Zypher was surprised. He looked at the boy murdering his 'comrades' with amusement visible on his face. Initially, he was gonna kill them, but instead, it was the boy who did. The surprise soon turned into an interest in him.
The boy glanced at Zypher and smiled at him when he had finished killing them.
"Did you think I would spare you if you pulled an action like this?" He asked with a sly smile.
"I can clearly sense that you're a normal human. To think you'd pull something like this. You truly have courage, kid." He continued.
"Why would I need to be spared by you? I can save myself. I don't need to be spared by anybody." The boy said arrogantly.
"Oh? How will you do that?" Zypher started closing the distance between them with a grin.
The boy did not move; he watched the man coming towards him, but he stood still, gazing at him plainly.
The crescent moon's light illuminated the boy and the man. The plain land stretched endlessly around them, strong winds blowing the grass.
The boy stood in the grass, his body covered in blood, red stains dripped from his arms, making the grass near him red. A few steps away from him, a man with long red hair stood tall and arrogant, his hair moving continuously because of the strong wind. No one said anything! They both examined each other without a word.
Zypher was the first to break the silence. "What's your name, kid?" He asked with interest in his tone.
"Why should I tell you my name? I have no reason to do so." The boy retorted with a calm expression.
"What is it that makes him so calm? Isn't he afraid of death?" Zypher was baffled. What could make a normal kid act so arrogantly? Did he have a secret, or was he just really stupid? Zypher couldn't tell.
He was thinking, but then he noticed the boy turning around and leaving casually. "Does he take me for a joke?" Anger slowly started surging within him, but he quickly calmed down.
"Who said you can leave as you please?" Zypher quickly blocked his way. The boy looked at him and started walking somewhere else.
He blocked his way again. This continued for some minutes before the boy finally opened his mouth, "Leave me alone, you fucker."
Zypher's expression froze. It was the first time someone had treated him like this, and what made it worse was the fact that it was a normal human.
"Enough of your shitty games, I'm just gonna kill you." Zypher took out a dagger. It was a Mythral. He immediately went for a strike, but stopped before he sliced the boy's neck.
"Zypher!" The boy shouted with a hint of anger in his tone.
"How does he know my name?" He thought. He had been running rampant on the continent and murdering the weak without ever exposing himself. How did this boy know about him?
"Is it really worth killing a normal human like me? Don't you feel shame, you coward." The boy said angrily.
"Give me one week, and I will personally kill you."
"You plan on attacking the kingdom, right? Come find trouble with me there in a week from today. I will show you what despair is like." The boy announced.
Hearing such ridiculous words from the boy's mouth almost made Zypher burst out laughing; however, he held it in. The kingdom had powerful Aethers, and he knew about them. They were out in the open, and they did not know anything about him.
Zypher wasn't stupid; he obviously knew that the boy was bluffing. He was prideful and arrogant, but he never let them cloud his rationality. The boy was a mere human; he could do nothing to Zypher.
"You're just delaying your death, kid. Haha, I'll take you up on your offer then." He had already planned on attacking the kingdom. The boy posed no threat to him at all. However, what bothered him was how the boy knew his name. "It doesn't matter, I will lead them all to their demise anyway." He scoffed.
"I need confirmation that you won't run away somewhere else. Don't worry, I have a way to prevent that. I will use my Aetherbrand to connect your soul to mine just like I did with that injured knight. If I feel you running away, then I will immediately end your life." Zypher said with a serious face.
"Sure, Let's do that." The boy said slowly and moved towards him.
Zypher nodded and used his brand to create a connection between their soul. He would be able to detect if the boy runs away or not.
"So your name is Daemon," Zypher said with a smile before turning around and disappearing from the spot.
Daemon watched him disappear, and comfort washed over him. He took a risky gamble to save his life, though for a week. Now he had to plan how to outwit Zypher and save the kingdom.
He looked around and saw the four knights' corpses. He took their life to save his own; he felt sick with himself.
"I never thought I would have to do something like this. But they are not real people since this is something that took place in the distant past. This is created by mysticism." He justified his actions to make himself feel better.
"Anyway that Zypher is still hiding lots of other abilities. In the records, it was mentioned that he had time-related abilities. Truly a monster." He felt a chill run down his spine.
