After what seemed like just a few seconds in the dark Yuri opened his eyes to see that he was somehow back at the inn in his room, laid on his warm and comfortable bed, his hand hovered over his face expecting to feel the damage but shockingly there were absolutely no bruises or anything of the sorts, as if they never even existed, he sat up on the edge of the bed to see he was alone..... again, with a sigh of dissatisfaction he looked down and noticed that he had been changed in a fresh pair of clothing unbeknownst to him.

His rugged and torn dark shirt and rags had been replaced by a jet black tank top with collar that was so tight it was basically glued to his small skinny frame however it felt surprisingly comfortable and breathable as the material also seemed quite flexible.

Looking down even further, his cut black pants were now changed for some better fitting dark green pants that were a little oversized but grasped his hips well enough he wouldn't need a belt or anything like that, thankfully he didn't need to use a rope to hold up his pants anymore.

He got up from his bed and put on a pair of brown boots that conveniently were placed directly at the foot of it's frame, the boots seemed to fit him perfectly, they were made out of cured leather and a fluffy yet tough fur, he tightened them with a strap that circled around them various times, he stretched out his well rested limbs a little with a satisfying groan, it was still early in the morning, the sun having barely even come out, it's warm orange rays of light fighting against the dark blue starry night as the moon hid on the other side of the world.

His gaze lowered from the window onto the wooden desk that stood propped on to the wall, there seemed to be a package of sorts on the rustic piece of wood.

He walked over to the desk slowly and curiously picked up what looked like a gray packet of wool tangled in a way that would be easy to open with one fell pull, he felt something hard inside it so he took his time inspecting it a few times before he opened it.

Inside there were three gifts, Yuri laid out the soft gray wool on the table so that it was completely covered.

First of the items was a knife, well fit in a brown leather sheath fixed onto a strap of the same material that could go around his waist, Yuri picked it up with his left hand and to his surprise it was very heavy, at least weighing around seven or eight kilograms, he could barely hold it in one hand, with his other one he drew the knife out.

It was dark as midnight, its blade seemed to shift and shimmer in the light given by the window, its edge was sharp and menacing, appearing capable of slicing through the very air, the handle was seamlessly carved from the same piece of stone as it curved elegantly fitting perfectly into the wielder's grip, the entire knife exudes an aura of murderous intent, its form both beautiful and deadly.

The boy sheathed the blade gently and wrapped the leather strap loosely around his waist, the blade sitting on the back of his waist just over his tail bone.

Second, it was the piece of paper that Elric had written for him to study on the first day they met which he just left on the table since it was of no more use to him having already learned the letters and how they sounded.

And lastly, there it was a letter, he picked it up and began to read, with each word, the light in his eyes dimmed, slowly fading away, his expression turned bleak, the weight of the words pressing down on him, his eyes narrowed, now only half-open, as if the life was being drained from them, his lips parted slightly, as if to protest against the cruel reality spelled out in the letter, but he held back, knowing it would be useless.

Nothing he did or said could change what had been written, nor the fate it sealed.

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Yo brat,

By the time you're reading this it's probably been a few hours, hell, maybe even a day or two you fell asleep and me, M'Ur and Elric left, sorry about the whole thing by the way, it must have been a pretty bad experience both physically and mentally but that's just how the spell works, anyways I'm not really good at this kind of stuff so I'll get straight to the point.

I, Arthur Marsh, former captain of the Overworld Demon Squad, hereby bestow upon you the most treasured thing that I hold and that is the surname of Marsh.

As of this moment, I release you from your role as my disciple and from today onwards you are free from all of my rules and orders that I have placed on you, however I do ask of you to listen to these final requests of mine.

Become a proud warrior, one who stands unbowed even before the gods themselves, a figure so formidable that even armies shudder at the mention of your presence, relinquish all thoughts of mercy or retreat and confront every battle with unwavering ferocity regardless of the odds and become the embodiment of relentless wrath and violence, a living nightmare from which there is no escape, let your pride be an inferno that scorches and obliterates all opposition, turning your enemies to ash beneath your unassailable fury.

Lastly, cast aside the weight of past regrets and shadows, prioritize your happiness above all and make every breath a testament to your existence, live fully and fearlessly because this is your only chance to revel in the splendor of life, do not live a life of regret like I do, it doesn't lead anywhere in the end.

Goodbye, Yuri Marsh.

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Yuri stood there, his eyes hovering over the paper again and again reading every line repeatedly, he had a rough understanding of what most of the words meant and was able to more or less figure out what the letter said, however in that moment he wished he couldn't read at all as he didn't want to believe a single one of those words.

