The refreshing scent of dawn wafted into Aric's nostrils, the sweet melody of birds chirping soothing his otherwise tattered psyche.
His eyes were red and completely swollen from crying himself to sleep last night, but fortunately for him, no one around him seemed to notice.
Or perhaps... They ignored it?
He and his father led a group of about ten elite Knights, these were the Baron's personal guards.
"..."
Aric turned around and saw that the walls of their territory were now almost indescernible as they ventured deeper into the forest.
He then stole a glance at his father, who wore an extremely cold expression, his gaze like one who loathed the entire world.
[He was so happy talking Esau...]
[Will I be able to make him smile like that when I awaken my Mana?]
He wondered, and shifted his gaze forward, his eyes burning with determination.
"What are we going to hunt, father?"
He inquired, in an attempt to stem the awkward silence.
"..."
"... Silverfanged Wolves."
Andreas seemed to not be in the mood for small talk, but he answered Aric's question nonetheless.
[!!]
[Silverfanged Wolves?!]
[... I don't have Mana how am I supposed to hunt those?!]
[Their hides are said to be tougher than steel!]
Aric's reigns trembled, his breathing steadily becoming erratic.
[No...]
[Calm down...]
He fortified his mind and regulated his breathing.
[... That just means he has faith in me.]
[It's time for me to show the results of my training!]
Aric turned his fear into excitement, goosebumps riddled across the side of his face and his neck hairs standing on end.
Their trip continued in silence for about an hour or so, until they were deep into the forest.
Although the sun had already risen, the thick canopies above allowed very little sunlight to filter through, rendering the forest floor rather dim.
Everyone was on edge, even the patriach of the Lythan family seemed to be quite nervous.
The sounds of the various fauna that inhabited the seemingly endless forest echoing throughout.
And yet, they continue venturing deeper.
...
[Has it been two hours already?]
[Where exactly are we going?]
[I don't think Silverfanged Wolves live so deep in the forest...]
Aric pondered, he had often heard stories from farmers that lone Silverfanged Wolves would often hunt their livestock, so from that alone, he knew they didn't inhabit the heart of the forest.
Not only that, it was a well-known fact that the deeper parts of the forest were inhabited by beasts far more ferocious than the Wolves, therefore they would not dare venture into their territories.
"Father, I don't think that —"
Due to being deep in thought, he was unaware that his father and company had long halted.
"...What's the matter, father?"
He wondered, tilting his head as he did so.
But...
Fwosh!
[!!]
At the corner of his eye, Aric saw a vambrace tear through the air, aiming for his left cheekbone.
Thud! Crack!!
With a thunderous force, Aric was violently evicted from his horse and was sent crashing into the trunk of a tree.
"Urgh!!"
He winced, but his sturdy frame allowed him to quickly stand on his feet, his face filled with bewilderment.
"W-why did you attack me?!"
He roared, glaring at the Knight who suddenly attacked him.
[What the... That didn't knock him out? I hit him quite hard.]
[No... Not just that...]
[There's no bruise or cut on his cheekbone.]
"What the heck..."
The Knight whispered under his helm and turned to Andreas for orders.
Seeing the Knight look at his father, Aric did the same.
"Father?! What's going on?!"
[Is he testing me?]
Aric clenched his fist, eagerly waiting for his father's explanation.
But...
"Proceed as planned."
His father ignored him and ordered his knights, and two more joined the first one and they circled Aric.
[What is this?!]
"Answer me father!! What is going on?!"
Aric begged his father to say something, anything, but Andreas simply observed from his high horse.
"Stand still. Make this easier for yourself."
A Knight said, and all three of them slowly unsheathed their swords.
[!!]
[Are they actually... Trying to kill me?]
[It can't be...]
Aric shuddered and trembled, his eyes quivering like those of an epileptic under an intense, flickering light.
A cold sweat cascaded down his spine, and his knees grew weak.
But...
For some reason...
Those words that echoed in his mind, were the final words of delusion that he would ever think of in his life, it was like a switch had been flipped in his psyche.
In an almost unnatural manner, his breathing suddenly became steady and his eyes became laser-focused.
"Sigh... Who am I kidding? Why am I even so surprised?"
"If anything I should have expected this so why was I trying to make excuses?"
"..."
"Grit!... What kind of a parent sends his child to live with animals for six years?"
He muttered under his increasingly hot breath, but his words were audible in the dense forest.
He formed a scowl and glared at the three Knights that were waiting for him to surrender.
[Stand still? Make this easy for myself?]
"... You think I survived that hell to just die like this?!"
Shing!
He unsheathed his blade and pointed it at them, his breathing becoming erratic once more, due to his blood boiling.
"You fool!"
Ta! Ta!
The charged at him, each of them aiming for a limb.
[So they're just trying to incapacitate me?]
His quick vision was able to predict the trajectory of their strikes, and...
Fwosh!
[!!]
He Suddenly disappeared from the Knight's vision, leaving them confused.
"Above you!!"
The Knights who were still on their horses shouted, prompting them to raise their gaze.
[!!]
[How did he get so high up in the air?!]
Their eyes widened, Aric was at least six meters in the air.
"Hup!! "
Aric spun his frame in mid-air as descended, performing six full rotations before he unleashed his sword at the Knight directly below him.
[!!]
Slash!! Crack!! Squealch!!
[!!]
[What the —]
Unlike what he had expected, Aric sliced through the Knights body like a hot knife through butter, shocking everyone present.
[Did I... Apply too much force?]
He wondered, staring at the gory mess that was sprawled on the ground.
"Hiek!! I thought he didn't have Mana?!"
One of the Knights took a step back, his armour rattling due to how terrified he was.
[Mana?]
[No... I still feel the same as I've always been.]
He silently refuted their claims, and he was eerily unaffected by taking someone's life.
Perhaps the reason was due to his experiences in the last few years, as he was often tasked with killing horses that were too sickly or too old.
...
Or perhaps there was another reason?
He too was unsure...
"Stand back, all of you."
A voice that snapped everyone out of their daze resounded, and Andreas unmounted his stallion.
"My Baron..."
They wanted to protest, but none of them seemed eager to challenge Aric after what they just witnessed.
"Why are you doing this?"
"What sin have I committed?"
Despite the veil of delusion that once shrouded mind having already been lifted, Aric couldn't help but ask.
"What sin you ask?"
"... You were born."
Andreas frowned, his deep scar enhancing his intimidating demeanor.
Hearing those words, Aric couldn't help but twitch slightly.
"With your birth, the curse placed on our family was finally broken."
"And I am now able to sire powerful offspring."
"Therefore, letting you live would be an omen in of itself."
Andreas slowly unsheathed his blade and pointed it at his son who was glaring at him and breathing like a rabid beast.
"Forgive me my son, my spoilt seed. But your death will nurture your brother, and bring about the rise of house Lythan."
Crackle!!
Andreas drew his Mana, a vibrant azure blue plasma that enveloped his entire frame, particularly his sword.
"Please... Do me one last favor as my son... Die along with the curse of Lythan."
He spat those words with the utmost sincerity, his vibrant Mana illuminating the gloomy forest.