The Sun slowly reached its peak in a quiet manner and the wildlife became more active. Grass swayed with the breeze with refreshing smells of nature drifting across the land. The atmosphere of this land was calm but held an underlying power that if used in the right hands could shake mountains. This was the land of Pavarion, a world of extreme beauty on the surface. Nature thrived and created beautiful scenery wherever one looked whether it was the flora or fauna everything had a uniqueness to it.
Laying amongst the living grass was a small child, this was naturally Lucius who had found himself back in his own world. His appearance remained the same with his pale complexion, scarlet red eyes and long black hair. His stature remained thin, after all only the mysterious blood satiated his hunger for six years.
Carefully climbing to his feet Lucius surveyed his surroundings, he was back in his original world, he could feel the martial power in the surroundings and already felt it's nourishment and yet he was regretful right now, to him only a moment ago he was tasting the most glorious fluid in all existence, it felt like he was drinking the blood of angels.
"Did you see that shooting star just now, it definitely landed over here. Come on hurry up Charlie!" Lucius heard a feminine voice closing in, he hid in a small bush as quickly as possible, he was still unsure of where he was. Although in Pavarion, he could be in the land of immortals or a simple peasants village, he had to be careful.
Through some long grass a small girl and a boy emerged, the girl had long golden hair and looked no older than ten whereas the boy was slightly younger with similar golden hair. They approached the spot where Lucius was before, burn marks were scattered across the ground with ash leading into the bushes. Only now did Lucius realise that he was covered in some kind of burnt substance and that it lead straight toward his hiding spot.
"Emily whatever landed here is alive let me call an elder, I know your in the Refined Realm but we have to be careful. If it's an Immortal Overlord martial artist, the whole village will burn." The young boy called out to the girl and then turned around and ran, meanwhile the girl studied her surroundings.
'What's going on, what the fuck is an Immortal Overlord martial artist. Also this girl is already a Refined Earth Realm martial artist, she must have very good talent.' Lucius recalled that when he was alive there were seven realms each containing three stages. The Refined Earth Realm was the third realm on the path of cultivation and Immortal Overlord didn't exist so Lucius could only wonder what an Immortal Overlord martial artist was.
Lucius barely moved however the bush rustled just enough to catch the girls attention, so she quickly retreated and prepared to fight. In response Lucius could only surrender, he didn't know if he could face her and also needed information.
"Who are you? Are you the shooting star?" She was on guard but when she saw a six year old boy with only rags and a cloak on she relaxed.
"I'm Lucius I don't want to hurt you, can you tell me where I am please." Lucius was a six year old so he acted like one.
"You are outside Cloud Striking Village, I guess that doesn't mean much to you but anyway do you want to come back with me, I can help you get cleaned up." This girl called Emily was kind to Lucius and held him like a big sister would.
'Well okay then I suppose I could use this to my advantage, I need to know what country I'm in, just the name of a village won't tell me anything.' Lucius looked towards Emily she was smiling, she seemed innocent and was ready to take care of him.
"I heard you were a Refined Earth martial artist, I remember mummy telling me about it but that’s all I remember. Please tell me more about it." Lucius utilised his youthful voice, honestly it sounded cute but the squeak to it could also be called annoying
"So you only remember martial arts, not surprising considering its importance. Well let me tell you then, all beings start at the Spirit Realm and then in this order you get to the Refined Realm, Ascended Realm, Soul Origin Realm, Martial Void Realm, Mystic Lord Realm, Radiant Sky Realm, Breaking Dawn Realm, Infernal Star Realm, Heavenly Exalted Realm and then the Immortal Overlord Realm. Silly boy the Refined Earth Realm hasn't existed for a millennia, your mummy must have been teaching you history instead of martial arts."
'Well fantastic my guess was right the world is at least a thousand years in the future, what happened that made martial arts change so much?' Lucius said he didn't mind the changes to Pavarion but such fundamental changes such as this wasn’t exactly what he had in mind.
"Why did the names change though?" Lucius had to know why his world had changed so much.
"Well if you have to know, about a thousand years ago what was known as a Divine God Realm expert fought another very powerful Divine God. The battle encompassed the whole world in a way, simply because they could not kill each other. Their strength was so powerful yet they were too similar, in the end there was a victor and through the fight he achieved a new level of strength, what was called gods back then were simply immortals and by the True God's decree the world would be reshaped in the way he desired, with that apparently everything died and was reborn, the world started again, a new age was upon us. Cultivation fundamentally changed and now we are here, stronger than our predecessors were at the same level. Some condemn The True Gods' actions and others worship him for cleansing the world. Oh look at me speaking so much you probably only understood the cool bits he he" Emily detailed Pavarion change and with each word Lucius felt more dazed than the last.
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Coming to his senses Lucius wondered how this knowledge was known by some little girl in the country side, but Lucius wasn't feeling particularly curious at the moment no instead he felt the kindling of his rage set off like an explosion, he dedicated his life to become a Divine God yet that wasn't even the summit, moreover he could have been part of that purge by the 'True God' and faced death all the same. His past loved ones died so he could achieve god hood and yet even if he reached that stage he would still have perished along with his family's hopes and dreams.
