"Asher Gray..." A man called out before he paused as his brows furrowed into a frown. He looked away from the floating words before and looked at the teenager who was standing before him.
A black haired teenager stood before him, there was nothing striking about him, he was different from the rest, he just stood there and he seem like the odd one out, that was just how it was. The man was not looking at him because of that though, but due to the class he had awakened despite the family he was coming from.
"...Commoner Class"
As soon as the man finished speaking, everyone in the awakening ground were stunned on the spot before there was an uproar. The other teenagers murmured to themselves, while the adults just kept quiet while also stealing glances at a black haired man, whose expression was just cold. He bore a slight resemblance to Asher.
Asher turned around and walked down from the stage, the other teenagers' whispers entered his ears, he clenched his fists as he walked towards the black haired man.
"He has always been odd...not surprising he could not awaken a better class..."
...
"Even if he was odd, awaken the commoner class is a no-no, he has just taken the Gray family name through the mud..."
Asher bit his lips as the murmurs entered his ears.
As soon as he reached the man, "Fa-..."
He did not manage to speak before he felt a heavy pressure drop upon him which sent him to his knees. His eyes widened as he tried to look up at the man he called a father.
"From now on, I bear no kin with you, bore witness by the heavens and people around, you and I have no relationship" The man said and there was a thunderclap as if the heavens acknowledged the oath.
Everyone was surprised at this outcome, they had never expected the man to do this. Some adults frowned and they whispered amongst themselves.
"Isn't he going too far?"
...
"That is Arnold Gray for you, everything is a tool before him.. even his own kin..."
If he heard the whispers, the man acted as if he did not hear them, taking a last glance at the lad who was kneeling, he turned around and walked out.
Asher knelt there as he stared at the back of the man.
As soon as the man walked out of the grounds, the desolation in Asher's eyes disappeared as he stood up dusted himself and clicked his tongue, "how heartless..."
Seeing this, those who were still watching the scene were stunned because Asher did not look like someone who had just been disowned.
What they did not know was the fact that the Asher from a minute ago was not the Asher now. The former had literally died while the latter had just transmigrated into his body.
Asher frowned as he felt uncomfortable, he had died while trying to play hero, while he knelt before Arnold, he had been looking through the memory of his predecessor, and one thing Asher could see was that, the latter had been cursed before he attended the ceremony and not only that, the awakening had been tampered with.
"Don't worry...I would help you settle your scores" Asher muttered to himself and the discomfort he was feeling immediately vanished.
'That's better' he thought as he clenched and unclenched his fists, feeling a gaze on himself, he looked towards the gaze and met with piercing green eyes.
The eyes were oozing two emotions, disbelief and mirth, it belonged to a youth who had black hair. Asher rose an eyebrow before ignoring the youth, he walked out of the awakening grounds.
Meanwhile, Gray Estate.
Arnold Gray landed within the grounds, the door to the manor opened as four people walked out with expectant looks on their faces. Three women and a young man.
Arnold walked forward, the icy expression not dropping, the older woman with silver hair, looked at him as she scrutinized the area around him, not seeing what she was looking for, she looked back at him.
"Where is Asher?" She asked.
Arnold did not respond as he walked past the group, but the woman was not having it, she grabbed Arnold which made him stop.
"Where is my son?" she asked again, her voice quivering, not in fear but in irritation.
"From today, we have no son...he is unworthy of bearing the last name..." Arnold said nonchalantly which stunned the woman along with the rest.
"Why?" the young man asked.
Arnold spared him a glance, "He has disgraced the name, Sol...so he does not deserve it... He awakened the commoner class"
Sol frowned, "are you sure?"
Arnold paused as he looked at Sol who did not even flinch from being stared at, without saying anything, he turned and continued walking.
The older woman turned around and walked towards the entrance of the estate.
"Mom..." the two younger women called out to which the woman turned to look at them.
"Since he does not deserve the last name Gray, I would bestow him mine, let the world know that I, Maria had a son named Asher" the woman said as she turned around and continued walking.
Arnold who was inside looked at Maria's departing back and frowned.
"Six, send the kid into a dungeon... do it before she reached him" he muttered.
"Yes, sir" an ethereal voice replied and a part of his shadow cut off and disappeared.
"You would understand sooner or later why I did that, Maria..." he muttered to himself and turned around and continue his advance into the manor.
******
The sun was already dipping into the horizon, Asher walked around with no destination in mind, that was when someone stopped in front of him, he looked at who it was and was stunned.
Standing in front of him, was Maria, his mother.
That was not what shocked him, he was shocked by the fact that, she looked like his mother in his previous life except that her hair was silver. Seeing her made his eyes water as his mother had died when he was just thirteen years old.
"Mom..."
Maria embraced him as she patted his back.
She pulled him away from her embrace after a while, and looked at him, worry filled her eyes.
"You are my son no matter what anyone says, the heave bear witness, from now on you carry the last name Daeyrmon" Maria said with all seriousness.
Unlike when there was a thunderclap, Asher could feel how the world had settled the name upon his.
"Go to the North, ask of Grand Duke Gravethorn, tell him your name, he will know what to do...you might have been disowned, but you still have a mother" Maria said as she kissed his forehead. She stepped back and conjured a ring out of nowhere.
She grabbed Asher's hand and placed the ring in his palm.
Without saying anything, she turned around and walked away.
Asher watched her as she walked away, he smiled, he looked down at the ring in his palm, he immediately wore it on his fingers.
"Duke Gravethorn, huh?" he muttered when suddenly he felt his shadow shift, he was about to turn around when he felt a hand on his neck and he collapsed to the ground into oblivion.
First Chapter done.