Linela standing on an empty road just outside of the tournament dome. Her face is the same as always, expressionless. Passersby people often mistake her as lost or abandoned.
After half an hour, she finally moves to check time. She takes out an old cracked pocket watch. "Small hand on 11 and big hand on 7 which is past 6. Looks like Sir Glen is late."
Suddenly a large flying car hovers over Linela and slowly descends. Once on the ground, the double doors open up and reveals Gea's father, Glen Dandelion. Lord of branch Dandelion family.
Every sentinel family has 30 to 50 branch families. Such families are created when members of main families cannot control their lust and sleep with bunch of half-bloods for fun, but the offsprings of these half-bloods cannot have a place in the main family even if they are related by blood with the sentinel himself. Instead, these offsprings create their own different knighthood under the same banner of the sentinel family.
To the main sentinel family, branch family members are nothing but expendable assets. They are used to do the hard work of managing land or other thankless work. In one occasion, one sentinel family forced a member of branch family to pay for the crimes committed by someone in the main family. The purpose of branch family is to be useful to the main family in every way possible.
"I was waiting for your arrival. I was bit worried since Sir Glen was late by 5 big hands." Linela bows deeply.
"Yes, we tackled a dust storm on our way. Where is Gea?" Glen asks.
"Master is sleeping. After he came back from meeting his teammates, Master's mood hasn't been great."
Glen clicks his tongue and begins walking. "Of course, he is wasting his time instead of killing that kid."
Linela follows behind. "Sir Glen, Please don't be harsh on Master. He is trying his be-"
"That is his best?" Glen snaps and grabs Linela's neck. "I gave him everything I had. I even went far and engaged him with Ratan family. But he messed it up. Our only chance. MY ONLY CHANCE." Glen grips tightens and Linela struggled to breathe but she did not dare to resist.
"But our merciful sentinel has given me one more chance. I just need to kill some nameless kid and our family will be freed from our sins. This cursed blood that runs through my veins will be baptised at last." Glen releases Linela.
COUGH! COUGH!
"Don't you want erase this curse?" Linela looks at Glen.
"I just do what my master asks me to do."
Glen face turns ugly. "I should have never bought a sow."
She averts her eyes and stands up. Glen straightens his suit before going ahead, still followed by Linela. They both enter the dome and stand in front of the elevator. Once inside, Glen presses the floor that he wants to go to.
"Sir Glen, that is not where Master is staying." Linela tries to convey.
"Who told you we are going to meet my useless kid?" Glen snaps at her.
Linela's heart aches whenever Glen bad mouths Gea.
"I watched the third phase. That brat really brought shame to our family." Glen rubs his eyes in frustration whenever he remembers how Gea pissed himself in front of the entire world. "To be honest, I did not expect him succeed in killing that kid. He isn't bright enough. That is why I am here. I am going to kill Leonard and get a place in the main family."
Then he points at Linela. "And you will do as I say."
Linela thinks for a second before bowing her head. "If it helps my master, I will do anything."
TING!
The elevator door opens and Karl gets off. His eyes heavy, uniform all ruffled up and blood stains on his right thigh. He looks ahead and sighs loudly. "Not again."
There is someone familiar sitting at his doorstep.
Serena is wearing loose cotton t-shirt on a comfortable pair of short pants. She notices the elevator and immediately runs to Karl. "What happened? Who did this to you?"
She offers her hand but Karl slaps it away. "It's not that bad as it looks."
Serena furrows her eyebrows at Karl response. "Not bad? You look like you just wrestled a beast in mud. Look at your clothes and is that blood?" She points at Karl's thigh.
Karl ignores her and walks past her. "I just went to have some dinner and came back."
"Looks like you went to dinner with a vampyer."
Karl flinches at Serena's words. "Don't raise any flags." He leans in to open the door of his room. "Leave that, what were you doing in front of my room?"
"I-I was just here you know." Serena panics at Karl's question. Karl turns to her and sees redness covering her entire face.
"Did someone beat you up?"
Serena blinks at Karl's question. All the redness gone because of the weird question. "Of course not. Who would dare?"
"Good. Now go to sleep and I am going too." Karl gets inside the room and tries to close the door.
Serena quickly stops the door from closing. "I wanted to have a talk. A talk."
He opens the door and furrows his eyebrows. "What?"
In panic, Serena is talking very fast. Worried that Karl might close the door on her. "As you know, tomorrow there is a chance that we could face each other as enemies. Therefore, I needed to talk to you and brief you about few things."
Karl remains silent for second before letting out a loud sigh. "Give me 5 minutes to clean up. Till then, go in your room. I will come once ready."
This time he doesn't wait for response and closes the door on her face. Once the door is closed, he gently bangs his head on the door and falls to his knees trembling.
12 minutes later, the door opens and Karl is startled to see Serena still standing on his doorstep. "I told you to wait in your room, didn't I?"
"What if didn't you come and snuck away?" He takes a step forward and closes the door behind him.
In that split second, Serena got glimpse at Karl's shower. "Why would you hang your clothes on the mirror?" She asked in curiosity.
Karl takes a deep breath. "I-I have my reasons."
"Juice? It's Kilp flavoured." Serena offers a can to Karl. He accepts the goodwill and opens it immediately. Serena could see that Karl looks extremely distressed and tired. She regrets her decision of meeting him now.
"So what did you want talk to about?" He asks.
"Do you remember third phase?" She puts her hands on her back and leans against the wall.
