"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 let’s just say that my greed got the best of me."
"I stole one of the merchant’s 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, I’m a slave."
"I’m a slave because of my greed and foolishness. That’s the reason why I’m here."
Akaza had a deep frown hearing Simon’s extremely brief description of how he became a slave.
It was obvious that Simon was not telling the whole story, but Akaza’s instincts told him that Simon was saying the truth.
It was strange.
"You don’t want to tell me the whole story?"
Simon shook his head.
"For your sake and mine, it’s better if you don’t know the whole truth."
Akaza frowned deeply and was confused.
If one did not know Simon’s full backstory, they would be somewhat convinced that Simon’s story made sense and they would fill up the holes in the story themselves.
And that was what Akaza did.
’I wonder what item he stole from the merchant, and I’m fairly certain that the merchant must have been a Daegrin.’
’Only a Daegrin would have business in an impoverished tribe of the Wildlands. They are as strange as I’ve heard.’
’His story is incomplete, but it sounds like the Daegrin decided to sell him to the clan after getting back his stolen item.’
’But I wonder why he said it’s better if he doesn’t tell the full story, and why did the clan decide to buy him from the Daegrin?’
’Since he met a group of clan members, then that means it’s those clan members or one of them that wanted him as a slave, and that person or group should be his personal master.’
’But I’ve never heard of any clan member coming out to say that Broken Halo is their slave. Even if the master doesn’t care about him at all, he or she would have come out or exposed themselves as his master since he’s actually a very hot commodity at this point.’
’If nobody has come out to say that they’re his master, then it means the clan itself is his master and not just a clan member.’
’And in cases where the clan is the master of the slave, the slaves are usually war slaves, political slaves, or enemies of the clan.’
Akaza closed his eyes and shook his head.
’I shouldn’t be stressing myself so much on his story. My instincts tells me that he’s telling the truth, but not the full truth.’
’I’ll do the same.’
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 I’ll leave them for now."
Simon nodded. "That’s honestly for the best."
He paused briefly.
"Now, tell me your story. Why are you in the Shadowgrave Clan and not the Martial Clan?"
Akaza’s 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 I’m 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 they’ll take me to the Shadowgrave Clan, I’ll take their trials, and if I pass, I’ll 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, I’ll be hidden and I’ll be able to grow without fear of those that want to kill me in the Martial Clan."
"So yeah, that’s why I’m 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 don’t understand."
He shook his head.
"I’m actually not suited for the assassin path. Although, I know how to assassinate, it just doesn’t 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 Simon’s sky blue eyes.
A few seconds later, he spoke.
"You."
Simon slightly raised a brow.
"After you defeated me, I realized how lazy I’ve been. I’ve 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 you’re still causing to me, I’ve realized that I cannot be lackadaisical about getting stronger."
"I want to have my revenge on you. Then... I’ll have my revenge on my enemies."