《Son of the Wind》 ###Prologue The smell of the dead. The smell of blood. Dead man tells no tales. As for death itself, it was just an easy exit. The night had fallen where the place reeked of death. Flying beasts feasting on the dead and within this blood whirlpool were two in their last moments or at least one of them. All that filled the air were occasional screeches of the beasts. "We create our own demons." The man muttered as there was absolute silence in his surroundings. The silence you get when everyone around you is dead. Dead Silence. "Master, now is not the time to just be lost in thought. You still have a good chance of surviving. If you cannot make it out alive today, then I, as your vassal have failed. Please master, you have to use the energy left in you to heal yourself" "Fail me as my vassal? I have failed as your master! I lay in front you helpless even when you are in your last moments! Tell me, have you failed me or have I failed you?!" "Master, this life of mine was given by you. Without you, I would have been nothing. With my death it won''t make much of a difference. With you being alive, you can..." "The alive me couldn''t protect anyone. Those whom I thought of as my own, are all dead and you Klad are the last to die. Even with this power which I thought would be enough to stand in equals with the gods...it was always an under statement. I was always foolish to think I could protect everyone but it was me who sent them to their grave! It was me!" the man started to bang his head repeatedly on the ground. Klad who laid on the ground in his last moments felt his heart clench. The man in front him was a god to him. He had given everything to him in his life. He felt a deep regret that he couldn''t repay the kindness. He had vowed to follow him in his life and become his vassal. To heaven or hell, he would follow him with his eyes closed. "Sorry Master, I have failed y-you" said Klad as a tear rolled down from his eye. Klad laid motionless on the ground with eyes closed. He had passed on. "K-Klad, my friend please forgive me if you can." the man said as he began weep out loud. He felt bitter in his heart. Everyone he held dear were dead. All that remained was him, all alone in the end. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. He stood up and looked up to dark sky above him and roared as if he was facing against the heavens. "You took my friends! You took my wife! You took my two vassals! What about me?! Couldn''t you have just taken me?! If I was the first, then all of this would have never happened!" "Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha" He began to laugh like a mad man and held his hand on his face as he couldn''t stop his tears to stop rolling down his face. Suddenly, there was something strange happening in his storage ring. He noticed there was something wrong and had a look within it. There was a bead glowing in the dark space. He took out the bead from his ring and realized that this was the strange bead he had come across during his journeys. He never knew what it was and always thought it was strange but he had decided to keep nevertheless. The bead started to glow more and more as it had begun to suck the energy whatever was left in him. He didn''t provide any resistance and let the bead suck out everything from him. His vision started to blur and all he could see was white light. "So this is how it all ends. If I had just another chance, I would change it all.....change it all." He felt a strange warmth around him as his consciousness began to fade away. In his last moments he thought to himself in his mind. "We create our own demons." Throughout his life he had fought with anger, fought against it. He was bound to a fate that broke his patience, broke his heart. He had endured the timeless pain and torture, some which he was destined for and some which he brought upon himself. In the end, all he asked for was a chance. A chance against fate. In the several pages of history, this was his chapter. Son of the Wind. Chapter 1: Birthday Sadelmite City Jin Province Red Cross Empire It was a busy day. People flocked in groups towards the markets. Traders opening up their stalls as it was the beginning of another day of good business. Everyone were in high spirits as the weather was pleasant, bars of sunshine fell on the ground through the gaps between the clouds. Birds sang in the mature trees and there was a country smell of spring. Today was the day when Son of the Wind, Lord Hanu was born. It is stated that he was born a few million years ago but even today this day was celebrated. Lord Hanu was one the gods worshiped in the Red Cross Empire but it was not a religion. He was a symbol of strength for everyone. The citizens of the Red Cross would come together to celebrate this day as it was a tradition passed down by their ancestors. As for how they knew it was his birthday, not a single person could give an explanation. However, there was another person who was born today, just a few years ago. He belonged to the most influential family of the Sadelmite City. The Denholm family was the both wealthiest and most powerful. This was all due to influence of the current head of the family, Larc Denholm. He was both powerful and had connections with other influential families. The Denholm family was a very small family compared to the clans present in the Jin Province but was still at such a position. This was again because of Larc Denholm, he had the backing of the most important people and always held a neutral stance when it came to politics. Other powers had a good impression of the family and couldn''t stop their rise to power even if they wanted to as one of the wives of