It had been two weeks since Aria's death, and everything was in chaos. Norman noticed that most of the slaves avoided him as if he were a disease, and some even made things difficult for him. He had not seen Ken since the event, and he still hadn't calmed down. There were too many things going through his head, and it made it difficult for him to sleep.
Magic, Aria's death, and most importantly, his feelings towards her were all swirling around in his mind. He realized that he was not the cheerful and easy-going person that most people thought he was. It was a facade that he had put on to protect himself. His early years on Earth were not pretty, and they had turned him into an emotionless person.
Aria's death did not bother him that much. When he saw her dead body, there was only one thought in his head: "What a waste of a useful pawn." What bothered him was his feelings towards her. He still didn't know why he was so angry at the time, why he lost his composure, why he felt rage when Ken insulted Aria. He was totally incapable of understanding that, and because of that, he was always feeling restless.
One day, a guard came to his cell and asked him to come outside. Norman followed the guard to an outside field where a few people were sitting. Ken was having a conversation with another person, and as they noticed Norman's presence, they turned to look at him.
"Ah, Norman, you have arrived," Ken said. "It's good to meet this person. From now on, you will be under this person's care. Make sure to serve your new master well."
Norman looked towards the stranger, who was sizing him up. "I am Magus," he announced his name. "And I won't be your master, but you will find out soon enough who is."
"I hope you don't try to do anything funny in the presence of me or my master," Magus warned. "I won't be as lenient as the fatty Ken. Death would be the easiest thing you would get."
Norman understood the situation. He knew that he couldn't run away from this. This man's aura was telling him that he was the real deal. "I understand, sir," Norman replied.
He wondered what his new master would be like and what kind of life he would have. Would it be better or worse than his previous life? Norman couldn't tell, but he knew that he had to be prepared for anything. After all, he was just a pawn in a game that he didn't fully understand.