A red-haired boy calmly stood before a blonde-haired lady, both holding wooden swords.
"Begin!"
The stern voice of an old man echoed within the wooden dojo.
Both didn't immediately charged. They slowly circled each other, waiting for one to make the first move.
"Fine! Not that it matters!" Maya, the blonde-haired lady, said before charging forward.
Len launched forward just at the same time, both clashing at the centre. White sparks erupted from the point their wooden blades met.
Though wooden, it was made from one of the rarest and strongest materials one could find in Elyon and was extremely durable.
Len jumped backwards just in time, avoiding a well-timed horizontal strike.
And then leapt forward, their swords clashing tens of times in the span of seconds.
This had been his normal routine for the past two months.
Training. Training. And more training.
News about his father's disappearance had already spread around along with the news of his son, Len, and the evil thing residing in his soul. The name 'Devil Boy' had already spread across the regions.
This was most likely the result of his uncle taking over his father's citadel and wanting to cut off any legitimacy that threatened his position as the new Family Patriarch.
Elyon was divided into six regions, excluding the capital city.
Each region was ruled by a powerful family with the tower within that region under their control.
Elyon had been blessed with seven towers, with the last one falling under the capital city, which was controlled by the government.
Len was the rightful heir to his father's citadel yet given his weakness and now the acclaimed news of a devil residing in him. He could kiss his inheritance goodbye.
Not that he cared.
Even if he did care, there was nothing he could do. He was weak.
Surprisingly, Maya's father had decided to throw him into the wolves despite his close relationship with his father before his disappearance.
He was only alive due to Von, Maya's grandpa.
He had declared taking Len as a disciple and warned the entire family that anyone who lay as much as a finger on him would face his wrath.
That had left quite an impact during the meeting. Everyone knew the might of an SSS-ranked wasn't to be joked with.
They could destroy countless cities alone if allowed to go on a rampage.
And so Len became the disciple of an SSS-rank human.
His first month was nothing but hellish. He was tasked with learning the basics of handling a sword.
Later on, he came to realise Maya was also a student under her Grandpa.
And she was anything but a monster.
Hundred times they had sparred, and not once did he ever win a single one.
Len felt quite humiliated given his supposed talent in combat in his previous life and was forced to work twice as hard.
As the days went by, the difficulty of the training increased.
Apart from sword training, there were a ton of gruelling exercises and survival skills Von had prepared for them. Then, after each training session, they were to meditate to improve their mind.
Improving the mind and body was a vital part of becoming a ranked human, Von had stressed how important that was to them on several occasions.
As heavy as their workload was, in all, it was for their good.
After all, the Unranked trial was only weeks away.
And they didn't need to be told how harrowing the Tower trials could be.
Len, dissatisfied with his progress, didn't allow himself a moment's rest. Missing this trial would leave him no choice but to wait until next year, when the Towers would open again for the Unranked trial.
Back to the fight...
Len was getting pushed back once again.
Meanwhile, Von watched from behind with keen eyes, pointing out their errors during the fight.
'Dammit! Just need one win!' Gritting his teeth, he endured the barrage of slashes waiting for an opening.
And he found one moment later.
As Maya executed her final slash, Len charged forward, taking the brunt of the attack with a grunt.
He grabbed her hands and then swung his sword forward, ruthlessly slamming the flat side into her stomach.
During their duel bouts, one thing he came to realise was his unnatural strength.
Maya was no match when it came to raw strength. Her advantage boiled down to finesse, technique, and...
Maya stumbled backwards, her breathing ragged.
'This is my chance!'
Slightly adjusting his grip on his sword, Len dashed forward only to kick a bud in the flooring and stumble in his steps.
...Luck!
"For fuck's sake!" He groaned, realising he had messed up once again.
Maya capitalised on that single mistake, turning the tide of the duel.
Moments later, Len lay on the ground, a sword hovering just inches away from his neck.
"You lost... again." She muttered before drawing back her sword.
"You and your damn luck! Last time I checked, the flooring was smooth." He grumbled, slowly rising from the ground.
"Yeah, yeah. Excuses. Do you think your enemy would care when it comes to a life and death battle?" Maya muttered with a frown.
"Hey, this isn't a fair battle, y'know!" Len retorted, his grey eyes turning cloudy.
"You're not supposed to be complaining, giving your gorilla strength!" Maya finally lost her cool and fired back with both glaring daggers at each other.
Not that Len wasn't talented enough. Just Maya was exceptionally lucky and a monster in combat. She was one of the top geniuses... if not the top... of their entire family.
Von had said it had something to do with her Innate trait. Which was supposed to be dormant.
"Yeah. Go on... compare my measly strength to your fucking magical concept of an ability!"
"Hahaha. That's more like it." Von's sudden outburst caught both off guard.
"What the fuck is even funny?" Len grumbled, heading towards the corner of the room to grab a tower.
"You've got great potential boy! Don't let her taunts get into your head."
"You'll make a fine Swordsman just like your father."
"There he goes again. Comparing me to my... father."
In his memories, he remembered watching his father battle a harrowing creature a rank higher than him, and slaying the creature at the end.
That man was something he couldn't compare himself to. Not now.
He was a star, one of the most loved heroes of humanity. And, among the top ten strongest heroes in the ranking of the entirety of Elyon.
Sigh.
"I can't wait for the trial."
...
The weeks flew by quickly and before they knew... It was just a week before the Towers opened the portal for those willing to brave the trials and become ranked humans.
The air was a bit chilly with winter around the corner.
A figure lay on the roof of a pagoda, staring at the crescent moon while holding onto a pendant on his chest.
"Family, huh?"
"Still a feeling I haven't gotten used to... I wonder how she's doing." He muttered with a distant gaze.
"Sometimes, he wondered if he made the right choice sealing his memories from birth."
But he was scared... scared he would be betrayed again by those who were supposed to love him.
Sigh~
"It's better this way..."
"What are you up to, boy?"
A figure dropped softly beside him, staring at the distant moon.
"Nothing." Len mumbled without turning.
"Well... I have some news for you."
"Ohhh." Len muttered, glancing at Von. "And what is it?"
"You should already know."
"The tower and its trials are pretty devilish. Nasty things do happen within those trials. Especially the Unranked trial."
"Your uncle has made quite the arrangement just to make sure you don't come out of that tower... ever again."
Sigh.
"Already thought that much." Len muttered with an expressionless face. "You don't have to worry about me... I can handle myself, alright."
Len rose, stretching his body. "I'd better get some rest.
Tomorrow's gonna be quite a hectic day."
"That's more like it." Von muttered with a sad smile, watching Len disappear from his view. "Seems you guys aren't much different after all, Adam."
He said, staring at the distant stars...