Chapter 1: His Nightmare, or their nightmare? "He’s dead, they’re dead, she’s safe, they’re dead. Oh, that one will die first." A playful voice could be heard on a rooftop as a white-cloaked man pointed at several people hiding in the dark. He laughed. "Idiots!" He laughed again. The man next to him couldn’t help but feel worried- Not for themselves, not for the people he pointed to, but for the victims of the scene that was about to unfold. He prayed for them in his heart. Dark clouds loomed overhead, covering the little light that could’ve come from the half-moon. The night hid them well from the many mercenaries hired to stir up trouble. Down below, a little girl stood trembling before a large man. Her torn clothes and dirty appearance would make one see her as a thief. "Where is it?!" He shouted at her for the fourth time. What he asked for was in her hands but she feigned innocence trying to keep it away from him. He knew she had it, but pretended he didn’t know so he could cause more pain to her. As a man who had never had a peaceful life throughout his childhood, he reveled in the pain and discomfort of others. "Come on little girl. where.....is...it?!" "I- I don’t-" Smack!! The slap echoed in the empty place, throwing the girl onto the floor. Her heartbeat quickened as the sharp pain shot through her face, spreading through her body and she tried not to cry. She forced herself to her feet once more, one eye closed from swelling and tears falling from the other eye. Dizziness struck her and she fell to the ground. This was too much for her. She burst into tears. All she had was a necklace belonging to the little prince, her close friend. She was chased by those men for more than an hour before she ended up in a dead end. The necklace was useless to them, all they wanted was the prince, but how would she know? She cherished that necklace very much, even fearing she would be hated by the prince if she lost it. This thought was what fuelled her strength, but that little strength was fading. I can’t let them have it. She couldn’t see anything in the dark alley she stood in. Not the man who stood before her, nor the dozen others who stood behind him. She shifted her foot uncomfortably and the sand, and grit that had made its way between her left foot and torn sandal made her wince. Her hands and feet were scraped from running away, and her hair was a dirty mess. Her torn dress fluttered gently, the cold wind, harsh against her skin. He gave it to me. They want it. I can’t-. "he-lp" the words escaped her mouth before she even knew it. "What was that?!"The man shouted at her again, and the men behind him shifted forward a little. The voice, sounding in her ears put more fear in her, making her unable to even lift her head. "Look at me when I’m talking to you, or I’ll slap the hell out of you! Where is it!" He gripped her shoulder strongly with one hand, and held her hair, yanking her head up with brute force to face him. "I don’t know!" she screamed, sobbing. "Now that’s not the way to answer, is it?" He shouted at her again and lighting flashed, as if on cue, revealing an image that caused the girl’s heart to thump wildly. She saw the face of the man threatening her, a bald man with the thickest brows. His right eye was replaced by a green, diagonal scar that passed through part of his brow and gave the impression of rotting skin. His left eye was the greenish color of vomit, an ugly addition to the many scars covering his face, and his nose looked squashed. He had a bushy beard, within which she saw his mouth, dirty and disgusting. His yellow, sharp teeth frightened her more. Her silence didn’t anger him as much as her eyes that darted across his face, tracing the lines and imperfections he despised. Her gaze carved deeper into his insecurities, filling him with hatred. Without a word, he struck her again, harder this time, and the slap echoed in the room like a thunderclap. She hit the ground with a thud, the impact reaching even her bones. Pain rippled through her cheek, hot and sharp, as her vision blurred with tears that threatened to spill. Her hands instinctively reached for the floor, searching for stability, but her trembling fingers only scraped against the cold floor. Her chest heaved with shallow breaths, each inhale burning as humiliation and hurt twisted within her. A single tear escaped, trailing down her face and mixing with the metallic taste of blood on her lips. She didn’t cry out—she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction—but the ache in her heart swelled, suffocating any words she might have spoken. "Ugly bitch! Do you think you’re pretty? I’ll deface you!" He took out a small dagger. "Bring her here" He commanded. One of his subordinates grabbed her, but before he could move her, something cold touched his arms and blood spurted from his cleanly cut arms "AH!!!!" His screams were gut-wrenching. The place went silent and everyone was in shock. His attacker, the little prince, stood before them, his eyes, cold with a frightening calm. "Hell’s blade," he whispered and a dark sword appeared in his little hand, a direct contrast to his pale skin. As he walked forward, his purple eyes glinted in the night, suppressing the dozen people who surrounded him. He couldn’t care less about them as he opened his mouth once again. "Tenebrous breath," He exhaled. A dark ball of smoke came from his mouth, exploding outward. Those who were caught in the blast fell to the ground, coughing blood as they gripped their throats, clawing their necks. One after the other, their bodies went rigid, but their eyes remained open and one could see they still had a bit of life in them, but that little essence disappeared as their bodies burst into black smoke. The few that remained stood alert, prepared to fight the boy but he wasn’t where he had stood. A scream drew their attention but it ended abruptly as the boy pulled out the sword. Without a second to spare, he disappeared