Aron's fists clenched upon reading that the dead body belonged to Marvin.
According to the simulation, Marvin left him after everyone discovered that he didn't have any talent. He had abandoned him without a second chance, without considering how much he mattered to the young Aron.
While parts of Aron were sad to see the dead body of Marvin. Those parts were hanging onto the past. Deep within his heart, hidden away, Aron was a little glad that Marvin had died. He had betrayed him.
He may be young, but he understood that much.
[Seeing that the body belonged to Marvin, you decide to open the letter. You feel that even someone like him deserves to have his last words heard.]
[Upon reading the letter, you fall to the ground in tears. In the letter, in words written in blood, Marvin expressed his guilt for leaving the letter he did. Marvin explains that several members of the family had approached him and threatened him into writing the letter and leaving the villa.]
[The letter expresses that in order to keep your family from having you assassinated, Marvin decided to abandon you.]
[Nevertheless, it didn't matter. After writing the letter, the family threw him into the woods and told him to just keep walking. Without any cultivation, and without any supplies, Marvin was only able to make it to this cave before eventually starving to death. The last thing that he wished to do was write a letter expressing his guilt and to tell you of your treacherous family.]
[In Marvin's final remarks, he warns you to run far away from your family. Had you had the talent that your father wanted, you may have had a different life. Without it, Marvin writes that it is just a matter of time before they try to kill you. Whether they do it secretly or publicly.]
The anger that Aron had built towards Marvin through the simulation dissipated immediately. Thinking back to the events prior, Aron understands that the messages were cluing that Marvin had been in some kind of trouble.
He was just too young to recognize it. And so his resentment built and built.
Aron's previous thoughts of being glad of Marvin's death made him sick, causing him to vomit by the large tree.
Stumbling away, Aron decided to return to his room before continuing with the simulation. He was getting too emotional. He couldn't risk someone seeing his state.
Reaching back to his room, Aron locked the door and collapsed onto his bed.
From an outside view, it would look like he was just staring at the ceiling of his room. Instead, he was staring at the simulation message.
[As your tears fell, they mixed in with the gash across your face. It had long since scabbed over, but, for a brief second, the redness of the scabs gave the tears the color of blood.]
[Your eyes, reddened from your tears, began to fill with anger and hatred. You were angry that Marvin had died. Angry at the fact that he left you because of your talent, whether he was threatened or not. And you hated the people that made all of this possible. You hated your father who ignored you. Your mother that had abandoned you at birth. You hated your family for trying to kill you, for making you think that you were worthless.]
[Finally, you hated the world that you had been born into. Hated it for giving you such poor talent, for giving you such a hateful family.]
[As your tears fell, a scream that was filled with both sadness and resentment rang out into the forest.]
[As your hatred was expressed into this world, a small black seed appeared within your heart.]
[Several years have passed since you discovered the body of Marvin. You had buried him the next day, after the rain had ceased, and decided to make the cave your new home.]
[After reading his letter, you felt that returning to the Perch family would be a terrible idea. You thought that they made their attempt to get rid of you silently. If you go back, they may just give up all pretense and eliminate you publicly.]
[For the years you spent in the cave, you hunted regularly, mainly going after small beasts. Some were extraordinarily fast, but that just made for good practice for your movement techniques.]
[At the end of the first year, you had reached the Middle Step mastery for the Butterfly Evasive technique. At the present, five years after reaching the cave, you were at the Major Achievement level.]
[Currently, you have reached the 5th layer of Essence Refinement. For having a Minor Core, this speed could be considered quite good.]
[Still, after so long in the forest, you decide that it is time to explore further and find a town or city. Even if it is possible, you believe that you shouldn't spend your whole life alone in a forest.]
[You decide to continue East, the same direction that you had been traveling when you found this cave.]
[It takes you several months, but eventually you find a paved road. Not knowing which way would be the best, you decide to camp in the trees nearby, waiting for travelers to come by.]
[After a week and no travelers, you begin to get impatient. Still, after five years in a forest, a few weeks beside a road won't do any harm. Two more weeks go by and, finally, you see a large caravan of wagons and horses traveling North.]
[Not wanting to be detected, you fall further back into the forest, but remain close enough to hear any conversation. This is made easier with your higher cultivation.]
[Eventually, after following alongside the caravan for a few hours, you overhear someone in a carriage complain to their guards about wanting to find a place with an actual bed to rest in. The guard assures the individual in the carriage that they are only a three day ride from the province capital.]
[This statement alerts you momentarily, as the main villa of the Perch family is within the province capital, but as you continue listening, you hear them say that the name of the capital is named Kurth City. A different name than the Lomas City that you grew up in.]
Aron gasped in shock at the name Kurth. "Kurth City is where the Freia Clan has their main villa. That's several thousand miles from here. They've been around just as long as the Perch family, too, so Kurth is bound to be a giant city."
