Axil Blake sat in silence, his thoughts heavy. Though he now lived in the body of Axil Reed, he had already decided—he would no longer be the broken boy the family despised. He would be someone new.
The door creaked open. A maid stepped inside, her movements careful, respectful. She was middle‑aged, her face lined with years of quiet service. Bowing deeply, she spoke in a trembling voice.
"Young master… it is time. Master Reed asks you to come to the main hall."
Axil turned toward her. Though she was only a servant, her swollen eyes betrayed sorrow. She had been crying. He could see it clearly.
He walked closer, lowering his voice. "Aunty Lee, don't be sad. We both knew this day would come."
She bit her lip, unable to reply. Words failed her, but her silence said enough. Even though Axil Blake didn't truly know her, the memories of Axil Reed told him she had been one of the few who cared. For that, he respected her.
With a nod, he left the room and made his way to the grand hall.
The mansion was vast, its corridors echoing with his footsteps. Portraits of ancestors lined the walls, chandeliers glittered above polished marble floors. Yet all of it felt cold, lifeless.
When he entered the hall, the sight before him was exactly as he expected.
At the center stood Duke Kain Reed, his father—the Grand Duke of Valion City. His presence was commanding, his expression stern. Beside him were Axil's two older brothers, smug smiles plastered across their faces.
On the balcony above, his mother and younger siblings watched. Their gazes were distant, detached. Though Axil Blake didn't know them personally, the memories of Axil Reed burned inside him, carrying the pain of betrayal.
The duke stepped forward, unrolling a scroll. His voice was cold, formal, merciless.
"As Duke of Valion City, I, Kain Reed, father of Axil Reed and head of the Reed family, hereby disown my son Axil Reed. From this day forward, he has no connection to the Reed family."
The words echoed through the hall like a death sentence.
A butler appeared, carrying a small leather bag. The duke gestured toward it.
"Take this. Inside are one hundred gold coins. It is all you will receive. Leave this house and never return."
The bag was thrust into Axil's hands. He looked at it briefly, then raised his eyes to the faces around him. His brothers smirked. His father's gaze was unyielding. His mother avoided his eyes. His younger siblings stared down, uncertain, perhaps afraid.
Axil Blake inhaled deeply. He was not the broken boy they thought they had cast aside. He was someone new.
"This," he said quietly, "is my goodbye."
He turned, walked out of the hall, and left the Reed mansion behind.
The streets of Valion City bustled with life. Merchants shouted from their stalls, adventurers strode proudly with weapons at their sides, and children laughed as they chased each other through the crowd. For Axil, it was the first time in years he felt truly free.
He clutched the bag of coins tightly. One hundred gold was not small for his family, but its value is much.
100 copper coin is 1 silver coin
100 silver coin is 1 gold coin
100 gold is 1 platinum
He knew what he needed: a weapon, a map, and the will to survive.
At the marketplace, he found a blacksmith's stall. Rows of swords gleamed under the sunlight, each one polished and sharp. He picked up a simple blade—not ornate, not expensive, but sturdy.
"This one," Axil said firmly, placing coins on the counter.
The blacksmith nodded, handing him the sword.
Next, Axil purchased a map of the surrounding lands. The parchment detailed roads, forests, and most the locations of nearby dungeons. His fingers traced the inked lines, his mind already planning the path ahead.
With sword and map in hand, he stepped beyond the city gates. The towering walls of Valion loomed behind him, but he did not look back.
The wind brushed against his face as he walked into the unknown. For the first time, he felt the weight of freedom—and the burden of destiny.
He was no longer Axil Reed, the boy mocked and cast aside.
He was Axil Blake.
And his journey had only just begun.