I waited for the innkeeper to gather her thoughts, for the last few minutes I've been listening to her in the dimly lit room.

The bad news is that he's not here but the good news is that she knows he's not here. His name wasn't well known.

However, when I mentioned that he was a serial killer, she raised her eyebrows and pointed me to Ubal village.

"I think there was some sort of rumor like that there."

I shake my head as I walk out into the night. Ubal village was much further away from the city than this one is. I would have to leave immediately when school ends to get there before sunset. Not a big deal but I also have to make the long trek back.

I nimbly lift one of my legs over the horse's back and ride out of the village. The noise from the hooves hitting the stone path makes it seem like we're escaping criminals, some villagers stare.

Surprisingly, leaving and entering the city was easy. I guess that they've been informed that I'm a new member of the group. I wonder if it has a name.

I go to the usual alleyway, and change back into my uniform.

I'm in my room, it's around 10:30. I could wander around the city and do a few things. Suddenly the service girl from the inn pops up in my mind, I could go out and "see" some women but I don't really like people that just see me as a walking bag of money.

If I asked my master he would simply tell me to either, play with some friends or train more.

I really don't feel like Axel or I would do anything fun tonight, so that's ruled out. I have been keeping up with my physical strength training but it's been a while since I practiced with my knives. Is there even a proper place where I could train with them? I don't really think that I'll have much progress with my mission for the next few days, so I should go practice with one of the other members.

While thinking that, my hand grips onto the thin metal handle of the lantern. I bring it close and with a snap of my fingers, send a small flame in. It's barely adequate for reading. With a small grunt I lift the book onto the table and begin reading.

Somewhere along the way I fell asleep.

-----------------

A little boy sat in his bed.

I hate it here. These...people, hate me. I don't wanna stay with them anymore. I wanna go to where my family is.

Each and every day after eating what could barely be called scraps, the boy climbed into his bed and thought these things to himself as he drifted to sleep.

Anger burned from within him. He wanted to do something, he wanted to run away, he wanted to escape this hell hole he was forced to call "home."

But he couldn't. He wouldn't survive more than a day out there alone, he knew, the people he were living with also knew, thus they never worried.

I miss my old life.

Each time he looked at the kids playing in the streets he thought that. Each time he ate his "meals" he thought that.

Every single day he spent at this village slowly ate away at him. It chipped away his spirit, it melted down his hopes, it broke his will.

But one day, a man came through and offered him his hand.

"Hey there. Wanna come with me?"

The boy knew that it was possible the man would take him away and sell him off.

He knew that the man could be dangerous. He knew that he could be killed. He knew better than to take the hand of a stranger, and yet, he took it.

There was something in the man's gentle eyes, something that spoke of his trustworthiness.

The boy had known that staying here would do nothing for him. The boy knew that no one would miss him if he were to leave. So, he took the only hand that was ever offered to him.

"Is there something that you want?" the man asked.

"Power." The boy responded.

"Kehehehahaha."

The man laughed at his answer.

The boy was confused. What was so funny about his answer? The boy knew that those with power were the ones who ruled, he knew that they were the ones who hurt him so much.

Soon the face of the boy turned sour. He doesn't understand. thought the boy.

"Alright kid, I'll teach you how to fight. I'll give you power."

Each day the boy would be instructed by the man, "Throw 500 punches without stopping!" "Kick that tree until you can't stand!" and each day the boy would complete the given task.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Even tasks such as, "Get me some food, find me a woman, or look for a magical red rock in that river!" the boy would give a simple nod and set off.

Sometimes the boy would be teased by the man.

"I saw you looking at that lady over there, hehehe."

"I-I was n-not!"

The boy would turn red and strongly deny anything the man said.

Over time they had gotten comfortable with each other.

"Hey." the boy called out.

"What is it?"

"T-thanks for taking me with you."

The man smiled. "Heh, yeah."

The boy felt extremely happy. The man before him, at one time a complete stranger, was now someone close to his heart. The man had given him back everything he had once lost.

-----------

The lecture today was boring, I didn't pay any attention to it at all. No, it would be more accurate to say that I was to busy thinking of where the target was hiding. I can't help but think that arriving on horse, going to an inn, then immediately leaving the same way I came is suspicious. The first village, I got lucky and he wasn't there but what if he's at Ubal village and gets scared off when I come?

Time passed by quickly while my mind was filled with those kinds of thoughts. In the end I decided that I would have to keep doing what I was doing, there wasn't much else I could do after all.

We're on the sparring grounds again, it's been a few days since we last came here. I wonder if blue hair will be all meek again. During these sessions she always seems to be worried, she's always holding back her magic. I'm somewhat thankful though, if they actually hit me head on I'd be in trouble. Well, Miss Ein would step in before anything got serious though.

The magic we're using today is an intermediate recovery spell called [Leech]. It forcibly sucks the life from one person to help sustain the other. It isn't used much as any kind of barrier can stop it and because it's most effective in close range.

To a mage it's a horrible recovery/offensive spell but for me it's something that looks very appealing. It's like looking at the newest model of my throwing knives, my eyes sparkle just thinking about it.

Blue hair seems on the fence on who should go first.

"I'll go first." I say.

"Okay."

I walk up to her and put my hand on her forearm.

"[Leech]."

I can feel the energy flowing into me. I don't feel significantly different but I know from the sensation enveloping my whole body.

I retract my hand. Blue hair looks slightly tired and she's turned slightly paler, she doesn't have much stamina.

"Here I go, [Leech]."

I have my hand in a fist, the spell feels like it's only affecting my arm. The color was slowly returning to blue hair, chin first.

"Okay. That's enough class."

By the time Miss Ein calls for the class to stop my arm feels like it fell asleep.

*DING*

The bell rang. I hurriedly moved down the stairs letting gravity help me.

I changed and got on my horse.

After a while I arrived at Ubal village.

It was a little less appealing than Davin village, some of the houses here were clearly very old, with their rotting wood and their broken windows. Unlike Davin village the pathway was dirt instead of stone, and the ground was much more dirt than it was grass. I get off my horse and lead it to a nearby inn. I tie the rope around a pole and go inside.

The time it took me to get here was faster than I thought so I'm not exactly in a rush. I take a seat at one of the empty tables. A short haired girl comes by and takes my order. She leaves and I close my eyes, my ears are listening in on conversations discarding useless ones and moving to the next. Nothing of interest so far.

The girl arrives with my food and sets it down on the table, bread and soup. I break off a part of the bread and stick it in my mouth. It's hard and mildly bitter, I dip another piece into the soup, much better.

The conversations yielded no results. The day had gotten darker. I pound my forehead with my knuckle.

Nothing again. I'll come back tomorrow.

I drop a few coins on the table and take my leave. I open the door and brush past a man. Time slowed for me when I saw his face. He walks inside without paying me any heed. He met the very general description but the defining feature was obvious. On his forehead was a glaring scar.