Author's Note:

So here's my first chapter of this volume. I planned to post it earlier but it took me almost half a week to think of what is going to happen in this arc and I still had to write it so yeah... Hopefully you like what came out of it :)

****

The veil of night was their only friend. No one else. Truthfully. Those people running around with torches in their hands weren't nice no matter what they were shouting. Lies, all lies about trying to save them. Who needed saving anyway? Not them for sure!

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Par asked a billionth time, watching Ace sneakily looking around a corner.

"Do you doubt my abilities? I told you I can get us out of the city!" he said, annoyed. It should have been a piece of cake but a few minutes after their agreement to run away a nationwide search was conducted. In seconds posters promising a thousand for Par's and ten thousand gold for his head were put all around, getting everyone’s attention. Well, all of him in truth. If anyone killed him, he wouldn't see sunrise ever again.

So now they were hiding in a dark narrow street while people walked around, shouting their names. What a fun way to spend one’s evening.

"What should we do then? We're going to be found soon!"

"I'm thinking, thinking!" Ace said in a quiet growl, wrecking his brains for a way out. The gates were blocked and it would be extremely dangerous even to think about going through there. The closer to an exit the more packed it was. Somehow all had decided that they were making an escape. 'Am I so predictable..? Oh well, maybe I hadn't been doing much of anything besides that... Damn.'

/I have a mission for you. Can you talk now?/

Ace checked to see the message was from L. /It's not the best time. I'm kind of being chased by the whole city at the moment/

"Duck!" he said jumping on Par and making both of them fall to the ground.

"What for?" Par asked, annoyed. The ground was pretty cold.

"Shadow Veil" Ace said quietly, hiding them as a scouting arrow passed by. It was put on fire to light the dark paths before walking in them.

They didn't dare to move until the fire exhausted itself and they were back in the welcoming darkness. It was the first time in his life that Par preferred blackness over light. And felt safer in it.

"How did you know it was coming?" he asked standing up.

"I saw someone moving. Better safe than sorry"

"You're amazing!" Par said with admiration in his voice.

"Thanks" Ace murmured back, looking at the new message he'd received.

/You seem to be quite popular. Need any help? For a price of course./

/Of course... So what can you do? Wait, just do it. I need to be out before sunrise/

/Done/

"Help is coming" Ace said in a whisper.

"But you said you were leaving Vera behind!" Par said accusingly.

"Because I am" Ace answered rolling his eyes. "It's a neutral party. I'm kind of working for him. Since today..."

/We're in a street three turns right from jewel shop in main street if you're interested./

/Well, that quickens the search for sure/

/I think you meant it makes it possible. I believe my hiding skills are pretty good when you look at the scale of the search and the fact that no one has even noticed me yet/ he wrote back sitting down. No matter what L had planned, it'll take some time.

"What is going to happen?" Par asked, sitting down beside him.

"Don't know. We'll see what he has planned for us. We're going on his quest anyway."

"What do you mean on his quest? I thought we were running away!"

"We are!" Ace said firmly. "It's just that we'll need to do something so I agreed to help him out. Although I'm not even sure what he needs yet..." That was a blatant lie. He clearly knew what the mission would be, death for some unlucky fellow.

After some time a shadow entered their street and motioned for them to follow. They stood up, glanced at each other for a moment and went after. Ace followed surprised how the man managed to evade all the search parties. Maybe he had [Instincts of a Predator] too?

Blocking one street stood a carriage. There were no lights around but in the shadows he could see an emblem of a bird on the door which opened the moment they approached.

"Hurry up in!" Sir Elimas said from the inside and the kids jumped in. The doors closed behind them and the horses started to move. "Now get under that seat! I'll take you out of town and to your first mission's destination."

Ace raised the side of a heavy cloth and saw a wide empty space. Strangely it was very clean. "Do you do this often?" he asked. Sir Elimas ignored his question and pushed them to go down there quicker.

The space wasn't as wide as it showed up at first. Although they were only two children, it was extremely uncomfortable and they were half sitting - half lying on each other. The worst position ever.

"I don't like it" Par said, stating it like a fact.

"Neither do I but let's imagine we're two princes and our evil uncle is trying to catch us!"

"Why should we do it?"

