Chapter 1: Starting All Over
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I, my name is, well, there’s no real point in using that name anymore. Maybe I should just rename myself? Haha, I don’t care.
I’ll just call myself Cleo. As for my former name, I want to forget it, my former clan, my former family, and my former life, everything, I’ll just forget it. Sadly... Haaaa.
I was really a sheltered brat. I’ve studied hard since the day I acquired the ability to read and write. My clan said I was a genius. I was even the heir!
But who would’ve thought that in a twist of fate, someone will steal every praise that my clan had for me.
“Hey! Let’s fight! I don’t think this clan needs two prodigies, so, let’s fight! The loser will be banished from this clan!”
Ah, and as naïve as I was, I accepted.
To think that I herald myself as a prodigy, a genius incomparable to anyone. Yeah, it was funny. We fought, and in just one strike, I lost.
And after that, it was decided.
You are not a part of this clan anymore.
My father, or should I say, my former father announced it.
I was given my clothes, my possessions. They even stored it in a storage ring!
I was kicked out of the clan. I was given enough money to live on my own. I had nothing to say anymore.
As soon as everything was prepared, my former father dropped another bomb, I was to be banished somewhere, another country, somewhere as far as another border!
Well luckily, I got to choose where, but all in all, it looks like they really don’t want to see me anymore.
After the day that I was banished from the clan, I started to travel.
They gave me 10,000 gold coins. It’s actually the first time I had this much gold on me.
Maybe it’s a parting gift. I don’t know, but one of my teacher said that a commoner only needs 5 gold coins to survive for a year. Ah, perhaps I’m rich for a commoner.
But actually, I was just naive.
I intended to go as far away as I can. I decided to go north. I decided to leave this country just like how they told me.
It was all simply because I noticed, it wasn’t just her, it wasn’t just my family, but actually, it was everything that was connected to that clan. I hated everything.
But still, I was grateful. Even though I hated all of them from the bottom of my heart, at least they were once a part of my life. I realized that everything happened because I was weak. She had more talent than me, that’s why this happened to me.
And so I decided, I want to live anew. Start my life once again in another country. Ah, I almost forgot I was nothing but a 13-year-old boy. But it doesn’t matter anymore, at least because of her I was cured of my naiveté.
One month passed by and I reached the borders of my would-be former country. I’ve been living a modest life during the past month.
As I travelled, I observed the commoners. I observed their lives, I observed everything that was happening in my surroundings. I realized my plans were actually harder than I thought.
In this world, there are actually many dangers. For me who has lived a sheltered life, I never thought that people you know can die even an hour after you meet them.
While observing the commoners I noticed that life was actually hard, some of them were sick but they were still working, some of them even have disabilities!
Yet, even after all their hardships… all of them were still striving.
The past month has opened my eyes towards a lot of things that I was unaccustomed to.
There’s actually so much more than living inside a mansion, than being protected all the time, than studying and living for myself.
I soon realized that the world is actually big, and… the world is actually a really sad place to live in.
As of today, I’ve only spent 2 gold coins since I journeyed from my former home. I don’t even know why.
It was funny how just a month ago, I was spending money left and right without even a care in the world, but right now, I became frugal.
Maybe, I’ve changed. But I know it’s still not enough. I need to learn more about this world. I need to become someone better.
As soon as I arrived at the borders, I decided to enter the [Sylvan Kingdom]. But somehow, something felt unnatural.
It wasn’t until today that I noticed, everything about my journey was easy. It’s been a smooth month-long journey, I thought maybe someone out there noticed my identity. I was even prepared that bandits might attack me yet nothing happened.
While I was pondering of what to do to cross the borders, someone tipped me to visit the public office.
I also had another problem; I needed to change my identity. And somehow, out of nowhere, I overheard a conversation about legally changing your identity in the [Guild Alliance Office].
Well, actually, during my journey, there were a lot of these coincidences. It wasn’t only up to until now that I noticed that perhaps, somebody is helping me behind my back.
But who?
I reluctantly proceeded to the Guild Alliance Office, and they were somehow ready about my appointment. Weird, am I over-worrying or is my intuition really correct?
I was interviewed by the receptionist. She asked me about my current identity and I proceeded to give her my [Identity Card].
She asked me the reason why I wanted to change my identity, and I didn’t really lied when I said, I stopped being a noble and I want to leave this country and proceed my life anew.
Somehow, everything went by smoothly. I was perplexed. I was interviewed once again about the change that I will make and so, after a few hours of waiting, I got a new Identity Card.
Identity Card
Name: Cleo Aeris
Age: 13
Affiliation: None
Records: None
So right now, my name is Cleo Aeris. This is nice, I don’t really know where to proceed so I asked the receptionist for tips.
