《Tales of the Rageborn》 Prologue - I am.... I woke up to the metallic creaks and groans of the stairs as they strained beneath the weight of someone walking. Darkness greeted my eyes as I slowly opened them, scowling as a rotten smell permeated the room. *BANG BANG BANG! "GET UP YA BLOODY C*CKSUCKER! GET ON THE DECK!! NOW!!! I slowly stood up, tying my ragged clothes around my body as they were continuously falling down. Those blasted Somali''s didn''t even leave me with my clothes when they sold me off to my new "owners". ''Just my typical fucking luck'', I swore when I was captured and humiliated by them. I used to be a typical business man, on his way to India, overseeing a freighter ship with our cargo onboard. Bloody top-skin heads insisted that we needed someone looking after the damn cargo. After rounding the Cape of Good Hope and entering the trade route towards India, we were attacked. Not by military ships. Not any shady business rivals. But by pure, good to honest.... Pirates. That''s right. Pirates. Welcome to 2047 where pirates still roam. I was captured. And sold as cheap labor. Not even a ransom. They didn''t even try for that. After all, the top heads of our business insisted that this would be a incognito, non-official thing. I reached the deck of the ship as I finished reminiscing. An illegal shark/whale hunting ship, hunting for both shark fins and whales, as they were now considered prizes worth hunting for. I shivered in the arctic wind as we had traveled far down from Somalia. The rest of the crew looked at me with humour, as they rounded the other five ''slaves'' as well. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. The captain of the ship grunted as he got off his fat ass, and grinned at us. "Welcome on board this fine vessel. We hope you enjoyed your stay as you are now departing." The crew jeered and snickered at us as the captain spoke over dramatically. "Today is a fine day to hunt, and we are in need of bait! Alas, our poor dog here has eaten the lot of it, and now we don''t have any!" I glared at the captain. Fucking bastard was toying with us. It''s obvious what he''s trying to do. I had too many encounters with sadistic assholes like him. "We don''t have bait! So now crew! What do you say we do?" The captain turned around and addressed the crew. All of those sick fucks turned to us and grinned. "TOD SPIEL! TOD SPIEL!!!! TOD SPIEL!!!!!!" The crew chanted louder and louder. Seemed like they were german. Who would''ve figured my high school german would kick in now. The fuckers were screaming "Death game" at the top of their lungs. Sickening fucks. The other prisoners started to panic. The damn bitches were going bat shit crazy. Well at least two of them did. The other three who were men seemed to have given up. Me? Well, I wasn''t gonna go down without at least trying to something. "My dear, dear ladies and gentlemen, we will now provide you with a tool. Using this tool, you will need to fight each other. There is only space for one person on this ship beside me and this crew, and we need to cut our losses! So", the captain leaned forward with a gutting knife and stabbed it into the wooden crate in from of him. "First come, first serve!" Prologue part 2 - Rekces The other five prisoners stared at each other, as well as me. As the crew men around us passed us their knives, we began staring at each other, some in despair, others with determination. We all stood still, standing frightfully as we didn''t know what to do. I looked around and saw one of the guys looking back at me. He flicked his black circle rimmed eyes towards the biggest threat, a 185cm tall black guy, as if suggesting that we kill him first. The big dude didn''t pay any attention to us and just stared at the captain. *SLAM, "MOVE IT YOU FUCKING SHITS!!!!" The captain roared, and instantly I ran at the guy who looked at me and aimed for his trapezius muscle, or the area between the shoulder and neck. The bastard jumped backward, and my knife slashed lightly across his chest. "Fuck," I spat, shifting to the side as the stabbed at me. I twisted around and sliced his throat. The bastard stared at me, with a look of betrayal and anger burning in his eyes. I immediately looked around, and saw that the two whiny bitches had their heads caved in, courtesy of a big black dude who was now taking care of the last guy besides me. All the while the crew and captain were jeering and betting. The big guy soon took out his adversary and shambled towards me. Fucking hell, I don''t want to become shark chow. I stepped backwards and grabbed the knife of the guy I killed earlier. Adrenaline was working overtime, slowing down my vision as well as dimming out all noises. I ran at the big guy, and he ran towards me. His already bloodied fist smashed into my ribcage as he sidestepped my knives. I fell down, with hazy vision and groaned miserably. I could feel his boot on my head as the crew was shouting, "FINISH HIM!!! FINISH HIMMM!!!!!" I glared at the captain with my hazy vision, and saw him looking straight back at me. He smiled and made the hand gesture that stilled the blood of all gladiators. Thumbs down, and I clenched my eyes shut. ---------- "Open your eyes." I heard a voice say. I slowly lifted my eyelids as a bright light stabbed at it. Squinting, I gazed around me. "Whe...where is this? Where am I?" I muttered. "Mr. Andrews Sanson, died at age 32, fighting against a Mr. Welzekky, head dismembered. Born in 2015, in Seattle, to a junkie and a prostitute. Abandoned at 7 years old and raised in an orphanage ever since, you managed to reach the middle class and worked for a military company. Interestingly, you had many issues with anger management and stress when you were young." The owner of the voice seemed to be reading a resume of sorts. "Who are you to know my life? Who are you?'' I shouted. My childhood was a sore spot for me. I did not want to hear anything about it. "I am Rekces. Guess you can call me a god, though you are an atheist. But never mind that. Lets talk for a bit." The scenery shifted, revealing a view of earth from space in all its glory. A coffee table rose up, as well as stools. I sat in one of them, and another was taken by a rather hazy outline of a being. {Think of the god from full metal alchemist} "Mr. Andrews, do you believe in fate?" Rekces asked. He took a sip of coffee that rose with the table. "Do you believe in a pre determined path that all men and creatures, even gods are doomed to follow?" I gazed towards the Earth. Once a beautiful blue and green gem, it was now torn, sundered into shades of grey and red. The results of industries and civilization could be easily seen. I replied, "I don''t believe so, yet it seems that this question is supposed to be rhetorical." The god chuckled, "You do not seem to be dazed. I suppose with all that has happened in your life even death is nothing of concern." Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. I grimaced. "Death is but the end to all struggles. It is emotions that cause man to fear it. I have lost most of mine." "Yet, you are still quick to anger. In that aspect we are similar." I stared directly at him. The shady outline had now solidified into a heavy jawed burly man in a black suit. His lips were raised, showing a amused smile, yet his eyes were empty of such emotion. All I could see was grim determination. "Do you see the emblem behind us? What does it stand for?" I turned my chair around and gazed at a bright shining symbol. A golden circle with four spokes, with a serpent entwining itself on it. "I see a circle and a snake." I replied. The god chuckled. "That, is the symbol of the elder gods, for there are others beside me. They are the ones who uphold the laws of fate, and punish those who defy it. It stands for the ever-turning wheel of fate, and the serpent of time." "Every soul is subject to this cycle. It repeats forever, never changing. No matter how much you struggle, you are never free." "Have you ever felt despair so immense you felt like dying? Have you ever felt so useless and depressed in your life that you wanted to end it all?" I scowled as I remembered my entire life. "You might think that it would be different each time you live. No. It repeats. Over and over. This vicious thing is called fate." "And I intend to destroy it. Both the council and the wheel itself." I turned back and saw the god. A chilling aura could be felt, his eyes lit with a fire burning fiercely, his jaw set in determination. "And you will be my weapon." The images of my past flew in my mind, screeching pain and desperation as I unraveled my memories. Pain. Horror. Despair. Desperation. No joy or happiness. I had lost my emotions due to these events from long past. Yet, one was surging forth, raging as I realized that this life would never change, even if I struggled. I clenched my fists as I felt my anger, my rage wash over me, engulfing me in a rampage of emotions that burned. My.....fucking life....starting from my birth....all this pain.....it was all determined FROM THE VERY FUCKING BEGINNING!!!! NO!! NOOO!!!! FUCK THIS!!! "What do I have to do?" I glared at the god. Humour flitted briefly in his eyes as he beheld me. "The elder gods are old. Millennia''s old. Yet they have not always been here." His eyes sparked as he leaned in forward. "There have always been remnants, ruins of other beings. I have their records, their very DNA in my grasp. And I have figured out that they could defy fate itself. When I injected myself with it, I was free. No repeats. And now, so will you." "You are to be my representative in a world that is the playing field of the gods. A different world, a different universe. And there, you will get the chance to break the cycle, for the gods elect the council of elders there." Suddenly, the coffee in my cup started to tremor as the very air began to rumble. The god stood up with a grim face and turned to face me. "It seems the other gods have come. I do not have too much time, but I will say this. Betray me, and you will remain a slave to fate forever. Obey me, and you will live according to your efforts. I hope you choose well. I will contact you as soon as I get the chance. The world you will enter is a strange world, and you will have advantages such as your memory. Use them discreetly, and wisely. I cannot explain any further. I bid you farewell." Rekces waved his hand, and my vision darkened. --------------------------------------------------------------\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ Chapter 1 A small child was lying down shivering in a dirty shack of a house. He squirmed and reached towards a dirty thin blanket with a trembling hand. Abruptly, a door burst open, and a wretched looking man with a bottle of beer entered the room. The child whimpered and curled up into a small ball as the man started to curse darkly under his breath. "Fucking whore leaving me a useless little shit to take care of...." the man muttered as he kicked aside a empty bottle in his way. "Oi, you little shit, go get me some more beer!" the man bellowed at the boy. The child rose up slowly, and went to the kitchen and brought a bottle for his father. The man grumbled and snatched the bottle from the kids hand. The child went into the corner that the man said was his ''room'' and laid down again. I opened my eyes, trembling slightly as I remembered my dream. Panting, I desperately tried to get the image out of my head. It didn''t vanish though. After all, years of abuse and misery couldn''t be wiped away easily. It had ben 2 months since my meeting with Rekces. After he sent me, I was reincarnated as a baby in a foreign world. After that, it was uneventful though. When I was born, however, I remembered what Rekces said about fate, how beings always followed a cycle. At first I thought I were to go through hardships yet again, following the road of pain I had already gone through. After thinking carefully, I realized that it wouldn''t be exactly the same as my last life. But still, I should prepare myself for the worst. Currently, I am living in a rather small house with my mother. She had long wavy blond hair, emerald eyes and a beautiful smile. Her body was luscious, well proportioned breasts as well as long thing legs. All in all, she was a beautiful woman. However, these days she rarely smiled. For some reason, she would abruptly cry when she would gaze at me. Other times, she sat late at night, in front of a candle with her head in her hands. She seemed depressed, worried over something. Besides my mother, I was also living with who seemed to be my brother. He also gazed at me with a look of anxiety every time he came home. I am worried at how my life would end up. It seems that my family is not a happy one. As I was reminiscing, abruptly, I woke up from a daze at a loud creaking noise. *Creeeeaaakk* The door to our house was slowly opened, as a wisened old lady entered the house. I stared at her from my crib. She had a bent back and was holding onto a huge basket filled with various things. I saw my mother greet her warmly, and ushering her towards me. I looked nervously as she approached my with a crooked old smile. They began talking to each other, gesturing at me as they did so. The old woman looked over at me, a look of pity on her face. She took out a needle and a vial filled with a clear liquid and proceeded to prick my arm. I whined in pain as the needle pricked me. A drop of blood formed, and she quickly dropped it into the vial. My mother and the old crone left the vial on a