1 Chapter 1
The Sun Kingdom had a multitude of terrain variations. It was the continent's southern most country, isolated from its northern neighbors by a towering mountain range across its zigzagging north western borders. The eastern ocean coast of the Kingdom was almost rotund - as if the country had been cut out of a circle using a pair of scissors.
Away in the northeast, where the Procerus mountain range turned into shallow hills that cliffed along the vast ocean coast, lay a small town surrounded by a few farming villages - the Barony of Mith. That this otherwise unremarkable place would be the setting of this story is perhaps a tad peculiar.
Mith was a most unremarkable place. A rather simple place. It's event based center of gravity was the Lord's manor and the Sun temple. Most of its citizenry are in fact peasants who toiled the land or the Baron's servants and security force.
At this moment, a fourteen year old boy with jet black hair was leaning on a wooden sword clasped in his hand, but piercing the ground while intensely panting. His face wore a perpetual frown, exasperated by the training forced upon him by his father, the great Baron Iglar Mith.
"I can't do this anymore, Grinni." The boy gasped in between pants before letting the sword fall from his hands. "I wasn't built to be good at this."
"I fail to understand your idiom, young master. However, the Lord has insisted that you continue." Grinni, a rather short but extremely muscular man with several scars on his face respectfully replied.
"Uh... I meant that my body is unsuitable to learn the sword." The young master stumbled for an explanation while inwardly sighing at his constant use of idioms that made little sense in this society.
At that moment, a slightly older boy with a much more robust physique than the panting one confidently stomped into the training field with a real sword. He ignored the black haired boy and stared at Grinni instead.
"Did Locke, this younger brother of mine give you trouble Grinni?" He asked in a clear attempt to mock his younger brother.
Even a blockhead like Grinni could see that everything wasn't well in the Baron's family. However, Locke, the boy in question did not react to such provocation.
"Jain, Grinni. I'm too tired. I shall take my leave." He nodded to Grinni and then his elder brother, before retreating to the confines of the large mansion.
Locke returned to his room, a well furnished and luxuriously carpeted one and looked out of the window towards the ocean in the far distance.
It had been fourteen years since he was born in this world, completely congnizant of the life he led before this one. He used to be a NEET on Earth, who wilted his years away in loneliness and regret. His family and friends had longed abandoned him and when he abandoned society, a seed began to grow in his heart. A rather dark seed.
Waking up in this bizarre non technological world was a shock in itself. But so was growing up. He may have gotten a new body and a new identity in a totally different new world, but the seed of dark thoughts had travelled along with him on his journey.
Growing up in the Mith household as a bastard child of the Baron had only twisted his mind darker. He had initially thought that he might be able to fulfill some arbitrary fantasy like those stories he used to read, but quickly discovered how stupid the idea even was.
As a kid, he could only helplessly observe his biological mother, first separated from him and then disappeared from the house altogether. He then could helplessly notice how he was starved as a child on purpose. No doubt, it was the handiwork of the Baron's wife.
In this world, Locke had realized that besides money and power, strength was a crucial indicator of status. The Baron's wife did not want a threat to grow up in the family. To do so, apparently was quite simple. Two years of extreme malnourishment was enough to permanently wreak any potential in the child's future. As an infant, Locke had seen everything and understood everything. However, he could not communicate yet.
The Baroness was cruel, but not dumb. She starved him, but didn't outright kill him. Locke quietly made a mental note about it. In the end, Locke was declared has having a poor constitution, no talent as a warrior or a mage.
This was another aspect of this world that made him despair. In stories, these kinds of powers were always a crutch to remove the shackles and take revenge or achieve their goals. Locke's path had been cut off from the start.
Locke had three elder siblings. Two brothers and a sister. Jain, the eldest followed by Cassi the second sister and Trive, the youngest among the true heirs. Technically he couldn't address them as siblings, it was only something they used to mock him. To show him his place and to make him understand that he was a leech.
Locke once again felt the tendency to isolate himself return. To become a NEET. However, distractions in this world didn't have the kind of allure that the internet did back on earth.
Instead, Locke forced himself to interact with others. He perfected his etiquette, learnt to keep a perfect poker face on when needed and to smell a conniving plot from a mile away. He learnt the read and poured his efforts to become as learned about the world as was possible.
While Jain was just a stupid muscle head who wanted to become a powerful swordsman, Cassi had the talent to be a mage and had been sent off to an academy. Trive, on the other hand was a good for nothing. A wastrel, a bully, a drunkard - all labels would fit him well. The Baron had turned a blind eye to his actions and let him do as he pleased.
Locke, on the other hand, had been made an administrator of the Barony by his father, the Baron. Talentless as he was in magic and in strength, he found a way to display his academic prowess, solving complicated arithmetic problems and puzzles in front of the maids.
He had quickly been apprenticed with the Baron's personal Scribe and administrator, and slowly trained for the role. Throughout all this, he had never once been addressed by his father. Perhaps, to him Locke might not even exist.
