When would the future have been like if He never showed himself? What would I have done with my life, wasting it on a small piece of land? I am grateful for the opportunity and honor to grow my empire. I can see it already, the war ravaging continents…

A large fire crackled in the middle of a newly raised campsite, its smoke rising up into the orangeish purple colored sky of dusk. A few tents were raised and a couple piece of sizzling meat hung above the fire. A small wooden totem was placed as near the center as possible, carved in the image of an ugly-looking human. Clothes hung near the fire as well, water still dripping from them as they began to dry.

Kai looked at the totem with curiosity, remembering that his grandpa also used totems to keep an eye on the surroundings and protect the camp. He sat around the campfire wearing the few clothes he had left that were still clean, a pair of simple pants and a shirt. He didn't wear any boots or socks, as he didn't have a change of them. Onyx sat nearby as well, his fur now whiter than before but still not completely clean.

Yasa was at a table, taking notes. Her black, long, and dry hair cascaded down her shoulders as the sound of the scribbling pen echoed through the camp. She wore a long robe and loose pants, and an even longer cloak covered her body entirely. Her body shivered and she sneezed, taking a break and looking around the camp.

Jinchevs cleaned his large sword with a dry towel. Its color changed from white to crimson red and black as he wiped off the blood and gore that stuck to it, and had a whetstone ready to sharpen it as well.

Lutha sat near Onyx, who had allowed him to pet his fur after Kai assured him it was all right.

The evening turned out to be peaceful. The fire crackled softly and there were no gobelins or other animals that disturbed the peace. Kai had an uneasy feeling about it, but that's been the case ever since they entered the forest.

He pulled out the map he had bought… the one that he got scammed for, and the location of his missing soul pieces shone as if they were waypoints. When she said it would be like a video game, I didn't believe her. This is weird, like… how did she even do this? Gods are something else. It even shows my current location…

Kai noticed that he was very close to the missing soul piece, as it was placed right in the middle of Lustra. His heart raced with anticipation. He longed to know what it held, what he was missing. It was a piece of himself that broke off at some point, whether it was when he reincarnated or before that. One thing was for sure though, they came with him and scattered around the continent.

One was in Lustra, two were in The Forbidden Forest, and three were evenly distributed around Aravia, excluding Lustra. One was in Mnatu, the beast people's country, one to the western mountain range, and one in the single place he really didn't want to go to: Demon's Island.

He wasn't sure why it was called so, but it was easy enough to guess. Demon… maybe the thing that attacked me and Léandro was a Demon? That would make a lot of sense… However that raised another question, why would the demons want him? Kai sighed, hoping that he would never find the answer, but he never knew what life had in store for him.

For one, he would have never expected to be taught magic from someone whom he travelled with for a few weeks.

Can't believe he made me start so early… A shiver ran down his spine as he recalled the pain his mana veins felt right after trying Lutha's exercise. Spread out mana both inside and outside in a straight line… I thought it would be easy but with my body exhausted it proved much too difficult. He said that was the point, and I can see what he means but it's so frustrating.

Kai grumbled inwardly, as he didn't dare do so out loud. Aina taught him that complaining about what you are taught would result in punishment, and she did it the hard way. His body still remembered what Euphy did to him after Aina requested it.

I'd rather not go through that again… that lady was evil.

Lutha let him rest after he tried a few times, and decided that tomorrow would be a better day to start training. Kai agreed and helped set up camp was much as he could. No words were spoken in that process besides simple orders and guidance. He felt an awkward atmosphere growing but he couldn't discern why exactly. Regardless, after setting it up and and putting the clothes to dry and meat to cook, everyone went and did their own thing.

For Kai that meant doing nothing and watching the fire as he planned his next steps. The others got busy with whatever they could, and Onyx slept peacefully after taking a few dips in the river and cleaning himself with wind magic.

A strange calmness overtook the camp, where the only sounds were the fire and the scribbling of pen on paper. Kai found it eerie, as not even that long ago their lives were in danger. His confusion showed on his face, obvious for everyone to see.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

"That's just how it is," Lutha said without looking at him. "One moment you're dying, the next you're drinking. When you live as a mercenary, every second counts."

Kai's head turned to Lutha and inspected the man. He was scrawny and wore clothes unlike those of a mercenary, more like those of a scholar. Yet, here he was, amidst Yasa and Jinchevs who were more than freaks of nature. He didn't question it though, as there were plenty of strange people in the world. "I suppose that is true." He agreed, lowering his gaze toward the fire. "It's a bizarre feeling."

"The more you roam the world the easier it will get. There are a lot of things that will want to kill you, especially the more west you go. This area is much more calmer than where I come from. Well, if you ignore the gobelins."

