As Alden thought about the future, he decided to note down all the important information about the novel in a book so that he wouldn't forget it.
He went to his desk and, opening the drawer, found a blank book.
He started writing down everything important in the language of his hometown, one unknown to anyone in this world.
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In the world of Eryndor, power was everything. The higher your rank, the more respect and authority you commanded.
There were ten known ranks of power in this world:
1. Novice
2. Initiate
3. Apprentice
4. Adept
5. Expert
6. Master
7. Grandmaster
8. Ascendant
9. Overlord
10. Primordial
Every rank had three minor stages, and advancing to the next rank granted a significant boost in power.
In the recorded history of this world, no one had truly reached the Primordial Rank except for two individuals: the Demon King and the Hero King, who sacrificed his life to seal the Demon King.
Their tales were myths to the current generation.
After writing down every important scenario he remembered from the novel, Alden placed the book back in the drawer and started thinking about the power structure of the current generation.
Currently, the strongest person in the world was at the peak of the Overlord Rank. Those who had reached this rank were the true leaders—the ones who controlled everything.
In the human domain, there were only a few individuals at the Overlord Rank.
Then there was Alden Draven, son of the Draven family—well, the illegitimate son.
The Draven family was one of the ruling families of the Vallorian Empire, which governed Dravonia. There were five states and five ruling families that reported directly to the Emperor.
The Draven family was one of the strongest in the empire, mainly because of its patriarch, Alaric Draven. Standing at the peak of the Overlord Rank, he was a ruthless person.
And Alden? He was the illegitimate son of such a man.
One would think that would count for something, right? But no.
Instead, he was treated like a mistake—not even a person. According to them, he was nothing more than a stain on the family name.
He sighed, thinking about it.
As he was lost in thought, the door to his room opened with a loud bang.
A handsome boy with blonde hair and crimson eyes walked in, his hair shining like light and his body well-built like an athlete back on Earth. His face was full of arrogance.
He was Cedric, Alden's half-brother and the person Alden hated the most.
Although Rodrick also bullied him, it was mostly limited to verbal abuse. Cedric, however, was different. He and his lackeys made it their daily job to beat him.
Cedric leaned against the doorframe of the room, smirking, but his eyes betrayed a flicker of unease. "You are still alive,Huh?You really don't know when to give up."
He glanced at Alden, as if searching for something to criticize, then shook his head. "Father should've dealt with you properly long ago."
Alden's body started shivering instinctively, his very presence triggering fear etched deep into his body.
Alden clenched his fist, his jaw tightened,as blood rushed to his head. The emotions Damien inherited from the original Alden were in chaos.
He wanted to wipe the smirk off Cedric's face, but he knew now wasn't the time. He couldn't. He was powerless.
But he couldn't control his trembling body. The anger was rampaging in his mind, burning him from the inside like a volcano ready to erupt. He needed to calm down. Cedric wanted him to snap.
"You know," Cedric continued, circling him like a hawk, "Father doesn't even bother asking about you anymore. He's embarrassed, you see. Can't have the great Alaric Draven associated with someone like... you."
Alden's jaw tightened, but he kept his head down. He could feel Cedric staring at him, waiting for some reaction.
When Alden didn't respond, Cedric's patience snapped. He held Alden by his collar and lifted him, his face inches apart from his.
"Where are you looking,Huh? Look at me when I am talking.," Cedric demanded.
Slowly, Alden lifted his head, meeting Cedric's eyes.
His crimson eyes burned with defiance as he looked into Cedric's eyes. His body trembled, but he still continued to hold Cedric's gaze.
"Hahahaha" Cedric started laughing loudly as he slapped Alden on the cheek. "Who the f*ck do you think you are to stare at me like that, huh?"
Alden felt like he had been hit by a iron rod as his cheeks turned red. The slap hurt like hell but still he didn't turn his gaze down.
"Don't get ahead of yourself... You're just trash. A mistake. You shouldn't have been born," Cedric said, his eyes narrowing into slits as he kept slapping Alden again and again.
Alden's cheeks went numb from the pain, a pain he was all too familiar with.
His cheeks became beet red, but he never broke eye contact. He kept staring at Cedric with the same defiance in his eyes.
Cedric's face scrunched in anger. "How dare you defy me?" He started beating Alden more now.
Alden wanted to fight back, but he couldn't. He knew he was too weak—too damn weak. But not a single groan left his mouth.
Only when Alden could no longer lift his head to look at Cedric did Cedric look satisfied.
"Count yourself lucky, as I can't kill you before the awakening ceremony or you'd already be dead," Cedric said in annoyance, throwing a healing potion on the ground like throwing a bone to a dog.
"I can't have you die before then, now can I?" Cedric added as he barged out of the room without looking back.
His words failed to reach Alden, as he was losing consciousness.
But before he completely blacked out, he saw someone rushing into the room with urgency. His vision darkened before he lost consciousness.
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Author's Note
Please share your thoughts about story as they help me improve.