"Do you think dying here of boredom is better? In my opinion, playing games is the best solution to everything!" Ace said smiling brightly but it lost its effect in the total darkness.

"So what if we pretend? It's not like we can move..."

"But we can talk quietly! That's all we need! Let's create our own story and continue it as we travel around! Okay?"

"Okay..." Par said, not really understanding the point of it. He had never played imaginative games with his brother.

"Great! So I go first! I'm a son of a noble hero! He married a princess and I was born. We happily lived in our own mansion when the king suddenly died! I was brought here to be crowned but my evil aunt with only a drop of royal blood usurped the throne and has ordered my death! So here I am hiding in this dusty compartment hoping against hope that I'll make it through! That is my story. Who are you my runaway friend?" he said, pretending the well-mannered tone of nobility.

"Can I be your brother?" Par asked, helplessly. He wasn't even sure what he was supposed to with this story. Why were they even creating it anyway?

"That's not fun!" Ace said, annoyed. "Then we'd have to fight between ourselves for the throne! Do you really want that?"

"What? Why? No!"

"Great! So create your character now!" Ace said, trying to nod and hitting his head on the board. "Owowow! Why is this god damn place so small?" he hissed directing the question at the lord's dog but the guy kept quiet.

"I don't know how... I've never done it before..."

"Just do it! What's so hard about it? Just mash all your favourite characters into one if you have no other ideas!"

"But..."

"Do it!" Ace whisper-shouted angrily, hitting Par’s head lightly, the small space prevented a better hit from coming.

"Why... Fine! I'm a wandering magician! My father is... missing! Mother too!"

"What are you doing here? In this small and, currently, overcrowded place?"

"Ah... I got found out?"

"Doing what?"

"Quiet!" Sir Elimas said in a whisper, hitting the cloth that hid them with his boot. "We're at the gates."

The kids pushed themselves closer to the wooden boards in a vain attempt to hide better. It was the moment they would escape or be caught and returned to their masters. Now everything rested on the shoulders of Lady Luck.

"Stop!" guard's shout was heard and the carriage ceased moving. "Nobody is allowed to leave at the moment. We'll search your carriage now and you'll be free to leave in the morning. This is the lord's word!" the guard continued saying. Ace couldn't see anything at all and had to trust Sir Elimas to get them out.

"Show me the order" Sir Elimas said in a calm voice.

"It... it... It is..." The guard seemed at a loss for words. He'd never expected to be asked for a proof.

"I'm here on lord's orders so get out my way" Elimas said in a threatening tone. "I'll be sure to report this to the higher ups. You can say goodbye to your career for even thinking about stopping me."

There was the sound of doors being closed with a bang and the driver shouting at his horses to move. Sometime later the cloth preventing any light from reaching the kids was lifted and they could take a good mouthful of fresher air.

"You're free now. We've left the borders of Lasran city ten minutes ago and no one is chasing us" Sir Elimas said, motioning for them to leave the hiding place.

Ace stood up on shaky legs. For sitting so long in an uncomfortable position they had gone numb, or he imagined it. The game removed such unnecessary and annoying things. He sat down on the seat with both his legs up while Par was sitting like a normal person. 'Why did I pick him up again?'

"So where are we going now?" he asked the guy sitting in front of him.

"A small village. You'll repay your debt there."

"Really? What is it?"

"You'll have to make the town's mayor start to pay his taxes"

"What? I'm not a tax collector! Why would he listen to a kid, anyway?" Ace asked, shaking his head in disbelief.

"I do not know but the lord has faith in you. Once you're finished with this, you'll receive your first true mission"

"Seriously..." Ace said, rolling his eyes. Who knew the lord wouldn't trust his abilities so much even though being the one who suggested the union in the first place. "Why isn't the guy paying? Is there anything I should need to know before meeting him?"

"No" Sir Elimas said coldly and his expression assured that no more questions would be answered.

"Will we be staying in that village then?" Par asked, turning to look at Ace who was thoughtful.

"Maybe, depends whether anyone lets us in. We're two kids after all" Ace said and stayed quiet after that.

There were many unknown factors to consider. They had to find a place to live, something good to eat because Monthu would get his head twice as many times as he planned now if Par had to live on bread and water as Ace himself had many times and find a way to make some mayor pay taxes.

