maybe it might even help him. He could not improve himself by doing meditation but nothing was said about training.


    Aeron looked at Xander who was so moved that he was crying. No matter how much you are happy, aren''t you exaggerating it gramps? I just merely said I wanted to join the military.


    Xander, ever since Aeron was young, would think about him joining military. He went to court and saw that it was a nest of vipers! Nothing good would ever come from messing with that place! He looked down on court so he would not appear there at all.


    There would be factions who would babble on endlessly while the right thing to do was in front of their eyes! They would all talk behind his back, but would not even dare to openly challenge him.


    Aeron might have been a prince, but he carried surname Victor! Only thing he worried about was this, sooner or later they all would die. It is the course of nature! When they die what happens then? Who would look after him? Power meant everything in noble''s world.


    Besides that was only for nobles. There were also elements like mages and other cultivators if he was weak he would be used, bullied. No matter how much royal family would avenge him, what good was vengeance if he was dead?


    If Aeron died with the rest of his grandchildren being female, Victor name would probably be history! Aeron was the only male among his grandchildren so he would inherit this name. If he raised an incompetent heir and family name was lost to time, he would not dare show his face to his ancestors!


    "Are you sure Aeron? Being in military is hard. Why don''t you become a scholar instead and leisurely spend your time? You can learn from your uncle. Is there any need to go to battle? I would worry day and night. Please do not let your mother have worries." said Valeria quite soft with his words with a begging expression.


    "Yes, mother I am sure. My family is great and all of you has accomplished so many things, if I cannot I would not have the face to call myself Aeron! I do not want to become scholar. It is too boring to stay cooped up at one place! I also will never be defeated or die! I will ride under the sun to battle! Corpses like mountains, blood like rivers! Ride until end of the world, conquer both the world and the heaven!" said Aeron, with a heroic looking figure and a deep ambition in his eyes blazing like sun!


    When he said "I want to ride under the sun to battle! Corpses like mountains, blood like rivers! Ride until end of the world, conquer both the world and the heaven!" a profound emotion welled up setting a blaze in Xander and Erwin who just heard this. Xander trembled, his grandson had so deep ambitions!


    Erwin who heard those words conjured up a dream he had when he was young. He imagined he would be a general who would ride under the sun, killing thousands with one slash, followed by an army of millions, shaking earth and heaven!


    He looked to his son with a knowing smile and hope! Perhaps he would be the one who would complete his dream! Tears came to his eyes, but did not roll out. His heart trembled with this emotion. He certainly had talent as a general! A generals most important quality was to raise morale of soldiers with one speech!


    "Yes Aeron! Forgive this foolish old man! I could not realize you possessed so deep an ambition! Of course I will train you! I will train you until you are called peerless! I will teach you all that I have learned!" said Xander tears flowing from his eyes still, his eyes ablaze with emotion, he was smiling as he looked at his grandson. He never expected to hear those words.


    "YOU-YOU- YOU IDIOT! What if you get injured? What if you die? I-I-I wont even know whether or not you will come back alive?! Do- DO YOU WANT YOUR MOTHER TO DIE OF WORRY EVERY TIME SHE THINKS OF YOU?! If you go join the military, I WILL NOT SEE YOU, EVEN IF I AM ON MY DEATHBED!" said Valeria who began bawling uncontrollably. She fell down to her knees, tears flowed out like a flood dismissing the formerly hot blooded mood.


    Aeron felt like he was hit by a truck. No a truck would be too light, a plane! Valeria''s words "I will not see you, even if I am on my deathbed!" echoed in his mind. With each and every drop of tears that came out from her eyes, he felt like he was hit by one plane more!


    "Mama don''t cry! Mama don''t cry!" said little Zara who was nervous seeing her mother cry, to no avail. She began crying too. Aeron felt like stabbing himself in the heart! He was simply a despicable bastard who had given no thought to how she would feel! He felt like he was drowning in those tears.


    "Mother please do not cry! I''d rather break every bone in my body one by one than to break your heart! Please forgive this foolish son who caused mother sadness! I will become a scholar instead! I will go learn from uncle this instant!" said Aeron with guilt. He then began kowtowing, blood flowing from his forehead.


    For now he should calm Valeria then he could do this negation once more. He was not going to be a scholar and be cooped up at home all day. He would not be able to take boredom and would likely throw himself down from the mountain!


    Valeria seeing her son kowtowing with blood on his forehead immediately ceased crying, held Aeron''s forehead before it touched to ground again and said :"What a fool you are! Why would you harm yourself like this?"


    She quickly used her sleeve to wipe Aeron''s blood. She remembered when he was a child he would also fall like this and would cry. Now she looked at this Aeron who could not raise his head to look at her.


    On the background Xander and Erwin was amusing Zara who now had ceased to cry. Zara was laughing instead now and everyone gave them some personal space.


    "Why are you not looking at me? You think you can ignore common courtesy?!" said Valeria with a scolding tone and forcibly raised his head and gently flicked his forehead.


    "I did not consider mother''s worries. I caused mother to cry. I do not have the face to look at mother." said Aeron. with a guilty expression. Valeria sighed he still looked so cute. Perhaps in her eyes her son would never grow.


    If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    "Why do you want to be a general? " said Valeria asking to Aeron. Aeron looked puzzled before answering:"I simply want to be strong to protect all that I hold dear." without any hesitation in his voice.


    "Then wouldn''t it be okay so long as you are strong? Why do you want to join military?" asked Valeria. Aeron was tongue tied. He was a prince. His family was the imperial family, his family WAS the empire. Why shouldn''t he join the military?


    "Of course not! There are many peasants who give tax to our empire. I grew up on their money. In exchange for that money, government should provide them safety against all kinds of harm. I am a prince it is my duty to defend my people." said Aeron with gleaming eyes, passionately.


    "My grandfather is the emperor, my grandmother is the empress, next ruler will be my kin. Empire is my family how can I not seek to defend it?"


    "I will allow you to join military, but you must first graduate from the Blazing Sun Academy! Now swear to me that you will never die! If you die then I won''t forgive you even unto death!" said Valeria strictly saying her conditions. Even if she knew that there was absolutely nothing will happen at all, her heart did not listen to her mind.


    Valeria thought about Aeron''s words he spoke properly as a prince of the empire. She was proud. She decided to trust him, for he was her child. She would support him all the way.


    Human children would grow slow but this did not change the fact that they would leave the nest one day. She had to come to the bitter conclusion of last night, her son had grown.


    She then bitterly smiled. She herself had once left home in search for adventures. Her mother had pleaded with her in tears to not go, but she selfishly decided to go anyway. Her mother had not forgiven her until she brought baby Aeron to her.


    "Aeron! I forgot to mention because you dropped a bomb on me! My mother and father was coming!You now you have a bleeding forehead, go get it treated! Are my eyes red?" said Valeria turned to Erwin who nodded.


    "I have to hide it. I have to wear some make up!" said Valeria and immediately got up, running to main house. Zara who jumped off from Xander''s arms followed her saying:"I wanna makeup too!"


    *****


    "You are not to let anyone inside and disturb me. I have to bandage up my forehead." said Aeron to Sinah. Sinah nodded and assumed her position watching over the gate.


    "Sophia, did you do what I requested? I believe now is the time." said Aeron. He had asked Sophia to analyze the purple jade necklace he acquired. Also he was fairly sure there was a major dragon vein here.


    <table><tbody><tr><td>Master you are right, this whole place is like a major artery. It seems Ebonguard is not the capital of the empire for nothing. </td></tr></tbody></table>


    "I see, it seems the reasons for founding an academy here is revealed, it is really a good place to train. Well, according to their methods anyway." said Aeron sighing. This news was not really important, since he could not do meditation to advance.


    "But that does not mean I cannot use it at all" said Aeron smirking. He closed his eyes and spread his arms. He began to deeply breathe imagining a green flow in his right hand and an orange flow in his left hand.


    He then began to rotate right hand clockwise and his left hand counter clockwise. This method came from Tai Chi Chu''an. In this case right hand had energy of the earth, while the left hand had energy of the sky.


    It was a way to heal oneself quickly without needing potions. The practitioner would focus on his injury and would send waves of mana into it. Rotating hands would eventually meet at the core, which was his body.


    Two would fight each other and he would grasp these weakened energy to replenish himself. [Energy Absorption] was the skill''s name.


    He looked at the mirror and wiped away the blood on his forehead. He grinned when he saw the result, total recovery!


    He opened the door and told Sinah to return to her duties. He moved to the main house. Where family gathered and went to the gates to welcome them.


    *****


    "Aeron when you see your grandparents you must bow until your head is slightly above your waist! Also you must  call them with ''your majesty''!" said Valeria teaching Aeron manners. Since she learned from this one week of living together Aeron knew nothing about manners.


    Some half an hour or so later two servants opened the gates and bowed their heads as low as humanely possible. Male servant cried:"His majesty, Erich Solaris has arrived.". Female servant cried out:"Her majesty, Zoe Solaris has arrived!"


    Aeron looked in astonishment! The man they called the emperor had black hair and blue eyes. He had sharp features and he was about two heads bigger than Aeron. Simply giant of a man. Each of his limbs were thick as trees and his chest was filled with muscle, his belly surging like the sea with every step.


    The woman they named the empress had white hair and blue eyes. She had soft features and was one head shorter than Aeron. She was slender, unlike her husband. They simply were opposites.


    "Greetings to your majesties" said Aeron and quickly bowed as he was taught with everyone else. Only Zara ignored them all running out calling:"Grandpa!"" Grandma!" and she jumped into the empress''s arms. Then was given to the emperor when she saw Aeron.


    She quickly rushed to him and said:"Oh my poor boy! Did you have difficulties when you were healing? I have prepared madicines and potions. Oh my poor boy! You have grown thinner!"


    "What are you waiting for! Bring Prince Aeron''s medicine, bring the food!" said Zoe turning in a strict manner. Aeron looked stunned when he noticed the carts following the servants. There was four cartloads of food, medicine and potions!


    "What were you doing when Aeron had an accident? I should take him with me now, at least he would be safe there!" said Zoe admonishing her daughter.


    "Dear, they say accidents are invisible. Who would have known he would have such an accident? Calm yourself, doctor''s said the stress is bad for you." said Erich who was playing with Zara. Zara simply looked like a toy in those huge hands.


    "And doctors told you to cut down on fatty food! You still eat them, even though you have this magnificent belly!" said Zoe.


    "But honey I do not eat fatty foods at all! I tried, but even if I drink water..." said Erich in helplessness as he looked down to his belly.


    "Grandpa''s belly is soft and fun!" said Zara who was pushing her little hand poking her grandfather. She was toying with her grandfather''s belly making it endlessly surge like seas. Servants who saw this felt like fainting! No one would dare touch the person of emperor, this little girl was daring to poke his belly!


    Zoe''s admonishment began again. Valeria was silent even though she wanted to retort. Her position did not exactly allow her to retort to Zoe''s admonishments. It would be seen as very rude as Zoe was both her mother and empress.


    "Come Aeron, I had a sand drake hunted for you! If not for our traditions I would order them to hunt dragons, but alas. I had doctors process it''s every part! It''s every part is a medicine useful for you! I personally cooked it! Eat and get better, okay?" said Zoe and clapped her hands. Two maids brought a huge slab of meat. Aeron could not handle smelling it, he simply must devour it with abandon!


    "Delicious! Grandmother your culinary skills are superb! Delicious! Simply the best thing I have ever eaten1" said Aeron who was attacking food like a swarm of ravenous locusts.


    "Of course! Your grandmother used the best of best for you!" said Zoe apparently very pleased with Aeron''s flattery. She then said:"Eat as much as you want!" and ordered maids to bring every piece of drake until Aeron was satisfied.


    Aeron had already finished the food and was already drinking soup like one would drink water. After that he began to attack every food that was put in front of him. His mouth was akin to a hole they did not even see him chewing food!


    "Hahahah! Good! Good! You have a healthy appetite! Eat more, drink more!" said Erich and laughed with his belly wobbling with every laugh.


