Kalon's vision blurred as he stepped into the light. It took a minute to adjust as he hadn't seen sunlight in two days now. Kalon looked on the the castle courtyard with excitement, the green grass accompanied by many white, pink and yellow flowers reminded him that there is beauty in this morbid world. Then a voice pulled him out of his reverie, it was Terrance.

"Kalon, the Duke is here. Look towards the front gate." Terrance whispered while nodding his head towards the gate.

Kalon turned his attention to see an overweight man horseback sporting black hair with a middle part, the man had a well kept beard, if you could even call it a beard. The man seemed to only grow facial hair from his neck, leaving the rest of his face boyish and chubby. The man was so large that the horse he was atop walked with a strange gait, it didn't seem to be handling his weight too well.

"Disgusting piece of sh*t, look at the way he's lording himself around. Looking down on everyone he sees. Has he ever heard the term 'humble'" Kalon thought.

Kalon may only be fifteen but he had been working under the Duke for five years now and he had seen a lot in his short life. He had come to understand how disgusting humanity can be. He had seen it first hand with the Duke. The duke was notorious for bringing young girls working as slaves into his quarters only for them to never return. He treated them as his play things, he had no regard for these girls' lives. He had only wanted to fulfil himself with sin. This only worked to fuel Kalon's hate towards the Duke and his fellow mages even more.

"Eyes front scum." Exclaimed Paul.

Kalon and Terrance hastily diverted their gazes back towards the backs of the two guards escorting them. The two did not want to face a mana reinforced blow from Paul again after the experience they had down in the dungeon.

After a few more minutes of walking the guards and the two slaves had reached the stables. The guards picked up both Kalon and Terrance and threw them into a wagon that was secured to two horses. The two guards then got up onto the front of the wagon and took the reigns. A second later the wagon was moving.

Kalon could see the gate as they passed through it. He knew the forest entrance was thirty minutes from the castle by horse. Accounting for the wagon it could be a while until they reach the entrance. The effects of the healing pill still weighed on Kalon leaving him energetic. Kalon felt optimistic about surviving this ordeal. He didn't know if it was because of the pill or because of his knowledge of the forests.

Kalon was raised in a forest by his father. Kalon had never met his mother, nor did his father speak of her. He ultimately had very little knowledge of the person who bought him into this world. All he knew of was what he had inherited from her, his father was a tall man with brown hair, brown eyes and a rough masculine face. Unlike his father Kalon had sapphire blue eyes and black hair. Although he had the ruggedness that his father had. Kalon reminisced of the good times with his father as the wagon trudged on.

Kalon remembered his time spent hunting deer with his father, he remembered his father teaching him about the herbs and fruit of the forest. Kalon was then reminded of how he had become a slave in the first place. In order to clear his fathers debt to a wealthy merchant in the town bordering the forest he had offered himself as payment. Despite his fathers scoldings Kalon fled his home in the woods one night and delivered himself to the merchant. Before his father had a chance to figure out what had happened Kalon was already being carted off. If Kalon had not have done so, his father may have been executed or sent into slavery. Kalon couldn't bare the thought of such things.

"Kalon, we're here" said Terrance.

Kalon snapped back into reality, he had endured the ride in silence in case the guards thought he and Terrance were plotting and in the process he had stepped into a world of memory. Completely unaware of his surroundings.

Kalon sat up in the wagon and looked around, he saw many nobleman atop horses as well as their children, the mage apprentices. He was greeted with stares of malice and disgust. They wanted blood, and they wanted to enjoy it.

Dave then unlatched the back of the wagon.

"Get out now!" Dave yelled.

The two boys jumped out of the wagon. Kalon landed upright while maintaining his gaze towards Dave. Terrance followed but landed straight on his a*s.

"Hehe" Kalon couldn't help but giggle.

*slap*

"Silence! You are in the presence of the Nobles" Dave exclaimed.

Kalon was silenced, his cheek red and his eyes watering due to the sting of the slap.

"Ahhhh, here they are. My sons lovely prey for today." Joyfully exclaimed a large man sporting black hair with a middle part.

"F*ck it's his sons hunt today, the Dukes son. Just my f*cking luck." Kalon thought.

The Dukes son was a High D-Rank mage, a prodigy cultivated with the finest mana pills and the finest teachers one could buy. This had just made things a lot harder for Kalon and Terrance, it wasn't looking good for them.

"Yes Sir, Duke Carlyle these are the two who will be getting hunted today. They are both mana-less" Paul interjected.

"What a shame, they won't last long being mana-less, my son will make short work of these slaves." Duke Carlyle responded.

Duke Carlyle then walked off towards his son to wish him luck in the hunt. Meanwhile Dave and Paul escorted Kalon and Terrance to the forest edge.

"We're about to unshackle you and you shall wait here until the Duke gives his command, if you leave before said command I will personally incinerate you, do you understand?" Paul asked with excitement in his voice.

Kalon and Terrance looked at each other, they were both scared shitless at the prospect of being incinerated and they could see it in each others eyes.

"DO YOU UNDERSTAND!!!" Paul repeated.

Kalon's gaze snapped back towards Paul followed by Terrance.

"YES SIR!" They said simultaneously.

The two guards then unshackled the two and left to stand in the crowd of nobleman and women.

A couple minutes later Duke Carlyles voice could be heard by everyone in the crowd.

"Today is the day of the Hunt my loyal patrons. Today our sons and daughters will hunt these two slave boys and kill them with the might of their magic. Today will be GLORIOUS"

"WOOOOOO!!" the crowd cheered.

"Today we have five young Mage apprentices participating in this Hunt, one being my very own son, Edwin."

"WOOOO!!" the crowd cheered again.

"In a moment when I flip this hourglass in my hands the slaves will run off into the wilderness, and when the last grain of sand falls. The Apprentices shall give chase."

"Just hurry up and flip the damn thing you fat lard, my life is on the line here." Kalon said to himself eagerly.

"I Duke Carlyle hereby release these slaves unto the wilderness, RUN BOYS RUN."

Finally the Duke flipped the hour glass over.

In and instant Kalon and Terrance were off, running with all the strength they could muster.

"Follow me, Terrance. We need to get something and I know just where to find it."