stand and stood patiently. I watched on, curious and indignant as to why they would do that, to a baby no less. It became clearer to me when the old hag murmured something as the vial began to tremor slightly, shifting colours as my blood dispersed in the liquid. My mother looked depressed, with a glimpse of reluctancy in her eyes. That''s when it all went wrong. The vial suddenly turned black, the colours vanishing into a deep dark substance. Both my mother and the old hag paled and took a step back as they looked on in horror. The vial began to shake more and more until finally, BOOOM This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. It sent my mother and the old hag flying. I was startled, as well as worried for my mother. I began to wail loudly, for help. I could hear someone shouting as they ran towards our house. The young man who I think is my brother burst into the house, looking around frantically. He saw my mother and the old woman lying down and called for help. As he entered, he looked at the remnants of the vial, and saw that the contents were black. He stared at it, then turned to me, with a look of anxiety and horror in his face. He murmured darkly as he walked towards me, worry and cautiousness deep in his eyes. I looked back at him, worried at what he might do to me. Then, my mother groaned as she slowly stood up. The young teen moved towards her and carefully helped me up. As they did so, other men came in and helped usher both of the women out of the house. Left alone, all I could do was worry and sleep. ------------------------------------ It''s been two months since my child has been born. My husband had left long before he was born, and I was the only one left to care for him. I decided that his name would be Aleron, Aleron Qwintun. Working for the family was hard for me, even with the money my husband left me. I already had a nephew that I was looking after. Although I love my son, it was getting exceedingly more difficult for me to be able to look after him. The money that my husband had left me before he set off would only last until Aleron would be 7 years old. I became worried, as I had to decide wether to wait for my husband, or find another way to take care of Aleron when he becomes 7. I cursed my husband for leaving me and my child, going off to where he could die and no one would know. I struggled for months, even before Aleron was born. I looked for jobs, for work that could help me support him. Eventually, I gave up, and decided to test if Aleron would be able to enter the Institute, a facility that takes in young children if they have an aptitude for magic. I....I am a horrible mother. Try as I might, I couldn''t find a way to keep him with us. Each time I gazed at him, I felt miserable, and humiliated at my uselessness. My nephew tried to help me by getting small jobs and cheering me up, but it was futile. The situation got worse when a famine hit nationwide, causing the market price to go up. I contacted the Institute in desperation, not even knowing wether my child would have an aptitude for magic. The Inspector, a wizened old woman came in. I greeted her, and proceeded to check wether my child would have an aptitude for magic. She pulled out a vial full of a fluid that would see wether they had magic or not by changing colours. The Inspector dropped some of my sons blood into the vial. I waited feverishly, reluctant to see the results. The vial changing colours meant different things. Yellow - No magical affinity Green - Below average magical affinity Blue - Average magical affinity Purple - Above average magical affinity Red - Extreme magical affinity The vial shifted colours, from yellow, to green, all the way up to red. I stared at it, unable to contain my emotions of shame at being happy that his magical affinity was high, as it would mean that he would be sent away. Then it changed to black. His magical affinity was something we had never seen. Moreover, the vial suddenly began to shake violently. Both me and the Inspector paled, and were sent flying as it exploded. I crashed into a wall, and fell unconscious. ----------------------------///////////////// Chapter 2 6 years had passed since I was born. I was almost 7, and I had a mop of messy black hair and eyes, and was rather short and skinny. I should''ve been a happy child at this age. But, my life had gotten sour ever since the vial incident. My mother, Emily, refuses to look at me in the eyes ever since then. Each time she had to come near me, she would avert her eyes and rush around, finishing whatever she had to do as quickly as possible. My cousin, who I initially thought was my brother, seems to hate me. He would mistreat me whenever he got the chance, spilling soup on my clothes, tearing apart my only belongings, or even occasionally punched. Strangely enough, he seemed to adore my mother, treating her as his own. It made me suspect that my mother was now his mother in his own eyes. My father seemed to have gone long ago, even before I was gone. They say he used to be a decent mercenary, but he vanished long ago. Anyways, I am almost 7 now. At first I attempted to play with the other children of the village, but they would always end up beating me, or at the very least, throwing rocks at me, screaming "Runt!" or "Goblin!" due to my small small stature. As it was, I ended up spending all my time indoors at the local equivalent of a library. In this case, it was the Clerics house. The Cleric was the only one who would acknowledge my existence as a human being. Even my mother refused to do so for some reason. The Cleric would help me learn how to read, and she would often teach me various things such as the local vegetation, or herbary. When I asked her to teach me magic, she refused, saying, "The Institute has strict rule regarding magic. If disobeyed, the lesser punishment is death." Shocked, I asked her, "Who are the Institute? Why do they regulate magic?" Shandra, the Cleric, replied, "The Institute, is a special place. They take in young children and turn them into fearsome warrior, cold and calculating tacticians. They were the ones responsible for securing us humans land, even when we are surrounded by elves and dwarves." Elves? Dwarves? The hell? My mind was scrambling around to accept this knowledge. In my past life, I had a hobby of collecting and reading old novels, masterpieces of long forgotten authors. One of my favourite had been about a all powerful ring, and now, in this world. there were dwarves and elves? I asked her if there were any other races as well as who where the elves and dwarves. "Hmmmm... How can I say this in a way you would understand......"