3 hours later

Deep in the forest outside Alex City, Pan Hermes was lying on the ground slipping in and out of consciousness.

The intense fire had already caused significant injuries to her, and to make matters worse, she had just stumbled over a protruding tree root, falling squarely onto her face.

As a result, her strength was completely drained, and she continued to bleed heavily.

Oizys was shaking his mother vigorously trying to get her to come to her senses and continue running with him.

"Ozzy..." Pan had her hand on her son's cheek, her eyes were shut and she was smiling softly.

The boy continued to try and get his mother to get up but his efforts were in vain.

"Sweetheart... This is as far as I go, run by yourself."

The boy shook his head, he refused to leave another one of his parents.

"Ozzy... Listen to me."

Oizys gradually ceased the shaking of his head, struggling against the impulse to respond in kind.

However, he recognized the validity of his mother's words.

This marked the end of her journey, even if she managed to rise once more, it was inevitable that she would meet her demise within a mere five minutes of fleeing.

"Oizys Hermes, from the time you were a mere baby, I knew there was something special about you. By the age of two, you were capable of articulating complete sentences with a fluency matching that of adults. When you reached four years old, your deductive prowess rivalled that of your uncles'. And remarkably, at just five years old, you earned admission into the esteemed Minerva's Scholar Institute."

"..." He wanted to question his mother, but the words were stuck in his throat. He couldn't speak.

"My point is you're special... You're destined for greater things than your father and I, you are the one who will unravel all of this world's secrets and bring about the waves of change. No matter what you face, you should never give up."

Oizys nodded his head as he squeezed his mother's hand which was growing colder every second.

"Ozzy."

Oizys sniffed as he wiped his tears using his dirty long-sleeved tunic.

"Even as you stare death in the eyes, never lose yourself. No matter what. As long as you breathe stay true to your morals and judgment. Run my son..." Pan smiled as the light in her eyes vanished like it was never there.

THUD

Oizys turned his gaze backwards, directing his attention toward the origin of the sound.

As soon as he recognized the individual, his eyes, devoid of moisture, widened significantly in disbelief.

"You traveled pretty far kid...Maybe if your father lasted longer you could've escaped." The tall assassin stared down at the child in front of them. Their distorted cold voice echoed through the forest causing dozens of birds to flee into the sky.

The cloak of the assassin had been stained scarlet with their blood, and several substantial tears impaired the fabric, exposing the sleek bronze skin beneath, now smeared with recent bloodshed.

Resting on the assassin's shoulder was a shorter figure draped in a matching cloak, though this person appeared to be in an unconscious state, utterly motionless.

It was clear that the battle against Percy was extremely long and hard-fought, the assassin was on the verge of collapsing on the spot.

"Unfortunately you and your talent were born into the wrong family... maybe if the Hermes played their role correctly things would've been different. Fate has a weird way of working."

As the assassin uttered their words, the wind swiftly intensified, and a curious phenomenon occurred—the temperature rose by several degrees.

DIMMM

"Maybe you'll be reincarnated with the same talents to a more holy famil-" The assassin stopped their sentence midway when they noticed the slight change in the environment and then looked at the boy in front of them.

After they realized what was going on, the assassin who previously seemed completely emotionless and neutral acted emotionally for the first time in their whole career.

SLASH

The next second the head of a young boy was rolling wildly across the grass till it collided with a towering tree.

TUMBLE

***

30 minutes later, the magic knight assassin merely stood in the middle of the woods as they stared at the sky still trying to process what they just saw and why they instinctually acted that way.

"...Did I imagine it?"

The assassin walked towards the boy's head to confirm their suspicions. When they picked it up by the boy's hair, they saw it...

They were right.

The expression plastered on the boy's face shook the seasoned veteran to the bone, not once in their whole career had they ever seen such hatred.

It was as though anger itself had etched its mark upon the young boy's visage, akin to the embodiment of Invidia taking hold of him. This was an expression far beyond what a child should be capable of displaying.

The issue extended beyond the boy's expression of anger toward his assailant; that reaction could be anticipated.

The genuine concern lay within the boy's eyes...

The gaze within his soft, brown eyes conveyed a message that spoke volumes: "This is far from over."

This was not a mere display of desperation or a final gamble for victory.

