He got beat up.
He confronted his parents and told them about his ambitions, and as a result, his father made absolutely sure he understood the weight of his decision.
Still, it was a gesture of concern.
It was a show of concern, because no matter how unaware they were about the world outside of their village, they were more than aware of how cruel it could be.
They didn't want their innocent son to be corrupted by that world. They didn't want him to disappear and never be heard from again. They didn't want him to become a sacrifice for those people who regarded human life as nothing.
But Alexander was determined.
The look in his eyes was proof enough that his mind wouldn't waver, and with no other choice, they accepted their son's dreams.
For the next three days, he spent time with them without wasting a single second. He made sure to enjoy every last moment of this comfort, so he could leave his parents in this life without any worries.
He even had a little sister who was born roughly a decade after him. She was still a child, and didn't truly understand what was happening, but she felt the sadness hanging in the air and instinctually clung to him for his last few days in the village.
It was a novel feeling.
For a man who didn't know much about familial love like this, the kind that came directly and was so outwardly manifested, this kind of lifestyle was something he appreciated greatly.
He loved his main body's mother, and he had respect for Dante Void, but when was he able to experience a life like this?
Once Dante left, it was simply impossible for Claire to provide him this experience while supporting them.
So Damien took his time. He received their love and gave his in return, cherishing those three days until they finally came to an end.
And on the fourth day, amidst a grand farewell celebration, he took his leave.
The time had come for a new adventure!
***
Once he left the village, Damien, or was it Alexander now…?...finally made his advent on this world.
He rushed through the environment with a wide smile on his face.
'This takes me back to the old days.'
It felt like his days in Apeiron, traveling with no real aim or idea of what was going on, only seeking fun and happiness.
'I still know nothing about this world. It'd be nice if I could use my main body's awareness, but something like that isn't possible.'
It could be considered the only real problem with making a separated Avatar.
Since he was technically an existence of his own, Alexander wouldn't be able to use any of Damien's power until he reached a certain level, which he was nowhere near at the moment.
'Then again, the journey would be boring if I could do everything so easily.'
The first thing he needed to do was find out about this world.
All he knew was the Brilliant Flame Empire, and even then, he had no idea where the capital was.
'I did hear there was an academy there. If it's anything like Apeiron's Zenith Academy, it'll be a good place for me to gather strength as fast as possible.'
Even the village knew the kind of power the Brilliant Flame Empire had.
Most secret realms and dungeons were under the control of the empire itself, so unless one had a verifiable identity, it was almost impossible to enter them.
'On top of that, I don't know what affinities this body has. An academy or sect would be the best way to get a real handle on how I should grow this Avatar.'
Damien had a relatively set path he wanted to follow, and all he had to do was follow it.
The first step, as mentioned countless times already, was information.
Damien stopped by every relatively large town and city he came across for that purpose.
He didn't have much money, but beast corpses were a great way to make it anywhere, so he naturally killed a few on his way.
And over the course of a few months of traveling like this, he was able to gain a good understanding of the world.
'So this is the Brilliant Flame Empire of Heiron. Luckily, this is a single-continent world, so the problem of having too much to do disappears pretty fast.'
The Sacred Continent had two great empires, the Brilliant Flame Empire and the Crystal Moon Empire. They split the continent almost perfectly in half with their influence, and they both had great power.
The continent itself was quite interesting. It was split into two extreme environments that the two empires were named after.
The southern half of the continent was cold and covered in snow, while the northern half was usually mild and had consistently hot weather.
Heiron was a decent world in its own right. Its greatest experts were late-stage 4th class experts, those on the cusp of the nine revolutions.
'There are most likely a few weak 1st or 2nd revolution masters in seclusion as well, but I won't be here long enough to concern myself with them.'
The Brilliant Flame Empire didn't permit the organization of separate forces like sects. They trained their geniuses in several academies, and after graduation, the people could either choose guilds under the jurisdiction of the Adventurer's Guild or become soldiers of the Empire.
There was also the path of a mercenary or rogue, but most didn't choose this route that wasn't very profitable.
Nevertheless, the Imperial Academy in the capital, which was directly managed by the Imperial Family and had access to almost every secret realm, dungeon, and prime resource in the world, was Damien's current goal.
'I shouldn't encounter many problems. The Emperor is relatively sane, so things like class segregation in the academy aren't too prevalent. Discrimination is pretty much impossible to avoid, but as long as commoners have the opportunity to enter the academy, I don't have to worry about anything else.'
Damien smiled to himself.
He was quite amused imagining himself getting into altercations with kids who were several decades younger than him.
'If they really have the ability to piss me off, that's a skill they should be proud of.'
Nevertheless, he didn't have much else to think about.
His current strength was around the same as an entry-level 3rd class, and from the experiments he performed during his journey, his growth potential was far greater than anyone else he'd seen.
The journey to the Imperial Academy would take another few months, but he had half a year left before the admissions period began.
'Since I have time to waste, I might as well explore what my soul was up to before I gained consciousness.'
He had trained as a hunter along with the men in his village. He had fighting techniques ingrained in his bones, and a unique method of mana utilization that was both primal and somewhat refined at the same time.
Damien was interested in all these mundane things, because it had been a long, long time since he was able to experience the mundane himself.
In a sense, these days at the beginning of his story as Alexander were a vacation for him.
And Damien, as a man who learned to cherish vacation days during his time on Earth, had absolutely no plans to waste it!
