"Hope that nothing happens to my Prince. Your lives and the fate of this entire city depends on it." Ivor remarked coldly as he stood in front of City Lord Sutton and his family. He had his back turned to them, preventing them from seeing his expression. And because he stood with his back before them, they couldn't tell if he was back to his old smiling self, or if he was still mad. Added to the fact that he was standing right in front of them and was a very large man, they couldn't see what was happening on the field. And for some reason they couldn't hear a thing outside either. They couldn't hear the crowd, the commentary, or any sounds that indicated an intense clash between two strong warriors. They were completely isolated from the world! City Lord Sutton and Madam Anna didn't know how it was possible for one to have such an ability, but they didn't doubt for one second that this was Ivor's doing.
The man was so mysterious and powerful that even his skills were out of the norm. Maybe he was a Mystic Path Warrior – the most logical conclusion they could come up with – but for now that mattered little. All that mattered was the outcome of the match happening right below them. The match that they were prevented from seeing. They could only hope and pray that Black Saga failed in his attempt to harm the 'Prince'.
City Lord Sutton and Madam Anna had grave expressions on their faces, and Mira clung to her father tightly like a terrified child. Wait, she was a terrified child clinging to her father. For the aura Ivor was giving off was so cold that she knew that she and her parents could easily lose their lives today. She couldn't help the shivering of her body, a natural reaction to the immersive bloodlust that Ivor was freely unveiling from his large frame. Her teeth struck each other, the bottom set striking the upper set fervently and creating small chattering sounds.
"That's right. Gnash your teeth in fear." Ivor still had his back facing them, but his awareness of his surroundings was astute. Even though Mira's situation wasn't loud, the sound of the expression of her fear, which was a teeth striking each other, didn't escape his ears. He didn't even bother to turn to face them. He kept his eyes glued to the happenings below him, focused on seeing it all.
However, slowly his tightly fisted hands were unclenched, and his bloodlust grew thin. As he watched the match below, signs of his anger subsiding began to show, and City Lord Sutton and Madam Anna breathed a sigh of relief. Mira let go of her father's arm upon feeling the vice of death that had been tightly wound around her neck unclasp. She was slightly embarrassed, but also very relieved. She wasn't as experienced as her parents, but she was also a talent. Her observational skills weren't as strong as theirs, but she was able to pick up a few signs. Ivor's bloodlust disappearing was the most obvious one, and his hunched posture, indicated that he was now very interested in the outcome of what he was watching below, instead of being wary and ready to pounce like before. It was safe to say that Black Saga had failed.
"Foolish oaf," Mira secretly cursed the foolish Tiger under her breath. His reckless actions had almost cost them the lives of everyone in this city, and theirs. His desire to exact vengeance had done nothing but backfire. Besides, her father didn't have any bad blood with Lam, Mane and Lily. The man actually wished he could cooperate with them, especially after realizing that Lam and Lily had an unordinary relationship with Ivor. But now it was more likely than not that Black Saga had destroyed any good impression they had of City Lord Sutton and his family. Now that Ivor had revealed Lam's standing as his 'Prince', Mira knew that her father would be deeply regretful of today's proceedings. They may not lose their lives today, but they certainly had lost the rights to acquire magnificent talents who would bring Ivor and his hidden organisation closer to them. And that was a huge loss.
"Rejoice and be thankful that your warrior's moment of foolishness brought a moment of clarity and inspiration to the Prince," Ivor stated with his back turned to them, pulling Mira out of her thoughts. Next to her was her father. The man had a relieved expression on his face, but that quickly turned to pity and regret. He was probably thinking about the same thing his daughter was thinking. But knowing that Black Saga did all this because of his love for the city and his rage after discovering the people that wanted to kill his City Lord, he couldn't even find it in him to mete out any punishment to the man. What else could he do but accept the hand that fate had dealt him and be thankful that at least he and his family got to keep their lives.
"Well, didn't everything end perfectly?" Ivor turned to face them, his trademark smile back in its place. His aura was as gentle and meek as a lamb's, and no one would be able to place the man who was threatening to kill them just a few minutes ago as the one who was here right now. Yet that terrified City Lord Sutton and his family more. Someone like Ivor who could switch levers so easily was more dangerous than a man who went around massacring indiscriminately. For a mass murderer who didn't hide his/her intentions, it wasn't that problematic to deal with. But someone who was able to kill as easily as he was able to smile was a fire that could hardly be sniffed out, much less extinguished.
