Planet Arcadia
Year- 827
Month- April 22nd, Sunday Afternoon
Outside the city of Elmwood there a compound owned by the Vagabond family sat. Inside the compound a blonde boy with dirt and cuts all over his face hung off a set of chains wrapped around his wrists. He was wearing nothing but torn up rags with what looked like cuts going through them.
"Just admit it already you damn bastard! You are the one who took the young masters [Blood Pill] didn't you!"
A man stood opposite the blonde boy with a whip in hand. When he didn't get an answer he would swing his arm out to lash at the young boy who looks to be 10 years old.
"Ah! Aaahhhhh! … I-I d-didn't take any- AHHH!"
When the man with the whip heard those broken up words before he could get another word out he had pulled out a knife and placed it directly against the boys left leg before cutting his tendons.
"If I said you took it then you took it! Now you will admit your wrong doings in front of the head master and take your punishment!"
'Ha what luck, I get to raise my cultivation with the blood pill and I won't be punished since it was this little begger who toke it! Blame yourself for being at the wrong place at the wrong time brat'
Shortly after a couple more lashes hit the boy he was left hanging there silent as blood pours out of his leg. He couldn't stop the tears from filling his eyes, at first his family was well off. He didn't have to go hungry and his mother and father was always nice to him.
That was until the Vagabond family took over, that night he wouldn't forget the scene of raiders assaulting the city he grew up in.
Elmwood is a small city on the outskirts of the Cosmos Dynasty, with it being so close to other kingdoms it was always under threat of invasion.
That was until 3 years ago after the Vagabond family invaded and took the city for the Sanctus Kingdom. Unfortunately during the battle for the city the boy's father had been killed and his mother taken away. He was left alone to be a servant to the Vagabond family.
"Mother… Father… what should I do… I want to live with both of you again… in our happy home but… I can't stand this torment anymore…"
The boy couldn't hold back his cries as he kept feeling the burning pain in his leg as well as all the bruises all over his body. He wanted to just give up, he didn't know where his mother was and no one here would care if he left or died.
At that moment someone came walking into the cell, there stood a maid. She had black hair, brown eyes, and a bag. She soon placed it down near the boy as she pulled out needles and bandages.
She seemed to have no reaction to the boys sobs and crying as she held his leg down forcing him to sit still as she stitched the wound.
After she was done cleaning the boys wounds she let him down from the chains. He could only stand on his right leg now as he heads for the corner of the room.
However the next second his eyes grew wide with surprise as he watched the maid walk out without even shutting the door to his cage. He was dumbfounded at this, first he didn't think anyone in this compound would be nice enough to help him let alone let him out!
He immediately took this chance to hop on one leg while holding the other with his left hand. It was hard to move but with the walls and bars around he started to make his way towards the stairs out of the dungeon.
This was the only way out besides through the barred windows in the cells. Unfortunately the boy didn't have the strength to break out that way so he stuck to the shadows.
'C-come on Ryder think! How do you get out of a building filled to the brim with people who has no problem putting him back in that cage…'
He was taking little breaths, he didn't want to make to much noise so he kept his breathing to a minimal as he peaks out the door.
The familiar sight of a highly decorated hallway was before him. This hallway had many different pictures and doors into other rooms as well as another hallway going to the left. When Ryder didn't notice anyone in the hallway he quickly but as silently as he could rushed out. With each candle he past he quickly blew it out before getting to the next hallway peaking out to see if anyone is there.
The only thing he could see was the maid walking without turning back at all. He quickly rushed forward limping heavily but with his hops he quickly but quietly slipped under her dress that even covers her feet! It was dark in there but he silently followed her steps all the same.
It seemed like the maid hadn't noticed him suddenly slipping under her from before. The kid has spent 3 years blending in while doing his work, if he was confident in anything it was not getting caught. Unfortunately he was at the wrong place and time! He had seen the man from before take the blood pill and yet he was getting the punishment for the mana wrong doings.
Eventually he felt the women start to turn heading for the large stairs going to the second floor from the lobby. He waited for his chance as he slipped out from under her dress using the couches and seats as cover before he finally slipped out of the front door before making a run for it towards the forest!
"Come on Ryder! You are almost there don't give up!"
He was talking to himself hyping himself up before something suddenly hit against the tree next to him. When he looked at the tree then behind him he saw that something had caused a small crater in the wood before that same man from earlier could be seen walking towards Ryder with a whip.
"Boy! You think just because you slipped out of that prison I can't catch you? Now be a good boy and let me cripple you for life before the head master!"
Ryder's face was filled with despair, he had finally gotten the courage and his hopes up to finally leave and escape this horrible situation until he saw the man he didn't want to see most of all right in front of him.
He immediately started to run away, he hopped on one leg with no shoes on through the woods! He was using every tree he passed as a crutch helping him move faster as the man with a whip ran after him swinging his weapon however it was harder then it looked!
Since the boy was sticking to areas with lots of trees and low hanging branches it was hard for the whip not to get caught on the different obstacles. Eventually the man put up the whip and focused solely on running after the boy.
When Ryder finally made it to the dirt road connected to Elmwood city he tried to use his one good leg and his arms to run towards the city like a wounded animal.
'Keep running! Don't ever stop! Keep on going Ryder, if he catches you, you are done for! Don't let him catch you, Run with everything!'
Tears flooded his eyes from the cuts and little bruises his arms and leg are accumulating but he didn't stop for a second. The man was honestly shocked with how fast this little boy was, though he should have probably figured as much. If you can't fight all you can do is run!
"Bastard! S-Slow down!"
He was running out of breath at this point, the boy however was still going strong. Though this was only out of desperation if he wasn't like this he would have collapsed a long time ago.
When he was almost half way to the city he could see a couple figures coming out of the city in a carriage. When Ryder saw the emblem on the carriage his eyes lit up, hope filled his chest as he uses the last of his energy to run directly for the carriage just to collapse in front of it.
The guards outside the carriage was a little confused, they had just started to move but now they were forced to stop after seeing the boy in this state.
That was until a head popped out of the carriage to look out front. A young girl with blackish blue hair could be seen. What was unusual was the patterns in her hair, they looked like stars, if you look even closer you could possibly even see a constellation pattern in her night sky like hair.
"Grandpa! A boy just collapsed in front of the carriage!"
The young girl soon pulled her head back into the carriage before jumping out to get a closer look. Behind her was an older gentleman with white hair and a rough looking butler with a scar going over his lips.
The girl was wearing a dark blue dress with some silver accessories, while the older gentleman wore mostly white. He seemed to have on a martial artists robes with a silver coat over top, the butler however was wearing a black suit with white gloves.
The sight of the boy made the butler sweat nervously. When he saw the man finally catch up to the boy with the Vagabond family crest on his clothes he gave that man a death glare.
The man immediately stopped in his tracks when he looked at the carriage he gasped and immediately kneeled before the figures coming out of the carriage.
"Forgive my insolence! I was just punishing my son and didn't expect him to cause so much trouble please forgive me!"
He lowered his head to the two individuals as the little girl ran over to the boy curious about him. When she got close she immediately took a step back holding her nose.
"Ewww! You smell so bad! Who are you little boy?"
Even though he smelled she wasn't going to stop being curious as to how he got like this. She seemed to be around the same age as him as the older gentleman came forward examining the situation.
"H-help… t-they are trying to kill me… please…"
The boy barely got the words out as the light in his eyes started to fade. He soon passed out on the dirt path not hearing anything else after he said those words.