No matter who the guy was, there was not a single person player or Npc who would willingly empty his pockets for the sake of some lord. It was going to be a challenge without even knowing any details, like what taxes he didn't pay for example.

They travelled till midnight. Only then a dark shadowy town was seen. It was hard to say whether it had been really that far away from Lasran or the driver had gotten lost a few times. That could have been the case because there was not a single light in the houses around and no roads were leading to it.

The driver led the kids out and closed the door of the carriage. Sir Elimas didn't say a word or move a muscle in that exchange and they were off, leaving two little kids all alone in a dark village.

"That's so very nice of him" Ace said, directing his eyes to the heavens. The sky was dark, new moon.

"What should we do now?" Par asked, his voice uncertain.

"Make a camp, what else?" Ace said. He allowed [Flare] to leave from under his scarf and light the place slightly.

They were at the edge of some forest with houses only a few meters away. Ace chose to go deeper into the forest to look for some wood and an empty space. Par didn't look happy but he was used to following others. An idea to disagree didn't even come to him for which Ace was thankful. He was too lazy to think of a lie at the moment.

'It's truth, that we could have woken up the villagers and asked for a place to stay' Ace mused while collecting small branches. 'But it is also truth that I don't want that. It's boring to always use the same approach and I've used the defenceless kid act way too much recently. Not that I'd think twice if the situation required' A short laugh escaped his mouth startling Par who looked very uncomfortable.

"What is it?" Ace asked, carrying the branches further in where a small clearing resided. It was only a hundred meters or so away from the village. He threw the firewood down and ordered [Flare] to light it up. It took a few tries until the fire caught.

"Why are we staying here?" Par asked, putting his own branches close by.

"We're fugitives! We can't just go in like that especially in the middle of the night!"

"Fugitives?"

"I'm a prince on the run! Do you really expect me to be so careless? The kingdoms happiness rests on my shoulders!" Ace said in a raised voice.

“Oh! The story! So I’m a magician, right?”

"Yes! Why were you hiding with me anyway? What did you do to become wanted?" Ace asked, taking out a few blankets from his backpack and putting them near the fire. He sat down with his legs crossed, resting his head on the right hand and looking straight at Par.

Par could see the lord in him. The guy's back was straight, face unreadable and yellow eyes reflecting the light of the fire. There was an air of formality surrounding him too.

"How do you do that?" he asked, amazed.

"Do what?" Ace asked, surprised, destroying the whole illusion.

"What you did before! If I hadn't known it was you, I would have sworn you're a true lord! There was just something about you that prevented me from even doubting that! How can you make it so? I want to learn it to!"

Ace tilted his head sideways, deliberating his answer. He could try to explain it truthfully or just pass it by. What would be better now... Truth or another bout of lies? He was good at making them believable.

Maybe the kid deserved not to be lied to. He had left all he knew and it would be really troublesome if he found out Ace didn't really mind it, being only concerned about himself. 'If you make a big lie, tell them only truth afterwards so they accidentally don’t start to doubt you.'

"It's simple acting. I remember an anime about a lord kid and imitate his actions to perfection. But most importantly I believe in myself. Faulty acting can seem like your character’s traits if you manage to convince yourself and everyone that you're truly what you pretend to be. There can't be any doubt in your disposition" Ace explained, his face and movements changing from a child's to an old man's, from a lively person's to a tired one's and finally from a joking one to a serious one. Each of them was done masterfully, leaving Par in awe.

"It's amazing! But how can you imagine it so well? You’re a child like me, so how can you make yourself resemble an old person so well? I don't even have an idea how I'll look when I get old!"

"Neither do I" Ace said, laughing. "I just pick someone from my memory. Wait, you said you wanted to learn it, right?"

"Yes!" Par said, eagerly nodding his head.

"I have something that might help you" Ace said with a smile and started to chant. "Beloved dreams, feared nightmares, different worlds, same horrors combine into one and come crashing onto the mortal souls, Phantasm!"

White mist surrounded Par and at Ace's commands started to reshape and change colours. In a minute an elderly man with his back hunched and face wrinkled by years stood before him.

"That's..!" Par said with his mouth wide open, watching at his own wrinkled hands.

