The sky was dark.
The crickets chirped amid the silence, the trees swaying from side to side as the breeze strengthened.
The world was asleep.
I stood in the courtyard of my mansion, dressed in soft gear that allowed me to move around freely. The sleeves were loose, and the fabric was incredibly thin, which made for amazing battle gear.
I held a longsword in my hand, one I had bought from one of the servants and paid for using my allowance. The hilt was golden, and the blade was smooth steel that shone under the moonlit sky, allowing me to spot my reflection.
Holding it lightly in my right hand, I swung rapidly, each slice becoming faster and faster.
My lanky body was restrictive, and I tired myself out very quickly. For that reason, I practiced minimal movement while maximizing the strength and speed of my blows, until I gained a better physique.
Although my reflexes had more or less carried over, they were not perfect.
I would lose to any Arcana user who had a little clue about what they were doing.
An exception would be Rutley, who was very clumsy and didn't know how to make proper use of the power he wielded.
My breath was ragged. My chest heaved up and down, and my shoulders and wrists were in deep pain due to overexertion. My body clicked and clacked with each unfamiliar movement, and some poses felt painful.
But it didn't matter.
I needed to become stronger.
And popularize my name all across Melisande.
Everyone should know the name, Ryan Ashford.
One thing I knew about Melisande was how power was categorized into what was called Tiers. Each Warrior and Arcana User was put into a Tier, which described and labeled their power somewhat accurately.
Tiers went from 1-10, with 11 being a mythical realm no one had attained yet.
Tier 1-3 were known as Basic Tiers.
Tier 4-6 as Intermediate.
And Tier 7-8 were Advanced.
Tier 9 was the peak mortals could achieve, after which they had to undergo a threshold named Transcendence.
Tier 10 was a realm of Transcendents. Only a handful existed across Melisande, with each Empire having a limited number of them. They were the attacking force in all wars and mattered most.
Misplacing a Tier 10 could destroy an Empire, and so they were an incredibly high priority.
Tier 11s were usually Dragons or some other Mythical Beast. There hadn't been a human Tier 11 yet. They were also known as Half-Gods, as they gained a sense of divinity at that stage.
As of now, I was below Tier 1, as I hadn't unlocked the ability to use Arcana or Aurora yet. It was quite pitiful, as most first years had already achieved Tier 1 status, and some were well on their way to achieving Tier 3 by the end of the year.
I had a lot of catching up to do.
Regardless, all it signified was a need for excellence, and for me to strive for greatness.
As I continued to swing my blade, I suddenly heard something.
My ears perked up, and I stopped moving. The chirping of the crickets turned silent, as if on cue.
Step! Step! Step!
I turned to the sound of the footsteps, my eyes wide open. My eyes locked on the cause of the noise, a hooded shadow. Gripping my sword tightly, I shot toward the intruder.
"Wait!" I shouted but received no response. By then, the hooded shadow had already escaped the mansion. Was it a servant? A maid? But then, why were they running away from me? Out of the mansion at that.
There was no reason for a servant or a maid to try to escape.
Was it someone trying to stalk me? A killer? A thief? A psychopathic murderer?
Was it Rutley or someone backing him?
That was a definite possibility, but I couldn't be certain until I identified the intruder's face.
We ran through the bushes, our feet digging into the soft mud. The hooded shadow only got farther and farther as I continued the pursuit, unable to maintain or close the distance even slightly.
Gritting my teeth, I tried to speed up, but the throbbing of my heart was too much.
My breath was short.
It was the first time in years I'd been limited by stamina rather than physical strength or a gap in technique.
"Fucking… stop!" I shouted.
We passed through a narrow opening surrounded by trees. Suddenly, I heard a loud thud in the distance. As a smile blossomed on my face, I sped up, having witnessed my prey fall to the ground.
By the time he got back up, I was right on his tail.
Just a few more yards.
A few more feet.
A few more inches.
Got you, bitch.
I violently pulled on the hood, dragging my own body down with it.
However, at that moment, the hood tore. I barely managed to prevent my face from slamming into the mud, practically crawling to sustain my balance. I cursed at myself inwardly, finally turning towards the hooded shadow.
At that moment, it was like time stopped. I went numb.
The shadow and I just stared at each other for a few seconds, locked in a trance. But it seemed it was only I, as the shadow quickly took off, leaving me sitting on the dirty mud, unable to move a finger.
How…
How could it be?
Did I see it wrong?
Maybe, but we locked eyes for mighty long. There was no way I made a mistake.
I stared at the sky, unable to process what I'd just seen. Unconsciously, a single laugh escaped my dry lips as I wrapped my arms around my head. The laugh morphed into a bright smile as I held back the raging emotions in my heart from exploding.
How… the hell?! How could it be?
The person I'd seen a few seconds ago…
How could it be my brother?