"The Patriarch is not available."
I'm staring at the frowning face of a rough-looking young man, he looks to be in his 20s. He has neat blue hair and hollow black eyes that stare down at me with disdain.
"You'll have to come back later."
I furrow my brows and I stare at him fiercely.
"Where did he go to?" I try to make my voice sound as cold and fierce as possible, I can no longer stand by and continue to let myself be intimidated by people that I'm older than.
The man raises his eyebrows in surprise. Probably wasn't expecting my hostile response.
He narrows his eyes and says: "He's... On a mission."
"Tsk" I click my tongue. I was planning to see it one more time– His breathtaking eight red rings that revolve around him, I wanted to see it just one more time.
I turn to the door, open it and start walking away.
"Notify him of my visit when he returns." With my head over my shoulders, I command him– the secretary sitting in his office doing his work for him. And I continue walking.
I'm pretty sure he's gnashing his teeth and clenching his fists, angered by the fact that an illegitimate bastard was ordering him. But I don't care. I'm as pissed off as it is now that I have to go listen to some bum-ass class two lessons. Tsk.
____________
"I really hate my life."
I'm walking towards an inn, it's a run-down inn, the wood used to build the place is already breaking down and the whole block looks like it'll collapse anytime soon, but somehow the drunkards and other stupid people in this city still love it.
I've been tracking the Man they call Kairo at the order of the Emperor. He's a grand swordmaster from the Kafer Empire.
He's hailed as one of the ten great lances and called the Golden Swordsman. But I don't care about all that bullshit. The guy is a walking nuclear bomb. Why the hell did he sneak into our Empire illegally and on a Ship that was bringing in imported goods?
Just what the hell is he up to?
I've been tracking him for three days now, I started tracking him from the seaport where the ship he smuggled himself in landed.
And I tracked him down to this place, this city– Ludia, and he's staying in that inn.
Sigh.
I just want to eat cake.
I slam open the wooden door of the inn with my legs and walk in.
Immediately I enter, the men drinking and eating all shut their mouths.
The place reeks of alcohol.
There are wooden chairs and tables that the drinking men are sitting on.
And various chandelier-like structures with lit candles on them are hung on the ceiling.
As I walk inside, the fire on the candles above flickers and cracks, changing its color from yellow to blue and back to Yellow again.
I don't do this on purpose. Fire bends to my to my mere presence– to my authority as the ruler of fire.
All the men are shrieking and shivering in fear, it looks like they recognize me. That's good.
I look forward to the counter. The person who's supposed to sell drinks and assign rooms to people is bending and hiding under the counter.
I'm so tired of this.
As I feel annoyed, the heat in the room increases and I can see the pants-pissing men sweating bullets.
Everybody in the room is scared of me. Except one man, drinking alone in the corner of the inn, on a wooden table.
I approach him slowly and cautiously while purposely taking my time with each step.
"If it isn't the loyal dog of the Emperor..."
His calm, gruff voice sounds loudly in the room that's been engulfed with fear and silence.
Slam!
He slams his empty wooden mug on the table and wipes the drool of alcohol that drips from the corner of his lips.
"Alexander Von Flameworth."
I'm standing next to him now. I can see his facial expression.
He's grinning maniacally, like a madman.
He's nothing like his reputation makes him out to be. The golden swordsman is supposed to be regal and refined, but he...
"Are you Kairo?"
I ask him, my voice is laced with bitterness at the sight of this thing that claims to be the golden swordsman.
"What do you think boy?"
He raises his head to meet his eyes with mine.
I can see his facial structure well now. His rough and long mane-like white hair cascades down his back, it's unkempt and dirty. His unshaven long beard touches the ground from the chair he's sitting on. And he looks at me with rough, fierce but dead golden eyes. It's just like my own: Dead.
Ah.
I recognize it. I see it through his eyes– the gateway to the soul.
He's just like me.
"Kairo Rolerville. Under the command of Emperor Jolari Felaz Jalozi, you are to foll–"
"Quit the bullshit." He says, cutting me off from my grand speech.
He... Cut me off? He? Cut? Me? Off?
"What?"
My voice is filled with spite and venom and the anger that always threatens to consume me writhes inside of my chest, slithering around my heart and gripping it.
"I said quit the bullshit. Get out."
Alright, I'll just take him to the emperor half-conscious. But– He's the Golden Swordsman, a grand swordmaster. Will I win?
He outstretches his middle finger to my face.
Fuck all that Golden Sword bullshit, he's dead.
I raise my hands and a ball of flame hover on my palm and then I clench my fist, crushing the ball of flames. And the flames spread out over my fist, coating my black hand glove with fire.
"You are to come with me. This is your last chance. If you keep refusing.."
He slowly finds his left hand to the hilt of his sword that's strapped in the sheath, resting on the belt on his waist. I didn't even notice it before because I was too busy... Whatever.
"Hoho. Finally, some fun for the first time in a long time?"
Shing!
He draws his sword from the sheath and slowly stands up.
So this is the aura of a grand swordmaster.
I can feel his presence weighing down on me, trying to force me to kneel.
But I smirk and release my own pressure.
The temperature in the room spikes drastically and a hot breeze blows in the entire inn, the lit candles turn off, leaving the whole inn dark, and the only source of light is the small window and my fire-coated fist.
"Impressive." He says as his eyes shine with a golden shimmer in the half-darkness of the room.
I walk slowly toward him, and he walks slowly toward me too. The pressure on me Increases as I get closer to him. He's sliding his sword on the ground, making a creaking, annoying sound.
I smirk. The fire coated on my fist turns blue.
I'll enjoy this.
"Don't disappoint me. Kairo."