"That is clearly not how an old man behaves. I can say that for sure so try again."

There was a look of surprise on Par’s face until he understood what Ace meant. "Oh right!"

He tried to walk how he remembered old man moving but his friend wasn't satisfied. "Your legs are supposed to hurt! And keep your head lowered! Use the staff!"

Par tried to do it differently but nothing changed. "Your legs aren't on fire! You're just old! And bow down more; you have your whole life weighting you down!"

He bent half-way and slowly dragged his legs forward. "Not so low! It's only your life, not the whole world! And stop running! It's not a race!"

"I'm trying! Stop shouting!" Par said, angrily clutching his staff. "I can't know what to do at my first try!"

"Yes, you can!" Ace said, contradicting. He waved his hand in dismissal of even a thought that you had to practice things.

"You can't mean that! You have to do things repeatedly to gain mastery of them!"

"False" Ace said with a twisted smile. "Do you want me to prove it to you?"

"You can?" Par asked, surprised, all of his anger forgotten in an instant.

"Of course, all people are born knowing how to pretend and act out a specific role. The only reason that actor profession is still possible is that humans tend to lie to themselves and don’t use their talents. Tell me, what do you think you could never be?”

"Uhm... I wouldn't like to be a hero! It requires you to always be there on time to save the day and never have a moment’s rest. I would never choose to a character like yours!" Par said, shaking his head. Some time ago watching Batman with his brother, they talked about it. He was very eager to become a hero at that time but his brother had explained what such people had to lose in exchange for saving others and since then he had no wish to become one.

"Then let me show you how heroes are born" Ace said, a strange smile on his face. "Follow me now."

They left the fire going and went back the way they had come, [Flare] showing them the way. Next to the village Ace stopped and turned to Par.

"Now we'll give those people a show they've never seen before so do your best" he said directing [Flare] deeper into the village. It shun brightly in the absolute darkness. "Burst!" he said in a soft whisper when the little fire was next to a straw roof.

"What are you doing?" Par shouted in horror, hands covering his mouth.

"Creating a stage. Now all we need is for spectators to wake up, the main actors will be free to enter then" Ace said, bringing his little flame back and watching the roof catch on fire quickly.

"What are you talking about? They're going to burn alive!"

"So go and save them" Ace said with a smile. "What are you waiting for? Just remember nothing is as easy as it looks!"

Par looked at him in surprise but dismissed it and ran to the centre of the small village, where the fire was already licking neighbouring roofs.

"Rivers flowing deep within the earth, Water Pulse!"

A shot of water came from the ground sprouting drops all over the roof. It seemed like an easy feat to quench them out when a black shadow fell on the roof, a creature made of blackness with fox ears, featureless face and a slim body.

He screamed in a voice that penetrated the soul and woke every living being ten miles around. Then he slid down the roof slightly and hissed "Wilsss winess" It would have been impossible to understand what he had said if not the green vines growing rapidly and blocking the water’s entrance all over the ground.

People started to leave the houses with crossbows in their hands and wearing nightshirts. The women started screaming as they saw the fires. "Someone do something!"

"Firesss! Burrrn!" the creature hissed bringing everyone's attention to itself and jumping onto another roof. "Flamess sstep!" he said, running off with a wild laugh.

Straws easily caught on fire and soon enough the whole village was burning. Screams of absolute horror broke the night's silence and fire's lighted the place. "Nissse and warrrrm" the creature hissed laughing. He kept on jumping from one house to another, sometimes standing on two legs, and sometimes all four. "Ssstop me if yooou cann"

Par looked around for a hero to save everyone, he desperately searched the crowd for him, prayed that he would hurry up but he just wasn't coming. And the people! All of them looked fear stricken and unable to understand what was going on, how it could happen to them. What were they doing? Weren't they grownups? Shouldn't they know what to do at such situations? He asked himself but they all looked so lost, watching as their places were burning. They clutched their family members closer and just gazed upon the disaster. The mayor had promised them that nothing would happen and yet it was happening.

Deep black shadow fell right before Par and people scattered around emptying the place for the creature that now stood only a few breaths away from the kid. "What iss it? Are you ssscared, kid? Let'sss play hide a sseek thennn" the creature cackled throwing its head back.

