"Wake up Trey!"

Trey's consciousness was dragged back to reality.  His eyes flashed open, his head throbbed painfully and blood trickled down his head. He looked up only to meet his mother's cold gaze. 

Half of her face had been burnt to a crisp. The right side of her face was completely charred and an eye patch covered her right eye in hopes of preserving the dignity of her face.

"What took you so long? I've been calling you for a quite sometime" Zoey lifted her black iron staff as she spoke. The staff was long about three meters. It was thin and had a crescent shape at its tip like a pirate hook

"I'm sor-" the staff struck his skull knocking his words out of his mouth.

Trey coughed up blood in response. His brain was rattled, disorientation took over and once again his consciousness was tested as it bordered between reality and unconsciousness. 

It struck him again and again. It continued raining on him for several seconds. Each swing harder than the last. The sound of cracking bones filled the room.

The chains binding his limbs moved back and forth with Trey's body.

This was his reality. It hurt. It hurt so much.

Zoey finally stopped.  

Trey's body laid motionless for a few seconds before it slowly lifted itself up. His skull had caved in on his brain but it began reforming itself slowly. Blood ran down his face like a river, but that also began to dry up slowly. His blue eyes shone brightly in a sea of red liquid. 

"That's more like it!" Zoey exploded into laughter, her eyes clearly enjoying Trey's response.

"You were born to be a monster of chaos. You are the one who'll see our dream to the end. For that to happen you'll have to be strong, very strong. All this is to make you strong my child, after all you are special. "

Although Zoey said these words with the softest tone she could master, to Trey they meant nothing. He'd heard them a million times and by that point they had lost their value. 

Zoey swung her staff once more. This time not to hurt Trey but snap the chains holding him. They broke apart without much resistance. 

Trey's body crumbled to the ground, his face broke his fall. The floor was bathed by dried up blood stains but to Trey they were as clear as yesterday. 

Zoey moved towards the doors of the cell. 

The two were inside a small cell the size of a matchbox. The walls were suffocating to Trey, they felt like they could close in and and crush his body to pieces. Like a chained up dog, this is where Trey spent his entire childhood.  No light, no toys, no friends. Nothing. 

Zoey's heels echoed off the walls as her key turned to open the cell. "Don't make me wake you up again Trey. Sleep is a sign of weakness. A man must never show weakness"

Her words settled into Trey's mind. He was lucky this time, Zoey often ripped out his fingers if she found him asleep. It's not like he did it on purpose either. After being awake for days on end, his brain tended to shut off for a bit. It was a habit he had to break if he didn't want Zoey's wrath.

The cell swung open and Zoey stepped outside.  "Let's go" she gestured with her hand for Trey to follow. 

He lifted his head, and he dragged himself to his feet before wiping the blood on his nose.

The two walked down a hallway. The castle walls that binded Trey for so long looked solid and sturdy. 

Zoe tapped her staff against the ground gently. From the bottom of her staff a shining light appeared. Like a ripple in water, the light ran across the ground and then rised with walls. The green glow consumed everything in the tight hallway. 

The candles on the wall, were Illuminated by the green light that acted like a flame. The light had sparked something that gave the room life.

They ventured foward, their footsteps a sweet rhythm to the ears.

Trey watched the green robe that smothered Zoey's figure. His eyes studied the burnt hand that grasped her staff. He saw her black hair which flowed down her spine. Thoughts of attacking Zoey from behind came and went.

He knew even with a sneak attack. Winning was impossible. He tried this very thing once before and he lost his legs for hours.

"Ignoring your head just now, are your injuries from yesterday fully healed?" Zoey asked, not even bothering to turn around and face Trey.

The light shone on Trey's face revealing bitter and hateful eyes. Trey held on to his left ribs, and he gently brushed them with his fingers. A sharp pain stung all his senses like a thousand needles.

"Yes" he managed to release the word from his mouth.

"Good."

Zoey pushed open a big black door before the two entered an empty space. There was nothing but a vast circular shaped field. Bricks had been built around it just to emphasize its shape they were In no way tall enough to contain a person or hinder movement.  One could simply jump over them.

A black sword rested just outside the circle. Zoey moved past it before entering the circle.

"Pick up the blade" she ordered.

"Yes" Trey obeyed, before gripping the blade with his right hand. 

He lifted it off the ground and entered the circle. The blade weighed heavily on him, his knees shook slightly. His muscles were strained to the limit. It didn't help that his earlier injuries still persisted. His head somehow found its shape again, so that was good, but his face was still bloodied although slowly, that was also disappearing .

