A few more years passed.
My life as Sonno became harder after my father's imprisonment. Our financial situation worsened, and my mother had to take on several jobs to support me. Since she only knew healing magic, I spent most of my time with Misti's father, Iguetis, the commander of the fifth largest army in the portion.
We were fourteen years old.
We had been training every day since then. Iguetis had to stay in the capital for six months each year to command his army; during that time, we trained on our own. And in just a week, he'd be leaving for the capital again.
"Faster, Sonno!"
"If you keep going at that pace, you won't be able to hit me."
The fact that it had been discovered I was a Marked One brought great pressure — a heavy weight on my shoulders. The expectation that I would become immensely powerful was enormous. But remembering that day made me want to be strong enough to kill all those political bastards.
Soáu. That is the name of the man I'll bury six feet under.
Soon, I landed a punch on Iguetis's stomach.
"Very good…"
In that moment, he realized how quickly my fighting style evolved during battle.
"Next one's going to be to the face. You'd better be sharp!"
"Don't brag so much, Sonno," said the "strong" Misti.
Though, truthfully, she was in surprisingly good shape.
"I think that's it for today, guys."
"Dad, spar a little longer!"
Iguetis sat down on a bench near the wall, ran his hands through his hair, and let out a deep sigh.
"Sit down. I need to tell you something."
We did as he asked.
"It's been a little difficult for Emma and me to continue your training… You know the reasons why."
Iguetis's face grew emotional; sadness took over as he remembered his late wife.
"But forget that… because now, you're going to train at the largest academy of magic and styles in the portion!"
That was more than I needed to climb politically. I can't deny that I was happy.
"Seriously?!"
Misti shouted, a wide smile spreading across her face. There, two realities were clear: a daughter happy with her future; and a father desperate about being away from the only thing he had left.
"Yes, my daughter. You'll have to leave tomorrow. I delayed telling you this, I'm sorry."
His daughter walked over and kissed him on the head. Iguetis couldn't hold back his tears.
But in the blink of an eye, the sound of frogs echoed through the village, and a new day, along with a new journey, began. We packed everything before leaving.
"It's great being a man… I'll have to carry a giant, heavy bag for the whole trip."
The sun was still rising.
"Mom, I'm leaving!"
In the distance, I saw my mother running toward me after hearing my shout. She hugged me tightly.
"May the moon light your path, my son. I love you."
"I promise I'll come back, don't worry."
My mother cried deeply — a mixture of joy and sadness. And so, we embarked on a two-month journey. In the background, I saw Iguetis kneeling, embracing Misti. He wouldn't be traveling with us, as he'd be leaving for his post in a few days.
"Let's go, Misti."
She was halfway packed, carrying a black suitcase and, on her left side, a sword in its sheath.
"It's going to be awful traveling alone with you… don't get on my nerves."
Her voice had an angry tone, as if I had done something wrong to her.
"Thanks for the compliment," I replied sarcastically.
We passed through many places: stone and dirt roads, lots of animals and insects. It felt like ages, but only the first day had passed. We had already left the village area, entering a dense forest. We were still in the easiest part of the journey.
The next day, heavy rain started in the morning. We couldn't let all our clothes and the heavy backpack get soaked, so we stopped in a cave we found along the way. It wasn't a big cave — more like a hole in a tall hill. However, Misti hates one thing more than I do: insects.
"Kill that thing already!"
Misti screamed while clutching my right arm, pointing at a type of flying ant. It was an annoying insect to deal with.
"Let go of me first, you lunatic!"
Over the past few years, I had developed new abilities; one of them was body manipulation. It's not fully complete, but I can use it partially. I stretched the palm of my hand toward the insect, controlling its body from a distance. This power only works on beings much weaker than me. It functions like a cart: the influenced being obeys simple commands I give.
"Fly nonstop toward the spiky rock on the wall."
And so it did. It flew straight into the rock, getting split in half by the sharp edge.
"What took you so long, idiot…"
Misti's face looked cute, as if embarrassed that I had to handle something so simple.
"You could at least thank me for doing that."