Par's eyes flashed angrily. "What do you want from me?"

"Sscared? Gusst" Strong wind rose, pushing Par almost three steps back. "Isssn't there anyonnne?" the creature asked, looking around with sudden sadness in its eyes. It was hard to judge the whole expression as its face was only a black mess.

The shadow turned around, leaving a trail of fire and climbed back onto the building. He started to play with the burning straws, picking them up and then throwing all around. The burning sparks fell everywhere.

"Why is nobody doing anything?" Par shouted out as the first house caved in. There was no answer to it even though many men lowered their heads. The village was built nowhere near the river or a lake and their only supply was rain and snow. There was simply no way for protecting against such large flames.

"Hahahahaha!" the creature cackled and punched a hole through one of the roofs, almost falling in itself. It laughed again and jumped to another roof, flames still coming from under its legs.

"Fires that burn within everyone, flames that punish the unworthy, light that shows the way strengthen the bond and create a soul to fight for your servant to show the world the truth, Summon Fire Elemental!" Par screamed and ordered it to attack the creature. "Flames from ages gone combined, Fireball! Fireball! Fireball!"

The first ball hit its target but then the creature noticed the elemental coming his way and jumped over its head, landing right before Par. "Let'ss play thenn!" it hissed and head-butted.

The attack took a fifth of Par’s health. He'd never been so close to battle and the surprise on his face showed how unprepared he was. Luckily, the fire elemental intercepted, stopping the creature in its tracks and throwing a shower of fiery sparks. The shadow winced but didn't retreat and jumped on the elemental. He slashed at it with his large claws but took a jump back the next second, its leathery hide on fire.

By that time Par had taken control of his fear and was casting another spell. "Earth binds the evil, Ground Shackles!"

Hands made of sand rose from the ground and grabbed the shadow's legs. Horror flashed through the creature's eyes but it was soon replaced by laughter. Par couldn't understand what could be so fun but he didn't really care. The elemental closed in on the shadowy monster and started to beat him with his bare fire enhanced hands. Par helped him with fireballs.

A trickle of blood ran down the thing's mouth and it cackled. The sound was so ear piercing that Par stopped for a moment and saw the monster bowing down to break the binds with its own bare hands. Blood showed up on them as the sand shackles were as sharp as glass but quite strong none the less, in spite of that, the creature only smiled and continued his work. In a moment, they were off and the thing was free, dripping blood but free.

"Windsss that don't find ressst, Gussst!" the creature hissed, spitting blood and cleaning it with the back of his hand that was already covered in red liquid.

Air started to shiver with energy as winds started to gather around and with a huge gust blew straight at the elemental. It destroyed him in an instant and threw Par into a wall.

"Nekss time!" the shadowy monster hissed for the last time and in a blur of smoke disappeared. Quietness descended, broken only by cracking of fires.

"Wait, the houses!" Par shouted out, standing up holding onto his head. It was his first time ever getting injured in game and he didn’t exactly like the experience. He lost half of his hp only from those two hits and the elemental had taken the brunt of the second one too.

He used the water spell again and this time nobody interrupted him. It took till the morning to extinguish the last of the fires. He had to rest a few times to regain his mana but no more houses were lost besides the first one.

The sun rose lightening the village and Par felt like he could drop dead then and there. He could restore mana quickly but that didn't work for stamina and his was at the very bottom. The villagers chose that time to approach him.

"We thank you, young one, for saving us. If there's anything, we could do to repay you" one of them said, standing at the front of the crowd.

Par's eyes were desperately trying to close themselves while he tried to stop them and act normally. "I've been sent here by lord of Lasran to persuade you to start paying taxes" Par said, trying to finish Ace's quest even if he wasn't here himself.

"Ah... We..." the leader said, unsure of how to escape this predicament so his wife came to the rescue.

"You must be terribly tired, our little saviour. Come to my house, I'll warm some milk for you and prepare a nice bed. We can all talk tomorrow" she said, taking Par's hand and trying to drag him to her house.

"No" Par said, breaking her hold. From his parents he knew well what it meant putting things off for later; it was simply giving them time to think of an excuse why they can't do it. "Why can’t you do it?"

"It's not something a kid like you would understand. We have our reasons."