She told me that I should make a bank account so I can receive a personal card that can safely store all the money that I have and it can also be used in other countries.
She also told me to stay here for a week before crossing the borders since there will be a platoon of soldiers that will be transferred to the Sylvan Kingdom and I should join them so my journey would become safer.
Since I think she could be trusted, I proceeded to the bank. Well, actually, there are things she didn’t tell me.
I actually needed to pay a sum of gold coins to get a personal card. This is actually extravagant.
Well, she knows I’m a former noble, perhaps she thought that I can pay it.
Once I reached the receptionist, I learned that there are 2 types of cards; (1) Silver Card, (2) Gold Card.
Each card has its own pros and cons. A person can only receive one of each card under their name.
The silver card can be bought for 1000 gold coins and can be used to store up to a million gold coins. After all, the silver card is primarily held by all minority nobles and it can be used to withdraw money from any bank anywhere.
The gold card is the one that only powerful nobles can use, I actually saw one, the one my former mother had. I learned that a person actually needs to pay 100,000 gold coins to acquire one and it can store an unlimited amount of money.
Well I’m a bit surprised. My family, rather, my former family is really rich if we have a gold card. I somehow just realized it. 10,000 gold coins is actually a very meager amount for them.
Since I still have 9990 gold coins, I decided to buy a silver card and store all the money that I have in the bank apart from the money I might need for my daily necessities.
All in all I got 8,500 gold coins in my silver card and 490 gold coins remaining in my bag. Well this should be enough to proceed to the border.
Since I decided to follow the advice of the receptionist in the Guild Alliance Office, I decided to get an inn and relax for the next few days.
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A week passed by in the blink of an eye. I didn’t really do anything but stay in the inn, meditate, and get food from time to time.
It felt fast. It’s been a long time since I have trained my mind to such a degree.
Anyways, I started to ready myself as I am about to embark on a journey towards the Sylvan Kingdom.
Night before my departure, I have already visited the public office and procured everything that I needed for my journey.
I proceeded to vacating the inn where I’ve been staying by putting all my possessions in my storage ring. What a convenient tool.
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Afterwards, I ventured towards the gate, and as soon as the soldiers arrived, I entered one of the carriages and finally, I am done with [Emerxia Kingdom].
Ah, the world. I haven’t travelled far and wide in this world and in the future, I hope I can do it.
I don’t know if I will ever have a chance to do it, but it’s definitely one of my dreams. A journey across the world I live in, a journey across the [Emerald Continent].
The Emerald Continent is also called the [Human Realm]. I don’t really know why. But some books say that there are more continents far away from the Emerald Continent.
Beyond the borders of the continent are gigantic oceans where no one has been said to venture into.
The thought of visiting other continents, it’s really quite thrilling. But thinking about it, even Emerald Continent itself is so vast that my lifetime probably wouldn’t be enough to traverse it.
The Emerald Continent is currently home to 9 countries. This includes 4 empires and 5 kingdoms
A hundred years ago, these 9 countries have been constantly at war and chaos. According to the books I’ve read, the war has spanned over 400 years and was only stopped when the leaders of the 9 countries decided to make a treaty.
It wasn’t even clear how the war started or how the treaty was formed. As far as I’ve read, it’s been a hundred years of peace and as of now, the countries are prospering in one way or another.
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It’s been four days since my venture towards the Sylvan Kingdom has started. The people from the public office said that the journey will take at least 2 months before we can arrive.
Now I find myself becoming more and more thankful from the tips of the guild receptionist. If I actually travelled with some random people or alone in this lawless area, I would’ve probably been killed a day or two in my journey.
The past few days were pretty much uneventful. No bandits dared to attack a platoon of soldiers. It was peaceful. And now I’m left pondering, I’m left to think about everything that happened in the past.
I was but a child back then. I learned to read during a very early age. It was even addicting.
My former family thought me everything about the world, everything about being a noble, and even everything about becoming a splendid fighter.
Although Emerald Continent has its fair share of riches, the Emerald Continent is actually ruled by those who have power.
Those who have extreme potentials are continuously being scouted by their respective countries. Once a child has been confirmed to have a ridiculous potential, the child is forced to become a part of royalty.
It was a roundabout manner where the royalty will always keep for themselves those who have talent. Perhaps, she is already part of the royalty by now. Haha, it’s funny how talent and potential can suddenly pull you to the top.
Ever since I was young, I was groomed to become the heir of the clan. I was supposed to be the greatest genius that arrived in the history of my clan.
Once a child is born, the child is subjected to [Destiny Rites].
The Destiny Rites is actually a peculiar way of determining the potential of a person. Once a child is born, they are to touch a semi-transparent crystal sphere called [Destiny Sphere] which will then proceed to determine how a child’s future will unfold.
