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 is everything. The higher your rank, the more respect and authority you command.
There are 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 has three minor stages, and advancing to the next rank grants a significant boost in power.
In the recorded history of this world, no one has 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 are 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 is at the peak of the Overlord Rank. Those who have reached this rank are the true leaders—the ones who control everything.
In the human domain, there are only a few individuals at the Overlord Rank.
Then there's me, Alden Draven, son of the Draven family—well, the illegitimate son.
The Draven family is one of the ruling families of the Vallorian Empire, which governs Dravonia. There are five states and five ruling families that report directly to the Emperor.
The Draven family is one of the strongest in the empire, mainly because of its patriarch, Alaric Draven. Standing at the peak of the Overlord Rank, he is a ruthless person.
'And me? Well, I am the illegitimate son of such a man.'
'You'd think that would count for something, right? But no.'
'Instead, I am treated like a mistake—not even a person. According to them, I am nothing more than a stain on the family name.' He sighed, thinking about it.
As I was lost in my thought the door to my 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 , my other half brother and the person previous 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 my room, smirking , but his eyes betrayed a flicker of unease. "Still alive?Didn't think you'd still be breathing,
You really don't know when to give up."
He glanced at Alden, as if searching something to criticize, then shook his head. "Father should've dealt with you properly long ago."
'Fuck,' I couldn't help but curse as my body started shivering instinctively. His very presence triggered fear etched deep into Alden's body.
My fists clenched, my jaw tightened, and my blood rushed to my head. The emotions I inherited from the original Alden were in chaos.
'I want to wipe that smirk off his face, but I know now's not the time... I can't. I'm powerless...'
But I couldn't stop the shaking of my body. The anger rampaging in my mind was burning me from the inside like a volcano ready to erupt.
'Not now... I need to calm down... He wants me to snap at him.'
"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's staring at him, waiting for some reaction.
When I didn't give any reaction, Cedric's patience snapped.
He grabbed me by the collar and lifted me , his face inches apart from mine.
"Look at me when I'm talking to you."
Slowly, I raised my head, meeting Cedric's eyes.
My crimson eyes burning with defiance as I looked into his eyes...my body trembling but I still continued to look in his eyes.
For a moment, Cedric faltered. Then his expression twisted in anger "You'll regret that."
"Hahahaha," Cedric started laughing loudly, and slapped me on my cheek. "Who the fuck do you think you are, staring at me like that,huh?"
His slap hurt like hell it was as if I had been hit by an iron rod but I still kept staring at him.
"Don't get ahead of yourself... You're just trash. A mistake. You shouldn't have been born," he said, his eyes narrowing into slits as he kept slapping me again and again.
My cheeks went numb from the pain, a pain Alden was all too familiar with.
My cheeks became beet red, but I never broke eye contact.
I kept staring at him with same defiance in my eyes.
Cedric's face scrunched in anger. "How dare you defy me?" He started beating me more now, punching and kicking me, but I still stared at him.
I wanted to fight back, but I couldn't. 'I am too weak... too damn weak.' But not a single groan left my mouth.
Only after I couldn't lift my head to look at him did he look satisfied.
"Count yourself lucky, as I can't kill you before the awakening ceremony or you'd already be dead," he 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?" he said as he barged out of the room without looking back.
His words failed to reach me as I was losing consciousness.
But before I completely blacked out, I saw someone rushing into the room with urgency.
My vision darkened before I lost consciousness.
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Author's Note:
Thanks for reading! I'm all for feedback, so drop a comment or review if you feel like it. Would love to hear your thoughts!