4 The Truth

As we sleep our brains are still actively processing our memories clearing the materials we don't need. It is an immaculate object that works similar to a program trying to work at its highest efficiency. This is why after Aster was reincarnated into this new body all the memories of his past life were wiped. His brain had deemed the materials of the now dead child as waste.

It had viewed those years as life as dreams so it wiped them away. It would also be viewed of that as when Aster had fallen off that cliff and died his then brain had shut down and when he was reborn all the memories had already been forgotten never needing to be wiped.

As Aster laid in his bed these thoughts had passed through his mind trying to grasp at any straw he could get his hands on. No matter how long he stared at the wooden ceiling above him, no concrete answer came to mind. He was leaning towards the fact that his memories had been wiped by his brain when he was reborn into this new life. Because of this, he was left with countless questions about how this life had turned out where it had.

Sighing he shakes his head and forces himself to fall into the view of complete darkness and get some sleep.

"Do you believe yourself to be a god?" A masculine voice echoed all from all around him and boomed for miles from where they stood. The voice was filled with power and arrogance as they sneered the words across the sky.

"No." His voice was quiet but the other man could hear him clearly.

"Then why do you stand at the world's highest peak? Why do you challenge all those around you without a sense of hesitation? Do you believe yourself to be so powerful that no one can match you?" The voice didn't waver in the slightest having only grown louder with each word.

"I don't need to be a god to stand at the peak." Aster's replies were short unwilling to continue talking. He felt that there was no need to explain himself to this man, the man would be dead soon anyway. Corpses had no way to remember the information given to them.

The space in front of Aster warps as a middle-aged looking man walks out from the distortion.

"You want to believe you are the strongest being in the existence?"

Aster remained silent at the question. The answer was far too simple; he didn't believe he was the strongest being in existence. It didn't come down to his own beliefs, it didn't come down to thought. He was the strongest being without any sort of equal, he had been through more trials than others can imagine, and killed more, than years the gods existed. He mastered every magic to the crest of perfection allowing him to incinerate gods faster than one could blink. This person's space magic versus his own was the difference between the heavens and earth. Only one wisp of fire would be needed to leave this man without a body. This man had the ability to look down on the world not even with the gods as his equal but in the face of Aster, he was nothing. It wasn't just this man though, no one was his equal which is why he was nicknamed Styx (1), for no matter who crossed his path they met their ultimate end.

With a simple flick of his wrist, a lightless flame left his palm. The flame was completely black devoid of all forms of light. The speed it had left hand was faster than one would think, to Aster it slower than a snail. Before the man could even react he was already covered from head to toes in the flames and in the next moment there was nothing left. He never got to release a form of distress, no screams, no flails of panic, no chance to hesitate on his choices. Before any of this could occur he was long since dead, his whole body turned to nothing, not even ash was left to be blown into the wind.

This world was growing increasingly boring with each passing moment that he existed in it. Maybe in another life, he would get an exciting life filled with even greater challenges than the one he experienced in his current one. Maybe in another life, he would live as a non-mage unable to live on his own. Imagining this made himself chuckle the peak existence of this world, living as a non-mage in another world is something that would make his opponents puke blood at. As the thought flew through his mind the world got covered in gray before changing scenes.

On a stage stood two young men. One of which was a younger version of Aster likely still not past the age of eighteen, while his opponent was looked over twenty-five. This was the final in a competition that Aster would never forget. The cheer of the crowd with split cheers for both him and his opponent.

They both stood across from one another neither daring to move. The winner of this fight would stand in the greater limelight with the other forgotten with time. Aster's opponent was the first to make a move, after seeing a flash of hesitation appear in Aster's eyes. Under Aster's feet spikes of ice shot up.

Reacting quickly Aster jumps out of the range and closer to his opponent, he preferred close ranged fighting over long range. While landing ice shot at him forcing him to once more to dodge by rolling to the left. Aster may hate having to keep dodging, there was nothing he could do otherwise.

His opponent was continuously on the offensive not giving a moment of breathing room. So far only using a mix of two spells, both of the ice element. To the crowd, it seemed Aster was at a huge disadvantage from the get-go and in a way they weren't wrong. They didn't see the whole picture with each step though. With each jump and roll, he was closing the starting gap with no injuries. One mistake from either side could mark a flip in the tide but in their current situation, they were at a stalemate.

During one of the ice shots, the man swung his arm slightly too high leaving a gap for Aster to take action. Covering his arms in lightless black flames he closed the less than a meter gap in that single moment. The man threw himself to the ground as he tries to sweep at Aster's legs. Aster reacts barely dodges the kick by jumping into the air. He covers his right leg in flames as brings it down on the top of the man's head.

