"Hehe, no need to be awed by this old man. If you can tell me two things about this weapon I'll teach you an even better trick."

Khal could tell that the man was obsessed with swords. The way he stared at it with those fascinated eyes or his weird giggles was like a child with his toys. Khal picked up the sword only to realize how heavy it really was. "It's heavy," Kha whispered. "Oh, that it is. Your blade can be heavy, your heart should not. Good, good! What else do you notice?" The man seemed excited to listen to Khal. Khal seemed unsure of what was going on, but he still continued.

The blade had a long hilt and a straight edge. Khal was sure this sword was meant to be used for strength and not agility. These weren't swords he preferred, it was too dull and thick for his liking. Khal further inspected the sword, hoping to come up with a better description that his first attempt. "The sword means power," Khal finally said. There was nothing special about the sword that he could really think of, to begin with.

"Hmmm," Khal watched on as the old man scratch his head. "Sword is power, hmmm." The man then walked up towards Khal and took the weapon from his hands. Khal continued to stare, waiting for the man to tell him whether his answer was appropriate. "If the sword is power, show me. My name is Master Copper, show me this power of the sword that you speak of. Attack me with your strongest move."

Khal looked at the man and for the first time noticed the fire in his eyes. Khal approached the wall and chose a short sword that had the proper balance he was used to. He then got into the stance like he always did before cladding his sword. He embedded it with wind before driving the sword forward. He knew the old man was stronger than he so he didn't hold anything back.

Just as the sword reached towards the old man, Khal saw a flash before Khal's sword was broken in half. "Hmm, the sword is power? I think not young man." Khal watched on defeated. "Master Copper, your sword had more power than mine. A short sword can never defeat a broad sword if they directly clash." The old man scratched his head again, "Then show me." Khal felt like the old man was patronizing him. He grabbed one of the bigger swords on the wall and tried again. This time, nothing changed. The sword was broken in half again, leaving Khal dumbfounded.

"Hehe, it is true that the make of the sword matters. But that's only for those who do not know the truth of the sword. The sword, like any other weapon, is whatever you want it to be. The reason I'm able to defeat you isn't because of any special skills. I simply believe that my sword will cut yours." Khal didn't understand what the man meant. It made no sense to him but if the man was this strong then he must hold the answers to Khal becoming stronger.

The old man giggled again before staring at his sword. "Then teach me, master," Khal knew that if he really wanted to learn anything he would have to discard whatever he knew and learn again. "You're not quite ready. Stay here and meditate every day on what I've said to you. Only then will you learn what I have to teach."

---

Khal spent the entire day meditating on what the man said. By the time it was night, Khal still didn't know what to make of it all. When he left the training room, it was already dark outside. There was no way he could stay in the training room all night especially since food was only available in the rooms. Cloud had warmed all the Spiderlings that if they stayed all day in their rooms, food would not be delivered and if they spent all the time in the training room then could never access the food. It was clearly the method used to force people to spend some time every day in the hallways.

Khal left the room promptly when master Copper allowed him to leave. He knew that with the room he picked, he had a long way to walk. He quickened his pace while still being vigilant. Most of the other Spiderlings were finishing up around the same time as Khal so the hallways were once again crowded. Khal preferred it this way. It prevented most from picking him since there were too many people around. He was a numbered after all.

Khal continued walking, keeping his head down. He placed his hair in a bun earlier so the other Spiderlings couldn't notice his unique hair color under his mask. He continued until he was at the junction between the brick and dirt rooms. At this point, the hallway became much quieter as most people were in the brick rooms. Continuing onwards, Khal noticed two Spiderlings whispering to each other in front of him. He was initially alert but then realized that they were focused on the person ahead.

Khal could tell that the person further ahead was a girl. He wasn't sure whether it was Kitten since she wasn't using her light element. The girl seemed hurt. Her leg bled profusely as she limped on. Khal realized that the Spiderlings had yet to notice him. There was no place for him to hide so he chose to walk slower instead. It didn't take long for the Spiderlings to rush towards the girl. It seemed that she was aware of their presence because she suddenly sent a small glowing kick backward, sending one flying back. It's Kitten! Khal watched the girl fight against the two Spiderlings. He was sure she could deal with them both given how strong she was but she was injured.

Kitten slumped over in pain. Too many movements had reopened her wounds. It seemed like she was too hurt to fight them both off. Khal thought about helping her but stopped himself. He knew that these Spiderlings were crazy. None of them seem to be too afraid to kill or die. It wasn't like regular people he was accustomed to seeing. Khal grabbed his own arms tightly as he looked to the floor. He felt terrible. All the boasting he did with Alec and his grandfather, he had come to view himself better than most his age, he felt terrible about it all. When it really mattered he found himself too scared to do anything. He was no different from those he judged constantly. He could feel himself becoming like every noble he despised. Tears began to flow down his cheeks. He never realized how weak he was mentally until now. Khal knew that to overcome it he had to change.

