"Prince Mael." Lowe looked at the boy who now lay on the ground as he stared back at him in terror. Even though it was dark and he could not make out much, Lowe could still see his prey and the obvious fear of being caught by him.

Lowe took a deep breath and let out a smile of satisfaction. "I could get drunk on the fear I sense from you, child." He continued sniffing like a wild beast and clicked his tongue. "It is intoxicating and...." Lowe bent forward a little and Mael moved back right away, not caring if the rough ground scraped his elbows.

"Addictive." Lowe licked his lips as though he was tasting something delicious and at that moment, Mael felt the true feeling of horror. The man in front of him resembled nothing less than a demon who had descended to feed on his bones.

"Did I not warn you to not run from me, boy?" Lowe shook his head as though he was reprimanding a small child. "Did I not caution you that the consequences would be dire once I catch you?"

Lowe lifted his sword and admired the strong weapon. 'Soon, it will say the story for years of pinnacling the last Iarlaith standing.' He thought and his smile widened.

Mael did not move his gaze away from the demon in front of him. Although he was petrified, he did not dare avert his eyes. He held his sword tight and moved away from him as slowly as possible. Lowe was watching over him. So, he could not make any noticeable moves. It would only alert the man and that was not what Mael wanted, not when he had other plans in mind.

"Mael, Mael, Mael." Lowe shook his head and his expression turned gentle all of a sudden. "I do not want to kill you."

"Then, why are you here?" Mael braced himself and questioned back boldly. "Let me go."

"That..." Lowe tapped his fingers on his chin. "I cannot do it. You will not be leaving from here alive."

"Why do you want to kill me? What did I ever do to you?"

"You did nothing, child. You did nothing. It was your forefathers who sinned and you are facing the consequences. Letting you go now would only be me inviting my doom in the future." Lowe, who was speaking to him gently, lost his smile the next instant. "And, I will not allow it."

Without another word, Lowe waved his sword at Mael. To his surprise, Mael was quick to defend himself and the sound of the metal clashing against metal was especially piercing in the silent night.

Again, Lowe aimed at him and again, Mael stopped him and he did not stop at that. Quickly, he kicked him in the abdomen and Lowe stumbled back. Stunned, he looked at the young prince, who by then had got to his feet and was standing in front of him in a defensive mode.

"I see that you have some skills." Lowe did not hold back and praised him. "As expected of an Iarlaith. But your skills are not enough, boy."

The next instant, Lowe charged at him like a warrior he was, not sparing even a moment. Although Mael defended himself as much as he could, he was still a weakling in front of an experienced fighter like Lowe. In no time, he was subdued and his sword was knocked off his hand.

"Looks like it is time, Mael. Say your goodbyes now. Ohh...wait. There is no one here for you to say your last words. How unfortunate!!!" Lowe reveled in the boy's pathetic state. He did not waste any more time. Lukariah would reach him any time and before that, he had to finish what he was here for.

"Prince Mael, have a safe journey to heaven." With that, he raised his sword and Mael instinctively, closed his eyes as he waited to embrace his death.

However, even after a long time had passed, he did not feel the pain he was waiting for. Instead, he felt a warm, thick liquid splattering on his face and he opened his eyes, only to see his predator staring back at him with his eyes wide before he dropped to the ground.

Mael blinked in shock as he breathed heavily through his parted lips.

"Your Highness, how are you? Did Lowe hurt you?" Lukariah lowered his sword to his side and examined the boy, who seemed to have gone into a trance.

Mael shook his head blankly as he looked at Lowe, who now lay dead by his feet. At that moment, when he had raised his sword, Mael had already deemed it to be his last night in the world. Who knew that his protector would keep his word and come to his rescue in time?

Overwhelmed by emotions, Mael's head snapped towards Lukariah, who was still examining him in worry, and he hugged him immediately startling the tough knight utterly.

Lukariah stiffened when the young prince hugged him suddenly and he did not react for a long time. He had been scared out of his mind when he had seen Lowe go after Mael while he was stuck with the other members of the Asra. Using all the energy in him, he had fought with the men and somehow had managed to end all of them.

Only he knew how mortified he had been when he saw his prince in a very vulnerable state while Lowe asked him to say his last goodbyes. He had used all his might to kill the man before he harmed Mael.

"Thank you. Thank you so much, Sir Lukariah. You are my savior." Mael muttered and hugged him for a moment longer before he pulled away. "Thank you."

Lukariah did not even have the chance to hug him back and he stood with his hands in the air. "Well, not a problem." He replied awkwardly, not experienced at handling emotions well. He lowered his hands and let out a cough to hide his embarrassment.

"Prince Mael, we need to leave from here. The Asra are still waiting to capture us. We need to reach Vatham before they get to us." Lukariah looked around him to make sure that they were safe.

"I understand, Sir Lukariah. Please lead the way."

Mael completely trusted Lukariah. He was the only one he had in his life now and only he could help him in the situation he was in.