    "Say Aah!" said Zoe to Zara. Spoiling her by feeding her by hand and wiping her mouth every time her lips are covered in sauce. Since Zara was being spoiled she was deliberately eating it messily.


    Valeria, Erwin and Xander was looking at Aeron, who by now had already eaten food enough for dozens of men and was going for more. They wondered where he stored everything he had eaten. Sooner or later drake was completely eaten.


    "Ahh! Satisfaction!" said Aeron wiping his mouth and stretching. Servants and family members except for Erich, Zoe and Zara was looking at him with awe.


    He had finished the entire sand drake almost alone... Sand drake was a lesser dragon beast! Tough a mere lesser dragon, not worth mentioning to the experts here, this beast''s one steak should have been enough for an adult man for a day. He had eaten entire sand drake!


    Sand drake was as big as a cow! But this prince was able to eat it like it was nothing. He was only now satisfied! Even champions of contests of eating would faint or throw up after fourth plate! With the amount he had eaten they could feed hundred people!


    "Good! I came here worried but I will go now without worries! If your appetite is good everything is good! Don''t forget to drink the medicines and potions your grandfather brought you!" said Erich as he got up and held Aeron who bowed with his huge hands.


    Then he hit Aeron''s back laughing and left with Xander chatting away with him. Of course Erwin followed them like a shadow, escorting his "honorable father-in-law".


    Zoe too got up with Zara in her hands. Valeria insisted she was grounded, but Zara had already found an impenetrable armor! Valeria could only watch her leave with Zoe.


    "Grandma! Can I eat some sweets? Can I play in the gardens?" asked Zara with upturned eyes.


    Zoe''s answer to this cute girl was:"Of course you can! There is nothing you can''t do! Don''t fear your mother, your grandma can handle her!"


    Zara hugged her and pulling her eyelid down, she stuck out her tongue to  her mother. Valeria simply felt like fainting from anger. Zara added insult to injury. She was certain to get some spanking when she came home.


    Aeron followed this merry family while he rubbed his aching back. He was thinking that he should share his secret with Xander so he could make a better training program. He himself had never trained, so really did not know much.


    *****


    "Grandfather I wish to tell you a secret! But this is incredibly important for me! This is the kind of secret that can bring calamity if it gets out!" said Aeron.


    Xander frowned. Now he understood why Aeron dragged him here. What was his serious secret? It was better for him to not know. If only Aeron know secret would be safe.


    "Then you should keep it! A secret is only a secret because only one person knows!" said Xander. Secrets were things that must be sealed in the heart. There should be no knowledge of it. That was why his most important moves he would do himself. Even if there was a spy it would not get out!


    "But grandfather this affects my training! If you are to train me you must know!" said Aeron with a serious voice.


    "Then tell me what is this important secret?" asked Xander. What secret can Aeron. who literally barely has more than one week of memory?


    "Grandfather it seems when I had an accident my body had changed. I cannot take in one bit of mana to advance. Let me show you!" said Aeron and immediately closed his eyes. He sent one hand to Xander who listened to the pulse.


    Xander frowned, pulse was steady, Aeron was doing a basic meditation, there was no distraction and around there was a shroud of mana, But the mana  that entered his body was coming out after a time.


    "What is this? How can you train if your body is like this?" said Xanders frowning, he did not see any way he could train Aeron.


    "Grandfather, do  you remember how I ate that sand drake?" said Aeron. Xander thought back to the scene of Aeron eating like a ravenous beast and nodded his head, furrowing his brows.


    "Upon eating that drake I immediately grew stronger and stronger, I was filled with a great hunger. With each and every bite I was filled with more and more vitality." said Aeron explaining.


    "Of course you did her majesty prepared it with special methods it was as much a medicine as a meal." said Xander, not understanding Aeron''s point.


    "Grandfather open your palm and catch my one punch!" said Aeron and threw a punch and Xander who received it opened his eyes. This strength, far surpassed his original one!


    "I think eating magic beast cores and flesh makes me stronger and allows me to recover faster!" said Aeron. Now Xander was staring, eyes wide open, his face colored with astonishment.


    If this kind of secret went out, there would be many people who would kill Aeron out of jealousy. Hell, he himself simply felt like he wasted his life! This kind of body was surely a divine body!


    Forget about experts and mages if this news went out, he would be target to assassinations by kingdoms. Right now no matter how much potential he had, Aeron was still a cub.


    "Hmm, change of plans!" said Xander he changed the training method for Aeron. He had a strong body that would recover no matter what if he ate some cores and that was simply monstrous. So his training had to be equally monstrous too.


    Aeron also needed an expert to watch him day and night. He himself would move him out of his house and into his own. Everything must be done with stealth. Since he was given this cub he would raise it to be a great tiger!


    ___________________________________________


    Thank you all for your encouragement, really those "thank you for the chapter" makes you want to continue writing for those people!

 [Chapter 7] - [Training I]

    "We have arrived to the Ebonguard!" said the sailor. There was two passengers here who had bought a passage to the Ebonguard.


    A young man who was in fur drags woke up, groaning with annoyance. He  had fur rags on him and his uncivilized appearance made him look like a caveman.


    If a beggar saw him he would think that he himself who begged for food and slept on rocks was actually lucky and was living in luxury! In other words, his appearance would elicit pity even from beggars!


    His hair long black hair that had touched to his waist had covered one of his grey eyes that had the look of being absolutely tired, his eyes were like eyes of someone who did not sleep for a week at least. His height was 210 centimeters and he had a lean build.


    If he had armor, he would think he was a fellow veteran from Aryas, tired after fighting thousand skirmishes. But this man was actually not a warrior, but a martial artist.


    Though they bought a ticket he came to Ebonguard swimming, keeping up with the ship, how he did that even he did not know. He himself was a veteran from front lines and had once led hundred man. But the training this youth did sent shivers down his spine.


    But if he had not done that kind of harsh he would not be able to do this! Maybe this young man was someone who came to the Empire of Sun to enter the Blazing Sun Academy! If he could not join then he would dare say nobody could.


    Seeing his hard work everyone on the ship admired this youth. Even though they themselves could call themselves people who worked hard and improved at life and death situations in battlefield, they had not worked as hard as this seemingly weak youth.


    In fact some of the sailors, who were ashamed of a youth doing far more work than them, began to do his training too. Except for swimming in the river filled with carnivorous fishes. They would not dare to.


    But this youth would dare and would swim in the river under training of his grandfather. They actually pitied youth, though he was rich and very likely had many potions or pills, thus was in no real danger.


    But that did not change the fact the training he did was simply inhuman! Beyond enduring even for them who had boasted of nerves of steel and iron wills!


    The sailor then went on to warn other people who had bought a ticket to the Ebonguard.


    "Grandfather! We have arrived!" said the young man to the older man with gray hair as he shook him. He was taller than the boy with a muscular build and scars on his skin.


    He painted a contrast to the boy who wore leather rags, he was wearing fine silk instead. He looked like a noble other looked like caveman.


    "Got it, just 5 minutes more" murmured the old man. Young man grinned showing his sharp canine and premolar teeth. His eyes were narrowed and a bulge appeared on his forehead. A black aura swept forth filled with anger.


    He thrust a punch to man''s solar plexus and then pulled his blanket causing him to fall to the ground. Older man had a coughing fit which ended with one big cough then he began to complain.


    "Aeron, what you are doing is not supposed to be done to an older person! I even took care of you these past few months! To think you would become so ungrateful! Learn something about filial piety and respect to one''s elders!" said Xander with indignation.


    "I even put all my time to it and taught you all that I knew! Is this how you are going to repay me for my undivided attention during your training?" said Xander again with an expression that told he was disappointed.


    Looking at that disappointed expression Aeron simply felt like fainting that instant. He wanted to beat his chest until he threw up blood and ask heaven how can such a lie go without a thunderbolt!


    If there was a way to return to the day that I said I wanted grandfather to teach me, I think I would not be able to resist the urge to slap myself until my cheeks became like the cheeks of my rear end!


    You are saying you trained me? You called THAT training? If that was training death is just a light exercise akin to doing one sit up! Fuck your training! Take your training and shove it up your ass!


    Aeron screamed inside his heart indignantly. He really felt like coughing to death then and there. He really did not know how to express this grievance!


    Should he laugh? Should he cry? Should he swear all the swear words under heaven? Should he just find some valley and scream curses at Xander?


    His heart boiled with rage that he was not able to get rid of! He felt like stabbing himself or jumping into the river and get a free express to the bottom of an ocean! Then he looked to Xander and sighed in regret.


    Damn it, I missed my chance! I should have used his blanket to tie him up and then throw him into the river so that he may taste the pain he gave me! Now it is too late!


    "Hehehe" Aeron laughed with corner of his mouth twitching and eyes empty as he remembered the past few months.


    *****


    "Fuck you! Fuck you sideways!" screamed Aeron who was running away from the golden vultures. Which was the name he himself gave to these creatures who were shrieking with their ugly voices after him.


    He just dodged a talon that was aimed at his neck and was furious since it dared to attack him, but he could do nothing but swear at him since he was putting all his strength to his legs.


    Under the desert sun, he was running away with each of his feet buried into sand with every step. The cause was the heavy armor on him. He ran at the speed as fast as a normal human.


    He was running and avoiding the incoming talon strikes of these vultures at the same time. There were five or ten of them when he stopped he would be overwhelmed even if these vultures were not higher level than him.


    Like vultures back on Earth, these creatures were feasting on an animal''s corpse when he was running and had finished it. Then they saw him and were going after him now.


    Aeron thought it was likely because he already looked like a half dead corpse as a result of running for ten minutes already. Maybe because they saw him running like this they believed he would be an easy prey.


    Actually they were fairly smart, they attacked at him after a minute has passed from the previous attack. Normally, like now, they were circling him, waiting for him to become weak.


    "Best way to practice is running, Aeron! Take this armor and begin to run! Running in sand will improve your speed, stamina and carrying that armor will improve your strength! Carrying on this exercise is hard, but this will also improve your willpower to endure!" murmured Aeron saying Xander''s words with a mocking voice taking a few deep breaths.


    "I don''t know grandfather, I read that there were strong creatures here!" murmured Aeron now with an innocent tone.


    "Oh I am sure there won''t be that many! HAHAHAH!" murmured Aeron again with a mocking voice. Then he whispered:"Why did I even listen!" with an expression of rage.


    "ASSHOLE!" screamed Aeron from top of his lungs, which echoed in the empty desert and began to run even faster involuntarily.


    He looked at his armor, sure it looked light but he was fairly sure it was at least five times heavier than his body, which due to being 210 centimeters, was more than hundred kilogram!


    The whole thing was metal and had a very excellent conductivity! He could bet that he would be able to grill meat and have a BBQ with this! Why did he accept to run the desert with a metal from the start?


    He wanted to face palm and beat himself up. Maybe he had became too trusting... Either way he was tricked!


    Xander had said that they would go to the Granite Bay passing the Silent Expanse. He would train himself at the Granite Bay a location well known for being an excellent spot for training young disciples.


    He bought one three humped camel so he imagined they would ride on it together, animal was large enough to carry four people. But he told him he would go on foot to train.


    Then he ordered him to take off his clothes and his shoe. Then ordered him to don this armor and run to improve. He found it logical and began to run. He felt stupid now, who would know this was attempted murder?


    As for why he did not protect him, the moment he attracted the vultures Xander had disappeared like a wizard! Looking at the vultures and seeing that he was not going to come he began to run like hell.


    "I am dying! I cannot feel my feet!" said Aeron, He was about to fall over because his feet stopped hurting, now they were not responding right, causing him to slow down and collapse.


    "GRANDFATHER!" screamed Aeron who fell looking at the Vultures who now were getting ready to attack. Then the leading vulture was hit by a pebble in the head and exploded, scattering brain and blood everywhere.


    Other vultures who now noticed Xander quickly ran away, seeing that Xander was strong enough to kill all of them.