"Yes, I had to carry bunch of assholes known as teammates."
"Yes that match was rigged." She is avoiding direct I contact.
"What do you mean?" Karl takes a sip.
"The judge, Karlos Hema Ratan who created that golem was bribed into making the golem stronger for your match only."
"Bribed? I thought sentinel families were too prideful to take bribes." Karl takes another sip.
"Not if it came from another sentinel family. Especially from Dandelion family."
Karl rolls his eyes after hearing the name. "Let me guess, it was Gea."
Serena makes an annoyed expression. "That worm thinks he can do whatever he wants. Just wait. I am going to skin him alive." She clenches her hands in anger.
Karl observes her reaction while drinking juice and a curiosity takes birth in his mind. "Tell me. How do you obtain such information? Like you knew about the bounty too and now this bribery."
Serena's face quickly changes as she puffed up her chest in pride. "You know I am just that smart. Figuring out such small details is not much for me."
Karl just stares at her.
She clicks her tongue. "Ugh. Fine. My brother told me."
"Your brother?"
"Yes, Karlos. He said that someone from Dandelion's branch family offered money to make your match harder than everyone else."
Karl chokes on the juice and coughs loudly. "Karlos Hema Ratan? One of the judges?"
"Why are you so surprised? You know that know that my last name is Ratan, right?" Serena asks jokingly.
Karl wipes his mouth. "No…In fact I did not know that."
"Wow." Serena pouts cutely. "I feel bad. Everyone in this entire dome knows and there is you."
"What can I say? I lost my memories."
"That is a valid excuse. I let you go for now. Be grateful. Hmph!" She looks away. Her cheeks red. 'How did he didn't know this? Wait. Will he get scared of me now? Because of my stupid brother?' She thinks.
Karl takes the last sip of the can. "Still, being a member of a sentinel family has it's perks right? Are you more richer than Ian?"
Serena chuckles at Karl's question. "You got it wrong. I am not a member of Ratan Sentinel family and richer than the entirety of Phirsecot household."
"But you just said that Karlos is your brother?"
"He is my half brother and I am member of branch family."
"But one of your parents are same right?"
"Yes. My father."
"Wait. Doesn't that make you a member of the sentinel family?"
"No! Are you even listening?" Serena asks in frustration. "I am from the branch family and my brother is from the main sentinel family."
"Okay. Just because you both have different mothers. Can't they include you in the main family because your father was the sentinel before your brother?"
"It doesn't work like that. The cursed blood is in my body."
Karl raises his eyebrow in question. "Are you sick?"
"Not that kind of curse. Ugh! You don't have even the basic knowledge about sentinel families and branch families. You should know about Mikaela, right? She was also from branch family but she got baptized "
Karl shakes his head.
"Alright. Basically, only the pure blooded humans are considered as part of a sentinel family. My brother's mother was a human from small knighthood who officially married my father. But my mother was a lowly half-blood maid working in the palace. One night my father got drunk and slept with my mother. After that incident, both my mother and father fell in love and had me. After my birth, my father baptised my mother and made her a member of the sentinel family."
"What is baptism?" Karl cuts in.
"It is a sacred ritual of leaving the evil domain of false gods and embracing the horizon whole. By doing this ritual, one can get rid of the cursed blood running in the body and become human. Only by doing this rituals half-bloods can become a member of sentinel family."
Karl takes few seconds to process the information. 'Like converting religion.'
"That means you are a half-blood."
Serena quickly summons her circle. "Say that again and will cut off all of your limbs."
Karl smiles. "Ohh. Scary. Wait. If your mother was baptized and became member of the sentinel family then why are you still in branch family?"
"Because my mother was the who got baptized. Even if I was in her womb at that time , I need to get baptized separately in order to become pure human."
Karl nods in understanding.
"The problem is that my father died at the red border few years ago and my mother decided to join him in the horizon by committing suiciding."
"Oh, that's tragic."
"After my father's dead, my big brother ascended to sentinel and took control. But now everyone in the main family is against me for getting baptized. Even my own brother refused me to accept in the family."
"Do you need permission of sentinel to get baptized?"
"Not only the sentinel but you need the approval of majority of members from the main family to get baptized. When father was alive everyone was nice to me. They licked my boots to survive but now they show their teethes to me."
"Can't your brother Karlos help you?"
"Heh. He still thinks that I am just little girl. That's why I am here to prove myself by winning this tournament. I will show him that I deserve a place in the main family."
Karl turns around and yawns loudly. "Well, good luck. I hope you become member of whatever club you desire."
"That is why tomorrow even if you become my enemy, I will crush you."
"Do your worst." Karl grabs the doorknob of his room and opens the door.
"Hey. It was a good talk." Karl glances at Serena. She is bashfully looking way while making curls with her long grey hair. "You are the first. The first one to hear my story." Her face is bright red.
"The honour is all mine." Karl bends his back little.
"Anyway! I don't want you see losing to someone other than me okay? Especially, that lightbulb Mikaela."
Karl lets out a big laugh. "Hahaha! Lightbulb? That was a good one."
Serena takes a step back and moves towards her room. "Good, now go sleep!"
"Yes mam." Karl answers back with a smile.
ClICK! Once inside the room he locks the door. He looks ahead and sees that the shirt that hanged over the mirror is on the ground. In the mirror, he can see himself.
Behind him, there is Leonard standing with a face covered in blood.