"Where do you come from, then?"

Kai's question left Lutha silent for a second but in the end, his lips parted, and he said in a bitter voice. "At the edge of the Kingdom, about a year's travel from here on foot, there is a city named Borka. It's guarding most of that side from the monsters inside the Forbidden Forest and is a central hub for that area. It's big, almost as big as the capital. It's been a cultural wonder for a long time, as all sorts of races and people that want to make a name for themselves go."

"Countless guilds and groups have their biggest base of operations there, and money flows in and out in bulk. However, because of its proximity to the forest, there is constant fighting and infighting. The war against the monsters that want a taste of human flesh is a constant event."

"It's gotten worse in recent years, as the beasts turned more violent. We fear a full-scale war is imminent."

His voice hid a tinge of melancholy as he explained what his hometown was like. Kai was impressed by it, as he didn't remember much of what his original home was like. The Vampire Kingdom wasn't his home, and the house he once called such disappeared along with his parents. He grits his teeth upon remembering Haniard and his viciousness and wants to do nothing more than make him pay for what his parents endured.

However, he calmed himself down as much as he could and said with a shaky voice. "I'm not sure if it's a good city or a bad city."

Lutha shook his head as he took a stick and picked at the fire. "I don't think there's any good or bad in it. Just those who do their best to survive, those who use others, those who are being used. They're all just people with families and dreams, there's no black or white, Ichor, just gray."

"I left," he sighed, letting the stick turn to ash inside the flames. "I wanted to go to the capital and become a scholar, a teacher, a philosopher even. But you know life isn't as simple as doing what you want to do."

"I…" Lutha hesitated, glancing at Yasa. "I almost died, not to a vampire or to a beast, but to a man. He seemed desperate, and he was stronger than me. I had no money on me besides a few silver and the clothes on my back, but I guess I must have looked rich compared to him. He put a knife up to my throat and threatened to kill me if I didn't give him all my money, but upon seeing how little I had he got angrier. Then, he tried to kill him, for whatever reason."

"Yasa saved me then, by cutting the man's neck off with her sword. That was the first time I had seen death, actual death, and my clothes got dirty with his blood. It was shocking, but to Yasa it was another Tuesday."

"She wasn't the same Yasa she is now though. Back then she was more unhinged, and I, more of a fool. After calming down I decided to follow her. She saved my life, I wanted to repay her. She said she did it for a client, that the man who wanted to kill me was a gambling addict who borrowed way too much money from a gambling den."

Lutha stopped once again, his dry lips smacking together before he cleared his throat. "I'm sorry, I must be boring you with my life story."

"No, not at all," Kai replied in a hurry. "I appreciate you telling me. Puts life into perspective, I guess."

"You're right." Lutha nodded. "What about you, why are you traveling out there by yourself? You look young, shouldn't you be with your family?"

Kai's pupils constricted, and he bit his lower lip by accident. The purple sword appeared after he placed his hand on the ground, reflecting the orange flames back as a purple ray. "This is all that's left of my family." He said bitterly with a trembling voice. The meaning was clear, and he didn't explain further. He didn't take the sword back though, letting it lay on the grass for a little bit more.

Lutha gulped as he looked at it, and his lips parted a few times. Kai noticed that, but could only guess what his question was going to be. "It belonged to my father."

"It's… a magic sword, isn't it?" Lutha asked, feeling cautious.

"I suppose it is," Kai replied with his eyes fixated on it. "I don't know much about them, but this one seems to have a mind of its own sometimes." The silver one does too but at least I know why that is.

"Swords like these are rare," Lutha explained and looked away. "It's a good sword, I'm sure Yasa could explain it to you better than me."

"Thank you," Kai said, glancing at the woman whom he didn't know whether or not she wanted him dead. "Did something happen between her and… vampires?"

"I have no idea." The man shook his head. "She doesn't really talk about her life. Jinchevs though… his family was eaten… raised as livestock by a vampire once. They lived in captivity inside the Dwarven Mountain Range. I can only imagine what sort of horrors he endured before the Inquisitors arrived."

Livestock? Kai looked Jinchevs with a perplexed expression. Like cows and pigs? The thought of raising humans like that made him shiver, after all even animals had better living conditions in his old world.

Well it makes sense he hates me so much then, if I had to travel with someone like that as well it would be hard to control myself.

"I'm… sorry." He hesitated to say, though his apology was said to the wrong person. Lutha shook his head but didn't continue the conversation anymore. Night fell, the darkness welcoming the stars, and the stars wishing sleep upon the camp. After eating their fill, Kai returned with Onyx to a smaller tent after excusing himself from the group and fell asleep in his companion's soft fur.

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