Years later

Vacuse spent his childhood in training.

If it could even be called that. In fact, none of the children could or should be referred to as children.

They are young dragons.

Their innocence had been worn out by the brutality of the world they found themselves in and the expectations placed upon them. More so for Vacuse, who had seen just how bleak the future was.

The outpost's function was to defend and protect the Blood Heart Tree, which meant guarding against the monsters and the occasional orcs that came from the northernmost part of the wilderness.

This provided sufficient resources for Vacuse. He threw himself into training, dedicating himself to it as he never did in his past life.

His past life was spent training as bait.

When he was ten, Vacuse began to spar with the knights. Of course, they didn't fight near their full power, but it was still impressive that he was able to match them on the level of Force Users alone.

Drenvar didn't once come to check up, seemingly having forgotten about him, but Vacuse knew the commander sent periodic orders back and received instructions as well.

So, he was entirely surprised when, at twelve, the outpost commander gave him the right to go and hunt monsters by himself. At that time, it was a known fact that only awakened monsters could hurt him.

The other children envied and hated him, but Vacuse ignored their existence. Why should he concern himself with their nonsense? The gap between them couldn't be measured; to him, they barely existed.

One time, when he was fifteen, they decided to try themselves against him once more. The difference between them had also motivated them in a way. After all, they were all warrior-born, and they wanted to reach the height that he was, even if only to force him to acknowledge them.

They ganged up on him and sprung an attack late at night, eight of them. Five ended up dead; one of them was the young master he had warned when they were six.

After that, none of them bothered him again. It became clear that the gap between them could indeed be filled, with their death.

When they were seventeen, just a year before their next rite, the focus of their training changed to more about what it means to be Soulbearers.

Soulbearers are those who can bond with beasts and gain powers through their bond. The beasts are ranked from E to SSS, and the ranks between the Soulbearers as they advance are classified differently.

That sort of training bored Vacuse since he had already learned it in his last life. He used most of the time to think about how to better himself and carry out his plans for himself and Vorrakyn.

When Vacuse reached eighteen, the Dragon Lord, Drenvar Vorrakyn, summoned him to Kragthar, the grand city of the Vorrakyn.

"This is the last time I will be seeing you as a Force User, Cadet Vacuse." The commander of the Blood Tree outpost was an old man with short hair of black and white. His red eyes carried the red of the family.

They were walking past the arena that was connected to the outpost.

Upgrr!

A short growling roar rumbled.

A dirt-brown beast walked beside them. It wasn't really walking, more like gliding and floating mixed into one. It had the head of a small dragon with red beards and wild green slitted eyes. The rest of its body was that of a serpent; its scales shone a dull earth, and its two stubby hands had the power to make it float and glide with a push of them.

It was a Lindworm of the Dragon pathway, a rank D beast.

And it walking beside the commander meant that the man had reached the Awakened Harmonic in the advancement stage.

"Next time we meet, you better be a Soulbearer!"

Vacuse smiled faintly.

He was now a tall, slender young man with a thick hood of black hair that he left unbraided or unpacked. His red eyes shone with a steady glow. His face was calm, but there was a hint of madness for those who could see it.

"I will definitely match your expectations, Commander," he said as they reached the carriage that was provided for them.

The carriage was large, drawn by monster flesh-eating horses. The other candidates were already sitting inside when they reached it.

Vacuse stared at the carriage and the knights that followed it. His eyes scanned them briefly, and then he looked away.

The commander grinned and then saluted. "My Lord..."

He then hesitated. Although they were all bastards, it was quite clear for those who could see that Vacuse was now more than the status of his birth.

Vacuse nodded at him. Through the years, the wild manner he displayed at six seemed to have been tamed.

The commander swallowed and continued. "In the future, if you need the help of this outpost, we will certainly answer!"

Vacuse stared into his eyes. "I will remember this."

The commander trembled in his heart. He felt just as he did when he made the bond with his beast, as if something had left him. Even then, the commander bowed. "Then I will be waiting. Best of luck, Vacuse Vorrakyn."

"Luck?" Vacuse's hand twitched to his sword, and that hint of madness showed up again as he smiled. He shook his head and headed toward the carriage. "We'll see, Commander."

The knights of the Vorrakyn barely paid him any attention as he entered the carriage and sat down.

He stared at the arena and outpost where he had spent so much of his time and muttered to himself, "Now, I begin."

The carriage shuddered to life as it was drawn. The horses were fast, and it moved swiftly through the forest at astonishing speed.

Severin gazed outside and frowned. "Now, how will I fight those knights?"