Chapter 9: Leave My Son Alone!

“Ergh'' Kalon grunted as he used every last bit of energy in his body to swing his swords in a crossing pattern in the air in front of him. He had been training his new dual swordsmanship for the last three hours and his muscles were burning from fatigue.

He knew that it wasn’t a good idea to continue training by strengthening the bones and muscles in his hands but if he wanted to get stronger he had no choice. His physical strength would never compare to that of a monster. But despite that fact, he still wanted to get as strong as humanly possible so he could at least have a fighting chance.

He finally put down his swords and collapsed in a fit of exhaustion. Kalon lay on his back and breathed in the cold air that the night brought upon the forest and looked up at the shining stars up above.

He breathed in and out softly, with each breath chilling the inside of his lungs. It was a soothing feeling to his body and calmed down his mind from the hours of intense training.

Kalon looked down at his hand to see that there was an orange hue to his skin that he had picked up from the rusted hilt of the sword. If he wanted to continue to use that sword then he would have to make sure that he looked after it and kept it protected from further rusting.

The last thing he would want is for the blade to snap during combat. Not only would it be embarrassing but it could also cost him his life depending on the opponent he was fighting against.

He picked up the sword once more before getting to his feet and walking over to the lake that was a few metres in front of his house and knelt on the bank beside the water.

He then picked up a handful of leaves and soaked the hilt of the sword in the water before scrubbing it with the leaves.

The rust had formed so deep that it had become solid and started to tear apart the leaves as soon as he tried to wipe it off but that didn’t stop Kalon. After seeing that the leaves didn’t work he then filled his hand with gravel and continued to grind away the rust.

After a few minutes, large flakes of rust floated down to the bottom of the lake as the remaining rust fell off from the sword. Leaving it looking as good as new.

Kalon looked at it for a few moments before realising that he didn’t have a scabbard to protect the blade. And there most certainly wasn’t one anywhere near the tree where he had found it. He pondered on the thought of making his own but he had no idea where to even start.

He could ask the blacksmith to make one for him but he didn’t have enough money to buy one. It would take him a while to save up to afford a real scabbard but for now, he decided that he would wrap the blade inside an old shirt to keep it from rusting again.

As Kalon sat at the side of the lake thinking of ways he could protect his new sword his stomach growled, reminding him that he hadn’t eaten yet.

“Crap, I forgot to make dinner for mom!” He shouted before getting up off the ground and picking up the book and the swords once again before running home to make dinner. When he opened the door to the house he noticed that his mother was still sitting with her back to the door while looking out of the window.

He took the opportunity to hide the swords in his room and then lit the fire once again to reheat a pot of soup that he had made at the start of the week.

“I’m sorry mom. I lost track of time. I should have come back earlier to make dinner. I hope you haven’t lost your appetite yet.” Kalon apologised to Michaela who said nothing in response to her son.

As the soup came to a simmer he took two big scoops and poured them into small wooden bowls. He took out the spoons and left his mother's dinner on the table behind her before taking his back to his room.

“Be careful. It’s still hot so make sure you blow on it.” Kalon repeated the words that she would often tell him when he was young before closing his bedroom door and setting down at the dressing table to enjoy the week-old soup as best as he could.

It was beginning to go bad and he knew right away from the taste but there was nothing else available for them to eat. He would have to go fishing in the morning and check the traps to see if any rabbits had wandered into them.

It was bothersome but they had no choice but to live like this. They neither knew what their next meal would be which made it a real effort for Kalon to come up with something edible.

After finishing his dinner he waited for his mother to go to bed before going back out into the kitchen to clean the dishes. It took him a little while to get them completely spotless but he still managed and then he put out the fire before heading to bed.

Kalon got back to his room and was just starting to take off his shirt as he heard a loud bang followed by a scream come from his mother's room. His heart sank into his stomach and his fingertips began to twitch. He then heard what sounded like feet scuffling across the floor before another loud bang hit the wall between their bedrooms.