"Whatever… just do it faster next time."
It was getting cold. Very cold. We were leaning against the wall, away from each other. I stood up and opened the backpack, but there weren't many warm clothes besides what we were already wearing. However, there was a blanket made of fur and leather. Embarrassed, I picked it up.
"Can I sit next to you?"
She sighed deeply.
"I-it's fine."
"Here…"
I threw the blanket over our legs. We sat close to each other.
"You know, Sonno, I've always been curious about your god. Have you ever seen them?"
"Yes… but I don't remember anything that happened. But their face was like a woman's, and her name is Vlémma."
As soon as I said the goddess's name, Misti's nose started to bleed.
"Damn, are you okay?"
"Just… a little dizzy. Don't worry about me."
"Do you remember the story about the names of the gods, Sonno?"
The moment she mentioned it, I remembered that I wasn't supposed to say her name. A human cannot speak a god's name. And phenomena happen when a myth is broken.
My eyes widened. I lowered my head under the blanket.
"I'm sorry, Misti."
My voice barely came out. I wanted to cry.
And it rained all day.
We walked for many, many days, facing more hardships than we had imagined. Still, admiring the landscape beside Misti brought me a strange nostalgia. We walked the same muddy road for hours, crossing some wooden bridges along the way.
"The academy better be really good… I can't walk anymore."
"I think it'll be worth it, Misti. Your father wouldn't have done this for nothing."
"I wonder what people are like in big cities? I've never lived in a metropolis or anything like that."
"We've lived in the same village since we were born — you're dreaming too much."
"This world is kind of weird…"
"Weird one."
"You are, idiot!"
She definitely hates me.
We talked so much we almost didn't notice the beautiful waterfall to the right of the bridge we were crossing, which passed over a river. We stopped to admire the scene. The sound of the water echoed around us; birds drank from the clear water, and a gentle breeze surrounded us. The trees protected the animals that lived there since many depended on that water source.
"Wow, look at that view!"
You could even feel the spray on our feet; the bridge was very close to the waterfall.
"Our first reward on this path… and probably the last until the academy."
"Stop being optimistic…"
Before she could finish speaking, Misti pointed to the top of the waterfall. There, a man sat on the edge, one leg bent, the other stretched out.
"Why is there a pers—"
A crash sent all the birds flying. The waters stirred, the leaves rustled, and a mist rose where the man was. When the mist cleared, he was gone. Soon after, we heard laughter.
"Hahaha… it's been a long time, my dear Sonno. You too, girl. You feel familiar to me…
I see you've both grown quite a bit."
In front of us appeared a man about thirty years old, with straight blond hair falling to his shoulders. He wore casual clothes and carried two swords on his back. His eyes, similar to a goat's, had a strange air, but his appearance was surprisingly flawless — almost too flawless.
"Who are you?"
He approached slowly, leaned on the bridge railing, and gave a small smile.
"I'm sad you don't remember me. I'm sure you know who I am; maybe you just don't know my name.
But you're a smart boy — you almost seem like an adult."
Misti, scared, gripped the back of my shirt.
"Just say it already, I don't know what you're talking about."
He approached with dramatic steps, placed his hand on my shoulder, and with the other, brushed aside the hair covering part of my eye.
"Soáu. The Marked One who will conquer the world and become a god. The god Monóklino has been waiting for…"
My mind went blank.
The moment I had trained for all these years had finally arrived. My body trembled from head to toe; I couldn't move my hands, even though all I wanted was to kill him instantly. The memory of the day my father was imprisoned flooded back into my thoughts. Every second of that tragedy resurfaced with painful clarity. Under the pressure, I collapsed to my knees and vomited onto the ground. Voices echoed in my head, haunting me: The man you want to kill is standing right in front of you.
An unbearable pressure—like the one I felt when they discovered I was a Marked One—weighed down on me.
"Damn you!"
When I looked up, Misti was sprinting toward Soáu. He effortlessly dodged her punch and slapped her across the face, sending her crashing into the railing.
"Whoa, whoa. Not yet. My business is with Sonno. You still have that habit of protecting him, don't you?"
