A precisely aimed kick to the chin is followed by a lightning-fast evasive maneuver to the left, my opponent then sends several fists flying towards my face and finishes this combination with a perfectly timed spinning kick that I am able to block with my elbow at the last second, The force of the kick made my whole body tremble and although the idea of what would have happened if I had reacted a second later sent a shiver down my spine, I recognized the gap in my opponent's defence created by his kick, my fist swung instinctively and out of the corner of my eye I saw a smile that I knew only too well - this smile is hard to forget as it is usually followed by the worst pain I have experienced in recent years. ...and suddenly my eyes went black. I spent the next hour unconscious until I suddenly felt ice-cold water on my face, I opened my eyes and jumped up, a few seconds passed before I realized the situation and was able to look into the smile of Benjamin my supervisor again. "What the hell?" I gasped as I held my aching head with one hand and shielded my eyes from the bright rays of the sun with the other.

"Your counterattacks are too slow, your defense has gaps and you're still too reckless. Get changed and come to the library, your class starts in ten minutes," Benjamin said, and before I could say anything back, he made his way back to the villa I've lived in for as long as I can remember. Left alone, I dropped down and laid my head on the grass and looked up at the sky. I was aware that if I didn't get changed on time with my books in the library I could expect more pain today, but I couldn't resist resting for a moment and just listening to nature. After enjoying what was probably my last minute of rest for the day, 8 hours of math, history, chemistry, politics and survival training awaited me until my fighting class in the afternoon. In all these subjects my teacher is Benjamin who raised me all my life while my father was away on his long business trips.

Benjamin is not just some employee but also a very good friend of my father John Redford, and even though most people might consider Benjamin relatively normal with his blue eyes, short wavy blond hair, and outwardly fragile body and oh so friendly smile, I am well aware that this is nothing but a perfect facade. I am not saying that Benjamin is some kind of monster, he is when he is not beating me up in sparring, I mean teaching of course, one of the nicest and most polite people I have ever come into contact with, although I have to admit that he is one of the only people I have ever exchanged more than 2 sentences with in my life. However, I am best aware that this ordinary looking person is capable of far more than anyone can imagine. I have fought him for the last 17 years of my life since I was a kid and have only won against him a handful of times in the last 2 years. He is also my only teacher, and although I don't go to a normal school like other children and so my entire education depends on his knowledge, there has never been a question that he hasn't been able to answer me accurately.

To be honest, I asked myself more than once why such a person was made responsible for my education. However, when I asked him about it for the first time recently, he just smiled as usual and said it was a great honor for him to have been assigned by Sir Redford for my education. I realized two things at that moment, firstly that he seems to like living with me somewhere in the middle of nowhere and being responsible for my education, and secondly that he respects my father far more than most people respect their superiors.

My father and Benjamin are similar in the sense that they are both truly extraordinary people. The only difference is that while one goes unnoticed like a shadow, the other dazzles people with his presence. At least that's my perception of my father, who seemed unattainable to me. John Redford a 1.85 meter tall man, with his dark blond hair and angular facial features as well as his athletically built body, few would guess his age of 48 years. The only time you notice his age is when you look into his bright green eyes that make you feel like you've seen through him completely and realize that he's seen more in his life than most people. Five minutes passed and I knew I had to start climbing over the wall or I wouldn't make it to class on time. I know Benjamin well enough to know that I don't even have to try to open the gate after such a bad sparring session. I've crossed that wall more than a few times since I was a kid, whether it was to avoid punishment or just to leave the estate without permission, but this time it seemed a lot harder than usual because of the strenuous training. I jumped with the last bit of strength I had and grabbed a slightly lower spot in the wall with my hands. After I managed to get over the wall with difficulty, I went to my room, which was on the upper floor, and changed my clothes.

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Up to this point, it had been an ordinary day for me. I would get through the rest of my lessons and end the day with Benjamin in the evening. Usually with a movie or one of his adventures from the past that he was supposed to have had with his father. Even if I thought he was exaggerating in some places to make them more exciting for me, I had enjoyed listening to him since my childhood, it gave me the feeling of learning more about the father I rarely got to see. Just as I was going downstairs, I heard our doorbell ring for the first time in a long time. This could either mean that one of Benjamin's friends was coming to visit, or that Dad had returned from his trip earlier than usual. Both were rather rare events. I was hoping for the latter, but in both cases I would be spared lessons for the day, so I made my way towards the door with a grin. My anticipation vanished abruptly when I bumped into Benjamin at the door. The man who couldn't be rattled was standing in front of the screen showing the surveillance cameras from the gate with a shocked face. There were 4 men on it, although recognizing is probably not quite accurate here. The three men standing at the back turned their faces completely away from the four security cameras at the front.

The man in front smiled at the camera but wore black tinted sunglasses. When he rang the bell for the second time, I recognized a tattoo on the back of his hand. It wasn't the first time I had seen this symbol, Benjamin also had it tattooed on his shoulder. A trident entwined with a snake. The second ringing made Benjamin suddenly notice me and change to an even more serious look than usual. He grabbed me by my shoulders and said, "Blaze, we don't have much time, you have to listen to me carefully and do exactly what I tell you".

I had more than one question running through my mind at that moment but after a moment's hesitation my instinct and Benjamin's facial expression told me that this was not the right time so I just nodded in reply. "Make your way to the hunting lodge which is to the east of the estate, if you push the cupboard on the right slightly to the side you will discover a hidden storage space, there is a backpack with everything you need," Benjamin said as he pressed the switch to open the gate and entered our security password in the box next to it. In the middle of the entry, Benjamin hesitated slightly, had he just mistyped something? At least that's what it looked like to me, but the control light turned green and the gate opened as usual, so I was probably imagining it because of the stressful situation. Benjamin noticed my hesitant behavior and said, "Blaze you need to get off this property right now, we're running out of time".

My gut told me to just listen to him at that moment and do as I was told, but instead I replied, "Benjamin, who are these men anyway? Why do I have to leave and what's happening to you?".

He looked me in the eye and replied, "There's a USB stick in the backpack and you'll find a video on it that answers all your questions, watch it and no matter what happens you have to promise me you won't come back here".

"But..." I said.

"Promise me Blaze," Benjamin interrupted me. Outside the door I suddenly heard a deep voice calling out,

"Benjamin we've been sent by Sam Wright and we have something urgent to discuss so could you please let us in".

"Benjamin, we were hoping for a little more hospitality than your Trident comrades," called another. This only left me with more questions than before - who is Sam Wright? And what the hell is Trident supposed to mean? But I didn't seem to have time and even though I didn't feel well, I gave Benjamin my promise and left the house through the back door. In hindsight, I wish I hadn't agreed so easily, that I had listened more to the warning signals in my head and, above all, that I had never left Benjamin alone.