Isfrid didn't move. He sat there staring at the frozen Eliza. Only after a few hours did he begin to think again.
He immediately let out a killing intent so thick and heavy that if Eliza were still alive, she would've screamed.
Without realizing it, the room's temperature dropped several degrees. Thoughts of Eliza's final words brought him back; however, the rage was still there.
He reached for the trunk and pulled it out from under the bed. He used the key Eliza had given him to unlock it.
The contents inside shocked him. There was just a plain silver ring. Strange characters were inscribed on its inside.
He thought it would be too big for any of his fingers; however, when he slid it over his thumb, he felt a prick, and then it tightened around his thumb.
He knew what it was in an instant. 'A spatial storage ring.'
He'd read about them in the library, but he had no idea how Eliza got her hands on something so expensive.
Spatial rings were very rare because they made the items inside essentially impossible to steal.
The storage space can only be accessed by the ring's owner… until they die.
Closing his eyes, he tried to sense the storage space. He could see everything inside, and the contents shocked him.
There was a robe, a katana with a white sheath and hilt, books, a few pouches of money, and more things he didn't recognize.
Pulling out the book, he inspected it, "The Starlight Sword."
After reading the title, he knew what it was. 'A martial arts manual from her clan.'
Then it clicked for him. 'These are the treasures left behind by the Starlight clan.'
He was grateful Eliza left him with such precious gifts, but he felt like he didn't deserve them.
Clearing his head of distractions, he put the book back in the ring and summoned the robe and the katana.
He fastened the swords on his waist and put on the robe. However, the robe was white and wouldn't really help with being stealthy.
As soon as that thought crossed his mind, the robe instantly turned black.
'A magic artifact.'
They weren't as rare as storage rings themselves, but depending on the capabilities, they could fetch a hefty price.
He wondered about the robe's other capabilities and the items he didn't recognize.
But he knew now wasn't the time. If he was going to escape the house, he would have to leave while it was dark.
'But I have unfinished business.'
His thoughts shifted to the smell in the air. His killing intent leaked out for a second before he got it under control.
He put Eliza's body in the storage ring as well as the dagger by her bedside, and decided to follow the scent.
You can't put anything living in the storage, but that didn't apply to Eliza anymore.
If he focused his aura on his sense of smell, he could amplify it by several fold. This allowed him to follow the scent, which led him to the guards' quarters of the house.
The thought only made his rage grow.
'A mere guard,' he thought.
At this point, his objective was clear: he wouldn't leave before killing the man who did such a thing to Eliza.
She asked him not to throw his life away for revenge; however, he was fairly certain he could kill a guard and escape undetected.
As he approached the room where the sent led, he unconsciously pulled all his aura and mana into his body, hiding his approach.
His instincts were like those of a predator.
He froze the doorknob, then ripped it off. He carefully and quietly entered the room and saw the guard sleeping soundly on his bed.
Isfrid approached the guard until he was right next to the bed. He thought about killing him right there, but quickly put that thought aside.
He wanted answers. And to take his time.
He moved his hand close to the guard's ear, then put a tiny amount of aura into his hand. He snapped his fingers, causing the guard to sit up abruptly.
Before the guard could say or do anything, Isfrid delivered a powerful chop to the back of his neck, in a place he read would knock someone out instantly.
The guard was out. Isfrid threw him over his shoulder.
The image of Isfirid, still a boy, with a grown man over his shoulder would've been funny to look at if there had been anybody to see it.
He made his way towards the guard's window. Threw the guard who hit the ground hard, then jumped out, landing on his feet.
What greeted him was a beautiful starry sky and a world illuminated by the moon's light.
Isfrid had seen the sky out of his window, but seeing it from outside, breathing in fresh air for the first time. It was different.
However, Isfrid only felt shame and anger.
'My entire life, I've been so curious about the world outside. Never realizing how the most important thing in this world was inside the house.'
He picked up the guard, threw him back over his shoulder, and made his way out of the estate.
The lack of security was surprising; there was a guard at the main entrance, but he could easily scale the walls using ice as stairs.
After making it out of the estate, he made his way into the forest. Once far enough from the estate, he threw the guard off his shoulder and built a fire.
