Twenty Years Back

Slowly opening his eyes Horatius tried to sit up, but his body felt heavy and weak. He looked around the room, trying to get his bearings. It was a small, plain room, with a simple wooden bed and a few pieces of furniture.

As he tried to remember how he got there, a wave of nausea washed over him causing his eyes to flash green for a moment. He felt sick as his stomach was churning and his heart was pounding loudly. He tried to stand up, but his legs gave out, and he stumbled back onto the bed.

As Horatius looked around the room, he realized that he was alone. He slowly swung his legs over the edge of the bed and stood up, steadying himself against the wall. He felt weak and a bit dizzy, but he was determined to explore.

As he approached the window, he saw a mansion, surrounded by lush gardens and sprawling lawns, with fountains and sculptures dotting the landscape.

He couldn't stay in the room any longer. He wanted to explore this place and find out more about where he was and who was taking care of him. He took a deep breath and walked towards the door and came out of the room and saw some maid working in the hallway.

He looked like a fifteen-year-old teenager and had black hairs, brown eyes and a sleek nose. Then someone knocked the door, "If young master is awake, he can come in the dining hall and eat the breakfast.", it sounded cold and distant, after that the person who said this returned to his work.

He then came out of his stupor and then remembered the things he has forgotten till now. The things that happened with him in the past and that are about to happen in the future.

...

Horatius Ledger, who belongs from family of dukes, but he is currently in his fiancée's house. Amelia Malece, daughter of Duke Aston Malece famous for his wide range of connections.

Horatius Ledger was living with his fiancée, who was the daughter of the wealthy Malece family. However, despite being a part of this affluent family, Horatius was considered a disgrace. He was often used by the Maleces as a pawn in their schemes and manipulations and was never truly accepted as an equal.

Horatius was Amelia's fiancée only in name. For her, he was the key to the survival of the great Malece family. It was said that she possessed the gift of magic, which she had inherited from her ancestors. Horatius, on the other hand, was seen as a disgrace by the community, as he lacked any talent or skill. He lived as an in-law in his own home, overshadowed by his fiancée's power and status.

In the land of Eldrid, Horatius was a name whispered with disdain. He was a disgrace to his noble lineage, lacking the prowess and talent of his ancestors. Yet, fate had smiled upon him when he was betrothed to Amelia, a warrior born from an affluent Malece family.

She possessed the skills of a powerful warrior, and her family's wealth and influence had elevated Malece's standing in the court. Despite this, he still lived as an in-law, a shadow of his wife's achievements. Many wondered how he had managed to capture the heart of such a remarkable woman, but few dared to ask.

Amelia was the key to his happiness, and he would do anything to make her love him. He knew he could never match her talents, but he was willing to work hard to become a better man.

Horatius knew he had a lot to learn, and he was willing to put in the effort. He would practice tirelessly, seeking to improve his skills and talents. He wanted to be the man his wife deserved, someone who could share in her triumphs and stand by her through the toughest of times.

He worked tirelessly to win Amelia's affection, spending every waking moment training and honing his skills. He knew that he lacked the natural talent and ability that had made her family so powerful, but he was determined to prove his worth to her.

Day and night, Horatius worked with the sword, practicing until his muscles ached and his arms trembled with exhaustion.

Despite all his efforts, however, Amelia remained distant and uninterested. She would watch him from afar, her eyes cold and distant, as he trained and practiced. She would speak to him only when necessary, and her words were always curt and dismissive.

Horatius felt his heart breaking with each passing day, but he refused to give up. He knew that he loved Amelia more than anything in the world, and he was willing to do anything to win her heart.

And so, he continued to work, to train, to learn, even as the days turned into weeks and the weeks turned into months. His body was battered and bruised, his mind exhausted from the endless hours of practice and study, but he refused to give up.

Yet, despite his determination, Amelia remained unmoved. She saw him only as a talentless fool, a man unworthy of her attention or affection.

Despite all the hardships, Horatius continued to work hard and pour all his energy into winning Amelia's love.

He followed Amelia in many dungeons where they were against Demons, abominations and monsters, to get her attention, but she was focused on everything around her except Horatius.

Once there was a powerful monster who even forced Amelia back, Horatius fought with his life against the monster to save Amelia. After that she saw the bravery and dedication that he had shown in defending her, and she felt a newfound respect for him. After this he was even promoted as the commander of the region.

Horatius felt his heart swell with hope, sensing that this could be the beginning of a new chapter in their relationship, but he didn't know that it was only respect for not some newfound affection.

One day Balthazar Badger, a powerful prince of a neighboring kingdom came to their land as a friend to help them fight against the monsters. Amelia was struck by the prince's courage, strength, and nobility, and she fell deeply in love with him, at first Horatius didn't notice it but one day.