(Reminder, she thinks the mc is still 6 years old, when mentally he is older) "The elves are old, very old people with long pointy ears. They much better at everything us humans can do. If you meet an elf, you have to be very careful. Because if you anger them, they will hunt you down, no matter what." She smiled warmly as she explained to me. I was sitting opposite of a table to her as I listened. "The dwarves on the other hand....They are very sturdy. They have better strength than us, yet they are short. Really really short. They are actually about as tall as you!" She said while rubbing my nose. "Shandraaaaaa" I whined, pulling my head back. Though she might think it was cute, it actually hurt a lot. She continued on, "The dwarves also have really really long beards. They are loud, and often love drinking beer. You''ll learn what beer is later." Shandra picked up a book and flipped through the pages. "Besides them, there are fierce creatures, like this dragon!" She exclaimed, holding a picture of a gigantic lizard with wings. :Although you''ll learn more later, just know that we humans, are weak," she said suddenly, in a serious tone. "Listen carefully child, if you ever meet any of them, either run or bow. They are strong, much stronger than us. Don''t anger them." Blinking away the sweat that suddenly formed on my forehead, I said "Yes Shandra" as I left the Cleric''s house. The bright young woman soon went back to work, collecting the herbs that she was growing. I collected my books and left for home. The sun was setting as I slowly walked down the dusty road. The village children were also returning, screaming with joy as they chased each other. I looked at them, and was reminded of my past, and how different they were. I looked down at the ground, and returned home. The candles were lit in our small shack. My mother and cousin were talking to each other as I walked in. They both went silent, my mother offered no words of welcome, and my cousin stared angrily at me for disrupting the mood. I went into my room, and ate the bowl of food they so graciously placed there for me. Sighing, I pulled out a black book, titled, ''The History of Augura, And Uster." I read it already, and found and ignored all the endless propoganda that manipulated what seemed to be the true history of the two countries. ''The righteous and just country of Augura, was invaded in 840, 5th month of the year of the Kraken.'' I mindlessly read. Strangely, this world named their years after legendary beasts. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. The first year was Fenrir, Second was Leviathan, Third was Cerberus, Fourth was Kraken, and so on and so forth. They repeated themselves every ten years, meaning there was a ten year cycle. I could only wonder why it was affected by Earths naming sense. It seemed this world had many connections to Earth. Well, that was something to ask Rekces. As I flipped through the pages, my door opened all of a sudden, not taking my eyes of the pages, I mumbled, "Get out of my room, Eric." Eric was the name of my cousin. But who answered me was not him. "Son....We need to talk." My mother spoke softly. I looked up, and saw her standing at my door. I stared at her, and she beckoned me to follow her. She left, and I hastily followed her. She sat down at the small table we used for guests, and my cousin sat next to her. I sat down. "What is it mother?" I spoke. It was the first time since 4 years ago since we last spoke. I couldn''t bear to speak to her, and she couldn''t to me. We had lived in silence since then. She replied softly, "....It''s your seventh year soon. It''s almost time for you to go to the church and receive your blessings." "Blessings?" I asked. From who? Why? My cousin spat out a sigh. "You must be an idiot, not knowing what you should already. Every child get''s a blessing from certain gods. Those gods become "Chaperone gods" and the child, their champions. The gods give blessings in return for you doing their bidding occasionally. When a child is 7 years old, like you will be, they must go to church and receive those blessings. But that''s not the reason why you''re here right now." "Eric..." My mother seemed to be warning him. "Then why am I here? I thought you both hate me?" I asked softly. My mother raised her head, and looked at me in the eyes for the first time. I could see tears in her eyes as she gazed at me. Her lips were trembling softly as she silently said "I am sorry. I''m so sorry." "What are you sorry for?" I asked as Eric gave her a cloth to wipe her face with. "What did you do?" She replied, "I.....You....." She breathed in as if composing herself. "When you turn 7, and receive your blessings, the Institute will come here to take you. I....Had you take a test, many years ago, wether they would accept you or not. They did, and they will take you." "When," I simply asked, "When exactly." She stared at me, "Aren''t you angry? Sad? That I, Your mother, who should raise you, a 6 year old child, sold you off like livestock to the Institute?" She said angrily, as if berating herself. I looked at her. I softly said, "It isn''t hard to leave when you ignored me since I was born." "Shut up, you brat!" hissed Eric, "How dare you speak like that to your mother!" "Like I said, it''s almost as if she isn''t my mother." I went back to my room. I didn''t feel anger at my mother. Or happy to leave my cousin. No I felt apathetic. I really don''t care what happened to either of them. Ever since my past life childhood, I lost almost all emotions. But still, I admit I did feel a slight bit of something as I went to sleep. Something similar to sadness. --------------------------------- When my son entered the house, I didn''t know what to say to him. ''I sold you off?'' ''You''re going to the Institute?''. I can''t even look at him. I hadn''t since the acceptance letter from the Institute came. But, it was only 2 weeks till the ceremonial blessings. 