again. Another dropped dead. He picked his next target, disappearing and reappearing to kill. In less than a minute, the marble floor was covered in blood. They died without having a chance to even fight back. Realizing all his men were dead, the leader grabbed the girl, placing his dagger at her throat. "One more move and she dies!!" He gulped, his fear was evident The silence was loud as they all stood there unmoving. Once again lightning flashed and the boy and girl made eye contact. It was subtle, but the man noticed it, the tense look in the boy’s eyes. His face grew into an ugly smile. "I swear I’ll cut her head off if you move! I don’t care if you’re royalty!" The little prince didn’t mind and took a step forward. "I’m warning you!!" He pressed the dagger closer. Her breath was caught in her lungs as a small red line appeared on her neck. Tears were flowing again as her fear intensified. "Abyssal transfer," The boy whispered. "What?!" The boy had disappeared again. Fearing he would be attacked again, he pressed the dagger again but realized the girl’s neck felt slightly larger. Before he could see what was different about her, a blow came from under his chin, knocking him backward. A tooth fell out. "You bitch!" He cursed. Another blow struck him from the back, knocking him onto the floor. He quickly got to his feet. "Impossible," he said under his breath. The girl had been moved away from him. He sensed something approaching him and dodged just in time to avoid the large sword embedded in the ground. He’s fast Using his senses, he located the boy and threw something at him, but that was just a distraction. "That girl of yours, I shot some poison at her. You should get her somewhere safe before she dies. She’s already hurt because of you, don’t make things worse," He grinned, knowing the boy would take the bait. "That man’s an idiot," the white cloaked man said to his subbordinate. "Why would you make yourself more likely to die? What an idiot." "Sir, should I help?" "No, we can’t. We’re just spectators. Besides, going in would mix many things and cause too much of a change." "Understood," But it was obvious he was itching to do something. Down below, the man was in trouble. He expected the fact that she had been poisoned to put fear in the boy, making him retreat but the plan backfired as the boy was angered more. He waved in front of him and several crystals came from the ground, separating him from the boy. With a wave of his hand, several crystals shot at the boy. He jumped several feet into the air, avoiding them then throwing his sword at the man. The crystals quickly came together to form a thick layer, deflecting the sword. Knowing he was at a disadvantage, he desperately searched for a chance to turn the tables. "Luck’s really smiling at me tonight," he grinned, seeing that the girl was waking up. Without wasting much time, he threw a dart at her. It wasn’t poisoned, but the thought of poison being in it would scare the boy. Her sharp intake of breath was a telltale sign of the searing pain which made her faint once again. The boy stood his ground only turning to look at her and the image burned in his mind. She’s hurt. "Good" Just as he turned back at the man, the man slashed at him and several crystalline daggers shot toward him. He disappeared at the point of impact, and only a dark mist remained. The man now frowned He let his energy fluctuate and he probed around. He couldn’t sense the little devil, and that put him unease. Out of fear, he used the sword to draw a circle around him. Several white crystals came up from the ground, increasing his defense. Something was rushing towards him and he saw it just in time to control the crystals to move over to receive the impact. Whatever it was disappeared instantly, but he was sure of the size, a palm. He sensed it again, coming from behind and the crystals moved again, to take the impact, but it disappeared just before touching the crystals, and he felt a pain in his back. A cut could be seen on his left shoulder blade. He was caught off guard and before he knew it, another similar cut appeared on his chest, this time slightly longer. He braced himself for the worst and instantly the crystals started to spin quickly around him. He thought he was safe, but his safety lasted only a few seconds before a sharp blow from under his jaw threw him back. The crystals all scattered and he balanced himself, wiping blood from the corner of his mouth. He was more than shocked when he saw that the boy was only a few steps away from him. Without a sound, the boy shot toward the man. The man raised his sword to block the attack, but the boy disappeared, and another sharp blow knocked him from behind. Before he could react, he felt a force coming towards him. He dodged it as quickly as he could, but a deep cut was left on his right shoulder, and the boy was there right in front of him again. He disappeared again, and before he could even blink, a gut-wrenching pain spread from his wrist and his sword fell. He felt himself screaming inward, but the shock of seeing his wrist cut clean silenced him. The hunter was now the prey. He was left with only one breath of air before the boy’s face appeared right before his, and pain spread from his chest. He painfully looked down and saw the dark sword of the boy implanted in his chest. More than half of it was in him then. His face contorted in pain as he raised his good hand to grab the sword, but his hand passed right through. The boy quickly spun, and kicked him hard in the chest, throwing him back as blood spurted from his mouth. Just as he landed, the boy appeared in his line of vision, looking down on him. "plea-" the man couldn’t finish before the boy quickly planted his sword in his chest with a frown. He slowly twisted the sword, increasing the pain. "You can choose to either eat your food immediately or play with it" The childish voice of the little boy came out, dripping with venom.