Utilising quick, irregular movements that somehow managed to remain smooth and elegant, Nyx continued to assault the food before her as she picked up another slice of bacon and shoved it into her mouth. Chewing it twice, barely enough to diminish its original form, she swallowed loudly before moving onto her next target while displaying a small, content smile.

As her eyes passed over the mostly empty plates, lingering on the various, half-eaten foods, her heels knocked on the wooden panels underneath her chair. After a moment of deliberation, her hand hovering in the air, she picked up a spoon and started on a nearby bowl of cereal.

"Ahh, it feels like it has been centuries since I have been able to enjoy a proper breakfast." Nyx continued to mumble between mouthfuls as her eyes scanned the remaining food before her. "Still, it's not really for me. Nice for a change though."

Even though her words were barely audible, a strange look appeared on Abner's face as he watched Nyx out of the corner of his eye while maintaining his smile towards his mother and Sam. He was sitting reasonably close to her, especially since the bench was long enough to fit over a dozen people yet his body was tilting away from her as if he were on guard.

As Nyx dropped the spoon into the half-empty bowl, quickly moving onto a nearby apple-like fruit, Abner flinched slightly, suddenly raising his right hand in a defensive gesture before lowering it with an embarrassed smile.

Letting out a deep breath, Abner's gaze returned to his mother, who was frowning as she watched him intently, before revealing an awkward, lopsided grin. However, after noticing the slight twitch in her left eye, the smile fell away as he rubbed the back of his neck and looked up at the balcony above him.

The guards, having received a subtle shooing motion from Sam, had already returned to their meals and the few women who had noticed the pair quickly returned to their own conversations. Yet, even though they masked it very well, it was self-evident that their minds were not focused on what they were initially talking about as they angled their head's and bodies in Nyx and Abner's direction.

Gisse's face was marred in wrinkles from her scowl, yet her colour wasn't much better than the somewhat pale Sam, both looking unamused and slightly grumpy as their eyes flickered between Abner and Nyx.

After a few minutes, Abner started fidgeting as the glare he got from his mother only increased. As he squirmed, his body slightly moved towards Nyx, causing her to raise a single eyebrow under the hood before lightly shaking her head with an amused smile.

"How sad... Guess I still can't compare to a mother's rage."

Nyx's quiet mutter caused Abner's lips to twitch upwards ever so slightly, and his squirming reduced significantly. Turning his attention back to Nyx, he quickly noticed that the fruit that had been in her hand was gone. Not only that, but the once impressive pile of food that had been stacked in front of the pair had almost completely vanished. After a quick glance at the now empty counter near Sam, and a loud rumbling from his stomach, Abner's hand shot out towards a plate containing a solitary sausage and a few rashers of bacon.

*Thud*

Just as his hand was about to reach the plate, the blade of a blunt, silver knife was embedded into the table millimetres away from the tips of his fingers. The dainty, white hand that grasped the hilt slowly unfurled, leaving the knife behind as a low, yet feminine growl came from its owner's throat.

"My bad." At the rumbling sound next to him, Abner repressed the urge to smile, the hairs on his arms and neck no longer standing on end like when he had first heard the sound a week earlier. However, even though it looked like he didn't pay the violent action any attention, he still slowly withdrew his hand before placing it in his lap.

Nyx grumbled as she moved the plates with the remaining food away from Abner. "Steal your own food."

"But we don't need to steal here?" Abner's face twisted slightly as his eyes glazed over somewhat before returning to normal. "Is it the same reason as to why we snuck past the guards when we returned?"

Nyx's shoulders moved in a shrug like motion as she continued to eat, only sparing the burning, hostile gaze that was directed at her a glance. "Your mother is quite pretty, especially when she's angry."

Abner's face blanked for a moment before he frowned and looked over at his mother.

Gisse, revealing her white teeth as her lips pulled back slightly, was about to shout out and stomp towards Nyx when Sam's hand landed on her shoulder. While the action looked light, she wobbled and almost fell off the stool she had been getting up from. At some point, Sam had emerged from behind the bar and was now standing next to her.

While still keeping Nyx and Abner in his peripheral, Sam locked eyes with Gisse and shook his head. After staring into her eyes for a few seconds, he signalled her to follow him as he turned and slowly walked towards the pair. The movement drew the curiously of the others even though they tried to make it look like they weren't interested, especially those who had only just noticed the newcomers.

After taking a deep breath, Gisse sighed loudly and stood up to follow, her oversized jumper slipping even further down her right shoulder. Her hands were soon white with the pressure she was exerting on them, only increasing as her eyes scanned Abner's dirty hair and the multiple small wounds and bruises that littered his face, arms and hands. It wasn't long before she spotted more significant cuts through the tattered remains of his clothing and armour.