Once a child has touched the Destiny Sphere it will begin to glow. The greater its glow, the greater the future the child will have.
My father once told me that during my Destiny Rites, the Destiny Sphere glowed so bright that everyone had to close their eyes for a few minutes before they can see again. It was during that time when they thought of me as the greatest prodigy of the clan.
When I was six, I’ve learned more and more about the world. My teachers told me that I can become more and more powerful through training my body and mind.
Those who have trained their body and minds to a certain degree will acquire the innate ability to feel and absorb essences.
At first I never really understand it. I was just reading and exercising for fun. I was doing all of these things for the sake of being praised.
I was loved, I was praised, I was enchanted by everything they were telling me. And I grew conceited, I grew arrogant. I thought I was the best, I thought I was the most talented.
But a year after I’ve acquired the innate talent to feel essences, a 10-year-old girl achieved what I achieved when I was 12.
She was my cousin, well, my former cousin. And as soon as I found out that there was someone more prodigious than me, I instantly felt envious.
I felt outrageous. Slowly, I felt that the praises and love I’ve been receiving were all turning over to my cousin. I was angry and sad, I was frustrated.
I eventually trained harder and harder. I even felt that I was becoming more and more powerful with each passing day.
I didn’t even understand it. I just treated her as my rival, I was just drunk with envy and I wanted to prove to everyone else that I’m better than her.
And then, after a year, I didn’t even notice. I changed. My jealousy was actually the poison that slowly killed me.
Day by day, I wanted to ridicule her. My friends have tried to bully her. I even instigated some of it by spreading rumors that her mother was a whore.
I was enraged by the fame and praises that she was receiving. I was blinded with all the frustrations that her appearance brought me.
How dare her take away everything that I’ve worked for all my life. How fucking dare her?!
With these thoughts, I acted rashly. I made stupid actions, made stupid decisions. All of it just because she was better than me. But then when I realized it, sadly, it was all too late.
It was probably a few months ago, when I saw her crying. It was then that the cute and kind child praised by everyone around me changed.
The rumors I started have spread all throughout the clan and it caused her mother to be banished from the clan. And some day after that, she challenged me to a duel.
She challenged me to a fight that will decide our fates. And I… I willingly accepted thinking that finally, I can get rid of the pest that took everything away from me.
And then, I lost-
I actually knew that I was inferior to her. I knew that I was weak. And of course, I knew that everything that happened was actually my fault.
But it was only right now that I felt sorry for myself. I was a child, and because of that, I didn’t think that it’s a reason good enough to apologize to her.
I hated her so much but, I knew, deep inside of me, I was wrong and probably, this is the price I must pay for the things that I’ve done.
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Alas!
I have finally arrived in Sylvan Kingdom. I wonder, then what of it? What kind of life will I lead from now on?
I’m excited, I’m nervous, and, I’m sad. So I’m finally saying goodbye to the past. Finally, I can start all over again.
After 2 months of such an uneventful journey, somehow, I’ve grown. I think about the past a lot. For now, my only regret is that I have never apologized to her.
Ah, yeah, I should write her a letter. For the last time, I should write a letter using that name. Using my old name, Altheous Impervia Aegus.
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“Please show your Identity Card.”
A soldier clad in full plate armor was in front of me. Wow, so this is a knight. Sylvan Kingdom really stands up to where it’s famous.
“H-here sir!” (Cleo)
“Cleo, from Emerxia Kingdom. What are you doing here brat?” (Knight)
“U-uhm, I’m h-here t-to t-travel a-and live. Ah- I mean, I want to live here, I’ve been dreaming of going to Sylvan Kingdom ever since I was small!” (Cleo)
“But you’re still small! Hahahaha! What a funny child! Well, as long as you don’t do anything bad, please enjoy your stay in Sylvan Kingdom.” (Knight)
“T-thank you!” (Cleo)
What I was saying was actually more of an excuse. But still it’s one of my dreams. To travel across the Emerald Continent, perhaps one day I really can do it.
As soon as I entered the borders of the Sylvan Kingdom, I was mesmerized.
The border of Emerxia Kingdom is nothing compared to this place. This place is almost as beautiful as the Tirade City in Emerxia Kingdom, which is said to be the third most beautiful place in Emerxia Kingdom.
I’ve only been there once but I know, this place just feels like that place. It’s eye-catching and yeah, it feels serene while looking around it.
As my eyes kept going left and right, a sudden realization dawned upon me, if the border is already as beautiful as what my eyes are currently viewing, then what about the other cities? What about the capital? This is just making me more and more excited.
Since my 2 month journey has just ended, I decided to rest in an inn and treat myself with good food.
Tomorrow, I will need to learn more about Sylvan Kingdom and proceed from there. This reminds me, ah, this is really the start of my new life!
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