It was not the gaze of one who had suffered defeat in a single battle; these were the eyes of an individual who held unwavering conviction that they would ultimately triumph in the war.

Even after Oizys had passed, an atmosphere imbued with unadulterated hatred continued to permeate the air.

***

And like that on the night of the 4th of April in the Empire of Caelum, Miravulum kingdom city of Alex:

Oizys Hermes a PTC died due to decapitation.

Eurodos Hermes (A General of the Wakoku Country AKA 'Percy' and world-renowned journalist) died due to exhaustion.

Pan Hermes (World Renowned Journalist) died due to blood loss.

Hermes clan died via burning alive.

***

It took the assassin a couple of hours to cremate the remains of Oizys, Eurodos, and Pan.

They then took their ashes to what remained of their house to pile their ashes with the rest of their clan, making sure to make the whole incident untraceable back to them.

The Hermes family had many enemies so it'd be hard to find out who the true murderers were and quite frankly most nobles would be happy they were eliminated, so no one notable would bother investigating.

After taking care of all the admin, the assassin treated their wounds as well as their partners who had been knocked out by Eurodos earlier.

***

About three days after the assassins left the ashes of the Hermes clan a faint glow could be noticed in the night's darkness.

DIMMMM

One large orb escaped from the ashes and began vibrating wildly, accelerating by the second. After it reached its top speed it was joined by a blue orb that did the same.

These two orbs vibrated next to each other for dozens of days, never stopping once.

A week later, these orbs abruptly ceased their movement and combined.

The conclusion of this merging gave birth to a shapeless, purple entity—an ethereal Phantom.

A phantom made from both the spirit and soul of Oizys Hermes was born.

This phantom had no face, limbs, or any physical other features humans possessed; it was simply a lifeform of pure energy.

The phantom 'looked' at the ashes of its vessel.

Usually, phantoms were unable to affect their surroundings under normal circumstances.

This phantom though, exuded a strong aura and its emotions were out of control.

This entity emitted unadulterated emotions of sorrow, empathy, and above all, seething rage.

DIMMMM DUMMMM

The serene breeze swiftly escalated into a fierce gale, dispersing the ashes of the Hermes family in various directions.

Within a mere couple of seconds, all that remained was the very earth upon which the house had been constructed.

It was impossible to believe that a heap of ashes or even a house with a family once existed there.

Remaining motionless, the phantom lingered in the exact location for several weeks, its presence exerting diverse influences upon the surroundings as it grappled with the intricate tangle of its emotions.

***

After two months the phantom left, and it wandered into Alex City undetectable by anyone.

Anytime it went through a window it cracked, when it brushed passed a person they received a sudden chill and felt pure fear, and when it passed by a combatant of some sort they felt alert and disturbed.

The phantom went to multiple places in the Renaissance-style city: stopping at the Hermes office, the park where young children played, the library, the van Alexia estate, and lastly the last place Oizys, Pan, and Eurodos visited.

After stopping at all the prominent places that Oizys loved, the phantom left the city feeling bitter and angry.

The phantom went from city to city, for no reason at all.

The phantom remained devoid of understanding concerning its purpose or the reason behind its transformation into such an entity instead of passing into the afterlife. What it did possess was an overwhelming sentiment of hatred—profound and intense.

***

A few months later in unclaimed territory in the Caelum Empire.

BOOM

A huge tremor could be felt for hundreds of miles as something large collided with the Earth.

The phantom was fairly close so it noticed the impact first, whether it was out of instinct or curiosity the phantom approached the source.

Following a span of a few minutes, the phantom arrived within the confines of the Forbidden Forest—an expanse steeped in enigma and peril.

This woodland was notorious for its mysteries and dangers, a realm that even the most formidable rangers approached with caution.

Although the phantom recognized its location, it remained indifferent to its surroundings.

A compelling force seemed to pull it toward the epicentre of the tremor.

The forest's trees bore a twisted visage, with branches cloaked in inky blackness, leaves ablaze in vibrant crimson, and trunks of diverse sizes.

Strangely, the forest, renowned for harbouring the most menacing creatures in the Empire, now lay bereft of life. It appeared as though every creature within had taken refuge as if evading some unseen menace.

Deep in the forest was a large crater with a radius of a few miles, the crater was incredibly deep, and in its centre was a mysterious figure.