    "Take this and start running again!" said Xander and threw him a magical beast core. Aeron ate it and felt a terrible pain all over his body, like insects were eating him inside out, as he was restored to peak condition. He looked at the sky and released his breath and relaxed a bit.


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    "Don''t stand there looking at sky dumbass! RUN!" said Xander. Aeron looked on himself, his armor was stained with blood. He then understood what was happening and began running with everything he had.


    "DAMN IT ALL!" screamed Aeron running for his life as a pack of jackals who had smelled blood came. Most were eating vulture''s corpse and a few of them decided to go after him.


    *****


    "Damned vultures, damned dogs, damned lizards, damned desert!" said Aeron shivering under the blanket he had made out of fur and his fur rags for clothing. His silk clothes had already could not handle the abuse and fell apart.


    "It is blazing in the day and freezing in the night! There is not even one plant to burn! In the novels they always had fire in this kind of situation, how did they even find it!" said Aeron complaining in grunts and shivered under the fur he used as a blanket.


    Then he stopped shivering and speaking, started breathing very subtly and looked around cautiously. Is it this time? What is the magical beast this time around?


    He had been in this desert for a long time. By his estimate it was about 20 days. At the day Xander would force him to don an armor, that always seemed to grow heavier and heavier, and would make him run.


    Then at night he would be forced to remove his armor, he would give him a few fur rags that he himself had made and he would shiver trying to sleep without being interrupted by wild beasts.


    One could say that this was an arena. Until sun rises beasts would be sent one by one or perhaps many weaker beasts at once. Barely giving him any time to sleep eat or replenish his injuries.


    He looked into the darkness alert against every shadow. Moon was a weak source of light but still it was a source of light. For better or for worse most magical beasts would not hide, so he was watching to see it.


    Being ambushed was a certain way to lose. If he was bitten in even one of his limbs then he would not be able to put up much of a fight. They did not call these beasts deadly for nothing.


    His eyes captured a glow in the dark. He smiled beasts had night vision, but this night vision also revealed them. He was watching the beast. Then the beast slowly started to approach, revealing himself.


    A golden stripe jackal! Jackals would not work without one other jackal at least. For now he could not see the other ones but if there are any reinforcements they would not arrive at the same time. They were probably was right behind him.


    Jackal slowly approached at Aeron who faked sleeping until it got near reluctantly to bite his throat. Then Aeron with lightning speed held the jackals jaws and turned back.


    He was right there were others. He would not take the initiative because he did not have gloves, shoes or any kind of protection, exposing his limbs to the jackals sharp teeth.


    He could not bend down enough to punch and if he kicked it that was just asking for the jackal to bite his legs. He really wanted to wear the armor he wore during the day right now.


    Also these creatures were a pain in the ass to deal with. If they were sure their prey had more life in him than what they expected they often would withdraw. But these jackals were driven here by Xander who probably blocked their way out, fleeing from him they probably would not think about running.


    Aeron sighed jackals most often attacked by biting their prey and withdrew to look for the damage they gave before attacking again, if necessary. It was such a pain to deal with.


    Also these were beasts who were a pack. He would fight other beasts so he could not use much of his mana and energy while fighting them. If he did, then he would end up very miserable against the next beast.


    Xander had made an arena. He probably would bring beasts over and over again until the first ray of sun, barely giving him any chance to sleep.


    Jackals were more of a scavengers, but when he first came to a desert they were a serious threat. Most of them had level of 8. He only needed level 2 to fight one of them. three to fight two or three. He was level 5 now.


    They had a low position in the food chain but in large numbers they were dangerous. There probably was at least a dozen or more of them right now or they would not present a challenge.


    Their cowardly nature served him well or they would be a bigger threat. If he fought back jackals would hesitate to attack they would circle him trying to size him up.


    Aeron immediately removed his hand from the upper jaw of the jackal and struck the jackal at the base of its neck breaking its spinal cord and killing him in an instant.


    This intimidated the approaching jackals who did not think human who appeared weaker than them could give them a challenge. This sudden surprise made them back away.


    They formed a circle watching their prey with wary eyes. Aeron sighed in his heart. Longer this battle would take shorter his time for rest would be. He had to activate their hunting instinct.


    Aeron stepped back, acting cautious and panicked. This gave jackals a burst of morale and they moved towards him. Aeron made more agitated movements as the jackals drew near with every step.


    One of the pack, attacked trying to bite Aeron''s legs, but when he opened his eyes legs were gone. Then Aeron struck it in the back of his head to stun him and then stomped on his neck to kill it.


    Golden stripped jackals were the most powerful kind of jackal. In all actuality none of the magical beasts he encountered were very fast or dangerous. All of them were lower level than 10, without any special ability or any kind of magic, considered more like animals.


    Also he would often get in a dangerous situation he had to escape with all his might during day. He suspected it was because of Xander. But all of the dangers he encountered were not capable of catching him if he ran at full speed.


    If he was not in danger he could not strain himself to fullest extent, his body would not allow it. It was like trying to stab oneself with a knife your hand would shake and you would find yourself unable to.


    Most basic forms of instinct was self preservation. Unless his preservation was in danger his body would not release adrenaline which allowed him to strain himself to his fullest!


    Aeron now did not have any patience he could not try his trick again too. He could not let the mana out of his body and because of that he could not use most of his fighting techniques.


    If he could use [Divine Dragon Art] he would swatter them all like bugs. If he had just one percent of his previous power he could do this without any effort.


    He closed his eyes and drew a deep breath. When he opened his eyes he let out a howl that startled the surrounding jackals. Howl as feral, fierce, more like an animal than a human.


    Aerons grey eyes gleamed with a strange light, he was showing his canines and and growling like an animal. Inh is body mana wildly coursed.


    "Here he goes again!" said Xander with an excited look. Aeron''s howl could even send shiver down his spine, let alone those jackals.


    Xander guessed that his divine body would be the type considered sinister in Holy Union. It was either demonic or primal, it even might be both primal and demonic type. Right now Aeron who did not know how to infuse his body with mana was freely using it without even being aware of it.


    If he asked him to do it when he was not in this... "asura form" as Aeron called it, he could not do it good and would not be able to use mana effectively, wasting a lot of his mana.


    After all, he was a beginner at handling mana. But when he was in wrath form he could show even most advanced mana manipulation techniques, purely by instinct.


    He could not stop him when he got like this too. He would not attack his allies, but he would attack those who did not allow him to attack his "prey".


    It seemed Aeron very much liked battle and adversity. He looked at Aeron who was charging at the jackals. Often laughing out of joy as he slaughtered his foes or screaming "Yee-haw!" or "Olei!" with excitement.


    Aeron did not need much time to slaughter all of them and fell on his bottom breathing heavily. He began to eat a jackal alive, these kinds of beasts did not have magical cores yet.


    He often ate their hearts as it was the best place to eat. And then he began eating. So long as he ate he would recover his mana after all. he ate to his heart''s content before passing out.


    ______________________________________


    I was originally planning to make this chapter really long. But then I got sick could barely open my eyes and slept all day. Now I am better.


    Sorry for lack of releases! I try to release with 3 days at most between releases, but this time I could not. :boworpushups:

 [Chapter 8] - [Training II]

    "What do you mean you won''t be running today?" said Aeron disbelieving his ears. His grandfather giving him a day off? Absolutely impossible!


    What will he make me do that I have not done already? This is not good, definitely not good! What can he do worse than what he already does?


    He might make me dig  my way underground then heading for the city! No more likely is that he will say:"Your leg muscles have improved enough! From now on you will walk with your hands!"


    In all actuality he found that a very likely possibility... If the one who was undergoing this training was not himself they definitely would have gone mad by now.


    Harsh training began with running in the day, fighting in the night, By now he actually could not tell how long it has been since he began his training. He felt like it has been months, if not years.


    It was surprising how flexible one can be. By now he had gotten used to it. Like getting used to cold weather or hot weather.


    "There is no better practice than combat. Although you have very rich combat experience you are still an amateur who cannot achieve the body-mind union." said Xander who began to walk with his index finger raised.


    "All that you have fought up until now were beasts, - beasts that could be called lowest of the low, in fact - you should also have experience of fighting against a human being."


    " So I will be your opponent, this fight should help you gain more understanding. There is no way to learn better than battle with a senior master." said Xander nodding to himself.


    "Now come at me! I will only use my index finger! HAHAHAHAH!" said Xander as he made a beckoning gesture and then laughed.


    "Really? You will only use your index finger? No matter what?" asked Aeron who was very suspicious. But if this was true...


    "Of course! I do not have any need to lie! Why would I even lie to you? I only fight you now because you have now progressed enough to actually be able to take one blow from my finger!" said Xander putting his chest out with pride.


    Aeron smiled. Pride was good. Pride would make someone lower his guard. Xander was only human even though he was much stronger and it was not like one finger was an unstoppable force.


    Very well... I will try my best to repay you for all the training  you have put me under! I will break your finger then you won''t be able to attack!


    "Ho ho! You look happy." said Xander with a smirk. He knew Aeron was feeling frustrated and was very angry at him. But harsher the teacher better the young warrior''s odds of survival! He sighed in his heart.


    I still teach him too weakly, I have to teach him more fiercely for him to grow. But  as expected I am quite soft towards my grandchildren. My heart is just so filled with love...


    If Aeron had heard these thoughts then he would be speechless. He would either faint or cough to death then and there.


    "Oorah!" screamed Aeron with a wide smile as he jumped and swooped on Xander like an eagle. Xander looked at him grinning this time.


    Aeron immediately swooped down like an eagle with a knee attack, looking like an eagle about to catch its prey. Xander just stood there, grinning and took the hit.


    "OOUHMP!" came a voice of pain, not from Xander but from Aeron. He felt like he just had crashed knee first into a nuclear bunker''s door or something.


    What ridiculous defense! Are you a turtle or a man? What tough skin! Do you have a hide like an elephant?


    If I cannot hurt him with direct attacks then I will have to use other methods. Smashing my knee was like throwing a pebble at a boulder. I should use joint locks and holds because they do not really care how tough one''s body is.


    Aeron ignoring pain of his knee grabbed Xanders shoulder with one hand and with the other he grabbed his throat.


    Both of his hands were like a talon, and one held the collarbone jabbing it with the thumb and forcing it to the ground. Other hand was holding Xander''s throat and squeezing his two arteries.


    Aeron then applied all of the weight of his body to collarbone and gave a good yank to Xander''s throat.


    Xander opened his eyes in surprise. First surprise was that the knee was more powerful than what it seemed like making him feel it a little bit. Not that it hurt, at most it was like a little ant''s bite, merely distracting.


    But what followed it made him even more surprised! Aeron was using his entire weight to force his collarbone to break with his talon like hand.


    Other talon grabbed his throat and squeezed his arteries, then gave him a good yank. If it was not him whom he was fighting but someone equal to him he already would be dead!


    If his collarbone broke he would not be able to move his left arm, and then what followed would be rather simple, Aeron would break the other one!


    Then he would be at the mercy of the one who held his throat unable to fight. There was also another aspect of this. Pain! Pain that made someone fall on his knees.


    But what was more dangerous was his right hand that grabbed his throat, it was trying to sever the neck from the skull dislocating it, which was fatal.


    If his collar bone broke he would be crippled, but if his neck was dislocated he would die. Two attacks at once all of them aiming for weak spot.


    Every strike meant to kill or cripple! His hands and feet were like talons. His fighting style resembled that of vultures and eagles. His utterly merciless fighting style was beast like as well. It was truly a fitting mindset


    Xander thought truly the saying that went:"He who lies with dogs, wakes up with fleas." was very true. He had absotbed fierce and feral nature of the beasts as well as their moves.


    Aeron furrowed his brows, this had done nothing, he expected there would at least be some pain. He then attacked with a kick propelling himself backwards escaping from Xander''s range.


    "Hahahah! Unexpectedly you have stolen quite a lot of moves from your enemies! But now is my turn!" said Xander smiling and rushed with his finger.


