At age ten I discovered memories of a past life.
It wasn't in vivid details, but it was enough to conclude I wasn't who I was now. I had been born on a relatively peaceful planet in comparison to this new world. I was a single child to two wonderful individuals I called my parents, and I lived a normal life.
Neither too spicy nor too vanilla — just enough to make up most of the time I had. But such a life didn't last long, and before I knew it, I was dead and now inhabited the body of a noble child.
The child's name was Alex, the third child of the house of Bladeheart, one of the four Duke families of the Empire.
Alex was a normal kid by the standards of this world at least. He was born into a powerful lineage, and from birth many expected greatly of him. After all, he was the son of Klaus Bladeheart, the Empire's sword and its strongest soldier. Hence, it was logical for his children to be powerful in their own right.
At age ten, a time where the true potential of most children was discovered, Alex was graded with above-average talents. For a commoner, they would have praised, but for the son of the Empire's strongest soldier, this was trash.
With such disappointing grading, he lost most of the favors of others and inherited the title of "black sheep" from his younger sister, who was no warrior but a mage in a family of warriors.
The sudden shift in his treatment led to a series of depression and self-loathing until he couldn't take it anymore. But before he could do something stupid, I awakened, and I became Alex.
But my persona wasn't the only strange thing to happen to Alex, for I was gifted a golden finger for reasons I couldn't comprehend.
[Martial Prowess: 0%]
[Martial Proficiency: 10]
Two strange words hovered before me, leaving me gulping as I walked through the massive hallway of the Bladeheart mansion.
I was currently eleven, hence a year had gone by since I woke up in this body. So many things had happened since then.
My father—the one responsible for my birth in this world—had died while undergoing a mission for the Emperor. My mother, frail, lost herself upon his death and followed a few weeks later.
Now the Bladeheart family had no patriarch, and the members of the branch family wished to overthrow the main family, which consisted solely of me and my siblings.
Our situation was pretty grim, but my elder brother kept saying he would handle it, hence leaving me more time to ponder about the screen before me.
It appeared as a sort of gauge, one that could be toggled—at least for the first one—but I didn't know its effect, hence I was reconsidering if I should use it or not.
"Young master, it's time for your morning spar."
In my state of pondering, I took a branching path and came across the head maid of the mansion and also my personal trainer. She was a tall woman with an overall cold demeanor. She had fierce red hair and matching red eyes.
She was quite toned but equally curvaceous, but maybe because I was still somewhat of a child I felt not much attraction toward her despite her being incredibly beautiful.
"It's that time again."
Sighing at her words, I found my shoulders drop in exhaustion as I envisioned the sweaty future that awaited me.
My family was a family of warriors; being fit wasn't a must but a necessity, and knowing how to fight came with the package.
Originally, when I regained my memories, I ended up forgetting most of the teachings passed onto me, and because of that I had to experience agonizing hell as I relearned everything.
"Rita, can't I pass off training just this once?" I pleaded, my back hunched.
"I'll have to decline," she said, walking sharply towards me and grabbing hold of me to straighten my back.
I groaned in pain at her forceful touch before letting out another sigh.
"Why not though... I've never missed a day of training. Just one vacation wouldn't do anything to dull my spirit."
"Your fight against your cousin Selena is in a week. You need all the training you can muster, or else you'll lose."
"You're speaking as if I have a fighting chance!"
For the branch family to usher us out and inherit our right, they intended on overpowering us by showing how talented their scions were in contrast to us.
Hence, while I said my brother had it under control, I also neglected to mention the fact that I had my part to play.
The Emperor himself wasn't in agreement with the decision of the branch family, but he was fair, so he gave us both a chance to prove ourselves.
And in an Empire born from violence, only violence could decide.
Hence, a spar would be held between all the eligible heirs—precisely three of our side and three of theirs.
My elder brother Abel, my elder sister Vanessa, and I. As for our younger sibling Alice, she was both a mage and too young to participate.
Our opponents would be the most gifted of the branch family, those closest in age to us.
And my opponent was Selena.
To me, that name meant more than just an obstacle. Before I was graded with mediocre stats, she was my rival.
She was extremely gifted with the sword, and I was the son of the strongest soldier of the Empire. A match made in heaven, many said, and we were both proud of that.
Until the grading ceremony.
It turned out she surpassed me and was in the league of my brother Abel.
A fight between us would just be a one-sided humiliation on my part, and no matter how much I hated to admit it, I knew quitting now was the only option.
"Even when the odds are zero, never hesitate," Rita exclaimed.
"Dad always said that," I responded with a slight smile, reminiscing about my father.