Larc Denholm was related to the imperial family of the Red Cross. Today though it was an important day for Denholm family, there was a strange silence. Every year they would celebrate the birth of Aryan Denholm, the youngest of the family. Larc Denholm and his three wives were seated in the dining hall in silence. Their expression wasn''t quite good to behold. "Why Aryan? Why should it be him?" "Abelia, it''s not him that you should blame. The one at fault is me! It''s all because I had complications at birth. It is all because of me!" "Livia, please don''t say any more. We all know you weren''t at fault. It is all just a coincidence that this has happened. If you are not destined, then nothing can be..." Larc replied in a rather depressing manner as he was interrupted by Abelia. "Destined? I will never forgive anyone who says anything against Aryan! I could never give birth to my own but I have considered Aryan above everyone. He is the child I could never have. For him to have such a future, it will kill me to see him suffer. It''s not his fault.....not his fault" "Sister, our husband didn''t mean it the wrong way. So what he is destined for, doesn''t he have us? Doesn''t he have his siblings? As long as we are all alive, he will live a good life that any other person would dream of!" said Flavia as she tried to console Abelia. "Please, don''t make it difficult for me. It is I who must tell him the truth. If you all act this way, where must I find courage to face him" Larc told his wives as though he had lost a part of him. "Dear, is there no cure for this illness?" "Livia, our doctor said that Aryan has Clarkson veins. As he progresses through his training, he will reach a point where he will not be able to move forward. If he tries to force through to the next stage of his cultivation, his veins will rupture. This can make him a cripple or he can lose his life" "I will go tell him myself" "Abelia, please leave it to me. I don''t want you hurt yourself more" Larc said as he knew Abelia was the one who most depressed of all. Abelia got up from her seat and quickly left the dining hall. "Abelia...." "Dear, let me also go. If I''m with her then it will be much better" "No! Livia don''t go. You know how Abelia is, if it''s anything about Aryan then she''s too protective. Please don''t make it difficult for her.......and even me" Larc told Livia as he knew how depressed Abelia was. Abelia was teary eyed as she walked along the hallway towards Aryan''s room. Today was his birthday, instead of celebrating she would deliver him bad news. She would tell him something that would break him. She would tell the most important person in her life that he would never reach the peak of martial prowess. As she reached his room, she was rather hesitant on knocking the door but she did what had to be done. *Knock* *Knock* Inside the room was a boy who had just turned thirteen. He was in his meditative posture as he continued to train in a rather peaceful mind. As he opened his eyes, he was in very confused state of mind. "W-Where am I?" "Aryan open the door!" "One minute!" Aryan exclaimed in a reflex. He didn''t really know where he was. "This place looks familiar. Just where am I?" Aryan thought to himself as he stood up and went up to a big mirror next to him. "T-This.....how can this be? This is my house! I-I thought I was dead but h-how can I be at my house?" "Aryan! Please open the door!" "It''s open! Come in!" Aryan replied as he saw himself in the mirror. He remembered today was his thirteenth birthday. It was the day that had changed his life forever. It was this day that had changed him. "Aryan" "Mother" Aryan always addressed Abelia as his mother. He felt he had a deeper emotional connection with her, more than his own mother. She was one person who would side with him no matter what the situation was. "Aryan, there is something I have to tell you" "Mother, I never thought you of all people would forget what today is. I''m sad that even you didn''t come wish me today" "A-Aryan!" Abelia rushed towards him and hugged him tightly as she could. Aryan felt really uncomfortable as she had begun to cry. "I''m sorry Aryan. Happy birthday my child" "Mother, what happened? Why are you crying? Did something happen?" This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. "Aryan, there is something I must tell you" "Please speak mother. What is it that you want to tell me?" "Aryan, y-you have Clarkson veins. It is a condition where..." "Where my veins might rupture right?" "W-What? You know about.." "Yes mother. I know everything about Clarkson veins. So I have this condition, looks like I won''t have much of a future" Aryan replied with an indifferent expression. "Aryan it''s not that..." "Mother, it''s okay. I don''t really care much about it. Come let''s meet father" Aryan didn''t give time for Abelia to respond as he quickly moved out of the room. Abelia couldn''t believe what had just happened and just followed Aryan. Abelia was really worried what this would do it Aryan and couldn''t figure out why Aryan was so calm. This made her even more worried. Aryan and Abelia walked along the hallway to the dining hall. Aryan was really calm at the moment as he had already experienced it once. "Yes! Yes! Yes! I''m back! I can''t believe all this is real. Have the gods finally heard my cry?! Hahahahahahahahahahahaha " Aryan thought to himself as his mind was erupting with questions. "Hmm. This really is strange. I can feel the presence of the mysterious bead in my dantian. I guess I''ll look more into the situation later. Now I must first gather herbs and look for an alchemist. Clarkson veins may be a curse but if one were to really understand it, then