《Broken Mirrors》


 Chapter 1: Prologue [1]

    Pfttt! - The sound of a solid punch is landed.


    "Haha! Look at this wimp!" Aries turned his gaze to the bully gripping his bloodied collar. "Hey Edwin, don''t you think that''s enough?" said a female noble with purple hair, seated in the corner.


    "Robin why are you trying to defend this idiot? He should know his place; he''s the only one who hasn''t awakened yet. Finn hold him up. He says as Finn picks him up.


    THUD! - Another punch connects with his face.


    Blood spills from my mouth onto the ground as I turn to look up at a foot coming directly toward my face. As I wince bracing for the impact but, to land before it lands, a strong gust of wind blows, pushing the bullies away.


    "What do you think you are doing?" a familiar voice rings coldly. I turn my head to see my older sister.


    She glances at the bullies then looks down at me with disappointment.


    "All of you report to the office for punishment." She says to Edwin and his lackeys.


    KRGHH!.. - He grits his teeth and walks past her, letting out a frustrated grunt.


    Aries sits up and looks at his sister. "Lyna... I-" She interrupts him.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    "Shut up! I always have to save you. Why couldn''t you be stronger?" She walks away in frustration.


    Aries sat in a bloody mess after watching her walk away. After a few minutes of silence, he decided to get up and leave. He glanced at the date on his phone.


    ''Birthday tomorrow huh? Will she come?... I doubt it.'' He thought to himself.


    Alone... whether it''s at home or at school, the word echoes in his mind.. "Alone" He mutters to himself.


    He shakes his head and begins to walk home. As he''s walks, he sees his childhood friend ''Seraphina'' talking to her new friends. Things changed as they grew older. The duo, once described as inseparable, has seemingly drifted apart.


    He looked at her with eyes filled with sadness and emptiness as he continued to walk away. Little did he know, she gazed at his back as he walked away.


    After his walk home, he arrived at his castle.


    "Young master welcome home." The butler said, nodding as he opened the door for Aries. However, Aries ignored him, as he was too absorbed in his own thoughts. He walked through the empty house, disregarding the pitying gazes of the maids and guards who watched him with pity.


    While walking to his room, he glanced at pictures of his family and he paused at the family photo of him with his parents and siblings. He began to recall a time when his parents and siblings showered him with love but, that changed when he failed to awaken his abilities. His parents seem increasingly busy and often unavailable during his times of need. Overall, he felt as though his family had distanced themselves from him, treating him like the black sheep. He decided to stop dwelling on it and shook his head.


    He walked into his room and turned to lock the door. Then, he made his way to his bed and reached under it to grab a bag. ''Tonight is the night, huh?'' He thought to himself. He clutched on to his bag tightly as he fell asleep.

 Chapter 2: Prologue [2]

    Awakened by the moonlight streaming through his window, Aries grabbed his bag filled with his belongings and decided to open the window to sneak out. He climbed down the railing and dropped to the ground, landing near a bush. As he walked through the garden, he squeezed through the gate at the back of the estate.


    While walking away, he looked back and smiled bitterly. "It''s alright; I doubt they would miss me anyway."


    He turned to continue his walk toward the city. After a few minutes, he arrived in the city.


    ''Okay, I''m on my own, but what should I do now? I should have some money in the bag.'' He thought to himself as his stomach rumbled. ''Let''s get something to eat.''


    By this time, all the restaurants and street food vendors had closed. He looked around and spotted a general goods store. He hurried inside, hoping they weren''t preparing to close for the night.


    As he walked into the store, the fiery-looking woman turned her attention to him. She raised an eyebrow and asked,  "Kid, what are you doing here at this time of night?"If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    "Looking for food." He responded.


    "This is a general goods store, kid, not a restaurant. We don''t serve food here." Noticing his dejected expression, she sighed. "Wait here." She then went into the back to retrieve something.


    A few minutes later, she returned with a plate of leftovers from the fridge. "Here kid." Aries nodded and replied, "Thank you, as he began to dig in. She watched him as he devoured the food.


