Without waiting for the last word to be completed, sharp blades of swords clashed against each other, making a sharp scraping sound in the quiet battle grounds. The impact of the clashing blades was so much, that the two elite slaves bounced back to their original position, crouching in their fighting stance with the swords in their hands ready strike once more. Their eyes fixed on each other, studying and looking for their opponent's weak points.

As the slaves studied each other, one of them silently mouthed to the other with a haughty tug on the corner his chapped lips.

'I. WILL. KILL. YOU. DISGUSTING EYES.'

''.....'' The receiver of those words, which was the young boy, did nothing in response. He already expected these words, as it wasn't his first time hearing them. For a moment, the grip around the sword loosened, but a faint voice whispered in his ear.

'You must survive, Kieran. No matter what life throws at you, you must survive. Don't be like your pathetic dying mother, my son.'

''....Tsk.'' The young boy released that inaudible sound, knowing that he couldn't avoid this battle as he had always done in slave castle. His opponent would surely kill him, even if no one said anything about death.

When that realization dawned on him, his blaming eyes glanced over to the side, where the cause of this battle sat above leisurely watching him and his opponent with an amused smile.

Their eyes met, and the young boy suddenly thought of the rumors that he heard about her, the fourth young lady of the Langston family.

'I heard she's a weak lady.....rumors can't be really trusted.' What he heard was really different from who he was looking at.

'How does she know?' He questioned himself. Despite his weak presence and physique, he was still picked and that was not his goal. Why wasn't she the same as the other Grand duke's children who had ignored him?

Sensing the danger heading his way, the young boy took his eyes away, and the sound of swords clashing sounded in his ear again. His eyes then landed on his opponent who was gritting his teeth in struggle.

'Should I win? If I win, I might die again and mother would not like that.' The young boy was in deep thoughts while the sword in his hand clashed against his opponent. Unlike him, his opponent was an opposite of his calm state.

'If I purposefully drop my sword, the commander and other knights will know. Unfortunately for me, the fourth young lady is interested and watching. If I try to pull any tricks, the Grand duke will be informed....' The young boy knew he was at disadvantage. There was nothing he could to do, other than exposing his true strength. If only the fourth young lady was not interested in him.

'I have no choice.' While keeping his opponent in check by overpowering his strength, the young boy took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a fleeting moment. The second he opens them, his life would drastically change and he might not keep his promise to his late mother anymore.

But...he has no choice, unless he would die right here.

All of a sudden, the opponent felt a shiver travel down his back. The bead of sweat on his forehead multiplied, and his shoulder down to his arm began to tremble. Glancing around, he found no source of danger. The knights and the commander were also watching them, meaning that there was nothing dangerous around them.

So why was he feeling this way? Why was his body telling him to flee? To flee away from what?

That question was easily answered when he brought his gaze back to the figure smaller and weaker than himself. The moment his eyes collided with those grey eyes, everything around him faded into nothing but an empty and blank space.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

'Huh?' The opponent looked around him with confusion written all over his face. Where was he? Where were the knights and the commander? How come no one followed him to this weird place?

He had so many questions, at the same time, the warning voice at the back of his mind became louder, telling him to flee from danger.

That was what confused him the most. Where and what was the danger that he must escape from?

Unexpectedly, a chair appeared right in front him with someone seated with legs crossed, and a familiar calm gaze piercing right through him.

Why was he here?

The opponent was surprised to see the young boy in the same place as him.

''Wh---'' When he wanted to talk, his voice produced no sound like someone had tampered with his vocal cord.

*pfffff* *pfffff*

He tried and tried again, just to make a sound, but only his lips produced was spitting sound to the point his saliva started to spew out.

What happened to his voice?

He wondered, however his mind didn't dwell on that question as he noticed something different about the young boy in his front.

'Help me!' He glared at the young boy hoping that he would understand him without his voice. Unfortunately for him, the young boy merely stared at him, until he broke the silence between them.

*Pfft*

He laughed. ''Even in the face of death, you still want me to order to do your bidding.'' He said, amused with the reversed situation.

'Huh?' For a moment, the opponent thought he was facing a different person. There was no way that weak slave would speak to him in that manner.

''You should be grateful that I am not much of a revengeful person, but I am not sorry you have to perish today.'' The young boy continued, and then uttered two words that ended his life in a matter of seconds.

''Now, be gone.''

*Splurt*

All it took for the opponent to be back to the reality and not remain in the weird place was to blink his eyes, however he noticed the metallic taste in his mouth. His shaken eyes were fixed on the same empty gaze that he faced in that weird place. Even without looking down, he knew that the blade had pierced through his chest.

Before he released his last breath, he finally realized why the young boy in front of him was different. In that weird place, the latter was seated and watched him struggled with no empathy, while he remained standing as if not fitting to seat with him. It was the same now, the young boy stood, alive and breathing, different from him who was dying.

Why would have expected him, one of the strongest elite slave to perish in such matter....No, how could he die in such manner?

The opponent was unable to accept such defeat, but there was nothing he could do since he was leaving the world at the moment.

The only question he had in his heart was about the identity of the person whom everyone in the slave manor thought of as the weakest, including himself.

*Thud*

The outcome of the short battle was decided with the death of the strongest elite slave. All present in the battle ground apart from one person were shocked to the extreme.

While everyone tried to process the glaring outcome, a childish voice called out to the person by her side.

''Look at that, lily. I was right about my precious elite slave right from the start.''

****

''The child is really different?''

''This lowly one is unsure about that, my lady.'' With one knee on the ground, Lily bowed her head to the sixth madam seated on the bed right in front of her. The conversation between them was about what had taken place during the day time, but mainly about Raven.

''But the young lady is unlike before. She did not run away from training and the battle between the elite slaves was in her favor as if she knew of the outcome.''

''That is not my question, lily. Is the child different or not?''

''......'' Lily kept quiet for a moment. Her master was someone who wanted answers and not explanations.

''This lowly one is unsure about that, my lady.'' That's right. She admitted that she, a skilled killer and an adult could not fathom the behaviors of her master's weak child.

What an embarrassment.

''......'' Staring at her kneeling subordinate, the sixth madam knew that lily was not one to lie. If it were truly like that, then it means her child had grown out of her useless self.

A testimony could be how the child dealt with the fifth madam. Another was the dead killer found in that child's room.

'I have always known mother. You, father, and everyone look down on me, so I don't see a problem in accepting fourth elder brother's challenge. This is also a way to change the perceptions many have of me, mother.' The sixth madam recalled the conversation that went on between the child and herself. The same but different eyes stared right back at her in the carriage. Her daughter was never one to fake those types of eyes. She wasn't even capable of having such eyes.

Something must have happened for her to have a sudden change. Something that she, lily and perhaps the entire Langston family were unaware of.

''You must observe that child, lily''

This was the first time a dead killer would be found in that child's room. That also meant the Grand duke had stopped protecting her child according to their agreement.

''I want to know every move and actions that she will take from now on.''