"I hate this feeling." Mane grumbled unhappily as he walked all alone on the deserted grounds of the Academy. He kicked away a stray pebble in frustration. On this lonely night, only the street lamps served as his escorts in his midnight stroll. What was normally a walk to clear his mind of all unnecessary thoughts was turning into a royal 'grumble', with the unwanted intrusion of several useless opinions, each eager to kick the other out, Mane wasn't able to achieve the desired effect.
His late night strolls was a habit he had picked up two years ago, when he realised that there were some things that even a few hours of meditation could not fix. The cool night air that caressed his cheeks and stroked his hair was a much appreciated difference to his life of endless fighting and training. Though leaving the dormitories after the lights out bell had rung- which was at 10pm- was illegal, Mane had been breaching this rule without any adverse consequences. Mainly be
"Can you sense them now?" the 6th asked in concern. Mane didn't reply but sent his thoughts to state that he had."His scent has been carefully masked, but it's still discernible." Mane conversed solely in his thoughts. He didn't want to be seen talking to 'himself', especially when those stalking him were his enemies. Although he lost his concentration for a moment, allowing the assassins to come ridiculously close, once he regained it, he had noticed their presence. These assassins were very clearly professionals, not daring to underestimate him even though they didn't feel an ounce of energy from him. Actually Mane wished they would be unprofessional so he could take advantage of them.Due to his heightened senses, his nose had immediately picked up two strange fragrances in the air. He assumed that was a feature of his new physique, because he was certain that assassins didn't use perfumes. That would be very silly since it would just gi
As Mane approached the turn his body grew slightly taut. Good enough to prepare his muscles for the job they were about to do but small enough so his state of alertness was not conveyed to his enemies. He was anxious, but this anxiety was kept hidden. Mane had faced many opponents till now. He had defeated foes far stronger than himself. When he was at the 7th stage of the profound realm he was capable of besting Celestials at the peak of that realm. With the combat ability that Celestials possessed, this meant that Mane could go toe to toe with any early earth realm expert belonging to a regular race. He may even be able to give a mid-tier earth realmer a run for his money. Though winning may not be possible, it wouldn't be an issue to escape. It was different now. He always had inner energy. The edict had always been within him ever since he was six. This was the second time he was fighting without it. The first time wasn't so bad because he had a limited but strong connection to
"Are you okay?" the assassin who remained uninjured crouched as he checked on his friend's status, all the while looking around vigilantly. He was concerned for his friend, but that wasn't enough to make him lose his guard. His enemy was in the shadows now. Any wrong move and he would pay dearly.The fallen assassin coughed up blood in copious amounts. He wheezed as he struggled to breathe. Since he was travelling at great speed, all Mane had to do was put his hand in the way, and his momentum would do the rest. He was certain that his lung was punctured, and the possibility that his sternum was broken was very high.The remaining assassin frowned at the lack of reply. To think that a peak mortal realmer would face such a fate at the hands of a ten year old kid. His comrade's injury was more severe than he thought. He could hear his laboured breaths and the hand he had placed on his chest informed him of his partner's irregular breathing pattern. He wasn't frowning bec
"Arrgh," Mane groaned in pain. His entire body felt sore and he could hardly move. The small groan that escaped his mouth had drained him of all his energy, prompting him to shut his mouth as quickly as he opened it. He could feel his entire body croak as he tried to move. He failed to even lift a finger. He halted all his attempts and accepted his fate, choosing to figure out where he was instead. And he knew just who to ask."Where am I?" he questioned the 6th. "Can't you tell?" his master replied. Mane tried to feel his body again. He failed miserably once more. "You're home kid." The 6th finally gave his answer upon seeing Mane struggle to even move his toes. Mane was startled by the answer. "How did I get home? What happened to the assassins?" he wondered."Before that is even answered, do you have any idea what you did there kid?" the 1st asked. Mane responded in the negative, "No, I don't.""Think carefully kid. Try to remember
"How are thirteen days insignificant?" Mane questioned in exhaustion. He was only ten. To a kid like him who had lived such a short life, thirteen days were a lot. He knew that for his masters even ten years wouldn't be considered much, but that wasn't the same for him."Of course thirteen days are insignificant compared to how long you could have been stuck here. According to the 8th, your injuries should have left you bedridden for a month at least. You should be thankful for your amazing physique." The 6th couldn't stand his student's nagging, causing him to inform the young boy that he had gotten off easy."I see." Mane relented. After hearing that he had just escaped from a month of bedrest, he felt that thirteen days weren't bad at all."Notice anything else kid?" the 1st enquired. His question puzzled Mane. The young boy tried to examine his body once more. This time it wasn't as difficult as his previous few atte
Mane was startled by his master's words. He tried to open his eyes. The formerly weighty eye lids were not as heavy as before, making his task all but difficult. After a few seconds he finally succeeded in opening his beautiful blue eyes. The piercing light that fell upon his pupils prompted him to shut them again. Spending thirteen days in darkness was enough to make his eyes forget what light was. He prepared himself and opened them once more, this time slowly. As his eyes adjusted to the bright room, Mane turned his head to the side of his bed while waiting for his eyes to adjust to the lights, all the while wondering who it was that was waiting for him. When his eyes finally did adapt to its surroundings, they grew misty. This wasn't because of pain or weariness on their part, but because of the emotions of their owner. Looking at the woman who had fallen asleep beside his bed, Mane was filled with so many complex emotions: love, joy, and some small amount of anger. Yet when he
"Speak Old Fin. I am listening." In a large and spacious room that had only a desk and two chairs as its occupants of space, two men stood. None of them bothered to sit, with one of them stroking the books that occupied the only shelf in this vast area. The other stood behind the former, his body straight as a spear and his eyes filled with doting for the man before him. Although the speaker didn't orate his command loudly, although it was as silent as a whisper, it didn't hide the fury within. Fin, Butler Fin, didn't think it was unusual. On the contrary, it would be strange if his master wasn't furious with what had happened upon his return.It just so happens that the night when Mane was ambushed was the night his parents had returned to Zandor. Upon their return the eager parents couldn't wait to see their boy and had been preparing to go to the Academy when they felt his aura. It was dark and cold like the deepest regions of Iracor, a planet filled entirely
"Sir, it seems that a bounty has been placed on the young master by unknown individuals." Butler Fin spoke carefully, intent on staying on his master's good side. But the tone of his voice did indicate that his care wasn't because of fear, but concern for his 'master'. "The bounty wasn't limited to just the Bounty Hunters organisation, but every single organisation there is. Mercenaries, assassins, as long as they can be bought with money, all of them have received this information. And all of them would be coming for the young master." Butler Fin continued. His head remained slightly bowed, his focus on the carpet he stood on. The news he had just fed his master didn't do much in revealing who was behind the covers, but it did draw a picture on the magnitude of threats that were coming their way."My son is a profound realmer at the peak of his level. Any Zandorian who comes for his head would be leaving his- or hers- behind instead." Ray stated nonchalantly. H