Alexzander couldn't even see where he was going at this point. He had crossed over branches, rocks, and creatures. But nothing wavered him, with determination he ran toward the bright yellow lights. He was in such a panic state, that everything blurred and he couldn't stop heaving. His vision started to have dark spots and he began to slow down, exhausting slowly succumbing over him. Eventually, darkness enveloped the entirety of his vision.
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The first thing Alexzander thought of when he opened his eyes were–, "Hviel's Hell, why is it so bright?" Looking around, he noticed he was in a relatively small room with a window. He had been placed on a bed with a blanket over him, 'Someone had taken me!' He thought, which brought up another question, 'Why am I here?'. Not expecting his kidnapper to…treat him so well? He snorted, wondering how many people ever thought that.
Getting up, he looked out the window, admiring the sun's shine and its beauty, 'How can something lifeless create so much life?' He thought, 'Although, it can also kill us all.' He remembered, and he inwardly thanked his annoying astronomy teacher. That skinny old twig was probably relieved he was gone now…
Right.
"My life…it will never be the same." He whispered, so low that if the walls were alive, none of them would hear. Slowly he remembered last night's events. And with each second that passed, a growing feeling of despair began to rise. Then, he looked at 'his' last moments and he felt like he was going to throw up. Gagging, he couldn't get the bloated feeling in his stomach to go away.
He spun dangerously, almost hitting the wall and he gasped at the intruder.
A man stood in front of the door with a plate of steaming gray slosh. His entire body was covered with thin black armor that looked to be made up of cloth and leather. Even his face was covered, only revealing two sets of amber eyes. But he didn't seem to wield any weapons...
"Well kid, you gonna eat or are you gonna stand there all day?" The man joked. Breaking out of his stupor Alexzander backed up against the wall, using his blanket to shield himself. The man looked amused at his childish attempt at protecting himself. That's when Alexzander remembered he brought a knife and had hidden another in his sleeve.
He pulled it out violently, pointing the sharp tip toward the intruder.
"Woah, woah! Alright, take it easy kid. No need to get serious. Look at my hands. All I've got is a plate of food and a spoon. See?" The man said, recounting Via's words 'You're terrible at first impression Driel. Absolutely terrible.'
Alexzander didn't dare say a word. Not trusting himself.
Steadying himself, he pointed the knife toward the floor and back to him.
"You want me to put the plate on the floor? Alright, but I'm not sure when it was last cleaned." The man said with mirth but he was only met with a glare, "Alright, alright kid. Now what? You want a million coins too?" The man said, annoyed that he was getting bossed around by some kid.
Alexzander pointed the knife at him and then waved it out, "You want me to leave? After I brought you a plate of food and saved you?" That got Alexzander's eyes to widen. Despite that he glared, not trusting the man, 'This must be bait or something? Maybe he wants me to tell him what I know about the Ciaran kingdom. Tough luck if he does, I know jack shit!' Alexzander thought.
"Alright then. If it's gonna be that way then it's going to be that way. I'm going to count down from three to one. And once I say one I'm going to be holding that knife, got it?" The man said. Alexzander glared, not believing the skills of this man.
"Three…" Alexzander thought, 'Maybe he was just lying?'
"Two…" He started to sweat and his hands tensed.
"One." Before Alexzander could even blink, the man threw the spoon at his face and knocked the knife out his hand.
Alexzander, shocked at the sudden throw, fell on the floor. And when he opened his eyes he saw the tip of the knife, " That's right kid, I just disarmed you. And if I wanted to, I could've killed you." Alexzander quickly broke off his shock and glared whilst clenching his hands. His emerald eyes shining against the sun, it's quite a dramatic scene. The window, positioned just perfect for the sun to shine on Alexzander while there was just enough shade to hide the man's face, "Speaking of which, you're going to need training. A whole lot of it."
That got Alexzander's eyes to widen, "W-What!" Baffled by the man's demeanor. It went from him holding the knife towards the man, to the other way around and now he wants to train him! Alexzander barely held disgust, the whole reason he left was to not become his father, to not become some criminal.
"Well kid, you're a pretty big target. After all, you're the son of one the most infamous rulers on the western continent. And let me tell you, not a lot of people are gonna care if you're a kid or not. Your dad? He enslaved a lot of people. Which means a lot more people are going to want revenge." Alexzander was still contemplating the offer. The man is offering him how to fight, that doesn't necessarily mean he'll use it to become a criminal. He'll just use it to protect himself. He was also shocked he was trying to help him despite 'him'. "Your parent's actions don't define you, kid. Trust me, I know about that very well." He said, sensing what Alexzander was thinking.
"No." Alexzander said. The man's eyebrows rose. Even after the hook, line, and sinker he still didn't take him up on his offer, "I don't believe some 'criminal' will have some random change of heart after seeing some kid passed out. You've probably seen worse." Alexzander said with distrust practically dripping off him.
He was about to refute when he thought, 'He wasn't wrong.' The man conceded. He had seen much worse. He looked at Alexzander and remembered what he first saw in him when he held up a knife. He saw, in Alexzander's eyes, the determination and will to not just stay alive, but to be good, 'It's not something you see often.' He thought. Remembering the same look in Via's face. The same look Via always had, 'God, he reminds me of her so much. I'll try Via, I'll try to help him. And I won't fail like last time…when I failed you. I'll see you one day sister, just, let me help this kid first, yeah?'
"Tell me." The kid said, making the man exit his thoughts.
"Tell you what exactly." The man said, wondering where he was leading to.
"Tell me why. Surely normal criminals don't randomly start teaching kids. Unless you're…" The man's eyes widened, realizing what he was referring to. He wrinkled his face, showing clear signs of disgust.
"Good. Now, tell me why." Alexzander demanded, trying to sound and look like he had the upper hand, even though he was clearly at the sharp end of a kitchen knife.
"Fine! Fine…I'll tell you why. But we're going to need to trust each other, and what better way to do that than getting to know each other?" Pulling down his mask, revealing the rest of his face, showing a scar that trailed from the bottom of his lip to his lower neck. Despite his features he smiled and you couldn't imagine he would've been a criminal, his features were soft and he held a look that just shined charisma, "I'm Driel Kastis or Driel Vista Kastis if you're formal."
"Alexzander Endvita Ciaran." Alexzander replied, non-committedly. Still wary of the man but he relaxed a bit, lowering his shoulders and loosening his hands, but he made sure to hold his glare.
Neither would know it, but they formed the very beginnings of a wonderful relationship that would even alter the course of their very lives and many more.
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A.N.
I really am grateful for anyone who even decided to check out the story, it really motivated me to make another chapter so soon! Thanks for reading and I hope you've enjoyed this chapter.
And as always, criticism is always appreciated as long as it's respectful.
Also I'll try to update every week, although I can't promise it.