Past (part 1)

"Alexander, how did you get so strong when we both came from the same place and trained the same way?" Even though Elizabeth wasn't that shocked since she also have some secrets of her own, she still asked Alexander after they were at some distance away from the previous battle.

Alexander sighed and said, "It's quite the long story." He looked up as he started reminiscing on how he got to where he was now. "And you were there, actually." He titled his head in confusion.

-----

10 years ago

"Hey! Pick that up!"

"Yes sir..."

A scrawny and thin looking Alexander responded to his instructor when they ordered him to pick up the swords from their training.

Everyday in the past, Alexander was the one who kept on being bullied because he was so weak that's why people saw him as an easy target.

"Catch!"

"Ouch!"

Alexander failed to catch a sword resulting in his hand being slightly wounded.

He looked behind at his senior and told him that he needed to get some rest so he could himself but all he got was a kick and a scolding saying that he should continue doing his job.

It was a hard life, however-

"Hey! Let him rest!"

And in times like this where he's on the verge of death, "she" always comes for him and "saves" the day.

"Elizabeth? You're here again? I told you that I can handle myself!"

Alexander told her, worried that she would also get hurt since she's just as scrawny as him.

"Don't worry, I have my family that can back me up, so worry about yourself instead of me." She said that while lifting her chin up to the sky and acted smugly.

'DAMN IT!' Alexander, feeling mixed emotions about the situation got mad at himself, he got mad at the fact that he can't protect himself. And most of all, he got mad, at the fact, that Elizabeth was protecting him and not the other way around.

'One day... I swear to myself that I'll be able to protect you from ANYONE.' And so, a fire lit up in his heart that never seems to fade away emerged from the deepest part of his soul.

.......

After coming home from that miserable situation from before, Alexander started to review his training manuals again... As he tried to read them more and more again, his eyes furrowed, coming to a realization that this isn't enough to make himself stronger fast enough to protect her, so he decided to stop using all the hundreds of manuals that he used to train with and started making one himself.

With that realization, the fire that lit up within his heart slowly grew bigger and bigger, however, Alexander didn't seem to realize this as he immediately started making his own manual.

But doing so actually placed a very huge strain on his body and mind, especially in regards to the time he'll be required to finish doing it. With that, he also didn't realize that there was a door slowly opening inside the depths of his mind....

---------

A year later...

*Bang!*

*Bang!*

"This is amazing! Hahahaha!"

With every kick and punch he made to the sandbag, Alexander found himself in so much pleasure that he wished it could last a little bit longer. But his endurance can only take much so he stopped after beating up the sandbag for an hour....

After what happened a year ago, Alexander stopped going to elementary school and started training on his own with his own manual.

He picked up the manual that has the name in front of it saying "The Ruler's Domain."

"The title looks so cool, hehehehe- Ouch!"

*Pak!*

With a slap on the back of his head, he snapped back to reality and behind him, he saw Elizabeth coming to visit him again, the only person who came for him other than his family.

"What cool title, you're the only person I know who's arrogant enough to think of a title like that! Hmph! And as I read through it, you're being too harsh on yourself with that kind of training! You should think about the state of your body more often! You shouldn't force yourself!"

"... What do you mean forcing myself? I do it because I like to do it..." Alexander tilted his head in confusion as he asked Elizabeth.

Elizabeth took a few steps back in shock as he saw the look on his face.

"Wha-what have you been doing to yourself?!!!"

Elizabeth slapped Alexander and ran out the house before she says something even more hurtful.

Alexander clenched his fist and punched the wall beside him as strong as he can to release some of his anger.

*Bang!*

As if a bazooka was the one who hit the wall, a huge hole resulted from his punch but he didn't seem to feel the pain from it or he didn't mind it even in the slightest considering his anger.

'I'm doing this for you Elizabeth, not for myself...' He said to himself as he continued beating up the sandbag again.

Inside his mind, the 2nd door that he was struggling to open for 10 months already... Finally opened.

----------

4 years later

"I can finally protect her from all the elementary and high school students that's been bugging us lately!"

Even though Alexander hasn't been to school for so long already, he did it so on purpose because he knows that as long as he reaches a certain amount strength, he can still graduate in both elementary and high school, as for college, that's a different story already.

"Elizabeth! Let's go graduate from elementary! I know you can handle it since I know that you also have a training regimen of your own while I was also training!"

"Hmph! Let's go!" With puffed face and confident posture, Elizabeth went alongside Alexander.

As they reached the front of the school, they reminisced a bit about their life here for a moment. If it was in the past, they would've been scared just going near here, but now.... They were both grinning....

""Let's do this!""