Snow

Where was the slave's mark to be left? The frequent choice was the back since it could easily be shown if necessary, hiding the rest of the time. Evan knew that, however, he had another idea.

"I'm sure if I left a mark on your back or chest, you would do anything to turn it into a normal scar." Evan uttered, approaching Astrid from behind.

The heated end of the rod, the letter - 'L', was right in front of her eyes, emitting streams of heat that could easily leave an eternal burn on her delicate skin.

"However, there's one place you won't do that. I'm not talking about your face, since you'll have the illusion that there's no need to remove the mark because only you and I will know about it." Evan whispered, then he grabbed Astrid by the hair, pinning her head to the ground.

Astrid didn't guess what Evan was going to do, but soon she had the answer to her question, without words but with pain.

The end of the rod, pressed against the back of her head, forever leaving a scorched scar in the letter - 'L'.

Evan smirked, tossed the rod aside, and picked up Astrid's rapier with his sword, heading for the exit.

"Remember my name - Evan Lynch, a name that now like eternal chains binds your body and soul. Hahaha!" Evan laughed evilly, walking out of the room.

With the last of her strength, Astrid picked up a shard of glass from the ground and took another look at her face - it was not the same person she had woken up this morning.

From the realization of what was happening, tears sprang from her eyes, rolling down her cheeks and pooling with the blood, turning scarlet. The physical pain was horrible, but it was overshadowed by the humiliation and her own insignificance, which was far worse.

When there were no more tears left in Astrid's eyes there was only one desire - revenge, in the most gruesome way that existed.

...

A satisfied Evan walked down the spiral staircase, a long sword and an exquisite rapier hanging from his belt, the light from the moon as blue sparks traveled across the blades.

A few steps later, Evan's eyes shone brightly like ghostly lanterns as his heart was pierced by a vivid pain, causing him to drop his weapons.

"Argh...! What's happening!!!" Evan exclaimed, holding onto his chest with his face twisted in pain.

Then, magical runes appeared in front of him, forming unknown but strangely understandable lines.

[Your actions and identity have attracted the attention of the entity of the Arcanum.]

[As an exception, you have been invited to the Arcanum Void - which will appear in six months. You will learn the location three days before.]

[You have received the seed of one of the Seven Deadly Sins - Pride]

[Pass Arcanum Void to gain the power of sin, an ability only given to you.]

[In Arcanum Void, you will find many valuable rewards as well as equally dangerous enemies. Be prepared to die for your goal.]

The messages disappeared and Evan was abruptly relieved.

'What the hell was that...? Right, I'll have to check it out. Sight!' Evan internally exclaimed. 

***

Name: Evan Lynch

Race: Human

Lifespan Expectancy: 49 years 11 months (much lower than possible due to the terrible state of the body)

Status: Commoner

Warp: None (no known talent for magic)

Tantum: ???

Arcanum Path: Undetermined, (The Invited One.)

***

"Hmm... Looks like Kellan has completely disappeared and I've somehow progressed in Arcanum Path. However, I still don't understand anything." Evan muttered with a pinch of curiosity.

"Whatever." Evan shook his head, "Thirty minutes will soon come to an end, I must hurry."

Evan ran out of the tower, hurrying towards the back gate at the edge of the prison where the high stone walls partially overhung the forest since old roots had long ago sprouted through them. 

It was a forgotten and somewhat forbidden place, even the guards and wardens rarely came here as the road led to the snowy mountains - dangerous and quite inhospitable.

However, it was the best place to escape, something the other slaves didn't realize.

'Klaus is smart. Astrid is from a noble family, so the owners of the prison will probably catch or kill all the escaped slaves very soon. Perhaps only a few will manage to survive, since hiding on the roads is more than difficult.' Evan was pondering when a smile appeared on his face at the sight of two silhouettes standing at the rusty old gate.

Klaus was clearly nervous, biting his nails. Beside him stood a girl in white cook's clothes, though already stained with blood. She had short black hair with very long bangs, completely hiding her right eye.

"Is this your friend...?" The girl muttered, pointing at Evan, running towards them. In her gray eyes was seen a black silhouette with two weapons on his belt.

"Agh...?" Klaus's eyes went wide, then a satisfied smirk appeared on his face, "Bastard... He did it after all."

Evan stopped, "Hey, there's an addition to our little team, isn't there?"

Klaus nodded, "This is Hana. I won't go into details, she's a friend of mine and like me she shouldn't be here."

"Sure. Nice to meet you. Now there's three of us, the ones hiding a secret." Evan smirked, glancing at Hana's bangs, making her look slightly surprised.

Then, Evan removed a rapier from his belt and tossed it to Klaus.

Klaus caught the weapon carefully, with a dazed expression, looking at the rapier, as well as at the faded crystal.

"Wait... Did you really kill her? Did you kill Astrid Einrich?" Klaus looked at him in disbelief.

Evan shook his head, "Nah, I let her live, though... her current identity I definitely ended."

Klaus frowned, "Evan... What the fuck? You do realize that she'll want revenge on you now, right? She'll use up all her resources for that, and eventually, she'll find you."

"Of course I know!" Evan grinned widely, "Just imagine the look on her face when her revenge plan fails. That will be the supreme reward!"

Klaus wanted to say something, but he was interrupted by a loud sound that, like a clap of thunder in a clear sky, echoed for miles around.

"Fuck, they're already here!" Klaus exclaimed, pointing to several figures with wide wings floating across the sky. On top of them were tall silhouettes whose threatening auras extended even as far as the prison.

"Oh, looks like I'd better not show my face to them for a while. Especially when they see what I did to Astrid." Evan muttered, scratching the back of his head.

Crackle.

Klaus swung his rapier, shattering the lock with thick chains into links and lashing his entire weight against the heavy gate.

"Come on! We mustn't waste any more time! Just a little longer, and all hell will break loose here!" Klaus exclaimed, taking Hana by the hand and running down the nearly-sprouted grass path.

Evan took one last glance at the prison, engulfed in the flames of revolution, the spark of which he had lit. With a smirk, Evan swung his long black coat and followed his companions - out of the flames and straight into the cold mountains with frosty blizzards.