Prologue: the good, the bad, the irredeemable

(It hurts!! It hurts! Make it stop!!! Make it STOOOPPP!!!)

The quiet thoughts of the young boy cried out as if it only existed to contradict his outward expressionless face.

"There are two possible extrema values. The singular point a(1,-1) is a minimum with a minima of -2 and singular point b(3,2) has a minimal value of 1, by using Mathias's theorem we can also find one more extrema value but the answer you were looking for were probably those two, the question revolves around finding the extremum through multi variable functions, although people usually think this is a simple university level question but in reality it's a high level math problem only for veteran scholars of the mystic arts, in the first place if you didn't spend hours researching the newly published thesis that introduced the new concepts, you'll never be able to solve these"

Answering the magical mathematics question posed by his teacher, Markus had an indifferent voice like that of a dead siren, almost as if it's ringing out from everywhere at once.

"Correct, and that's marks the 1635th question that you've answered correctly...impressive! Truly remarkable! Even though the exforia drug hasn't completely eliminated your emotions and transformed your body and mind, you've already shown more potential than any of my previous subjects...most curious, if my calculations are correct you will become my most successful student yet"

Stroking his long beard the old man in a pure white hooded cloak embroidered with shiny red patterns said while looking at his notes.

"Increase the dosage!!"

The man ordered the other man who was in the same room as him.

"But sir, we're already giving him more than any human could possibly endure, if we inject him with more..."

The assistant feebly said in a low voice.

"Are you disobeying me?"

The old man glared at his assistant.

"Hiiii!!! No sir I shall do as you say!"

The assistant hurriedly escaped from the room

Sitting in a chair with his arms injected with multiple half inch needles connected to tubes pumping an eerie black liquid into his veins Markus seriously wanted to lunged at the old man and rip him apart, but despite his efforts his body just won't move as he wish like it has completely lost it's function much like a puppet with no strings.

Markus imagined himself lunging at the old man and digging his teeth into the old man' jugular vein and ripping out his carotid artery, he imagined running out of this facility and tasting the freedom he's never had since birth even if it's only for a moment before the facility guards shoot him down, because even he knows what a freak of nature he himself truly is.

But alas, even that was impossible.

"Now, let's move on to the next question"

The man coldly saids as his gaze is again directed towards Markus.

(Hate! Hate! Hate! Hate! I hate you!)

"Who was the first person to kill using blood magic?"

"Elias von Engelhart, in 670 new era calendar he assassinated emperor Maximilian the first with blood magic using his touch, the technique he used was to solidify or freeze (as he calls it) the blood inside of a person's body and it's now a forbidden technique"

Just like a mindless robot, Markus answered the question posed to him by the master.

(If I had only one choice that I could make with my own will in my life, it would use it to kill you!)

"And who's the celebrity famous for her mastery over the healing properties of blood magic?"

"Lydia Andestine 34th empress of the Andestian empire, she erected a mobile Barrier which made her soldiers immortal during the Restia-Andestian war, regenerating them from even a single drop of blood, this won her the battle of Sous, the siege of Gradsheim and the battle on the plains of Myrkul"

That was the last time Markus ever felt pain...as the moment after the increased dosage was administered all of the feelings of hate and spite disappeared as he just accepted his circumstances as if they were natural.

In the next few years of his life Markus formed a very vivid memory of everything he had gone through the harsh militaristic training of both his physical, mental and most importantly magical capabilities the diet which is not so much different from that of a professional bodybuilder, the implementation of the ubermensch sleep schedule in order to increase the training time of him and other "subjects" like him and the exclusive ever rising difficulty of the "tests" in accordance with the increase in dosage of the exforia drug inside him that occurred almost monthly that only chipped away at his humanity faster everyday...that is to say if he had any humanity to begin with, he couldn't really remember anything before they started giving him increased dosages beyond what normal subjects could possibly even hope to endure.

As a result his hair turned white from stress and his skin was unnaturally pale due to the effects the drug had on his pigmentation, although his body eventually adapted to the drug's negative effects returning his skin to normal as one of the drug's many positive effect was the increase in adaptability, both physical and mental at the cost of heavily suppressing the limbic system of the brain causing a almost complete loss in emotions and causes the subjects to easily forget memories that they deemed "unessential" his hair stayed white and never returned to it's natural black color.

Who was the man responsible for this? Friendrich Borrs or as refer to by Markus and the other subjects: "the master".

If Markus can still feel the burning hatred he had before he would have gladly used any opportunity that presented itself to him to try and kill Friendrich, in fact some of his emotions do surface from time to time as subconscious detailed plans he draws out in his head to silently assassinate Friendrich, even if he just forgets it in a few seconds leaving himself confused to what he was doing.

Although he was only 5 at the time Markus had already surpassed most adults in many faculties leaving his trainers baffled as to why this particular subject was so exceptional compared to the rest, who either died from the pain or simply became mindless robots that existed only to be ordered around.

Although he was submissive to orders by the master, Markus somehow retained his individuality sometimes questioning the plans of his superiors on their efficiency.

Markus had his first kill at the age of 6, the target was duke Afgrain of the Rineguard kingdom known for his paranoia to assassinations.

The method? Markus manipulated a local militia group to attack the duke's estate and while the duke and his family crossed an old bridge to escape to the neighbouring areas Markus used fire magic to destroy the bridge throwing the carriage containing the duke and his family into the valley bellow killing them instantly.

How does a 6 year old child pull this off? Simple as said before the Exforia drug has the effect of rapidly accelerating the process of physical and mental growth among other effects so although he was only six years of age he was already stronger and smarter than most humans, a trait shared by all "subjects" that survived the experiment.

This continued as Markus killed and killed at the behest of the master so much so that by the time he reached the age of 9 his kill count had already went up into the triple digits.

Until one day something happened, something that could be said to be the harbinger of an upcoming miracle in Markus's pitiful existence that he calls a life.

One day after a mission, Markus was summoned to Friendrich's office.

Although Markus thought it was just for his usual post mission report the words that came out of the master's mouth next was quite surprising, even if Markus was literally incapable of feeling surprised

"I have a new assignment for you subject-001, Markus. You are to go to the empire of Rangdrind and be instated as the bodyguard of the young lady of the Rosewood house"

"...?"

Markus stared blankly