Indeed, Aron recognized the name Kurth City.
The Freia Clan had been a part of the foundation of the Olsen Empire much like the Perch family, and the two groups had once been very close to each other.
A few hundred years ago, however, a very talented member of the Perch family had been disrespected by one of the women of the Freia Clan. Had this woman been less talented or influential, nothing would have come of it, but as the daughter of the Clan's patriarch, the talented Perch member had felt that her words carried too much weight.
Under the guise of night, the Perch member had snuck into the Clan's territory and brutally assaulted and murder the woman.
Still, on his way out of the Freia villa, he was discovered by the patriarch and was obliterated in his rage.
The death of the two talented individuals caused a spark that developed into a full forest fire over generations. The relationship between the two groups is now irreconcilable. Members will even try to kill each other if they find an appropriate opportunity.
"Well, everyone in the simulation probably thinks that I'm dead. Not to mention my face. The scar completely covers my entire right eye and nose. I'm also missing an ear. Even if the world thinks that I'm alive, somehow, they will never know what I look like."
With that, Aron returned to the simulation.
[Hearing the words of the guard, you decide to abandon the idea of traveling alongside the caravan and utilize your Major Achievement movement technique to sprint to the city. Running through the night, you reach the city as the sun is rising in the morning.]
[Seeing a long line of merchants trying to enter the city, you realize that you won't be able to enter with identification. You decide to go to the back of the line and, as nobody is looking, use your speed to climb under the wagon.]
[Several hours pass, but eventually the wagon you are on reaches the checkpoint. The guards seem to know the merchant and only do a quick examination of the merchandise. Soon, the wagon rolls into the city. You wait a little longer, before releasing your grip and rolling off to the side. Using your movement technique, you dash into a side ally.]
[From there, you begin to establish yourself within the city. You use your developed movement technique to explore the city and familiarize yourself with the streets. Eventually, you find an abandoned shack on the outskirts of town and decide to use that as a temporary shelter.]
[Still, being only 10 years old, it is hard to make money for food. You also can't leave the city everyday to go hunting. It would take too much time. You also understand that nobody would be willing to hire you at such a young age.]
[You decide to put your talent to use. Using the impressive speed of your cultivation and movement technique, you begin to steal everything that you can get your hands on.]
[You discover that most of the people within the city are mortals, which makes it much easier for you to steal from them. Still, you always stake out your target before making a move. You know that without an offensive technique or weapon, the most you can do is run from an enemy. Even those at the same level as yourself you would have to run from.]
[For years, your system works. You steadily accumulate a large amount of money. By the time you are 13, you have nearly enough money to buy your own property, no longer wanting to sleep in an abandoned shack.]
[Over the three years that you have been in the city, the presence of guards has steadily increased due to your robberies.]
[One day, as you are scouting for a new target at the entrance of the city, you notice an older gentleman walk into the city. You noticed that he handed a gold coin to the guard at the entrance, bribing him rather than presenting an identification.]
[You follow the old man for several days to find out his secrets. He walks slowly, with a limp. His back is hunched over. No matter how many coins he takes out of his pouch, there are always more.]
[No matter what, however, the man always walks at the same pace. He never shows himself to have any form of cultivation. You also don't see any guards protecting him, like some of the other more wealthy individuals have had in the past.]
[After three days of memorizing his patterns and routines, you decide to pounce. The man seems to have immense wealth. It is always good to have more money.]
[The man goes through his routine. The day passes by and nothing has changed. The man is walking back from his meal to the inn that he is staying at. The sun is setting. The man walks past an ally that is particularly dark. A shadow leaps and grabs the pouch on his waist.]
[The shadow takes a step away from the man, the pouch firmly grasped. All of a sudden, a hand grips the wrist of the shadow.]
[You, the shadow, find yourself to be frozen. No matter how you struggle, the grip of the old man seems to be immovable.]
[You panic, thinking that you will be turned into the guards. After so many years of theft and robbery, you will certainly be executed. At least, you would prefer that over being sold into slavery.]
[Still, you continue to wrestle the grip of the dangerous man. He stands there, watching as you struggle without result.]
[Eventually, he smiles and speaks. It is the first time you hear his voice from the time he entered the city to now. "Finally, you show yourself. To think you fashion yourself a thief without even knowing how to hide your presence. Still, with your cultivation at the 7th layer of Essence Refinement and a Seed of Resentment beginning to sprout in your heart, you make for a worthwhile subject."
[Without saying anything else, the old man flew into the sky with your arm still gripped firmly. Your face pales with fright. Knowing that flight is something reserved for cultivators in the realm of Soul Development. A single breath of his could eliminate you completely.]
[With a flash the two of you disappear from the city, flying towards the blood colored setting sun.]