1 The Day of Rebirth

In commemoration of the Legendary Sword King that save the humanity from the chaos and total destruction, every territorial lands of mankind celebrates the Day of Rebirth.

On the day of the festival Axel was sleeping peacefully on his bed. After a few shifting of his position Axel reach the edge of the bed and slowly slide down. With a loud 'bang' Axel fall from his bed waking him up with a severe headache brewing up.

Holding his head with a hand and the other reaching for something to support him Axel grimace in pain. "Ouch! That damn Alex! Why didn't he wake me up?" he look at the time on his clock and his face immediately show a trace of panic.

'Holy sh!t I'm late!' Axel yelled internally to himself. As he was fixing everything with a lightning speed the clock started to ring making Axel stumble due to the distraction.

The instant that Axel fall and was about to hit the floor his body leap and twist in a matter of second. He prevented himself from hitting the floor with his own reflexes.

Axel was currently in the cultivation tier that correspond the standard age of his peers. The Physique Refinement Tier which allows an individual to develop and strengthen one's own physique and latter improve reflex.

Each of the cultivation rank were divided on three minor tiers. The early, middle and the late stage. These stages are also divided by three levels each from the first level up to the ninth level.

Axel was at the seventh level or the late stage of the Physique Refinement Tier. At his cultivation level, Axel was once step above his peers but still far from geniuses that are born with extraordinary talent and nurtured by powerful individuals. Most of these individuals either have a powerful background and high cultivation tier or those that are lowborn but are able to reach the pinnacle by hardwork.

As one of the many lowborns that live in the countryside, Axel had sworn to himself that he will one day reach the highest cultivation level and leave the little town with his brother and a few friends.

Axel went out of the house and made his way on the narrow alleyway that fits only two person sideways. Most of the houses that he passed by were dilapidated with a few materials to patch up the ruined parts. After suffering from the Beastlings Hordes for a long time, most of the concrete houses around where beyond reparable due to the low quantity of limestone deposit on the territory of man.

Axel made his way to the right after getting out of the narrow alley. The streets were buzzling with horses and carts that travels from and to the marketplace. The sky was clear and peaceful as if there was no exsisting Beastling Hordes that can attack their town at any given moment.

A young woman with a yellow hair and carrying a basket with goods inside was leisurely walking amongst the crowd on the market. With a satisfed look on her face, the young woman smiled and hum and bounce along the direction out of the crowd of people. She caught a glimpse of Axel at the corner of her eyes and pause on her spot.

Her cherry like lips curled into a bright and friendly smile. Her name was Alice, she was a childhood friend of Axel and his brother. They use to play a lot on a nearby hill on the town until they have open their Battle Gifts that allows them to cultivate their bodies to perform something beyond what ordinary humans can do.

As Axel continued to walk after about ten minutes. Before reaching the townsquare he crossed the street to the left and went straight for the caravan station. "Axel!" shout Alice calling for her friends attention. Axel did not seem to notice the call. Alice breeze pass the crowd like a strand of silk weaving the crowd. She call for Axel one more time and still manage to get no response.

Alice made her way through the crowd and this time she was faster than earlier. Alice was only five yards away from Axel when she open her moutb and gather some air. "If you are going to ignore me have a taste of my attack!" She yelled and tightly gripped the basket with her to fair and slender hands. "<Basket Smite>!!!" with a loud shout of the attack, Axel promptly look behind him and his eyes widened in shock.

There was a flickering light that emits a holy aura from the swingging basket. 'Battle Aura!' Axel was stunned to see a Battle aura in front of him. This was only produce by someone at the ninth level of the late stage that had attained a bottle neck and a few steps away from moving up to the second tier which is the Fighter Tier. Axel thought that it was impressive that someone from their town was about to step into the Fighter Tier. However his wide eyes almost popped out from their sockets.

'Holy shit! Why is it comming straight towards me!?' Axel cursed inwardly. In that split second the basket made contact with Axel's face and smash his head into the ground. With the basket follows the Battle Aura that create several fluctuations in the air and transformed them into heavy force to add more damage on the impact.

The heavy sound of crash throws the surrounding people off balance. Axel was forced to integrate with the ground and the dust floats in a wide area above him.

"And why is it that you are on the caravan station on your school uniform?" A young woman was smiling brightly down at Axel asked. It was precisely the young woman that hit him 'Alice?' Axel tought to himself. He twitchingly smile as he look at Alice who still have those bright smile.

"Is there any reason for you to suddenly attack me from behind? And to answer your stupid question 'I am on my way to school' my Alex seemed to have forgoten to wake me up" Axel said as he struggles to get up. Alice stretch out a hand and help him up. "Poor you. Pfftt" Alice commented and giggle "We don't have classes for today 'idiot', today is the Day of Rebirth" she followed as she help Axel wipe of the dust on his clothes.

"Day of Rebirth? Isn't that tom-" realization dawned on Axel and immediately slams his palm on his forehead. "I'm so stupid, why did I forgot about that" he mock himself and scoff. Alice punch him on the shoulder "Well, at the very least you honestly said that you are stupid" she laughs.

As the crowd disperse pass them the two of them walk towards back the street before the townsquare. "Alexander is one of the stage performer later that is why he is not around" said Alice to break the silence. "You know it is really weird that you always forgot about the festival" she added.

Axel's mind was a little absent as he walk pass the crowd. 'Mhm' he nodded and pretended to listen to Alice.

Alice smiled and slap Axel on the back. She hop five steps forward and then made a pause. Although she was smiling there was a faint trace of sadness in her eyes. She closed her ocean deep blue eyes and breath in. As she exhaled Alice also release the sadness away and patch it up with her bright smile once again.

She slowly turn around making her hair sway in the air and her clothes reveal a few hints of her womanly figure. Axel's mind was attracted by the sight upon him and he felt a strange feeling inside his heart. The feeling that is something above the friendly way that he usually looks on Alice. It was as is the whole world doesn't matter as long as she was there in front of him.

Alice open her mouth "Happy seventeenth birthday, Axel" her face blush.