Chapter 2- Tiberius Partas

In the northern part of the continent where of empire was built, laid a vast frozen tundra that had snow stretching for miles, blizzards raged on for days blinding anything that tried to see within, ice had completely frozen the oceans and lakes making it hard to reach water.

The north was a place built for the strong and survivors, even if you only showed a slight bit of weakness the snowy tundra would swallow you up and leave your motionless body to freeze into ice or be ripped apart by the danger beasts that lived here.

Amongst the storming blizzard two shadowed figures could be seen running across a cliff high above the prey that they were hunting, the first figure that revealed themselves appeared as a young girl with icy blue hair that reached past her shoulder, matching coloured eyes that seemed to glow with happiness. The young girl wore furred clothing keeping herself warm from the cold winds whilst in her right hand was a sheening hunting knife.

The person besides her was a young boy, smaller in height that the girl. His hair was raven black that reached past his shoulders and tied into a pony tail at the back, his left eye being emerald green that glowed with excitement whilst his right eye was blood red that burned with desire.

The boy wore a pair of furred trousers whilst his chest was bare allowing the freezing winds to pierce his skin that was slowly turning blue, due this his chest being bare faint scars could be seen layering his body, whip lashes covered his back, puncture marks from what looked like fangs could be seen covering his arm and there was even a stab wound in the middle of the boy's chest.

The boy was in fact a nine-year-old Tiberius Partas and with him was his hunting partner Esdeath. The two of them were great friends as well as a hunting duo amongst the younger generation of the tribe they lived with.

The clan they belonged to was known as the Partas tribe, one of the many tribes the resided in the northern regions of the world however were outcasts and hated by the rest as the Partas tribe hunted whatever they could, whether it be human or animal

The Partas tribe believed that the world has one law and that is the strong survive whilst the weak perish, the members of the clan took these words to heart and would become the strongest they could, always training to increase their stamina and skill, always hunting to find new ways to incapacitate their prey.

Tiberius had only been a member of the tribe for two years but he had come a long way from being what he used to be like, it was actually his hunting partner Esdeath who had found him buried in the snow bleeding to death whilst it was new mother that had taken him in, he could still clearly remember the day that Venelana Partas had become his mother.

...

Venelana Partas was a proud hunter and in fact one of the strongest members of the Partas tribe and was one of the only people that was granted to take the tribes name as her last name. Venelana also happened to be one of the most beautiful woman that could be found in the northern regions, having shoulder length hair that was braided and coloured a burning red, her eyes were a jade green colour that often sparkled with happiness with happiness when she was outside hunting or simply taking in the beauty of the world around her.

Venelana was often sort out after by many males asking for her hand in marriage however she declined them all stating she had little time for love, due to her task of training Esdeath whist her father completed his chieftain duties, however she now had another reason to not marry and that reason was currently in her tent

The small, fragile boy now laying in her tent shivering tiredly as the cold winds hurt his pale skin. Venelana had always watched the children of her clan play and try to learn the skills needed to hunt, she had often thought of taking an apprentice of some sorts and training them in her own personal technique, that idea didn't last long since she took up the training of Esdeath but with this boy she could teach him everything

The boy had obviously been abused, with the bruises that covered his body, the whip marks on his back as well how skinny his body is, not to mention the large wound on the back of the boy's head. she found it quite amazing how the young boy had survived so far, she would have to say that most of the children in her clan would perish from starvation even with their hunting training, it made her wonder what the boy did to survive. She would never have guessed that it was something magical within his body that kept his body strong and moving.

A soft groan brought her attention to the boy's face as he began to move, she watched as his eyes begin to flutter open, the left eye being a dim emerald green whilst the right eye being a cold blood red. There was something about them that actually made a shiver go down her back.

Upon seeing the furs and walls of the tent his eyes widened quite comically as he panicked, instantly searching around as patted his own body making sure he was still alive, he began to hyperventilate, taking in short, fast paced breaths.

Venelana quickly moved besides him, some motherly instinct seemed to take over her as she wrapped her arms around his small frame, Venelana wouldn't realize what she was feeling but she just chalked it up to the boy being weaker than her which meant she was meant to guide him to strength.