    Aeron looked at the finger. That kind of strike, if I dare take it it will open a hole in my body, no most likely I myself will become a hole instead!


    Aeron swiftly rolled to the side. One weak point of charging attacks was that when changing directions force would lose most of its momentum!


    When Xander appeared where he previously stood he stepped forth with a punch then swiftly stepped back. He was like a jackal, striking and stepping back, hitting then running away.


    All martial arts were born of imitation. Imitation of animals, imitation of natural aspects of the world, imitation of supernatural aspects of the world...


    For him who could not use his own techniques because they were too high level, this was the only solution. He could only steal techniques of others to fight better.


    *****


    "I cannot even touch the hem of your clothes! This is BULLSHIT!" said Aeron who threw himself into the sands, not caring sand would dirty his hair. In all actuality, he himself felt rather uncomfortable.


    Back on Earth he would have a bath either every day or - if he was absorbed in gaming - every few days. Right now he was stinking to high heaven. He did not have a single bath in who knows how long.


    He really would have liked some hot water. Now he understood why  hobbits sang of water "Water hot is a noble thing."


    As for his duel, he lost of course. It was not even a fight. Xander went easy on him still, he was using some few percent of his real power. He ended up not being able to even touch him.


    He struck more and more until his pale skin turned black and blue. Everywhere it was aching.


    "Hahahah! You have grown better! But of course you still have quite a ways to go. Now come!" said Xander beckoning him in the moonlight.


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    "But grandfather it has already been three days and two nights!" said Aeron who was - thanks to everything he had eaten - was perfectly alright in body, even his bruises were recovering and would be gone within a few minutes.


    Rather than his body or mind, he himself was fatigued. He had to fight Xander continuously for three days and two nights, without sleep to boot!


    He was beaten black and blue every single time, but he had grown a lot more familiar with his body and soon would be able to learn basic techniques he had back on Earth.


    Xander had with him all kinds of magic beast cores. He always wondered if he himself collected them from the desert or bought them and somehow brought them with him.


    All in all his training was not really a training but torture. He was aware that the knowledge he had to learn was like a ridiculously long and hard summer homework. Everyone had done it except for him.


    He was like the student who played during the summer and now had to do them all in one day. That was the reason for this beyond hellish training.


    Even though he understood all that, he could not help holding a grudge. But right now he really had no energy.


    "When did you begin to care about that? You won''t get strong if all you care about is days and nights! You have made great progress today!" said Xander excitedly and tried to move tired Aeron. Aeron just could not move any more.


    "The faster you progress the faster we can get to the Granite bay! Then you can have some days off and rest plenty!" said Xander smiling and sighing. Aeron still could not move.


    "Okay... Let me tell you what I really think, you made faster progress than anyone I have ever taught. You even got better at manipulating mana and fighting." said Xander now rubbing Aeron''s head. Trying praising him.


    Xander truly thought Aeron was a genius. But also he learned one thing, Aeron''s most lacking point was his manipulation of mana. During the training he had definitely improved in it and gained enough combat experience.


    Now was the time to push this one step further! Birds had to throw themselves off trees to try to learn flying. What he must do was same! Trying again and again!


    Even if he saw an attack coming he still replied a bit sluggishly. Aeron was ready bodily, but he still did not achieve familiarity with his body.


    This familiarity would normally be developed over the years as one fought, but Aeron did not have years.


    This familiarity allowed one to use their body to its entire potential. Seeing the attack and replying to the attack would be done in an instant. Control over body would improve, you could control every single muscle!


    "But there is one point in that you are lacking. You can see an attack but your body is not fast enough to respond! You are getting better! Soon you will definitely be able to see the attack and reply at the same time! Now get up!" said Xander smiling, trying encouraging method.


    "This is one of the most important skills to learn, everyone in the Blazing Sun Academy knows it, if you do not how can you enter it? Even if you do enter then you would not be able to be strong enough to become a general!!" said Xander with a serious expression.


    "If you cannot do this, then let us go back to Ebonguard right now! You cannot become a general if you cannot do something of this level!" said Xander now trying riling him up.


    "Hmph! Who did you say cannot do it! If generals can do training like this, then I can do training thrice that! For every kilometer they run I can run three times more!" said Aeron with fires blazing in his eyes, got up that instant.


    I fought the Sovereign in MAO! It was a difficult battle that I needed a week of constant battle to win! It was like torture to get through it with 100% immersion! Compared to that this is nothing!


    "OORAAAAH!" screamed Aeron and attacked with ferocity renewed. Leaping and trying to deliver two claws to Xander''s collarbones!


    Then Xander struck with a palm, a simple push that pushed him back, sending him flying five meters. but he fell on four feet and got up without any damage at all.


    Nowadays his already strong animal senses and instincts were growing more and more sharper because of him fighting with animals and consuming their flesh and blood as well as their cores.


    So long as one stared at the abyss, the abyss also stared back. For a hunter tracking skills and escaping skills were a necessity.


    Hunter was predator and prey thus had to train in both their skills. To hunt animals more successfully one needed to be like an animal.


    Because he originally had very strong bestial instincts and was like a selfish, merciless wolf, he had grown a lot more wild and ferocious.


    Aeron let out another "OORAH" again, striking with a dropkick. Xander immediately caught one of his ankles and bent it, which would sen him flying.


    Aeron went with the flow using his other feet to kick Xander in the face with his heel and then he captured the neck and using the force Xander originally had give him he tried to throw him, but failed in doing so.


    It still felt like kicking and trying to lift a thousand year old tree but still, he touched his face. Aeron congratulated himself while flying again.


    Xander smiled, improvement was rapid! From not even being able to react at all to being able to reply in a manner of instants! Even geniuses would have to train for one or two months!


    But that was only for common people, for Aeron who could recover any and all kinds of damage within minutes of course his training speed was faster.


    If one needed thousand serious battles to understand something, No matter how much they tried they would need months to complete those thousand battles.


    Aeron could complete thousand battles in a week! This was his main advantage. He could be reckless with his body because of his superior vitality and ability to heal that far surpassed that of a human being.


    Also Aeron could split himself in two and had Sophia. He naturally would understand something even faster. Two was always better than one and with Sophia''s aid.


    He could watch every aspect of battle and have Sophia analyze it, while he was having his two selves try to sense every aspect of his body.


    A normal person would need to turn his head two times to look at right and left. He could look at right and left at the same time. As such his speed was even faster.


    Also he could pay for improvement with his CP, but right now he had to level up enough to go to the Blazing Sun Academy, thus he could only grit his teeth and work hard.


    But he did not regard this as something to be proud of. These few things he learned over this training were things that were completely elementary, things children at the age of seven would know!


    That was the extent that he was lacking. He could not rest a single moment because of this. Though It really fatigued him greatly he had to continue!


    So what if I am tired beyond words? What if I am too battered and bruised? What if it is too hard? what if it is like torture? I am a man!


    He imagined great experts who dared to touch his family. He imagined them being killed. As he was what could he do? Nothing!


    Fury once again was lit in his eyes, tears came out of his eyes. His anger was so great that he could not keep it in his heart, it overflowed from his eyes!


    Aeron who hit the ground gritted his teeth and got up again, though his ankle was strained and he could barely stand on it. He again yelled a battle cry as he rushed forth once more crying with great fury and attacking with reckless abandon.


    __________________________________


    As always thank you again for your encouragement!

 [Chapter 9] - [Training III]

    "Mmnhh!" groaned Aeron as he was stretching, in the dark cave without any light at all, except for the strange orb that illuminated the small cave. He sighed, Xander had done what he told him he would do.


    Xander had brought him here to this cave in the last moment he was awake. He did not know how long he had slept. He might have slept for entire days.


    Now was the last step.After he had learned elementary skills he was trying to do the next step, which he had to think about as this was a major turning point.


    He had to condense his mana to form his mana pool. Right now mana was in gaseous state enveloping all of his body. He had to put it all to his dantian.


    Human body had three dantians. Each of them had its own advantage, lower body for physical, upper body for magical and middle for both, but much more weaker.


    "Status!" said Aeron.


    <table><tbody><tr><td colspan=''4''>Status Screen</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Name</td><td colspan=''2''>Aeron Victor</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Level</td><td colspan=''2''>9</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Cultivation Points</td><td colspan=''2''>5400/5400</td></tr><tr><td width="25%">Strength</td><td width="25%">90</td><td width="25%">Vitality</td><td width="25%">120</td></tr><tr><td width="25%">Agility</td><td width="25%">75</td><td width="25%">Willpower</td><td width="25%">90</td></tr></tbody></table>


    Grandfather told me that I should meditate in silence to breakthrough, but I can breakthrough this moment. I guess it is difficult to break through a realm. I should not get out for a while, but I have no idea when would be normal.


    "So Sophia what is the advantages of each dantian roughly? By the way how long does a normal human needs to have a breakthrough to the beginner realm from elementary?" said Aeron furrowing his brows still.


    <table><tbody><tr><td>Forming mana at upper dantian increases power of the spells by 25%. Lower dantian increases power of martial arts by 25%. Middle dantian increases power of both for 10%.</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td>As for second question I have no idea master. But I suggest that you should go out in a month to be sure. If it is fast it would not be as fast as you are right now. It is better to wait a month than to inform him you succeeded in hours.</td></tr></tbody></table>


    "Okay." said Aeron back to his own thoughts again. He decided to go with the plan that Sophia suggested, but he really did not know how difficult a break through could be.


    For him there was nothing that limited his progress unless, he chose to limit that progress, it was not possible at all for him to be stuck.


    He could just casually walk from realm to realm and rank to rank with nothing blocking him. If Xander had found out about this he would weep!


    Breaking through whenever one wants? If this sort of knowledge got out every expert in the world feel that they had simply had wasted their lives!


    Breaking through as it was called, was like besieging a castle; to besiege a castle one needed many more troops than the defender, thus they had to accumulate mana more and more.


    Breaking through was also done like capturing a castle, that expert should also be able to charge endlessly without distractions, this was the reason why most experts often stayed somewhere safe with no distractions.


    This also the reason why Xander had sealed the cave with a boulder, he also set up a formation to make sure nothing could get in. If one was distracted it was like giving up siege the halfway, he had to begin battle anew!


    Of course somebody could breakthrough using other methods, breaking through with help of medicine for example. It was like getting mercenaries that boosted your army.


    While in the short run using medicine was fast, on the long run it was slower because of your army being a ragtag bunch of mercenaries you could hardly call your own.


    Someone''s innate talent also decided how much they could rise, well someone with low talent was also able to rise high but the resources that person requires was far more than the resources of many higher talented people would need. So more often than not if one did not have enough talent they could only give up.


    But young masters of high ranking families like Aeron were exempt from this rule. Even if they were born with absolute worst talent ever, he could become successful through use of resources.


    Of course using that kind of resources on a person without talent would be seen as a waste but no one could protest if they decided to do so. After all, money was theirs to spend.


    Even if they do not wish to practice they could get bodyguards. They also could enjoy a high position in the society and would not be ridiculed for something outside of their control. But they would be required to get a job and could not live like a lazy slob for the most part.


    Even if talent was absolute worst it did not stop them from practicing also, it was just like castle example. His talent being low meant his army''s quality was low, he could simply make up for it in quantity!


    All in all there was not really people who could not cultivate, simply people who did not have enough willpower or enough luck to cultivate.


    Aeron''s dilemma had to do with not knowing the talent of previous Aeron and how long one needed to meditate until he can finally achieve a breakthrough.


    Also he was rather conflicted because he did not wanted to forgo neither martial arts, but spells were more powerful than martial arts. He wanted to fight with martial arts, he did not wish to use spells.


    Original Aeron would not have to think about that. He would choose a lower dantian because he lacked an affinity. But he had seven affinities out of nine affinities, which was divided into three groups.


    Fire, water, earth and air, the elements of matter. Besides their obvious means, it also meant four states of matter itself. Solid state, liquid state, gas state, plasma state.


    Light and darkness, the dual elements. These two elements are thought to be opposites, but were so strongly linked that lack of either one of them was the definition of other.


