The past that shapes

"Yawn! Ahhh... the night was surprisingly calm. But well, that confirms my suspicions. That sneaky bastard is more the type to want to prepare well before a big hit, so nothing should happen today either. At least I hope not."

Saying these words, Atlas, who had just woken up, glanced at Asha, still lying unconscious.

"I don’t want to sound like a big rude bastard, but you better wake up, that’s not all I have to do. "Raaah! Hospitals are such a pain. I hope I never have to do this again."

[Knock, knock]

Atlas, who was still expressing his impatience, was interrupted by the doctor knocking on the door to announce his entrance.

- Good morning! How are you doing today?

- I'm fine. But I can't say the same for her.

- It's normal for her not to wake up yet. Don't worry, it's just a matter of time.

- If you say so.

- If everything is fine, I'll leave you. Try talking to her a bit; words can sometimes have miraculous effects.

- If you say so, doc.

The doctor then left after this short visit, leaving Atlas and Asha alone again.

"Ahhh! What on earth am I going to talk to you about? You've certainly caused me enough trouble," Atlas said, hand on his face.

"... How about I tell you a bit about myself?"

He then laid his head on the bed, face down, looking exhausted.

ATLAS' POV:

As far back as I can remember, I always liked reading to learn new things and increase my knowledge. At least that's what I wish I could say... Haha! No... in reality, I hate it; I find it boring. But it wasn't always the case.

I started reading at a very young age; my parents taught me how. For some reason, they never took me to school. They didn't want to hire private tutors either. So, I learned everything from them, from my birth until I was 8 years old.

They gave me many books and required me to read them all before giving them a detailed summary. These books covered all sorts of topics: sciences, which I barely understood given my young age, though some concepts seemed clear to me. They also talked about literature, history, and geography, very varied subjects. But none of them mentioned magic.

That wasn't by chance, because when I eventually found a book on magic hidden in my father's desk and started reading it, he immediately snatched it from my hands and scolded me severely when he caught me under a table with the book in hand.

I never touched a magic book again after he threatened to lock me in the basement for a month. He would have done it, and it wouldn't have been the first time.

Apart from my education, they never spoke to me. My mother always watched my father make decisions about me without saying a word. I don't even know her voice; I've never heard it in my life. Yet, I know she's not mute; I've seen her whisper words to my father.

*Sigh*

Today, I try to think as little as possible about that time, which ended when I turned 8. They left and never returned. They just dropped me off at my grandmother's before turning away without a word and, most importantly... without the slightest hint of sadness.

Despite that, I couldn't feel sadness either because of it. It was completely normal to me. I had never left their house, I didn't know what parents showing love to their children looked like. So for me, everything was normal.

However, I did feel a slight joy at seeing them leave and no longer being at home, which was a real prison.

But that day, if I had known what awaited me in the year before I turned 9, I would have prayed to live for eternity in that prison...

END OF ATLAS' POV...

...

"I don't even know why I'm telling you such a shitty story. But hey, maybe the shittiness of my story will wake you up when it resonates in your head."

"Hmmmmm... I still feel tired from last night, since I didn't get much sleep. I'm going back to sleep. You better be awake when I open my eyes again."

Then, sleep overtook him for a few hours.

...

Meanwhile, in Owen Lian's workshop.

- FINALLY! The old man exclaimed, covered in sweat.

- Is your device finally finished? Alpheus asked, sitting on a chair with crossed legs.

- Yes, but I wouldn't have spent all night on it if you had helped me a little more.

- I'm not a scientist. I may have some knowledge due to my former status, but not enough to do scientific work like this. Besides, I did help you a bit.

- Well, a bit, "very little". Muttered Owen.

- ...

- You mentioned your former status, what did you mean by that?

- *Sigh* There was a time when I was a noble.

- A noble! Am I to deduce that you are no longer one?

- I no longer consider myself as such. I left my home... in search of power to abolish this shitty system that grants nobles a power they don't deserve.

- Well, that's a "noble" cause.

Alpheus glanced at Owen from the corner of his eye, then smiled slightly at his joke.

- But isn't it a bit too big of a task to want to change a whole system that has been established for centuries?

- It was also a big task to prove a theory like yours, given the difficulty of the task. Alpheus replied to the old man's question.

- Well, you have a point there.

- *Sigh* I know the task seems complicated, but I must try.

ALPHEUS' POV:

It's not for what they did the day Daryan, my brother, almost killed me. No, these petty actions are mere trifles compared to what they are truly prepared to do.

A week after the incident with my older brother, I went for a walk in the city, as usual. I came across a noble.

He must have been in his thirties and was holding a 10-year-old boy in his hand, while one of his bodyguards held back the boy's mother to prevent her from striking the noble.

It didn't surprise me much, I knew that some nobles use their authority to take children from commoner families as servants in their estates. But what I heard next completely shook my mind.

- It's been a while since I fucked a kid. This one will entertain me for a few nights.

- NOOOO! The poor mother desperately cried, tears flowing freely from her bloodshot eyes. "Please, let go of my son, he's just a child.

- Shut up! You filthy commoner. How dare you oppose my will. Silence her! He added, addressing his guards.

The guards began beating the woman. But her determination to protect her son was remarkable. She continued, unyielding, begging for mercy from the noble, and what should not have happened, happened.

The noble grew tired of the mother's pleas and in a fit of anger, he rushed to grab the sword from one of his guards and impaled the poor woman's heart.

The crowd of people who watched from afar could only tremble helplessly in the face of this being.

He was crude in every sense of the word, shameless, ugly, and didn't mince his words. But the fact is that he was a noble, and that changes everything.

The nobles are composed of the descendants of the founding kings of Aspell.

When a small group of humans interested in magic discovered this world, they allied themselves with the other dominant races, namely the elves and the dwarves, to build the world as we know it today.

The descendants of the first human royal family of Aspell, as well as the elven and dwarven royal families of that time, became the pretentious nobles of today.

Considering their predecessors, these people believe they can do anything. The worst part is that they can indeed do anything, as the law doesn't forbid them anything.

In the hierarchy of Aspell, the only ones with more power than them are the royal family, themselves being part of the nobles, and the three leaders of the Grand Council of Mages.

As I observed the actions of that noble that day, it opened my eyes even further to the reality of our world.

My position does not allow me to speak for other races or for animals, but one thing is certain: beings act solely for their own well-being, and those in power will not hesitate to use it to satisfy their personal desires, even if it often means exploiting those "supposedly" beneath them, for better or for worse.

The few who stand out from this conduct also end up being manipulated, humiliated, and rejected. This is the world we live in.

So, no matter how difficult the task at hand may be, my journey will not end until it is accomplished.

END OF ALPHEUS' POV...

...

- Wow! You impress me, young Alpheus. Exclaimed the old Owen, astonished by the maturity of this young teenager. "Just out of curiosity, how old are you?"

- I'm 17 years old.

- Well, let me tell you, you don't look your age at all. Added Owen, still in awe. "Alright! Enough talking, let's get down to business with this little device."

- As you wish!

They then headed to the front of the workshop where they would resume their experiment, in order to better understand and confirm the Links of Mana theory.

****

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Hi guys, for those who want to dive a little deeper into the world of the book, I'll put the link to my Patreon below:

patreon.com/Death_Side

There you will find exclusively, images of your favorite characters, information about them and also about the world of the book, without forgetting the possibility of chatting with me.

Plus you don't need to be a paying member to enjoy certain privileges. So go for it! ;)

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