"The same ones that prevented you from saving your own village?" Par asked tiredly.

Together with the villagers’ Par’s eyes grew wide. What was he thinking saying such things? Tiredness must be really taking its toll on him. But the people didn't see his horror and turned their accusing gazes to the town leader who stood with an angry expression on his face.

"Who are you to order us what to do? You're a just a brat!" the mayor shouted out in a mocking tone. "What are you going to do if I don't care about your mission? Go and tell your stupid lord that we're not going to pay even if he sends a gazillion of monsters after us!"

The crowd didn't seem to agree with his opinion, judging from their furious expressions. Some middle aged man came out and punched the mayor in the face.

"We're not going to die because of your pride!" he said, preparing for another hit but the mayor was prepared this time and caught the hand, punching the guy back. Soon it became an all-out fight with other villagers joining either of the sides.

Par watched them with wide eyes. 'Did I start that?' Guilt ate at him and he was about to try to stop them when a hand on his shoulder stopped him.

"Leave it" a female voice said. "Better come with me and have some rest. You can talk with them tomorrow"

"But..." Par said, trying to argue but the female wasn't giving him a chance.

"Drop it. It's their way of talking between themselves and you'll only get hurt if you try to interfere. Listen to me, I know them best."

"Okay..."

They walked to one of the better looking houses followed by almost all the woman. Inside he was sat at the head of the table and given a bit of milk.

"That's all I have" the female said, watching him drink it.

It felt refreshing after being surrounded by fires all night long.

"I know, you must be tired but we want to thank you for saving our village right now so you can go to sleep with an easy mind. We really appreciate your help today"

"Thank you" all the woman said in unison, bowing before him. "These houses contain all we have. If not you, we would all be dying out this winter. If you ever need anything, we'll do everything in our power to help you and that’s the truth unlike what the mayor said."

Par watched them with two feelings fighting for supremacy in him. His first reaction was to say it was no accident and that he didn't deserve a reward for saving the day. But then another thought entered his mind, that would mean saying his friend purposefully started the fire and left. Besides if he didn’t do that, they would agree to pay the taxes and everyone would be happy.

But he had to tell the truth! Brother said that liars always paid twice in the end. And it would be so horrible when someone found out and he had kept it a secret!

"I..."

"Shh. You don't have to say anything. We'll keep your appearance here a secret if that is what you need. Now go and rest. We'll stay here and wake you up if men decide to start talking." Then the female shooed him into another room where a small bed stood and closed the doors behind him. "Sweet dreams." The lock clicked, trapping him inside.

Tired he fell onto a bed and was about to fall asleep when he remembered that he hadn't seen Ace since he lighted the house.

/Where have you went to?/

Not a moment later came an answer. /Not too far away. How do you like your new accommodations?/

/They locked me up. Do you thin.../ the message wasn't sent as he fell asleep.

Ace watched him through the window and smiled, his plan had worked perfectly. He hadn't expected the last fight but it worked well to distract everyone and allow him to sneak inside.

Now he could get closer to the room where all the women were sitting together and whispering among themselves.

"... can't let it happen."

"He truly saved us. But how are we supposed to protect him?"

"We'll stand guard. That's all we can do. And pray she won't come."

The others nodded and took things out to spend the time watching over the locked door. It was sewing materials in most cases but a few books too. 'What are they afraid of?' he wondered, positioning himself to wait too. If there was a monster here, he was going to rat it out. He was the one they should be afraid of.

Time passed extremely slowly with having nothing to do so he decided to look around himself. It was daytime so everything would be in in plain sight and if the villagers feared it that much, there was no reason for it to be hidden well. Following that logic, he sneaked out and left the village. The forest was very spacious and light, where to hide something would be a challenge.

Laughter reached his ears when he was almost a mile away. It sounded extremely fake. Putting on [Shadow Veil] he sneaked closer and saw a strange sight. A middle aged woman was pushing the swings on which a little girl sat. It would have been an idyllic picture with early sun shining behind the woman's back and beautifully green grass if not a bloody steel whip lying nearby. The dress on one of the girl's shoulders was torn and red.