He stood a few meters away from his mother watching her as she slowly turned to face him.

"Now come!" She gestured by pointing the staff at Trey.

A red light covered Trey's figure. This light was his mana, an energy present in all living things.

His body felt energized, for a moment his injuries seemed nonexistent.

Trey reaffirmed his footing before he threw himself foward. He left small cracks on the ground behind him as he approached his mother.

His figure was a blur, almost impossible to track with the naked eye. His zigzag motion made this task even more difficult. 

He appeared on Zoey's right side. His blade already in motion. He placed everything on one fluid strike.

"Not good enough." 

Zoey's words were followed by a green light that glowed from her staff. It blanketed her figure forming a perfect green dome of light.

Trey's sword struck the dome and he felt a stinging sensation from his arms. That single swing sapped most of his strength.

His assault didn't even leave a dent. 

Zoey deactivated the barrier simultaneously with her sharp turn. Her staff soared through the air, threatening to cut the air itself.  In a powerful swing, Zoey connected with Trey's midsection. 

"Arghh" 

Trey cried out, before he flew to the other side of the room. His body collided against the walls and bones shattered on impact. He screamed,unable to contain the pain he felt. His sword clattered against the ground and a heavy dust cloud surrounded his figure. 

Trey couldn't see anything, the smell of dust threatened to choke him. He dragged himself to his blade. Blood spilled down from his ribs and head. He gripped the handle but felt something pressing against it. It didn't move an inch.

"So u were injured?" the dust cleared showcasing Zoey standing on the blade with he left foot, "You couldn't be injured like this from just that one attack.."

Zoey's staff raised above her head once more, "You dare lie to me Trey?"

Trey's heart sank.

"No I wa-" Trey's words were rudely interrupted by the staff that smashed against his head burying it face first into the solid concrete.

A cracking sound bounced off the walls.

"Why would you lie to me Trey?"

Another whack followed,then another. It continued until his face was a bloody mess. His head rang like a church bell. The pain was something he was familiar with, but it didn't make it any less painful.

"Why must you always, treat me like a monster my child" she knelt on one knee and  grabbed Trey by his messy black hair before looking deep into his eyes.

"I simply want what's best for you. What's best for everyone." She tossed Trey's head back to the floor. She got up and began walking away.

"Get up Trey!" she ordered, "your day Is just getting started."

Zoey exited the room, then another figure entered.

He was a member of Zoey's party. Even though the group weren't an active party anymore, they still got together when it came to Trey's training. 

"You look good Trey"  he said, softly.

He watched the little boy struggle to reclaim his footing. 

Eventually Trey found himself on his feet. His eyes lazily locked on to the figure infront of him. 

His knees woobled, but through shear willpower he avoided falling. He panted, trying to catch his breath.

"You know Trey, if you came from my family you'd realize that your life is actually a luxury.  A luxury many of us dreamed of having"

 Sunny sauntered towards Trey.

His figure was muscular and his shoulders were broad. His biceps and abs were on full display, since he found wearing a  shirt to be too bothersome. He wore a metal necklace that was decorated by bone that dangled down his chest.

He grabbed it "If you can somehow take this bone away from me,I'll let you escape."

"Is he serious? No, this bastard Is messing with me, but what if he isn't it he can be unpredictable at times. This could be my chance. I can't let this slip, but can I really trust this bastard?"

Trey's thoughts were torn and indecisive

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"You better keep your promise, after I take that bone of yours" finally, he made up his mind.

"Of course we of the Yaju family always keep our promises'

Trey gripped the handle of his blade more firmly. The blood on his palms stained the handle, it ran down the black blade like a small river.

Trey didn't waste another second, he raced towards Sunny, his movement a little sluggish. 

No matter how small, this was his chance. His moment.

He dragged his blade with red mana still shrouding his body. He launched himself to the skies, looking down at Sunny with disdain. He brought down the blade in a powerful descending slash.

Sunny lifted his head, an intrigued smile was visible on his lips. He knelt on one knee and his palms pressed on the surface. 

A blue circle came to life. From the circle a giant Mana Beast emerged. It had a gigantic head that was decorated by spiky red hair and four red eyes. It's mouth dripped with saliva. Its tongue raged in excitement. 

It stood on four limbs its grey fur pleasant to the eye. Its focus was on the descending Trey. 

It opened its mouth before leaping to intercept Trey.  It's gigantic jaws opened and invitated Trey to a bottomless abyss. 

