ã€ŠResist The Blacknessã€‹


 Ares, Son of Gillius

    The boat was rocking slightly. There was no resistance between its bottom and the sea.  All that could be heard was the smooth paddling of the man rearing the boat towards the shore and roars from the nearing island.

    I nodded out of consciousness and the blanket covering my face moved gently.

    ¡°So, you¡¯re finally awake, boy. Take a look towards the shore. That is your new home.¡± Gillius said coldly. He looked at me straight in the eye without remorse.

    As I turned around, all I could see was the stillness of the sea, and the island in the distance. This place¡­ This is¡­

    Before I could finish my thought, Gillius¡¯s large hand grabbed my collar and threw me off the boat.

    Many people would have cursed the man that instant, but Belial did not.  Looking towards the island before crashing into the sea and resurfacing to catch his breath,  Belial only stared blankly with eyes of sadness and betrayal.

    ¡°¡­ Why?¡±

    Gillius lost his composure. Standing with his arms crossed, he clutched it with so much strength that his arms began to bleed. Blood trickled into the still sea, breaking the silence.

    ¡°You know why. You will have to pay the consequence¡­ But know this,¡± Gillius got down on his knees and hands. ¡°I will forever be indebted to you.¡± Unlike the blood from before, tears started to stream down his eyes. His chiseled face contorted, his biceps trembling.

    I had finally understood. Gillius betrayed me out of duty, to protect his real family. I was not born with a family, but I understood. As Gillius bowed before me in apology, I panicked , waving my hands fervishly to deny him.

    ¡°No! It is I who should be grateful. If not for you, I wouldn¡¯t have even lived this long and experienced so many things.¡±

    Coming from a five-year old boy, Gillius was furious. Not at Belial, but himself, for his cowardice and weakness. The ¡®so many things he experienced¡¯ were only eating with his family, babysitting his many children, and sleeping in his barn, as there was no room for him. Though he never told Belial, in the few short weeks they had stayed together, he regarded him as a son. Seeing his kind nature, he was hoping to see Belial grow up, point him towards the brothels to become a man, marry and see his children. All that gone in a few moments.

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    ¡°For me who had never experienced family, I thank you¡­ Can I call you father?¡±

    Belial looked up towards him, seeing his pained expression.

    ¡°I am undeserving!¡± Gillius shouted. He pounded his head on the boat, almost destroying it. ¡®How will a boy as he survive!?¡¯

    ¡°Please¡­¡±

    ¡®Even in this situation, this is all he desires¡­¡¯ Gillius thought. He began grinding his teeth, as if to punish himself for letting this happen.

    I knew this was the last time I might ever see Gillius before I die on ¡®that¡¯ dreaded island. I pleaded him with my eyes. To me, he was someone. No, his family, was something I can give my life up proudly for.

    ¡°That name¡­ it means worthless in our ancient language. Allow me to rename you¡­ son.¡±

    I was breathless as I choked up inside. For the first time in my life, I cried. My face did not change. But, water streamed down my cheeks. I bowed my head to him. With this, I was prepared to die.

    ¡°Yes¡­ father.¡± I gave him a small smile¡­ with this. I can die happily¡ª

    ¡°Do not resign yourself to death!¡± His voice rang through the sea, causing ripples and birds above them to shriek in defiance. ¡°You will survive! For you are the son of the Knight Commander Gillius!... Ares.¡±

    I shuddered in response to my father¡¯s words. Lightning struck my spine and revitalized my consciousness. To the me that resigned myself to death, a glint appeared in my eyes as I stared back at my father.

    ¡°I will return.¡±

    Dispelling the grim atmosphere between them, Gillius was the first to leave and Belial turned towards the island, swimming with all his strength. As he reached the shore, and entered the forest, he did not look back. In the distance, Gillius could only be proud of Belial¡­ no. Ares. A name truly befitting of the boy he called son.

 Helgathor

    The port of Helgathor was full of activity. People were trading goods left and right, trying to bargain for lower prices. A majority of them wearing cheap clothing, they waited. The wide streets were filled with spectators, awaiting the arrival of the hero, Gillius, who ruthlessly sailed to the island of Diatie, rumored to contain even divine level magical beasts. Adventurers who dared sailed to the island never returned and those that did return, came back as corpses on a boat. The port, seeing the silhouette of a man rowing a boat shouted in glee.

    ¡°The hero of our small town has returned from his perilous journey!¡±

    ¡°As expected of the pride and hope of Hergathor!¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe that piece of shit laid his hands on his precious daughter, even though he treated him like his son! I knew it the moment I saw him! He had the eyes of a beast!¡±

    ¡°If the prince wasn¡¯t there, who knows what would have happened to our little, hard-headed princess!¡±

    Once Gillius arrived at the small port and dismounted his boat, he was rushed by the residents. He could only grimace at the obscenities being said about his son, Ares, meant to appease him. Instead of putting up with the crowd, he marched through the middle of the masses, only to be stopped by an official with dove-white garments, woven with golden threads. He slightly bowed towards Gillius and yelled loudly, praising Gillius and inciting the people.

    ¡°Here is a true man! One that had suspicions of this boy from the beginning, but gave him benevolence. A man that truly embodied the empire¡¯s spirit! But! What did he gain in return? He was betrayed by that very boy, attempting to molest his daughter in her sleep! Even the prince himself could not defeat the savage after witnessing the spectacle! Gillius came and saved both his daughter and the prince from perishing against the demon! He punished him accordingly! Those that follow his example will be rewarded handsomely! In honor of his deeds, the empire has promoted Knight Commander Gillius to General and has called for a night of celebration! Sing praises unto him as he brings prestige and respect to your town of Helgathor!

    At the mention of a celebration, the port rumbled and Gillius slipped through the crowd. He was not in the mood, for he left his son in the pits of hell. The crowd was confused, but the mention of a celebration quelled their thoughts.

    Everyone selling closed shop, even those in the middle of a deal in the trade of slaves, especially demons. War was not imminent, but skirmishes plagued the border of the human empires.

    Large amounts of meat were sent from the capital. The meat of low-level magical beasts were also throw into the mix. The adventurers who decided to stop by the town only to resupply themselves for their next journey stayed in their inns, waiting for the festivities to begin in the night and fill their stomachs with meat of demons, rumored to increase mana capacity.

    Children scurried around people and bought smiles to their faces. Only Gillius felt differently.

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    He was one of the most respected figures among the people and royalty. Despite being of common birth, he rose through the ranks, but did not leave his town behind. In fact, he chose to raise his children their and married his childhood friend, despite offers from low-class nobility. This along with his great character, made him someone loved by everybody.

    When he returned home from the long journey, most of his family had forgotten the boy that stayed with them. A sad, but true fact. Only his eldest daughter, the same age as Ares, remembered him. She did not think he was possible of doing such things, but quickly dismissed him from her thoughts.

    ¡®You can¡¯t judge a book by its cover¡¯ Sirana thought, practicing her swordsmanship outside the manor given to them for her father¡¯s service. She was unconscious during the whole incident, but did not doubt the Empire nor her father¡¯s words.

    Her father stared blankly at his new fireplace and sat in his overly decorative chair. The wind gently blew from behind him as he did not close the balcony doors. He carefully recalled the memories of that night, gripping the arms of chair. It crushed under his force.

    The King and his son were making rounds across the empire, as they do every five years. Amused by the livened atmosphere and growth of Helgathor since his last visit, he decided to stay the night at a noble¡¯s manor close to town. He had invited Gillius and his daughter who was with him at the time to stay the night.

    As he went up to check up on Sirana, he saw the young prince atop his daughter¡¯s sleeping body, with a bulge protruding from his pants. Anger filled Gillius¡¯s eyes and out of nowhere, Ares had seemingly attacked the boy, but saved him from Gillius¡¯s deadly strike. Thankfully, the prince did not seem to notice, preoccupied with the ragged boy as his daughter laid there motionless.

    The guards heard the ruckus and heard the story from Gillius to whom they relayed to the king. To protect the prince¡¯s reputation, this story was fabricated, and he was told to take Ares¡¯s life. That day, Ares¡¯s saved not only the prince¡¯s life, but his entire family¡¯s as well. If not for him, his entire family and possibly the whole town would have been executed for treason against the crown.

    And now, he was left all alone to fend by himself on the most dangerous island on this side of the continent. He was sentenced to execution, but Gillius pleaded with the king to send Ares to Diatie to make him suffer a more horrible death for laying his hands on the prince. This way, Gillius thought, Ares would at least have a chance, no matter how small it was.

    And worst of all, everyone around town, even his family badmouthed Ares as if he was a plague. To see the children who had grown so fond of him scorn the boy, made Gillius¡¯s heart drop to depths of his soul. His wife was no exception. Only Gillius knew the truth. And that was something that would haunt him for the rest of his life.

 Slave

    There wasn¡¯t any inherent discrimination against demons by the people, though the church insisted they were inferior.

    Gillius was walking with his family in the town. People shouted towards him, congratulating him on his promotion, but also trying to get him to spend the hefty bonus he received from the king. Though Gillius could not deny the money when it was offered to him since it was from the king, he kept it stored away in his black ring meant for storage. He promised he would not spend this ¡®hush money¡¯ as no amount of money could be worth the life of a boy of that caliber.

    He separated from his family towards the butcher¡¯s shop near the east end of the town. He never took the children there, as it was close to impossible to avoid the slave trade on his way to the butcher.

    Greedy men and cloaked figures scurried through the shadows. It was not a safe area in town and only men occupied it, aside from the sex slaves sold here and there.

    Many men, similar to Gillius walked through the slave trade to get to the butcher¡¯s shop, Frowning Pigs, to get meat from Vallen, who sold the best meat in town. Walking through the district, he attempted not to meet the eyes of the young woman up for trade. It was a part of Helgathor that made it so economically sound as weaons production alone could not stabilize it. Because of this, Gillius could not disband this trade in his town, even if he wanted to.

    Gillius tried to keep his composure as he walked through the wide streets filled with scum, until his eyes laid upon a young demon girl with the fairest skin, silver hair that was so long that it dragged behind her as she stepped onto the stage. What attracted Gillius was not only the girl¡¯s race, but also the man selling her, Narvar, only known to sell sex slaves. With his reputation, his audience was solely comprised of despicable men.

    Their mouth watered at the sight of the demon girl. Not only was she rare, she was insanely beautiful for her age. Gillius could not hold rage in any longer.

    ¡°Narvar! How dare you sell a girl this young to these ravenous men?¡±

    Gillius was seething through his teeth. Not only was the girl young, she was resigned to a fate decided by those around her. Like Ares.

    ¡°Young girl? She is but a beast! An enemy of humanity! You dare sympathize with her?¡±

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    Narvar was aligned with the church and did not consider demons equivalent to men. Although he sold women into slavery, he would never do so to a human girl, which made Gillius even more furious.

    ¡°How much!?¡±

    The crowd muttered under their breath.

    ¡°What? It seems the honorable Gillius has questionable character himself.¡±

    What the crowd muttered weren¡¯t questions of his character, but of his intelligence. They knew he was trying to buy her to take care of her. As far as they knew, the boy he had taken in before almost raped his eldest daughter in the night and attacked the prince.

    Gilllius knew he was trying to get under his skin, but swiftly placed the bag of gold given to him by his majesty upon the stage. It was so heavy it crashed and nearly collapsed the stage itself. At this point, everyone did not look at the girl who attracted so much attention, but the vast amount of gold coins before them.

    ¡°I¡¯ll  buy her.¡±

    Gillius met the eyes of the demon. Though her face was unchanging, she cried at Gillius¡¯s kindness. She knew he was a man of honor that would treat her well, which was mile away from what the men before her wanted to do with her body. What the girl didn¡¯t know was that this second chance at life was given to her indirectly by Ares. Gillius needed a reason to get rid of this dirty money anyway.

    To Gillius, subconsciously, it was not about the girl. It was about giving himself a second chance after failing Ares as a father.

    He quickly set her down from the auctioning stage and kneeled to her eye level.

    ¡°What¡¯s your name, kid?¡±

    ¡°Chrysella.¡± She said flatly.

    ¡°I¡¯m Gillius. I¡¯ll take care of you from now on.¡±

    He grasped her hand and walked in the direction of the vegetable district, where his wife and daughters should be. The little girl had difficulty keeping up with Gillius¡¯s pace. He did not notice as he was occupied with other thoughts. He stopped abruptly and looked at the young girl with a face of worry.

    ¡°How am I going to tell my wife?¡±

    The girl only smiled in response and Gillius¡¯s heavy sigh could be heard by those around him.

 Ryell

    I lay under one of the thick trees surrounding me. It had been a few days since Gillius left me here.

    ¡°Ares¡­¡± I muttered to myself. I had no education, but it was definitely a name filled with power. I could feel it everytime it left my lips. I remember when Gillius¡­ no, father told me he was undeserving of me as a son. Ironically, he gave me a name I did not deserve in return. I plan to repay him someday, if I survive.

    ¡°When I survive,¡± I said correcting myself.

    Who knows how much time has passed since I began walking. The forest was dense with foliage and the sun could not penetrate to the earth. It was perpetually night-time in a sense. Upon entering the forest, I could hear low grumbles and steps that shook the air and ground beneath me. I froze in fear. Berries, at least that¡¯s what I think they were, fell from the tree above me, hitting my head with fierce velocity, and knocked me out of my trance. Had an animal been near at the time waiting to strike, I would have already been dead.

    I steeled my resolve and ventured deeper into the forest. I encountered my first magical beast while feeling around the trees, my eyes having difficulty adjusting to the darkness. There it was, lanky and bipedal. It had the face of a horse and long arms that dragged across the ground with sharp thin claws. I couldn¡¯t tell for sure, but it had no eyes. It stopped in its tracks and I slipped behind a tree, my heart pounding excessively. I breathed hard and loudly. I tried to stop myself, but the fear welling up inside me only worsened by condition. I thought this would be how I died, but the monster kept moving despite the loud noises I made.

    I was in the clear. But why? I wracked my thoughts, but couldn¡¯t come up with a good answer. As I encountered more and more beasts, and even a dragon, they seemed to not notice me. Eventually, I stopped sneaking around and walked straight. I didn¡¯t know where I was going. I couldn¡¯t even tell what of day it was. I was too scared to even sleep and I ran out of the berries I had gathered earlier. They gave me a bit of stomach pain, but I persevered, starving afterwards.

    After a walking for god knows how long, I heard a voice calling me.

    ¡°Ares, that is a nice name¡­¡±

    I turned to my right, but there was nothing there. I continued only to be disturbed again and again. I was frightened considerably. I tried to speak to the voice this time.

    ¡°W-Who are you? C-Come out!¡± I  stuttered. My failed attempt to be brave and intimidating was followed by a light chuckle barely audible, but definitely feminine. She ignored my question.

    ¡°Do you not have mana? Strange¡­ Why do these monsters not sense you, boy.¡±

    I ignored her words and thought of them antagonistic. The pressure I received from the other beasts could not compare to this disembodied voice. And this area itself felt¡­ felt like¡­ pure blackness.

    I turned my head frantically as my breath quickened and ran in the direction opposite to the voice. Branches cut me all over and the scent of blood mixed with the scent of dew.

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    A black shadow flashed by my right. I turned around only to see what seemed to be a black wolf. But black crystal-like structures were adorned all over his body. His size was also about four times bigger. Meeting eye to eye with the beast, my mind went blank. I saw something in its jaws. As I stood stiffly, a puddle of blood formed beneath me.

    The wolf chewed and the cracking of bones could be heard.

    I couldn¡¯t feel my right arm. It was gone.

    Tears flowed down as my face violently contorted. I screamed. So loud. It pierced the air. The wolf did not seem able to hear me, enjoying his meal.

    ¡°But I am glad for it.¡± The feminine voice returned.

    The wolf exploded into pieces as his guts splattered over the dark bark of the trees. Blood also splashed at my face. But I suddenly silenced my scream of horror into short breaths as a woman barely dressed appeared behind the corpse of the wolf. She was blind herself with a piece of cloth that binded her breasts. Her hair was black and did not reflect the little light that seeped through the forest. It seemed to flow by its own laws of nature as the wind had no affect on it. Dark streaks went from her eyes to her chin. Her lower dress seemed to be woven of shadows and followed the same laws as her hair.

    ¡°You are the first to reach the burial ground of Ryell and I am its protector. Do you wish to be rewarded?¡±

    The woman looked at me intently. She seemed to have been following since I was with Gillius. I wasn¡¯t sure but I think she could read my mind too. She seemed to¡­.want to reward me.

    I was on the brink of losing consciousness. I could only give a small nod barely noticeable as I fell to the ground. As the puddle of blood wet my hair and clothes, I was slowly losing consciousness, barely able to have a conversation.

    ¡°What do you want?¡±

    ¡°¡­.to return¡­ ¡°

    The woman frowned and looked at me with disdain.

    ¡°To the man and family that discarded you when you protected them? I decline.¡±

    ¡°¡­.then¡­ power¡­. will return¡­.by myself¡­promised¡­.¡±

    ¡°¡­ You are kind to a fault. But I do not dislike a man such as yourself.¡±

    My eyes slowly began to close, but I withstood it through sheer willpower.

    ¡°I will grant both of your wishes. Your second wish immediately. But your first in ten years, should you survive. ¡±

    ¡°¡­ thank¡­ you¡­¡±

    Not forgetting my manners in such a situation, she returned my grateful smile like a mother would. She smiled proudly, ruffled my hair, and receded into the blackness like she was never there.

    I felt a change in my body, but darkness enveloped my vision as I lay still. The falling leaves and gentle winds caressed my body as I let my consciousness leave me amidst the puddle of blood beneath me.

 5 Years Later

    5 YEARS LATER

    Chrysella and Sirana were training in the schoolyard. They were up and coming swordsman who wished to serve the empire with all their heart.

    Sirana was skeptical of Chysella after the matter with the ¡®other¡¯ one that father had took in when they first met. However, after clashing in battle and rivaling her in swordsmanship, she could only see her as a rival, considering she had beaten all the other boys in her age group, and a sister considering their five years together.

    Chyrsella¡¯s swordsmanship was crisp and acrobatic, like an assassin. Sirana fought directly, like her father. As they clashed, the usual crowd began encircling them in awe. Some watched for their swordplay, while others only came to gaze upon their beauty.

    Chyrsella¡¯s cyan eyes clashed nicely with her silver hair. She tied it into one long pony tail near the base of her neck. Her hair never got too long as it was always cut down by Sirana¡¯s quick movements.

    Sirana had red hair like her mother, but blue eyes as well. If not for Chyrsella¡¯s silver hair, outsiders would not question that that they were blood related, if they ever proclaimed so. Her hair flat, but curly near the ends, a majority of her face was covered by her hair, but her eyes pierced through them.

    They were practicing with real swords. The crowd would occasionally lose their breathe time after time as close encounters with instant death were seen on both sides of the battle.

    Drenched in sweat, they both sheathed their swords at their waists. Having a good fight, they smiled at each other. At first Chyrsella didn¡¯t talk much, but as she received the warmth of Gillius¡¯s family, she let them into her heart.

    She engaged Sirana in conversation first as the crowd of students and teachers clapped for their outstanding performance.

    ¡°At first you fought like a brute, but now you move a lot better after copying me.¡± Chyrsella said arrogantly.

    ¡°I-I didn¡¯t copy you! Hmph.¡± As mature and amazing as they were, they were still children.

    ¡°You¡¯re just jealous because I¡¯m better than you now¡± Sirana retorted.

    A vein popped out of Chyrsella¡¯s head as they began round 7. Not only were they skilled, they also possessed quite a lot of stamina for their age.

    Two figures looked at them from the balcony of the headmaster¡¯s room. Gillius had come to see how they were faring in the prestigious Yewac Academy. Though, he was mostly scared for Chyrsella, as the church¡¯s influence was stronger here than in Hergathor, his hometown. Seeing their fellow students look at them in awe, it seemed Gillius was troubled for no reason. He let out a heavy sigh and smiled warmly.

    ¡°Smiling doesn¡¯t suit you, Gillius.¡± Headmaster Gavin said.

    Gillius scrunched his face in embarrassment.

    ¡°See? I told you. They¡¯re fine. Now go back to your kids. I¡¯m sure your wife is having a hard time controlling those devils.¡±

    ¡°Hahaha. Indeed Gavin. I shall go back. Please watch over my children.¡± Gillius bowed his head towards his old friend.