“What are you doing!? Who are you!” His mom called out.

He quickly grabbed his sword and ran to her room. All the while thoughts were racing through his head. ‘Is she okay? Did a wild animal get in? Please tell me that Octavian hasn’t come for revenge!?’ He went into a full panic from hearing his mother scream and pushed open the door with his shoulder to see a black figure jump from the window.

“Stop right there!” He shouted before looking around the room to see that his mother was nowhere to be seen.

“Kalon! Runaway!” He heard his mom’s voice call out before he was swept off his feet by an unknown force that was powerful enough to throw him through the wooden door and out into the yard.

Although the door had been weakened with rot. It still would have taken a lot of force to throw someone through it completely and that was made evident by Kalon coughing up blood into the palm of his hand.

He felt a burning pain coming from his chest and then looked down at the source of the pain. He cried out in a muffled grunt. Three of the ribs on the right side of his body had caved in and one of them was even poking through the surface of his skin.

He knelt on the floor and curled up in a ball before looking up to see that two large men dressed in black were standing in front of his house. One of them was holding his mother with his arm around her throat and the other was walking towards Kalon with his sleeves rolled up.

He stopped for a moment before cracking his knuckles and then grabbed Kalon by the shirt before picking him up into the air.

“Two little humans. It feels like an insult to my strength to be sent here to deal with this. I was told that I couldn’t kill you but that doesn’t mean that I can’t have fun does it?” The man said in a hushed tone while looking at Kalon who was already writhing in pain.

“Let go of me at once! Leave my son alone! He is just a child.” Michaela shouted out. With tears forming in her eyes.

“Mom...” Kalon lifted his head and looked past the man who was holding him to see that his mother was struggling to break free from the man that was holding her.

“Hahaha.” The man holding Michaela laughed upon hearing what she said.

“You’re son huh? Truth be told, we have been watching you two for weeks now. And from what I have seen you treat your son like dirt. You make him do all of the work and then don’t thank him. Are you sure he isn’t just a slave to you?

I wonder what made you realise he is your son? Is it the fact that you will never get to see him again?” The man asked mockingly.

“Leo! Shut up!” The man who was holding Kalon shouted back at the man who was mocking the fact that Michaela treated her son as she would a servant.

“Oops. Did I say too much?” The man known as Leo said with a gasp.

“You… Boy. You should look up at your betters.” The large man with his sleeves rolled up to his elbow said before striking Kalon in the face with his fist.

A loud thud shook the forest as Kalon’s head shook from side to side as the man continued to strike him again and again until he eventually fell to the floor with his face covered in blood.

“Meldon, You should probably stop. I don’t think that humans can hold up to this sort of beating. The man restraining Michaela shouted out.

“This is nothing. This little brat has a strong will. I bet he can survive a lot more punishment than this. And the whole reason I decided to come was so I could have a little fun after all. I’m not going back before I beat him to the brink of death.” The large man said as a sinister smile pinched his lips closed.

“I know you said you hated humans. But this seems a little too-” The other man was about to say before he stopped and howled out in pain as Michaela bit down on his arm as hard as she could to try to get free from his clutch but it was no use. His grip on her didn’t let up even in the slightest.

“You bitch… How dare you bite me!” The man shouted before raising his hand and slapping her across the cheek. Michaela dropped to the floor as the sound crept its way over to Kalon who was trying to hold in the pain.

He looked up to see that the man was now kicking his mother in the stomach. Michaela grunted a few times as the air was forced out of her lungs before quickly going silent.

“Stupid bitch! I had orders to let you live. But I don’t think that I will be able to follow through with them. That hurt!” The man yelled out.

Kalon could deal with being hit and beaten. But seeing his mother beaten was something else. His whole body felt numb but he was unable to move. He watched on as his mother was kicked over and over and felt powerless as there was nothing he could do about it.