'What a beautiful day to die.'

Sat cross legged under the shade of a massive oak tree was a young boy.

His looks were quite simple as he bore a full head of short dark hair, perfectly complemented by the dark robes he wore.

His eyes opened and their crimson allure was revealed to the world.

He looked around for a while before he chuckled.

"Is there a need to hide, uncle?"

A few metres in front of him, a gigantic man appeared, his entire body covered in golden armour as his mere presence caved the earth beneath him and swayed the winds around him.

"Uncle?"

The man had spoken a single and simple word and yet, the boy's face paled and he coughed out a mouthful of blood as he attempted to stand up using the tree behind him as support.

"I do not remember sharing blood with a servant."

Beside the man, three other figures appeared, all covered in imposing armours.

"Ah, let's not waste time here." Said one of the figures beside the golden armoured man as they stepped forward.

The figure waved its hands and a grand golden scroll appeared before it and without wasting time, it began to read the words etched upon it.

"I, Patriarch Aksal, stand as a divine conduit, bearing witness to Heaven's decree."

"Adonis Sarahadah, your transgressions have been laid bare, and divine justice demands retribution."

"For the heinous crimes of murder and the desecration of the sacred Sarahadah Lineage, the heavenly scales tip inexorably towards your fate and judgement."

"Henceforth, you are condemned to face the ultimate sanction."

"Death."

Adonis' eyes widened as more and more blood leaked from his orifices and shock consumed him.

"W-what? What?!" He practically screamed, ignoring the suppression set upon him as he fully stood up and gazed at the man he'd once considered family.

The difference in height and aura between Patriarch Aksal and Adonis was jarring, with one being a mere nine year old boy and the other being a seasoned veteran and emperor but despite this, the latter still looked at Adonis with a gaze full of seriousness as he spoke.

"After the extinction of your lineage, in name of the relationship we had with your father, we accepted you as a servant of our lineages."

"We clothed you, fed you, sheltered you and nurtured you- all for it to be vain. To think the boy that had murdered my brother had been living under my own umbrella. How ironic." 

The fury that consumed Adonis as he heard these words couldn't be described in simple terms.

He could practically see Patriarch Aksal's disgusting smile under his metallic helmet as he uttered his beautifully crafted speech, full of lies and deceit.

'So I was right…'

His thoughts were cut short as Patriarch Aksal's aura descended in full force and he was forced to his knees, his kneecaps shattering in the process as his previous wounds only worsened.

"Your public execution will be happening soon."

He turned around and calmly walked back along with the other three armoured warriors as he spoke these final words.

"Ready yourself, traitor."

*****

Adonis slowly opened his eyes and was greeted by the familiar darkness of the room he'd been locked in for the past three years.

He hung above the ground, his arms tied by chains linked to the walls of his cell as cuffs bound his legs to the floor beneath.

He was completely chained.

His body, covered in scars and dried up blood stunk of impurities and his figure seemed shrivelled up as any form of muscle or fat he'd previously had in the past was gone.

'Thirty seven seconds.'

Suddenly, his cell's lightbulb was turned on and the wall in front of him trembled before revealing the outline of an embedded stone door.

"Freaky! How are you doing today? Sorry, I'm late. My daughter had her awakening ceremony today so I had a lot of work to do! Haha!"

Walking in was a middle aged man with short slicked back grey hair and vibrant blue eyes.

His white robes and glasses only added to the scholarly aura he emitted as his perpetually hanging slight smile instilled a sense of comfort and warmth within all that met it.

"I also had to fill out a bunch of paperwork since your execution is coming up and I have to submit the results of our little therapy sessions."

The man waved his hands and a table appeared in the corner of the room.

He dropped the stack of documents he had within his hands and looked at Adonis' pathetic figure with a content smile.

"I can't believe it's been three years already! Studying that freakish body of yours has truly been a pleasure. Truly." 

The dissonance between the man's disgusting words and his endearing tone would've sent anyone into shock but by now, Adonis had already gotten used to it.

'Twelve seconds.'

The man sighed.

"This is most likely gonna be our last day together, so let's make it count!" He joyously said, his face painted with a smile full of hope and bliss.

The man waved his hands and white runes appeared alongside a rush of formless azure energy that coated his palms.

He brought his two palms together and the azure energy that coated his hands turned into a malevolent scarlet as the white runes became of an opaque obsidian.

Slowly, he separated his palms and as he did so, between them, a long bloody spear began to take shape.

As the man did so, Adonis slowly closed his eyes and allowed the words of his late father to ring within his mind.

[Hmph. Why would you use the same scale as these useless idiots? The amount of time you take to awaken your Gift is proportional to the level of the gift in itself.]

[Who cares if the geniuses of these useless lineages awaken them at birth? Just trust me and the blood that flows within your veins.]

[You know what? I'll let you in on a little secret.]

[If my calculations are correct, just like your mother, you'll awaken your Gifts on your twelfth birthday.]

[In other words, you'll awaken your gifts in 1,460 days. Now, tell me, what do you have to be worried about?]

[Just train hard and count the days till you stand above it all.]

'One second.'