He was an elite trainer, his focus was on producing insanely powerful fighters. Every head under his tutelage was a combat genius and had every resource available.
How did he know that? Shang took him to see some fights and the boy saw him heavily betting hundreds of silver on his students. In some cases, even gold coins.
When Kayden returned from his morning workout, he realized he had a letter tucked under his bedroom door. The boy only received letters from David, but this one was not of the usual standard.
Closing the door and sitting on the bed, Kayden opened the envelope. On a white sheet of paper, there was only one sentence written:
"7 trees after city hall, midnight, in 2 days."
At the end, there was a stamp that Kayden recognized. It was a scythe, that was the symbol of the elite assassins Shang hired. A few seconds later, the letter caught fire and left no sign of existence.
Kayden went out to ask the old man for permission to spend a few days with David. According to Shang, the training would take at most a week. The boy couldn't disappear for a week without reason.
...
Two days later, Kayden was sitting on one of the benches at City Hall waiting for the letter to arrive. Even though it was late, Kayden was not afraid of being robbed. This was one of the most protected regions in the city.
That's why he wondered how the killers would appear in public. Slowly, the hours passed. The street became increasingly deserted and with fewer people.
There was still an hour left before the agreed time when Kayden heard a voice behind him:
"So young."
Unfortunately, he couldn't even turn around before his vision blacked out. The boy's disappearance was barely noticed by people passing by. And even if it was, they still wouldn't find anything on the security cameras.
It would be as if there had never been a boy sitting there...
...
Kayden woke up in his bed, cold and hard, almost as if he was lying on stone. With that thought, the boy received his last memories like a bolt of lightning.
He was in a gray room with no details at all. There was only a stone bed, not even doors could be seen. The lighting came from a torch of a material Kayden didn't recognize. His only consolation was that he still had his katana with him.
Before he could get up and try to leave this place, one of the walls of the room began to shake, revealing an opening. There was no light coming from it, only the torch illuminated a figure dressed entirely in black, almost looking like an oriental ninja.
His only difference was some white bandanas stained with blood that were all over his body. He looked like a big patched-up man walking around the place. Kayden didn't even think about fighting or taking a defensive position.
This figure emanated only one feeling for him: death. It seemed that if he wanted someone to die, the world itself would grant his wish. Kayden had no doubt that the figure was above the apprentice level.
"Hello, contractor, I will be your guide in this training. You can call me whatever you want." His voice seemed to have no form, almost as if a ghost was speaking. Kayden couldn't identify where the sound was coming from in his body.
"This training is used to help people lose their fear of killing. You may be traumatized by our methods, so you will have to sign a contract forbidding you from disclosing anything you witness here."
A small piece of paper appeared out of nowhere and Kayden realized it was a soul contract. His terms were exactly what the figure said. Kayden didn't say anything and just signed the contract .
"Very well, the plan chosen was the 100 coins premium, so you can ask for tips and advice throughout the process. Any conscious attempt to leave or not participate in training will result in memory erasure and expulsion. Understood?"
The boy nodded. The guide really seemed like a tourist guide, explaining every detail of the trip, from what could be done and what should not be done.
"Come with me, we will begin the first exercise." The guide began to leave through the opening in the wall.
The two walked down a long corridor for a few minutes. The guide turned to the wall and again Kayden could see a passage being opened. As soon as he entered, he saw a plastic chair and a television in the center of the room. There was also a bucket along with a towel next to the chair.
"Sit down and watch, I don't recommend closing your eyes or anything like that. This will only make you have to watch it more often." There was no need to tell the boy that. Unlike the usual customers of the assassins guild, the boy actually went there of his own free will.
As soon as he sat down, Kayden heard the opening close. The guide silently positioned himself in one of the corners behind Kayden, the boy not able to hear a sound coming from the man, not even a breath.
This resulted in the guide being nicknamed "ghost" by the boy. The television flickered and then an image of a park was seen. There were several people scattered around the place. The image was focused on a woman holding a child.
Next to her was a man who appeared to be her husband. Some information was being passed on. The mother had a difficult life, growing up on the outskirts of town with no extraordinary talent for magic.
His childhood was spent in hunger and misery. Her father was an alcoholic who mistreated her and his wife. Every day her life was hell, it consisted of going to school and coming home to see her mother being beaten or herself being beaten.
This lasted until her adolescence, when the girl saw her father beat her mother to death. That day, she ran away from home and never came back or heard anything about it. Her story starts again in another kingdom, she had to learn how to get by and one of the things she did in the meantime was learn how to make potions.
He started using ingredients that were easy to find in the forest. She produced herbal tranquilizers and other consumables, it was nothing spectacular, but it caught the attention of a potions master who took her as a disciple.
The story of her life was being produced, she was shown spending several sleepless nights studying old books, she appeared at the height of her adolescence meeting her husband.
Little by little she specialized and became an excellent alchemist. The woman had a good nature and despite her troubled past, she started several charitable campaigns in her adult life and gave a large part of her income to charity.
Later, some more scenes were shown about his personal and business life. The woman really deserved the seal of good person. The story ended with her adopting a child who was orphaned because of an accident.
"Very well, follow me." Kayden was startled, the guide was so silent that it was easy to forget he was there.
The two returned to the same corridor, this time Kayden was placed inside an empty room, the only difference was its size, which easily reached 20 meters in radius.
On the opposite side that the two entered an opening could be seen, a female figure was thrown out of it. Kayden was unable to recognize any details of the woman. Both entrances were closed.
"Only one can leave alive, everything is permitted"