    ¡°To think the proud Gillius would bow to me. I guess a wife and children truly neuters a man.¡± Gavin expected Gillius to retort, but he humbly kept bowing. ¡°Hah,¡± he sighed lightly, ¡°I get it. I get it. Now go to your wife before those kids give her a heart attack.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Gavin.¡± Gillius left as quick as he came.

    Gavin recalled the old memories of battle he had with Gillius. He grinned to himself, closed the balcony doors, and went back to his paperwork.

    *****

    After my meeting with the goddess, the beasts no longer ignored me. She left me at the center of the island, which she called the burial site of Ryell. I didn¡¯t know who he was, but he must have been powerful enough to subdue all these creatures if his burial site is so deep into the island.

    After waking from my consciousness, the woman was gone. I didn¡¯t know why any beasts did not attack me in my sleep, but as I explored the area around me, chunks of beasts were scattered around the vicinity like a circle, as if proclaiming territory.

    Beasts never attacked me as long as I stayed within this circle, and I could feel the woman watching me when I slept. I stayed within this circle for a few days. However, it could¡¯ve been a dream, but a dark figure looked at me in disappointment while I was in a deep sleep. It must have been the goddess, I decided myself.

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    The goddess told me that if I survive, she will let me return in ten years. Who knows how long this protective circle would last? The thought stayed in my mind the first time I slept peacefully within her territory. That look of disappointment¡­ was probably because I was afraid of leaving a mother¡¯s protection¡­ like a little boy.

    I decided to leave her territory, only to return after the ten years had passed.

    As I traversed the darkness, I saw a large reptilian creature eyeing a small, black wolf. The wolf was shaking violently. It knew it would not survive this encounter. But, neither would I if I intervened.

    As the reptilian creature lunged at the small wolf, I pushed it out of the way. I saw it nearing towards me¡­ I thought this was the end. After I was granted power and possibly a way back, I would die before using the ¡®power¡¯ that was granted to me. I let go. Of life. Of returning home. Suddenly, Gillius words as he departed into the sea rushed to the front of his mind like a waterfall.

    ¡°I will not die!¡± I screamed in defiance at the reptilian as my end came near. At that moment, horns protruded through my head, which was extremely painful. It felt like my skull was forcibly stretched towards my forehead, and burst through my skin. Starting from the fresh, white. rigid horns, a dark gray colored my whole body, top to bottom.

    The blow hit me square in the abdomen midair as I flew, breaking numerous amounts  of thick trees. But I was still alive. At least I thought I was, as I was still breathing and could feel my broken bones snapping back together, regenerating stronger than before. My arm had also completely regenerated. Even though I wasn''t completely healed, I got up and ran as I bones eventually straightened my running posture and grabbed the small wolf.

    I ran like my life depended on it. And it did. There wasn¡¯t even an increase in speed in this form. The reptilian didn¡¯t bother to run after us. If it did, I fear the dog and I would have been ended.

    I ended up in a cave with the pup in my hands. I smiled in relief and my form slowly disintegrated like ash falling off my skin. My arm also disintegrated to my dismay, but it was a joy nonetheless having it back for a while.

    Sighing, I looked at the small pup in my hands. It looked very familiar to the wolf the goddess had annihilated. But I decided to not think about it. I named it Krystal, mostly because it reminded me of that other wolf.

    After attempting to fight the beasts around me for five years, always ending in me narrowly escaping with my life and Krystal¡¯s, not to mention the excruciating pain, I finally found a truly humanoid beast. Or was it even a beast at all? I couldn¡¯t tell. But that didn¡¯t stop me from eyeing the sword in its hand. It was white as a dove and contrasted nicely to the perpetual darkness of Diatie.

    I wanted to avoid it, but after seeing it cut down a beast with one movement of his hand like butter, I knew I needed to have it no matter what. There was a blue stream around the hilt and thought that it was probably mana emanating from the blade.

    Then it dawned on me. Maybe the reason I wasn¡¯t able to defeat the beasts was because they could only be damaged through mana? I put my observation in the corner of my mind.

    He left the beast with the blade alone. At his level, he would die instantly and he knew that.

    Krystal was ready to fight and growled at it. I quickly patted her head trying to soothe her bloodlust. She was considerably bigger, but small nonetheless. No crystals had formed over her body like the ¡®other¡¯ one. She wasn¡¯t strong either, weaker than me really. But she was the only comrade I¡¯ve had the past five years. She was the closest thing to family I had, closer than Gillius even.

    She tried to brush away my hand violently, but was already on her back waiting for me scratch her stomach. She wagged her tail happily and we went back into the cave.

    On our way, I would still look back at the humanoid creature. He was like a human, but made completely of gaseous darkness. He looked directly at me, nodded, and continued on its way, leaving corpses of beast in its wake.

 General Astercoth

    ¡°Just what is he?¡± I thought to myself. He seemed to always be around the ¡®burial site¡¯ ever since the first time I saw him.

    I tried to communicate with him. But as he walked towards me, I would run away along with Kyrstal. He would then stop in his tracks and look for beasts to kill around the site. I could see a trace of disappointment in his gestures, much like my dream with the goddess, but this man did not seem to have a mind, much less a soul with his appearance.

    Because of him, my training was cut short, not that I ever defeated a beast in the five years I¡¯ve been here. But I was planning to do so eventually.

    It was peaceful because the figure practically cleared the area of beasts, but I didn¡¯t want to let the goddess down.  Sure, I wasn¡¯t under her protection. That doesn¡¯t change the fact that I was hiding out of cowardice.

    It had been about seven days since the mysterious figure occupied this area. It was time to move. I finally gathered enough courage to face it. If I didn¡¯t move now, my legs would give out of fear and paralyze me at the thought of being sliced in two. So I didn¡¯t think. I stopped all my thoughts and before I knew it, I stood toe to toe with the shadowy man, leaving Krystal to watch at a far tree to her dismay.

    Upon closer inspection, the man was wearing clothes. He had steel boots, covering his knees to the tip of his feet. He wore black pants made of some sort of synthetic material. At his waist was a big, brown belt, slightly tilting on his hip, covered in medals of honor. From his fingers to his elbows was another set of armor similar to his feet. He had a black dress shirt unbuttoned to his navel and a coat whose collar had the fur of some beast, whose unoccupied sleeves flowed to the wind.

    The gaseous shadow seemed to cloud his whole appearance, but he was definitely a human or race of some kind based on his wear.

    His pressure overwhelmed me as he stepped closer¡­ and closer.

    My legs gave out and I fell to my knees. I looked up towards his face, searching for his eyes, only to gaze deeper into the blackness.

    ¡°¡­ Why do you not have mana?¡±

    The voice was disembodied and cold. He was serious. If I lied, he would cut me where I am.

    ¡°I-I don¡¯t¡ª¡°

    Before I finished, he unsheathed the white blade and held it at the nape of my neck. My blood trickled down my chest. He was furious at me. At my weakness.

    ¡°You have been chosen to inherit my king¡¯s swordsmanship by the order of Myra, the love of his life and guardian of his grave.¡±

    ¡®T-The king¡¯s swordsmanship¡¯ I thought to myself. So the goddess was a queen. And this form I have¡­ then¡­.

    ¡°As weak as you are, she has already given you his constitution out of pity. As it is a request from the queen herself I cannot deny her demands and have been awoken from my slumber¡­ But you disappoint me, boy.¡±

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    ¡°Huh?¡±  I was only ten years old. Fighting these beasts on my own, was I weak by his standard?

    ¡°A worthless kid like you¡ª¡° The shadowy figure said, full of scorn.

    ¡°I am not worthless..! My father has rejected that name and so will I! I am Ares!¡± I said interrupting him. ¡®That is no longer my name. I am no longer worthless. I am the son of Knight Commander Gillius, Ares.¡¯ I told myself, reaffirming my identity.

    ¡°Hmm¡­ You are not spineless after all¡­ But that does not change the fact that you¡¯ve failed to kill a beast for five years according to the queen.¡±

    His voice seemed amused and felt like it was smiling (and laughing) at me, though I could not see his face. It was just a feeling. The same feeling father had when he found out Sirana had a talent for the sword. He looked at me as we stood there for a few minutes. He was examining me, but I could not say for sure. He finally looked towards my missing arm and let out a sigh. He retracted his blade from my nape and I tried to gain distance as fast as possible. We stood there, eyeing each other. After a while he twirled the white sword in his hand playfully. Finally willing to break the silence, he spoke. Despite his disapproval of Ares, he seemed excited to gain a student.

    ¡°I am General Astercoth and I shall decide your worth, not your father, Ares.¡± He said warmly.

    As much as it pained me to realize it, my father was not with me right now, only the man that could kill me at any moment.

    Astercoth formed a blade out of his darkness and threw the white sword at the ground near my feet. I thought of picking up the sword and running away, but I had a feeling he would murder me the moment I turned my back. Looking at the sword, it lost the blue stream it had in Astercoth¡¯s hands.

    ¡°Pick up his majesty¡¯s blade. Your training begins now.¡±

    I picked up the sword, but the stream did not return. In fact, the blade itself darkened. ¡®What¡¯s going on¡¯ I thought to myself, squinting at the sword.

    ¡°Prepare yourself.¡±

    Astercoth took a step and appeared in front of Ares, punching him in the face as a warning.

    ¡°Concentrate on your enemy!¡± Astercoth yelled.

    The king¡¯s constitution activated before impact and I flew across the island. My body smashed through so many trees, into a pack of wolves feasting on an injured beast.

    ¡°You have a lot to learn.¡± Astercoth was leaning against a tree to his right. He shook his left and right in disapproval. But he seemed happy?

    One of the wolves jumped at me as I looked towards him.

    And so the training began.

 Day of Promise

    Five more years had passed and Astercoth was falling back for the first time. A flurry of stabs and slashes overwhelmed him. They were about even for the past two years, but today something was different. His speed and strength her monstrous. Astercoth was reminded of the days he sparred with King Ryell, but he would never tell Ares that.

    Today would be the day he would meet his father after ten years. Astercoth would have died long ago into their bout. But since he was just gaseous darkness, only his clothes were in ruins.

    ¡°Go, Ares! Go!¡± From the sidelines, Archmage Vivian was cheering him on fervently. She also had a gaseous body like Astercoth surrounding her clothing. She was about his height and wore a revealing black dress that accentuated her breasts and thighs, though barely visible from the darkness if she had any.

    She was excited to teach Ares magic shortly after his encounter with Astercoth. However, she was disappointed, depressed even, for Ares had no mana. Like this, the king¡¯s magic would be lost forever and her being bound to the king¡¯s staff would have been meaningless. He promised her he would find a capable mage to carry on her teachings if she wrote down all the spells in a book, but she didn¡¯t like writing. Instead she convinced him and Astercoth that most of the spells were too dangerous anyway, and would be better off dying with time.

    ¡°Spells like necromancy would be better off dead,¡± she told Ares in a bitter smile during their first meeting. She wrote a small handbook of the strongest defense spells and even anti-rapture level spells, just in case he became a capable mage in the future through some miracle. Healing magic was included, though not requiring extensive knowledge of the body.

    As a replacement, Vi taught Ares healing magic that didn¡¯t require mana. She called it medicine. He practiced ¡®surgeries¡¯ on puppets she made out of flesh, even children and baby sized. He was better at performing surgeries and making ¡®vaccines¡¯ than magic, but she was proud of him more so even. He had proven to her the sharpness of his mind, though he lacked common sense here and there.

    Ares seemed more interested in Vi¡¯s lectures than Astercoth¡¯s swordplay, which made him jealous time to time. That was also when she thought he was the cutest.

    Even when they were alive, Astercoth never bothered to eat with her, let alone ask her out to gaze at the nightsky. Nonetheless, she knew he loved her. She just hoped when they died his brusque behavior would have died with him.  She let out a deep sigh and stopped cheering. She calmly sat on the floor and placed her hands on her cheeks, pitying her situation and hating Astercoth for it.

    Feeling her glare from the side, Astercoth hesitated and Ares pointed the sword at the nape of his neck.

    ¡°Concentrate on your enemy. Isn¡¯t that what you said?¡± Ares smiled bashfully.

    ¡°Don¡¯t get cocky, greenhorn.¡± Astercoth retorted.

    ¡°He¡¯s mad because he lost, Ares.¡± Vi seemed angry at something , but I didn¡¯t until I met Myra.

    ¡°¡­ Whatever. You pass. With this I can finally get some goddamn sleep.¡±

    ¡°Not with me around you won¡¯t.¡± She said seductively, but Astercoth was unfazed.

    ¡°¡­ You¡¯re welcome anytime¡­ only you...¡± Astercoth faded into the darkness as if wanting to avoid looking at her face.

    I usually couldn¡¯t tell what they were feeling as they didn¡¯t have faces. But after Astercoth disappeared, Vi was definitely blushing with a pang of sadness. She faded into the darkness without even saying goodbye and her staff slowly burned to a crisp.

    I noticed the last of shade of whiteness on the blade go black. His tattered clothes was replaced with general¡¯s own wear, excluding his medals of honor. I buttoned the dress shirt all the way to my collar bones.

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    His pitch black hair had grown long and wild, reaching a bit above his shoulder blades. His blue eyes glowed through the darkness.

    I was happy to meet my father again, but seeing them disappear like I was an afterthought hurt my feelings a lot. But  I''m sure spirits have their own business to deal with and I have mine.

    It was just me and Krystal again, just like the beginning, but I knew she would separate soon from me as well. She had become as big as she could be, and only now did crystals begin protruding from her body. It was a sight to behold as she did not show any animosity towards me. The darkness was still perpetual, but the way her crystals glistened with the tiniest bit of light made her more beautiful.

    I wouldn¡¯t be able to take her with me. I knew a beast of Krystal¡¯s size would attract too much attention as well as her crystals. She was hostile to everyone but me, even the spirits, but she was too scared to attack them.

    I walked towards the burial site of Ryell, and there she was waiting. She was anticipating me and greeted with a warm smile. She was the closest thing I ever had to a mother. And now I was leaving her.

    ¡°Have they passed on? Astercoth and Vivian?¡±

    ¡°Passed on? But they said they would meet after they disappeared.¡±

    She smiled at me sweetly.

    ¡°I see... I also hope to meet my beloved on the ¡®other¡¯ side, whatever may lie there.¡±

    My knees buckled under the weight of my emotion as I began to cry. ¡®What? They¡¯re dead? Just like that?¡¯ My mind refused to believe it. ''I considered them my friends for the past five years and now they¡¯re gone?¡¯ He had seen them disappear before, but they always came back.

    ¡°I-It¡¯s all my fault. If only¡ª¡°

    ¡°It¡¯s not your fault, Ares. They have simply completed their duties to the king. I¡¯m sure they got something out of this extended life.¡±

    Recalling the exchange they had before he saw them disappear. He realized that maybe his existence allowed their love the flourish. But it also could have ended it prematurely. These thoughts only brought anger upon himself, which quickly replaced his tears.

    ¡°You remind me so much of ¡®him¡¯ its almost irritating. ¡®He¡¯ would also shed tears over those he lost, even the lives he was not responsible for. I remember when we were kids and this dog¡ª¡° She quickly stopped herself as a smile began to form recalling that distant memory, because only pain, sadness, and loss would follow.

    She turned towards Ares looking at him straight in the eyes. He did not turn away. He could not turn away as this would be her last words to him. The woman that gave him the strength to survive, as well as companionship  and knowledge.

    ¡°But, that is also the reason I gave his power to you. You are not weak. You are not worthless. You are stronger and kinder than any other with a heart of pure gold and a mind sharp as steel, sometimes.¡±

    She chuckled under her breath, which lifted my thoughts out of the depths of mind.

    ¡°After I send you home, I will perish as well using the last of my life force.¡±

    Ares felt like crying once more, but his face only contorted with pain. If she didn¡¯t choose to send him back, he would be stuck on this island until the end of his life probably. He could only speak his gratitude for sacrificing her life to fulfill his wish when he had so much more to thank her for.

    ¡°¡­Thank¡­ you¡­¡± I said reluctantly, knowing this would be it. This would be the end.

    ¡°It is but my duty. I was ready to pass on with ¡®him¡¯ and our friends a long time ago. You only quickened our salvation and dreams. I should thank you instead.¡±

    With a warm smile, a light enveloped Ares as he saw the last of Krystal, Diaties, and Myra.

 Ryner

    I caught my breath as I popped my head up above the ocean, staring at the orange sky. I could taste the salt in the air and smell the heated ore in the distance. I knew this was it. I was back in Helgathor.

    I swam towards the port in the distance, which was really difficult with one arm. I was getting there, slowly but surely.

    The ports should be inactive at these times, as sailing during the night would put you in danger of magical beasts, lying in wait deep within the ocean. Because of their density near Helgathor, it was close to suicide, so maritime trade never expanded.

    As I neared the walkway, I slammed my hand on it and pulled my body onto it and rolled over. My short breaths came out like puffs of clouds.

    The clothes Astercoth gave me weren¡¯t wet, which was extremely convenient because of the slightly cold air. The spellbook was safely strapped to the back of my waist on my belt, and my sword was at my side, sheathed with its black hilt almost indistinguishable from my trousers. Strands of my long hair stuck to my face as I laid there quietly, taking in all that was around me.

    It was nighttime and the starry sky never seemed so beautiful. It was the first time I saw it since Gillius left me on Diatie.

    Little, bright dots of light scattered across the black canvas with a tinge of dark blue all around. It illuminated my whole surrounding.

    Being in pure darkness for ten years, my eyes watered uncontrollably trying to adjust and I could only squint, unable to take in the whole of the beauty before me. ¡®If there is a God, he was definitely an artist.¡¯ I thought to myself. I stretched my hands towards the sky trying to grab the moon, like a child. But I couldn¡¯t help it, I was too happy.

    The salty winds did not stop, but they would eventually once I headed into the trade districts. But I didn¡¯t want to leave yet. I wanted to enjoy it. Savor it. As long as I could. With its gentle caress, the breeze lulled me to sleep.

    I thought about Astercoth, Vi, Krystal, and Myra. I don¡¯t know what they thought of me, but I wouldl never forget them.

    Recalling the warm smile Myra gave to me as I disappeared into the light, a tear rolled down my face and my eyes slowly closed.

    ******

    ¡°Is he a noble? Look at his clothes.¡±

    ¡°I think he¡¯s dead.¡±

    ¡°Shister, hesh soh pwetty!¡±

    I groggily woke myself, but didn¡¯t move.

    There was a small child, poking my cheek rather strongly and repetitively. I pretended to be asleep, but as more time passed, I sensed more people starting to gather and my cheek started to hurt.

    The sun was hurting my eyes so much, I kept them closed and eventually brought myself to my feet.

    ¡°C-Could you please stop?¡± I said politely to the young child. She was about eight years old and latched onto my leg with a wide smile, showing all her teeth, as soon as I stood. The woman in the background, quickly tried to grab the girl from my shin, but she wouldn¡¯t budge. She was starting to lose her patience and her brown eyebrows furrowed annoyingly.

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    ¡°Rachel, stop causing other people¡ª¡°

    ¡°B-But¡­¡± Her eyes started to water up genuinely. ¡®I have definitely never seen this girl before in my life¡¯ I thought with a puzzled expression. As I tried to pick her off my shin, she bit my finger.

    ¡°¡­¡± I wasn¡¯t particularly upset, but I was surprised to say the least. I couldn¡¯t stop my eyesbrows from furrowing like the woman in front of me though.

    ¡°S-Sorry.¡± The woman stammered and glared at Rachel. The girl glared back with rosy puffed cheeks

    ¡°Now, now. No need to be upset young man.¡± A slim and tall man spoke out. He had blonde hair and brown eyes. He was dressed with a loosened cotton shirt and brown pants. I recognized him then and there. It was Ryner. He would often get my father to invest in his business. I guess he finally gave in. If I remember correctly, his business was close to Gillius¡¯s home. Not being here in ten years, I couldn¡¯t possibly remember much about this place, but he was good place to start.

    Would you like to come with me to my inn? The young lady works there as well. If you could bring the troublesome girl with you as well, we would greatly appreciate it. Not for free though. Hahaha!¡± His bravado didn¡¯t match his lanky body as he crossed his arms and fixed his glasses. He hadn¡¯t changed at all.

    ¡°Please. Guide me.¡± I said respectfully with a slight bow.

    As we walked past the port, the small crowd fell apart and went back to their respective businesses.

