The first thing that Arin did was that he... Froze. When his sight captured the view of a young boy with overgrown hair and tattered clothes, subconsciously he had paired it up with the image of his own younger brother. Combined with the fact that he just had a nightmare that had opened up old wounds, this kind of reaction was almost inevitable.

It was only when the boy in front of him smiled coldly, did Arin realize his mistake. The person in front of him was only a boy in appearance. His unnaturally calm demeanor and the malicious aura around him were something no child could possess.

Without losing another precious moment, Arin swung the blade in his hand swiftly intending to cut down his opponent. Inwardly Arin could not help but feel a bit proud, this could count as one his strongest swings.

" Too late " The boy in front of him commented, unfazed by the attack. At the same time Arin felt his sword cut into thin air as the boy vanished from his sight. Instead he felt viscous blow that struck him on his temple that caused his mind to go blank as he was knocked on to the ground.

` Aaargh ' Arin moaned in pain as he struggled to stand back up. Its seemed difficult to even gather his thoughts amidst the pain.

He could feel the boy's sharp pair of eyes examine him like a predator.

" Relax, relax.. " Muttering words that forced himself to calm down, Arin tightened his fingers around the hilt of the sword. He straightened his legs in an attempts to get into a proper stance.

Everything he had learnt when practicing swordsmanship was currently being put into practical use. He felt his breathing start to stabilize and positioned his sword in front of him.

The smile on the boy's face changed slightly, from a prefunctary one to an amused one. However Arin did not let the calm demeanor of the boy bring doubts into his heart

He leaned forward and dashed towards his opponent, swinging his blade downwards. The air shrieked as the sharp sword descended.

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Once again,before his sword reached the boys spot he had already vanished out of his sight. This time he felt a punch pierce through his stomach causing to cough out blood instantly. This time his legs buckled and he collapsed entirely.

" Aaah !, aaah ! " Both the blows had landed with a concentrated force that allowed maximum damage. Arin could not help but cry out in pain, tears started to form in his eyes. Even if his an adolescent teen who had been in fights before, he was still the son of one of the most prominent families in the desert capital.

His life was mostly one of ease and comfort, but right now both the physical pain and intense feeling of distress started to sink in.

Arin looked up miserably to find the boy standing right above him.

He looked like the incarnation of the grim reaper himself. Although his face was mostly covered by the overgrown black hair, Arin could still spot the sharp pair of eyes underneath. Just the his gaze alone could cause a large gap to open between them, instantly establishing superiority.

" Pathetic " The boys voice was laced with disdain as he watched Arin " why challenge someone when you know that clearly superior than you? "

The words clearly shook Arin as he recalled the fight between the warriors and this boy, yet even after that why did he attempt to take him down , it was then that the mysterious message from the fallen warrior.

Even if it was two words Arin somehow understood the meaning behind them. The firm intention to stop what is wrong deeply resonated with his own ideals.

" Is that so ? " As if directly reading the Arin's thoughts, the boy seemed amused " then i guess you only have yourself to blame "

Arin felt the sword in his hand pried out and its cold blade pointed at his own neck.

" No, no " Arin silently whimpered as the realization of death started to dawn on him. he could only shut his eyes and clench his fist as waves of regret overflowed his heart.

Yet the young boy above did not seem to have a shred of mercy as he raised the sword and brought it down on Arins neck without any hesitation.

` splatter ! ' The sound of blood staining the ground was heard followed by a long duration of silence.

One second, two seconds, three seconds........ After an entire minute of suspense, Arin couldn't hold back his curiosity anymore and carefully opened his eyes. His sight landed on the absolutely angry expression on the face of the tyrant before him that quickly reverted to a cold smile.

` What, Who, WHAT ' Confusion ran rampant in Arin's mind as billions of possibilities were being processed to find out how did he actually survive.

He had clearly heard the sound of blood being spilled.

Again the boy calmly replied to his inner thoughts " I have decided to spare you , My name is Maere."