"Shhhh... it's alright young one... shhhh. Your safe" Venelana cooed softly into his ear, upon hearing her words the boy slowly started to calm down, his breathing became softer as he felt her body warmth mixing with his, protecting him from the cold winds that breached the tent.

"What's you name little one?" She asked softly as she stroked his hair much like a danger beast comforting their offspring.

The boy's face scrunched up, trying to think however soon winced when a phantom pain seemed to ache near the back of his head, moving his head slowly towards her it ached he could feel stitching's that covered up his wound

"Freak" he soon replied whilst bowing his head in shame "My name is freak making" Venelana raised an eyebrow at the given name however gave no response "Where am I, what happened to me?"

"You don't remember?" With a shake of his head, Venelana continued "me and a member of my clan members found you freezing to death in the snow, you were critically injured with a large head wound. As to where we are. You're in the middle of a camp site belonging to the Partas Clan"

"Partas Clan?" The boy questioned

"All will be answer shortly, for now you need to rest and keep warm, you were mostly likely in that snow for a long time, it's quite amazing your body hasn't frozen. Stay here whilst I get some food for you"

Harry only seemed to nod his head in agreement, not questioning the woman as she left the tent although not before covering him up with furs that were all around the tent. As she left Harry began to try and recall everything that had happened to him.

Only he didn't get that far as he quickly realized that he was now free from his relatives, those monsters in human skins would no longer be able to touch him and if they came anywhere near him, Harry would make sure they couldn't do anything to him.

He spent seven lonely years being treated nothing more than an abused pet for the family to walk over on, with his new freedom from that cage he called a house he could do anything, although first things first, was to find out where he actually is and what the hell the Partas Clan is.

Soon enough Venelana strode back carrying a tray with two bowls of soup on it, placing it down and gently sitting down opposite of Harry, Venelana softly passed over the soup allowing Harry to eat, looking down he could see clumps of white meat just floating on top of the broth, the meat was ghost white with a streak of ice blue passing through, it wasn't like any meat that Harry had seen before.

"It's made with meat from a Gindel. An aquatic reptile danger beast that stands on two feet when on land. The meat has plenty of protein and builds muscle as well as strengthen bones. Make sure to eat it all"

Venelana stated as she began eating her own food, picking up a large piece of white meat Harry soon popped it into his mouth, when he took his first bite, Harry nearly wanted to throw up as some sort of syrup flooded his mouth

"I should also mention that Gindel's have very dense blood, whilst not the tastiest thing in the world, it adds flavour to the soup as well adds blood into your body system making sure you still have blood pumping around your body so you don't die of blood loss"

The boy nodded his head and began to take another bite of the meat, whilst his mouth once again flooded with the dense blood he continued to bite into the meat and soon swallowed, the meat was actually very tasty and Harry could feel slightly rejuvenated just from that one piece.

"So, tell me young one. How long have you been abused for?" Venelana suddenly asked causing Harry to stop, an awkward silence filled the air as the two-stared right into each other's eyes, Harry questioning himself weather to answer the question or not, the woman had been nice to him so far.

"Seven years" the boy replied softly before once again lowering his head in shame, Venelana's eyes widened however a grin soon appeared on her face. This young one had been abused his entire life, and yet he was still here standing.

"Then my decision is made" she suddenly announced making Harry raise his head "no weakling could have survived abuse that long and still breath, I can only determine that you are stronger than nearly all the children here except for perhaps one, with the right training you'll be the strongest child in the camp"

"Since you have most likely been abused your entire life then that means you have nowhere to go, therefore with your strength and will to survive I will make you my apprentice and with it you shall take my last name of Partas"

In all honestly, she sounded like it was an order than anything else but that's how she wanted it to sound. With having a boy that survived seven years of abuse come here, freezing to death on the white snow and then trained by her in the arts of hunting he could bring power to the tribe

More members would flock to this place and her clan would grow, her ways of life will be passed on and with him by her side perhaps she can look forward to another challenge

"Um..."

