The sun was beginning to set as Gregark and I arrived at a boating area. I guess we need to travel by boat to this land called Riverland. The small dock was quiet, with only a few boats tied up, gently bobbing in the water. Gregark paid the boatman, and we boarded a small, sturdy boat that would take us to this land. called Riverland.

After five hours of traveling, the boat finally docked at the shore of a dense forest. Our journey has been quiet, giving me plenty of time to think about what will happen next. And information about this old man. As we jumped out of the boat, Gregark led me down a narrow path winding through the thick trees. I began to feel a headache. The forest around me seems to trigger my trauma. My vision is blurred, and flashes of the crater and my mother's lifeless body are kicking in my mind.

I stumbled, clutching my head. Gregark noticed and paused for a moment, concern etched on his face. "Are you alright, kid?" I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself. "Yeah, it's just... the forest. It reminds me of what happened." Gregark nodded. "I get it. Take your time. We're almost there."

After what felt like an eternity, we reached a clear path. In the center is a single wooden house, old and worn but sturdy.Smoke curled lazily from the chimney, and the soft glow of a lantern shone through the window. I looked around, and a feeling of unease. "Is this it?" I asked, turning to Gregark. Gregark didn't answer immediately.

He continued walking towards the house, his back to Kael. I felt a sudden suspicion but pushed it aside. I had no reason to distrust him, the one who had helped me so far. Still, I could shake the feeling that something was off. I took a deep breath and followed Gregark to the house, determined to trust the man who had given me hope when I had none. I stepped into the old wooden house, and my eyes adjusted to the dim light.

The interior was simple, with a few wooden furnishings and a fireplace crackling in the corner. At a desk near the back of the room sat a girl, her face obscured by a plain, featureless mask. The mask made it impossible to see her expression. Gregark entered the house behind him, immediately walking over to the girl.

They began to talk in hushed tones; their words were too soft and quick for me to make out. It feels like they're talking in another language. I tried to listen, but I can't really understand it. Suspicion grew with each passing second. I watched the girl hand Gregark five gold coins. Gregark took them with a satisfied smile and turned back to me. "Job's done," he said.

Before I could react, my vision got blurry, and my legs gave out. The last thing I saw before everything went black was Gregark's smug expression and the impassive mask of the girl. When I regained consciousness, I found myself in a small, dimly lit cell.

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The air was damp and cold, and the only light came from a small, barred window high above. I tried to move, but my wrist and ankles were bound. I struggled to remember what had happened, but my mind was a fog.

The only clear images. were of Gregark and the masked girl in the wooden house. I was betrayed. "Why...?" I muttered to myself, trying to make sense of it all. "Why did they do this?"

I lay in the darkness of my cell, my mind racing with fear and a lot of questions. Suddenly, the entire cell block was flooded with harsh, artificial light. I squinted against the brightness and looked around, his eyes widening in shock.

I wasn't alone. There were at least twenty other people, all children and teenagers, each locked in their own separate cells. They all looked as confused and frightened as I felt.

A crackling sound filled the room, and a voice echoed through a hidden speaker. "This is your new home, an orphanage dedicated to training the next generation to become an assassin. Each of you has shown potential, and here, you will improve your skills and become the best of the best."

I clenched my fists, anger and fear mixing in my chest. I glanced at the others, seeing the same mix of emotions on their faces. But I realized that I can somehow gain something even without magic.

As the speaker went silent, the lights turned off, plunging the cell block into darkness. I could hear the quiet rustling and soft sobs of the other kids around him. Feeling helpless. Despite the thoughts, exhaustion soon took over. I closed my eyes, knowing I had no choice but to rest.

14 years later.

I stood in the middle of the dark, empty room, breathing heavily. The silence was thick, broken only by the faint echoes of my footsteps and the occasional crackle of flames from the burning wreckage. I looked around at the bodies scattered around me—creators, trainers, and the other elite assassins I had been trained alongside. They were all dead.

I had done what I came here to do. I had fought my way through the underground cell, taking out everyone in my path. It had been brutal, but I didn’t let my emotions get in the way.

The papers and documents scattered on the floor told me everything I needed to know. This was no ordinary orphanage. It was an underground operation, a secret training ground for creating powerful assassins to sell. And now, I had killed the people responsible for it all—the creators, the trainers, and even the mastermind behind the whole scheme.

"Wait for me foolish gods"

I looked around at the wreckage and the bodies. I had been a part of this place once, and now it was nothing but ashes and memories. My old life was gone.

I walked to the far end of the chamber, where a dark, narrow staircase spiraled upward into the darkness. I took a deep breath and began to climb, each step heavy with the weight of the past 14 years. My legs ached, and my heart was burdened with the memories of what had happened here.

Finally, after what felt like hours, I reached the top of the stairs. I pushed open the heavy wooden door, and for the first time in 14 years, I stepped out into the open air.