    Force, aether and nether the primordial elements usable only by true gods or elder gods. Needless to say, he had light, darkness, fire, water, earth, air and nether.


    Primordial elements were strange. Force could manipulate all that existed. Aether could bring something into existence from plane of non-existence. Nether could remove something from existence to non existence. Force, aether and nether could all be used to modify the reality in their own strange ways.


    He actually could not understand nether all that much yet, and there really was no one whom he could count on to learn something. If he wanted to learn to use nether, he needed pay for it in CP. But price was likely to be ridiculous so...


    <table><tbody><tr><td>Do not worry master if you meditate you will gain ideas on how to manipulate nether!</td></tr></tbody></table>


    "Oh? That''s nice." said Aeron who was still thinking on whether to take middle or upper dantian. He finally decided to say screw it all and go with the middle dantian as he wished.


    He first released all his senses and pulled all mana in his body into his middle dantian. He also used [Energy Absorption] to focus more easily.


    Soon gaseous clouds of different colors formed in his dantian that were drawn to the center by the nether element which looked like a black hole. It was also releasing pulses that drew more and more mana in him.


    When everything was complete there was a mix of all six elements that were standing still in his dantian and there was nothing that showed any nether element being there.


    Aeron thought this was surely what was implied by the word nether after all, it could not be seen but it could be felt. He felt it all over his body, constantly absorbing mana with small amounts from the outside world.


    Then nether element slowly crept back into his dantian enveloping all other elements stopping them from mixing with each other. Restraining them and absorbing them - forming nether elements.


    Right now that he finally had formed his mana pool''s humble beginnings of gaseous clouds, he could practice martial arts and was able to spend mana adequately!


    "Status" said Aeron smiling.


    <table><tbody><tr><td colspan=''4''>Status Screen</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Name</td><td colspan=''2''>Aeron Victor</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Level</td><td colspan=''2''>10</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Cultivation Points</td><td colspan=''2''>0/17200</td></tr><tr><td width="25%">Strength</td><td width="25%">162</td><td width="25%">Vitality</td><td width="25%">216</td></tr><tr><td width="25%">Agility</td><td width="25%">135</td><td width="25%">Willpower</td><td width="25%">162</td></tr></tbody></table>


    "HOLY! What the hell? How am I going to get 17200?!" said Aeron corners of his mouth twitching. 17200 was almost more than what he gained over this training!


    <table><tbody><tr><td>Higher level mobs? Kill more mobs? Kill bandits? Kill innocent travelers? Burn down cities? Annihilate kingdoms? Kill everything that moves or does not? You can also eat them after!</td></tr></tbody></table>


    "Hmm... That''s sensible... I heard of places where magical beasts gather and bandits are plenty on the imperial road. Thanks!" said Aeron, trying to not tell her she did not need to answer that question.


    <table><tbody><tr><td>Glad to serve master!</td></tr></tbody></table>


    Aeron sighed, he had learned how to conceal some thoughts from her. With zero life experience she thought he really asked that question.


    Anyway, I am curious at the martial techniques here. This should be a fairly high rank technique or else I would not have to learn it. Since I am a prince, I guess grandfather must have given me a good one.


    I do not think it can be compared to my own techniques though, but if I use them I would expose myself. Sun Tzu in Art of War says this:"Appear weak if you are strong, appear strong if you are weak." and it is a principle employed by many animals.


    If it was wrong this principle would not be employed by nature! By watching nature one can understand many aspects of life and many aspects of battlefield. Nature eliminates the weak methods while allowing the ones with strong methods to survive!


    So there is a certain truth to these words. But it does not mean I will not practice them and keep them as my ace in the hole! I think they would be equal to high rank techniques here.


    I think if I showed just one of them to grandfather, he would not be able to collect his jaw from the ground before he was filled with sand!


    Aeron straightened and let out a hearty laughter and smirked as he picked up a book named [Giant''s Might] that was known to be rank 4, but once mastered it would be only slightly lacking compared to the rank 5 techniques.


    According to Xander, this was one of the best technique he could hope to learn at this time, of course there were stronger techniques but he was not allowed to bring them out.


    Forget about commander-in-chief, emperor himself could not bring them out of there and could not get Aeron in there. So Aeron could only rely on himself to learn those techniques.


    This was one of the best techniques he could learn because it also could improve one''s strength since technique was about using the might of a giant.


    There were giants in this world, considered not one of the "civilized races" and were considered like magical beasts, wild savages and barbarians.


    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    But they were also known to be strong enough to send a practitioner - those who are at level 30s - flying many meters with one move, swatting them like bugs.


    No one would go deep into a giant territory, if someone were found by these giants, he would end up in a stew even his bones would not remain.


    Perhaps from a giant''s side of view they were the strange weak creatures who dared to trespass into giant''s homes.


    Armies would also dealt with trespassers in the same way so to Aeron it seemed really hypocritical of "civilized races" to say giants were savages.


    They were also very thin blooded cousins of the colossi. Their size and might was nothing compared to the colossi, but colossi were not seen in this world for a long time.


    Once he began to read the book he began to use his imagination. He saw himself as a giant, with one step he could go three or four meters, with a casual wave of hand he could swatter a human like a bug.


    He could crush boulders with one punch, he drew his strength from the earth beneath him. Strength traveled from the earth to his feet, then to his ankle, after that to his legs, waist, shoulder, wrist and finally hand.


    He flatten rocks with one step for he himself was more heavier than any rock. He was the child of earth, durable, powerful, solid and very tall.


    Like a mountain he was sprouted from the very bones of earth, his hide was thicker than stone, any one who hit him could as well hit a hill, he would not even feel it.


    "Hmm... Writer of this technique was a man without vision! How can giant strength be the end of this technique? One can advance to colossal strength then titanic strength!" said Aeron furrowing his brows.


    He really found it odd how man could not continue this technique for after giant strength one only needed to think "bigger" and mightier to achieve colossal strength! This could even go until titanic strength!


    "This technique is not bad considering it was written by a man who lacked so much. Could it be that this is the only first volume of the skill?" said Aeron, while caressing his chin and sighing, shaking his head.


    If the words he just uttered was heard then everyone would be shocked. Because this would be one of the best a beginner could learn, or more like, even learning this was seen as a privilege to many practitioners!


    "[Giant''s Might] - [Giant Pushes the Boulder]!" said Aeron and he then began practicing the technique he stood like an immovable mountain, and threw a palm which went out with a very quiet voice of explosion.


    Aeron had already understood this skill''s foundation after all. It used power that came from earth and made one extremely strong. However it merely gave strength and vitality, it''s weak point was that it did not have speed.


    He had better techniques but still, it did not hurt to learn this even if it is for the side benefits of increasing one''s strength. He could also advance by making a colossal might or titanic


    He then began practicing his own techniques as there were so many that it would take him about two months to master first forms.


    *****


    Aeron stood perfectly still. He first decided to train his agility techniques and escape skills. Right now he was gathering enough mana and turning it light attribute.


    When it came to the escape techniques nothing could compare [Flower in the Mirror, Moon in the Water]. Like flower in the mirror''s appearance was real, like light from moon was real, attacks from this form of clone was real.


    When attacking it was real, when defending it wasn''t. when moon is reflected on surface of water it still gives off real light of moon, but none can catch it.


    Of course he could not use clones in this way yet, he could only use them as an afterimage. Like mirage, looking real, but is not, looking fake, but is real.


    Capturing light on oneself to replicate it into an after image or distorting light and making him appear in the place where he was not was this skill''s first form.


    Forming a clone was this skill''s second part. But his clone could not interact with the world and he would disappear once it was slashed.


    Forming a real clone of himself was third form. He often would use this with throwing daggers and hidden weapons. weapons were real, even if the clones were not! Clones had the ability to touch the material plane and had his full power, their bodies were just ethereal so they would not be hurt.


    But of course nothing was free and this ability burned a lot of mana and stamina. Back on Earth for each minute he stayed like this he had to sleep an hour to restore himself.


    Aside from that this technique had only two more weaknesses, he himself was one of them. If he died all of the clones would die with him too. If he was injured all the clones would be injured.


    Also he could not control many minds. Think of receiving all forms of sensory feedback from ten people. He absolutely could not handle it.


    He closed his eyes and split into four, then came back into one piece that was actually three meters further than his real body.


    Once someone saw his enemy splitting into four he would think he was among them thus would attack clones while he was not among them at all.


    He just manipulated and distorted light, he could distort and manipulate light coming from the area to form an illusion to camouflage himself. This [Flower in the Mirror, Moon in the Water] was a spell he had made from combining western spells and ninjutsu!


    This was also one of his most useful skills! There were many ways to use this skill beyond escaping, but he rather would not use this skill if he was not desperate, one hour of sleep meant he was defenseless for an hour.


    In the future he hoped with manipulating nether attribute, he would be able to take it another step further and make it more useful.


    *****


    Aeron was now in the [Energy Absorption] pose preparing to perform [Celestial Stride]. This skill was his agility technique he had developed.


    This agility skill worked well with [Flower in the Mirror, Moon in the Water] because it was absurdly fast, thus allowing no one to get away or allowing him to get away to safety in an instant before sleep kicked in.


    However doing his absolute best with this technique also put an incredible strain on his body, mind and mana. Thus not really necessary.


    What this technique did was not making him fast. If he could go from point A to point B in three seconds, it made it so he could go there in one second for example.


    It did not made him fast, if he was fast like that he would be torn apart from his own speed. It just reduced the space he had to move. Instead of three steps he needed to move just one step.


    This was possible because of the abyss or netherworld which was in the center of all realms. It was like taking a detour, instead of going through the normal route going to there outside the normal route which is faster.


    He made a casual step and his image blurred moving very fast towards the cave''s mouth. He then stopped at the mouth of the cave, closed by the boulder.


    He took another casual step and his image blurred again leaving after images towards the end of the cave. He could reach to it in three seconds.


    *****


    Now he should train his fighting skills. He first decided to get the first moves of [Divine Dragon Art] and [Dragon Slayer Art].


    He had used concept of western dragon to eastern concept of divine dragons. He also used western concept of dragon slayers as slayers of eastern dragons.


    "I also should train myself in other''s too for more variations." said Aeron. His interest in martial arts was great and he was the type who would get every single technique because they might proved effective. It was better to have more weapons after all.


    He wanted to know them all. All martial arts had a certain wisdom in it. If one could not comprehend it, one could not use it. This could give him more insights and would allow him to be stronger or make a stronger technique.


    "[Divine Dragon Art] - [Divine Dragon''s Claw]!" he moved his hand and his hand turned like the claw of a dragon. When he removed his claw hand from the wall there was a mark left by dragon''s claw.


    "[Dragon Slayer Art] - [Throw Dragon Back to Sea!]" he immediately looked like someone who had caught a moving target and spun and released the a blue water-like dragon about thirty centimeters wide which roared and rushed forth, resulting in a very deep hole opening in the stone floor.


    "[Rukh Claw Art] - [Giant Rukh Shows His Wing]" he now moved his claw like hand up how a bird would show it''s wing. A violent wind issued forth and hit the wall then dispersed.


    Aeron then used [Energy Absorption] again. There was a dragon vein, not really thick but it would do. From now on he had to constantly practice, remaster his arts and increase his mana pool.


    *****


    "So this is the Granite Bay?" said Aeron with eyes wide open. A great bay and upon it was found a great city. It seemed like most cities in the empire was built on already existing rocks as a consequence of living in the desert.


    The bay was the city. He looked at the market which was now filled with stalls and people screaming about what they were selling and haggling customers.


    There were also merchants that looked rich and they had a long caravan with many servants and guards. Merchants would haggle with some stall owners and would sell or buy things.


    There were women hired by stall owners or shops to draw customers to it and they often would flirt with them a little while showing a begging expression.


    They were showing a lot of skin and more often than not a male would be distracted by the little brain to haggle or just by showing a little more skin everything would be handled.