It landed on the ground moments later, moving the very earth as it did.  It's teeth had a blue aura as they dug into Trey's flesh and bones. It tore his fragile body like a piece of meat.  Trey's screams were impossible to miss.

"Let him go Wreck" Sunny orderd. 

The beast spat Trey out, his bloodied body was left to drown in Wreck's saliva.

"You're still not there yet Trey, I guess I'll keep holding this for a little while longer"

Sunny was a Tamer type magician, this allowed him to make contracts with Mana Beasts and summon them at will. Sunny had a few beasts under his possession and was disappointed to find that Trey still couldn't beat his weakest one. 

"I hope you're stronger next time Trey because you'll need to be. If you're truly the one who will drag them down from their pedestals. You'll have to be the strongest alive." He turned around and ventured to the exit choosing not to say another word.

Minutes had barely passed before another magician entered the room. His pure white elegant robe grabbed the attention of all who saw him. His dazzling white and lengthy hair was a feast for the eyes. With his confident strides and the shimmering blade by his side. He confidently made his way towards Trey.

"A warrior does not rest" his voice was bold, a contrast to his elegant nature. The scar on his left cheek was the only blemish on an otherwise flawless face. The scar had the initials 'M.Y' it was hard to miss.

Trey had barely regenerated his body and that's only thanks to Sunny going easy on him.

His body regenerated faster if mana was the driving force behind the injury,since Sunny allowed Wreck to use mana, Trey got lucky.

He stumbled to his feet blood pouring like a fountain. He could barely focus on Sai, he was seeing doubles. He grabbed his blade, his body a little shaky. He gritted his teeth and forced a glare at Sai's direction.

After an exhale, he made a run for Sai looking to close the gap, but before he could his arms were sent high into the ceiling.

Trey cried out louder than ever before. 

Blood escaped were his arms once were. He fell to his knees, his screams a sweet melody to castle walls.

Sai's sword was blemished by the blood that gave it a crimson colour.  As blood dripped from its tip in tiny droplets. He made his way to Trey.

As a warrior type magician, Sai was skilled in the art of using weapons in battle. For him, it was his trusted blade Lightshed. Warrior types like Sai relied on their weapons to be effective in battle. Their speed and strength was also noted to be the greatest among all the magician types that exist.

Sai stood infront of Trey.

"A warrior shouldn't leave himself open like that, a warrior has to be perfect" he dug more than half his blade into Trey's chest. "You have to endure it! endure it! a warrior must never show weakness."

His words reached deaf ears, Trey succumbed to his injuries and his lights went out.

He woke up in his cell tied up once again, he was reaching his breaking point. He was in tatters.  Whether it was his skin or clothing, he had gaping cuts all over.

"I can't go on like this. Why doesn't god just let me die. Why was I even born in the first place. If I have to keep living like this. I'd rather be dead."

Trey's thoughts got darker which every passing second, he thought about biting his tongue off at one point.

His wounds healed slowly considering Sai didn't use any mana. He stayed there wondering when Zoey would appear and subject him to another day in hell. 

Trey looked at the mark that was on his stomach.  It was a big circle drawn in the form of a tattoo. A drawing so big it hosted smaller circles inside it. The mark dominated his entire midsection.

"That's right, it's this thing. It's this  thing's fault that my lufe turned out like this. Why damnit? Why did i have to be born with this? Why couldn't  I just be normal"  Trey's thoughts ran wild for a moment.

He would often hear his mother talk about the mark as some sort of blessing. To him,it was nothing but a curse.

His vision began to fade, it had been three full hours and Zoey had not arrived. Maybe sleep was actually possible this time.

His eyes invited the gentle darkness and promise of sleep, but of course he couldn't even have that.

Footsteps interrupted his peace. They approached his cell growing louder with every step.  Trey heard gentle humming before the source  came into view. 

It was woman with fiery red hair. She wore a black cloak that reached her ankles. The cloak was decorated by the logo of a Wolf.

The logo was hard to miss, a wolf's gigantic head took all the space around her chest.  It had bold words written below it 'The Pack' was the name written on the cloak.

Trey examined her and he tried his best to recall but no where in his memory had he seen her before. 

The woman bit her thumb before placing her hand on Trey's cell. Her hand had the number '3' as a tattoo at its rear. 

Blood erupted from her thumb and like some sort of corrosive substance the cell's doors melted.