2 weeks until he would leave for the Institute. I had to tell him. I had to talk to him at least once. I mustered my courage and went to his door. "Son..." I called out. The first ever time I said that. We gathered at the table. As I talked to him, I felt afraid. Not at what emotions he would show. No, I had already prepared my self for the anger and sadness that would come. But it didn''t. He looked empty. The first time I had ever looked into my child''s eyes, and I didn''t see a thing. Only dark blank black eyes, filled with no emotions. I was angry. At him for not showing me his emotions, for I had to see what he thought, as well as myself, for having to say this at all. He said a few words that broke my heart. "It isn''t hard to leave when you ignored me since I was born." It''s true. I had. Even so, I did take care of him. But what he said shattered what was left of my weak emotions. "Like I said, it''s almost as if she isn''t my mother." I.....I am not fit to be a mother. I can''t believe my own son said that. I....I can''t do this. Not anymore. No longer. I give up. I decided to stop being a mother that day. My son seemed to have lost faith in me. I won''t try to get him back. I, Emily Qwintun, am no longer a mother. ------------------------------------/////////////////////////// Chapter 3 2 weeks have flown since the day my mother told me about the Institute. The day after that, she looked at me, but coldly, as if I was someone completely different, not related to her. I honestly don''t care. Not because she is not my ''real'' first mother, who by the way had been a prostitute, but because I literally stopped giving a damn about both of them. Acting around them had been tiring for the past almost 7 years, and I finally was about to escape them. The only regret I do have is having to leave Shandra. When I told her my mother told me I was to go to the Institute, she froze and dropped the jar of herbal remedies she had in her hand. When she turned to look at me, I saw a look of horror and pity in her eyes. She told me to tell her what had happened exactly, and she put her head in her hands, as if depressed. As I left her house, I could faintly hear her from out of her window, saying, "Poor boy...The Institute will destroy him..." After that, it was pretty uneventful. Then came the day of the ceremonial blessings. I stood at the church, with the other boys and girls from the village. We stood in lines and rows. I was amongst the smaller of the group of kids. The largest boy was about a head taller than me. I brushed my mop of hair out of my eyes as the Priest who ran this small church came out. He stood in front of an altar, and spoke to all of us, "We are gathered here, in ordinance of the gods, to keep the oath we have sworn so long ago. As the gods bless these younglings, and we provide them their doings, we shall keep our pact true, and honour them for blessing us so." As he spoke, I noticed that some of the adults had in their hands, small necklaces, with symbolic figures in their hands as they bowed their heads. Amused, I noted that some children copied their parents, yet looked around soon and had bemused expressions on their faces. The Priest soon finished his chant, and he then spoke, "Rodrick Tuam, Come forth to the altar!" A rather confident looking boy walked forth, swinging his arms comically as he did so. Some parents smiled amongst themselves, and laughed, as the child strutted like a chicken. "Put your hand on the altar, and repeat after me." The Priest put his own hand on top of the boys hand. He then spoke, "I hereby solemnly pledge," "I hereby solemnly pledge," "That I will protect and honour" "That I will protect and honour" "The God or Goddess whom blesses me," "The God or Goddess whom blesses me," "So hear my praise, for I call out to you, Gods" "So hear my praise, for I call out to you, Gods" "To bless me, and to protect me, for I will do the same to you." "To bless me, and to protect me, for I will do the same to you." They finished chanting, and as they did so, a green aura enveloped the boy, but soon dissipated. Nonetheless, the Priest raised the boys hand and shouted, "PRAISE HIM! FOR H IS BLESSED BY ASTRUS! GODDESS OF AGRICULTURE AND STABILITY!" "PRAISE HIM!! PRAISE HIM!!!" shouted the parents. My mother also joined in, adding her small voice to the call. I narrowed my eyes and thought, ''Just watch. I bet that she won''t even open her mouth when I get blessed.'' The line decreased, as each child was enveloped in different coloured aura''s. There were occasionally 1 or 2 who had multi coloured aura''s. The Priest and the families of that child would look extremely pleased, as they had been blessed by multiple gods. Finally, it was my turn. Boldly, I stepped up. I had to pay attention to my feet, as I knew the other children would try to trip me. The Priest looked at me, tired, as he had been shouting for the past hour and a half. He looked like he was saying, "for fucks sake, lets get this over with." I put my hand on the altar, and spoke the chant loudly, repeating after the Priest. As I did so, I looked out at the crowd. I could see Eric, and my mother, coldly staring away. Strangely enough, Shandra was looking at me with a mixture of warmth and pity. I looked at her carefully, as her emotions warmed me up. At least one person cares in this fucking world, I thought. Then I notice that she wasn''t blinking. No one was. Hell, no one was even breathing or moving, cause I could hear my own breathing. "So, how are you"" I heard a familiar voice say. "Rekces......."I snarled. I''m not happy at him. "Why the hostility? I remember that I let you live again?" Rekces asked questioningly. "You scumbag. You said this cycle would be different. For the love of flying fuck, why the hell is my mother such a bitch?" I spat. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. "Well, A, you also acted like a bitch. You didn''t even try to get close to her. And B, I haven''t even broken you out of your cycle yet. So shut up, before I think otherwise." Rekces snarled coldly. "I''m having difficulty connecting to you as it is, don''t waste time over useless things such as family. I know you don''t care for them, so don''t even act like it." "Fuck off," I said, angry at him, "Anyways, you said I hadn''t broken out yet. Why? I thought you promised." Rekces sighed massively. "Fucking mortals..." he mumbled. "I didn''t YET, emphasis on they yet, because last time we met, you were still a soul." "What''s wrong with that?" I asked. He sneered, "Can you give a fucking soul DNA? No. It doesn''t work that way, ass for brains. Anyways, here, take this and shove your arm up it. It''ll give you what you want." He tossed me a black metallic pair of gauntlets as he said that. I caught them. "The fuck are these supposed to do?" I asked. He replied with a heavy sigh, "Oh I don''t fucking know, maybe give you the goddamn shit you want?" I looked at them skeptically. They looked like a pair of black leather Kevlar gloves, reinforced with metallic scale mail, as well as having an ulak fused with it. The ulak, however, was lined up to fit the arm, so that it wasn''t sticking out. Ulak I nervously put them on, fitting my small fingers into the massive glove. As I did so, the whole thing suddenly clamped on my arm, shrinking as it did so. Then, a stabbing feeling filled my arm, as if a 100 needles had all stabbed straight into my nerves and released some poison. Screaming in pain, I fell to the ground, unable to even grip my hands to numb the pain. Rekces looked outside, bored, as he sat in a floating coffee stool. He trimmed his hitman looking business suit as he waited for me to be able to speak. I slowly stood up as the pain