    Ryner showed me to a nearby wagon, packed to the brim with fish. This man was definitely somewhat wealthy. I guess his business was successful afterall. He wouldn¡¯t remember a runt like me, but he often gave me copper coins when I was still homeless, even though he wasn¡¯t better off himself at the time.

    Fish was so expensive in Helgathor because of dangers beyond the shore. To buy so many in bulk is not pocket change. I could only be glad at his success in life.

    Ryner made me sit among the back of the wagon as there was only space for one more where he reigned the horses. He had a devilish grin and even Rachel who was stuck to my shin quickly scuttled over to Effari¡¯s hands in the front.

    Ryner was definitely expecting me to smell like fish, to get me to buy his services once more. I had no money anyway and I doubt my wear would smell when it didn¡¯t even smell of salt after being dragged through the ocean.

    His inn Bumbling Bee was pretty far from the port and so we departed.

    I silently laid down in the back of the wagon. The roads were much better than the last time I remembered them. It rocked me gently¡­ and I slept once more.

 Dream

    The cottage could barely fit three people, it was basically a glorified room. But a mother and her son lay side by side on one bed. A single thin, translucent cloth with a firefly trapped within it was their only light source and they were right under it.

    The crickets outside were chirping loudly and the sound of light rain completed the serene atmosphere. The blue light emanated from the firefly and hit the cloth in a mysterious way. The room looked as if a blue sun shined through a calm sea. The ambience was perfect for reading. Sometimes, they would capture ones that emitted an orange glow, but the boy preferred these the most.

    The mother was reading the latest issue of ¡°New Discoveries in Science.¡± She had just finished the book for the third time and looked towards her anticipating son to read it once more before sighing at their living conditions. He could read it himself, but he loved making his mother read because she hated it.

    The ¡®cottage¡¯ was completely empty. But books were stacked on top of each other near the corners of the room. In the past week, her son had already read all the books on hand since the coup. There was nothing left to do as they weren¡¯t allowed to leave this place, as her husband commanded. He had gone away with General Cedric and his son to hunt for food and were taking a lot longer than usual.

    ¡°Mother, can you read me another book?¡± The boy said wriggling in his sheets expectantly.

    She let out a heavy sigh then a warm smile. She wanted to breed a soldier, not a scholar. To train her son everyday and share beads of sweat under sunlight was her dream.

    ¡°But I guess this is okay too.¡± She muttered under her breath, ruffling and twirling his hair. He was so talented for his age in both swordplay and magic, but she and her husband had to force him to do it, let alone pick up a sword rather than a book.

    Reading books was the only thing he did willingly among a few other things. To him, they allowed him to live countless lives and bond with people he had never met. He would sooner pick up a pen than a blade, which was why his mother let him do as he please. He was strong enough to protect himself and that was all that mattered.

    The firefly suddenly died and the room was covered in complete darkness.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    She had enough.

    ¡°¡­Why don¡¯t you follow Astercoth¡¯s example and go with your father?¡° The mother was itching to leave. Turning a retired adventurer into a cooped up housewife wasn¡¯t the brightest idea her husband had. She didn¡¯t want to stay in this room and do nothing. She would even chop firewood at this point to leave.

    ¡°That¡¯s boring.¡± The boy said flatly with no inflection in his voice. He crossed his arms and looked directly into her eyes after standing on the bed. ¡°I¡¯d rather read an encyclopedia and god knows how boring those are.¡±

    She giggled at his feigned maturity and decided to tease him.

    ¡°You seemed to have fun you used to clash swords with Astercoth in the castle''s gardens.¡± The mother put her hands over her mouth as she waited for his son¡¯s response.

    ¡°¡­ Astercoth¡¯s different.¡± He said blushing. He closed his eyes as to not see his mother¡¯s mischievous expression. She ruffled his hair, but couldn¡¯t control her strength and pressed his head down.

    ¡°Awww. My little Ryell is so cute!¡± By this time, the woman got up with her legs crossed and used both her hands, attempting to make his hair as disorderly as possible.

    ¡°H-He¡¯s not my friend. He¡¯s my rival!¡± He said slapping her hand away.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    It was too late. His small body flew towards the small door that seemed to just open in the nick of time and then there was blackness.

    ****

    If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.I woke up gasping for air drenched in my own sweat. My body jolted forward and I headbutt the little girl atop me.

    ¡°Kyaaaa¡± Effari shrieked. It was very high pitched and hurt my ears a little. We started to grab people¡¯s attention, but I didn¡¯t care at this point. I realized I would continue to do so as long as I stayed with these people.

    Rachel and I rubbed our foreheads to soften the pain. Both our heads turned a shade darker than our fair skin. What surprised me was Rachel¡¯s wide forehead. Her bangs lifted as she circled the area with her fingers gently.

    ¡°Uuungh.¡± Rachel squirmed as mouth trembled. Small tears formed under her eyes but never fell. She was holding it in quite well for a girl her age. I wanted to laugh, but Effari was staring daggers at me.

    ¡°Pain, pain, go ¡®way. Pain, pain, go ¡®way¡± She muttered continuously like a mantra. She was fidgeting in place and began to worry for her sanity.

    ¡°W-What was that all about?¡± Effari asked. She was about to wake me up when I suddenly rose. Rachel tried to surprise me, only to get a headbutt In return. ¡°You were sleeping peacefully just a while ago¡­¡±

    ¡°Nothing. Just a dream I guess.¡± I regained my composure and hopped off the wagon.

    ¡°G-G-Guhd d-dreem?¡± Rachel asked interested. The pain must¡¯ve come a lot later as she was now rolling back and forth in front of me.

    She probably wasn¡¯t listening but I answered as Effari seemed curious and worried.

    ¡°¡­I can¡¯t remember much. But I think I died at the end.¡± I tried to recall what happened, but my head felt like it was about to split open. It was very similar feeling to when horn protruded from my head, so I didn¡¯t take the chance and let the remnants of the dream fade.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll kill you myself if you don¡¯t get off my wagon. Hurry up and unload my goods, they¡¯re not gonna¡¯ carry themselves.¡± Ryner said a tinge annoyed. He was waiting for a while it seemed. Between the headbutt and talk with a Effari, I guess it was reasonable, considering I just hijacked a ride for free.

    The atmosphere was getting odd anyway. That was the first time a woman looked at me that way. It wasn¡¯t motherly or fatherly¡­ it felt¡­ weird. I was glad Ryner butted in, even though it was uncalled for. After cracking my spine, I lazily began picking up the crates

    ¡®I knew he wanted something from me¡¯ I thought, the smell of fish rotting my nostrils. We used the back entrance into the Bumbling Bee as to not deter any customers and possibly lose business, according to Ryner. After dropping the loot in the storage room, we went into another backdoor, greeted by the cooks.

    They were hard-working and sweating profusely. The fire and smoke would flay into their eyes but they wouldn''t blink.

    The first figure I saw was the slightly overweight woman operating the bakery. She was tall like Ryner and had fiery red hair. Her tanned skin was dotted by the freckles in her skin.

    Ryner came in and slapped her on the ass after walking towards her confidently. She grabbed the pan in a hurry and hit him at the temple. He slammed against the dishes next to with a boom. ¡®This woman¡¯s strength was not ordinary¡¯ I thought.

    ¡°Oh honey! It was just you!¡± She prodded his lifeless head onto her breasts after running towards him like a little girl. His eyes were in daze and he seemed¡­ unconscious, I observed. The woman was also pregnant. ''Ryner has come a long way'' I thought. I gave a full smile, my pearly whites showing.

    ¡°I-It happened again¡­¡± Effari said. She was blushing as she grabbed my hand, but I couldn''t tell why. She pulled me by the wrist and lead me past the kitchen, waitress¡¯s area, and finally the bar.

    ¡°Welcome to Bumbling Bee Inn.¡±

 The Hawk

    The name suited the inn very well. It was buzzing with the brass laughter of men and a few women. They were wearing armor and carried an air of recklessness. Chinks in their armor could be seen near their ribs and arms. The quality of their blades was fine and one or two men had an insignia plastered on their chest as if property.

    Most of the women seemed to be mages, as they wore high-quality robes and dresses that exuded a blue stream of visible air. Rings, necklaces, and earrings adorned their whole body and sparkled with a glint time to time.

    ¡°Are these people mercenaries, Effari?¡± Ares interest was piqued by the somewhat lack of variety in her customers. They seemed battle-hardened and most of them gave off frivolous bloodthirst time to time. Astercoth almost killed him plenty of times when Vi teased. It wasn¡¯t friendly, but Ares welcomed the familiar killing intent with open arms, causing a brief sadness and momentary glee.

    ¡°They are adventurers¡± She smiled. She was glad that he seemed interested in Ryner¡¯s establishment. ¡®I hope he¡¯ll stay the night.¡¯ She thought innocently. She would be happy to be with him longer and learn more. Ares mysterious nature gave her a sense of thrill, she hadn¡¯t experienced in a long time because she was always stuck babysitting her little sister. She felt a lump grow in her chest and her heartbeat raise. Putting her hand over her left breast, she calmed herself and let out a deep breath. She stared deeply into his eyes, and if going into a trance, she lost track of her thoughts before she could continue.

    ¡°Effari?¡± Ares asked worriedly. He had never seen her space out before. She was usually glaring at him or giving him ¡®that¡¯ expression that made him feel uneasy. She snapped out of it and continued where she left off after hearing his voice.

    ¡°Oh yes, uh,¡± Her voice trailed for a bit before grasping her thoughts. ¡°They explore dungeons for treasure. As the costs of preparation are expensive, noble houses sponsor the most brave and skilled of these adventurers, as long as they receive at least twice of their investment in return.¡± She noticed him leaning his ear towards her, paying attention carefully and flinched. Her heartbeat was rising again as her lips trembled and cheeks reddened.

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    ¡°I see¡­¡±Ares saw the insignia on some of the adventurer¡¯s armor and made the connection. As he looked towards the crowd, a weight slammed on his shoulders from above. Little arms wrapped around his eyes and her small chin placed firmly on top his hair. ¡°¡­ Aren¡¯t you a bit too old to be doing this, Rachel?¡± Ares didn¡¯t mind but he looked like a joke. Standing firmly with his palm on his blade, a little monster was tying and pulling his hair. Accompanied by his stern expression, the bartender and a few waitresses cackled, along with the few tables in front of them.

    ¡°She¡¯s only five.¡± Effari said plainly. ¡°She has our father¡¯s height. She¡¯ll probably be as tall as you once she¡¯s of age.¡± A sigh let her lips and Rachel sneered looking down at her. Effari snapped and tried to pull her off.

    ¡°Nuu! I¡¯m sowy big shister!¡± She clawed into his hair like a cat.

    ¡°It¡¯s too late to apologize now!¡± She said grabbing her legs by her delicate feet.

    The bustling crowd began to focus on them. Some with stares of jealousy. Some with stares of distant memories. And some¡­ with stares of interest.

    Ares ignored the commotion around him and focused on the man with a hawk of his bracer. His sword was unsheathed and looked familiar¡­ it resembled the sword he clutched in his own hands. Ares eyed him intensely. The mysterious man didn¡¯t notice him, yet.

    Ares made sure his sword was completely sheathed as to not awake any sleeping lions he did not know of. His sword was definitely identical to his majesty¡¯s blade. Ares walked with Rachel on top his head towards the man, only to be stopped by one of two beauties standing to the side.

 Beast Hunter

    Sirana was running with all her might towards the headmaster¡¯s room. It had been 4 months since Chyrsella left. While she was going on adventures, getting ahead of her, Sirana was stuck in class. She stared intently at the floating clock. As soon as the bell rung, she darted out the classroom.

    Her father was coming today. And she needed answers.

    She knew whenever her father visited the academy, the first place he would go to would be the Headmaster¡¯s Office. She traced her hand across the ascending spiral handrail to gain some leverage against her own speed. Falling would only slow her down and possibly lose her chance to get answers. Her breaths were trained, deep and efficient.

    ¡®Why? Why!?¡¯ She questioned herself, wracking her brain for an answer. She knew it, but she denied it with all her being. Her canines showed wildly, stopping herself from shrieking in fury. ¡®Don¡¯t think I¡¯ll let you get away with this, father!¡¯ She stomped, cracking the enforced stone beneath her.

    Her body catapulted through the small window near the steps. The wind flew through her red hair as her blues eyes sparkled. The shards of glass reflected a myriad of colors as the sun hit them. The students in the courtyard, looking towards the shattering sound, only to see a beautiful girl seemingly gliding towards across the before breaking through another window on the opposite building, where the headmaster resides.

    Headmaster Gavin was a member of the board and an old party member of Gillius¡¯s. She knew he had something to do with it. Sirana was well versed in her studies and combat. In fact, she was one of the top five students in the academy and up to thirty students could be chosen. Sirana not being rejected to partcipate was illogical as Chyesella was able to go without any impediments.

    The students involved were placed under only the most famous, revered, and experienced adventurers, some more receiving than the others to their obligation to the empire.

    All the students that signed up only wanted one of two people; Archmage Hannibal or Blademaster Azazil, which explained why the other veteran adventurers were disgruntled by the system. They had to put up with a kid that didn¡¯t even want to be there, and were constantly overshadowed by those two S Rank adventurers.

    To qualify to be an S Rank adventurer, one needed to sign up as an eligible teacher. This lead many lone adventurers to stay within A Rank, despite their strength. As a result, the line between S Rank and A Rank adventurers was very thin. Azazil himself was one of these adventurers, but his rank was forcibly raised by the Gregor Empire.

    Sirana had always been a fan of Azazil. Saying she idolized him wouldn¡¯t be an understatement. He was the first human to explore all 100 levels of a dungeon and return alive. At the time, the record was set at 75 by Archmage Hannibal in the Tetril Dungeon.

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    At the time, magic was at forefront of defining strength. It wouldn¡¯t be far from the truth to say that Azazil¡¯s feat ushered an age of newfound respect for swordsmanship that died with the prospect of magic and its deciding factor in the ancient wars.

    Discovering a book outlining the secret to infusing mana into weapons at the bottom of the dungeon, he shared the information rather than keeping it to himself. It involved forging a mana conductive crystal called mith with blood from a magical beast. The stronger the beast, the stronger the outcome. The book displayed various locations across the world where these crystals could be found in abundance. Some locations turned out to be dungeons while others turned into mining towns as a result. Their overabundance made them cheap, but his discovery created a new occupation, Beast Hunters.

    It was Sirana¡¯s dream. To party with others, not for treasure, but the thrill of the hunt. They were a special breed of people, often selling blood just to finance their next kill. And Sirana was one of them. No one had killed a divine beast yet and she wanted to be the first.

    The apprenticeship program allowed students to gain real experience on the battlefield and advance their careers early. Even a bastard child could gain the respect of his family by doing so, as long as they were successful, and many of them were. Most noble children, though talented, were sheltered and could not bear the risk of death. Nobles were almost always excluded in the apprenticeship program. Sirana would often call them cowards and sneer at their weakness. When the participants were announced and she wasn¡¯t chosen, all those around her could only think one thing. ¡®Hypocrite.¡¯ Though she didn¡¯t want to believe it, her own father had shamed her, and she didn¡¯t believe it. She wanted to hear the truth from his own mouth.

    She couldn¡¯t forgive him. She wouldn¡¯t forgive him for taking this opportunity away from her.

    Her steel boots skid across the exit to the left wing. The students were shocked as her fiery hair left a trail in her precise movements, up to that point.

    The hall was packed, but she walked through everyone step by step, pushing them out of her way by force. She knocked a few students on their ass, but she didn¡¯t care. She had one goal and it was before her. The golden plaque nailed humbly to the door by an old string read one phrase. ¡°The Headmaster¡¯s Office.¡±

 The Passing of Time

    ¡°Oh my, what a pleasant surprise, Ms. Kiratoth.¡± He was too prepared for an unannounced meeting. He was waiting for her. Studying her¡­ she felt like.  For what purpose? She didn¡¯t know, but she wasn¡¯t there to play games.

    She had heard the headmaster had an eccentric and sly personality, but not to this extent. Sirana eyed him up, then down. He had short brown hair that followed its natural swirl. He wasn¡¯t wearing his traditional robe nor his glasses like he usually did during announcements and ceremonies. Just a white dress shirt that was unbuttoned at his wrists.His mannerisms even moreso. His weight was shifted to his palm as he sat on the left end of the balcony, windows open, giving his hair and shirt volume. He wasn¡¯t overly handsome. Just¡­ warm. His small smile and narrow gaze created a picturesque painting, inviting the onlooker to be a part of it. Sadly for him, Sirana was not charmed by such scenes, as much anybody else in this academy. Everybody had superior genes one way or another. Being surrounded by naturally beautiful people made her immune to such things.

    ¡°Do not placate me, Headmaster.¡± Sirana said sternly. She walked closer to his desk, wafting her head around the room. There was no doubt in her mind. He was here. ¡°Where is father? I know he is here.¡± As she asked, she looked for any abrupt movements in the shadows. It was very much possible that the Headmaster was casting some sort of stealth on him using magic. The more probable escape route would be the window, and if he did, he would be long gone. As she saw no movement, her eyebrows twinged in panic for a moment before returning to her stolid face.

    ¡°As you see yourself, he is not.¡± The Headmaster nodded towards the windows, letting her know her father was long gone before continuing on with their conversation. ¡°But what¡¯s the problem, Ms. Kiratoth? I will help you anyway I can. You may call me Gavin if you¡¯d like.¡± Gavin waved towards the chair in the room and it smoothly slid behind Sirana. ¡°Please, sit.¡±

    ¡°No thank you, Headmaster.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t be here for long. I¡¯m dropping out.¡±

    ¡°What!?¡± A hand slowly appeared from its transparent state. Hanging on the ledge of the balcony was her father, Gillius. Before his grip gave out, Gavin grabbed him by the elbow as they locked arms. As his chest propped over the balcony, Sirana left, lightly closing the door. She was serious. She was tired of being protected by her father. She would be missing 4 years of education, but Its nothing a little experience can¡¯t fix. At least, that¡¯s what she thought. The sound of her steps increasingly became drowned by the chatter of gossiping students.

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    ¡°¡­ You¡¯re not going to stop her, Gillius? That is very unlike you.¡± Gavin exclaimed. Gillius wasn¡¯t one to give up so easily. Something must¡¯ve been occupying his mind. Seeing Gillius pinch his eyes only confirmed his suspicion. As Gillius sat down, Gavin gently pushed the chair is his direction. He wanted him to relax and speak his mind.

    ¡°With the expedition into Diatie, I have too much on my plate.¡± He placed his head in his palms and his elbows atop his knees. Scratching his head furiously, he continued. ¡°If she is really intent on leaving, I¡¯ll convince her to meet up with her sister along the way.¡± He bent his back on the chair and let out a deep sigh, seemingly tired from his daughter¡¯s recklessness. This wasn¡¯t the first time he had to deal with something like this coming from her. This was just the first time she acted on her threats with purpose and conviction.

    ¡°Father¡¯s need rest too.¡± Gavin preached. He levitated a cup and a kettle from his shelf. Heating the tea inside, he poured it into the cup. It glided towards Gillius slowly. ¡°Drink it slowly, it¡¯s hot.¡± After Gillius tasted the tea, he almost burnt his tongue. Gavin snickered before continuing. ¡°What about her dropping out?¡± Gillius blew on his tea and took another sip before answering.

    ¡°Just put her on indefinite leave¡­¡±  He took yet another sip, placing the cup on an air quickly occupied by a stack of books Gavin piled in the nick of time and closed his eyes.

    Gillius¡¯s hair started to have grey streaks, especially his beard. He started to gain wrinkles on the outer edges of his eyes. His chiseled face was still there, but not as lively as before. To the gentle caress of the wind blowing from the balcony, Gillius fell asleep.

    The translucent curtains went in and out the balcony, pushing and pulling the wind like lovers. The wind blew his papers in a frenzy, but he quietly willed them together into a neat pile on his desk. Gavin put on his glasses before returning to his paperwork.

 Command

    ¡°Who are you to approach¡ª¡° The girl began to say, ready to unsheathe her weapon.

    She stood toe to toe with Ares. Their height was similar, but Ares beat her by a few inches, causing her to look up to him slightly. Her eyes narrowed as she looked up. She didn¡¯t ever want to look up to a man. Let alone someone she didn¡¯t know. The act made her feel weak, which agitated her further.