    "So what''s your name, kid?" the woman asked.


    He looked away, remaining silent. After a few moments, she pressed on, "Come on, what''s your name?"


    He hesitated, his voice trembling as he replied, "I''m not sure." He glanced at the woman warily before finally saying, "Aries."


    She smiled and extended her hand to shake his, but he flinched. He attempted to play it off, but she noticed and pressed on. "I''m Kara." He glanced at her hand and hesitated before finally shaking it.


    "Do you have somewhere to stay, kid?" she asked.


    "No" Aries responded.


    She contemplated in silence for a moment as he continued to eat.  "how about you stay in my shop with me?"


    He looked at her, confused. "But why?"


    "Why, what?"


    "Why are you helping me?"


    She smiled and asked, "Do I need a reason to help someone in need?" He continued to look at her, confused.


    ''Sigh'' "Fine kid, since you need a reason, how about you become my assistant in the shop, and I''ll provide you with a place to stay?"


    Aries thought for a moment and eventually agreed, "Sure."


    "Great!" she exclaimed, rising to her feet. "Let me show you where you''ll be sleeping. She led him to a room that contained a small bed pallet.


    "When you wake up, I will teach you what I need help with in the shop." she added with a smile as she left the room and headed up the stairs.


    "Goodnight."


    Aries smiled as he lay on the bed, contemplating before drifting off to sleep.

 Chapter 3: The Light

    Time has passed over the course of a few weeks, and Aries has fully embraced his role as an assistant to Kara.


    Today, the shop is closed; however, he heard someone speaking to Kara after he woke up this morning.


    He got up and walked outside to see who she was talking to, and he spotted three people. "Oh hello Aries come meet my friends." He walked over and listened as Kara introduced them.


    "This is Celeste." Kara said, waving her hand toward the stunning woman with long red hair, an incredible figure that men would go to war for, and captivating eyes.


    "This is Svend, their butler." The man was a muscular warrior who exuded an intimidating presence simply by being near him.


    "And-" A gorgeous girl about the same age as Aries, emerged from the aisle.


    "Mom I can''t find the¡ª "


    Time seemed to stand still as both youths locked eyes. Although Aries was undeniably handsome, in this world, power reigns supreme, and most women naturally gravitate toward a man who can offer them protection.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    COUGH- Celeste coughs while smiling at the two youths who are gazing at each other.


    Kara continues, smiling, "And that little cutie over there is Ella."


    "Hello, nice to meet you. I''m Aries." They all nod as they exchange introductions.


    Kara nudges Aries. "How about you help Ella find her item?"


    "Uhm, sure." Aries blushes as he walks over.


    Kara looks over at the two still standing at the counter "Youth, am I right?"


    Celeste giggles.


    "Hey do you need help?" Aries asks Ella.


    Ella glances over, blushes, and quickly looks away. "Yeah, I''m looking for fire pellet powder."


    Aries glanced around. "Sure, just a moment." He walked over, reached for the top shelf, and grabbed the powder for her. However, he clumsily dropped it, causing it to roll toward her on the ground.


    They both exclaimed, "I got it!" and accidentally bumped their heads together as they descended. Rubbing her head, she said "Ouch you dummy! I said I got it!"


    He responded while holding his head "No, its your fault. I dropped it, so of course, I should be the one to pick it up."


    "dummy"


    "stupid"


    "idiot"


    They locked eyes, held their heads, and burst out laughing.


    "You know, you''re the first person to ever speak to me like that," she said.


    He responded "What, like a normal person?" She nodded. "I''m a noble, so I''m used to people trying to suck up to me to earn points. That was.... refreshing." She said with a smile.


    Aries stared in shock at her beautiful smile.


    Celeste interrupted them and said "Seems like you two are having fun over here, huh?"


    Ella picks up the fire pellet powder and hands it to her mother, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.


    Celeste notices her blush and turns to Aries.


    "Well young man, we will be back every few weeks to pick up some things. You can entertain her again next time." she said with a smile as she waved goodbye to Kara.


