Chapter 1
"Mommy! Daddy!"
A little boy cried out amid the flames that burned down the house where he lived. The boy's parents were lying under the rubble, unconscious and oblivious to the cries of their only child.
"Mommy! Daddy! Get up, you'll burn if you stay down there!" The little boy continued to cry and scream.
"Hey! Why are you here? Come with me!"
A little girl pulled the boy's hand to get out of there, but instead of following the little girl's words, the boy jerked the girl's hand away.
"Who are you? Why are you here? I'm trying to save my parents," the boy said, wiping away his tears.
The little girl sulked and pulled the boy's hand away.
"You're going to fry in here, you i***t. Come with me," the little girl scolded.
"No way! Why would you want to save me when everyone in this village is attacking my family?" the boy asked sceptically.
"Never mind, I don't care! I just want to do something good for you, I don't care what other people in the village think," the little girl insisted. Come with me now!
This little boy - Samuel Erweiz Wrietler - was the sole descendant of the present Wrietler family. The Wrietlers were one of the wealthiest families in the area. But many people disliked them because they were accused of having links to a property company and various other businesses that were trying to confiscate land in the region.
As a result of the confrontation, the Wrietler family was brutally slaughtered that night, and Samuel's grandparents and parents did not survive the fire set by local people.
"You must run away at once! You won't survive if you stay here,' the little girl said to Samuel.
"But... What about you?" He asked.
"They won't know, they'll just think I was playing around your house by mistake. Hurry up and leave!"
The little girl was hit by a falling log, which carried the fire with it, leaving her not only bruised but burnt. The two children ran to get out of the burning house.
"Ack!"
"Oh my, you're in bad condition. You must be treated immediately." Samuel carried the little girl.
"Don't worry about me! When you get out of here, run! My parents and others won't let you survive either, nobody here likes you. It's just a small wound that will heal quickly, run and save yourself."
Samuel paused thoughtfully, staring ahead towards the opening out of the burning ruins of the building. He wanted to help the little girl, but he was the target of everyone there. She would definitely not survive.
"Hey, believe me. One day I will come back here and make you the luckiest girl," Samuel said.
After emerging from the ruins of the building, Samuel sat the little girl down, wrapping her in his jacket. He looked at the little girl with pity and knelt down.
"Hey, can I have your name?" Samuel asked.
"My name is Kaila, Kaila Reevez."
Samuel nodded. "All right Kaila. I'll remember your name, and my name is---"
"Who's there!"
Before Samuel could finish his sentence, the residents of the neighbourhood had arrived and almost caught the two of them. Kaila quickly sent Samuel away before he could tell Kaila his name.
"I will remember you, Kaila. I will repay your kindness one day," Samuel said as he ran through the dark forest at night.
*****
"Salute General Simon. It is a great honour to have your outstanding achievements in leading the universal peace and security of the world!"
All the soldiers, important officials and high-ranking citizens who greeted the arrival of the man in military uniform made a respectful gesture; they admired and respected the young general. He was Samuel, who had grown up 10 years after the incident that had happened to his family. Now he had become the highest general in a military force called the Supreme Earth's Force.
No one dares to oppose Samuel, even from behind the scenes, because they know how much power Samuel has now. Now Samuel was at his peak and had the power to do many things.
People knew Samuel as General Simon. He had changed his identity so that his career as a soldier in the past would not be discovered by his family's enemies. He believed they were still free out there, because what Samuel had eliminated were only enemies on a general scale, not enemies scattered in secret networks.
"The peace that exists in this country and other countries is thanks to you, General." The President of Brustania saluted, smiling proudly at Samuel.
"What do you want now, General? We will grant you your wish," the President said.
Samuel thought for a moment. "I will go for a purpose from my past. Give me time to disappear for a while so that I can complete what I want to complete."
The President nodded in understanding. "No one can stand in your way, not even me, for you are the cornerstone of the world's military. Go and achieve your goal. I will help from behind."
Samuel then left with great dignity, accompanied by thousands of soldiers who raised their weapons to pay their respects to the supreme general. Samuel left with a face full of vengeance and seriousness.
After travelling for more than two hours, Samuel now arrived in a region, more precisely in his hometown. A place that had a dark history for Samuel. Truth be told, Samuel didn't want to go back there, but his family's grudge and his debt to Kaila drew him back.
Samuel came in ordinary clothes, he didn't want to stand out, like a traveller passing through the area by chance.
His arrival coincided with an unusual event for Samuel. Samuel was curious, people were walking towards a house and they seemed enthusiastic for some reason.
"Ah, excuse me, may I ask what's making things so lively here?" Samuel asked curiously.
"Oh, are you new here? Or are you just visiting? One of the girls in this area was offered in marriage by her parents with a very simple gift and ceremony."
Samuel frowned, "What do you mean?"
"This is where it gets interesting. The men replied enthusiastically. Physically deformed, no man would marry her. Even if she were free, few would want to. It's an interesting spectacle for us, because we want to know who would marry this ugly girl."
Samuel looked up suddenly, he was stunned and remembered something. "Please take me with you, I want to see it too."
"Hahaha, we knew you'd want to see it too, young man."
So Samuel walked hand in hand with the residents to a house that was quite nice for the middle class. Many people were already there to witness the sad moment. You could say sad for the girl who was humiliated at that moment.
"They are offering this girl for marriage at a very low price. Any man can marry this girl."
Samuel witnessed the humiliating moment. The girl with her face covered could only look down and sob as she was treated like that by her parents.
"I don't want this girl, I want her sister."
"No way! Miss Kiara would only be married to rich and exceptional men. The only one we offer to average young men is Kaila."
Samuel clenched his fists, where was the heart of Kaila's parents when they treated their child like garbage just because of her physical accident? On top of that, Samuel finally found out that the girl being treated like that was Kaila, the girl who had contributed so much to Samuel's life.
Samuel cut through the crowd and walked up to Kaila's parents. And he said confidently, "I am ready to marry Kaila and take her with me."
"Who are you? How can you marry a girl with a face like that?" asked Kaila's mother.
"I am Simon, an antique dealer who happened to be passing by. I heard you wanted to marry your daughter, so I'm interested in making her my wife," Samuel said.
Kaila just looked down and was silent. Kaila didn't seem to know who was proposing to her, and the people there didn't know that the person standing before them was no ordinary man, but General Simon.
"Well, you can have a simple wedding today. Kaila can come with you right after. She's finally been taken away, after decades of us bearing the shame of her presence here," the father said, looking sarcastically at Kaila.
Her mother then whispered to Kaila. "Congratulations, there's finally a man who wants to marry an ugly girl like you. Had you not been foolish enough to play near the Wrietler family home 10 years ago, you would have been betrothed to a rich man of noble status, but you had to accept your fate of being betrothed to a average man with a small income."