It wasn't until he heard Kitten's groan that he snapped out of the pity party he was having. He rushing to her help instinctively. He felt rage as he approached the Spiderling. Rage at himself for being so weak, so cowardly. How dare he call his own father a coward when he couldn't even stand up for what he believed in. Khal screamed, causing his voice to echo through the hallway. Just before the Spiderling could hit Kitten, Khal was already there with a cladded fist. He forced all his rage into his fist, it didn't matter whether he was noticed or not. Khal lashed out with every bit of strength he had.

Although the Spiderling had blocked his attack, his arm deformed slightly. Khal followed up with a side kick to his leg. The Spiderling's body tilted just enough for his defense to weaken. Khal didn't miss the change to send another cladded fist towards his face, this time with wind element. The Spiderling's eyes dilated, afraid for the first time as he could feel death approaching. Luckily, his comrade chose this time to help him. Khal's attack only hit the air as the Spiderling was pulled backward by his friend.

Both Spiderlings looked towards Khal and Kitten, unsure of how they should attack. Kitten was surprised to see another Spiderling helping her. She already lost a lot of blood and was unable to defend herself. "Who, who are you?" she stuttered as Khal somehow made it in front of her. Khal looked back just for a second before facing the Spiderlings again, "no one of importance." Khal's emotions were unstable at this point. He wasn't even sure why he didn't tell her who he was. All he wanted to do was defeat these Spiderlings to prove to himself that he wasn't a coward. Prove that he was becoming a real Dor. Since his stay at Castle Dor, Khal had tried his best to please his grandfather. He had jumped at every chance he got to prove himself. Now, he was painfully aware of his weakness. Is this what grandfather sees when he looks at me? Pathetic...

"Why are you protecting her? She's already good as dead." One of the Spiderlings said to Khal. They both spread out to prevent Khal from escaping. Khal knew what they were planning but he didn't care, they wouldn't be leaving here today. Khal embedded wind around his feet as he approached the one on the left. He was too fast for the boy to react. It was only until Khal slammed his fist into his ribs that he realized what had happened. Before the other could attack Khal, the area before him was cladded, slowing him down just enough for Khal. Khal grabbed his forearm and twisted it back, breaking his hand.

Kitten watched on in horror as Khal destroyed the Spiderling's hand. He didn't stop there either. Khal grabbed his head before twisting it until he heard another crack. He slowly dropped the dead Spiderling to turn towards the other. At this time, the other Spiderling was on the floor watching, frozen to the spot. He knew there was nothing else he could do to stop this madman. Khal slowly walked towards him, the time seemed to stand still with every step Khal took.

Khal grabbed his throat with just his thumb and index finger before squeezing tightly. Khal stared at the man, watching him as his life slowly left his body. Even after his life was snuffed out, Khal remained there holding his throat. Tears began to fall down Khal's cheeks, soaked up by his mask. He slowly released the man before screaming out.

Kitten just stood there watching, putting the pieces together to who her savior could be. It wasn't until he cladded the air that she realized who it was. Before she could even call out to him, Khal got off the floor and stared at her for only a second before taking the shirt and pants off the dead Spiderling. It only now registered to Kitten that Khal was in his underwear. Just as he was fully dressed, Khal took off down the hallway without uttering a single word.

---

From the second to the fourth underground floors of the Hive were occupied by the Black Recluse members. While their numbers were no more than 2000, it was still quite a lot for any assassin organization. Not every member was skilled killers though. Although all learned how to kill by successfully passing through the Hollows, some were more skilled in recon missions or as spies. The fifth floor, however, was only home to the various masters of the Hive.

Although master Claw was the leader of the Black Recluse, there existed a basic hierarchy. Below master Claw stood Cloud and Totem who were usually the ones who interacted with the Recluse the most. Cloud was the master of the Hive while Totem oversaw all the missions. Without Totem's approval, no one could leave the Hive. Further below Cloud and Totem were the various training masters who were responsible for guiding the Recluse.

"Master are you sure it wasn't too preemptive to give him that name?" Cloud asked master Claw. They were both five stories below ground in one of the dirt rooms. These rooms were different to the ones in the Hollows however, a desk was crowded with scrolls and a giant map plastered the wall. Bats and other creatures could be seen hanging from the roof. "I've told you the circumstances of meeting the boy. He has talent, a strong survival instinct. It was Lord Fang's order to bring him to the Hive. There is little else that needs to be said."

Cloud nodded before continuing. "How sure can you be that he won't resent Lord Fang after this?" Claw's one eye dimmed as he thought of the possibility, "I'm sure Lord Fang has calculated this much. We will believe in him like we always have. Lord Fang has shared more than enough with me to understand what he's thinking. He believes that there is a darkness in Katar. One that will bring a huge calamity to House Dor. We need to be ready for it. Train the boy, I need to return towards the frontlines, the Gusto scums seem to be more active than before."

Claw disappeared without a sound. Cloud sighed before he too withdrew into the night. Unknown to both men, a third party was listening in on their conversation. It wasn't until both men were gone that it flew out of the room, towards another room on the fifth floor.