"A-a-asu-ra-a-ah..." The black figure moaned.

But Asura did not respond, and only stood rooted to the ground, staring at the black figure with wide eyes.

Because, Asura had recognized the black figure was actually.....

"D-D-Doerba?" Asura stammered. He could not believe his eyes. The meek, polite and kindly old servant that had worked at White Serene School for so many years, was actually.... Doerba?

[Author's Note: See chapter 4 and 6 if you've forgotten who Doerba is. AND A BIG ROUND OF APPLAUSE TO SUZAKU FOR BEING THE FIRST ONE TO GUESS CORRECTLY. RUNNER UP GOES TO IMRAM. *CLAPCLAPCLAP*]

"No, no this isn't possible!" How can a servant have so much power? He is even stronger than all the disciples from White Serene School!

Servants are often people who were born into a slave household, or were born without talent for warrior or magi training, thus resorting to work as a lowly servant to earn a living.

But the level of strength that Doerba had just displayed, he was already strong enough to work as a middle-ranked officer in the military!

"Doerba, just who are you exactly?" Asura stared at Doerba. "Gulp" Asura heard Doerba swallow something. Alarmed, he quickly leapt backwards, fearing that Doerba was using a suicidal attack to die together with Asura.

Instead, Doerba's body started twitching uncontrollably and was foaming at the mouth.

"Poison?" Asura was still suspicious. He was afraid that Doerba was playing a trick on him. After a minute, he had finally stopped convulsing, and no longer breathed.

Just to be safe, Asura kicked hard at Doerba's body, or what was left of it, flinging it 5 metres away. There was no reaction. Finally confident that he was safe, Asura took deep breaths in an attempt to calm down and recover his rationality.

"Why? Why did he try to kill me? Is he even the same Uncle Doerba that massaged my body for me when I was too exhausted to move after training when I was a child?" Asura was deep in thought. "Wait, it probaby isn't Uncle Doerba, how could he be so strong?" Asura muttered, trying to convince himself.

However, deep down his heart, Asura already knows that it was indeed Doerba who had tried to kill him, and the first person he had killed in this world was Doerba. It would then be from this day onwards, Asura's personality will have a huge contrast to prior leaving the White Serenity School.

Stumbling toward's Doerba's corpse, he examined the body. He saw a shiny object sticking out of his robe pocket. Picking it up, Asura took a closer look, it was just a ring made out of some metal, with a jade stone embedded in it. Picking it up with his still charred hands, Asura was thinking. "This might a clue as to why Uncle Doerba would try to kill me."

Putting it onto his right hand's index finger, he sighed and searched Doerba's body for anymore clues but to no avail.

"Cawww!" Sensing Asura's sorrow, Sanzu hopped over and nudged Asura's head with his beak, as if trying to console him. For the rest of the night, Asura meditated, recovering as much mana as he needed to use 'Healing Water' on his hands, as well as using an earth elemental spell to make a grave for Doerba.

Even though Doerba had tried to take Asura's life, he still felt that he had yet to repay Doerba for treating him well in the past.

As the sun rose, bright streaks of red, pink, and orange slowly overcame the dark blue and purple of the twilight sky. If not for his sombre mood, Asura would have marveled at the beauty of the sunrise.

In front of Doerba's grave was a simple stone tablet created out of earth elemental essences. Written on it were the words "Here lies Doerba, a loyal servant of White Serenity School".

Kneeling before the grave, Asura kowtowed three times before getting up and climbed onto Sanzu's back, continuing their journey.

After three days and nights of soaring above the clouds, Asura could see mountains and rivers passing by below him. In the distance, he could finally see a city. Empowering his eyes with mana, he could make out a flag with a logo of a black flame. The Capital of Blackfire!

"We've arrived, Sanzu! Drop me off here, I don't want you to scare the people!" Asura laughed.

"Caww......"

[Author's Note: Okai, imma go to sleep nao. Have fun readin, gaises!]

Chapter 13: Backstab