{I finally have a body...}
In the middle of a forest, an injured boy lay on the ground, thinking.
{But where am I?}
{Where was it? Who was she? And... who am I?}
{I don't remember much. Only a few pieces of my past.}
He got up and looked at his surroundings. Standing near a river, he saw his reflection. Brown eyes, pure black hair. Nothing that special about his appearance.
{So this is the body. It's about the age of five, and I am an orphan that lives at an orphanage not so far from here.}
He came to the conclusion that he had been connected to this body for about five years. It was not a stolen body.
His will and consciousness would take time to gain full control because the body and the mind were too young and weak to process the newly formed soul and its information.
{I'm called Vrren, but I need a new name for myself... Lynx. It matches with both of our names.}
"Vrren, what are you doing out there!" a group of kids shouted, running toward him.
Once they noticed his injuries, they took him back to the orphanage.
"And... done! Be careful from now on, okay?" said a caretaker after putting a bandage on Vrren.
"Okay, I will," Vrren said, rubbing the back of his head.
A few days passed.
A group of kids gathered together: Vrren, Dip, Karti, and Reilly.
"Have you heard about the tournament that's going to take place maybe in a decade?" Dip asked.
"No, why? What is it about?" Karti asked him back, while scratching the back of his neck.
"You really haven't heard of it?" Dip responded as Karti shook his head. "People will fight each other to see who is the strongest! I will participate in it too," Dip said, puffing out his chest.
"What do they get if they win?" Lynx, acting as Vrren, asked.
"I don't know, but maybe they will take the winners to work as heroes and save people!" Dip replied.
Reilly gently smacked Dip. "Many strong people will fight, but only a few will be selected. It is so we can work for their sects, not to be heroes," Reilly explained.
"I will participate too then!" Karti said.
Reilly smacked him too. "Of course all of us will, so we can work together. We just need to put up a good fight so they pick all of us. What do you say, our leader, Vrren?"
"Indeed. Let's train hard!" Vrren said with confidence. {After that I will go by Lynx, or perhaps Lynx Vrren.}
A few days later.
Karti and Reilly were sparring. They rushed at each other. Karti saw an opening, pushed Reilly off guard, and started punching her continuously.
"Stop it, Karti!" Reilly cried out in pain, tearing up.
"What? You told me not to hold back! Why are you being a crybab—"
Before Karti could finish, Dip kicked him away.
"What are you doing? That's unnecessary." Dip's eyes were full of rage.
"Oh yeah? Then fight me instead like a man," Karti said, getting on guard.
Dip raised his fists. Karti rushed in without wasting time, but Dip caught his collar and prepared to punch him.
Karti smiled and threw sand into Dip's eyes, making him lose his guard. Karti then punched Dip in the belly as hard as he could.
"This is cheating! You said fight like a man!" Dip gasped.
"A man does whatever it takes to win," Karti replied, kicking Dip to the ground.
"If you want a fight, then fight me," Vrren said, standing right behind Karti.
Karti quickly tried to punch him, but Vrren had already struck the back of his neck.
Karti backed off and scooped some sand into his palm. He instantly jumped at Vrren, while Vrren coldly glared at him.
Karti threw the sand into Vrren's eyes, forcing him to close them. As Karti went from behind and prepared to strike, Vrren pivoted and punched him in the jaw.
"H—how did you know I was behind you!?" Karti demanded.
"You see, I have these things called ears, so I can hear you running around," Vrren said, wiping his eyes so he could open them.
Karti got mad and charged head-on, continuously punching. But the anomaly inside took over. Vrren placed his hand on Karti's cheek and violently ripped off a chunk of flesh the size of a spoon's head.
Vrren threw it away. {What am I doing?}
Karti realized what had happened and ran crying back to the elders.
Vrren was heavily punished for it, and Karti hated him ever since. But as the years passed, they made new friends, and Vrren's group grew vastly.
Vrren was twelve years old now, the leader of at least 70 members.
One of his top members, a boy named Sun, had an idea. He told everyone to gather. Not everyone could make it, but there were at least 30 members present.
"So what is your idea?" Vrren asked nicely.
"Listen. You don't have parents, and you act soft to be a hero wannabe going with Dip's ideas," Sun said.
"What are you getting at?" Vrren asked.
"I'm taking leadership from you today, and you will see how easily they leave you. You are not suited to be a leader," Sun declared.
Vrren was confident in his members. He had spent years training them kindly, never acting unjust or unreasonable. He knew Sun would fail.
Sun looked at the crowd. "Pick a side. Choose who will be a better leader, and who you wish to fight beside."
One by one, every single kid went to Sun.
Vrren's face stayed calm, but inside, his fragile heart completely shattered.
To prove their new loyalty, they picked up rocks, stones, and bricks, throwing them at Vrren. A jagged stone hit him, causing him to bleed from the top of his head.
His glare remained cold as the blood dripped down. He slowly walked toward Sun, accelerating the closer he got.
Vrren punched Sun so hard that he collapsed.
"Get him!" Sun shouted in panic.
"If you want to, then go ahead," Vrren said to the crowd. "I don't hold anything against you. My only enemy is him."
Nobody moved. Vrren turned and walked away. When he was finally out of sight, his eyes filled with tears. He cried every day thinking about it.
Nobody was there for him. He trained alone in nature.
Dip and the others who hadn't attended had been adopted by families far away, and Dip had already created his own new team.
The negativity grew worse as time went on, rapidly increasing his Negative Will.
Then he met Lif, a boy who had stolen from a shop and was being punished brutally.
Vrren, wearing a mask, created a distraction by throwing a stone inside the shop. While the owner looked away, Vrren grabbed Lif and ran.
"You alright?" Vrren asked.
Lif replied by nodding.
"Don't steal from others again. It's not just wrong, but also not what your soul wants," Vrren said, pointing at the boy's chest. "It wants greatness, so don't do things that displease who you are, unless it's truly necessary."
"I got it. Thanks, my name is Lif," the boy said.
"I'm Lynx, or just call me Vrren for now."
"Okay, Vrren."
Vrren told him about the tournament, and they started training together.
On May 18, Vrren was looking for Lif to tell him about his birthday. Instead, he saw Lif speaking to Sun in an alleyway. Vrren blended into the crowd and listened.
"Did you figure out what type of martial arts he uses yet?" Sun asked.
"He has only taught me movements because his style is hard to master," Lif said.
"Alright, keep a close eye. If you get any openings, beat him up badly. Break his bones so he has no way to train or dream about fighting again," Sun ordered.
"Don't worry," Lif replied. "As long as you give me the money, I will do whatever it takes. I'll get every drop of information out of him so you can beat him."
Vrren moved away on his own. He went to a faraway place and left a note thanking his caretakers at the orphanage.
The negativity was getting too vast. The isolation, the caretakers punishing him, the continuous betrayal, the overthinking, and his endless essential pain. But he didn't give in.
{As long as a destination exists, there is always a path leading there.}
At the age of fourteen, he finally gained full awareness of his soul. He started training harder alone so he could stand up against everyone in the tournament, which would occur in four years.
...
About four years later.
Lynx walked out of a cave, holding a bag.
"Today's the day," Lynx said, looking at the sky.
He started walking. "It's time to return to the city."