    Aries walked past the counter and headed to his room, his face flushed with embarrassment. Kara noticed and continued to laugh.

 Chapter 4: Back to the Dark.

    Once again, I find myself back at square one, feeling alone. Avoided by friends and family, often looked at with disgust or pity because of my perceived weakness. A question that repeatedly echoes in my mind is: Why me? Why me? WHY ME?


    "The real question is, why not you?" a deep, cold voice echoes.


    Aries finds himself in a dark space. "Why....Not...You..."


    "I have watched you for years, boy, and I have often wondered why someone like you would harbor such dark power within. However, the more I observed, the more I understood the reason. The voice echoed.


    "So I am going to ask you a simple question."


    "Do you desire... power?"


    Aries continued to look at the ground, his eyes now appearing drained of life.


    "......Yes"


    "Hahaha!" The cold, menacing laugh echoed throughout the space.


    "Good, Now enjoy our gift."


    Aries began to scream in pain in the dark space as blood streamed from his eyes, accompanied by the haunting memories of the gods that flooded his mind.


    After enduring seconds of excruciating pain, he emerged from the dark void and found himself back in his body. As he gazed at the bloodstained floor with vacant eyes, he muttered "Asura."


    The lights in the shop exploded, plunging the entire building into darkness. Aries sensed two distinct abilities. He moved with incredible speed through the shadows, appearing in unexpected locations as he slashed at his enemies.


    The only time they caught a glimpse of him was when lightning flashed from the storm outside. The room was filled with the screams of men begging for mercy. The man who had originally stabbed Kara looked shocked. He was an ordinary man who could only overpower Kara because her mana had crippled her, rendering her to become like a normal person.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    After eliminating all the lackeys, he left the man alive. He approached the man, his body splattered with blood. The man fell to his knees and begged for mercy.


    Aries gazed at him with a blank expression, seized the man by the head, and violently tore it from his body. He cast the severed head aside and knelt beside Kara, tears beginning to stream down his impassive face.


    Kara was breathing heavily as she gazed at Aries. She cupped his face and gently wiped away his tears while managing a smile.


    "I wish we had more time together, kid. It was definitely fun while it lasted." she said, coughing.


    "Aries listen to me: head east until you reach the Blackwood Estate. They will take you in, alright?"


    He nodded.


    With one last smile, she added, "I''m glad I met you, Aries."


    Aries closed her eyes as she passed away and walked into the rain toward the Blackwood estate.


    It had been an hour before he finally appeared at the front gate of the estate. The first guard halted him, shock evident on his face as he noticed the blood covering him, and shouted, "State your business here!"


    Aries looked up at him with his lifeless eyes. "Can you call Butler Svend here?


    The guard obliged, and Svend appeared at the gate in shock. "Boy, what happened?"


    "Kara..She.." Aries said.


    Svend walked up to him and said, "Look at me."


    Aries looked up at him with eyes that seemed devoid of life.


    Svend appeared sad for a moment as he ushered him inside the estate and seated him in the lounge.


    Celeste spoke with Svend to understand what had happened and hurried to the lounge with Ella. Upon entering, they found Aries lost in thought.


    Celeste finally asked him, "Aries, can you tell us what happened?"


    He looked up at her for a moment and finally explained how Kara had passed. Celeste responded, "How did you manage to escape?"


    Aries gazed at her coldly and stated, "I killed them."


    Svend and Celeste sensed the murderous intent behind his words.


    "When I witnessed her being stabbed, I awakened my abilities and killed them... and obviously I was too late to save her."


    Celeste responded, "Aries, I know what you''re thinking, but sometimes there are things that you can''t control. You can''t save everyone."


    "Is there anything we can do for you?" Celeste asked as she bent down to speak with him.


    He paused to gather his thoughts before explaining anything.


    "They stated that they intended to target you aggressively and aimed to seize your shipment."


    Celeste appeared shocked, and her eyes revealed a hint of anger.


    Svend asked, "What does that have to do with what you want?"


    He looked up coldly at Svend and Celeste and said, "Whoever did this to Kara..."


    "I seek revenge."