"I can consider it a success, I outwitted him for once but there won't be a next time. He will truly end my life in seven days." Daemon could only start planning when he reached the kingdom.
He looked at the hanging crescent moon in the sky and smiled, "Beneath the pale moon's silent glow, I walk a path the world won't know." He felt refreshed and left for the kingdom.
...
The Bright sun slowly rose and shone brightly above the kingdom. Guards stood on the entrance gate on both sides. They were sleepy but still kept watch. All of a sudden, their sleepiness vanished as they saw a young boy drenched in blood running towards them.
"The demon killed them all."
"He murdered all of them brutally."
"He is coming for us. He will kill us all."
The boy shouted frantically. The guards ran towards him to ask what had happened.
"He's a monster. He killed all of the knights. He left me alive to send a message." The boy spoke while trembling.
The guards looked at each other, perplexed, and they took him to a doctor. The doctor did a check-up and deemed everything fine.
"Go take a rest for some hours, we will let His Majesty know about this. You'll be called for an audience soon." One of the guards said softly and left the boy to rest in a nearby inn.
"With that, now I have to think of how to kill Zypher and finish the ordeal." Daemon had no time to spare. He had to make the best of the short time he was given.
"This kingdom is bound to fall at the hands of Zypher. Although they have powerful Aethers, they know nothing about him at all. I can tell them about his soul-related powers, but how do I hint to them of his time-related ones?"
"It wouldn't make sense to them as they'll think that I'm spouting some random nonsense; I need to give them hints somehow." He concluded in his mind.
Daemon rested for some hours before the guard came again. "I've told His Majesty about what you said. There will be an audience. Follow me." The guard said and gestured for him to follow.
He followed the guard and looked around the kingdom. It was very small; it could barely compare to the city of Rynfall. The buildings were old and the shops were small. It wasn't as lively. People could barely be seen on the streets.
After walking for a while, the castle was very close. It wasn't grand when compared to others, but still carried a royal aura. The stone wall was old, and cracks were visible, although not much. The towers were slightly taller than the trees, and the entrance gate was huge. Although it was old, it was still a castle.
They entered, and the guard immediately led him to the audience. The king sat on the throne along with the queen. Nobles sat on the seats in the corners with anticipation.
"I greet His Majesty," Daemon spoke with reverence.
"Stand up, let us know what happened." The king gestured for him to stand up softly.
Daemon had an agonized look as he said, "The demon put us under an illusion; we almost made it to the kingdom, but the scenery changed, and that terrifying man appeared from the sky."
"He killed all the other knights because they were Aethers, but he left me alive as I was a normal human and didn't pose threat to him."
"He told me to give a message when I returned. He said that in a week, he will attack the kingdom and murder everyone. He's making enemies out of all of us."
"He also had soul-related abilities. My soul is connected to him; I can't run away even if I want to, as he will immediately kill me. He was too arrogant. He's a monster, we are all going to die."
Tears burst down from Daemon's sockets. He had a terrified expression on his face as he recounted and manipulated the story of what actually happened. He couldn't tell them that he killed the knights to save himself. Why would he do that? He would be executed on the spot for treason and betrayal.
"That's enough, we will take care of it from here. You can leave now." The king said with pity as he looked at the boy. He could feel the young boy's pain through his face and voice.
"Yes, Your Majesty." Daemon turned around and left the castle, his expression and demeanour becoming normal again.
"There might be Aethers in that room who can detect lies but I didn't lie, I just did not add the part where I killed those knights. Zypher indeed killed all those knights except them."
"And he had intentions of attacking the kingdom already, so that's true as well."
Daemon nodded in satisfaction. He had achieved what he needed to do here. "I should stroll around the city and see if I can find Mythrals."
Mythrals were created in various ways. The most common way was if an Aether blacksmith created them. The strength of the Mythral was relative to the blacksmith's strength. The chance of succeeding was very low. The blacksmith had to be very skilled to create them.
Daemon strolled around to find the blacksmith's shops. He visited some of them, but none of them had something suitable for him. Finally, he found a Mythral at one shop that piqued his interest.
It was a small knife. If stabbed with it, it could render one unable to use their powers for a split second.
"A second might not be much, but it can completely turn the situation around." He thought and wanted to get it; however, he had no funds and couldn't buy it. He could only leave with a bitter smile.