'Is that the culprit?' Ace wondered, circling them. He left the duo for the moment and went to look for their living place. The fact that the girl was beaten didn't explain the villagers’ fear. Parents had the freedom to do whatever they wanted with their children, there had to be something beside it.

He walked further on until a small house rose before his eyes. 'Bingo'

"What do you think you're doing here?" an angry voice stopped him in his tracks.

Ace turned around with a brightest smile anyone could ever make. "Can you help me?" he asked, running straight at the woman. She was so surprised, the whip fell out of her hands as Ace rammed into her.

"What?" she asked. Ace started to cry, using her shirt as a handkerchief to dry his eyes. "What happened sweetie?" Her voice was very gentle and soothing like a mother's would.

"They've hurt me" Ace said with a hiccup, taking a few steps back so she could take a good look at him. His clothes were burnt and torn in numerous places while also being bloodied; his hands didn't look any better while feet were red, boots having been burned right off his feet. "Will you save me?" he asked, looking up at the woman with bright yellow eyes.

"Of course! Of course!" the woman said, hugging him closer. "Dina come here!" she called for the little girl that was standing a few meters away. "Let's go home."

There was fear on the girl's face but she bravely stepped forward and led them to the house. The inside contained only a single room. There was a bed, small table and two chairs.

Ace noted the fact that there was no place for a girl to live. It was a place for a single person to spend his summers but not somewhere where a family could live.

The female created a small fire with magic and put a pot on it to boil some water. "I hope you like tea?" she asked.

"I like it sweet" Ace said. He was looking for a hatch or something that would open some secret door but there was nothing.

The problem was that he couldn't drink the tea. His assassin trainer Sedgart had repeatedly told him never to eat or drink anything made by strangers. It was one of the easiest ways to find your untimely death.

'Maybe the girl knows the place? But she'd probably be too scared to say anything... Think, think, think...'

"What were you doing in this forest when you got attacked?" the female asked.

Ace looked at her back and could see her muscles ready for action. 'So you're testing me? Don't you know that kids are too young to be spies?' "I've run away from home" he said, crossing his arms over the chest.

"What?" the woman asked, turning around to look at him in surprise.

"They tried to make me become a soldier but I don't want that! My friend’s dad died young being one!" he said, explaining in a serious tone.

The female smiled. 'So you're happy? Does that mean you want to keep me?'

"Poor thing. They're horrible parents just for having suggested such a thing!" she said, coming to hug him for comfort. Ace used that moment to cast [Gust] and made the pot drop from the invisible holders.

Whole ground got covered by almost boiling water. It was so hot that Ace and the girl jumped on the table to save their legs from getting burnt.

"How did that happen?" the female asked herself, murmuring under her nose when screams rose from below. "Shut the hell up!" she roared and the sounds lowered, turning into quiet sobs.

Ace maintained an indifferent expression and watched the female with interest. She was casting some kind of spell so quietly that he couldn't hear a word, to Ace's surprise instead of drying the water quadruped. 'What is she doing?' he wondered watching how the water swirled around her legs never actually touching and burning them.

"Dina get down from the table" she said, pointing at the almost boiling water. 'Is it my imagination or is there more and more bubbles?'

The little girl gulped loudly and with a look of an innocent lamb walking to a slaughter house put her feet in. The female's expression lighted with a smile as she watched the girl's face twisted in pain, silent sobs rocking her whole body.

"Good girl" the female laughed and turned her gazed towards Ace. "You don't look horrified" she said accusingly.

Ace's face became expressionless once again, like that of a sculpture and he jumped down into boiling water with his bare feet. "The parents are always right. All they do is for the better of their children. If you get beaten, it is punishment so you can learn. If you get overworked, it is so you learn to take care of yourself. If you're denied food, entertainment or simple comfort, it is so you know what real life is like. Parents always know what is best for you" he said. His body still as a stone statue.

The woman burst out laughing. "I like your style kid. Where did you learn that?"

"Every time I tried to argue with my father, he'd hit me and make me repeat these words until I learnt my place" he said in a calm voice. "Can I get out of this water?"

"No. Let me watch you a bit longer. It's not every day that I find a child as lovely as you. All of them just cry, beg, disobey and try to run away. You're like a breath of fresh air, you know?"