A small tear ran down his emotionless face, falling onto the paper dampening it.

"....Liar...." That was all the sorrowful boy could express, he felt as if he was choking on his own words as each time he read a passage of the letter his stomach twisted more and more.

He crumpled up the small piece of paper and with a simple whisper, "Flames" the letter was set ablaze in a small inferno in his palm, the small fire reflecting in the glass of the window as it lit up the room even more, a scorching inferno of his own burned in his eyes as his heart was broken once more by the sick twisted joke that was called fate.

Just as he was about to turn around he noticed the odd shape of the gray wool, it was too well knitted to be just packaging, he looked at it closely as it was laid out before him and noticed how well embroidered it was, it didn't look, like something you would wear on your torso or legs, so maybe his head?

The wool felt warm in his tiny hands, he tried wrapping it around his head but he couldn't see so he shifted it around and with some work and luck he wrapped it around his neck which seemed like the place it fit best, just as he had predicted, it wasn't just some nicely knitted piece of wool, it was a scarf, a high quality one at that, something that nobles would wear.

He burrowed his face in the soft scarf and just stood there, taking in its sensation, its scent, everything about it.

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His expression was simply cruel, his crimson half opened eyes glowed slightly before he left the room, he stomped downstairs, everyone was looking at him, now he didn't have Arthur to protect him anymore however despite this he didn't seem to care, in fact he provoked anyone who dared step up to him.

The other customers and the barmaid seemed to feel this energy around him and began to look at him differently, even though they were all much stronger than him they looked at the small boy with a sort of respect, or at least they didn't see him as an easy target anymore, but as someone who they would consider one of them.

Yuri stormed out of the inn not looking back for a second, but what will he do now? Where would he go?

For now he planned to stay until the princesses' Nadia birthday to see what Arthur had planned, however after that if he met Arthur again he would not let him leave without a scratch.

"Yuri Marsh huh..... Whatever." Although he hated Arthur now, he still took in his last name, maybe as a gift or maybe it's to surpass Arthur and fill his own ego with the thought that he is now stronger than the person who abandoned him.

"Cast aside the weight of past regrets and shadows, do not live a life of regret like I do, it doesn't lead anywhere in the end." Arthur's message played out in Yuri's head only serving to further fuel his hatred.

The small boy wandered aimlessly into the bustling streets of the capital city, without purpose or direction.

After what seemed like an eternity of walking blindly Yuri found himself seated on a bench in a empty plaza in the poverty stricken parts of the city, the park was pretty big as it was one of the few patches of grass in the brick and concrete infested city, it was contoured by a few badly built buildings that circled it off completely with the entrance being a small alley he so happened to stumble upon.

Wild bushes grew as if they were in a forest and and wild flowers of all shapes, sizes and colors sprouted, in the middle stood a tall and divine fountain, it was made from a beautiful pearly white material that reflected the sun's warm rays as nature started taking control of it again, roots growing and wrapping around it's base.

The basin was as wide as you would think it was a pool, the roots around it were so thick they looked like arms wrapping onto it, holding it down into the ground.

It was very tall as stated before, at least four or five meters tall, it had four very large tiers all filled with water and on top of it all stood the statue of an animal that Yuri had never seen before.

Some kind of fish perhaps? At least a kind that didn't look like it lived in lakes or ponds, Yuri had never seen one that looked like this, it's head was large and broad, leading to a wide curved mouth, the creature had three eyes on each side, they were very small in comparison to its body size and they are positioned near the mouth which was filled with razor sharp teeth, and a hole was located on top of the head just behind a mighty twisting horn.

The 'fishes' back was slightly arched, with a small dorsal fin situated near the tail and the flippers were long and tapered as they extended from its sides, resembling paddles, the tail flukes were wide and flat with a slight notch in the center and the edges were slightly worn.

The statue was no bigger than an adult man however Yuri felt the sensation like the creature would be way bigger than the sculpture suggested.

Water poured out of the creature's horn creating a beautiful umbrella of crystal clear water that flowed down from tier to tier making its way down into the basin.

"Why would a place like this place be forgotten by the city?" Yuri wondered aloud, taking in the beauty of the fountain and the tranquility that surrounded him, he stood up from the bench and he approached the fountain, its water shimmering gently.