subsided. The heavy things weighed my arms down as I raised myself. Rekces looked down at me. "The.....the fuck was that." I spoke. "It hurt like shit..." "That," Rekces said, "was because your whole DNA structure changed. You see, the stuff I found, only works if it affects the vessel a soul is in. Strange right? Even I had to inject it in me, and it hurt like hell." "Anyways, those gauntlets should keep you safe for a while. You can take''em off, it doesn''t matter too much. These bunch, "He said indicating the crowd, "should probably think that you got em from me. It isn''t too rare for it to happen." I leaned my self on the altar. "Wait just a moment. You said that this stuff...changes the DNA. Am I even human anymore?" Rekces took off the sunglasses he had on for a while and stared at me with those grim eyes. "What an interesting thing to talk about. Because, as you think, the answer is no. You are something.....different. Something...ancient. I think we''ll see as we go along, because not even I know what will happen." On that note, Rekces vanished, and abruptly, a red and black aura burst around me, surprising not only me, but the entirety of the people gathered as they moved yet again. The Priest looked astonished as he beheld the aura as well as the gauntlets that I now had on. He stuttered as he said, "Praise this child, Blessed by Rekces, the God of Carnage and Savagery, as well as Nemestra, Goddess of the Unknown." The whole church was quiet as they beheld this small, dark child with black hair and eyes, who was wearing a pair of massive gauntlets that had blades. The Priest stood silent as well, before Aleron, Blessed of Carnage, Savagery, as well as the Unknown, stepped down from the raised platform, and left the church. No one stood in his way as he made his way out. Even Shandra stood silent as she looked at this child with such ominous blessings. Aleron noticed it, and thought, ''Everyone is the same. All simple fish, frightened at the smallest ripple.'' He left the church, and was met by 4 armoured soldiers, with hardened expressions, as well as a familiar old women, whom he had met 6 years ago. "Well child," she purred, "The Institute seems like it has another excellent......student. Aleron Qwintun left the small village of Densworth that day. Chapter 4 Night fell as the rickety carriage stopped momentarily. The old driver, took out a tinder box from his dirty over coat as he attempted to light the lantern that hung from the carriage. The four guards men who were on their own horses also did the same, holding the lantern in their hands after they lit it. The old driver grunted as he lifted himself up, taking hold of the reins as he did so. The rickety old vehicle shook as it moved, waking the two passengers who were within. Aleron woke up, annoyed that he was interrupted from his rest, and grimaced as he breathed in the stuffy air, mixed with the scent of sweating horses. He opened the carriage window and looked outside, ignoring the other passenger, who was smiling as she observed him. Aleron refused to look at her. She was ugly after all. She had a bent back, mangy black-silver hair, with yellowed teeth. He was already pissed at the fact that he, who was used to riding business vehicles, was to ride in a stinky, stuffy box, with an old hag. The other passenger grinned wider as she saw his discomfort. She then spoke to him, for the first time after getting in the vehicle. "We should be arriving soon, young one. It would be best if you wore your new uniform." She purred. She had a strangely soft voice, contrary to her hideous looks. Aleron looked at his side uncomfortably, where a black and silver outfit laid. He muttered, "And how am I supposed to do that with you in here?" She smirked, "You''re only 7 years old, and you act so conceited. Almost as if you were nobility. I guess we won''t have to teach you too much etiquette when we get to the Institute. Anyways, hurry up and change. It''s not like you have much to show." Aleron sighed as he thought, ''Blasted old hag is making jokes like that at her age. Annoying.'' Aleron fidgeted, before finally taking off his tattered clothes, and put on the outfit. It was a uniform you would see Military officers would wear, Stiff shoulders, weighted pants, the whole deal. He raised a his eyebrow as he looked over to the old woman questioningly. He noticed that she was grinning as she held a crystal as if recording something. He realized she had been holding it for the whole time. ''Great. Not only is this woman old and ugly, she is a pervert as well.'' He tried to snatch at the crystal, but she put it away cackling, "Observation Log 23. Save and store." ''Fuck....'' he thought. He sighed again as he asked her, "So who are you? I think it would be polite if we had a proper greeting, which you never did." She stared at him with a slight smile, before she said, "I, am an Inspector of the great Institute. Call me Margerie, I am to be your personal Observer, and Helper for when you are the Institute." Aleron groaned as he realized what she had implied. He was to be stuck with this perverted, dirty old lady as long as he was at the Institute. He sighed for the umpteenth time, before he said, "I suppose you know already, but I am Aleron Qwintun. Unnoticeable, Unremarkable, small child of age 7. Pleased to meet you Miss...Margerie." Stolen story; please report. Margerie smiled as she replied, "Pleased to meet you." Aleron gazed outside as he said that. ''Ignore her,'' he thought, ''just ignore her...'' He then realized it had gotten surprisingly darker all of a sudden. ''Wait..., isn''t that.....'' A large black citadel loomed in front of them, towering as it casted its shadow over them. Margerie cackled, "Welcome Aleron, to the Institute!" ------------------------- "Now that you have thrown away your shackles, what will you do, young mortal?" Beneath the murky depths, where even gods don''t go, a beautiful woman smiled darkly as she licked her finger tips. ''Ah,'' she thought, ''this..this will be truly.....delicious.'' She merged with the black haze that filled the endless ravine, and a laugh rang out as she disappeared. ---------------------- Rekces tapped his fingers against his throne. They were bickering again. Mere children, fighting over obsolete matters. "SILENCE!" He shouted. The minor gods trembled as Rekces looked outwards darkly. Little did they know, he wasn''t angry or annoyed. He was mildly amused as he peered out at the mist which covered his domain. It had been a minor whim, in fact, that he would pick this mortal as his champion. He could''ve picked anyone. A hero, a dragon, a demon...yet, he chose this small mortal being. Sure, there were laws which even gods followed in their small game that they played to ensure the next generation