For some reason, everything he said stirred echoes of memories from a past life.
I took a deep breath and managed to get to my feet.
"I swear… I'm going to kill you!"
My greatest skill now, aside from manipulation, was agility.
I dropped my bag and rushed to Soáu's side, aiming to punch him in the face—or at least, that was what I thought I could do. He blocked my blow with a single finger and chuckled mockingly.
"You know, it's hilarious to think you'd be that strong. But honestly, I expected more from you. You haven't even offered a fraction of your soul yet, have you?"
I ignored his words and kept attacking with punches and kicks, but none of them landed effectively. I had only one option left: manipulation.
I stretched my palm toward him and tried to use my power. But my mind was blocked. Everything went dark.
A woman appeared—long black hair cascading down her back, veiling her face, her curvaceous figure imposing. Her eyes bled as she wielded an enormous sword. She pushed me to the ground, lifted my chin with her hand, and kissed my forehead—only to drive the blade deep into my heart right after.
The pain was real.
When I snapped back to reality, I was screaming at the top of my lungs, clutching my chest in panic.
"Oh no… Poor little boy," Soáu sneered.
Misti was once again trying to attack him. This time, she appeared behind him, ready to decapitate him. He merely turned around, drew his twin swords, and slashed across her abdomen and chest in an X. Blood poured down her torn clothes.
After so many years, the mark of the goddess appeared in my eye.
I rose quickly and delivered a powerful kick to Soáu's ribs.
He retaliated by plunging his blade into my left shoulder, cutting it deep.
"Relax. I'm not going to kill you here. I want you to get stronger so I can humiliate you later."
He lifted both swords to sheath them on his back.
I used the last of my strength to try to manipulate them. I managed to partially control one and sliced a cut across the side of his face, near his right eye.
"Hope you like the scar, bastard…"
He clenched his fist and punched me square in the face.
"That eye of yours is going to ruin you someday, Sonno!"
The bridge beneath me shattered.
I plunged into the icy river below, staring up at the blue sky. The freedom of the birds above made me envious. I had no strength left to get up.
Soáu grabbed Misti by the neck and tossed her down beside me.
She was unconscious… or maybe dead.
The water was no longer clear, but red as ruby.
I held Misti's hand and remained still.
The sound of Soáu's footsteps in the water echoed louder than the waterfall itself.
"Until we meet again. Make sure you're stronger by then. Just a reminder: you're not the only one who's going to die."
Soáu's aura began to glow and morphed into a spear. He gripped it and slashed my body diagonally.
"Argh…"
My groans of pain grew louder.
"Goodbye, my little hero."
Suddenly, I found myself once more in a white room. I had the strange feeling I had been here before.
I sat at the end of a long dining table. Across from me was a woman with a mark over her eye. Without a doubt, it was Vlémma.
A shadow appeared and served the dishes: a steak with side dishes I didn't recognize.
"Please, make yourself comfortable, Sonno."
Vlémma picked up her utensils and began cutting the meat.
"So… did I die?"
"I promised I wouldn't let you die."
"Then why are we here?"
"We need to negotiate."
She kept eating quickly; she had already devoured two steaks.
"Give me five percent of your soul, and I'll give you two percent of my power."
"You're kidding, right?"
"Two percent of a goddess's power doesn't interest you? Boy, the other gods don't negotiate with their Marked Ones; they just wait for them to hand over their souls. Or… are you more interested in my body?"
From afar, Vlémma revealed even more of her cleavage.
"Keep dreaming, old lady."
"You know that if you don't make a contract, you'll keep losing battles, right?"
"Fair point."
"Funny… You don't seem like the type to trust the greatest manipulator that exists."
"As always, sharp. I'll give you three percent of my power and two percent of my physical strength. Nothing more."
"I think we have a deal, Lady Vlémma."
After sealing the pact, I started eating. It was the most delicious thing I had ever tasted in the entire universe.
"Where is this meat from?"
"I'd rather you didn't know the source."
I grew a little suspicious but kept eating anyway. But poor man's luck never lasts long.
I woke up again…