…
A man stood by the window of his extravagant room, his expression emotionless.
He watched as the boy his wife had once given birth to climbed the walls of the estate with a guard over his shoulder.
Earlier, Kael had called in the guards for the night. His aura was constantly covering the entire estate, and he knew everything that happened within its walls.
"When you come back, we'll see if you're worthy."
With that, he turned his back on the window.
…
The guard was a man named Timothy. He was an Aura user who was at the Bronze grade. He has been working for the Vaelor house for 10 years.
He was never very talented, yet he had experience. He attended a relatively prestigious academy and trained with formidable teachers.
Timothy groaned, waking up feeling pain all over his body. What he saw was the back of a hooded figure sitting by the fire.
His first instinct was to attack while his back was turned. However, as he was about to move, he felt a thick killing intent envelope the area.
The boy wasn't even looking at him, yet every cell in his body told him not to move.
"Why?" The figure spoke in a solemn tone.
The guard's mind was racing. Whoever the figure was, he was powerful. Powerful enough to make him freeze with just a thought.
He wanted to answer; however, he didn't know what he was referring to.
"Why did you do it?"
"Why did I do what?" Timothy said in a confused tone.
"Elizabeth." The man in the hood said.
Timothy's mind was racing; he couldn't recall a woman named Elizabeth, and he didn't know what he could have possibly done to her.
"I still don't know what you're talking about."
The moment he finished his words, the killing intent being released by the figure increased tenfold.
"The maid," he said in a slightly irritated tone.
Timothy's eyes opened wide as he realized who he was talking about.
He had always noticed the most beautiful maid in the house.
But, without permission from someone in the house, he could lose his job, or even his life, if he had his way with her.
But, earlier in the day, the young master Caleb instructed him to force himself on that very maid.
" Young Master Caleb instructed me to do it. I didn't want to!" He spoke in a hurried tone.
The killing intent became so thick he could almost see it. The hooded figure finally turned his head to look at Timothy.
What he saw made his heart stop: a boy with glowing blue eyes. He was just a child, but the expressionless look on his face, paired with the fury in his eyes, made him look like a demon.
He looked to be no older than fifteen. But for some reason, every cell in Timothy's body was screaming for him to run.
His mind was telling him to run, but his body wouldn't listen. Just as he was about to force himself to move, the figure spoke.
"Lies," he said, his voice both furious and monotone.
"No, I p..p..Promise, it was the young m…Master!" Timothy choked out.
"That part's true; however, the other part was a lie. You wanted to do it." Isfrid had been focusing his aura on his ears, listening to Timothy's heartbeat.
When he said he didn't want to, his heart beat jumped. He was lying; however, the part about Caleb was true.
Isfrid stood up and slowly approached Timothy. When he arrived, he grabbed him by the neck. He pulled the dagger out from his storage space.
The same dagger Eliza planned to use to end her own life. And he slid it across Timothy's stomach, slowly.
He reached inside the massive cut and ripped out his intestines. He threw them aside like they were trash, then let the man stand on his own.
Then, with an emotionless face, he spoke.
"Walk."
Timothy was now crying as he felt blood spilling out from his stomach. Isfrid's words didn't even register in his mind.
"I said WALK."
Timothy didn't know why, but his body began moving on its own.
He started walking. The rest of his insides were spilling out of his stomach, yet he continued to walk. After four long, painful steps, he fell to his knees, then onto his side.
The man was dead.
Isfrid looked down at his corpse with his usual emotionless face, but his eyes felt even darker than they had before.
He began to think, 'My brother is more guilty than this man; however, to kill him, I would make an enemy of the entire house.'
But then a memory crossed his mind…. 'The interference.'
Someone had stopped him from extending his aura. The aura he felt had to belong to a master, and to be able to knock him out from what he assumed was a far distance.
It had to be Father.
Knowing what had happened in Eliza's room, he understood that his father not only let it happen but also stopped Isfrid from protecting her.
'The house already is my enemy.'
He promised Eliza that he wouldn't throw away his life for revenge. So he had to get stronger, come back, and burn this house down.