    ¡®She must be confident in her draw speed to close the distance to this extent.¡¯ Ares thought. His face was stolid and his ferocious eyebrows drew towards his ridge and his cheek elevated in annoyance. A single remark punctuated the girl¡¯s words short. ¡°Na?ve.¡±

    To not know your opponent and purposely put yourself in a disadvantageous position simply to put on airs was something that could cost you your life. A lesson Ares knew too well during his first encounter with Astercoth. He didn¡¯t want to disappoint Myra, and this girl¡¯s eyes told a similar story.

    ¡°What?¡± The girl spat. She pulled her sword out slightly as if trying to intimidate him and force a heartfelt sorry from his impudent mouth. It didn¡¯t work. If she was looking for an apology, she surely wasn¡¯t going to receive it from Ares. In fact, it only affirmed his preconceived notions of her.

    He snorted, moved to her side, and pushed her out the way with his hand without making eye contact.

    She suddenly lost track of him, her body tilting to the side.

    ¡®Huh?¡¯ The girl couldn¡¯t see what happened. It was as if his presence disappeared and reappeared to her left.  Before she could  turn around to stop him, he was already at her master¡¯s table. She gritted her teeth ready to strike out at him, only to see his afterimages cut her down in an instant.

    The bloodlust overwhelmed her like the edge of a storm and her knees buckled beneath her. Her hands slapped against the dirty floor as she fell, letting out deep, uncontrolled breaths as If she emerged from the clutches of a sea, attempting to drown her. Her eyes were wide open and her silky silver hair stuck to her face indefinitely from the sweat and shivers.  ¡°W-What was that!?¡± She shouted, unable to comprehend what took place. She looked towards her master only to see an amused grin form from his face and instantly disappear.

    The man moved his shoulder just a hitch and the hawk embroidered on his bracer shone a bright red. He had fairly short, blond hair with a large bang covering one of temples. His eyes were sunken, barely visible, casting a shadow on his sockets. Stubbles were plastered all over his chin, a testament to his usual lackadaisical attitude. He spoke to the boy approaching him, looking deeply into the last bit of wine that reflected his stoic expression.

    ¡°That¡¯s quite the skill.¡± The man said, swirling the wine in the cup. Though he kept his cool, he was thoroughly surprised by the young man¡¯s movements and killing intent out the corner of his eye. His feet nor body emitted any mana, yet he passed by his apprentice unnoticed and even drowned her with his killing intent, almost causing her to faint. She did well to resist though, he praised.

    He still wasn¡¯t attached to her. But her attempts to gain his recognition made him take a liking towards her. He didn¡¯t like her at first not because of her lack of skill. She wasn¡¯t weak. She just wasn¡¯t strong enough.

    He didn¡¯t know the young man, but he was glad he incapacitated his apprentice so easily. ¡®This¡¯ll teach her the most valuable lesson in this field.¡¯ He thought. ¡®A lesson I¡¯ll have to teach the ¡®other one¡¯ too.¡¯ He sighed. One was troublesome enough.

    He eyed the boy from the side, refusing to give him his full attention. More than anything, it was his pride. How could he let a brat impress him of all things? Though he didn¡¯t admit it, he was quite curious of the boy. He was too young to be an A Rank adventurer, let alone a Beast Hunter. But that wasn¡¯t his concern at the moment. He was wondering what he did to incite such a talented kid. He visited whorehouses frequently, but didn¡¯t have any children, as far as he knew anyway.

    After taking one last, hardy gulp of his wine, he swallowed all his pride along with it. His interest had finally overcome it.

    ¡°What¡¯s your name, kid?¡± The man couldn¡¯t help but smile at the boy¡¯s physique. He was well-toned and handsome. He had decent armor. Along with his bloodlust, it gave him a nice contrast between seemingly carnal, yet noble. His deep blue eyes gave off a mysterious calm. Even he seemed to dwell on them, until his eyes fell upon his missing arm. He grimaced and looked the boy in the eye. Seemingly unfazed, he gave the boy an acknowledging nod. Had it been any other ¡®invalid¡¯ he would have definitely dismissed him. An ¡®incomplete¡¯ person was not worth his time.

    Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    The young man seemed to be a mage, seeing the spellbook partly visible from the back. He dismissed his movement earlier as some sort of unique spell. He didn¡¯t believe it, but that would suffice for now. Out of the corner of his vision, he saw his apprentice ready to pounce. Her sword was fully unsheathed and assumed her stance. She spread her legs shoulder-width, lowering her center of gravity and took a deep breath, before narrowing her eyes. She was ready. Killing intent surged from the boy yet again. He had not even turned towards her, but it was affecting her greatly. She lost the stability and composure she attained earlier.

    ¡°Master Azazil, let me¡ª¡°  She began panting. She could barely breathe under all the pressure the boy was exuding. It seemed only to affect her, which made her more anxious. Her hands became sweaty, loosening her grip on the hilt and her mouth became dry. She felt like she was in the middle of the desert, but she stood steadfast.

    It could possibly be suicide to attack the boy. But she viewed him like an obstacle. Something she must overcome to reach her goal. But there was something else tugging at her heart. All that respect she had worked so hard to build from her master was seemingly gone in a few seconds. She was angry at the boy, but she couldn¡¯t help but reflect on herself. It was just as the boy said. She was na?ve, which made her feel all the more useless as he was about the same age as her. The man raised his hand, his palm facing towards her before he spoke.

    ¡°Quiet, Chyrsella.¡± The man said, hoping to silence his apprentice as passively as possible. He had to stop her from losing the remaining respect he had for her. More importantly, she was interrupting the boy who had yet to answer his question. He didn¡¯t want to miss a single word he was saying, as he opened his mouth, her voice beckoned him again.

    ¡°Master Azazil, I can¡ª¡° Chyrsella said desperately.

    ¡°Enough!¡± He said slamming the table. She shuddered at his words, closing her lips tight to not anger him any more.

    The whole floor went silent at the drop of his name.

    ¡°Oi oi, that can¡¯t really be him, right?¡± A man whispered bending towards his comrade¡¯s ear.

    ¡°Look at him, he fits the description, don''t you see? And that blade¡­ ¡± He replied.

    ¡°Hooh, I didn¡¯t know he was such a handsome fellow.¡± A woman purred.

    Seeing the ensuing ruckus about to unfold. Azazil quickened Ares¡¯s answer with another question.

    ¡°Now, boy. Tell me what you want. Surely you did not come just for my autograph¡± He said teasingly.

    ¡°Your blade, give it to me.¡± Ares commanded.

    The crowd gaped at his apt statement. There was no hesitation in his words. Only a command, as if he was a subject in his personal kingdom. Effari was the one most astounded. Ares didn¡¯t seem like that type of guy, but that side of him¡­ aroused her. The other waitresses around her began giving her a questioning glance, but she ignored them. Ares was the only one in her eyes.

    But indeed, he wasn¡¯t the type of be demanding. It was unusual for Ares to be so blatantly aggressive. But the blade at his side held sentimental value to him. It was one of two things he received from Astercoth before his ¡®passing.¡¯ To see an exact replica of it as soon as left Diatie, displayed like some trophy, disgusted him¡­ is what he told himself. What he truly felt¡­ was a sense of entitlement. A blade of that caliber should belong to him¡­ and only him.

    Rachel, whom he had forgotten was on top his head, tried to help Ares with her best attempt at an intimidating glare, only to have the opposite effect.

    The crowed ridiculed him for his foolishness and Rachel, somewhat realizing she was the cause, buried her face into his hair, hiding her tears and embarrassment. But he was unfazed. His eyes said something different. He was serious. And Azazil knew.

 Almost

    Author note: I didn''t proofread the chapter so it might be horrible :( sorry

    <hr />

    As Ares finished his words, a shadow appeared above him.

    ¡°Tch. I didn¡¯t expect you to block that. You don¡¯t disapppoint!¡± Ares parried the blade by pushing it off course, applying force to the flatedge of the blade as it came down on him, only to break his eye contact with Azazil for a second to give her a shooting glare. ¡°Don¡¯t you know you should defeat his disciples before issuing a challenge?¡±She said giving him a conceited smirk along with one narrowed eye. But she was afraid. Seeing a boy her age perform a seemingly inhuman task frightened her, though she wouldn¡¯t admit it and fell back.

    Azazil face-palmed in embarassment. Not because her blade was parried easily, but because she ignored her instincts. ¡®Fear was something that could save your life. It would be best not to ignore it.¡¯ He thought angrily. He let out a sigh at yet another lesson he would have to teach these kids.

    ¡°Too slow.¡± Ares said soon after, observing the girl¡¯s forced expression.

    Azazil also shot her an annoyed glance and let out a sigh. He had not taken either of them as his disciples, yet they called him master. He didn¡¯t mind as much with Chyrsella, but this girl never followed his directions and forced him to ¡®do the right thing.¡¯ Because of her, he was forced into situations where he had to perform charity to appease her sense of justice. He was reminded of that archmage that stole his hard-earned book and released it under his name. He shuddered at the thought of her.

    Being reminded of that certain someone, his loss of a fortune, and this girl¡¯s antics, he needed some form of vengeance to quell his petty thoughts. Besides, this one was in dire need of so many practical basics.

    Rather than dealing with that himself later on, he decided to let the boy give this one a few lessons as well. He did such a good job with the other one and didn¡¯t kill her, so why not?

    Smiling to himself as if he thought of a genius idea, he did what was best. He went along with the situation. The less work he had to do, the better.

    ¡°You are right, my disciple.¡± Azazil said solemnly. Standing face to face with this girl, Ares saw her eyes gleam at the word ¡®disciple¡¯ and knew she would be troublesome. He turned his gaze back at Azazil and gave him an annoyed grunt.

    As the girl¡¯s eyes were set on Ares, she did not notice the mischievous smile forming on Azazil¡¯s face. He poured himself another cup of wine from the cyan glass bottle on the table. He was ready to see a show as he leaned his chair back and put one of his armored legs on the table before executing the last stage of his plan.

    ¡°Prove your worth to me!¡± Azazil screamed, barely able to contain his snickering.

    At her master¡¯s approval, she assumed a similar stance to the girl before, except at a safer distance.

    ¡®She¡¯s a bit better than the other one, at least.¡¯ Ares¡¯s thought.

    All of the crowd¡¯s attention was on the two, and many jaws dropped at Ares¡¯s magnificent skill. But their fascination quickly decreased when they saw the spellbook.

    ¡°He¡¯s putting on quite a show, this kid, for a one-armed brat.¡± A man said as he turned to a mage beside him.

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe that I almost believed that actually happened. Of course he¡¯s using magic¡± He said in return, shrugging off such an inconceivable thought.

    ¡°I knew it right from the start. No way a kid could be that skilled. Haha!¡± Another said arms crossed and legs spread at shoulder length.

    The excitement in the air was thick and affected everybody. Even the overly bloodthirsty girl had beads of sweat falling from her temple from the pressure. Except for two. Azazil and, to his surprise, Ares. Azazil was impressed once again. To be calm in this situation is not easy, especially with competent adventurers observing and judging.

    Ryner gawked at Ares courage and expressed a pride from realizing his true worth first. He knew right from the moment he met him that the boy was special, and picked him up out of pure curiosity. He didn¡¯t sense any animosity from him and seeing him politely apologize to a common child with eyes of humility only confirmed his thoughts.

    His intuition told him he was a good kid and he followed it, not to mention Ares looked familiar to a boy had helped a few times during his most unfortunate of moments. It was seeing that kid, even more unfortunate than him, striving to live the best way he could, that bought him to where he was today with his positive outlook on life.

    This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

    His eyes scanned the room, looking for Effari, wanting to see how she felt about the whole situation. Her eyes were wide open, trying not to miss a single moment. She panted heavily, clutching the cloth near her breasts. Her cheeks weren¡¯t reddened and her face was sweating profusely. This wasn¡¯t like the feeling before¡­ this was something different. Wobbling to keep her balance, she almost fell, only to be caught by a waitress. Seeing what was going on, Ryner smashed the stony silence.

    ¡°Take her to my room upstairs!¡± Seeing the waitresses stunned he screamed. ¡°NOW!¡± The waitresses snapped out of it and carried her to the stairs. ¡®She couldn¡¯t possibly have the same illness as her mother ! ¡® Ryner thought, cursing god for his cruelty. But he thought ahead. The possibility was always there, no matter how small.

    He quickly retrieved a little bag from a cabinet in the kitchen and ran upstairs, following after her. ¡°Make sure they don¡¯t break anything, and if they do, put it on their bill!¡± He screamed at the bartender before leaving.  Only the staff diverted their attention from the ensuing match.

    But Ares could feel Rachel clutching at his hairs a lot harder than before. Seeing his hands come around her torso, she loosened her grip immediately. Placing her feet on the floor as gently as possible, he kneeled to her. Her face was downtrodden and lost all the personality and glow from before. Ares showed a pained expression. To think he ignored Rachel¡¯s feelings for her sister over greed¡­

    ¡°Go to your sister.¡± He said warmly after ruffling her hair. He nudged her towards the stairs from the back and tried to focus on the girl in front of him. He noticed she slowly closed the distance without him knowing.

    As he was about to begin, he felt a small hand grab on his coat and Rachel looking up to him desperately as if she needed support. Her wide forehead and small tears bought him back to reality.

    As much as he wanted the blade, he admitted to himself, the girl was more important. Besides, that wasn¡¯t his original goal in the first place and causing unnecessary trouble wasn¡¯t going to help.

    He grabbed the little girl¡¯s hand as she lead him to the stairs. The young girl, seemingly flustered as he walked away from their match, tried to incite his rage, but was only met with failure.

    ¡°Coward¡ª¡° She yelled at his receding back, only to be interrupted.

    ¡°Sirana, stop!¡± Chyrsella shouted. ¡°He¡¯s not normal!¡± She cried with a tinge of fear that hurt her own pride.

    ¡®Damn!¡¯ Azazil screamed in his head. His plan to lessen his workload failed. His expression didn''t betray his thoughts though, he sipped his wine seemingly without a care in the world, but inside he was hurt. Hurt by the fact that he had to do more work and didn¡¯t even catch the young  man¡¯s name. A quiet sigh left his mouth as he suddenly got up.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go. I promised your father I¡¯d report to him before we resupply and leave Helgathor.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s just an excuse to check up on me.¡± Sirana said thoughtlessly through gritted teeth.

    ¡°And that¡¯s perfectly reasonable. He¡¯s your father.¡± Azazil said sternly. He then turned towards Chyrsella and amended her words indirectly.

    ¡°And yours too.¡± Chyrsella laughed awkwardly at the statement, but knew he meant well.

    As they left the Bumbling Bee, all their thoughts were focused on one person, Ares.

    *****

    ¡°Well, that was anticlimactic.¡± Everybody said or something similar. So much build up, but no action, left everyone disappointed.

    Some thought it was staged by the owner, Ryner.

    ¡°That  guy¡¯s probably not even Azazil.¡± Another said, looking at the man leave with two beauties.

    ¡°I knew it. No way¡¯d he look that handsome¡­¡± A woman purred.

    ¡°Finally.¡± The bartender sighed letting out a deep breath. He was glad they didn¡¯t break anything and continued shining the glass. But his thoughts laid elsewhere, and so did the staff¡¯s.

 Notice: Short Break 2-3 Days

    I have a history quiz Monday so I have to prepare. Sorry guys :(

    On the bright side, this''ll give me some more time to think where I''m going with this. Its a miracle a plothole hasnt appeared yet(thanks to my commenters) as I''ve been improvising this story since day one and I dont wanna mess it up. It would be ironic if I screwed it up because i thought about what to write lol :) I wrote the last chapter to satisfy you guys for the weekend (hopefully it worked). I encourage criticisms so don''t be afraid to drop a comment and speak your mind (I''ll ty to increase chapter lengths too, but I''ll probably just do a poll or something). So with all that said, Ill see you guys Monday night  tueday-ish lol. Be safe!

    This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.:-TsavKAnz-: I always wanted to use this. sorry for the randomness xD

 Notice: Just to Answer a few questions

    I remember being asked if I made the cover, at least two times I think. Thing is, I usually choose the cover art first then right the story.

    In case anybody''s interested, the characters in the story were adapted from these works of art :D Just to list a few

    Chyrsella  - http://chaosringen.deviantart.com/art/Armor-study-practice-429310009</a>

    Sirana - http://kr0npr1nz.deviantart.com/art/Freckles-499944839</a>

    Azazil - http://aenaluck.deviantart.com/art/Draw-Master-for-relaxation-511735409</a>

    Ares - http://artipelago.deviantart.com/art/Rain-Drops-329087199</a>

    Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.On another note:) I''ve always wanted to try to write a vrmmorpg. So after this one''s done (should be a half a year at this rate but who knows) This''ll be the cover. Just giving everyone a heads up:D

    http://ensoul.deviantart.com/art/MAD-Machinist-102418089</a>

    Im also trying to see how posting a poll works

    Just in case anybody''s interested, I sometimes listen to music when I write to get in a certain mood. Most of these haven''t been used it. But you can call it the story''s soundtrack lol.

    Bleach - La Distancia Para Un Duelo

    Bleach - Nube Negra

    Bleach - Nothing Can Be Explained

    Bleach - Soundscape to Ardor

    Bleach - Torn Apart

    Bleach - A Requiem

    Bleach - Here To Stay

    Bleach - Never Meant To Belong

    Bleach - Burden of The Past

    Oh Wonder - Lose it

 Helpless

    Alright, I know I said I wasn''t gonna upload a chapter, but I had some free time and wrote a lil sumtin sumtin lol The chapter is also longer :D I didn''t proofread again so it might be horrible :( dedicated to akitodbd (u da real mvp)

    <hr />

    Ares could hear the disappointed voices of those around him as he made his way to the stairs. The girl shouted something towards him, but by that time he had lost all focus on her. He could only see Rachel¡¯s pained face and hear her irregular breathing.

    As Ares made his way towards Ryner¡¯s room on the second floor with Rachel, he was tugged rather violently. She kept looking back at him as if he would disappear once she let go, her forehead showing soft lines of anxiousness.

    Ares suddenly stopped. ¡°Calm down, Rachel.¡± He said his eyes pleading with hers. Seeing her frantically trying to pull his unmoving body, he placed her on his head. ¡°Tell me where to go.¡±

    Rachel was but a child. And she was aware of it. Though she acted immature, most, if not all, of the time, she was grateful for Ares. When ¡®that¡¯ happened to her mother, nobody bothered to help, even when Effari begged as she kneeled to the side of her motionless mother. Until Ryner came, but it was too late. That feeling of helplessness rushed her. She pulled him thinking he might be able to help, someway somehow. But mainly because she didn¡¯t want to feel helpless again. If she couldn¡¯t do anything, she brought someone who can that she trusted. Ares complied with Rachel even though she pulled him selfishly and that made her feel a boundless gratefulness that clashed with her anxious face. She pulled his hair in the direction she needed to go and eventually arrived to a closed door.

    Opening it delicately, he found Effari spawled across the bed, her dress ripped to her navel. Her breasts laid atop her body beautifully, and the waitresses that brought Effari up the stairs were soaking a piece of cloth in a murky liquid within a clean basin over her bare chest.  Ryner stared intently at her face, not even attempting to look lecherously at Effari. Seeing Ares¡¯s arrival as he cracked the door slowly, Ryner quickly stopped it from opening completely.

    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Ryner said, giving Ares a questioning glare.

    ¡°Rachel brought me.¡± Ares said calmly, not responding to his threatening tone. Ryner narrowed his eyes at Rachel. She flinched, but didn¡¯t break eye contact and held her ground, clutching Ares¡¯s hair more tightly than ever. Seeing her unrelenting, he sighed and returned it back to Ares after Rachel blunted its edge before speaking in a respectful tone.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but this doesn¡¯t concern you. Watch over Rachel downstairs and I¡¯ll be with you shortly.¡± Before he could slam the door in his face, Ares threw his foot forward, stopping the door in its tracks. Seeing Ryner¡¯s glare come back in a flash, Ares quickly spoke before the situation got any worse.

    ¡°¡­ I can help.¡± Ares said hesitantly. He looked straight into Ryner¡¯s eyes. The deep, calm blue of Ares¡¯s eyes devoured his anger, seeing no sign of malicious intent.