"Absolute Zero Shell"

Coming out of the ground around the man was a dome. The ice looks completely white with no imperfections much different than the greenish ice he was shooting out earlier. Aster's attack breaks through the ice with no left-over strength. His opponent pushes him off with crossed arms resetting them back to the start.

Time and time this had occurred. Neither side seemed to be gaining any sort of advantage over the other. In a single step, this all had changed, Aster slipped on a patch of ice. Slowly his opponent had been covering the field in ice unnoticed by Aster till it was too late. His opponent slammed their hands on the ground, "Absolute Zero Geyser"

Aster was encased in a brick of ice shooting up from the ground. Inside the ice, it began to melt from pitch black flames. Soon there was nothing left beside an evaporating puddle.

"Raam Malum," He said from across the stage having not introduced himself earlier.

"Aster Curtail," was the equally short reply.

Following this they got immediately went back to fighting. Not making the same mistake twice Aster keeps his feet covered with fire always ready to react. Not seeing him get a second opening without forcing something Raam began to enact a second plan he had yet to think of. Aster, shot fire from his own hands matching Raam move for move. They were once more in a stalemate neither side having the advantage once more. Aster's flames melted the ice while Raam's ice froze Aster's flame. Back and forth the advantage would flip neither lasting for a single moment.

Aster pushed himself through the ice as he closed into Raam bring the battle from range to close hand to hand. Raam with a pure white sword matched, Aster's fist move for move. They have pushed away from one another but Aster always made his way back to make it hand to hand.

When in hand to hand combat Aster held the advantage but when pushed apart Raam held the momentum. Two steps up the ladder to only end up right back where they started time and time again.

Out of nowhere everything changed, Aster's flames were completely encased in ice. The vision was a sense of beauty one would never forget. Raam's pure white flawless ice that glistened in the light held a lightless black flame inside of it unable to escape no matter how violently it moved. Raam's ice had become colder than Aster's flames. Aster was once more tripped up as he fell to the ground.

As Aster fell to the ground in his dream he had rolled out of his bed landing on the ground with a thud. His mind was still groggy from the dream not yet knowing he awake. Rubbing his head, he cursed under his breath at the memory. He won't ever admit it but in that battle, he had been outdone. Raam should have won the battle and its rewards but in battle, the person who is better doesn't always win. During the battle, Raam's wife was assassinated. This had been enough for him to become distracted and led to him being pushed off the stage by Aster without any ability to fight back. Looking down at his hand and rubbed a ring, the reward for the battle.

At the sound of the thud, Lilith rushed into Aster's room to see what had happened. She was unsurprised to see him lying on the ground but worried none the less. Rushing over to him she lifts him into a sitting position asking, "Are you okay?" No matter how cold Aster was to her she would always worry about him.

"I'm fine." He replied short as always,

"Want to talk?" She suggested,

"No," He declined,

"I want to create a guild one day. A guild for everyone." She didn't care for his answer as she continued to talk anyway.

"A guild built on friendship and loyalty, a place that is like a family for those who don't have one."

"A family huh?" Aster said unintentionally

"You are interested." She smiles at him, she could continue talking for days about anything without; hearing a reply from Aster so the few time words were spoken meant he was interested.

Realizing the slip, he stays silent. He was gifted with an amazing family in his past life willing to do the best and giving him anything he wanted. He had left them all too soon never getting that feeling a second time in his life. After he had left the family he had never seen them a second time. They were the greatest gift to him but he threw it away like it was nothing. The idea of having a second chance at a family was an idea he treasured.

"How about you tell me something about yourself now?" She questioned,

"One question." He answered. He was hesitant with his answer wanting to say a simple no, but when looking down into her deep eyes he found himself agreeing. He could only sigh at his weakness.

"You say you are Aster Curtail. Who are you truly? Explain yourself to me." The question she had been asking every day and night may finally be answered.

Aster sat there in silence as he collected his thoughts. There were limits to what he could and couldn't say, he still didn't know anything about the girl in front of him. She was named Lilith Vermillion but that was all he knew everything else was unknown to him.

"I'm Aster Curtail, non-mage, my past is unknown to me having only the memories of after waking up. That's all there is to it. You talk endlessly but I know little about you too."

"You really need to stop lying. Do you really think it was by chance I found you there?"

Aster nods.

"I already know what happened, because I saw it. You were dead but somehow you came back to life." She half explains, she said she saw it but didn't explain how she knew why he was there.

"Guess we both only telling half the truth then. I'm going to bed." Aster comments before laying back down.