The next morning Aiden woke up to an empty stomach. He climbed out of bed in a slight daze as he ran through last night's memories.
A smirk stretched across his face, he was a cultivator now! He had truly stepped on the path to immortality.
His stomach growled to remind him of its presence before he snapped out of his excitement. He was sorely depleted after yesterday's activities. Aiden frowned, cultivation burned a lot of energy. He had to find a way to get more food.
There was no way to do that here though, so escape needed to be planned as soon as possible.
Aiden made his way to the kitchens in the same way he had every day before then. The only difference was that today he had a guilty conscience. A high level cultivator could easily see through the strength of a lower level cultivator.
He was deeply afraid that he would run into someone and be exposed. Though such an occurrence would be highly unlikely, as anyone who could cultivate with any talent would be nowhere near this side of the manor.
Still worried, Aiden kept to the shadows as much as possible. His nerves on edge, he felt as though every person he encountered was an enemy sent to capture him.
He received his small pittance of a meal from Housekeeper Lorraine much earlier than yesterday, and slipped away to take a bite out of it.
As he approached his courtyard from the shadows he overheard conversation from within. His sharpened hearing aided him in this moment, as he would never have been able to hear whispers from this far away.
"Why are we here then Mav?" Whispered one disgruntled voice, seemingly a young adult male.
" 'Cause we were given orders to catch the little brat who lives here Bren," An older voice replied back.
Chills ran down Aiden's back as he realized what was going on, fear gripping his heart. But I'm not ready yet! He thought desperately, how did they know? He hadn't had time to make any plans or gather any supplies.
Aiden gritted his teeth before turning and leaving. His hands trembled in nervousness as he tried to soften his footsteps and creep away quietly.
He began to slowly speed up, darting behind bushes and trees. His goal was a small exit hole he knew of. That was where he had snuck out of the manor from on the few occasions he had left.
His heart was racing in his chest, he seemed to feel countless eyes on him as he ran. It seemed as if every shadow had someone hidden inside waiting for him.
Aiden tried to steady himself and not let his fear overcome him. He needed to stay focused or else there was no way he would live through this.
He soon came upon the small hole hidden in the weeds. Without any hesitation he threw himself into it. As he clawed his way out of the other side, he seemed to hear voices from behind him.
Aiden lurched to his feet and began sprinting. He didn't know where he was going, only that he had to run. He ducked through alleyways and behind buildings in an effort to throw off his pursuers.
But, even though he had gone through the cleansing and even achieved Skin Like Jade, it couldn't change the fact that he was only ten and pretty malnourished at that.
The footsteps and voices seemed to draw nearer every moment. He couldn't tell how many there were, and he couldn't waste the time and focus to turn his head.
They were close to the city wall now, down by the river docks. Crates were piled high, and porters scurried to and fro carrying goods on and off barges. The sound of workers shouting and the water of the river rushing by seemed to cover the sounds of his pursuers.
Aiden tried to weave between stacks of crates, but when he thought that maybe he had succeeded he felt someone grab his arm.
"An where do ye think yer goin?"
Snarled a grizzled older man. He was wearing the uniform of the Moore family servants, and he sneered at Aiden's wide eyes. He was covered in dirt and seemed slightly out of breath after a long chase on foot. The man pulled out a small dagger and pointed it at Aiden.
"Ye've led us on a merry chase 'aven't ye? Well ye best behave and come with me obediently or else thing might 'ave to get a bit messy," the old man leered threateningly.
Aiden stared back at him wide eyed, fear engulfing him. As the man saw that he seemed to be frozen in fear he smirked and then turned to drag him back towards the manor.
Time seemed to slow for Aiden in that moment and he wasn't sure what exactly came over him. Anger? Courage? Perhaps he was just unwilling. Unwilling to let his small spark of hope be so easily snuffed out.
Like a bird who had been trapped in a cage, he finally saw the sky. He wouldn't let anyone drag him back to his prison cell!
When the man's attention left him briefly, Aiden snatched the dagger from him. And with all the strength he could muster he stabbed the grizzled servant.
He didn't even look to see where he stabbed him, he just turned and ran when the man let go of his arm due to pain.
Aiden shot through the docks trying to escape. He dared not look back for fear that the man was right behind him. All he could hear was the pounding of his own heartbeat and his ragged breathing as he pushed himself to the limit.
As he turned a sharp corner, an impact struck him from the side. He flew for several feet, before landing with a splash in the river.
Aiden felt the cold water envelope him and panic as well for a brief moment. A thought struck him when fear threatened to paralyze him.
The river flows out of the city! He let the current carry his body downstream. He desperately held his breath until it seemed as though he would faint. This was it, his last chance.