"Say nothing more" Venelana quickly interrupted before Harry could say anything "I know you might be confused at my proclamation and even wondering where it all of a sudden came from, you might not wish to stay here however all I can say is this"

"Stay here and it will be the best decision of your life"

"… Okay?" Harry answered uncertainly, he had only just met the woman but she was being much nicer than any other adult he had met, so if he was honest he would have to agree with her. Staying with the clan meant that he would be free from his relatives and perhaps find a family within the place, and considering the tent was filled with pelts of fur then it meant that perhaps the clan was a hunting clan which meant he would learn a lot and perhaps learn how to fight and use weapons

"However, there will be a condition. Your name must be changed. Now apprentice of mine will be called such a despicable title such as freak. If you are truly as powerful as I believe you to be then you need a powerful name, a name that will one day be famous and make your enemies shiver in fear"

Venelana spoke with a smile on her face smile, moving in towards the boy she suddenly placed her hand onto his cheek and rubbed it softly. Her gentle smile and the care he seemed to find in her eyes was whilst weird since they didn't know each other was also comforting

"A name worthy of not only a leader but a king. From now on you're my apprentice... my son in all but blood. Tiberius Partas"

Harry could help but smile at the name, Tiberius was a powerful name and it sounded so much better than freak, he hated the name his aunt called him but now that he was away from the hell hole he could forget about his old life and focus on proving his strength to the clan

"Down there" Esdeath pointed down the cliff towards a herd of Gindel, these aquatic danger beasts were often the main hunting target for the younger generation, they were considered more of a test of strength for the Partas tribe, if you failed at hunting Gindel's then you were weak and a failure.

If you couldn't even hunt these aquatic reptiles then how could even think of hunting the more dangerous beast like the terrifying Megalodon, a monstrous creature that was hunted in its own terrain as hunters of the Partas tribe could only find it in deep water which meant they hat to sail out.

Many hunters would lose their lives however if you managed to find ne and kill it, you would be considered the strongest and be praised for your skills as well as be named a contender for the title of chieftain.

Tiberius scanned the herd looking for any weak spots or openings to give them an upper hand, soon enough his eyes spotted to baby Gindels that were moving away from the herd sniffing the area and moving out from the sight of their parents

"There. two children" Tiberius pointed with a grin making Esdeath nod, if there was one thing that Tiberius had ingrained into his brain was the thrill of the hunt, nothing got his blood pumping like chasing down his prey cutting it down.

He had quickly learned the words of the Partas tribe and took them to his heart. The strong survive whilst the weak perish, Tiberius spoke those words every time he fell asleep, not only that but he paired them with the phrase he learned when he still lived with his relatives

There is only power and those too weak to see it. With these two mottos ingrained into his mind Tiberius strived to become the greatest hunter there was, his mother Venelana trained him, he hunted with his best friend Esdeath and throughout the two long years he survived he searched for power.

Tiberius watched carefully as the two baby Gindels moved further and further away from the herd, nodding his head towards Esdeath they began to move, swiftly moving through the large amounts of snow after having done it for years the two hunters quickly zoomed in

In one quick movement Tiberius jumped from the cliff and landed onto the danger beasts back, it howled in panic grabbing the attention of the herd before it was quickly silence by having its throat slit by a hunting knife

Tiberius turned towards Esdeath and couldn't help but blush, although he was young his mother had taught him about love and the beauty of woman, often used as a weapon to lure in human males Tiberius could see Esdeath growing up to be a beautiful woman, however what Tiberius found that was odd was the fact he found Esdeath more beautiful when she was covered in blood much like how she was now.

"This should do it. Two Gindels for the feast tonight" Esdeath announced as she wiped the blood of her knife, danger beast blood covered her body dirtying her porcelain skin, Tiberius nodded his head in agreement as he grabbed hold of the creature's legs.

Tonight, was the feast of the young, a small festival the younger generation to take part in as it was meant to be the night they would change from children to adults, those that had managed to kill a Gindel and bring it back would be praised and be recognized as hunters, those who failed would either be disowned and made outcasts or be put through brutal training where they will either survive or die.

Tiberius looked up into the sky and saw an aurora borealis shimmering and he couldn't help but smile, ever since the day he had made the decision to stay with the Partas tribe he hasn't looked back or regretted it, Venelana was right when she said that it would be the best choice he could make.