“Only 5 more days…” Zack muttered under his breath, his eyes closed.

With the release of a turbid breath, his muscles relaxed as he sank deeper into the chair, his gaze fixing itself on one random corner of the ceiling.

He closed his eyes as he thought, 5 days… seems I have to rush things up. Only if I had a little more time. I better start making preparations. If anything, all I can do is hope it works out in my favour in the end. Else… hehe.’

His lips arched into a self-mocking smile as he let silence shroud the room.

Despite that, a rumbling sound tore through the silence. Zack’s eyes snapped open as his hand rubbed his stomach.

“I should get something to eat beforehand.”

The boy got up before walking out of the study, coming to sit directly opposite to Samuel, his expression blank as a fresh sheet of paper.

“What’s for breakfast?” Zack asked.

Samuel’s brows jumped as he replied, “You don’t ask that normally… anyway, it’s bread and fried vegetables. Apparently, we ran out of meat yesterday. I’ll have to bring back some when I go back.”

Opening the lid on the basket placed in front of Zack, he found two steaming hot loaves of bread twice as big as his palm, alongside a container filled with fried vegetables.

Offering one loaf to Samuel, he asked, “Had breakfast?”

Samuel nodded, “Yeah, I did. You can have it. Mom should make stuff like this more often. She makes these things so well.”

Zack nodded back before breaking the bread, a sweet fragrance filling the air. Dipping a spoon in the vegetables, he put it in his mouth, a crispy chewiness contrasting with the soft, warm bread. One bite after another, the food in front of him went into his stomach, satiating his hunger.

However, the flavour itself didn’t draw any reaction. Instead, to him, it felt awfully bland. The tension running through his head affected his sense of taste.

As the air turned heavy, from the other side, Samuel’s voice rang through his ear out of the blue, “So, what’s the plan now?”

Zack’s movement halted for a second before he continued as before while replying, “I… don’t know. I just want to rest for now. After this, I will go to sleep. I’m just not feeling it today.”

Samuel was stunned as he asked, “So… nothing today?”

Zack shook his head as he said, “Nothing. Maybe in evening but… not right now. I need some time to process what you said earlier.”

Raising his eyebrow, Samuel asked, “Was it really that serious?”

“Ofcourse it was! Else, how can I go together with you?”

“You know…” Samuel mumbled as if to say something. In the end, he sighed, giving a wry smile, unsure of what to say.

Inwardly, he shook his head in helplessness as he thought, ‘Why did I have to be the one stuck between Zack and dad?! If I lose, Zack can go together, but I’ll have to say that sword my goodbyes. But if I win, it’s the same as selling out Zack for a mere piece of metal.’

Stewing in his internal conflict, Samuel’s head rocked back and forth. Moments after, he resolved his mind as he came up with an idea: “Should I try to lose on purpose?”

Zack’s brow raised as he nudged his chin forwards, gesturing Samuel to continue.

“So, I thought, what if I lose on purpose? That would make it your win and then you can go together with me. As for dad’s sword… I’ll just leave it be. It’s just a mere sword. You’re more important to me than that… that… that shiny and sharp piece of metal.”

Zack’s brow narrowed as he asked, “Why would you give up on that sword for me? I don’t think I did anything more than cause you and your family trouble. Why go that far?”

‘I said it… Phew. But what’s this anxiousness…’ Zack felt a sense of relief as he asked the question pressing on his mind. At the same time, along with the relief, a deep sense of anxiousness crept up from who knows where doused him, leaving him waiting for the other boy’s response.

Matter-of-factly, Samuel replied, “We’re friends, no? As a friend, I should do this. Although you don’t remember it, we made a promise quite a while back. Some things had happened and… you helped me out immensely and ever since then we made the promise. Although you might not remember it, I still do. So it’s still valid. As for what it is, I can’t tell you. You’ll have to remember it yourself. Hehe!”

The sincerity in his eyes touched the black-haired boy. A warmth spread through the boy’s as he looked back at Samuel with appreciation.

“A friend? Huh…” Zack muttered before continuing to eat.

Feeling enlivened, Samuel said, “Yeah! A friend! Was and will always be!”

With a smile, Zack replied, “In that case, you don’t need to do anything. I’ll win fair and square. And ofcouse get

back at you for all the suffering you put me through the last few days.”

Samuel’s ears perked up as he picked up on the implied meaning. However, the information he had was lacking in more aspects than one, making it hard for him to piece back Zack’s thoughts together. However, that was not the only option.

Giving Zack an intent stare, he asked, “What do you mean?”

Zack gave a sly smile as he replied, “Not telling. Wait to find out.”

Annoyed, Samuel rolled his eyes as he pressed on, “What is it?”

“Not telling.”

“Tell me what’s going on?”

“Not telling.”

“Did you strike a deal with dad or something?”

“No comments.”

“You gonna come and beat me up in my sleep to make me lose?”

“What the… how did you even come up with that? And not telling.”

“You learned Ki arts?”

“No. Stuck at the same problem.”

“Magic?”

“No.”

“Gonna bring out a weapon?”

“No. Now, let me eat in peace.”

“Fine!”

Finishing his meal, Zack saw Samuel back before moving into one of the bedchambers to sleep.

‘Although it will be a bit underhanded, it’s still fair according to all the rules. And I’d say coming up with… ‘tactics’ is also a way to win.’

Resolve flashed through Zack’s eyes. Zack smiled, recalling earlier events from earlier that day.

Heaving in a deep breath, he let himself fall into a deep sleep. Instead of the sweet dreams of a kid his age, his nightmare plagued him in his sleep. A clear, warm rivulet flowed down his eye as he tossed left and right in his bed, cold sweat breaking all over his body.

The sun flew by overhead in what seemed like an instant. Zack’s eye trembled faintly before opening, with him gasping for breath like a sheep. Wiping his eye, he regulated his breath before standing up, a cold glint in his eye. His expression was frosty, like an expanse of snow, no trace of any life whatsoever.

Looking out through the window of the room he was in, he muttered, “About time Samuel would be coming. Next few days… would be a fun time for him.”