"You look terrible child" she said, walking towards Trey. "To think Zoey would subject her own child to such treatment." She knelt on one knee infront of Trey. Her eyes stared into his, before a gentle smile was seen on her face "do you want me to save you Trey?" her voice was low but sweet. 

"Who are you?" he asked, skeptical of this individual who suddenly wanted to become his saviour.

"I'm the one who will watch over you until the very end." Her hands touched Trey's cheeks as she continously examined him "You really look a lot like him you know that?" Trey's blue ocean eyes had triggered a memory which only lasted for a few seconds 

"Don't want to see it? the endless world beyond these walls, or are you satisfied with how things are? I can only act if you allow me to"

Trey thought about it. A feeling he had long forgotten started to surface. 

"Yes!" tears streamed down his cheeks "I want to see it. I want to see everything!" his voice cracked as he spoke "please help me!"

The woman smiled, "very well Trey,I'll let you see the outside world. What about your mother and her party members?"

Trey didn't even waste a second to respond "I want to kill them. Every last one of them!" his voice was full of hatred. 

"That's fine as well, the path you choose does not matter. Just make sure you see it through to the end. No matter what, from this moment foward, you have to live a life you won't regret."

The woman's hand glowed as a black aura encompassed it completely. She dug her fingers inside the circle In Trey's stomach. Her fingers were long and they penetrated without failure.

Trey felt like his insides were swimming in fire. He wanted to scream. He wanted to scream so much. 

She placed her free index finger on her mouth and she gestured for Trey to not make a sound.

Trey adhered to her order despite the obvious discomfort. 

The woman removed her hand after a few seconds "there, its done." She got back on her feet before she turned and walked away. 

"I've given you a fighting chance,it's up to you how you use it.,"

She turned around to look at Trey one final time, "things will only get tougher from here. Many will want the thing that lurks inside you. Others will want to kill it. Others will wish to use it. While others will just loathe it."

Black mana started to leak from her figure. 

"When everything doesn't go your way, just rember I will always be by your side. You must find a way to stay true to yourself untill the end. We'll meet again, hopefully you'll be way stronger than you are right now"

She disappeared, only traces of mana lingered where she once stood. 

Trey's pain started to dull and his stomach healed. There was just one minor difference.  The mark on his stomach was gone. He then started to experience something else. His body was overflowing.  The mana that erupted out of him was intense and he felt empowered, stronger.

Sensing the insane spike in mana, Zoey came rushing to Trey's cell. When she saw the mark had disappeared she knew something was wrong. Trey's cold glare was another indicator. 

The ground rumbled, and the chains around Trey's limbs struggled to hold him down.

 "What have you done Trey?" Zoey's eyes couldn't comprehend what she was seeing. 

She took a single step towards Trey, before she and everything else in the room were engulfed in fierce blast of mana.

The entire Castle was brought to its knees in seconds.  Everything, reduced to nothing. 

From the rubble Trey's body sprouted. Consumed by the red glow of mana. He stood there for a few seconds observing the surroundings. 

"Where am I?" His eyes darted around trying to get a sense of his surroundings. He also tried to mitigate a throbbing headache .

Trey's body was the same. He still had his thin frame and his messy black hair. His raggered shorts persisted. He looked like any ten year old boy, but there were slight differences.

His eyes were red and his voice had changed. Something had happened.

The dust cleared and his eyes were drawn to Zoey who stood not far from him.

"Are you the one who brought me back?"

Zoey's eyes widened, her face was drenched in blood and sweat. Her knees vibrated barely holding it together.  Her staff had a green glow courtesy of her mana.

"No! It can't be, you should be dead!" She staggered backwards trying to process what she was seeing.

"Dead..?" he trailed off, seemingly trying to spark a memory in his mind, "that can't be right.. are you suggesting that someone killed me?" 

His red mana grew and raged like a wild beast. It's discharge so intense the stones on the ground were suspended In midair as if gravity was under his control.

"Are you suggesting that there is someone in this world who can lay a finger on me?"

his mana concentrated around his fist. 

"Do you have any idea who you're speaking to? For crying out loud you're speaking to the King of all demons!"

From his fist, a blast of mana fired. Its light ravaged the ground in its approach and it soon consumed Zoey in its brilliant glow. An explosion followed adding more dust to the area.

He walked foward with a confident smirk on his face. When he saw a green light pierce the dense smoke he stopped on his tracks. His interest peaked by the source, he found Zoey standing behind the oval shaped shield.

Zoey panted, her breathing was sporadic.