    These women are pros! They are very good at what they are doing. Well, testosterone is man''s number one weakness. It makes all the blood that should go to brain go to another one instead.


    I guess there is a red district somewhere around here too. Why does no one care about the... unforeseen consequences of that act?


    Besides is sex even worth paying for? While my body is definitely not a virgin at all, I myself am a person who has long surpassed sage rank already!


    I really do not feel an urge to have sex or something actually so I cannot judge them I guess. I think at least condom should be invented or some form of poison. Maybe they make women infertile?


    Anyway, why do they even feel the need to have sex with someone? I myself did not really have sex in my entire life and I do not think I missed anything...


    Aeron walked around wondering. He looked at the inns, why wasn''t Xander going into an inn already! He was not really civil in appearance and did not have a dime to boot.


    "Hohohoh... Not bad, not bad at all!" said Xander looking at an inn, or rather looking at the waitresses in front of the inn which made Aeron roll his eyes.


    "So when you finish checking out every women here are you going to buy me a bed and bath finally, so I can at least get rid of that camel''s stink?" asked Aeron in annoyance. He was really smelling like a camel. But then again most people here were.


    "No we are not going to stop here. We are going to an island called Hakoqi. It is much more interesting than this city. It is popular throughout the world." said Xander waving him two tickets with the stamp of a boat.


    Aeron frowned, he did not hear about any ships or sea traffic at all due to beasts simply being numerous at the seas. Was his information outdated? Then it was a serious problem he would have to remedy.


    He now understood the reason when they reached docks. Island was not very far and could be reached by a boat. There was not many boats either.


    "Whatever..." said Aeron and followed after Xander who was going towards a boat.


    ______________________________________


    Thank you for comments, votes and any kind of feedback!


    Going to post a glossary later!

 [Chapter 10] - [Training Ends]

    In the shadows of the woods many figures were dashing under the trees. The girl was breathing, kind of uneasy. She had needed money and had made a major leap of faith with this move, she was hoping that man was telling the truth.


    She thought back to the rumor she heard and looked back to the one who followed her. It was a warrior above her level. She might have ended up dead.


    She suddenly gritted her teeth she felt that she had entered his domain. There was a thick atmosphere in the air that seemed to make it hard to breathe and made her shiver involuntarily.


    It was cold, but this coldness was not due to the setting sun or the forest air at all. This cold felt like it came from a source far more sinister.


    It wasn''t known why but someone here would kill prey for you, so long as he could manage. He even promised her 70/30 of the loot.


    Of course no one believed it, deal seemed too good to be true. That was exactly why it was considered extremely shady and no one would actually do this.


    But she needed money and what he was offering that he would kill all she needed to do was to take them to him. He might have lied and then again he might not have lied.


    If she failed this leap of faith he she would barely escape with her life, but if she succeeded then she would earn a reward for doing nothing at all.


    She then remembered the shadow he had met. Voice was deep and shadow''s figure was tall, it did not have any delicate curves woman had so shadow was most likely male.


    This man had never showed himself, he always hid in the shadows, only his eyes and an outline of his body could be seen.


    "If you lure someone, be it beast or man, to this area, I shall kill it or him and will give you 30%. Note that however, if I deem myself unlikely to win against him then you will be on your own. " had said the shadow in a matter of fact tone.


    "Also if you cross me I will have no reason to keep you safe, so for your own interest I recommend that you do not get smart and make an ambush for me. If you do that I do not think I can protect you." said the shadow now his eyes narrowed sill with a matter of fact tone, but filled with viciousness.


    The shadow''s voice was not cold at all, but rather likable or charming, pleasant to ears right to the end. It was exactly that and the fact that he refused to be seen that made this so shady.


    But this whole thing was spoken as if it was not a shady deal at all. When it was presented by him this whole thing just seemed like a casual business deal.


    He spoke like a merchant who was telling her if anything is bought she could not return it. It was more like he told her the rules of business.


    "...I do not think I can protect you." came to her mind. That part of his speech just made shivers run down her spine. The way he told it was very serious all of a sudden. In fact his whole soft and elegant voice turning vicious made her scared to death.


    When she stated she had no idea what to do and the man guided her to a band of mercenaries - or common thugs - which were following her now because she was weak and apparently she had a very thick bag.


    Also, because she was a woman. They were casing her without actually doubting about her being a bait to draw them to a spider''s nest, not that they had the ability to consider that far.


    Actually she just could feel stares on her, these man was completely focused on her ignoring anything else. Which was an advantage for her if the man killed them.


    If not however, she just had to run faster to save herself. She could just go into some beast territory and they would have to stop because of their numbers.


    There was no law here, here only law of the jungle existed. When she thought back to the lands she had ever known since birth, she knew now how little she had valued civilization.


    She sighed, if she did not need any money she would not do something this dangerous and if she had enough power she would not rely on that person.


    She ran praying to whoever came to her mind. She felt like she had done a deal with the devil. She had done everything like the man said, now was his turn.


    *****


    The man smiled, he had a blowgun in his hand and clearly knew just how to use it. Blowgun was not that hard to use anyway, though he lamented his rather savage looking weapon they were the best that he had.


    He felt all of these people were idiots. The nature is rich with poison after all, it is the most basic thing to know that everything is poison and poison is in everything, even water.


    Drink water more than enough and you will wind up dead from water poisoning, not to mention waterborne viruses and parasites. He also kept some mollusks and leeches he often replaced.


    Leeches may be disgusting but they actually provide a lot of health benefits. A leech can cleanse the blood by sucking it and make blood travel faster through your body, it''s excretions are also useful.


    Therefore in all actuality leeches, starting in fertile crescent, were used as medicine over two thousand years. They may be disgusting to touch let alone to let them suck your blood, but they are useful when you need them.


    Everything in nature, even poison - provided if one knows how to use it - is beneficial, if one does not know how to use even beneficial herbs will be come poison.


    If ingested too little no effect, if ingested too much than consequences could be death, not even counting the side effects. Just the right dose. That was what a doctor had to know.


    Even in the wild with nothing on hand he could perform a surgery with tools from bones, anesthesia from herbs, antiseptic from mollusks, boiled water which is easier to acquire than anything.


    All of these were easy to find if one knew where to look. After surgery to speed up the healing process he could use leeches or herbs that allow blood to flow faster, thus allowing wound to close faster as well as fruits that help cleanse blood and help your body regenerate it.


    Of course these are provided if you cannot just use mana to heal. Healing is actually quite a lot more complex than simply enhancing restorative speed of the body.


    So those who can use mana to heal body in a way alter it "just right" not one wrong. It needs great mastery to do that and maybe an emperor might have access to such an individual.


    Everything he had learned he had learned it in the long years he had been an assassin. To learn how to kill one learns all the parts of a body, to learn how to heal one learns them too.


    Assassins could become surgeons if needed, it also allows one to learn the move from the damage by reverse engineering it, as well as who made that wound. When a certain level of mastery is achieved in any style it becomes like a fingerprint.


    Also when you need to assassinate someone one can use their medical condition to his advantage, such as making a man eat the food he was allergic to, have a severe reaction followed by death.


    Also most of the drugs prescribed when taken too much can cause death. Here as seen both study death, bot have power over it, one brings it other makes it go away. It is always the intent which matters.


    He had two extract made from Hakoqi Snow Flower, rather uncommon herb that grew here with it''s root he made poison and with the flower he made anesthetic medicine, which also enhanced regeneration.


    Hakoqi Snow Flower was a plant that was had poison in its root. Its effects were quite similar to strychnine, except for the fact it paralyzed first then caused muscles to convulse and acted in an instant.


    When of course with darts this poison did not have to go through oral way where the amount of poison would be significant to kill.


    With the dart''s help it could breach defense systems of body and be delivered directly to the blood stream. now even one drop of it would be deadly enough to kill humans.


    He also liked this poison because of the effects it was quite funny and dramatic how muscles convulsed even face muscles, thus making them all ridiculous. He broke into a grin when he imagined how they would look.


    It''s antidote was also a commonly found herb that grew right here in this very forest. It was quite interesting how land reacted to poison, pests and diseases.


    This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    The cure most often would be found on the infected land, as if earth itself was fighting back against whatever that was causing death.


    He picked those who followed the girl one by one beginning with those at the very end. It''s paralyzing effect quickly took hold of them they could not even utter a word and fell.


    Until the last two of them he had no problem with dispatching them all. But then the last person was quite large and could bring out a little voice of pain, as well as a large falling sound which alerted the two.


    They turned back and saw a way filled with their friends all of them lying in the ground as if dead but they were not. They realized now that they were tricked.


    Suddenly then people who lied around began to shake, with all of their faces looking more and more ridiculous and drool spilling out from their mouth.


    Mercenaries opened their eyes, poison! Quick acting effective poison to boot! They had never heard of this poison. They were most likely facing a poison master.


    Their faces turned very gloomy and solemn, they did not expect a poison master or rather an expert poison master. If they had realized earlier there would be time to administer antidote but there were two of them now.


    "We realize we overstep our position poison master! But we will give you all that we own, please spare our lives!" said both falling to their knees in a begging pose.


    "Well said, you recognize your place! If you can satisfy me I might consider not killing you!" said a deep voice from the shadows. Two mercenaries were filled with hope as they looked away and tried to remove their bag.


    Quickly both of them felt a prick on their neck. They looked up to their assailant whose silver grey eyes could be seen in the darkness.


    "Hmph, you think you would be spared so long as you gave me everything you owned? What a ridiculous thought! The moment I caught you, your life and everything you owned belonged to me in the first place!" said the shadow with a condescending voice.


    "You think you can make a merchant buy his own wares? Think again in your next life!" said the voice mocking them as their muscles began to convulse.


    "Kihihihihihi!" came a mischievous laughter from the trees. It sounded eerily like a naughty child laughing at the prank he pulled.


    Then a long man fell from the trees. He looked like a man who had long forgotten what civilization even was. He wore baggy fur clothes roughly sewn together with some thing greenish in color and robust, probably some sort of vine.


    His unkempt hair that made it difficult to see his face - which was covered by a half mask to boot. Only thing that was visible was his eyes that were silver grey.


    In his belt there was two little clay bottles as well as a bone dagger and a blowgun and some darts. He looked like a barbarian, someone from the ages long gone. Of course he was Aeron.


    He looked at the corpses who were all now dead, either because of being unable to breathe when they were paralyzed, because of a cardiac arrest or maybe both.


    "As agreed thirty yours sister!" said Aeron and threw a full bag to the girl who certainly was not expecting to get her pay and was contemplating on running.


    "Wha-why?" said girl looking at the bag, she did not understand why this man would give him this at that moment, it was so unexpected.


    "Fair is fair sister! Now however, you want to get out here." said Aeron getting his dagger out - cutting the leg and wrist of the corpse, as well as the throat.


    Then he began a movement that looked like kneading on the corpse''s chest, which made a cracking sound as the blood began to flow out.


    Girl''s eyes bulged out. There was a reason why most people would not dare kill someone near territory of magic beasts.


    They would be drawn to the blood like shark in the water. The girl just grabbed the bag that was given to her and ran away from the man who seemed insane.


    "Well, all that is left is to wait for fishes to bite!" said Aeron jumping up and holding a branch, then using it to jump even higher. then he held he began to watch the area with an uncanny focus.


    *****


    "I miss home..." said Aeron and deeply sighed looking at the moon. He was sitting atop a tree, and had made something to bind to tree, in case he rolled around during sleep.


    He really did not do much these days, besides searching for poison, which was all too easy to find thanks to Sophia and the books he read back home.


    He did not have to remember them as Sophia could, so he could just sit back and relax. In all actuality doctors would have to spend years as herb collectors to learn all herbs.


    He did not need to remember anything about plants, it was grafted into his mind anyway. If he had no data on something he would first make multiple extracts and would try it on something to learn its properties.


    It was best to understand their properties since he did not need anything, but it was better to have somethings rather than not. Who knows, maybe all of this knowledge one day would be required.


