In the peaceful days that followed, Aedan found solace in his humble cottage, a respite from the discrimination he had once faced from the villagers. While he wasn't entirely free from the remnants of prejudice, his remarkable display of power had served as a stern reminder to those who bullied the weak and feared the strong, putting them firmly back in their place.
Though he had not yet returned to the inner family, Aedan had been offered the opportunity to do so, to reside once more in the secluded mountains behind the village. However, he declined the offer, having grown accustomed to the simple tranquility of his cottage at the village's edge.
Whenever the opportunity presented itself, he ventured to visit the enigmatic Space Beast, thirsting for knowledge about the vast expanse beyond their world. With each visit, his understanding of the cosmos expanded. He learned the names of countless star systems, gaining insights into the intricate web of galaxies that comprised the universe.
One revelation that left him awestruck was the revelation of the Oraro Galaxy, the celestial realm that encompassed not only their world but countless others. To Aedan, the Oraro Galaxy felt vast and grand in scale, an astoundingly extensive cosmos in its own right.
Yet, as the Space Beast shared its wisdom, Aedan came to realize that Oraro was, in fact, relatively small on the cosmic stage. Ordinary galaxies, he learned, were home to billions of planets, a stark contrast to Oraro's modest few million. The sheer magnitude of the universe, with its countless galaxies, stars, and worlds, left Aedan humbled and filled with wonder.
With his days relatively unoccupied, Aedan threw himself wholeheartedly into the pursuit of mastering the Enigma and the enigmatic Heartsparks. When the tedium of training threatened to overwhelm him, he sought refuge in the vast, untamed wilderness around the Space Beast's mountain. This region, sparsely populated due to the formidable beasts that roamed its expanse, served as the perfect testing ground for Aedan to gauge his burgeoning abilities.
One day, as he ventured deeper into this wild domain, he found himself in the vicinity of a pack of Silver-scaled Wolves. These creatures were a significant step up in both strength and cunning compared to the frostbite spiders he had faced before. Aedan had learned from past experiences not to underestimate his adversaries, especially those as formidable as these wolves.
Without hesitation, he summoned forth his Heartspark armor. Crimson crystals enveloped his body, forming a seamless, protective suit of gleaming armor. A quick flick of his hand activated a switch on his belt, causing a single Heartspark to eject and soar into his waiting grasp. With a brilliant burst of radiant light, the crystal transformed into a blade of pure crimson energy, measuring ten inches in length.
After finishing the fight without any injury, Aedan was satisfied and decided to head deeper into the forest for once.
As Aedan ventured deeper into the untamed forest, he marveled at the breathtaking beauty of the wilderness. Towering ancient trees, their massive trunks adorned with moss and vines, formed a majestic canopy overhead. Shafts of golden sunlight pierced through the thick foliage, casting intricate patterns of light and shadow on the forest floor.
His footsteps, nearly soundless, barely disturbed the thick carpet of emerald moss that blanketed the ground. It was as if the very earth recognized his presence, yielding to his quiet passage.
But amidst the serenity of the forest, there was an undercurrent of life, a pulsating energy that resonated through the air. Aedan's senses, honed through years of training and experience, picked up subtle signs of movement and vitality all around him.
In the tranquil depths of the forest, the serene melody of the ancient tree's song filled Aedan with a profound sense of peace. He approached the colossal tree with reverence, feeling as though he stood in the presence of a guardian spirit of the wilderness.
As he drew nearer, the melody seemed to shift and change, its notes resonating with a new, urgent energy. Aedan's senses sharpened, and he detected a distant disturbance, a discordant symphony of chaos and violence.
He listened intently, and the sounds coalesced into the horrifying cacophony of a beast horde, a mere couple of miles away. His heart quickened as he sensed the sheer numbers and power of the approaching threat. Hundreds of beasts, led by a formidable leader, were descending upon the nearby Velen Village.
Aedan's connection to the forest had already shown him the path to the source of the commotion. Without hesitation, he allowed his crystalline armor to envelop his body, rendering him virtually invisible among the towering trees.
With a powerful leap from the treetops, he closed the distance to the beast horde, his crystalline form moving with the fluid grace of a shadow. As he drew nearer, he could see that the majority of the beasts were at the mid-stages of core formation, formidable adversaries in their own right. However, at the rear of the horde stood a creature of undeniable power, a being at least at the peak of core formation.
Aedan recognized this creature as the leader of the horde, the force driving the assault on the Velen Village. The sight filled him with a sense of urgency and determination. He knew that facing the entire horde head-on would be foolhardy, if not suicidal.