it is a blessing from the gods. Last time I was late in curing it but this time the same will not happen. If in this life I ever meet that hermit, I must thank him once again." as Aryan was lost in thought Abelia interrupted him. "Aryan, this way to the dining hall" "Yes, mother" The family were seated at the long table in the dining hall. The dining was decorated with exquisite paintings and some small statues. Even a noble would envy such a place as the items present were really hard to obtain, even if you had an immense amount of money. Aryan and Abelia reached the hall as they saw the family seated. All the members had a gloomy expression and the food on the table was not touched at all. As Aryan reached the hall, all the past memories flashed through his mind. He felt truly blessed by the gods for having given this second chance. "Aryan" Larc said as he signaled him to sit down. "It''s okay father. I have heard everything from mother" "Aryan, it''s really nothing. We can..." "Mother, it''s okay. I know what Clarkson veins is. You don''t have to...." "Aryan, please sit down. Let''s all calm down and talk" "Father, I''m really calm. I have already come in terms with this illness" "Then you know that it''s not curable" "Whether it''s curable or not is not the question at the moment. There is something else which is at the matter of importance right now" "What? What are you saying?" "I''m leaving the empire" "Aryan!" Livia shouted as she got up from her seat. "Don''t take hasty decisions! I will never let you leave the empire! You can forget it!" "Aryan, what are you saying? Why do you want to leave the empire?" Abelia who was next to Aryan held his shoulders and had almost begun to cry. "Where will you go?" Larc''s voice echoed the dining hall as everyone eyes were fixed onto him. After what Larc asked, now everyone awaited Aryan''s answer. "Ji Yan School" "What? To the distant grasslands?! It takes almost a year to go there!" Larc looked at Aryan and saw his son''s eyes had a determined look. He sighed and said "Aryan, please think about this. You can go to Royal Academy just like your siblings" "But Royal Academy isn''t the best" "It is the best in the Red Cross. I''m sure there is not much gap between the two" "Father, I have already made up my mind" "Then the arrangements shall be done" "Dear! What are you saying?!" "Dear!" "Dear! He''s just a boy! Please reconsider!" "Silence!" "My son has already decided and as his father I shall fulfill it!" "And father, I want you to call the best alchemist in the city. I have something to ask for" "Fine. I shall call him" "Then I shall take my leave. I really don''t have the appetite today" As Aryan began walking out of the room there was a lot of commotion from his three mothers but in midst of all that Larc sat questioning himself in the mind. "How has is become so calm? Why can I see so much change in him? He was always so short tempered? Did something happen? Why does he need an alchemist?" As Aryan reached the entrance he stopped for a moment and looked back at his family. Those seated at the table didn''t quite understand why he stopped. As Aryan looked back, he said "By the way, you guys can at least wish me on my next birthday" Chapter 2: God Veins Chapter 2: God Veins The Denholm household was in an uproar. The decision of Aryan leaving the empire was the talk going on with maids and servants of the household. Larc Denholm had ordered everyone within the household not to spread the news and would punish those who did. Even after Larc had said, there was curiosity in everyone''s minds. They never understood why someone who had connections with the imperial family had decided to let his son leave the empire for schooling. Some even thought it would be an insult to the empire. Amidst all this Aryan was preparing to go outside to see the celebrations at the city. Today the city would be in the festive mood celebrating the birth of Lord Hanu. As he got out of the house,he saw how lavish everything was. Everything within the household compound was the best in whatever it was bought for. He saw all the servants were in a very cheerful mood working in the gardens. When he came to the stables, he saw a man waiting for him. A man Aryan held high respects for, a man who would even give away his life for Aryan''s safety. "Uncle Kram" "Happy birthday Young Master Aryan" "Well, at least someone remembers my birthday. It''s just morning and it''s already been this tiring" "I''m sure they have their reasons Young Master" Kramer replied with a calm face but Aryan knew that Kramer had already received the news about his Clarkson veins. "I''m guessing you already know?" "A-About what Young Master?!" "Uncle Kram" "Yes, I heard about it from my brother. As your personal guard I was told that you might be in a very depressed mood" "Well, no time for that now" Aryan pulled out a slip from his pocket and handed it to Kramer. "This contains the herbs I require immediately. Give it someone who can get me this fast. Also I guess you heard that I had asked for an alchemist" "Yes Young Master, we asked the most respected alchemist to visit us. He is free today but to come here, he said he will have to gather materials. So he will arrive tomorrow" "Where is he available right now?" "He will be present at the alchemist guild in the city" "Good. There is no need for him to come. We are going to the city anyway. Let''s just meet him there" "As you say Young Master and where is our destination?" "I''ll tell you along the way" Both Aryan and Kramer left the household in a carriage. It would take them thirty minutes by road. After they reached the city they saw everyone in a festive mood. The city was busy