"I don't know what happened to your memory, it seems the ritual had its side effects" 

Zoey smirked "I know everything about you, Yama. How does it feel, for a great king such as yourself to be at the mercy of a mere human. Without your memories you're no different than a newborn baby"

The barrier around Zoey had visible cracked and it didn't take long for it to shatter.

"For a human to call me by my first name, have I grown so weak? No, you probably forgot who you're talking to"

He clenched both his fist, his feet pressed on the ground.

"I forgot nothing." Zoe stepped foward, "I'll need you out of that boy Yama. I can't let you mess up my hardwork after so long."

Yama rocketed foward upon hearing Zoey's words. 

He appeared infront of her in seconds, his fist targeted her brain.

His assault missed by a hair, Zoey tilted her head allowing the fist to pass by her cheek harmlessly.

In a seamless swing, Zoey's staff collided with his stomach. The force sent him rocketing backwards, his body found it hard to come to a stop. He had to use his fingers by forcefully digging them to the earth. 

Finally he halted, blood dripped from his lips, his stomach felt like it would rip apart.

"Not bad, you're no ordinary human." Saliva dripped down from his lips. "I'll make you tell me everything before I dig my teeth onto you"

His eyes saw Zoey's casual approach. She swung her staff to her sides as she got closer with every step.

"I'll have to seal back, that boy still has a lot of things I need him to do." Zoey stated, her eyes that of a hunter looking at its prey.

Yama was forced to watch as Zoey vanished, Zoey descended on him like a bomb. Her staff followed her. Almost instinctively he leaped back, Zoey's staff struck the ground shaking it to its core. She then transitioned to a horizontal swing.

It made contact with Yama's stomach but the king of demons stayed one step ahead. 

He grabbed the staff and upon landing, he yanked Zoey foward.

This robbed Zoey of all her footing. Yama went on to strike her face with a powerful punch that sent Zoey plummeting to the ground. The impact of her fall threatened to break the ground apart. 

"I don't know what happened since I was gone, but I'm not so weak that I'd lose to a human" his fist was dressed in blood as he pummeled Zoey repeatedly, her face became unrecognizable. 

"I guess I won't learn anything from you, you no longer serve any purpose to me."

Yama brought down another blow but Zoey caught it.

"I won't lose! Demon King or not I won't let you or Trey ruin something I've worked on for so long." 

Zoey's body had black marks  on it. The marks transfered to Yama as well. Like a virus, they travelled his body instantly cloaking it in black marks.

"What's this?" his voice had a hint of uncertainty. 

"A one way trip to hell!" Zoey responded with a smirk. 

A bright light consumed them both. 

Yama cried in agony, his soul felt like it was being burned to nothing. He tried to remove his fist but Zoey did not budge.

A foreign feeling creeped into his heart as he cried out.

Desperately he tried to separate himself bit to no avail. 

Zoey's body also started to burn, it started from her face but it soon went on to spread throughout her body. The marks on her face acted as a road that guided the flames that torched her skin.

"You fool, you'll kill us both" Yama screamed.  His own skin burned, both he and Zoey shared the same marks.

"No, Trey will live, Trey will find a way to live. Even after I'm long dead that boy will live. He has no choice. Whether he likes it or not he'll be my masterpiece. A weapon of chaos that will consume everything"

Yama greeted his teeth. He then sunk them into Zoey's neck. Like a vampire finding its first victim. 

Blood poured from her throat, and into Yama's mouth. The taste was similar to apple juice, it rejuvenated his body and senses. 

Yama felt like he could now pull back but Zoey wasn't letting him escape. Not without giving everything she had.

"All sealing." Those were the last words she spat out.

A white light soon consumed everything.

Seconds passed before the aftermath was revealed. Zoey's own body had burned to ashes. Nothing remained but ash.

Trey's body had multiple burn marks of its own. The chest was pouring blood and his face was mostly burnt. His arms had multiple burn spots, he heaved and puffed his body searching for air frantically. 

 "I got lucky, If not from that last minute mana I got from her blood, I would've been In trouble. To think there was a human who was that strong. Damn it I've grown weak. I need to recover, this boy's body won't last long."

His eyes darted around as he observed his surroundings. He found that the castle was located on top of a hill and a peculiar smell invaded his senses.

"That scent belongs to humans, no doubt about it. Great, now I can recover my strength.  I'll try to understand what really happened to me later."

Below the hill was a village. A smile crept on Yama's face. He got back to his feet. He then wiped the blood of his lips .

"I think I should go on a little hunt."