    ¡°Very well.¡± Ryner said in resignation. ¡°But If you try anything, I¡¯ll kill you.¡± He said seething. Even Ryner doubted himself and he would surely be unable to defeat Ares in battle as he demonstrated earlier, but it was not an empty threat to say the least as he gleamed into Ares eyes without so much as budging an inch.

    He bowed to Ryner before arching his back a little as to not let Rachel¡¯s forehead take another blow ss he enter the room. Ryner closed the door and Ares¡¯s eyes met the waitresses. They looked at Ryner and he gave them a nod before backing away from Effari, allowing Ares to approach her. As he looked at her panting and her chest rising erratically, The waitress took on a grim expression as her eyes darted back and forth between Ryner and Ares.

    ¡°¡­ The magic powder isn¡¯t working.¡± She said as her voice trailed off.

    ¡°¡­¡± The other waitress stood there quietly with an angry expression similar to Rachel¡¯s.

    ¡°What do you mean it¡¯s not working!?¡± Ryner asked, knowing the answer. He had spent a large amount of money for that powder, given to him by an obscure mage. No other reputable mage claimed to have a cure for this rare illness, they weren¡¯t even sure how it affected the body as healing magic brought the order of the body to its natural state.

    His last hope, wanting to believe would work, shattered to pieces. Rachel began breathing in disparate breaths unable to process the whole situation, but knowing the ensuing outcome from the situation.

    ¡°M-My shister¡¯s gonna die.¡± Her voice trembling and tears rolling from her eyes. The feeling of helplessness that was pushed back by Ares¡¯s calming words rushed towards her again. She tried to wipe the tears, but they wouldn¡¯t stop.

    Ryner gave in to the dread as he assumed a similar pose to his father when he left him on Diatie. Even Ares couldn¡¯t contain his solemn expression, but he quickly took control of the situation before it got worse.

    He didn¡¯t have time to diagnose her condition formally and didn¡¯t have any of the medical tools he practiced with from Vi. Heck, he didn¡¯t even think they were made yet. He asked questions in rapid succession. His voice took on a commanding tone and his eyes furrowed in nervousness. He had never tried Vi¡¯s techniques on real, living people, just soulless flesh.

    So, he used his advanced physical therapy knowledge and began touching her body. Ryner screamed at Ares, venting his frustration on him.

    ¡°What are you doing!?¡± He shouted.

    ¡°Helping.¡± He simply stated. There wasn¡¯t a lecherous glance coming from eyes. Like Ryner. He simply took his words at face value. Ares questioned him to his surprise. ¡°Is this the first time this situation has risen?¡±

    ¡°Huh? Oh, yes.¡± Ryner stammered, simply staring as his hand traversed the maiden¡¯s body.

    ¡°Is this hereditary?¡± Ares asked plainly, taking a shot in the dark. He noticed an odd flow of mana around her heart.

    Ryner, seeing the boy somewhat knowledgeable in the healing arts, stopping his questioning looks and answered his question as quickly as possible. ¡°Yes, her mother began having short breaths, and clutched her chest before fainting and dying.¡± Rachel¡¯s gasped for air at the sudden as if waking from a bad dream and expecting the next, but he continued. ¡°Effari said she would often get dizzy randomly as well.¡±

    ¡®Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy¡¯ Ares thought, his hands stunned for a moment. He remembered Vi¡¯s lecture on it and recited it from his mind. ¡®Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is an inherited disease of the heart muscle. HCM can cause the wall of the heart muscle to thicken. When the walls get too thick, the heart muscle functions inefficiently, causing some patients to have obstruction to blood flow from the heart. HCM is also associated with abnormal heart rhythms, which can sometimes be life threatening.¡¯

    He remembered Vi talking about an ancient method to manipulate the mana within the body to heal itself. The heart was the source of mana and could not detect changes within the body that were inherent since birth, leaving those who relied on healing magic stumped on genetic illnesses. This method could be achieved faster with the ability to control another¡¯s inner mana, but it was genetic mutation as well and the clan that had it died off long ago, Vi the only survivor.

    Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.

    Luckily, it does not require mana, but the effort tripled as a result and the margin for error was extremely low. He had to force the heart to recognize itself as out of order. He had to slightly cause damage to it and split the mana directed for recovery between the wound and the ¡®imperfection¡¯ forcefully. He needed full concentration.

    ¡°Everyone leave, except Rachel.¡±Ares commanded. Out of options, they had no choice. Only the angry waitress left reluctantly. Though they left the room, they stood outside the door and didn¡¯t move. Ryner slumped down against the door and clutched his hair, before calming down and leaving Effari¡¯s life in Ares hands.

    As Ares begun, Rachel would wipe the sweat off from his forehead before it reached his eyes. She was glad that she was being useful. Ares could have done it himself, but hoped that this experience would help Rachel overcome what she was dealing with.

    Three hours later, Rachel seemed to nod in and out of consciousness and tried her best to keep awake. But her small body couldn¡¯t keep up with her determination and she suddenly fainted rather than slept. Ares was happy, as it was difficult redirecting the mana flow in rapid succession with one arm.

    Once sure she was asleep, Ares activated the king¡¯s constitution and bared the pain of the horns protruding from his head, whilst gritting his teeth, and the darkness enveloped his body. Thankfully it only slightly nudged Rachel.

    His senses heightened, he could see the flow of the mana more intensely than before. This was the first time his transformation affected his natural abilities, aside from regeneration. Thinking of his dream on the wagon before, he dismissed the thought, thinking of it as a blessing and focused on the bare-chested girl in front of him. He continued manipulating the mana within her body, pressing special points on her body.

    Two hours later, he finally saw Effari¡¯s expression lighten. Seeing this technique actually saving a human life, he was glad he paid more attention to Vi¡¯s lectures, though he didn¡¯t neglect Astercoth¡¯s either. Seeing him now, he knew Vi would be proud and a slight smile left his lips for the remainder of the operation.

    After one more grueling hour, he deactivated the king¡¯s constitution and woke up Rachel from his head by shaking it back and forth, waiting to see her glow return to her face.

    Realizing slept, a wave of guilt swept her adorable face, only to be washed away by her sister¡¯s peaceful expression.

    ¡°¡­ Wake her up.¡± Ares said with a full smile. Rachel knew he wasn¡¯t the type to lie, but it was too good to be true.

    ¡°¡­ shister¡­ Shister!¡± Rachel finally shouted at the top of her lungs. Only Ryner was still awake and rushed inside the room.

    Effari¡¯s eyes slowly opened. She saw Ryner with Ares, and her sister with relieved expressions. Puzzled, she found herself in Ryner¡¯s bed and slowly raised herself with both hands, yawning before speaking.

    ¡°What happened? I remember Ares about to fight and then¡ª¡°

    ¡°Shister!¡± Rachel jumped and wrapped her arms around her neck.

    ¡°W-What¡ª¡°

    ¡°Effari!¡± Ryner gave them both a bear hug, so tight Rachel coughed.

    ¡°She¡¯ll need to stay in bed for a few days.¡± Ares interjected, happy that he was able to preserve a family¡¯s happiness. ¡®It¡¯ll take a while for her mana flow to regulate itself.¡¯ He thought before trying to escape the awkwardly giddy atmosphere. As he tried to leave, Ryner placed his hand heavily on his shoulder as if daring him to. With a serious expression he finally spoke.

    ¡°How can I repay you?¡±

    ¡°Free lodging and food as long as you¡¯re in business.¡± Ares said with a tinge of hesitation. He was about to humbly decline. But he needed food and shelter and without money, those weren¡¯t going to be easy things to come by. Now wasn¡¯t the time to be a homeless hero.

    To Ares surprise, Ryner also agreed without hesitation. ¡°Of course, anything for¡ª¡° He paused, looking at Effari and Rachel before continuing ¡°family.¡± His wide grin accompanied by his bravado couldn¡¯t help but make Ares chuckle. As he was about to leave, Effari shouted out to him.

    ¡°W-Wait!¡± Effari screamed, grabbing the covers on the bed to cover her chest. Ares also turned to protect her modesty though he had seen it already.

    ¡®¡­ Quite the gentleman as well.¡¯ Ryner thought quizzically, thinking what it would be like to have Ares as a son-in-law, before giving a nodding approval.

    ¡°T-Thank you. I o-owe you my life.¡± Effari stuttered and bowing towards him. After hearing what happened from Rachel, who also bragged about her part in saving her life, she knew she was at death¡¯s door. She didn¡¯t want to leave her only blood relative alone, especially a sweet girl like Rachel. Afterall, Ryner was going to be a father soon and wouldn¡¯t have time to take care of Rachel.

    ¡°You¡¯re the besh.¡± Rachel said, latching onto his knee like the first time they met.

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s no big deal.¡± Ares said with a reserved smile, slightly blushing with a tone of slight arrogance. He triumphantly put his hand on his hip too pleased by their praise and turned away from them, a trait of his that would arbitrarily appear when those he had affection for gave him accolades. He noticed it himself and thought of it to be a side-effect of starving for love as a child. He tried not to think about it too hard as it seemed pathetic even in his eyes at this age, especially coming when it came from a small child. His eyebrow twitched in dissatisfaction at himself and it clashed with his curling lips.

    He tried to hide his smile from forming, only to purse his lips with its ends pointing up in a cat-like manner. Effari imagined a tail sticking out of him wagging fervently at the compliment. She couldn¡¯t help but laugh, only to be interrupted by an angelic tone.

    ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re okay now.¡± His usual calm demeanor returned. This was the Ares she had initially known. She was expecting him to stammer at the statement like when he apologized to Rachel during their first meeting since he blushed, but that all gone now.

    His mature smile and soothing gaze blew against her like a gust of wind and her hairs stood up. It wasn¡¯t a dazzling look, but it was devastatingly charming.

    ¡°C¡¯mon Ares, you just healed her heart.¡± Ryner spoke slyly, elbowing him in the ribs repeatedly.

    Ares gave him a quick grin, and ruffled Rachel¡¯s hair before leaving the room. Before he could close the door, Effari gathered up her courage and raised her voice. ¡°W-Where are you going?¡± She stuttered, surprising herself as she said it.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to meet my father.¡± He said cheeks reddened, then gave a smile that showed all his teeth. After ten years, he still felt the warmth from the word.

 Silver

    :-TsavKAnz-:   ..... Sorry lol, here''s another. Did not proofread so it might be bad :(

    <hr />

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you stay the night, Ares?¡± Ryner said. ¡°It¡¯s rather late and trouble brews in the night.¡± He jutted his head towards the small window, noticing it was already dark outside. Ares didn¡¯t know so much time had passed since he began his operation on Effari, but he wouldn¡¯t let that deter him from his goal.

    ¡°No, I must get going.¡± Ares raising his hand before Ryner tried to convince him otherwise. ¡°My father is still waiting for me.¡± Ares said with a childish grin, scratching his chin.

    ¡°Can I accompany you?¡± Effari said already attempting to get out of bed. Rachel jumped onto her and crashed her back onto it so hard it repelled them and bounced once before settling. Rachel looked at her with rosy puffed cheeks and her small eyebrows narrowed on her huge forehead. Ryner let out a sigh before speaking.

    ¡°You¡¯re not going anywhere.¡± Ryner said, his arms still crossed from before.

    Effari looked expectantly at Ares, only to see him agree with Ares.

    ¡°He¡¯s right.¡± Ares said with a hint of seriousness in his voice. ¡°This is something I have to do on my own.¡± His blush from before was gone and Effari relented.

    ¡°Do you wish to borrow my wagon, Ares?¡± Ryner said nonchalantly with a slight smile. Ares gaped momentarily at the trust Ryner showed him and his eyebrows rose in shock, but regained his composure soon after and declined.

    ¡°No, it is fine. It should be close to here.¡± Ares said with a comforting smile. ¡°I¡¯ll get there eventually after I wander around for a bit.¡± And with that Ares made his way downstairs after retracing the path Rachel had lead him. At the base of the stairs, he saw a few of the staff sleeping on the ground and many resting their heads on the table. ¡®Are they waiting for Effari?¡¯ He thought.

    He heard the bartender whisper Effari¡¯s name in his sleep. It annoyed him a bit, though he didn¡¯t know why. He took a giant leap from the stairs to the entrance of the Bumbling Bee. The coat that laid on his shoulders and his empty sleeve flew to the rhythm of the wind¡¯s resistance.

    As he landed softly, he turned back, sure he did not wake anybody as he blew out a few candles strewn across the wall as he leapt. A few them wriggled as if a chilly wind passed their cheek, but they nodded it off.

    Ares opened the door slowly, and the creaking that sounded made it seem like an eternity had passed before he was able to slip through. His eyes narrowed and sweat dripped on his temple as if it was the hardest battle of his life.

    The door slammed heavily as it left Ares¡¯s hand. It shook the entire inn. He heard footsteps quickly rush the stairs. ¡®It was definitely that bartender¡­¡¯ Ares thought with a hint of irritation. He didn¡¯t know why he felt this way. He had no reason to hate him. The only things he¡¯s seen of him was the way he whispered Effari¡¯s name sweetly and rushed to her aid right after he woke up. Ares¡¯s face donned a casual expression and shrugged off these strange feelings. He looked at the night sky before taking in the town around him.

    The town had a darker edge that didn¡¯t match the beauty of the sky above it. Suspicious figures went in and out of shadows and the few candle lights in the street provided a small light that faded as it reached the darkness.

    He heard chatters and saw brighter lights in the distance. He could only assume them to be the brothels active at night. His father had blushed when he told them what happened their truthfully at his young age. His wife hit him ruthlessly in the back of the head afterwards. Ares giggled at the memory, especially remembering his father later telling him that he would take him there once he got older, which got him a harder blow from the back as he thought his wife wasn¡¯t listening.

    Ares¡¯s curiosity was piqued but he pushed it to the side. Brothels would always be here and he wasn¡¯t sure he would even want to go. It didn¡¯t seem right to him.

    He decided to keep the fact he was Gillius¡¯s son to himself in case somebody recognized him. He was a hero of the town and he wasn¡¯t sure that the townspeople would be so forgetting of such a wrong done to him, as well as the prince. Ares knew the charges, he just didn¡¯t know the prince would get away with it and the charges would be put on him in his stead unknowingly. He could even be thought of as a bastard child which could possibly hurt Gillius¡¯s reputation.

    He promised himself he would kill the prince if he ever saw him again. For tearing him away from his father, and a place he called home.

    Ares anger reached a boil and his killing intent leaked out, causing a few shadowy figures to run from the pressure. Noticing this, he breathed slowly, calming himself.

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    Before he began walking towards the nearest candle light on the road, he heard cries of joy from above. He looked towards the dim light emitting from the window on the second floor. He saw Rachel resting her chin as if pulling herself up to see if Ares had gone. She gave him toothful smile as her wide forehead rubbed against the cold glass. He gave her a slight wave and started running at full speed before anybody else noticed him, especially Effari. Once he saw a shadow rushing towards the window pane after Rachel turned back and spoke a few words pointing at him, that was his cue.

    As soon as he got out of distance from the Bumbling Bee, he began walking leisurely, taking in the good and bad of Helgathor.

    He noticed some moans here and there from the homes, which made him blush. He quickened his pace and eventually walked into a dark alley, a place he was eerily familiar with. It was where he spent most of his life, where Ryner occasionally slept and Gillius finally found him.

    He traced him hands across the familiar jagged and dirty texture of the walls. His steel boots repelled the gunk laced across the formless ground and food scraps were scattered near the entrances as if used for public trash disposal.

    Ares heard a girl¡¯s voice and a slap in another alleyway quite the distance away. He sped across only to tilt his head upwards. ¡®Rain.¡¯ He thought. He remembered a day he almost froze to death afterwards during the fall season. He shuddered at the memory and kept moving, the rain getting slightly heavier each step.

    *****

    ¡°I¡¯m off duty right now, you pig!¡± The girl struggled as hard as she could, trying to wriggle herself from the man¡¯s grip. ¡°Get the fuck off me!¡± She screamed at the top of her lungs, only for her face to meet the back of his hand with great force. She grit her teeth and glared at him with eyes of defiance. He slapped her again, seemingly aroused.

    ¡°Hehe.¡± The man snickered before binding her arms in one hand and slamming her to the wall. She looked straight into his eyes with disdain and disgust. ¡°Don¡¯t act like this is your first time, sweetheart. We¡¯ve already have a good time once.¡± He said, licking between her breasts to her ear.

    The girl tried to muster as much strength as she could and tried to kick his crotch. Failing, the man pushed his hips against her, not allowing her to move to her legs any longer. ¡°Bad Silver.¡± He slapped her again like a dog and the bulge from his pants nudged against her navel. ¡°I don¡¯t remember you being so short.¡± He said. ¡°Then again, you were on your knees last time we met. Kekeke.¡± He raised her body a tad bit and tried to unbuckle his belt with one hand.

    The girl refused to resign herself physically. This wouldn¡¯t the first time she was raped. She had gotten raped plenty of times when she was first sold as a slave to a brothel. But this was the first time it happened outside in the open, for anybody to see. She was ashamed, but happy the rain covered her tears. She wouldn¡¯t dare let him know he had broken her. Her amber eyes didn¡¯t lose their fire.

    Even in this situation, she didn¡¯t scream for help. She had survived this far on her own and she would continue to. As she looked away from the man¡¯s lecherous gaze, she saw a pair of blue eyes pierce the darkness, not staring at her, but the scumbag who finally unbuckled his pants.

    Lightning struck at that very moment. Her eyes blinded by the light, but by the time she opened them, the murderous blue eyes stared down at her and blood painted his face. But she wasn¡¯t afraid. She gave him the same murderous glare and returned it two-fold. She would never be afraid of a man. Ever.

    Without saying a word, the man retreated back into the darkness after throwing his coat over her head. She was surprised to see he had one arm, but that didn¡¯t deter her rage from being directed at him.

    ¡°I will be back for it.¡± The man said.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t need your help!¡± The girl screamed. Being aided by a man didn¡¯t make her any happier nor would she be grateful for it. But the figure continued to step away before completely disappearing, ignoring her outburst.

    ¡°...¡± She gave him an annoyed glance before stalking back to the brothel, spitting blood on the motionless two halves of the man that tried to rape her at her side. Unfazed, she clutched the coat in her hands, snatching it from her head, as she walked back.

    She would never wear it and drops of rain pelted her body harder than before as if punishing her for it. But she couldn¡¯t forget the last words he spoke to her.

 Dust Cloud

    :-TsavKAnz-:  Did not proofead again, sorry.

    <hr />

    ¡°¡­¡± Ares could only sigh with an angry groan in his voice. He had given the girl his only coat and the fact he had one more arm was shockingly visible as one of the sleeves of his dress shirt was empty and flew how the wind saw fit. His black dress shirt was still buttoned to his neck and the metal covering his arm and hands glistened in the rain. The clothes couldn¡¯t get wet, but that didn¡¯t stop his hair from becoming a tangled mess and his body from shivering in the cold as the breeze past through. He kept a strong front and kept the shivers from displaying his weakness, another lesson he learned from Astercoth.

    He swiftly grabbed his bangs and shoved them to the back of his head in one motion, esposing the whole of his forehead for the first time, but that didn¡¯t stop a strand or two from leaving his grasp, placing themselves on his temple.

    He walked the streets with a cold glare. Seeing the darkness that lay in the depths of Helgathor, Ares kept an eye out for any scum as he navigated his way around, trying to resurface any lingering memories that would help him stumble upon Gillius¡¯s home.

    After seeing a familiar textile shop, his body moved on its own. It was an odd feeling. He followed wherever the invisible pull directed him and finally saw Gillius¡¯s home in the distance. He saw the courtyard where Sirana used to practice her swordsmanship and the barn he used to sleep in. He walked towards the door and put his fist up, ready to knock.

    This was it. His fist trembled at the thought. Meeting his father after ten years¡­ He had so much to tell him. About his arm, Myra, Astercoth, Vivian, Krystal.

    He was fearful and excited at the same time. What if his father forgot about him? What if he never expected him to survive? Would he be happy to see him? He choked up and swallowed hard.

    Gathering all his courage he bashed the door with all his might. Ten times at least until the door finally cracked open.

    ¡°What!?¡± The husky man shouted, drowsy.

    Ares was surprised. He did not expect to see someone he did not recognize and he stuttered as he gathered hi s thoughts.

    ¡°I-Is Knight C-Commander G-Gillius here?¡± He asked. ¡®What happened? What¡¯s going on?¡¯ Ares screamed in his mind. All this time, and he wasn¡¯t even home. His usual demeanor cracked under the implications of his absence.