Ace clenched his teeth and plastered a steely expression on his face. The feet were burning; it felt like they would fall out from under him at any moment. But if he earned her trust now, he could meet the children and finish everything just that much quicker and less painfully. One day of horrors was always better than a week of torture.

When he was about to truly fall down the water disappeared as if never even have been there and the woman caught him. "That's lovely. You'll be rewarded greatly for your obedience serving under me. Now you need to rest, my sweet thing, and not ask any questions" she said, standing him up on the burning feet and casting a spell. "Earth bent release your hold, Open Sesame"

Ground begun to shake as wooden boards started to move and shift beneath their feet creating a staircase at the right corner. It lead down into darkness and the female pushed Dina to go there first, Ace after and she herself the last.

There was no light so they had to go by the feeling. If they tried to slow down, the woman would push them from behind making them fall over and having to stand up with the help of her boot. No, it was better to hurry blindly. After fifteen or so minutes they reached the bottom where the female lighted a torch.

A small room crowded by young children appeared before his eyes. There were twenty or so of them cowering in corners and looking at the woman with large terrified eyes. Their hair was wet and faces had red marks on them.

"These are your new friends, my child" the female said motioning with her hand. "Be sure to teach them all you know, okay? You'll love your payment for that" she said, smiling brightly, to Ace it looked like a maniacal one so he simply nodded.

Dina was watching the exchange with fearful eyes. She couldn’t understand why the new kid was so accepting to be punished for no reason at all. She backed into a corner to her friends and joined their circle. Together they watched what was unfolding right before their eyes.

While the female who had stolen them all from homes turned to address kids from the other corner, the newcomer smiled relieved and his body started to shiver. Tendrils of darkness came out from nowhere and without making a sound surrounded him.

Dina covered her mouth in horror, tears showing up in her eyes. But the blackness suddenly started to take shape of a twisted individual. It was humanoid but with its back hunched and joints all wrong resembled an animal more, although his skin was sleek black. Its fingers with huge talons stretched and moved slightly as if testing themselves out before something.

The kids didn't have to wait long to find out what as the next second the creature jumped on the woman pushing his claws straight through her heart. "Gaaah!" she screamed turning around. The creature jumped back making her fall and, when she did, jumped back on her fallen body. He pushed his left hand in her mouth and kept on stabbing her with the other. The woman was gurgling something and biting yet the monster left the hand to keep her silenced and continued his work ignoring her attempts to throw him off.

At first the female was only surprised but as her life started to dwindle away, real fear grasped her heart for the first time in her life. Powered by desperation she bit with all the power in her jaws, tasting blood but the hand didn't move. And the claw kept on making a bigger hole in her chest.

It was a wonder that the hand was so small and there was only a single claw stabbing her but it mattered nothing. Life was leaving her body and she couldn't do anything about it. Her hands felt like lead and she could no longer lift them up. What did she do to deserve it?

All she ever wanted was a child of her own. Someone she could share her life with and pass all her knowledge to. It wasn't her fault that they didn't listen to her and had to be taught a lesson. If only she had had the time to shape that new boy... He would have become her successor... If onl...

Her eyes turned lifeless and the body ceased moving. A few more hits followed before they ceased too. The creature stood up, crimson liquid running down its whole body. Blood red eyes fell on the terrified children as they pushed themselves into walls trying to look as small as they could, although they all knew what fate was awaiting them.

A clawed hand rose slowly. It made a sign for them to come to him. Trembling they stood up and followed him up the stairs. The creature was moving slowly as if in great pain but the steps were full of purpose, never wavering in their tracks. The kids followed him through the trees and bushes going god knows where.

But they were too scared to disobey. The female had showed them what happened to those who didn't do as told and this creature had defeated her. Besides what would they do all alone in the middle of a forest? At least this way they might survive and wait out for the better days as their parents always taught them.

The creature stopped right before where he could be noticed from the village. Kids knew that and patiently waited for what was to come. Their hearts were itching to just start running and maybe reach home. But cold fear instilled by the female prevented them from even moving a muscle.

The thing of blackness looked at them with its red eyes but somehow there was no malice in them. "Goou" it hissed, motioning for them to leave and return to their home. "Why?" one of the recent victims so a bit braver asked.

"Blood spilt, blood returned"