"What's wrong little one are you feeling alrig...." Emily started spurting blood instead of words, her throat made sounds of choking even though all she was taking in was air, well not exactly anymore now she had blood flowing down her throat but also spurting out at the same time. She was choking on her own bodily fluids and she still had no clue what happened, the boy in her arms had dark crimson eyes staring into her soul with deadly malice. Lucius had lost control, his anger made his mind spiral and right now he was completely lost as if his life was a lie. Continuing to tear at Emily's throat Lucius started to enjoy the pain he was inflicting and the more enjoyment he found the more control he regained. Emily in terms of strength was in the second realm, but against someone who had already ripped her throat open she couldn't fight back at all. Moments later she died of blood loss, Lucius sat on top of her with cold eyes with blood lining his mouth.
"I'm sorry, I lost myself to rage and you paid the price, unfortunatly I'm already nothing like a human after all I found enjoyment from your pain. I wasn't a saint in my previous life, I was selfish and cared only for myself but I never enjoyed it. Out of respect for you I will no longer take pleasure out of death, instead I will feel nothing as you now do. The death of youth brings sadness across the world, Goodbye I hope you rest well in the afterlife."
'Perhaps after levelling up I regained humanity but after killing for fun I feel empty, perhaps that's the only way I will reach my goal, death is the only path I can walk down to succeed.'
Lucius was entranced and only now noticed his status screen in front of him.
[Butchers Regret learned]
[Level Up]
'Well what does this skill entail, honestly this system really makes skills out of nothing especially this one, are you laughing at me for my sympathy for this girl?' Lucius was in an odd frame of mind, he felt sorry for the girl and regretted what he did, death was only natural when coming across him and he had just accepted it so why did he care so much now.
[Unique Skill:
Butchers Regret - Followed by death wherever you go, you find power from it allowing the user to enter a berserk mode and yet when you claim an innocent life your strength turns to weakness, your emotions turn to stone and your life turns regretful]
'I see I feel so melancholic because of the skills backlash, I'm not really sure how to break this feeling, perhaps it would be better if I stayed this way.' Yet even though he thought that he triggered Rebirths Rage subconsciously , Heavenly Star Power or what was now known as Infernal Star Power engulfed his body, he felt his soul replenish it's lost power, as though it was natural to maintain this energy. His emotions returned and he felt normal again, his forlorn mood had disappeared and the want and need to get stronger returned.
'I agree with my previous sentiment that this child's death is a tragedy but I need to think about my future first, my life weighs much heavier than those around me, it's sad but it is also true.' Lucius stood up and looked at Emily's corpse, after a quick search of her belongings he found a medicinal herb and a brush. Dismissing the brush Lucius picked up the herb and began fleeing in a random direction.
Lucius had learnt only a fraction of the changes Pavarion faced before murdering Emily so he needed to find a new source of information, he was also aware that the other child would find Emily soon accompanied by an elder, Lucius was unaware of the strength of a village elder but knew they would at least be in the Soul Origin Realm. Lucius was now trying to follow the new cultivation system as it would be confusing for him to continuously change between his old age knowledge and the new ages knowledge.
Continuing on through a thick forest, Lucius was constantly thinking about how he would have to live here in Pavarion, he didn't have any background and would have no support, he would probably wind up living in the forest or on the streets. He couldn't go to the nearby village on the off chance he is found out as Emily's murderer. But fate didn't want Lucius to choose his own path because as Lucius was running through the forest he ran into a man with pure white hair draped over his shoulders, he wasn't old in the least instead he seemed to be very young or at least retained a youthful aura.
"Hello there young one, are you perhaps lost and need to get back to Cloud Striking Village, I happen to be headed that way I just got side tracked due to the sight of a falling star." The man seemed to contain a deep wisdom and slyness behind his callous and unfeeling sliver eyes. The man then observed Lucius looking at the scorched clothes that were still intact and the pale complexion that shouldn't be possible to have within a village so exposed to the sunlight.
"Please don't mind me I was just returning home, I live close by." Lucius couldn't evaluate the man in front of him at all, he even tried to use appraisal to no avail. Being an Infernal Star Realm Martial Artist he thought he could at least guess someone's realm.
"Hmm, there is no structure in the vicinity of 100 miles excluding the Cloud Striking Village. I'm surprised someone so young can be so crafty, judging from your appearance you must be the thing I got side tracked for." The man got closer almost seeing through Lucius' soul, his piercing eyes held much more power than Lucius first thought.
"Mister is right, I remember very little and don't understand why I fell from the sky. But I can find my mummy by myself don't worry about me." Lucius wanted to shake off this strange man, he would be better off alone, independent and uncontrolled.
The man suddenly grabbed Lucius' shoulder tightly, with a smile that seemed demonic he began whispering in Lucius' ear "Less than a mile away there is a dead girl, with a gaping crevice in her neck, blood is spilled everywhere and the scent leads, oh what's this? It seems it leads right... to.... you....."