Instead, he summoned his three red Heartsparks, trusty companions forged from pure energy. With deft precision, they evaded the beasts' detection, soaring high into the tallest tree in the vicinity. Aedan took a deep breath, focusing his intent on the horde's leader, a single thought pulsating through his mind.
In unison, the three Heartsparks released brilliant beams of crimson light, their energy lances converging on the leader's head. The blinding rays struck true, creating a mesmerizing display of luminous power. The leader, caught off guard, let out a deafening roar of agony as the searing energy pierced its skull.
As the dust settled and the remaining beasts scattered, the villagers of the Velen Village could scarcely believe their eyes. Their once relentless assailants lay defeated, and their fierce leader, the most formidable of them all, had met a sudden, mysterious end.
Shouts of surprise and astonishment filled the air as villagers exchanged glances of disbelief. Even the surviving beasts appeared shaken by the inexplicable turn of events, some fleeing in terror, their ranks thoroughly broken.
Among the villagers, a young man in his teens with eyes gleaming in admiration caught sight of a fleeting crimson figure atop a tree. His heart swelled with gratitude and awe, for he knew that this unknown savior had intervened to protect their tribe in its darkest hour.
Yet, as quickly as this enigmatic hero had appeared, they vanished from sight, leaving behind a sense of wonder and gratitude that would linger among the Velen Village for years to come.
However, what followed would forever stain the day's victory with a deep shadow. Aedan, still shrouded in his Heartspark armor, ventured closer to investigate the aftermath. To his horror, he discovered that some villagers had cruelly rounded up ordinary people, treating them as scapegoats for the horde's attack. These innocents, who had unknowingly failed to notice the approaching danger, were subjected to merciless beatings and were locked away as punishment.
Aedan, his heart heavy with anger and sorrow, tried to intervene, to stop the violence and protect those who were unjustly suffering. Yet, in the chaos and frenzy of the moment, his efforts only led to tragedy. A young slave, caught in the crossfire, succumbed to the brutality before his very eyes, slipping away in his hands.
The loss of life weighed heavily on Aedan's heart, the sensation of a young soul slipping away haunting his every thought. His anger surged, not only against the lifeforce warriors who perpetrated this injustice but also as a painful reminder of the betrayal he had endured at the Sacred Soul Sect, where he had been sacrificed to a demon and abandoned by those who should have protected him.
In a torrent of anger and frustration, Aedan's resolve shattered. He lashed out at the perpetrators, driven by a desperate need to protect the innocent and to confront the cruel forces that perpetuated this cycle of suffering. The lifeforce warriors, shocked by his sudden fury, found themselves on the receiving end of his wrath.
But as the last blow fell, and the unconscious bodies of the lifeforce cultivators were left everywhere, the realization of what he had done washed over him, Aedan's heart sank. He had become the very force he had sworn to oppose, his actions mirroring the brutality and selfish desires of those he sought to challenge. Overwhelmed by guilt and remorse, he turned and fled from the scene, leaving the village behind.
Back in his cottage, Aedan grappled with the weight of his actions, torn between the desire to protect the innocent and the haunting knowledge that he had become a harbinger of violence. The newfound purpose that had once burned within him now felt tainted, its purity compromised by his own fallibility. He knew that he had to find a way to reconcile his desire to be a guardian for those in need with the harsh realities of a world that often demanded tough choices and sacrifices.
"This world is broken!" Aedan's anguished cry echoed through the stillness of his cottage. The memories of his recent actions, coupled with the haunting recollection of the dark abyss where he had been left to die, intertwined in his mind like a web of torment. It was a stark reminder of the cruelty and injustice that permeated this world, a place where the strong preyed upon the weak, where the powerless suffered at the hands of those who cared only for their own desires.
Aedan then opened his eyes, he wanted revenge against the sacred soul sect who feed innocents souls to a demon but that was far from his current feelings which directed his anger not just at the sect but to this entire world.
"It may be wrong to do this, but I won't let these guys do as they wish," Aedan whispered to himself, his determination resolute. The weight of his recent actions and the knowledge of the injustices in the world could not be ignored any longer.
On that very day, Aedan began to pack his meager belongings, his thoughts heavy with the burden he had chosen to bear. He knew that leaving the village meant leaving behind the few connections he had forged, but it was a sacrifice he felt compelled to make. Before he departed, he carefully penned letters for his beloved aunt Kayla and his grandfather, explaining his decision and promising to return one day.
As he took his first steps away from the village that had both sheltered and shunned him, Aedan felt a mixture of apprehension and hope.
With each step, he moved further away from his past and deeper into the unknown, driven by a newfound purpose that burned brightly in his heart.
He knew not where his journey would lead him, but one thing was certain: he was determined to be a force for change in a world that so desperately needed it.