    ¡°Have you been living under a rock? He moved out ages ago!¡± ¡®So that¡¯s how it is¡¯ Ares thought, dismissing his thoughts, almost thinking the worst of Gillius, believing he forgot about him as he heaved a relived sigh.

    ¡°Where is he now? Can you tell him that Ares is looking for him?¡± Ares asked, trying to get more information out of the stout man.

    ¡°Somewhere!¡± The man shouted. Before slamming the door in Ares¡¯s face, he added one last remark. ¡°And no!¡±

    Ares showed a relieved grin and headed back to the Bumbling Bee after wandering for a while, deep in thought. It was a hectic day and he was in desperate need of rest.

    Once he reached the entrance, he knocked once and Effari burst out the door waiting for him. He could also see Ryner and Rachel sleeping peacefully beside each other. He assumed they were waiting for him too and his face reddened as heart tightened, though it could¡¯ve also been the blood of the scum he slaughtered a while ago.

    The rain didn¡¯t completely wash it off and he tried to rub the rest of it off before Effari noticed, but it was too late.

    After her constant nagging, leaving her questions unanswered, and settling near the bar, he slumped his body as his eyes closed heavily. Before he could even dare to sleep, Effari shook his shoulder with all her might and Ares¡¯s eye twitched in annoyance.

    ¡°Goddamnit Effari! I¡¯m trying to sleep!¡± Ares said in a fit of rage, a bit of killing intent leaking out his words. Effari shuddered at his sudden outburst and ran back upstairs. He wasn¡¯t calm and collected as seemed to be. The shock from not meeting his father and the disappointment he felt was not as small as he thought.

    He woke up Ryner and Rachel, though Ryner wasn¡¯t in as deep a sleep as Ares thought.

    He quickly picked her up and followed Effari upstairs. He muttered with a comforting gaze towards Ares. ¡°¡­ I think you need some time alone¡­¡±

    The warm feeling that accumulated in his heart was snuffed out. It was cold again. He heard the rain pitter patter out the entrance and stopped his bloodlust from spilling out.

    ¡°Damn¡­¡± He quietly grunted. He didn¡¯t know why he was changing so much. Thinking of that dream once again on the wagon, his conscious crept away from, attempting to forget all that happened.

    ****

    ¡°Ezra!¡± The man shouted, Ryell¡¯s body flying into his arms. ¡°How could you throw our boy¡¯s body like that?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s fine, Ansel.¡± Cedric said. ¡°He¡¯s a big boy. Just like my Aster.¡± Cedric patted Astercoth on the back with hands calloused from war.

    ¡°It¡¯s because you¡¯re so soft on him that he¡¯s more interested in books than the sword.¡± Ezra interjected. ¡°You useless men better have brought something good to eat.¡± She glared at the both of them.

    ¡°Just some bunnies.¡± Ansel grunted, placing Ryell beside him.

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    ¡°I could¡¯ve brought a boar if you men didn¡¯t keep me here like some caged bird.¡± She hissed. ¡°Let that bastard Gregor come for us! I¡¯ll slit his throat!¡±

    ¡°Ezra!¡± Ansel shouted back so fiercely she flinched, but didn¡¯t lose the fire in her eyes.

    ¡°Aster, Ryell.¡± Cedric called their names lovingly. ¡°Let the adults talk privately. Let¡¯s work on your swordsmanship in the meantime.¡± Before Ryell could speak, he pushed them both out the small cottage.

    After walking a few minutes into the open, they finally stopped, unable to hear the voices behind them. Cedric sat on a nearby rock, only after finding some suitable sticks to practice with. He handed one to both Astercoth and Ryell.

    ¡°Are you confident? Aster¡¯s been getting a lot better through the hunts.¡± Cedric said, giving Ryell a sly smile.

    ¡°I¡¯m always confident.¡± Ryell replied giving Aster a mocking smile, which he returned. Aster didn¡¯t show much emotion, but when he did, it said all he needed to say.

    ¡°Begin!¡± Cedric shouted. And their swords met, but Ryell was much quicker. He forced Aster a few steps back, but he deflected the blow and forced Ryell¡¯s sword to dig into the ground. Losing control of his weapon momentarily, Aster tried to take advantage of the opening.

    Ryell released his grip and spun towards Aster¡¯s back. With Aster¡¯s strike missing, Ryell elbowed him in the back of the neck and he fell face first. Before he got up, Ryell had the stick pointed at his nose.

    ¡°Don¡¯t think you¡¯ll best me in this lifetime, Aster.¡± Ryell said looking down at him before retracting his stick to his imaginary sheath.

    ¡°Then in the next.¡± Astercoth replied, grabbing the hand Ryell threw out in front of him with a warm smile.

    Cedric clapped for their amazing short bout and their rivalry. But it was quickly interrupted as a cloud of dust formed in the distance along with a stampede of hooves.

    ****

    To the jingling of keys, Ares ears perked up before he opened his eyes and saw Ryner standing over him.

    ¡°Have a nice nap?¡± Ryner said grinning ear to ear, pointing at the side of his face.

    ¡°Oh.¡± Ares swiped his arm to wipe off his drool before replying. ¡°It wasn¡¯t too bad.¡± He snatched the key from his hand and marched upstairs.

    ¡°It¡¯s the room to the right of mine!¡± Ryner yelled at his retreating figure. He knew something happened last night to Ares, but he didn¡¯t want to push him too quick. He seemed like to type to lock you out of his heart if you pushed too far or asked too many questions. He could understand why he snapped at Effari though he wasn¡¯t too pleased with it. He had done the same to his wife in the past before they got married because he was poor and paid for him one too many times.

    ¡°This is something I shouldn¡¯t interfere in¡­¡± He muttered and his staff came in tired just as always. He reverted to his usual self and said with a loud clap. ¡°Come on! We have work to do!¡±

    He heard the employees sigh, but he wouldn¡¯t have any of that. ¡°Get your asses in gear!¡± he shouted and they assumed their stations erratically.

    *****

    ¡°I will be back for it.¡± One girl mimed, imagining how the man Silver had explained would sound.

    ¡° Kyaaaaa!¡± The girls squealed in unison. They were in a public space just for them within the huge brothel. It separated the girl¡¯s rooms and the area in which they met their ¡®clients.¡¯

    ¡°Do you think he¡¯ll really come? I want to see him so bad!¡± A girl with silky blond hair said.

    ¡°I know you hate men, but you could¡¯ve at least said thank you. Geez, Silver! He saved you from being raped!¡± Another protested.

    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be the first time.¡± She said, her face full of cynicism. ¡°He probably just wanted a free fuck.¡± She said attempting to dash her hopes as quickly as it accumulated. The girl pouted at Silver and her hairs stood up in rage. Before she could scream another girl interrupted her.

    ¡°Was he handsome, Silver?¡± Another asked seductively, licking her bottom lip.

    ¡°For a guy with one arm, Sapphire.¡± She retorted. The girls screamed again, which only irritated her further as she looked in the mirror combing her silver hair. Her owner didn¡¯t have much of a creative bone in his body. Though he¡¯d beat you until you thought otherwise.

    ¡°But doesn¡¯t that make him mysterious.¡± A girl lying on a couch inquired, seemingly uninterested in the conversation and more interested in the book, her eye sprawled over the words.

    ¡°Not you too, Annabelle.¡± Silver¡¯s eyes narrowed as she looked into the mirror, carefully applying eyeliner to make her amber eyes pop.

    The girl¡¯s continued to holler, filled with their delusions. There was no way a man would help a woman, a whore no less, without asking anything in return. She glanced at the coat he¡¯d left behind and threw it on the ground, stepping over it and whirled her heel on top, before leaving.

    ¡°If you guys don¡¯t have anything better to do, I¡¯ll be in my room.¡± Silver said as she stalked out.

    ¡°Still as moody as always¡­¡± Sapphire muttered. She looked at the coat and grabbed it with her delicate fingers. She put it on the rack near the entrance of the Humming Bird.

 Problem

    A/N: Sorry a lot of work came out of nowhere:(

    <hr />

    It was the afternoon and Ares was serving drinks and food along with the staff at the Bumbling Bee.

    ¡®I knew he wouldn¡¯t just let me stay here for free.¡¯ Ares grumbled.

    Despite his complaints, Ares was quite the waiter. He even took command of the waitresses and doubled the efficiency of taking orders.

    Orders were taken at light speed. So much so that it was the cooks who couldn¡¯t keep up.

    ¡°Slow down, Ares. You¡¯re gonna make our customers think our cooks aren¡¯t doing their job!¡± Ryner said before giving a hearty laugh. He patted Ares on the back.

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s no big deal.¡± He said trying to swallow his smile with a grimace.

    Rachel was still atop his head. He began to gain a reputation across Helgathor for it. Even when going out to the vegetable districts and port, Rachel was always there.

    Seeing a handsome, expressionless young man with an adorable girl wrestling with his hair drew the stares of the people. He was given the nickname ¡®The Royal Carpet¡¯ as Rachel¡¯s feet never touched the ground. The name even followed him to the inn.

    When Effari came along, they gave the impression of a young family. But Effari was still awkward around him ever since he came back. She was afraid of making him angry again.

    ¡®He was so scary.¡¯ She thought, shuddering at the gaze she recalled. She looked at him talking to Ryner, and turned her head away. Effari thought he was masculine when facing off with those adventurers, but the way he stared at her that night¡­ ¡®He was just in a bad mood.¡¯ She thought trying to convince herself, but his cold gaze and murderous intent lingered in her thoughts, unable to fade.

    Ares felt sorry towards Effari, but he had more important things to think about. He asked around about Gillius and there were rumors that he was personally assembling strong adventurers across the continent for some reason. This would be the perfect opportunity to meet him.

    His plan was simple. All he had to do was become a famous enough adventurer for his father to seek him out on his own. But there¡¯s a problem¡­

    Ares had no mana.

    Even with his overwhelming skills in swordplay and the king¡¯s constitution, he wouldn¡¯t be able to kill anything capable of covering their body in mana, which was basically everything but common animals and people.

    Ares let out a snort in place of his usual sigh. ¡®Damn this body of mine!¡¯ He thought, clutching the cloth near his chest. ¡®Even after ten years, I¡¯m still useless¡­¡±

    His father was so close, yet so far. His solution was right in front of him, but he lacked the means to complete it. He began wiping the empty table with furious whirls and gritted teeth.

    ¡°Ever since that Azazil guy came, business has gone so well! This is all because of you, Ares!¡± Ryner shouted in his direction, but Ares showed no reaction.

    How could he forget? He was all the customers talked about. His tales of glory, battle, and charity. Ares heard the beginning of a conversation he knew all too well from a nearby table.

    ¡°You think that Azazil-wannabe is going to come today?¡± A man with a brown robe said.

    ¡°I hope so.¡± Another said. ¡°He might be the real thing. Everyone wants to see the legend in the flesh.¡±

    A woman with a light armor interjected. ¡°There are all sorts of rumors flying around. I came from Fieffel just to see if it¡¯s true that he¡¯s actually here.¡±

    The conversation continued as the men tried to entertain the woman. Just like that, the conversation drowned out of Ares¡¯s ears.

    The entrance of the inn was kicked open by a woman with fiery red hair and blue eyes followed by the silver-haired girl, Chyrsella.

    ¡®Not them again¡­¡¯ Ares said expressionless, giving them a quick glance before returning to his work. But a quick glance was all he needed.

    Ares didn¡¯t take a good look at her before. But she was truly breathtaking. Her luminescent silver hair and sharp blue eyes with her light, regal armor and noble atmosphere gave her an imposing presence. He still remembered the eyes that resembled his own. Even so, Ares was not looking forward to their reunion. He didn¡¯t care to look at the red-haired one. He wasn¡¯t interested in her.

    He tried to avoid them, but seeing everyone else too busy to take their order as they found an empty table, he made his way towards them reluctantly. He also heard the voices of other adventurers.

    ¡°Hoooh, is he going to finish what he started?¡± Everyone that remembered the short bout said something similar.

    ¡®It seems everybody already forgot I work here now.¡¯ Ares thought.

    His first words dashed their hopes in two.

    ¡°May I take your order?¡± Ares said as disinterested as possible. He heard the onlookers sigh, but he paid no heed.

    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

    The red-haired one seemed ready to lunge at him, but was stopped by Chyrsella as she grabbed her wrist. She gave her a glare before she sat down reluctantly, arms crossed.

    Seeing she wouldn¡¯t be able to resume her duel, she started to provoke him with words, like Ares thought she would, but he was prepared.

    Rachel tried to stare the other one down, but she only giggled at her cute act, which prompted her to hide her face in Ares¡¯s hair.

    ¡°I would rather a real man take my order.¡± She said with a mocking smile.

    ¡®¡­That actually pissed me off a bit¡­¡¯ Ares thought. His eyebrow twitched slightly. No one would normally notice¡­ but she did and her smiled widened. ¡®Damn¡­¡¯

    Before the situation, escalated any further, Effari bumped Ares to the side. When he tried to look at her, she avoided his gaze. Even though she saved him from a bad situation, she seemed scared for her life.

    After taking their order, she looked up to Rachel and pleaded her to come down. She refused and Rachel scuttled away.

    The girls at the table gave him questioning glances. But the whole inn was focused on the two girls, who came with a man that claimed to be Azazil not too long ago. As Ares left to occupy another table, the girls were surrounded.

    ¡°Are you really traveling with Azazil?¡±

    Before any more questions could be asked, a deep voice drowned out all the noise, making his stand out.

    ¡°Is it true he accepted Gillius¡¯ invitation to join his expedition?¡± The man said, chewing on some sort of black material. He had a brown beard and short hair with no eyebrows. He was wearing heavy armor and a large shield was on his back accompanied by a large blade about half the width of his large body. He spit the black material out his mouth before awaiting their answer. But Ares was stunned.

    ¡®That man was asked by my father to join his¡­ expedition?Ares thought. But that wouldn¡¯t make any sense. That man seemed like nothing more than a conniving, lazy guy that had an exact replica of his sword. He knew he must¡¯ve had some skill with a sword to get a blade of that caliber¡­ but to have been personally asked by Gillius, his skill must be greater than he imagined and Ares¡¯s ears perked up to hear the rest of the conversation.

    ¡°Ask him yourself.¡± The silver haired girl replied.

    Before the man could reach for his sword, the red-haired girl answered his question.

    ¡°He¡¯s at that whorehouse sleeping with worthless women every night when he should be training us!¡± Sirana snapped, slamming her fist on the table.

    ¡®Which one?¡± He asked, releasing the grip on his blade.

    There were multiple brothels in Helgathor, mainly based in the slave district. It would take 2 months to visit all of them and Ares was thankful the man asked for more information.

    ¡°The Humming Bird.¡± Chyrsella replied with a tinge of disgust on her face. With that, the man returned to his table with a satisfied grin and the rest along with him. ¡®Azazil would never visit a brothel!¡¯ They thought. In their eyes, ¡®this¡¯ Azazil was obviously a fake and returned to their tables.

    ¡°Father isn¡¯t even here.¡± She said. ¡°We have to return to Yewac Academy soon and we haven¡¯t done anything!¡± The red-haired girl screamed pulling her own hair in a frenzy.

    ¡°You are right, sister. Before you accompanied us, all I did was watch him hunt. It was very impressive¡­ I thought If I proved myself he would¡ª¡° Chysella began, but cut herself short, balling her fist up.

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe I looked up to him! Let¡¯s just go to Yewac like we planned¡­¡±

    ¡°Is it right for us to go without telling him?¡±

    ¡°He doesn¡¯t seem to care about us anyway¡­ We¡¯ll just take our supplies and leave tonight.¡± Sirana said disappointed.

    ¡°¡­¡± Chyrsella thought about the way he mended Sirana¡¯s words the last time they were here. She didn¡¯t know what to think of him anymore.

    ¡®I would be disappointed too.¡¯ Ares thought, remembering the way Astercoth and Vi disappeared. ¡®At least I knew they cared about me somewhat.¡¯

    After hearing them complain, he didn¡¯t even want to speak the man¡¯s name. He knew what it felt like to be unwanted¡­ a burden, a nuisance.

    Chyrsella seemed to be more depressed at the thought and he empathized with her. Ares was interested in her. They seemed similar to each other. He always wanted someone able to understand his feelings. Effari didn¡¯t seem to be that someone.

    ¡®Maybe she would...¡¯ He thought, gripping the rag, then lightening his grip. But quickly tossed the idea aside. Tonight he had someone to meet and somewhere to go.

    The Humming Bird.

 God

    Sorry did not proofread :(

    <hr />

    ¡°Where are you going, Ares?¡± Ryner asked. ¡°Your shift isn¡¯t over yet.¡± It was close to nighttime and the amount of customers was dwindling fast. He knew the girls were telling the truth. They had no reason to lie. Ares just hoped he would be there tonight and not during his shift at the inn. If the girls planned to leave during the night without him knowing, it to be while he visits the brothel.

    ¡°The Humming Bird.¡± Ares said plainly.

    Ryner¡¯s jaw dropped. Effari¡¯s face twinged as she paused for a second, before continuing to walk to the kitchen.

    ¡®Well, there goes the last of her respect for me.¡¯ Ares said scratching the back of his head nonchalantly. The relationship they had before was crumbling fast.

    ¡°I see.¡±  Ryner said giving him a teasing look. ¡°A young man has needs.¡± His wife passed by and he grabbed her butt tightly. ¡°Such as I.¡± He said, gazing into his wife¡¯s eyes like a predator. ¡°I can¡¯t leave my woman unattended for too long.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not in the mood.¡± She snapped, smacking his hand away.

    ¡°Ugh.¡± Ryner coughed. ¡°It can¡¯t be helped. She¡¯s¡­ y¡¯know?¡± Ryner said trying to save face. But they were interrupted by a voice near Ares¡¯s head.

    ¡°Cans I comes too?¡± Rachel said bending over his head to meet his eyes upside down.

    Ares pulled Rachel from his head faster than she could cling to it.

    ¡°No.¡±

    Rachel pouted as her small eyebrows furrowed. She tried to reach for his hair, but he held her at a distance.

    ¡°Demmit.¡± She muttered under her breath.

    ¡°Who taught you such language!?¡± Ryner bellowed. Rachel put her hands over her ears and Ares tiptoed out the Bumbling Inn.

    ****

    As he walked the streets, the usual scumbags began to occupy the area and mysterious dealings were happening in the shadows. He didn¡¯t need to ask for directions. He just traveled towards the brightest light and after an array of invitations to other brothels, he finally found what he was looking for.

    He was hesitant. He didn¡¯t know what type of atrocities he would see once he went through the door. The establishment looked shabby at best and the sign was lightly lit by a candle. He cracked the door open and was amazed.

    The inside looked like a small section of a palace with the room primarily a gold color and the women wearing dark, colorful dresses. But the astonishment stopped there. Smoke filled the air lightly as well-dressed men were groping the women, in which they responded with seductive moans. Some were teasing the men as they laid on their laps. Once the men had enough, they would forcibly pull the girl through some corridor near the left of the building.

    Ares grit his teeth and his head felt like it was going to split open. ¡®I¡¯ve got to calm down.¡¯ He thought grasping at his face as his body lay against the wall closest to him. He slowed his breath and noticed something out the corner of his eye,

    ¡®Isn¡¯t that¡­¡¯ Ares coat was neatly hung near the entrance.

    ¡®Then that girl¡­¡¯ But something else caught his attention. Ares saw a young girl about Rachel¡¯s age mounting a dirty old man. He slapped her and the sound echoed through the room. He saw a few of the girls surrounding them grit their teeth and bite their lips. Even a few of the men turned away in disgust. One seemed valiant enough to draw their blade, but he was sawed in two by a bulky mass that appeared from the shadows.

    At that moment a short, fat man entered through large double doors near the ascending stairs at the center of the room half-naked. Around his arm were two women, one of them being a silver-haired, amber-eyed girl.

    Ares recognized the girl and she returned his gaze, disappointed and angry. Silver didn¡¯t know why she had expectations. He was a man just like anybody else. What was she expecting?

    Hearing another slap, Ares turned his attention away from her and Silver from him.

    ¡°I thought you said she was a virgin, Gulliver! She¡¯s acting like a whore!¡± The man shouted at the fat figure approaching them.

    ¡°Of course, Mr. Yanig.¡± Gulliver bowed.

    Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.¡°I-I¡¯m s-s-Sorry¡ª¡°

    Before the girl could finish, Gulliver slapped her. Again. And again. And again.

    The other girls turned away trying to avert their gaze away, but only Silver looked at her bloodied-face without turning. Her face was telling the little girl to endure it.

    She didn¡¯t make a sound. Only the slaps with subsequent moans filled the room.

    *****

    Silver imagined murdering Gulliver and seeing his face writhe in pain as she broke his bones one by one. It was her only enjoyable thought despite being with her ¡®sisters.¡¯ They were comrades in arms if anything. They persevered together. Took care of each other.

    But no one could stop this madness. She didn¡¯t care about herself. But Lily didn¡¯t do anything wrong. Even amongst this room full of men. She swallowed her pride for the first time as tears rolled down her cheeks. She tried to shout, but her words came out like a choked whisper.

    ¡°¡­God¡­ anyone¡­ help¡­¡±

    A loud crash was heard on the other side of the room. The bulky guard from before lay mangled on the floor, crying in pain. The man¡¯s hand was wrapped tightly along the guard¡¯s face. A cracking emerged from the dead silence followed by a shriek.

    ¡°¡­haha¡­Hahaha¡­¡± The man¡¯s laugh made everyone in the room shudder in fear. ¡°How presumptuous of me.¡± He said, turning to Gulliver. ¡°To compare humans to magical beasts¡­ I really am an idiot.¡±

    He crushed his jaw with his bare hands, and dragged the man¡¯s limp body as he walked towards Gulliver. The ominous figure had two large horns coming out of his head and a dark, ash-colored body. With an air of nobility and cruelty, his hair flowed as if it had its own will. A sinister smile crept across his face.

    ¡°Truly a blessing in disguise¡­ I will enjoy this slowly.¡± He said, his steps echoing in the room like drops in a cave.

    Gulliver tried to run, but he tripped. Sapphire stuck her foot out in front of him.

    ¡°Y-You b-bitch.¡± But Sapphire only returned a devilish grin as she looked down on him, mischievously pointing at the figure approaching him. ¡°I¡¯ll kill you¡ª¡° But his line of sight was blocked by a figure that seemed to be a man.

    The shadow cast by the light enveloped his entire body. Gulliver gazed upon his face. And saw nothing but piercing blue that returned his gaze. He then saw his guard¡¯s disfigured body and face. He still wasn¡¯t dead, but his chest rose and fell slowly. He cried for help, but the man crushed his windpipe.

    ¡°P-p-please d-don¡¯t k-kill¡ª¡° Gulliver stammered, curling into a ball and shaking violently.

    ¡°I can¡¯t. Probably.¡± The man replied wryly.

    The man unsheathed his blade and tried to slice off Gulliver¡¯s foot. Seeing his foot dented instead of dismembered, the man¡¯s canines were displayed in glee.

    ****

    Seeing Gulliver writhing in pain, Silver was ecstatic. She didn¡¯t know if the man was an indiscriminate murderer or not. But she wouldn¡¯t let this opportunity slip away, even if it was given to her by a man.

    She gave a smile ear to ear, far more sinister than the mysterious man¡¯s then cackled horrifically.

    ¡°S-Silver?¡± Lily said cautiously.

    Silver took a chair and broke off a leg with her heel. She shouted, heavily panting, barely able to contain her excitement. Within seconds, she stood above Gulliver¡¯s body and licked her lips, ignoring the man beside her.

    She rubbed his cheek, slowly, in small circles before whamming the wood at his head so hard it shattered into pieces and blistered her hands.

    He tried to muster out a laugh at her attempt, but the man crushed his other foot, causing him to wail in pain. Snot and drool fell from his face as it accumulated on the floor. Confirmed the man was an ally, she didn¡¯t hold back.

    Silver bent down and grabbed his hair, wanting to see his disgusting, pained expression closer.

    ¡°Oh, how the mighty have fallen.¡± Silver said wryly, extremely pleased with the fear in his eyes, but not satisfied.

    ¡°God, please¡­¡± Gulliver pleaded.

    ¡°God isn¡¯t here right now.¡± She purred. ¡°I am.¡±

 Hypocrite

    Sorry did not proofread again :(

    <hr />

    Silver channeled her mana into her hand, forming a small fireball so bright it illuminated the room. She could have killed him earlier, but she wanted to relish this experience. Gulliver¡¯s awe replaced his fear for a second.

    ¡°V-Voiceless i-incantation¡­¡±  He muttered.

    ¡°I learned a little from each mage that bed me,¡± She said. ¡°After soothing their egos, of course. Praise them a little and they¡¯ll tell you anything.¡±

    ¡°Y-you never told me you could¡ª¡°

    ¡°Use magic? Of course not.¡± She purred caressing the other side of his face. His sticky sweat disgusted her, but it could not overpower the glee she experienced in this moment. ¡°You would have killed me before I could torture you.¡± She gave a quick glance at Ares. ¡°Though a certain ¡®someone¡¯ quickened my plans.¡±

    Gulliver could use some basic magic like [Mana Armor], but this technique was something only a few high-level mages, with the exception of geniuses could accomplish. Silver was a whore since she was young. For her to have such ability was inconceivable to him.

    ¡°You bitch¡ª¡° The fireball searing his flesh inched closer and interrupted Gulliver.

    ¡°Shh.¡± She put his finger on his trembling lips. ¡°I don¡¯t want to spend the time I have left with you speaking words. Screams will do nicely.¡± She smiled while saying all of this. Even Sapphire was taken-aback, but regained her composure.

    She inched it slowly to his face, thrilled by his expression.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t take you for the calculating type.¡± Sapphire chimed. She gave a devilish grin. ¡°Do it. Slowly.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t do it, Silver!¡± Annabelle screamed from across the room. ¡°The mark from the [Contract Magic] will never go away!¡°

    ¡°We¡¯ll be hunted as slaves who killed their master for the rest of our lives!¡± Another continued.

    But Silver wasn¡¯t listening. The fireball had begun to leave scorch marks on Gulliver¡¯s face and his tears streamed down, only to evaporate on contact with the blazing fire.

    Suddenly, an arm grabbed her wrist. As she turned to look up, she saw the face that saved her a few days ago. His right arm disseminated like sand and his skin turned a more natural color. But his horns did not retract from his head immediately. They turned a pure white, sharply contrasting with his black hair, and slowly retracted.

    ¡®You¡¯re¡ª¡° She squinted her eyes and furrowed her eyebrows. Ares couldn¡¯t tell if it was a look of anger or curiosity, but she continued her words unfazed. ¡°Why are you stopping me?¡± She gave him a cold glare, but Ares ignored her.

    ¡°Can it be hidden?¡±  Ares turned to Annabelle, his grip tightening over Silver¡¯s wrist to stop her from killing the man before he got his answer.

    ¡°I-It can¡¯t.¡± Annabelle said surprised by Ares¡¯s abrupt glance towards her.

    ¡°Demonstrate.¡± Ares commanded.

    Anabelle frightened by his words and quickly placed her hand over the exquisite tattoo on her hand. After a few moments, it moved away from the back of her hand to her forearm like a spider.

    ¡°I see.¡± Ares looked down at Gulliver. ¡°Well, what are you waiting for? Dispel the magic.¡±

    ¡°Will you spare me?¡± Gulliver asked, a glimmer of hope returning to his eyes.

    ¡°No.¡± Ares said plainly. ¡°Think of it as repentance.¡±

    ¡°Go to hell.¡± Gulliver said with a snarky grin. Seeing his imminent death, he let out a shiver-inducing cackle.

    ¡°You first.¡± Ares let go of Silver¡¯s wrist and the fireball slammed into Gulliver¡¯s face. The embers from contact flared in front of her eyes and the gaping, crispy hole continued to expand on Gulliver¡¯s face. Pieces of flesh hit her beautiful face and marked it red, her hair flying violently from the impact.

    ¡°No!¡± All the women cried out in agony. ¡°What have you done!?¡± As Gulliver¡¯s head became nothing but ash, the marks on all the women¡¯s bodies shone a crimson red. Luckily, all the men already left a long time ago and no one other than them witnessed the outcome of this situation. If someone reported this to the empire, a hefty sum could be made. But it would only be a matter of time.

    Ares saw the mark on Silver¡¯s lower back through her revealing dress glow. He wasn¡¯t sure if his advanced therapy would work, but it had a good chance of succeeding. He thought maybe the reason the reason the master was needed is because the mark would only react to him as a foreign existence as the [Contract Magic] was infused with the body, which was probably why other magic wouldn¡¯t work on it either.

    ¡°Lay on your stomach.¡± Ares words cut through the grim atmosphere. Even Sapphire who was ruthlessly kicking Gulliver¡¯s motionless body stopped for a second to hear his words.

    ¡°Ready to claim your reward for saving me before?¡± Silver purred cynically,laying on the ground seductively near Gulliver¡¯s body, radiating a scent of death, along with Sapphire and her bloody heels.

    ¡°¡­ Just do it.¡± Ares said annoyed. ¡°I might be able to help.¡±

    ¡°What can a one-armed man do?¡± She asked, belittling him.

    ¡°¡­¡± Ares stood there unresponsive to her snide remark.

    ¡°Fine.¡± As much as Silver hated a man touching her body, he was their only hope. She expected him to grope her under these conditions, but his hands moved across her back with purpose, especially around her mark.

    Within five minutes, all the women within the brothel surrounded Ares. The mark began to fade like water in ink.

    ¡°It¡¯s working!¡± Annabelle exclaimed, smelling freedom.

    ¡°Don¡¯t get your hopes up, Anna.¡± Sapphire retorted. ¡°I won¡¯t believe it works until it¡¯s completely gone.¡±

    After five more minutes, the mark was completely gone and Silver¡¯s back was bare, her flesh unblemished as if gaining more luster than before.

    ¡°Aahn.¡± Silver moaned jokingly. Ares grumbled with a slight smile. Silver couldn¡¯t help but tease him. She didn¡¯t know if it was because she took a liking to him after all he did for a bunch of whores he didn¡¯t know, or because she could finally be free of being a slave.

    Stolen story; please report.

    ¡°Who¡¯s next?¡± Ares asked puffing his chest out. He knew his actions were hot-headed and could have possibly put these women in a situation far worse than their current one. But he succeeded. Once again, he could see Vi¡¯s proud face looking down on him from above.

    ¡°Arrogant now are we?¡± Silver said trying to tease him again. But her voice was drowned out by the numerous women surrounding them.

    ¡°Me!¡± Some said in unison, while others repeated it adorably trying to get his favor, and scrambled towards Ares.

    ¡°No, Rose is next!¡± Silver¡¯s voice cut through the commotion as she rose herself to her feet.

    ¡°Why should we¡ª¡° A few began, but they shrunk under Silver¡¯s glare. It made sense. Rose was the youngest. All the women nodded to each other and from then on decided to go by age.

    They moved away from Gulliver¡¯s corpse into their public quarters. They cleared the way for Rose and she approached him cautiously. Some of them were already getting impatient.

    ¡°Ro¡ª¡° Silver walked towards her, but was interrupted by Ares.

    He lightly took her hand that bore the mark of a slave. Before she could retract her small hand, he lightly gripped it and grabbed her attention. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±

    ¡°R-Rose¡­¡± She said nervously, still frightened by her previous experience, as her cheeks were a bit bloodied.

    ¡°Is that your real name?¡± Ares asked with a warm smile.

    ¡°No¡­¡± She mumbled dejectedly.

    ¡°What is it? Don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s a man¡¯s name¡­¡± Ares snickered, aiming to get a rise out of her.

    ¡°It¡¯s Jill!¡± She replied strongly embarrassed at his insinuation.

    ¡°Hoooh. That¡¯s a nice name.¡± ¡®Just a little more¡¯ Ares thought.  ¡°Do you have any friends your age?¡±

    ¡°No¡­¡± She said depressed again. Ares released her hand and ruffled her head before she could flinch away like a scared cat.

    ¡°I know a girl that¡¯s around your age. You two could be great friends. But she¡¯s really childish. Haha.¡± Ares said reassuringly.

    ¡°But I have the mark of a slave!¡± She retorted.

    ¡°What do you mean? I don¡¯t see anything.¡± Ares said a tone higher than usual in a childish manner.

    ¡°It¡¯s right¡ª huh?¡° She looked at her hand in bewilderment in all sorts of weird angles, attracting the warm gazes of all the women. ¡°Look, Ares! Look! It¡¯s gone!¡± She said smearing her hand all over Ares¡¯s face. ¡°Do you see? Do you see?¡± She asked excitedly. The women chuckled at Ares. The man that seemed like a cold murderer was being played by a kid.

    ¡°Yeah, I see.¡± Ares smiled at her adorable reaction, but was still a tinge annoyed. ¡°Do you still want to meet the girl?¡±

    ¡°Mm!¡± Jill replied jumping up and down.

    ¡°Ro¡ªJill, we might have to leave.¡± Silver interjected into the warm atmosphere ¡°We¡¯ve probably fucked half the men in town and that¡¯ll make it hard for us to start over.¡±

    ¡°C¡¯mon pwease!¡± Rose asked with a sparkle in her eyes.

    ¡°No means no, Jill.¡± She said sternly

    ¡°Just for a little while, Silver. How can you say no to those eyes?¡± Ares asked, pulling Jill¡¯s rosy cheeks. ¡°I¡¯ll even escort you guys to the next town.¡±

    ¡°Ugh.¡± Looking at Jill¡¯s eyes again and Ares offer, Silver gave in. ¡°Fine. But you better keep your end of the deal.¡± Silver was happy Ares would continue to accompany them and it slipped out in the form of a warm smile that radiated across the room. The women who witnessed the picturesque scene felt their hearts skip.

    ¡°You guys look like a family.¡± Sapphire said, reading the atmosphere.

    They truly did. Ares being a doting father and Silver a strict wife. The other women gazed at them with jealousy and admiration.

    ¡°Don¡¯t joke, Sapphire.¡± Silver then turned her glare to Ares. ¡°And I still hate men.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s perfectly reasonable.¡± Ares said. ¡°I just hope you meet a man that¡¯ll change that.¡± Ares said simply.

    Ares seemed inattentive the whole time, playing with Jill. She didn¡¯t know why, but it annoyed her. ¡°So that¡¯s your taste. I wondered why you didn¡¯t grope me.¡± She purred. Hearing her accusations, Ares turned to her in disbelief, his mouth gaping open.

    ¡°She already has.¡± Sapphire whispered to Annabelle loud enough for Silver to hear.

    Before Silver could retort their statement, Ares grabbed her attention as he stood toe to toe with her.

    ¡°Don¡¯t joke like that.¡± He said coldly and turned his back to her. Ares went to tend to the next woman and didn¡¯t pay her any attention as he treated the rest of the women as the hours passed.

    ****

    Silver leaned on a distant wall with her arms crossed at the corner of the room. ¡®Why is he being so fucking sensitive?¡¯ She thought angrily.

    Sapphire approached her with a mocking grin. Before she could speak, Silver spoke first, which was very unlike her and caused Sapphire to laugh loudly.

    ¡°It was just a damn joke.¡± Silver said expressionless. Her usually cynical and seductive demeanor was gone. ¡°And stop laughing. What¡¯s so funny?¡±

    Sapphire laughed some more and finally spoke. ¡°Haha. Well, you aren¡¯t known for being funny¡­ You like his attention right?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t hate it.¡± Silver replied, grabbing her forearm so hard, it looked like it would bleed any moment.

    ¡°Then you should apologize¡ª¡° Sapphire tried to counsel, but were words were cut short.

    ¡°Sapphire, you know what I hate more than men?¡± Silver asked rhetorically, looking in Ares¡¯s direction. He finished with the all the women after a few hours and started to tell Jill some fairy tales while the others began to pack and sleep. A few tried to seduce him into leaving Jill alone to sleep with them in their rooms, but he politely refused their advances. He then looked in Silver¡¯s direction and turned away.

    She felt annoyed and angry at herself. Her back slid down the wall until she was crouching with her hands clutching her hair. ¡°¡­Being a hypocrite.¡±

 By The Lake

    Short ch :( final week is coming  -:me no cry:-

    <hr />

    The nearest town over was Eiffel. While the women took a nap before setting off, Ares went over the Bumbling Bee and woke up Ryner. He asked to borrow his wagon and explained the situation to him. He also told him that after returning the wagon, he wouldn¡¯t come back. He would continue his journey looking for Gillius and Azazil.

    Ryner was saddened by this and asked if he would like to say goodbye to Rachel and Effari. Ares declined and said it would better not to, but inside he just didn¡¯t like saying it. In that moment, he wondered if this was how Astercoth and Vi felt.

    Ryner understood, and gave him a small fortune. It left Ares baffled. He knew how much Ryner cherished money more than most people. He told him to divide it amongst the women. ¡°In case they can¡¯t find jobs.¡± Ryner said with a smile.

    ¡°You¡¯re a great man, Ryner.¡± Ares said complimenting his good will.

    ¡°I know. Now get out my damn inn.¡± Ryner said jokingly. Perhaps he wasn¡¯t that happy giving such a huge sum of money afterall.

    Ares chuckled and left with those few words. He made his way back to the Humming Bird with Ryner¡¯s large wagon. Since it was used to transport large cargo, it had enough space for all the women, though it would be a little cramped.

    By the time he arrived at the Humming Bird, the streets were empty. ¡®This is perfect.¡¯ Ares thought, leaving the wagon outside and entering through the front door. To his pleasure, the women were ready to go. They looked anxious and Jill ran out Silver¡¯s arms, tightly hugging Ares¡¯s leg.

    ¡°We thought you left us.¡± Sapphire said. She lay against the wall with her elbow against it and flashed a glance towards Silver. ¡°Except one.¡±

    ¡°Shut it.¡± Silver said, shooting a cold glare towards Sapphire.

    Confronted by Jill¡¯s sudden hug and almost tearful eyes, Ares didn¡¯t say anything and lightly ruffled Jill¡¯s hair. Grabbing all the women¡¯s attention, Ares spoke out. ¡°Let¡¯s get going.¡±

    ****

    A day passed and they arrived at the center of Kandor Forest between Helgathor and Eiffel. According to Annabelle, it was an E Rank forest filled with weak magical beasts. Ares was sure he could subjugate them, but with Silver¡¯s fireball, they shouldn¡¯t pose any threat.

    As they ventured deeper into the forest, they found a small shallow lake deep enough to reach their knees. Ares tried to pass by it, so they could get to Eiffel faster, but Jill announced its existence the moment it came into sight.

    ¡°Look! it¡¯s a lake everyone!¡± Jill shouted , unaware of Ares reprimanding glare.

    ¡°A lake!?¡± The women in the back exclaimed in unison. They popped their heads out and one even jumped off the moving wagon, forcing Ares to stop.

    ¡°Get back on the wagon!¡± Ares shouted towards the childish women. Some even undressed as they neared the lake.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be a pissy old man.¡± Silver chided. But, Ares quickly turned his head as the women became nearly naked. ¡°Protecting our modesty?¡± She purred trying to lean against his body. Ares brushed his hand against her cheek before lightly grasping it in his hand. Silver leaned her head into his hand and she cursed herself for it. But she couldn¡¯t resist the temptation. She ignored the concerned and compassionate look in Ares eyes. She knew she was messed up. She never knew what was considered acceptable behavior among women. But she didn¡¯t care.

    All she wanted to do was satisfy the curious feeling bubbling in her chest every time she was around him. Before Ares could retract his hand, she grabbed it, unwilling to let go of whatever was happening to her, slowly closing her eyes to immerse herself within it.

    ¡®¡­ so warm¡¯ She thought. A nice sensation flew from her stomach to her chest as the gentle wind tipped the leaves off the trees and flew through her hair. When she opened her eyes, she found Ares frozen in shock, his cheeks a light red. ¡°Are you¡­ a virgin?¡± She asked in disbelief. For a man, especially at his age, to be a virgin was unthinkable, especially with all the brothels in Helgathor.

    If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    Ares wrestled his hand away from her and grabbed the reins on the horses. ¡°What of it?¡±

    ¡°¡­ I wish I¡­no, forget I even asked.¡± She said looking far into the distance. This was the first she showed a vulnerable side to someone else. She didn¡¯t do it on purpose, but the feeling Ares gave off caused this to happen to her and she left her guard down as a result.