After defeating all the monsters around their kingdom, the whole camp was celebrating the occasion, Horatius was searching for Amelia as he wanted to talk to her about something. When neared Amelia's tent he heard Amelia talking to the prince Balthazar in hushed voice. She spoke of wanting to be separated from Horatius, saying that he was a burden to her and that she could no longer bear his presence.

After listening to Amelia, Balthazar smiled and said, "Since we have won the war, we have no use of him you can cast him aside now." After Amelia heard this, she hesitated for a moment, but then finally agreed to prince's request.

Those words cut Horatius like a knife. He had given up everything for Amelia, even his family and his noble status as the duke's son. He had fought bravely alongside her, battling the monsters that threatened their land, hoping that one day she would see his worth. But now, it seemed all his efforts had been for naught.

At night, Amelia came to Horatius's tent with some wine, she seated to next to him and said, "We are husband and wife, but we never spent a night together, today we shall celebrate about winning this war. Let's drink some wine and celebrate." after that she filled a cup for Horatius and gave it to him.

Horatius absentmindedly took the cup, looked at it and then looked at Amelia's expectant gaze, he threw the cup and went out.

Amelia was confused about what he was about to do, just as she came out to see where Horatius was going she was shocked that, he was nowhere to be seen. The whole camp was alerted that the general has gone missing, but ever after three days of searching no one found him.

Filled with despair and heartbreak, Horatius left everything behind and disappeared into the deep forest, determined to live a life of solitude and fight the monsters alone. He knew that he was not as strong or talented as the prince, but he had something that the prince did not - deep love for Amelia.

Hundreds of miles away from the camp...

Horatius was leaning against a tree, around him were dead bodies of demons and monsters. There were several injuries on his body, even some flesh from his hand and legs was missing. He calmly looked at the screen in front of him, but his gaze was fixed on one line.

{Talent} : Sharp-minded (C-grade) --> Spirit-Minded (A-grade)

.

After recovering for some time, he stood up, and walked towards the large gate opened in front of him, this was the gate from where demons invaded this land.

For several months he fought demons and monster and monster's killed millions of them, he became famous in the world as he has cleared more than 50% of the land plagued by demons alone, but nobody knows his name or what he looks like.

...

Two years later...

At that moment he thought of returning to the family, after some hesitation he returned to Eldrid to see his family but was shocked when he heard that his family was gone long ago when he was in the war against demons together with Amelia. No one knows how his family got destroyed, but after giving some money to information guilds he was shocked to hear the news.

Aston Malece, Amelia's father wanted to increase his power in Eldrid, so in greed he killed his father and took over Ledger's family wealth and power. As for his mother and sister they went missing after his father's death, most likely to be dead or working in unknown region.

Those who knew about this incident only laughed at Horatius, because he was the one who left his family for what? Daughter of his family's murderer.

Horatius was consumed by rage when he learned of Amelia's betrayal. He felt as if his entire world had come crashing down, and the pain was too much to bear.

"I wasn't enough when you tried to kill me, even your father destroyed my whole family."

Horatius made his way to the Malece mansion. He knew the path well, having traversed it countless times before. But this time, it was different, every time he had a smile while going towards the mansion but now, it's pure rage.

As he arrived at the gates of the mansion, he felt a fierce energy coursing through his veins. He was ready to exact his revenge.

As he made his way through the mansion, Horatius encountered numerous obstacles. But nothing could stop him. Many guards came to stop him, but flames erupted from his hand, engulfing everything around him, he didn't care who got caught in the flames. The soldiers on the mansion cried out in terror and pain as they burned alive.

He left one alive, with rage boiling inside him he asked the trembling soldier "WHERE IS ASTON MALECE?"

Hearing this the soldier pi**ed in his pants he said in a trembling voice, "The duke has gone to Badger kingdom for Miss Amelia's marriage..." as he finished speaking the soldier also started to burn, he begged for mercy, but Horatius ignored him and came out the mansion.

Horatius looked back at the burning mansion with red eyes, he then took out the sword from its sheath which was attached to his back. The sword made of bone was unlike anything ever seen before. The bone was polished to a gleaming shine and etched with intricate patterns that seemed to shift and writhe in the light. There was a purple eye attached to the hilt of the sword the eye was large and round, the eyeball seemed to pulse with an otherworldly energy.

As Horatius stepped forward, his eyes blazed with fury. He unsheathed his sword, its blade glinting in the light. The ground trembled with every step he took, his rage fueling him like an inferno.

The mansion loomed before him, a symbol of everything he had lost. He raised his sword high, its edge gleaming in the sunlight. With a powerful swing, he brought it down on the building. A wave of energy radiated from the sword, tearing through the mansion's walls as though they were made of paper.

The Malece family mansion crumbled under the force of Horatius's sword. Bricks and stone rained down around him, the air thick with dust and debris.

