"I was born in a backwater tribe of the Wildlands, and it was an impoverished tribe."
"A wandering merchant came to our tribe to purchase and sell some things, and letās just say that my greed got the best of me."
"I stole one of the merchantās items, and well, I was betrayed. I was sold to the merchant, and on our way to his hideout, we encountered some members of the Shadowgrave Clan."
"From that point, you can say that I was sold to the Shadowgrave Clan, and right now, Iām a slave."
"Iām a slave because of my greed and foolishness. Thatās the reason why Iām here."
Akaza had a deep frown hearing Simonās extremely brief description of how he became a slave.
It was obvious that Simon was not telling the whole story, but Akazaās instincts told him that Simon was saying the truth.
It was strange.
"You donāt want to tell me the whole story?"
Simon shook his head.
"For your sake and mine, itās better if you donāt know the whole truth."
Akaza frowned deeply and was confused.
If one did not know Simonās full backstory, they would be somewhat convinced that Simonās story made sense and they would fill up the holes in the story themselves.
And that was what Akaza did.
āI wonder what item he stole from the merchant, and Iām fairly certain that the merchant must have been a Daegrin.ā
āOnly a Daegrin would have business in an impoverished tribe of the Wildlands. They are as strange as Iāve heard.ā
āHis story is incomplete, but it sounds like the Daegrin decided to sell him to the clan after getting back his stolen item.ā
āBut I wonder why he said itās better if he doesnāt tell the full story, and why did the clan decide to buy him from the Daegrin?ā
āSince he met a group of clan members, then that means itās those clan members or one of them that wanted him as a slave, and that person or group should be his personal master.ā
āBut Iāve never heard of any clan member coming out to say that Broken Halo is their slave. Even if the master doesnāt care about him at all, he or she would have come out or exposed themselves as his master since heās actually a very hot commodity at this point.ā
āIf nobody has come out to say that theyāre his master, then it means the clan itself is his master and not just a clan member.ā
āAnd in cases where the clan is the master of the slave, the slaves are usually war slaves, political slaves, or enemies of the clan.ā
Akaza closed his eyes and shook his head.
āI shouldnāt be stressing myself so much on his story. My instincts tells me that heās telling the truth, but not the full truth.ā
āIāll do the same.ā
He released a sigh, and Simon raised a brow.
"Finished with your thoughts?"
Akaza looked at him."I have questions about what you just told me, but Iāll leave them for now."
Simon nodded. "Thatās honestly for the best."
He paused briefly.
"Now, tell me your story. Why are you in the Shadowgrave Clan and not the Martial Clan?"
Akazaās gaze became slightly solemn, then he looked at the window, the air in the room becoming even more solemn.
"Because the Shadowgrave Clan is the only place I can safely escape to."
Simon raised a brow.
"Safely escape to? What do you mean?"
Akaza looked at Simon, then he released a deep sigh.
"You say that Iām a talent of the Martial Clan, and that is true. But the situation of the Martial Clan is far complex than you might think."
"Because of my talent, there are people in the clan that wants to kill me, and during my escape from the Martial Clan, I encountered a member of the Shadowgrave Clan."
"They gave me an offer where theyāll take me to the Shadowgrave Clan, Iāll take their trials, and if I pass, Iāll become a member of the Shadowgrave Clan."
"The Shadowgrave Clan is very hidden, and its location is not known to the public. I doubt even all the six great clans and kingdoms know our location."
"At the time, I knew that if I was able to successfully become a member of the clan, Iāll be hidden and Iāll be able to grow without fear of those that want to kill me in the Martial Clan."
"So yeah, thatās why Iām in the Shadowgrave Clan and not the Martial Clan."
Simon nodded in understanding.
"I understand now, but you slacked off and got lazy. You no longer have the desire for revenge?"
Akaza released a tired sigh.
"Of course I still want my revenge, but you donāt understand."
He shook his head.
"Iām actually not suited for the assassin path. Although, I know how to assassinate, it just doesnāt feel right to me."
"My enemies in the Martial Clan are strong. Very strong. The Martial Clan is genuinely the best place for me to grow. It has resources and knowledge that would help me immensely compared to the Shadowgrave Clan."
"I decided to not be so hellbent on revenge when I saw that the assassin path does not suit me. I believed that I could just enjoy myself and get stronger at the pace I want."
Simon tilted his head slightly.
"You believed? So what changed?"
Akaza remained silent and stared into Simonās sky blue eyes.
A few seconds later, he spoke.
"You."
Simon slightly raised a brow.
"After you defeated me, I realized how lazy Iāve been. Iāve been contented with the fact that I could defeat the average Initiates in my class. I was satisfied with the fact that I was just above average among the Second Years."
"After the humiliation you caused and youāre still causing to me, Iāve realized that I cannot be lackadaisical about getting stronger."
"I want to have my revenge on you. Then... Iāll have my revenge on my enemies."