At such a young age, Raine could not fathom why everyone must die so heinously. All she knew was that it was her fate to see it all through. She understood that it was her responsibility as a Princess of the Moon Clan to be an impeccable slayer of demons and supernatural creatures. She naturally possessed great skills when compared to other humans, and her race was already predisposed to the job at hand, as her father would always say.
The Moon Clan was one of the three clans that make up the MIRAGE; a powerful underworld group operating in secret known only as a myth to humans.
Raine stopped in her tracks when she saw an old man crawling towards her. He was slowly dying due to the poison injected into his body. He was experiencing immense pain, yet he still strived to gasp for breath. She knew there was no hope for him. Like most humans, these creatures also wanted to live a long life. It was why they constantly tried to blend themselves in with humans in the first place.
"Let me help you take the pain away..." Raine whispered before she bent down and held the old man's neck.
In one swift motion, she snapped it, taking the werewolf's life instantly.
Her father began training her in earnest as soon as she turned seven. This training also included killing monsters like this old man, so the usually gruesome act was just an ordinary thing for her.
Moving on forward, she stopped as her eyes darted to the beautiful garden on the right side of the mansion. She walked towards it, hearing footsteps coming from the inside. Following the sound, she furrowed her brows as the sound of rushed steps echoed from within the newly built maze.
"Someone wants to escape," she softly murmured as she fastened her pace to find out. The sound of the footsteps weakened, allowing Raine to catch whoever it was that was trying to escape. Eventually, she finally caught sight of a...
"A boy…"
Raine frowned as she stared at the intruder who was barely an inch taller than her. He seemed lost based on his expression, "Is the maze that complicated? It looks easy to me."
Looking further, she noticed that there were bloodstains all over his white shirt all while having a knife on his hand. Raine eyed him for a few seconds before walking closer. When the boy saw her moving, he quickly aimed the knife towards her. His grip tightened as he shook in his spot.
"Don't come near me… Or I will kill you…" the boy said in a firm, low tone.
Unaffected by the boy's threat, Raine gave him a sweet yet fierce smile as she took a small step towards him.
"I said don't come near me!! If you take one more step, I will kill you! I know you!" accused the boy with gritted teeth. "You're the daughter of that man who killed everyone!"
Raine's smile faded. She could see the veins popping on his neck because of how furious he was. His eyes brimmed with tears as his gaze belied his hatred. With a blank expression, she began her defense, "He only killed monsters."
"He killed my father!" the boy hissed with a low voice, careful not to catch the attention of others. "He was human!"
His grip on his knife tightened as he got ready to kill anyone who would block his way.
"So you're the boy Uncle Arthur was hiding. Nathan right? Short for Nathaniel, I presume," she calmly stated. "Don't be afraid, Nathan. Father might spare you if you're human."
But Raine was also not sure about her words, whether her father would spare the boy.
Raine frowned as she stared at the boy's eyes. Usually, she could tell if a person was human or not just by staring into their eyes. Looking at his, however, she couldn't discern his kind.
"Weird. I can't tell if you're a human or a monster," Raine whispered to herself.
"We are not monsters! We were living in peace!" the boy hissed. "Your father was wiping out everyone who's entitled to be the ruler of the Moon Clan! We are the true descendants of the clan. We have all the rights to the throne! Not your father!"
"That might be true, but this tragedy showed only one thing… That your father was a weak man," she rebutted. "Why would he let my father beat him if he were the true king? A ruler must remain strong and unbeaten at all times. Uncle Arthur doesn't deserve the throne if he can't even protect his own family."
Nathan was taken aback by the way the girl expressed her opinions at a seemingly young age. His knife was still aimed straight at her, and yet she did not seem scared at all.
"Tell me, are you lost in your father's maze, Nathan?"
As much as he hated to admit it, the little girl was right. He was indeed lost because it was the first time he had come out of his father's mansion. He had spent most of his time hiding in his private room, leaving him unableto memorize the map of the maze. His father had told him that the garden was connected to his room via a secret path that no one knew except him and his mother. They could use it to escape in times of emergencies.
He was on his way to the secret passage with his mother when Marcus' men stopped them. His loving mother, who cared for him, also died protecting him. She fought till her last breath to make sure he escaped and survived.
Nathan opened his mouth to answer the girl, but a shout echoed from outside the maze before he could speak.
"Here!! I saw that boy run here. Come quickly! We must find him!"
The girl with cat-shaped eyes sighed and whispered, "Be quiet…"
The boy frowned. And the next thing he knew was the girl pushing him inside the bushes.
"Princess Raine… Did you see a boy running through here?" one of her father's men asked.
"Yes."
Nathan clenched his fist, hearing how the girl answered.