He looked around at the destruction he had wrought, his eyes burning with a fiercely. The Malece family had destroyed everything he held dear, but now they would pay for their crimes.

Horatius flew in the sky towards the kingdom where Amelia's wedding was being held. He was consumed with a burning desire for revenge against the Malece family for killing his own family, and he was prepared to do whatever it took to achieve his goal.

.

Horatius could see the grand palace where Amelia's wedding was being held. As he arrived near the kingdom, the sky turned dark, and the wind speed started to rise.

The people in the palace were celebrating the royal wedding when suddenly they felt a shift in the air.

Fear and panic started to grip the hearts of the people, suddenly they saw a person in black clothes standing in the courtyard. He had a bone sword attached to his back, and people were able to see a purple eye on the hilt of the sword. There was fear in their eyes when they saw him - black hood, red eyes, and a bone sword.

He was the famous Executioner who had single-handedly dominated the demons.

There was only one question on their minds: 'Why is he here?'

The king stepped forward, he also felt fear, but he still showed a smile and said, "What brings you here, Great Lord?"

Horatius stepped in the hall and said in a heavy voice, "Aston Malece, come out!", he scanned all the peoples around him, then his gaze stopped at Aston.

The king of Badger kingdom said, "Great Lord, currently there is a banquet going on, we can talk about it later, I am sure it must be a misunderstanding."

Horatius glanced at the king and said, "Who are you to meddle in our business?" The king was shocked to hear this, but then anger replaced the original fear. He said, "Don't you know where you are standing? You are inside my domain!..."

"So What?"

The king was again shocked to hear this.

"Since you are sheltering him then..." with that he stomped his foot down, the whole palace started to shake, Horatius shot towards the ceiling of the palace and broke it. With that the whole ceiling of the palace broke down, the guards protected most of them but still some of them died when debris fell.

Then remaining people saw the scene they could never forget in their lives, the whole sky was covered in black clouds.

Horatius floated ominously in the sky, he was floating in the sky but for people below it looked like he had a pair of dark wings on his back as he observed the scene below.

The sky was pitch black, as if the sun itself had been swallowed up by the storm clouds. Lightning flashed and crackled through the darkness, casting brief moments of eerie light across the landscape. The guests who had come for the ceremony huddled together in fear, their eyes wide with horror as they watched the spectacle above.

It was clear that Horatius was no ordinary creature, and his presence alone was enough to inspire terror in the hearts of even the bravest among them. As he continued to float silently above, it seemed that the very air itself had become charged with a malevolent energy, as if something terrible was about to happen. The guests could only watch and wait, praying that they would survive the night.

Then Horatius voice suddenly resounded, "Since you want to stick to his side. Then you can perish with him!"

Then he pointed his finger upward and said, "THUNDER..."

The king was trembling as he said, "No.. Plea..."

"RETERUBUTION!" the king abruptly stopped, because of what he saw. The whole sky turned blue and then the whole kingdom was about to be covered in lightning.

But then at that moment as the lightning crackled and the darkness threatened to engulf the kingdom, a sudden stillness descended upon the land.

The world lost its color, and everything became white, as if time itself had frozen in a moment of suspended animation. The guests who had fled for cover also stopped and were frozen like statues.

Then, a void appeared in front of Horatius, cracking open like a rift in the fabric of reality. Out of the void stepped a figure, its features obscured by the blinding white light that surrounded it.

The figure seemed to radiate a kind of divine energy, and it was clear that this was no mere mortal. There was a smile on his face, a calm and reassuring expression that belied the power he possessed. His eyes glowed with an otherworldly light, and his skin seemed to shimmer and shift like a living crystal.

...

Horatius was about to say something, when the man interrupted him and continued, "Hehe... this rage, this will help you." the man took out a small ball with a small clock frozen inside it, he then put the clock on Horatius causing it to burst and assimilate with him.

...

Horatius gazed at his reflection in the mirror, his expression contemplative. Moments later, a broad grin stretched across his face as he turned his attention back to the world outside.

"Hahahahah...."

"Maleces.... you will pay for everything you have done."

Hearing such a loud laugh many servants came to look inside the room, but when they entered the room, they found it empty.

----------------------------

-Horatius Ledger, currently fifteen years old, son of a duke.

-Fiancée- Amelia Malece. Betrothed to her so that no other strong family try to make ties with Maleces, as they think of Horatius as a fool from whom the marriage can broke any time they want.

-Currently going in the same timeline as previous chapter.

-[Talent]

{Spirit Minded}

Can handle mana more efficiently and understanding towards it is faster than others.

Affinity towards mana is fifty percent more as compared to a normal human being.

Allows user to learn skills using skill book faster.

Note:- A person can learn skill from a skill book by either reading and understanding the skill or through skill book sacrifice, through which the skill book will be destroyed, and the skill will be etched in the user's mind, but it also takes time and also depends on the user's intelligence and talent.