    If not then no harm in learning new stuff when one does not really waste time. besides poisons make tedious business short and medicines can be used for assassination!


    He remembered dead people and his mood got up, though when he remembered his family he began brooding again.


    I sit up in the moonlight,


    I look at the surface of water,


    which flows forever


    reflecting the wide seas of night.


    I lift my head and look at the moon


    Then close my eyes and think of home.


    He smiled and caressed the piece of fur. Words were sewn by him when he felt lonely one night. Since he had no paper and ink, thus no way to write this feeling to get it out.


    It was like a constant ache in the heart, he felt like running back even if the sea did not allow him to. But the current around here was too dangerous and strong.


    Xander left him here with only his fur underwear,telling him to try not to come back for six months because strong current would not allow him to.


    By tomorrow he found that he was right, the branch he threw away rapidly travelled around the island to the open ocean.


    If he tried to swim he would end up with an express ticket to ocean and would become fish feed. So he had no choice but to make do here.


    But there were about seven days to the next time the currents were good enough to reach the mainland, so he just had to endure a bit more.


    Aeron decided to stop brooding. He would endure for now and to head to beach, to swim back to Granite Bay and kick Xander''s ass to the end of the universe!


    *****


    Aeron looked at the gates of the mansion, he had ditched Xander while he was complaining and came here faster than even he thought he could run.


    Aeron felt like skipping right now. They were at the Ebonguard. Finally the whole thing was over! Although he had gained much from this training, he really would not like to do it again.


    It really was boring to spend months in some island in the ass-end of nowhere with nobody but Sophia as a companion. If he did not hunt all day and night he might have became crazy by boredom.


    He even had made some souvenirs for his family that he stashed among his fur clothes in the beach while waiting for the currents.


    Aeron began walking, skipping, running and finally reached - no, leapt - for the gates of the mansion when he heard a voice:"HALT! WHO ARE YOU? STATE YOUR BUSINE - E-EH, IS IT YOU LITTLE LORD?!"


    ___________________________


    I do not know how poems are viewed, but I wanted to write a short poem instead of something else as poems are better way to display emotions. I hope you like it. :D


    Glossary coming out next. I wanted to release the glossary after 10 chapters!


    Sorry everyone I was busy, taking care of RL situation. I got a VERY soft spot for my nephew!


    Especially his red cheek that look like apples which awakens my inner vampire! (*,..,*)

 [Glossary/Question Thread]

    <table><tbody><tr><td colspan=''4''>Status Screen</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Name</td><td colspan=''2''>Aeron Victor</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Level</td><td colspan=''2''>20</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Cultivation Points</td><td colspan=''2''>24900/84000</td></tr><tr><td width="25%">Strength</td><td width="25%">806</td><td width="25%">Vitality</td><td width="25%">858</td></tr><tr><td width="25%">Agility</td><td width="25%">780</td><td width="25%">Willpower</td><td width="25%">806</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>Character Description</td>[tr]


    [tr]<td colspan=''4''>Aeron Victor, formerly Drake, the first ranked expert in the underworld who died during ascension. He is reincarnation of a mythical and ancient god of death, which is a true god. He is a paranoid person who can only be at ease when he has enough power to crush all who could dare harm his people. Whether they will or not isn''t relevant, point is that they are able to.</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>Traits</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>Dragon Blooded - Line of Solaris</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>Grants a permanent 20% increase to strength.</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>Fanatical Willpower</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>Grants a permanent 20% increase to willpower</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>Undying</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>Grants a permanent %60 increase to Vitality</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>Eldritch Soul</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>Bearing soul of a true god, such a person bears a lot of advantages from the realm he represents.</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>Martial Arts</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>Giant''s Might</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>Rank 4 skill once mastered is not inferior to weak rank 5 skills. It is about using giant might with your body.</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>MAO Martial Arts</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>Aeron''s original martial arts he adopted from an online virtual dive game. Most of it are inspired by mythological beings and characters. All of them are Rank S. There are also many moves which do not belong to a group.</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>Divine Dragon Art</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>Eastern concept of divine dragon''s applied to western concept of dragons.</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>Dragon Slayer Art</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>Western concept of dragon slayers applied to eastern dragons.</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>Rukh Claw Art</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>Wield power of a Rukh, a giant eagle that can easily lift elephants and ships.</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>Seal of Mithra</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>Mithra means "that which binds", Mithra is guardian of truth who sees everything. Mithra the ruler of all countries, who has myriad ears and Myriad eyes. So long as an oath is bound by seal of Mithra one cannot break it.</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>Flower in the Mirror, Moon in the Water</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>Like a flower in the mirror, like a moon in the water, your image can be seen but cannot be touched. Like mirrors one can make illusion clones as well as "real" clones whose attacks are real.</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>Celestial Step</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>Travel in the netherworld as a shortcut to arrive to the area you want to swiftly.</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>Asura Form</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>Second Rank - Gain %100 increase to stats</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>Eldritch Physiology</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>First Rank - 75 to all stats</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td colspan=''4''>Status Screen</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Name</td><td colspan=''2''>Sophia</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Level</td><td colspan=''2''>0</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>Character Description</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>Artificial soul which inhabits and manages the space in Aeron''s spirit. Her duty is to help. Although she is between real and unreal.</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td colspan=''4''>Status Screen</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Name</td><td colspan=''2''>Xander Victor</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Level</td><td colspan=''2''>69</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>Character Description</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>Xander, the commander-in-chief of the Sun Empire, as well as Aeron''s grandfather. He lost his son in war and his wife later died of grief. Thus even though he can be said to be young, he possesses grey hair.</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td colspan=''4''>Status Screen</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Name</td><td colspan=''2''>Valeria Victor</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Level</td><td colspan=''2''>50</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>Valeria Victor</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>Aeron''s mother. Once known as Bloody Queen, nowadays she is a devoted mother who takes care of her children. Never mention about hurting or doing anything to her children in front of her or she will turn into a mother bear. Princess of the Empire of Sun.</td></tr></tbody></table>


    This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    <table><tbody><tr><td colspan=''4''>Status Screen</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Name</td><td colspan=''2''>Erwin Victor</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Level</td><td colspan=''2''>48</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>Character Description</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>Aeron''s father and a general, by far most sensible person in the family, as well as Valeria''s husband who is "tied to Valeria''s apron strings". He does not speak often and has to take care of the paperwork and duty of two people thus cannot really find much time to spend with his family.</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td colspan=''4''>Status Screen</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Name</td><td colspan=''2''>Zara Victor</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Level</td><td colspan=''2''>5</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>Character Description</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>A mischievous little devil and Aeron''s little sister. She is a hyperactive tomboy who likes pulling pranks and playing with her toys.</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td colspan=''4''>Status Screen</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Name</td><td colspan=''2''>Erich Solaris</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Level</td><td colspan=''2''>44</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>Character Description</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>Emperor of the Empire of Sun and Aeron''s maternal grandfather.</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td colspan=''4''>Status Screen</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Name</td><td colspan=''2''>Zoe Solaris</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Level</td><td colspan=''2''>40</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>Character Description</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>Aeron''s maternal grandmother and empress of Empire of Sun.</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td colspan=''4''>Status Screen</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Name</td><td colspan=''2''>Jace Lavel</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Level</td><td colspan=''2''>42</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>Character Description</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>Erwin''s subordinate and best friend. He is a loyal person. He also had a fiancee who died and never thought of marriage since then.</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td colspan=''4''>Status Screen</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Name</td><td colspan=''2''>Sinah</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Level</td><td colspan=''2''>7</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>Character Description</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>Aeron''s personal maid. She is about seven or nine years old. Dislikes cleaning, often a target of teasing.</td></tr></tbody></table>


    Explanation of Terms


    Mana= The energy that flows in everything. The entire universe is made of it.


    Magic=The ability to use mana to bring an imagined phenomenon into reality.


    Martial Art=The ability to use imagination and mana to augment one''s body in a specific way imagined by the user.


    Attributes=One''s closeness to the elements. There are six elements available to everyone. Fire - Plasma, Air - Gas, Water - Liquid, Earth - Solid as well as Light and Darkness.There are three elements only available to true gods Force, Aether, Nether.


    Cultivation=Using mana to become closer to the true gods. But no matter how much one practices one cannot become a true god unless one was born with the soul of a true god. There are three ways of cultivation.


    Martial way=Following in the footsteps of the force attributed true gods, refining body to achieve power.


    Magical way=Following in the footsteps of the aether attributed true gods, refining mind to achieve power.


    Ethereal way=Following in the footsteps of the nether attributed true gods, refining soul to achieve power.


    Kaori way=Yinfang''s way. Kaori means beast, using nether attribute to make body, mind and soul one to refine them all.


    Levels


    Elementary - 0-9 levels - No increase to purity.


    Beginner - 10-19 levels


    Disciple - 20-29 levels


    Practitioner - 30-39 levels


    Master - 40-49 levels


    High Master - 50-59 levels


    Earth Mortal - 60-69 levels


    Sky Mortal - 70-79 levels


    Heaven Mortal - 80-89 levels


    False Immortal - 90-99 levels


    Each level represents purity. With each level increase one gains 1% more purity thus the ability to use 1% more of his body, mind and soul as well as an increase to all of his stats.

 [Chapter 11] - [Home is Where the Heart is]

    "Little lord! I almost did not recognize you, what did your grandfather do to you! You really have entirely changed!" said Jace. Looking at Aeron incredibly amazed at how can one man be changed so much in eight months.


    What happened to him I wonder. He not only looks different, but he even feels different and what is with this look! Luckily I was the one who saw him first and not the madam!


    Madam would be wrongly affected with her delicate condition! Not only that no one would even be able to hold her back from trying to strangle the commander-in-chief!


    Jace drew a deep breath. Luckily one calamity was averted. He looked at Aeron, he had changed. His hair was cut, but it seemed to be cut by himself. He had fur clothes he covered himself with.


    He originally had a lean body, now that body was still lean but chiseled. He also had grown at least ten more centimeters, making him look like a man of valor.


    In fact if he dressed up and groomed himself he would look like a true prince. He would be undoubtedly be quite popular and certainly he would likely to break a lot of hearts. He smirked when he thought that.


    He originally could be said to be handsome, but his looks were like that of a scholars, now he could look like a warrior of great martial valor instead, if he got rid of those rags that is.


    All in all he looked like he had just escaped from the jungle and for all he knew about commander-in-chief it might even be true...


    "Little lord I think your mother would have a heart attack if she saw you like this! How about going to your house first and have a haircut as well as some clothes?" said Jace.


    Of course he said it politely but he still did not listen at all to his answer and dragged him along the road farthest from the main house which went until it reached Aeron''s house.


    Entirety of this road was cleverly hidden so it could not be seen from the main house. In his days of debauchery Aeron would use this door to escape so there was a path to his home completely hidden from main house.


    "Who are you?" asked Aeron with cautiousness, not that there could be something wrong here but still, he did not know this stranger.


    "I am Jace Lavel little lord, your fathers deputy and I am always keeping an eye on the house nowadays. Will commander-in-chief arrive later?" asked Jace.


    "I think so, I guess. I hurried here." said Aeron looking at the sky trying to remember where Xander was when he left him. He then shook his head he would find his way anyhow.


    "Good. I will tell the guards later. Now we need to make you presentable, so we have to go to your house first you should have a bath, haircut and some new garments, I do not think your old ones are going to fit you." said Jace murmuring in a low voice, taking notes to himself.


    "Go ahead, little lord, I have to call your maid, inform the guards and tell servants not to tell your arrival to madam." said Jace smiling and made a gesture that said ''continue on without me''.


    Aeron really did not understand the necessity, but still it would be refreshing to wear something not fur and have an haircut so he had no issue with going.


    Jace is acting secretive, I guess it is so that mother does not see me like a barbarian. I really do not mind but it might be better if I did not show myself.


    With my mother''s personality she really would make earth and heaven change places and would scream until our eardrums ruptured.


    Aeron nodded to himself and continued to walk along the road. He really admired previous Aeron''s cunning, there was a road that did not look like a road completely covered by things that seemed completely natural.