    Ares forgot she was raped since she was a child. Her virginity was something stolen from her by some scumbag and must have been a devastating experience to her. ¡®Maybe that¡¯s why she¡¯s attached to Jill¡­¡¯ Ares thought. But gave his earnest thoughts on the matter.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter.¡± Ares said plainly.

    ¡°That¡¯s easy for you to say!¡± Silver¡¯s amber eyes seemed like a fed fire as she looked intently into Ares deep blue. ¡°Who would want a whore who¡¯s fucked half a town!?¡± She shouted, even catching the attention of the women playing in the lake. Her words rung true to many of them. Would anybody even want them? Would anybody accept them? Their past? Silver wanted to kill herself at that moment. Her words implied that she wanted to be loved like any other person, even a man. As much as a hypocrite she was for saying so, Ares statement ignited a fire within her. What he said next left her speechless.

    ¡°I would!¡± Ares shouted back at her in anger, quieting the forest itself. His words echoed with so much force, Silver flinched. ¡®How could she have such a low opinion of herself?¡¯ Ares thought in fury, grinding his teeth and recalling how Gulliver¡¯s actions towards Jill. ¡°I admit. You¡¯re not perfect.¡± Silver¡¯s heart dropped, until Ares continued. ¡°But you¡¯re beautiful, hard-headed sometimes, prideful, charismatic, caring, and stern.¡± Silver tried to retort his statement, attempting to make his words meaningless, that they didn¡¯t apply to her and wouldn¡¯t outweigh her lack of worth in the eyes of many, but before she could even try, he grabbed her hand and pulled her towards him. With resolute eyes that could pierce the heavens, he said his peace. ¡°And I¡¯ll kill anyone that says otherwise.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡± Everyone was speechless, their mouths gaping open.

    Ares, realizing what he said, became a bright red and left before seeing Silver¡¯s expression. He coughed before excusing himself ¡°I¡¯ll give you guys some privacy and hunt some food in the meantime.¡± He said, abruptly walking out of the clearing. As soon as he was out of hearing distance, a shriek sounded, alarming all the deers and small animals drinking in the lake.

    *****

    ¡°Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!¡± All the girls yelled in unison. Even Sapphire couldn¡¯t help but blush at his statement. The lake became a whirlwind of gossip that became the topic of conversation for the rest of the trip.

    "I think Ruby fainted!"

    ¡°Did you hear what he said!?¡± A girl exclaimed.

    ¡°Such a romantic. Silver¡¯s so lucky.¡± Another said dejectedly, watching others mime Ares.

    ¡°Fuck Silver. He¡¯s mi¡ª¡° Another claimed before receiving a glare from Sapphire. She swallowed her words.

    Silver walked out to a desolate part of the clearing and began to drench herself with the cold water, seemingly unaffected by the turn of events. Her majestic body seemed to bless the lake as it shone brighter with every step in the clear water. Her silver hair glimmered like moonlight and her eyes brought upon a sense of dusk as it reflected strongly in the water.

    The other girls knew her personality, but this was too much in their minds. How could she be so unmoved?

    ¡°You guys don¡¯t understand her.¡± Sapphire scolded, knowing their thoughts. ¡°Watch.¡±

    She walked up to Silver confidently and looked at her face  before giving her a mocking grin.

    ¡°You¡¯re blu¡ª¡° Silver kicked the side of her hip, letting Sapphire¡¯s body meet the water with a huge splash that made the girls quiver in fear.

    ¡°Shut it.¡±

 Love

    The remainder of the trip, Ares and Silver couldn¡¯t look each other in the eyes without turning red. Their random, awkward conversations caused everyone to chuckle. Looking closely, their gazes would linger a bit more often than usual when they spoke to each other.

    Sapphire sighed and mumbled under her breath to Annabelle. ¡°I guess Silver¡¯s inexperienced in matters of the heart.¡±

    ¡°Let them be.¡± Annabelle replied. ¡°She¡¯s trying to be a normal woman for Ares.¡± She calmly looked down as if in deep thought. If her ears weren¡¯t perked up, she would appear to be meditating.

    ¡°¡­ What do you usually eat?¡± Silver asked stoically, twiddling her thumbs and playing with fire magic in her hands. These questions like made everyone in the back cringe with a wide grin. Some couldn¡¯t control their laugh and little giggles reached Silver¡¯s ears, causing her previously cold face to turn slightly red in annoyance and embarrassment.

    ¡°I¡¯m quite accustomed to e-eggs¡­¡± Ares stole a glance at Silver. Feeling his stare, Silver tried to return it and look deep into his blue eyes. ¡°Ryner served me that often.¡± Ares replied, staring straight down the road afterwards. The light blush accompanying his reply didn¡¯t get past the girls in the back. He was expecting her to treat him as she did after that ¡®incident.¡¯ He wasn¡¯t used to this new Silver and it showed.

    ¡°I-I see¡­ I¡¯m pretty good at cooking.¡± Silver turned her attention back to her fire magic. Ares felt his heart thump against his chest.

    The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    ¡°¡­¡± A short silence followed before Silver spoke again. ¡°What type of eggs¡ª¡°

    ¡°How much time until we reach Eiffel!?¡± Sapphire shouted. She couldn¡¯t take it anymore and snapped. How much longer would she have to endure these horrible attempts at conversation?

    ¡°Sit down!¡± Annabelle said, gritting her teeth. ¡°You¡¯re ruining the mood.¡± The other women gave Sapphire a look of anger. They proceeded to gang up on her, lightly hitting her for destroying the atmosphere.

    ¡°Ugh.¡± Sapphire playfully cried out in pain. She subsequently looked back at Ares and Silver. ''Don''t waste this chance, Ares!'' She thought.

    ¡°W-We¡¯re almost there.¡± Ares couldn¡¯t hide his surprised tone. ¡®Did she notice?¡¯ He noticed Sapphire''s eyes. He was intentionally taking his time. Eiffel was within the day¡¯s reach. And he would soon part with Silver. The past few days, the thoughts of his father would leave his mind momentarily. All he could think about was Silver. It was scary to him. He glanced at Silver once more and Silver returned it. Neither retracted their gaze. The setting sun gave her hair an angelic aura and her eyes looked at him expectantly. Her lips looked as they would tear on contact and reflected its orange light. Ares leaned in and Sapphire let out a barely noticeable grin. ¡®Love is scary.¡¯ He thought.

 A New Life

    Did not proofread. Sorry if theres any errors.

    <hr />

    Eiffel was a prosperous town that benefited from trade with nearby towns occasionally. Farmland covered a majority of the region. It was quiet and suited those that enjoyed a humble living.

    It didn¡¯t have the hustle and bustle of Helgathor, but these women needed something new and Eiffel was a good place to start considering its distance from Helgathor. Without the slave contract¡¯s magic seal, claims of their previous slavery would not be verified. Even then, only adventurers, merchants, and nobles had the means to cross Kandor forest despite it being E Rank territory and they came and went like the wind.

    As the wagon neared the gate, they couldn¡¯t help but exclaim at its grandeur. The gate seemed to stretch around the entirety of Eiffel and all its land. Ares could guess that it was to bar any magical beasts from entering through Kandor Forest, but for it to be this big and sturdy, he became curious, but as the guards let them through, his interest lay in the people of Eiffel. Everyone dressed simply, the material from the cloth undeniably cotton. Some, obviously warriors, equipped worn leather that experienced the might of magical beasts. The ground was wet and had a deep light earthen color, leaving a print as one laid their feet upon it. The brisk wind caressed their faces, but the darkening clouds caused them to hurry through the gate.

    ¡°We¡¯re finally here!¡± Sapphire said, rubbing her head against Eiffel¡¯s fertile ground. Her mouth curled up like a cat, her body ungracefully groveling on the ground, the others laughed as they slowly disembarked the wagon. She was originally a farmer near the border and the smell of a daily harvest entered her nostrils as if welcoming her. She already made plans to buy some land, confident in her ability to make a profitable yield. Her blue eyes were clear like the sky and her blond hair dropped on her shoulders as she stood up, inhaling the air.

    Annabelle sighed at Sapphire¡¯s uncouth behavior, but could not hide the tremendous relief she felt stepping onto Eiffel¡¯s soil. Annabelle¡¯s red hair was just as long as Sapphire¡¯s and her eyes were dark brown. She wore an earring with a small bell attached to it, though it would rarely ring. When she was bought by Gulliver, she refused to remove it for more luxurious jewelry to better please the eyes of his guests. No matter how much he beat her, she didn¡¯t relinquish it. More importantly, no one dared to ask her why it was important. ¡°Everyone has their secrets.¡± Ares said when he learned of this from Sapphire.

    Annabelle was the last to get off and her earring let out an angelic vibration that quickly caught the attention of everyone in her vicinity, as well as some of the guards. Beautiful women left the wagon one by one. Seeing them aggregate towards Ares, the sole man among them, the guards trotted towards them after letting them past the gate, but was quickly stopped by a man nearly a head taller than the rest.

    ¡°Can we help you ladies with anything?¡± The taller guard said, displeased with the way they caused his guards to react.

    ¡°No thanks¡ª¡° Silver began, but was immediately interrupted by Sapphire.

    ¡°Please. Can you show us where we can purchase some land and a home?¡± Sapphire walked towards the guard with a bright smile and pretended to trip, landing right into his arms. A sweet scent filled his nostrils immediately. She lifted her head and stared into his flushed face. ¡°Ugh. I¡¯m sorry. This trip has been so hard on my body.¡± She let out panted breaths onto his chest and her disheveled hair began to stick to his chest. Her eyes screamed a sense of vulnerability and she pushed the guard away. Before he could take another step, she tripped over another rock unable to be seen by the naked eye.

    The others were flabbergasted by her performance. Though they had been used by men close to their whole lives, with that came an ability to control them. If Silver was the prettiest among them, but Sapphire was definitely the most skilled given her level of beauty.

    The guard pulled her into his grasp as she fell and her breasts slammed into his body. ¡®Hehe. Too easy.¡¯ She thought. She looked up to the guard once more and to her surprise the guard¡¯s face was filled with genuine worry. She was planning to manipulate him to help the women integrate into the town without difficulty. She easily identified him as the captain of the guards and made her move on him. Before she could finish her thoughts, the guard bent down and reached him arms around her legs, picking her up with ease. ¡°Eh?¡± Looking closely, the captain had a masculine aura. His brown eyes shone with a chivalrous light that enraptured a few of the women. Sapphire blushed genuinely. Looking up to him, the sun gave his hair a golden edge. As he lifted her up, her dress fell to her thighs and continued. She quickly pushed the dress to her knees, suddenly gaining a sense of modesty. ¡®This brute.¡¯ Sapphire thought angrily.

    ¡°You need to see a healer, now! Thomas, guide these women to the chief.¡± The captain said in a deep voice that commanded authority.

    ¡°Y-Yes, Captain Fellzat!¡± Thomas said, saluting him and regaining his composure.

    Fellzat quickly ran through Eiffel with blinding speed, leaving the other women along with Ares in a daze. Seeing their lost expressions as they saw Fellzat run off with a member of their group, Thomas coughed trying to get their attention.

    ¡°Please excuse our captain. R-Right this way.¡± Thomas said nervously, he was always left to clean up Fellzat¡¯s mess. Explaining to them that the woman would be fine with the captain, the group hesitantly followed Thomas.

    Walking through the town, Thomas mentioned many of the town¡¯s important structures. Pointing at the nearby library, Thomas began.

    ¡°This is one of three libraries in Eiffel, The Easton Library¡± Thomas said excitedly. He was definitely an avid reader, or a fervent visitor at the least. ¡°The previous owner retired and lives near the center of town. Irusus runs it now as well as a small school for children.¡± Thomas bragged. ¡°Our town is very blessed to have him. There are rumors that he¡¯s a retired instructor from a school, but he¡¯s way too young.¡±

    Annabelle was rather indifferent towards Eiffel¡¯s attractions as Thomas called them. However, this piqued her interest. She didn¡¯t expect a library so soon and she ran out of books to read on the way here. Stopping for a few seconds, she made her decision.

    ¡°I¡¯m going. Pick me up when we¡¯ve established our residence.¡± She told Silver. Before she could answer, she hurried off to the entrance and saw its humble aesthetic. Reading its small sign above the double doors, Annabelle went in. Expecting a small collection, her mouth agape with surprise she saw the numerous bookshelves in its glorious uniformity. The scent of aged paper and flecks of dust that shone in the light coming down from its circular window was inspiring. Her body flew to the nearest bookshelf and she shuddered in ecstasy.

    ¡°Renlo, Haverpatch, Jinusen¡­ They¡¯re all here¡­¡± Her eyes stared wildly at the books in front of her. She had heard about these classic writers from scholarly men that bedded her, but she never dreamed she would be able to read their work one day. Just as her fingers reached out towards the spine of Renlo¡¯s Eve Of A Moonlight Romance, a light voice reached her ears from afar along with the shuffling of paper.

    ¡°I-I¡¯ll be right with you! Just give me a moment!¡± The man said, his long blond hair tied at the base of his neck and draping over his collarbone. He had a lean build, not common for a scholar and would occasionally adjust his glasses.

    She pulled her hand back not paying much attention to the man, but she nearly lost her voice looking at the author of the book the man was holding.

    ¡°N-N-Neraptus¡­¡± She muttered, trembling as she nearly lost her footing.

    ¡°A young man who died before his best years. Who knows what other masterpieces he would have created had he survived The Great War.¡± The man let out a sigh and silently paid respect to the author before giving Annabelle his attention. ¡°Now, how may I¡ª¡° Before he could finish, the red-haired woman charged him, reaching her hand out to grab the treasure before her eyes. As he pulled back, he slipped on a book and the girl¡¯s weight came crashing down on him.

    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    ****

    ¡°Did you hear something?¡± Silver asked, a slight furrow in her brow. As she was about to pace back towards the Easton Library, she felt a blanket of warmth envelop her hand. ¡°Huh?¡± Ares clumsily held a firm grip on her hand, but trembled in a rhythm that synched with his heart.

    He was looking for this chance as they neared what Thomas said was the butcher¡¯s shop, Furrowing Pigs. He violently pulled her to his side, but didn¡¯t dare look into her eyes. Stiffening as they walked, a few of the women quickly occupied Thomas¡¯s attention and led him astray while one forcefully pulled Marie away from the budding couple.

    He himself had no money and he left the gold Ryner had given him with the rest of the group, telling them to find him and Silver once they bought the house before pulling the small girl away.  He secretly bought a silver earring with the little gold he slipped from the bag. As he readied hi heart, his ears perked up at the mention at the mention of Gillius¡¯s name from the butcher¡¯s customer.

    ¡°C¡¯mon Vallen. There¡¯s no way you used to sell meat to General Gillius.¡± The young man began to tease. ¡°You¡¯re telling me he chose to buy meat from you when he could have any meat in Helgathor.¡±

    ¡°You ignorant lad! I owned the best meat shop in Helgathor!¡± Vallen screamed back, fuming with anger, his face taking on a red flush. He slammed his hairy hands on the counter ready to pounce on the young man. ¡°I¡¯ll let you know that heroic man bought meat from me alone!¡±

    ¡°Whatever.¡± The young man said digging for ear wax with his pinky. Blowing towards the butchered cow hanging near the shop¡¯s counter, he continued with a face of annoyance. ¡°He¡¯s not even that great. I heard he bought a slave right after leaving that other kid he took in to die on an island. Everyone praised him for his generosity, yet buying a slave right after he found out the other was a criminal. It doesn¡¯t take a genius to figure out the reason he took the first one in the first place.¡± The young man sneered, seeing Vallen gritting his teeth, silent before his words. ¡°Anyway, give me my bunny.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t sell to anyone that besmirches our beloved general! Find another butcher, you ingrate!¡± Vallen shouted angrily at the young man and pointed towards another butcher far from his establishments. ¡°I don¡¯t need customers like you!¡±

    As the man young man left in embarrassment, seeing the crowd gather around him, Vallen crossed his arms. ¡°Hmph.¡± He went to back of his shop, loud chopping and sound of falling limbs filling the air.

    Hearing the conversation, the seed of doubt placed within all those years on Diatie began to grow rapidly. ¡°Another slave?¡± Ares heart almost burst through his chest and he began to genuinely panic. In the end, he was still only fifteen years old. A boy seeking his family.

    His thoughts rushed to Myra¡¯s face, Vivian and Astercoth, and Krystal¡¯s soft whines as the light enveloped him.   Was he truly abandoned? Had he been played for a fool this whole time? Ares broke out into a cold sweat, his hand losing all the strength and courage he exuded previously.

    Silver didn¡¯t say anything. She too heard the conversation and knew Ares was looking for his Gillius. She quietly pulled him away and headed in the opposite direction.

    Ares was in a daze and felt a piece of his soul leave him. After Silver dragged him to a few open stalls in their area, he could see trying so hard for him, but his mind was in disaray. Silver tried to shift his mind to other places, but his mind was too occupied.

    ¡°Silver¡­ Should I stop here?¡± Ares asked, stopping dead in his tracks. Silver felt like she was pulling a tree and the words she had been holding since Ares told her of his situation burst out.

    ¡°You don¡¯t owe him anything!¡± Silver reprimanded, punching his chest. ¡°You¡¯ve done well enough without him. You don¡¯t need him.¡± She clenched her fists at her sides, looking down on the ground in seething anger. ¡°¡­ You don¡¯t need him¡­¡± It wasn¡¯t her place to denounce him. She hated Gillius from the bottom of her heart. How could she not? She left the only man she¡¯s ever loved on an island to fend for himself when he was a boy to protect himself and his family. The fact that Ares would eventually leave her to chase after such a man was something she could not accept, tasting the pending happiness she would experience should he stay. How could she let him go?

    There was a strange stillness in the air that was pierced by the crackling of thunder and light raindrops began to putter the ground, increasing in number steadily.

    ¡°I see¡­¡± Ares stared into the dark clouds, his hair sticking to his face from its wetness. ¡°I guess this is why Myra called me an idiot.¡± He said lightly before chuckling with resignation and disappointment, ridiculing himself and his blind actions to fulfill a promise ten years ago that the other party might not even welcome. But in his heart, he still didn¡¯t hate Gillius. He treated him well and prevented his immediate execution. Even moreso, without his encouragement, Ares would have resigned himself to death the moment he swam to the shores of Diatie. He would¡¯ve never made the bonds he forged there and become such a strong and knowledgeable young man. But did Gillius do him a favor worth chasing across the continent? He wasn¡¯t even his biological father¡­ After some solid thought, Ares decided that ending it here would be okay. He had done enough. He survived and that was all that Gillius wished for. ¡®Was it merely because I had no direction in my life? Nothing else to live for?¡± He asked himself.

    As he looked to the dark sky, he lightly smiled and turned to Silver. ¡°¡­ I¡¯ve¡­ done enough. This is okay. I can stop here.¡±

    He pulled an earring from the cuff of his sleeve while Silver hung her head low. He hoped to surprise her. He took a deep breath, gathering his courage, only to be surprised himself moments later. Silver grabbed his arm and wrapped it around her neck. She shifted her weight onto his chest and placed both her hands delicately on his side. Seeing his expression, Silver lightly chuckled slyly and drew her body closer to his before continuing to look around.

    ¡°Where should we go next?¡± Silver excitedly asked, trying to lighten the mood. But Ares focused his attention on her beautiful and hair and lust-inducing eyes. A heavenly scent reached his nose and he began to grasp locks of her hair, only to see them slip away between his fingers.

    ¡°How about¡ª¡° Silver couldn¡¯t continue speaking. Ares eyes were locked onto hers in a mature fashion that exceeded his age.

    Ares clumsily grabbed her head and pressed his lips against hers. She could barely breathe and the kiss grew deeper and deeper, their tongues interlocking like coiling snakes. Their hair tangled into each other made it more difficult As she pushed him away to catch her breath, he pulled her in once more, wrapping his arm around her slim waist. Their lips parted, and Silver was speechless. Her whole face was tomato-red, but Ares solemn eyes brought her back to reality.

    ¡°Ares, you¡¯re leaving. You shouldn¡¯t give me hope¡ª¡° Silver said, turning her head away.

    ¡°Bel. Just call me Bel.¡± He said in a clear mind. His thoughts her like a still sea. Tranquil. He skillfully put the earring on her with one hand. It was the shape of a diamond that hung from her lobe, a crimson sphere in the very center.

    Seeing Thomas in the distance, Ares locked his fingers into hers, smiling coolly under the now battering rain that hid her tears too well. ¡°Let¡¯s go home.¡±