of Defenders of Fate, yet still, he chose one of the weakest beings ever. A human. A creature whose only asset was the collective knowledge they had gathered throughout centuries. An old, yet weak race who depended on flexibility and adaptability to situations. Yet he chose one of them. Honestly, he has no real expectations for the little mortal. Maybe a brief refute in the boredom he was facing. Although he was concerned about the way the wheel of fate was turning, he didn''t have a clear way to do anything about it. Maybe this mortal will do it. Rekces closed his eyes as he listened to the soothing sound of fire crackling. ---------------------------- A golden ethereal wheel, forged out of the collective parts of souls from across the galaxy, turned slowly yet surely, crushing, yet raising souls who begged and praised. Then, *CRACK* A serpentine eye opened as it gazed upon the wheel. A small piece of it seemed to have fallen out, and vanished. The serpent rose from it''s resting place. It gazed at the minuscule crack in the wheel, and it hissed, furious. The wheel will turn, it thought, it must. Forever. --------------////////////////// Chapter 5 The Institute. Created by the Humans, the Institute, or the Institute of War has long been recognized as a harsh learning place for human war potential. It was the Institute who managed to secure humans lands amongst dwarves, elves and various magical beasts. They trained thousands of mages, all proficient in the arcane arts, as well as heavy infantry, heavy cavalry, archers, etc... However, that was not their main point. The Institute of War was built on top of an anomaly, on top of a major vein of ores and ley lines. The Arch-Mages of mankind constructed the structure by raising large amounts of obsidian from beneath the surface. As it was, the Institute of War was also humanities central hub for research. The students who entered there were often reported to have been changed, both mentally and physically. Thanks to that the Institute has a bad reputation for both humans and other races. -------------------------- The moment we entered the Institute, I could see that it was...different from all the other places I had been. It was a strange environment, seemingly medieval, yet filled with arcane constructs. Even the simple chandeliers were lit by blue flames. The atmosphere was heavy, as if gravity had intensified. The entrance hall was filled with other students, who were either whimpering nervously, or strutting confidently. Some were leaning against the dark black support columns, while others were grouping beneath the large ornate chandeliers that were hanging in the middle of the room. However, something was strange. The students seemed to be gathered in groups of ten, with a Inspector beside them. I asked Margerie, "Why are they gathered like that? Do I have to go in a group as well?" She raised her bushy eyebrow. I shuddered as it moved, it reminded me of a caterpillar. "Every Inspector is responsible for 10 students. You however, are a...special case. That''s why you are underneath me." As we entered, I put my gauntlets inside my small duffel bag. I didn''t want to be wearing the heavy things. It was a struggle for me, as the stupid blades didn''t even have a sheath to put on. Fucking Rekces, I grumbled. As the area around us went silent, I noticed that as Margerie stepped forward, all the Inspectors seemed to revere her, as if she was their boss. She seems to be more than she seems. "Oh! That reminds me, I should probably revert to my normal form." She suddenly murmured. I stared at her. Normal form? What are you? A second grade middle schooler? She took of a small pendant, which looked like a salamander. As she did, her back suddenly straightened, her scraggly bush of hair flowing down, turning to a caramel brown, and her wrinkles melted away. What stood in front of me was a rather beautiful woman with brown hair, chocolate brown eyes as well as a rather luscious body. My jaw dropped as she changed from an old, ugly hag, to a beautiful woman. "Pfffff" She laughed. "Your eyes are about to fall out, Aleron. Am I that beautiful?" "Well, I was shocked at the fact that such a beauty would also be such a pervert." I retorted. I''ll be damned if I would let her get the last word. "Mmmmhmmmm," She said as she straightened her cloak, "I only do that to children who look rather....nice" "Pervert." I grumbled. As we were bantering, the other students seemed to have noticed us. Margerie and I stood in line as we awaited something. "So why did you look so.....hideous earlier?" I asked. "I had to go incognito because I''m rather...well known in these parts. Anyways, shush child, the headmaster is coming." "How do you..." "SILENCE!!!!!" The large ornate double doors slammed open, as a robed man stepped forth. Bald, with a black beard, wearing deep red robes, he stepped forward on the balcony which led to the doors he just exited. The entrance hall went quiet as he shouted. Even the chandeliers seemed to stop rocking. "*Cough* WELCOME TO THE INSTITUTE YOUNG CHILDREN. I AM YOUR HEADMASTER, PROFFESSOR DERRICK SEBTAN. I IMAGINE YOU ARE ALL TIRED, YET WE MUST GO THROUGH A FEW THINGS BEFORE WE GO TO REST FOR THE NIGHT." His deep authoritative voice boomed throughout the hall. Several Inspectors plugged their ears as they ignored him, while others gritted their eyes in annoyance. Margerie slitted her eyes and took out a small knife as she trimmed her nails. "GOOD. FIRST OF ALL, I IMAGINE YOU HAVE ALREADY MET YOUR INSPECTORS. THEY WILL BE ASSISTING YOU THROUGHOUT YOUR YEARS AT THIS INSTITUTE. I HOPE YOU WILL NOT TREAT THEM AS YOUR SERVANTS, AS THEY ALL HAVE POSITIONS IN OUR MILITARY." At this little tidbit I couldn''t help but take a step away from Margerie and stare at her. This pervert is in the military? She raised on eyebrow and smiled as she saw my actions. "BUT LASTLY, WE HAVE A SPECIAL EVENT FOR ALL OF YOU." The headmaster grinned as the hall turned deadly quiet. "Please kill each other." ---------------------- The hall turned so silent we could hear a pin drop. Suddenly, all the Inspectors vanished, including Margerie. I looked around nervously. This was too familiar for me, too similar to how I died before. I''d rather be damned than go through that again. Everyone started to look around nervously. Some of the boys slowly pulled out daggers and swords, while some of the girls took of their heavy outer robes, revealing a large array of weapons, such as parrying daggers, mini-crossbows, and various vials of liquid. Everyone seemed to have anticipated this. ''Fuck me,'' I thought as I wore my gauntlets, ''I would literally kill for a sword. At least its better than nothing.'' The headmaster pulled out a chair out of nowhere and sat down, grinning madly. I took of my overcoat, and began hopping in my tracks. In my past life, it was mandatory for the citizens of what were the remnants of the US to practice self defense. Most people chose karate, but I, I chose Muay Thai, the art of killing. Compared to other martial arts, Muay Thai appealed to me, because they had the highest kill ratio due to their use of elbows and knees. In fact, Muay Thai became the staple of the modern U.S Navy Seals, they were often used for covert assassination operations. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. I hadn''t practised any of the movements in a long time, and my body is that of a barely 7 year old child. The odds were against me. At least I was better than the others, who were dropping their overly lavish swords and daggers. "GET TO IT" the headmaster roared. I ran into action, aiming for a dagger a rather small kid was holding. He looked at me in fright as I pummelled my heavily mailed fists into his head. He slumped forward, dropping his knife as his head caved in where I had slammed my fists into. I hefted the blade as I observed the utter turmoil happening around me. Some crazy ass bitch was chucking poisons and acids all around us, before someone who was smart shot her, ending her life. Unfortunately, the vials had already taken out a couple people. Arrows and blood sprung into the air as 7 year olds hacked and stabbed at each other. The whimpering ones had already been silenced when I walked slowly towards the turmoil. I breathed in and out, in and out, just keeping to the rhythm of my heartbeats. For some strange reason though, I didn''t feel fear. Instead I felt....strange. Like...happy? Is this how I''m supposed to feel? ''Just small little hops,'' I thought, ''focus, focus.'' A big brute with a too-big-for-him sword ran at me. I hopped sideways to the left as he slammed his sword on the ground. I shoved my right elbow into his eyesocket. He fell on his knee''s crying in pain. I slashed his throat as then I ran at a little girl too focused on shooting others. Running, I stabbed my dagger into her back, pushing it through until it popped out of her ribs. She gasped in shock, the cold blade spurting out red liquid that looked, eerily, like high grade wine. "REYNA!" a little boy shouted, spilling tears across his blood spattered face. It looked like they had been working as a little tag team. However, the small mental lapse he showed proved to be his doom, as another boy shoved his sword up his ribcage. He slumped to the ground crying as his life-blood spilled forth. I realized five kids were surrounding me. They all had daggers in their hands, panting slightly as they looked around in case anyone might potentially help me. "Aww, it''s a scrawny little shit, trapped in a cage." one of the boys sneered. ''Geez, language,'' I thought, ''is this how medieval children were like?'' "Hmmm, well more like your trapped in here with me." I said, grinning savagely as I tugged on the cloth that I had wrapped around my gauntlet. The blades shined red as they reflected the light, now turned red as the chandeliers flames had changed colour after absorbing blood. For some reason, I felt great. I felt...happy. First time I had ever felt so great, counting both of my lives. The little boys rushed at me, all swing their blades at my mid or upper section. Timed slowed down as adrenaline kicked in. I dropped to the ground, now slick with blood, and kicked at their legs. Three of them fell down, dropping their daggers and grabbing at their ankles, crying. I jumped at them as the other two sliced down, cutting my feet. "SHIT" I screamed. That fucking hurt. I glared at them as I now stood? on my knees. They looked back, angry that they hadn''t killed me. Then, the other three grabbed my legs, as I was on top of them. "Really? Fuck off!" I screamed as I shoved one of their daggers into on of their nostrils. I slammed my body into the kids holding me, barely dodging as the other two swiped at my head. Dumb little shits kept on going for head injuries. Screaming bloody murder, I tackled the other two as I launched myself into them. They grabbed at my arms, but I overpowered them. Time slowed down even more. I could see every little detail, starting from the blood specks on their faces, to the tears forming in their eyes. I even saw the headmaster giggling, and that pissed me off. Naturally, I turned that fury on my victims. "FUCKING" *PUNCH* "LITTLE" *SPLAT* "SHITS" *SPLURT* I sliced them apart as well as punched them with my armoured fists, quickly reducing them into bloody messes. Their eyes were reduced to paste, blood oozing out of their noses as well as the gashes I made. Breathing heavily and wiping blood and sweat out of my eyes, I quickly sliced at the other bastards who had been laying down, ripping apart their stomachs as their intestines spewed forward. Thank god, I mean, Thank Rekces that he had given me these gauntlets. These are a god, I mean, Rekces-send The smell of blood and the screams of children invigorated me. Before I knew it, the aura I had around me at the ceremony surrounded me, giving me a bloody image as I stood on my injured feet. I stood in a small pile of bodies as I observed the battlefield. When we began, about 800 children were here, yet now, only 100 remained. I saw brutally hacked apart cadavers, half melted corpses from acids, as well as arrow riddled bodies. Amazing how brutal even children could be. As I sat down, tying the remnants of the uniforms of my victims around my damaged feet, the headmaster began clapping, standing up as he tapped his throat. "Well done children. It prides me to see that we have already weeded out unsuitable worms. Inspectors will see to you soon, and I bid you a goodnight, as you all have proven to us that you belong here. Thank you." I sat there, tired as the aura flickered off. Just what the hell have I gotten myself into? I...killed little children. Murdered them in cold blood. But.....I enjoyed it. I loved every moment of it. Starting from how my gauntlet-blades carved through their necks, to how my heavy fists broke through their skulls. Was I always this bloodthirsty? Margerie appeared near me, smiling. "I knew you would fit right in!!!" She exclaimed. "Good thing all the others bid against me, I won a heavy pot today!" She patted a heavy sack full of, presumably, coins. "Now we have to fix you up, don''t we?" She mumbled some strange words as she rubbed some ointment on to my feet, after taking off the makeshift bandages. Suddenly, a hissing noise ensued, my wounds disappearing after the noise vanished. "Let''s go to your dormitory, shall we?" Margerie giggled as she offered her hand. You better not be telling me I''m sharing a room with this bitch. ----------------//////////////////////////