As he leaned over to peer into the pool, he saw his own reflection staring back at him. his hair had grown unruly, cascading over his eyes and almost obscuring his eyes, they looked..... empty and tired yet so full of hatred, his complexion however, was still youthful, smooth and unblemished, but something about him felt off, there was an intangible quality, a sort of aura surrounding him, akin to what he had sensed from others at the inn, but compared to theirs, his was still lacking.

He dipped his hands into the fountain, cupping them to gather some water from the basin, as he lifted his hands he observed the liquid which appeared strikingly clear, almost as if it were invisible, the only way Yuri could tell there was actually water in his hands was the cool, wet sensation against his bare skin and the shimmering reflections of sunlight dancing across the surface.

With a deliberate motion Yuri raised his hands to his lips and took a sip of the water, it had an extraordinary taste felt almost divine, it was unlike anything he had ever tasted before, as the liquid touched his soft and thin lips he felt a surge of vigor, as if his entire being had been cleansed of all impurities.

His eyes widened in astonishment at this sensation, he never experienced anything like it before, driven by an insatiable thirst, greedily he kept cupping his hands repeatedly over and over again, even going as far as leaning directly over the fountain to lap at the water like a wild beast dying of thirst, ignoring the growing sense of fullness and discomfort, he craved more with every gulp.

"Ke Ke Ke Ke." A strange laughter came from behind, it sounded familiar, Yuri got up and turned around to see that it was the hunch-backed woman, Granny, covered by her countless rags she used to cover her body. "I advise you to stop now before it's too late my dear child, that fountain is plagued by a curse, if you wish to see the light of tomorrow you should step away now while the hex has yet to take over your sanity completely."

Yuri's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean by that Granny?" He felt skeptical about the old hag but there was no harm in hearing out what she had to say.

The old woman strolled to the fountain and moved some of the overgrown grass next to it revealing a plaque with something written on it. 'Lumina's Nectar Spring.'

"This fountain was cursed by the goddess of the ocean herself, she named it after her most fearsome offspring, Lumina," Granny said, gesturing to the whale statue on top of the fountain. "A creature that dwells in the ocean’s darkest depths. It’s said that Lumina can circle the entire world in just one month without even needing to rest and tales suggest its size dwarfs even the largest vessels that have ever sailed."

"Wait, a creature like that actually exists?" Yuri was shocked to hear that something of that magnitude lived in the same world as him."

"Ke Ke Ke," Her sickly laughter served to even further grasp Yuri's attention. "There are quite a few creatures of this magnitude, though I doubt you would ever encounter it as they live deep in the most dangerous parts of our world, places where very few stepped foot, and where even fewer returned, the only people who had ever been known to rival these monstrosities were the first Hero, Hiro and the first Demon King, Dai Mao who were beyond human comprehension."

"I see....." Yuri lost himself in thought for a moment before returning to reality, he took a gimps at the water, how could it be cursed? There's no mana radiating off of it or any sinister energy. "You said this fountain had a hex right, I assume that once people found that out they left it be and built around it, anyways I don't care about what the curse is and just so you know..... thanks for the help however something as weak as a curse would never kill me." Yuri said, looking at Granny before he left, going back to wander around the streets as Granny watched him walk away, her usual kind smile imprinted on her face.

"That pride of yours is going to be your doom my dear child." She whispered.

.....

"Night already huh..." Yuri murmured to himself whilst gazing at the pitch black starry sky, the moonlight enveloped the streets, casting a blanket of soft glow while the street lamps burned tirelessly, providing a additional white light that allowed carriages and people to go up and down the street without much of a hitch.

The bustling streets made Yuri uncomfortable, feeling as if he were the center of everyone’s gaze, whether that was true or not Yuri didn't care to find out so he slipped into the first alley he could find and walked amongst the solace and darkness it provided.

As he walked down the dark alley, Yuri's silhouette blended seamlessly with the whispers of the night, as if he were one with the shadows, the alleys at night were teeming with the homeless, the smell of their unwashed bodies, urine, and cheap alcohol filling the air with a pungent stench, from small children to the sick elderly, the world spared no one from life's hardships.

".....Weaklings....."

Yuri sat a fair distance away from the clusters of street rats and beggars, pressing his back against the hard, cold onyx clay wall, a annoying chill seeped through his skin tight tank top as it blended with the wall, however he had dealt with worse in the past while traveling with Arthur so he wouldn't let it get to him neither physically or mentally, not to mention he could use the scarf as a sort of small makeshift blanked for his upper body, he closed his eyes slowly drifting to sleep however he was still very much cautious of his surrounding, now more than ever in fact.