    Not bad at all, this is what they call hiding in plain sight. It is the best way to hide something for sure. If he worked his mind for something other than debauchery he would be a great person.


    Aeron walked along the road until he reached the backdoor. In all actuality door looked just like a wall. It was a hidden escape route! He did not knew of it before.


    Aeron shook his head, thinking that it was a pity that previous Aeron only used his head to escape. If this person only actually used his head for something important!


    Well it actually worked better for me when I was here. But I should get rid of my "good-for-nothing" title now. I will just show a bit of my power to defeat someone higher level than me, about level 24-25 should be just right!


    From what I know about myself I think I am absolutely able to contend with most people that are at level 39, but I do not think I can handle level 40 and above yet! Regardless, I should be able to escape from them as long as they are not that high leveled though.


    From all that I know my power is absurd so if I reveal it I must kill  everyone who saw it. That and I actually am strong  but only in the young generation. There also should be people who are higher level than grandfather.


    I also think grandfather is ridiculous to be able to become a peak stage earth mortal at the age of seventy. But of course even with that monstrous growth he still is considered young generation.


    Besides it is better to be underestimated than overestimated. Grandfather actually hides his power and appears as someone who is yet to step into earth mortal stage.


    There are many kingdoms who would get rid of a future trouble like grandfather, let alone myself. Also there are political factions and what not, there really are some old freaks behind every significant force


    Our Victor family is like a child, Thus they really do not care much about us. In all actuality they should be ones who rule the realm of politics.


    In them younger generation I can only find levels I can contend with and that is my main advantage. I simply do not have to fight those old monsters because they would consider me beneath their notice.


    In front of level 60s like grandfather or level 50s like mother though I can do nothing but die, but all of them would be considered as top experts among young generation, so I do not think I will fight one if I do not go out of my way to ask for a beating.


    I would not want to show something extraordinary as my entire capacity. My exact capabilities should remain a secret, only known to myself!


    I just want to make sure my name as a genius spreads through the populace as well as nobles.. So as to "step on the stage" as a young scion of this house.


    I am a prince, but that isn''t worth a fart when it comes to the nobles, there me being the commander-in-chief''s grandson is more important than being a prince, there are many other princes in the kingdom.


    That is why it is important that my name spreads, after all I should claim a position of power with my own strength or I will  not have much support.


    Screw not having much support, I would not have any support, like right now. Because I have not proved myself worthy of a single bit of trust or praise.


    To lead an army one needs the power of people behind him. It is said that the will of the people is the will of the heaven! What can endure wrath of millions?


    That is why my name should also spread positively, if I open coffers I am certain I can easily get fame as someone who is generous, but it would be a fake respect, not worth anything.


    The respect that I should gain should be like a mountain! Right now my name is among the lowest of the low! But if I prove myself a genius I should be able to use that infamy to spread fame.


    If my name spreads like that I can practically waltz into the Blazing Sun Academy easily! I really wonder how academies teach students, what kind of knowledge lies there for me to discover!


    But if it is something like schools back on earth I think I will escape even if it means that I need to fly. I hated that prison!


    Also I can accept missions and the like then and complete them! Killing bandits and magical beasts I can advance faster and faster since I also get money thus I can buy more beast cores.


    I also know some magic but I have never used magic beyond most basic ones that was available to everyone back on Earth. I practically beat an entire cult to death but they still did not give me their techniques!


    I really hate wizards and their ilk, but still knowing some magic would be nice and I should learn it since I have the ability and opportunity to learn.


    It does not mean I prefer to learn magic more than martial arts! It simply is better for someone to have as many weapons as are possible so one can always have a weapon that suits the situation!


    I really have no idea as to how I am going to do all of this. I really will be busy. Also does academy stay open entire year? Maybe I need to wait to transfer much later.


    That would be nice actually, I would really like some three or so days off to sleep and lie in bed all day! Also I really do not know how to behave in a social situation at all.


    Well, if I was not trying to better my image, I really would not care at all about how to speak to a bunch of brats, but I need to. After all I need to be social.


    If not, I do not think I can rise in rank smoothly and besides, why make enemies when one can make allies? But I do not think I am ready for all of this.


    First off I really have no idea as to what happens in the so-called high society. I know there should be something, politics or anything related to that.


    I do not have any idea what the current situation even is, for others this should be something they do not even have to learn but I - since my family is so removed from politics and I was nothing but a mere debauchee - do not know anything at all.


    Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    I should not reveal myself before getting full idea of what I am getting into. I really do think that working with politics is going to be unavoidable.


    Well it should be fun, since I have strong backers and I myself am strong enough to actually survive almost any situation. If not I have a grandfather who is peak stage earth mortal.


    For others this is a dangerous walk on thin ice. For me this is nothing more than a game. A game played to death, other people''s deaths that is.


    Aeron grinned maliciously and nodded to himself. He sat on his bed removed his clothes and took out the souvenirs he had made. For Erwin and Xander a tribal necklace made from claws and teeth of the bests of the island.


    For Zara, Valeria and Sinah he made bracelets from colored stones and fangs. Then he took out the piece of fur where he had sewn the poem on and put it on his desk.


    He looked at the fur piece again now smiled and sighed as he remembered those days. It really seemed like it happened long ago. Then he removed his belt and began to remove his clothes.


    "Master! I heard you have arrive-" said a cheery, or more like once cheery Sinah. She immediately opened her eyes in shock.


    "Master, where have you been? You look like a barbarian that just escaped from a jungle!" said Sinah with a serious face that was as red as a tomato. She then put a towel on the bed as if throwing it.


    "I will prepare bath immediately!" bowed Sinah and ran out of the room. Aeron removed last piece of his fur rags and tied the towel around his waist, thinking about how he teased Sinah before.


    He felt incredibly nostalgic and a smile naturally formed with his eyes becoming wetter without tears falling. After all he still was a man, as well as an assassin, he would shed blood before shedding tears.


    But even if he did not cry this did not stop warm feelings that rose endlessly from his heart, like a mountain spring washing all over his body.


    He shivered with comfort and pleasure, he was extremely comfortable right now. He felt peaceful rather than joyful, serene, complete.


    Is there any place like home? This is the place where I belong, no matter where I roam. This place is my roots, my house, my home.


    It was correct that home was where the heart is. I feel like I left my heart here and was wandering heartless for all this time.


    *****


    "Master, there is someone who is demanding a meeting with you." said a voice that came from the outside, echoing inside the empty hall.


    "Who is he?" said a woman, rising up from the bed where she was lying. She was wearing a black gown that did not show any hints of her body as well as a black veil that hid her face, except for sharp piercing blue eyes like that of an hawk and  golden hair.


    "He said that you would know once you hard this. ''I have come to ask to you to repay the debt I earned in the Aryas Mountains.''" said the soft voice again.


    "He may come in." said the woman frowning now. She remembered a figure, a hated figure but also a known one. A man about 220 centimeters with muscled build and a square chin with many scars on his body.


    Then scenes she could not forget flashed in her eyes. A warrior with a bone armor, a tall helmet with one horn and a red cape swinging his heavy spear around deflecting many attacks and swiftly counter attacking at the same time.


    Of course one warrior cannot handle hundred man, but he using the narrow entrance to fight only against three at once. Rest is solved with his skill and strength.


    Then screams come from the bandit''s ranks as cavalry crushes them and cries of battle fill everywhere. Sounds of pain, as well as sounds of triumph.


    When the battle ends both women look as soldiers roam the area in search of enemies. They cut the heads of bandits and kill those who are alive.


    The warrior who dispatched all of the bandits that attacked two woman turns to them. One with golden hair and blue piercing eyes, other with green eyes and brown hair.


    He then tells them to get lost and this is called a dangerous place for a reason, not a place where one can wander in on their own.


    Golden haired woman thanks the warrior and tells him that she would repay this debt no matter what. As does the brown haired woman.


    "I need no payment for an act I should do, this is my duty." says the stern man with pride as he refuses them. Then he offers to take them to the nearest outpost.


    Then she remembered as her eyes started being filled with anger and sadness. Her grip tightened on the armchair as she sat on it.


    Her memories flash through her eyes her watching the wedding of the brown haired woman and the warrior, bitterly weeping all the while.


    Also looking with disbelief as a white haired woman is being cremated, while the warrior stays silent with tears falling like streams.


    "Why did you come? Did you not said we would not meet again?" said the woman looking at the gray haired man in front of him. He has not changed.


    "You have a debt to me that I want to call in now, Adara." said the grey haired man looking to her with both pity, guilt as well as understanding.


    "Speak Xander, goodness knows that I do not want to see you ever again." said Adara looking very solemn, with not concealed hatred.


    "Simple, I want you to accept my grandson as your disciple. He needs a teacher that can guide him through turbulent waters of politics and who can teach him as well." said Xander with an awkward smile.


    "The boy has lost his memories about none months ago and did not really have much human contact since then, if I leave him alone he will inevitably commit social suicide somewhere." said Xander now smiling fully.


    "But despite me worrying about him I am wanted in the southern front. Besides I do not think I can find him a better teacher than you. You see boy has his secrets, that he will not even tell me, maybe he will tell them to you." said Xander again to the frowning Adara.


    "He also has darkness affinity like you he has luckily gained from consuming a beast core he acquired in the Hakoqi Island. You are the best darkness system mage I know so you will be a perfect teacher for him." said Xanders again with a helpless smile this time.


    "Besides he is not just my grandson, he is her grandson as well. As his grandmother''s close friend no matter how much you hate me I think you can care for the boy better than I." said Xander sighing with his hands open, giving a shrug.


    He looked at the statue like Adara who clearly was thinking something. If she did not say no outright, he should make one more push!


    "Please Adara, if not for me, for her or for the friendship we had long ago, I just ask you to watch over him." said Xander with a soft begging voice.


    "Consider it done, you old sly fox!"  said Adara with anger as she turned her face away. Whenever she heard his voice getting soft like that it sent shivers up her spine.


    "I will look after him and teach him... But not for you, I will do this only for her sake. As for your debt consider it paid by me not killing you right now." said Adara now looking at Xander with her hawk-like eyes not concealing any hostility at all.


    If it was not for you she would now be alive. He could not even be romantic, he would not reveal his thoughts. hE would not even honestly listen to you.


    What part of him was better than me? Why did you choose him over me? When all he ever gave to you was pain and neglect as he went off to his battles.


    Was it because he was a male? Was it because he saved your life? Was it because of something else entirely? I could handle you not choosing me, only if you were alive...


    Xander looked at Adara, even now her beauty had not diminished at all. There would be many man ho would be crazy about her, if she did not have this personality.


    Adara hated men and maybe because of that she liked women. She was his rival in love, a rival who could do better than him. He absolutely did not deserve to win.


    He gave a slight bow and left the room, with each of his footsteps echoing inside the empty hall he went to the door and pushed them.


    Later on the sounds of door closing echoes inside the hall. Xander had went out now. Adara looked with nostalgia, uncertain about many things.


    Xander looked to the sun and thought of Aeron who went home as swiftly as he could almost skipping, while not paying any attention to him at all.


    "What do we do for those little rascals!" smiled Xander, and shook his head as he began to walk to the mansion. Probably Aeron would be at home by now.


    Up until now he never mentioned Adara''s debt because it was not a debt after all, it was his duty to defend the people of this country. She also was an old friend to boot.


    It seems for those little rascals he was capable of doing just about anything. He shook his head and with his hands behind his back, he went up the streets.


    Love for a grandchild really differs from love for a child. I would not do this for Erwin, that rascal would have to find a way on his own!


    Xander laughed to himself and imagined the shock on Valeria''s face when she saw Aeron. He probably was going to get a firm scolding until his ears hurt.


    He still had about three days to head to southern front and he would not be able to come to this city for some years. He took a deep breath, a warrior belonged to war after all.


    _____________________________


    I got sick, again and wrote this since I could, I probably won''t be able to think much tomorrow or the other day. :)