2 Zeno's Mother

The moon hung brightly in the sky, and the hustle and bustle of Lumious continued throughout the night. Bright lanterns lit the streets, and lightning elemental devices powered houses, shops, and offices. Some areas though, were left out in the dark...

[Mezza - Lumious Slum District]

*click*

The door unlocked and a 5'6'' figure entered the room. Wooden planks creaked, and it smelled of musty sweat. Zeno never loved the way he lived. He was lived alone in a dilapidated house in the middle of Mezza, where problems were ignored by the elites and criminals ran amok. Zeno's father left him before he was born, and his mother, Eliza Thorne, died due to a mysterious illness and exhaustion when he was only 7. A few years before she passed, after Zeno's incessant begging, Eliza was forced explained to Zeno how his father had suddenly disappeared a month after she had become pregnant.

Coroners announced that because Eliza worked such long hours at a local tailor, sewing clothes at the minimum wage, her body had become weak and susceptible to a wide variety of diseases. To make ends meet, Eliza had continued to work in suffering, but one day she had passed away in bed. Zeno, age 7 at the time, was helpless, and this episode further increased his hatred to his father. However, he had to mature at a young age in order to survive, as he realized strength was the only way he would be able to confront his demons...

Ever since Eliza had passed, Zeno focused on his training and physique. Children from 5 to 12 years old attended elementary school, where they learned basic academics and trained their bodies. Zeno, originally a happy-go-lucky child, was forced to train brutally after facing reality at the age of 7. Zeno, once an outspoken child, started to keep to himself.

He soon was spending all of his free time at school in the school dojo, learning how to wield dual-wielding daggers and sparring with instructors and peers. If he wasn't at the dojo, he would be diligently studying at every one of his classes. Many of his classmates were shocked to see Zeno's new work ethic, as he usually would spend his school recesses climbing the classroom walls and jumping on the roofs, all while skipping a majority of his academic classes.

At 7 years old, Zeno had big dreams of becoming an S - class Adventurer (Having at least one stat at S- rank or higher) and fulfill his childhood goal of finding the mythical Yggdrasil. Most children across the Human Continent heard tales of how Yggdrasil could reconnect beings with passed away loved ones. And until the current day, these goals hadn't changed.

Zeno immediately walked towards a picture frame laying on his bedside table. It depicted him during his fifth birthday, smiling widely next to his mother. He was holding an amethyst colored rock that was affixed to a metal chain, a small trinket gifted by his mother, which she bought at a local pawn shop nearby. She had thought the purple rock matched the color of his eyes. This same necklace currently rested on his neck.

"This is for you mother," he whispered softly.

Zeno placed the silver envelope next to the picture frame. The envelope represented an invitation letter and contract of Skylar Academy. Skylar was renowned for its specialization in training Assassins and Scouts that practiced the Dark and/or Wind Elements. For Zeno, even though Skyler was rated as a second rate academy, he decided it was a perfect match, possibly rivaling a spot in the Royal Academy.

However, after thinking it through, Zeno threw away all thoughts of joining the Royal Academy. Not only would he have to deal with the arrogant elites, but he might also have trouble finding the right teachers that suited his fighting style.

Without any hesitation, Zeno opened the envelope in front of the picture frame, and by manipulating some mana, he imprinted his signature on the seal at the bottom of the letter within.

*hiss*

A snake's hiss pierced the room. By signing the letter with his mana, he had pledged his allegiance to never betray the academy and was now an official student of Skylar Academy.

------------

[Unknown City, Demon Continent]

"For the past 14 years, you have been incredibly useless! What was the point of signing that pact if you aren't providing me the results?!" A fiendish scream penetrated a dark cave deep underground.

"Master... I," a weak voice trembled. "I lost it..."

*CRACK*

*CRACK*

*CRACK*

Three consecutive snaps a whip echoed along the cavern walls.

"How could you lose that item?" A dark voice continued to scold, "And for 8 years I have been asking you the same question; is your only reply the fact you lost it? Tell me the details before I decide I to take the truth forcefully."

"I, I can't remember Master..."

The being listening didn't seem to trust those words, even though a pact was in place. "It seems as if you still don't understand the severity of the situation... Hey, Rocco, double the little servant's punishments for today. Let's see if something new will sprout in his memories by tomorrow. Oh, and I will begin to prepare the memory potion. The last few ingredients took years to obtain..."

Needless to say, screams of pure pain and despair lingered within that cavern that night.

------------

[Lumious City]

Zeno got up the next morning and began his morning routine. The office room of the house had soon been transformed into a dojo, where he had a single training dummy. Hanging on the wall was a rack for 2 daggers, both of the same length and wooden material. Zeno picked them up, and approached the dummy.

*swish*

Zeno jumped into the air with one foot while grappling the dummy with the other. His leg wrapped around its torso and he made two quick slashes at the neck. Then, with a quick spin, he leapt off the training dummy and rolled onto the floor.

When talking about stats, the rank of F- was the average level of normal adults. With his E ranked agility, he could perform this maneuver within a half a second. There was a certain level of control and technique required as well. The training dummy had 4 nicks on its neck, not just 2.

"Let's practice my new skill," Zeno muttered.

Facing the dummy, Zeno held his daggers in reverse grip and began to charge. His purple eyes began to glow, and as Zeno was about to swing his arms forward, he chanted, "Void Assault!"

His feet glowed purple, and with the mysteries of the Dark and Space elements, Zeno appeared behind the dummy, and finally the slash connected.

*BANG*

The dummy flew into the wall as a result of the impact.

"I think I'll be needing a bigger practice area, or a sturdier dummy..." Zeno thought to himself. After an hour of training, Zeno wiped his sweat away and hung up his daggers.

*rumble*

Zeno looked down at his stomach with a helpless grin. "Let's get you filled up," he chuckled to himself. After washing himself and putting on a fresh set of clothes, Zeno stepped out of the downtrodden house.

Schools would begin in around a month, so he had time to prepare his things before he left. Skylar Academy would be providing free tuition and uniforms because he received a scholarship, but Zeno would still have to pay for his transportation and food. After a rough calculation, he needed 1 gold coin per school year for nutritious food, and 10 silvers for a round trip to Skylar Academy.

(1 gold coin = 100 silver coins ; 1 silver coin = 100 bronze coins)

When Eliza had passed away, she had left Zeno with around 25 silver coins, and coincidentally, this is when Eliza had been finally able to pay off the house. Over 6 years, Zeno had frugally spent only half of his mother's savings, as 10 silver coins were an average yearly spending for a 3 person household in Lumi.

Thinking back, Zeno realized never had the luxury of buying gifts for others or even treating himself. He saw some children playing on the streets with friends and siblings on his way for breakfast. The breeze began to pick up, and Zeno shook away his previous thoughts.

Refocusing, Zeno decided that he was ready to tackle some of the mercenary jobs provided by the Adventurer's Guild to earn some coins. After eating some cheap food at a street peddler's stall, he paid some copper coins and climbed onto a roof. After a couple of leaps, his figure was nowhere to be seen.