Having looked over what she could see of Abner's body twice, Gisse came to a stop just behind Sam, a few feet away from the booth. Her eyes quickly moved from Abner to Nyx as she glared at the small, white jawline visible in the shadow of the black hood. However, just as she was about to open her mouth, Sam turned around and released a piercing scowl causing her to stop. Slowly, she closed her mouth as her arms crossed.

As Sam turned back towards Nyx, she released a loud sigh as she pushed a plate of various foods towards Abner. "And~ just like that, my meal is ruined. This is why I told you to keep your presence concealed until I finished eating."

Nyx's voice was quiet, but it was strangely audible to everyone in the hall. As she spoke, she turned her head towards Abner who had inched away slowly and put his hand on the handle of the dagger strapped to his waist. This time, there was no hint of a smile on his face as a small amount of sweat broke out on his brow. "My bad."

"My bad? Is that all you can-"

"Who in the seven hells do you think you are?" Gisse's sharp, enraged voice abruptly cut Nyx off as she stomped forward, passing Sam and only stopping when she reached the table. With her hands on her hips, she leant towards Nyx in an intimidating fashion. The other tables, children included, that had been buzzing with conversations silenced as everyone turned in their direction.

Abner paled significantly, his eyes darting from Nyx to his mother. Just as he was about to say something, Nyx shook her head slightly. With a flick of her wrist, a silver badge fell onto the table and rolled towards Gisse.

The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

By this time, Sam had caught up and was just about to pull Gisse back when he froze, his pupils expanding almost as much as Gisse's as they watched the round badge come to a stop. Almost at the same time, the pair sucked in what felt like cold air through their teeth.

Following an unhealthy silence, they looked at each other in shock before slowly returning their gaze to Nyx. Gisse was holding her breath while a faint, grey light had started to form behind Sam's back.

Bar Nyx, who was nibbling on some dried meat from a container with a name on, the hall had become motionless.

Gisse was about to open her mouth before Sam seized her shoulder and pulled her behind him. After gripping her shoulder slightly harder than necessary as he made eye contact, he turned his attention to one of the guards that were looking in his direction. After a couple of quick hand signals, he turned back to Nyx and cleared his throat.

"Apologies for the rudeness Executioner. Please wait a few moments, and we will be free to talk."

The guard nodded, even though Sam was no longer looking in his direction, before whispering to the others and quickly moving towards the other tables. Except for the youngest kids who nosily complained and even resisted until their mothers came and dragged them away, the groups of people quickly moved to the stairway or the main entrance.

Within moments, the sound of footsteps, murmuring and the closing of doors died out leaving the hall in silence. The guards didn't return to their tables or leave but instead took up positions at each side of the main entrance, too far to eavesdrop but close enough to see and react if needed.

After double checking that everyone that should not be here had left, Sam bowed deeply to Nyx. "Executioner. I'm sorry I didn't recognise you before. This month's tribute to the Sect has already been sent and…" His eyes flashed to the boy sitting next to Nyx "I hope that our little Abner hasn't caused you too much trouble. We will be willing to comp-"

"It's not like that, Uncle Sam." Abner straightened his back as he waved his hands, successfully interrupting Sam. "Miss...Runt is willing to give me a chance to become her disciple. If I pass her tests, I can join the Hall of Iron directly and might even get tutoring from Hall Master Fang. Sorry for not coming over straight away but she's..."

Abner paused, glancing at Nyx. "A little... shy?"

Nyx's eye twitched violently, hidden by her hood.

"You little bastard. We already discussed this." Gisse ground her teeth before slamming her mouth shut and checking Nyx's reaction. After seeing she was still eating and didn't seem to mind her outburst, Gisse's enraged gaze returned to Abner. "Is this why you have been missing for two weeks? Trying to find a way to break your promise to me? Do you really want to end up in the stomach of one of those monsters you are so crazy about? You are only nine years old for the love of the gods."

Without waiting for a response, she turned back to Nyx and bowed similarly to what Sam had performed earlier. "Executioner, my apologies. My son is young and reckless. Whatever he has promised you to open this backdoor, I will make sure to pay. Just let him off this once."

Nyx's hooded head turned towards the boy sitting beside her, tilting slightly to the side. "So Shadow... your real name is Abner?"

Abner blushed slightly, glaring at his mum but looking away after making eye contact. "Shadow is… my adventurer name."

"Good, that means you can change it."

"Wait," Gisse frowned. Looking at Nyx. "He's too young. Even if he is extremely talented, he needs-"

It was at this time that she noticed the sigil-like mark on the back of Abner's hand. She glanced at Nyx's pale, right hand, which was currently picking up another fruit and she momentarily became expressionless. Opening and closing her mouth a few times, her fists started to clinch again. "What the fuck Abner! You joined that god-damned crazy cult?"