celebrating and all the streets which were normally empty were all crowded. Finally they arrived at their destination. Aryan wanted to go the one place in the city were there was the famous statue of Lord Hanu. The statue was made of gold and was fifty meters high. This was the place were hundreds of commoners would gather to celebrate. As the carriage stopped near the statue, all the people present stopped whatever they were doing and stared at the carriage. Everyone at the scene were commoners, once they saw the crest of the Denholm Family on the carriage, they just gasped in silence. They couldn''t figure out why a noble would come to such a place. They were right thinking this way as none of the members from big families would come to a place of commoners. They thought it would degrade them. Aryan and Kramer got down from the carriage, they walked towards the statue as all the people present there gave them way. Aryan could see everyone''s gaze was on him. Aryan reached the statue and cupped his hands in front of Lord Hanu. "Lord Hanu, give me strength to eradicate all evil.....give me strength to destroy all my enemies" Aryan prayed for two minutes and looked back. "Why is everyone so silent?! Today is a day to celebrate! Come, let us dance!" The crowd never expected to see such a reaction from a noble of the Denholm family. Just then someone in the crowd shouted This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. "You heard the Lord, come let us celebrate!" "Yes!" "Yeah!!" As Aryan began to dance with commoners, Kramer didn''t quite understand what was happening. He could never predict what Aryan would do next and was worried about his safety. But as he saw Aryan dance, he knew that he was happy. Later, Aryan instructed Kramer to give the instruction slip to the alchemist guild. The instruction slip contained all the details including the herbs required and the procedure to make the pills. The alchemist guild reverted back saying they would require three hours for the strange pills requested. Aryan and Kramer strolled around the city for a while as they had to wait for the alchemist guild to give them the pills. As they went through the city, Aryan couldn''t help but realize what he had done the last time on his thirteenth birthday. He had thought that it was the end of his life. He wanted get away from everyone and had decided to leave the empire. Even now leaving the empire was the best choice he had ever taken. He had met people there that would change his life. He had met both friends and enemies. Friends that he would not want to miss in this new life. But the one big mistake he had done was that he had never returned home after he left. But now he vowed to change everything and in this life the same events would never happen. After getting the pills from alchemist guild, Aryan told Kramer to buy some herbs that he wanted. At dusk, they finally came back home but Aryan was in high spirits. Now he would use the pills to cure his illness. When they got home, Abelia and Livia told Aryan of the arrangements they had made to celebrate his birthday. "No more celebrations as I''m done for today. Uncle Kram, don''t let anyone disturb me today no matter who it is and send out all the maids. I don''t want to be disturbed" Aryan replied coldly as he thought this was the only way to keep everyone at a distance. Aryan walked to his room and closed the door as both his mothers stood there in silence with a sad expression. As Aryan got into his room, he sat down cross legged and took the pill in his hand. To his approximation, he needed around three pills to completely cure the illness. He took out some of herbs he had bought and kept it in front of him. He had bought these herbs just in time for when there would be a backlash because of the pills. He took three pills from the sack and gulped it down at once. For a few minutes there was no reaction from the pills at all. But the pain suddenly started to erupt in his body. He felt all his veins in the body were getting crushed but instead they were expanding. The pill strengthened the veins and extra energy that still remained was used to expand the veins. As the re-work process of his veins had started, the pain was too unbearable. Before Aryan could take in the herbs, he had fainted. As this continued, the energy from earth and heaven continued to enter Aryan''s body. This surplus energy was again used in the re-work process. As time passed it was already six hours since he had fainted. "U-Uh....Oh..my...This pain! Never thought this would be the case when I would take the pills when I am in the second stage" "W-What? What is this energy? Why do I feel so powerful? HaHa..That hermit wasn''t joking....He was right! He was right!" "God Veins!" "Hahahahahahahahahahahaha" "I have God Veins!" Previously when Aryan had cured himself of the illness, it was too late. He had already long gone on the road of cultivation. He had used various methods to breakthrough to the next stages and hence the damage to his veins had already been done. But now, he had just begun to cultivate. The hermit had told him that this illness was indeed a curse but for those understood this illness, it was a blessing in disguise. He had told Aryan, if a person wasn''t late in curing the illness then his veins would expand and become many times stronger. These veins would only be found in one in ten million. This was called the God Veins. The true might of this advantage could only be seen when a cultivator had reached a certain milestone in his cultivation. Aryan had the veins he never had in his previous life. Now, he had the God Veins. "My fate was still doomed when I was a King, but this time I shall be God"