"Well then, I better pick another spot. We wouldn't want the people to see a strange man standing in front of their City Lord now, would we?" Ivor laughed and then walked away from his position. He picked a more inconspicuous spot, choosing to stand right behind City Lord Sutton and his family like a dutiful bodyguard. He had no intentions of leaving yet. And City Lord Sutton knew why.
"Crafty old fox!" City Lord Sutton cursed – secretly. He didn't dare say this out loud, and the helplessness he felt had to be kept hidden within him. He knew that Ivor was planning to use this to gather more benefits from their alliance with him. Since they dared 'touch' his Prince, the man had every right to ask for compensation.
"Well things didn't go exactly as planned," a hooded figure had his eyes glued to Lam's figure as he slowly mumbled. His eyes were the only things that could be seen, but their color was so striking that anyone who saw them would be filled with unexplained terror. His eyes were blood red! Not blue, not green, not brown, not black and definitely not yellow. His eyes were entirely red in color. There was no clear distinction between the pupil, the iris or the sclera. They were all one, and they shared the same color.
"It isn't really surprising though. He may have just gained some strength, but he still is the Prince of the Elementals." Another hooded figure sat next to the first one. The second person was a woman, and her gentle voice had a slight seduction to it. However, just like the first speaker, her eyes were completely red.
"I would like to know how he gained his strength though. To directly push into the Realm of Predators from having nothing at all is amazing. And it isn't just him. The Princess of the Elementals – his sister – also experienced this magical surge" Another voice chimed in. It belonged to the third and last member of this strange group. This voice was the most childish of the three, and there was excitement when this person spoke of Lam's strength. Her red eyes were glued to Lam's masked figure, and although her features were hidden – making it difficult to discern her thoughts – the battle intent that she exuded was enough to tell those next to her that she wanted to fight.
"Easy. We aren't here to fight." The one who spoke first, and the only male in the group was quick to remind the excited woman that their objective wasn't to battle.
"Besides, The Tattler is here. If we give ourselves away, we would be buried here." He continued, extinguishing the battle intent that his colleague was building up. Whoever these people were, they weren't to be underestimated. Not only did they know about Lam, Lily and Ivor, but they were people hidden in the dark. They knew about their enemies, but their enemies knew nothing of them!
"You seem to be lost in thoughts Captain," the man addressed the other woman in the team. This woman was the second person who had spoken, but she had been silent since.
"That boy intrigues me," the Captain stated and pointed to Mane. The others turned to look at the boy hidden by the black mask, and their expressions turned a bit hardened.
"You mean the one connected to the Prince of Ancients?" the man asked, his voice grave.
"Indeed. I don't know why an Ancient is mingling so freely with Elementals, but the changes of the Twin Royals began with his appearance. Besides, we know that Ancients have several secrets to gaining strength. It is very likely that he was the reason behind their sudden surge in strength." The Captain's analysis wasn't entirely accurate, but she was very close to the truth. The only inaccuracy in her words was that Mane was an Ancient, and that wasn't true. Apart from that, her deduction was spot on.
"Do you think we should deal with him?" the childish lady asked, her voice dripping with excitement.
"No. We cannot afford to antagonize both Ancients and Elementals at the same time. We may force them to unite and deal with our race." The Captain smartly extinguished her subordinate's fire, and then added.
"Besides, you all felt the aura he unleashed some time ago. Even we would find it difficult to deal with him. At least one of us will die before we can kill him. And we cannot afford to die now."
"For now, let us finish our mission," the Captain stated, and the other two nodded their heads in agreement. Their Captain reached into her cloak and pulled out a small jar. In the jar was an ugly looking insect with blood red carapace. The insect slept peacefully within the jar, yet when it was exposed to the blood red eyes of the Captain it began to screech in discomfort.
"Kill"
Back on the field, Lam approached the unconscious Black Saga who was being stretchered off. He felt bad for injuring the man so, and although Black Saga tried to kill him initially, Lam still couldn't overcome the feelings of guilt he had. So he moved to apologize to Black Hammer and Black Axe who walked beside their captain with solemn expressions. But when they was that Lam was approaching, they made the first move.
"Thank you for sparing Captain's life," both men bowed slightly and said, stunning Lam. Black Axe and Black Hammer weren't fools. They knew exactly what their captain was planning by choosing to fight first. The man was clearly trying to kill Lam, but Lam had not taken his life, even at the end when he had no choice but to go all out.
Lam was slightly flustered by their apology, so much so that he didn't notice that the eyes of Black Saga had snapped open. But those eyes were strange. They were dull and without an ounce of life or energy, and there was a faint red light shining within them. A small dagger appeared within Black Saga's hand, and he struck, piercing through Black Axe's chest just to get to Lam.
*Puchi*