Sam, who had been standing in silence, suddenly grabbed her hard enough to spin her around. Staring into Gisse's eyes, he spoke through gritted teeth. "Are you retarded? Think about what you just said. Are you trying to get us all killed?"

Gisse glared back but after a few seconds, took a deep breath as her complexion paled.

Seeing the change in her expression, Sam released his grip and turned back to Nyx, his eyes only briefly scanning the two marks that appeared almost identical on their hands. Both of them released their breaths as their shoulders slightly sagged when they saw that Nyx was still eating at an unhurried pace.

Closing her eyes for a few moments, Gisse wet her lips before opening them and bowing. "Sorry, I didn't mean to criticise your religion. It's just that-."

Nyx lifted her hand and glanced at her sigil. "What religion?"

Gisse swallowed before pointing at Nyx's hand. "The one the tattoo represents."

"Tattoo? This is my sigil." Nyx frowned under her hood as her head tilted to the side.

Gisse was about to say something else when Abner spoke up. "Its true mum. Mast-."

Nyx flinched, causing Abner to react similarly as he hastily changed what he had been about to say. "...Miss Runt is an elemental royalty. That's her sigil. I have it because she has helped me stabilise my darkness affinity and finalised the fourth layer of my core. It helps me absorb dark essence more efficiently. Not only that I have already started on my fifth."

Abner continued to talk about the changes he had experienced, yet Sam and Gisse only expressed shocked, somewhat alarmed expressions as they stared at the opening of Nyx's hood.

"I wonder if it is because of him?" Nyx's quiet words silenced Abner mid-sentence as she lightly tapped her index finger on the table. "Or if Mother has others she is interested in? Wouldn't surprise me but then again, why are they using my sigil? Shouldn't they have their own?"

"You're doing it again." Abner's lips twitched into a smile.

"Hmm?" Nyx looked up, though the shadow of her hood still made it impossible to see anything but the lower half of her face. "Really?"

"Yep." Abner nodded, quickly noticing his mother's and Sam's confused gazes. "Ma... Miss Runt often talks to herself. It scared away some of our prey, so I am helping to fix it."

Sam blinked a couple of times. "Is that so?"

Nyx looked between Sam's smiling but nervous face and Gisse's agitated expression before waving her hand in a dismissive matter as she stifled a yawn. "Anyway, the long and short of it is that the kid is just a passing interest for now. If he can't complete the task in the timeline I have set, then that will be the end of it."

"What's the task?" Gisse glanced at her son, her eyes lingering on the various bruises and light wounds.

Abner's smile, which had appeared as he explained everything that happened to him, faltered as his voice lowered. "I have to reach the seventh layer before I am twelve. The layers also have to be pure darkness. Before that, Miss Runt will only make a recommendation for me to join the Sect so I can get more resources."

"What? That's absurd." Gisse frowned as she stared at Nyx. "Are you just messing with him? That's almost impossible."

Abner looked away, trying not to laugh as Sam raised an eyebrow.

Even Nyx couldn't help but chuckle as she shrugged her shoulders. "As I said, I'm doing this on a whim. If he can't meet those basic requirements, not only will following me stunt his growth, he will probably die a miserable death and have his soul shattered. If that's the case, he might as well stay where it is safe and live out the remainder of his days."

A rumble of thunder resonated outside, causing everyone bar Nyx to look up. As one, the three people, and the guards near the door, slowly lowered their heads as their eyes fell upon Nyx who had finished the food on the table and was licking her fingers.

Gisse's anger had vanished as she looked at Abner with concern. After another bout of silence, she took a deep breath. "Until then, will he be travelling with you?"

"No." Nyx shook her head.

Sam and Gisse released their breaths as Abner's head snapped towards Nyx. Just as he was about to protest Sam quickly spoke as he indicated to the empty plates. "Umm, Executioner, would you like some more?"

Nyx's movements stopped for a moment, before nodding. Sam waved at one of the guards, telling him to get the cooks to make another round of breakfast. He paused and looked at the multiple empty plates before telling him to make it for four.

Nyx looked towards Sam. "I'll be staying here for a while while I... wait for a friend. I assume this won't be a problem."

"No, not at all." Sam immediately replied before hesitating. "But... this place is-"

"It's fine." Nyx waved her hand as she took a deep breath and rested her elbow on the table while propping her head up with her knuckles.

Abner started talking again, mostly heavily hinting that he should be allowed to make his own decisions. Yet it appeared that Sam and Gisse weren't really listening as they watched Nyx and fell into their own thoughts. It wasn't long before Abner explained that Nyx seemed to be waiting for someone from the Sect to come and find her, as she had been leaving clues along the way and was often muttering about why they were late.

Hearing this Nyx, merely snorted and turned away.

Sam and Gisse looked at each other oddly before returning their attention to Nyx, both thinking the same thing.

"Surely this isn't all because of a lovers tiff?"