The affects of continuous battle took a toll on Kriel.He was on the verge of death.. he managed to enter and abandoned mine in Blighted Lands. This was a place where Markless were enslaved to mine for profit for the nobles.This was a stark reminder of Kriel's past.
[System notification Health:15%
Emergency protocol activation all body functions will shut down]
Kriel's vision went blurry and collapse and he closed his eyes
Kriel starting dreaming but it was different from usual it was lucid.Memories of the past came back...the desolate days before Ethern Village, to a time when his world was a hollow shell devoid of warmth or love. Born to Elara and Coren, both Markless, Kriel grew up in a home that felt like a cold, terrible dark cave. His parents, broken and bitter, saw him as a constant reminder of their own insignificance—a burden they couldn't afford to carry.
"You're nothing but a weight around our necks you piece of shit," Coren spat one day, his eyes cold and distant. "You'll never amount to anything, just like us."
Elara's words cut deep, leaving scars that would never fully heal. "Weak. You're weak. A burden we can't afford to keep you better off dead," she hissed, her voice a venomous whisper that echoed in Kriel's mind long after she was gone.
When Kriel was just four years old, his life was shattered into a thousand pieces. His parents, desperate for money, sold him into slavery—an act that would forever change the course of his life. He remembered the cold, suffocating darkness of that room, the smell of sweat and iron that clung to his skin, and the taste of fear that lingered in his throat.
"Take him you'll have better use of him," Coren's voice was low, resigned. "We can't afford to keep him anymore." Kriel turned to his mother, searching her face for any trace of affection, any sign of hesitation. But Elara's face was impassive, cold. She didn't even look at him as he was dragged away, shackled and helpless.
This betrayal had forged Kriel's determination to never again be vulnerable. As he navigated the complex web of alliances and rivalries in the present, he remained cautious, always mindful of those who might seek to exploit him.
For one and a half years, Kriel endured unimaginable hardships as a slave in the mines. He was forced to work from dawn till dusk, with little food or rest. His body was scarred from the lash, and his spirit was crushed by the relentless cruelty. Yet, despite the overwhelming despair, a spark within him refused to die.
One of the older slaves, a grizzled man named Grigor, took pity on Kriel. "You're strong, boy," Grigor said one night, his voice barely above a whisper. "Don't let them break you. Hold onto that spark, no matter what."
Kriel nodded, his eyes locked on Grigor's. "I won't," he promised, his voice firm despite the fear that gripped his heart.
These words echoed in Kriel's mind as he faced challenges in the present. He remembered the resilience that had kept him alive in the mines, and it fueled his determination to succeed.
One stormy night the slavers were celebrating all the Astral crystals that were mined at the expense of many slaves.Mining Astral Crystals are dangerous because it's a crystallization of Astral power which is harmful to any human but is fatal to Markless.
Kriel saw his chance as they were drinking ale. The slavers were distracted by the howling wind and the darkness, their guards lax and their attention divided. With a fierce determination, Kriel attacked his captors, using every ounce of strength he had to overpower them.
In the chaos that followed, Kriel managed to knock out several drank slavers, freeing himself from their grasp. He fled into the night, pursued by the remaining slavers who were determined to recapture him. But Kriel was driven by a newfound sense of freedom and a resolve to never be enslaved again.
As he looked back on that night, Kriel realized that it was a turning point. It marked the beginning of his journey towards reclaiming control over his life, a journey that continued into the present.
When After weeks Kriel finally arrived in Ethren Village, he was starving, bleeding, desperate. For days, he wandered the fringes of the village, hoping someone, anyone, would take pity on him.
But no one did. Not the villagers. And certainly not the Astral priest, Father Varun, who stood above all, condemning him to a life of suffering.
"Let the boy feed the Astral monsters," Varun sneered, his voice dismissive. "He's of no use to us."
Fear rippled through the villagers, and none dared to defy the priest's word. None except one.
Serella, a fallen noblewoman still clinging to the remnants of her heritage, saw Kriel's suffering. She took him in, fed him, and bandaged his wounds. Her kindness was a fleeting moment of salvation, a brief flicker of light in a world that had long since abandoned him.
For a short time, Kriel dared to believe. To believe in compassion, in something other than cruelty. Serella spoke of courage, of defiance, urging him to find strength within himself. But that brief respite was crushed.
Father Varun upon learning of Serella's kindness, struck with unrelenting fury. Kriel had returned one evening, hoping for warmth, only to find the villagers gathered outside her home. The priest stood at the center, his crimson robes billowing in the wind.
"You dare defy the will of the Astral Order?" Varun voice was thunderous, filled with righteous wrath.
Serella stood tall, unbowed, her eyes defiant. "I dared to show compassion. Something you seem to have forgotten u scum" she spat in his face.
The priest's gaze turned to stone, and before Kriel could reach her, Kriel raised his staff. Astral flames erupted, engulfing Serella. Her screams tore through the air, raw and haunting.
Kriel fell to his knees, powerless, unable to stop it. The one person who had ever shown him kindness gone in an instant. The flames consumed not just Serella's body, but also the last shred of hope Kriel had held onto.
As he stood in the present, Kriel's thoughts often drifted back to Serella. Her sacrifice had fueled his determination to rise above his past, to forge a new future where he would never again be at the mercy of others.
As the flames consumed Serella, so too did Kriel's innocence. The world had shown him nothing but cruelty, and in that moment, he swore an oath. He would never again rely on anyone. He would never be weak.
No one would cast him aside. Not ever again.
Kriel would rise from the ashes of his past. And this time, the world would bow before him.
His heart hardened into stone, Kriel vowed to never let anyone else decide his fate. He would forge his own path, no matter the cost. The memory of Serella's kindness and her tragic end would fuel his determination to never again be at the mercy of others.
Kriel woke up and his body was healed by the Void energy.
He said "I'll get my revenge on u soon Elder Varun but these hunters keep chasing me"
Kriel set eyes on a new target
[System notification:Unlocked Memory of beginning]
Kriel was unsure what this meant...
[Chapter End]