The warm flickering of the candle's flame gave off enough light to fill the corner of the room at which it stand. Combined with the several other flames flickering throughout the rest of the chamber, there was plenty of light to see. Beneath a table set off to one side of the room, there lay a bundle of blankets that slowly began to move about. From beneath one blanket, a small white labador stuck his head out. His small nose sniffed at the air, as if sensing something. The pups head moved back and forth causing the small bundle of blankets to shift slightly, until he finally stopped catching a scent or hearing a sound. Blankets flew back off the dog as he burst from his sleeping place under the table. The tiny pads of his small feet slid across the smooth marble that the floor was made up of and dashed from beneath the table. Pink tongue wagging out of his mouth, the dog rushed over to a tall wooden door and began to paw at it. His tiny claws made the faintest scratching sounds against the strong oak, but other than the sound, there seemed to be no effect. Never the less the puppy scratched at the door, even more furious than it had before. The tiny pitter patter of a child's feet faintly echoed from the hall beyond the door and the puppy jumped back from the door, the tiniest barks squeaking out of his mouth as his tail wagged back and forth furiously.
"Tobi!!!," a young boy exclaimed from behind the heavy wood. Creaking the door slowly began to open and the small puppy ran to the ever growing crack, sniffing at the young boy behind it, his small tail shaking even faster. The child pressed his entire body against the door and slowly it opened more until it was finally wide enough to allow him to pass through. "Back up Tobi, you know the Master doesn't want you to leave this room," the boy said, using his foot to keep the small puppy from running out into the hall and slipping into the room. The boy seemed to be no more than a handful of years into his life, blue hair resting on his head and a red tattoo marking his face along his right eye. The puppy barked happily, jumping up on the boy's leg whimpering so that he'd get some attention. The small boy happily took the small dog into his arms and hugged him close. The puppy quickly responded in return and started licking the boy's face playfully, happy to be with his young owner again. "Haha, stop Tobi, it tickles," the boy laughed, tossing his head side to side with a wide grin on his face.
Still laughing, the boy set down the small puppy and scratched him behind the ear. "Go get your toy Tobi, go on," the blue haired boy said as he placed his back to the door and started pushing it back closed. The small puppy quickly ran off at his owner's directions and soon came trotting back with an old rag doll in his mouth. Dropping the doll, the small puppy looked up at his master and spun around barking with his eye pitched bark, wanting to play. The door shut with a silent thud and the boy reached down and picked up the doll. Watching the doll carefully the pup moved back and forth, wagging his tail waiting for his master. "Go get it Tobi," he shouted and tossed the doll across the room. Immediately the pup spun around and ran after the small toy, sliding on the smooth marble floor again. A laugh escaped from the boy as he watched the pup chase after the toy and soon he too was running after the pup. They played together, running around chasing the doll, playing tug of war and just had a good time together. Laughter and tiny high pitch barking filled the room, echoing off the marble and escaping through the cracks of the thick door.
The room was but one small piece of a much larger mansion. A mansion that housed more than just the small boy and his tiny pet. The noise traveling from between the cracks of the door echoed down the completely empty hallways, bouncing from wall to wall until it traveled from one end to the other. By the time it reached this point the sound was so quiet that it would have been unnoticable if their had been any other sound at all. But there was nothing, nothing to drown out the noise. "Hmm?" A man cocked his head gently to the side, turning a ear towards the sound of the happy pair. Light from a single candle flickered from where it stood on a large cherry wood desk, illuminating several reports scattered about each from a guild, both dark and legal, and a few from the Rune Knights themsevles. The man himself though was shrouded in shadows, even the light of the candle seemed to fall short of where it should have. "It seems that the boy really loves his dog," the man spoke in a voice that was barely above a whisper, turning from the report in his hand, "well if the boy has time to play, then its time to learn his next lesson."
"Let go Tobi," the small boy laughed tugging on the small rag doll. The golden labridor had his teeth sunk on the other end of the doll, pulling it and shaking its small head viciously trying to get it from his master. Another laughed escaped from the boys mouth and he let go of the doll just to watch the pup run off with it then come padding back up to him. "That's a good boy Tobi," he laughed, taking the doll from his mouth without a fight this time. "Takai." The small boy's body instantly went rigged just from hearing the voice call his name. Tobi yelped like he'd been kicked and ran back into his bundle of blankets beneath the table. All laughter and joy from just moments before vanished, warmth replaced with a chill. "Yes Master," Takai said timidly, turning slowly to face the speaker. Even in this room filled with candles and light a shadow engulfed all the detailed features of the Master of this Mansion.
"I hope that you've completed all your chores for the day," his voice came out cold, no compassion as he crossed the room and took a seat in the one cushioned chair in the room. Swallowing nervously, Takai bowed his head and shook it gently in an affirmitive. "Yes Master," with his hands together, a nervous expression written on his face, "I just wanted to play with Tobi for a bit before our lesson." "Did I give you permission to play with your mutt?" "No Master." "Then you shouldn't have been playing here. It's of no consquence now, its time for your lesson. Takai's head snapped up in surprise. He was sure that his master would have been furious with him, not asking his permission to play. For some reason though his master let it slide and it made the small boy very nervous. "Yes Master," the boy said nervously and started heading out of the room.
Shadows surrounding the man's face turned slightly as he followed the boy's movements, "Where do you think you are going?" Takai slowly turned towards his master, fear written on his face, "I was going to our lesson room." "Oh we'll be having our lesson right here in this room," a shadowed hand gestured to the room and rested back down, "and so the lesson shall begin. First bring out your mutt." "Here Tobi, come on out," Takai obeyed immediately speaking softly and gently trying to bring his puppy out from his hiding place. Whimpering quietly, the small labador slowly came out from his shelter, tail between his legs and taking the path that kept him as far from the shadowed man as possible. The boy picked the small dog up in his arms as he came close and craddled him close, afraid of what the master wanted with his pet.
"Good, now hand him to me." The boy looked at his master's outstretched hand and slowly handed over his pup. Tobi scrambled mid air, trying to escape Takai's grip and flee from the shadowed man. It was no use and soon the man held the pup up with one hand, turning the dog around in the air. "You've trained him correct?" The boy nodded, to afraid to speak. "Good, show me what tricks you've taught him," the man said, setting the dog down on the ground. Instantly the small dog dashed from the man's hands and hid himself behind the legs of the boy. "Tobi, here," the boy spoke and pointed at a place in front of himself and the dog slowly moved to where he was told. "Good boy Tobi, now sit." The dog once more obeyed and sat down. Takai continued to run through a series of tricks he had taught the dog and one by one Tobi preformed them. "Very well now its your turn Takai," the man said, placing his fingers together to form a point in front of his face, "show me your control of the magic with in yourself." Takai looked at his master and nodded. It was strange for his master to do a lesson like this, it has never happen before and it made the boy nervous.
Obediently Takai did as he was instructed and slowly began to draw upon the well of magic deep within himself. Holding his hand out in front of him a small orb of a pitch black magic that had tiny blood sparks dancing along the surface. "Good boy Takai, now do the spell I taught you yesterday." The tone of voice that the shadowed man used was the same as the one Takai had just used when speaking to his pet. That and the copying of the words he had used, there was no mistaking that he was saying that Takai was his pet. Even realizing this, the boy did as he was told and focused the magic in his hand into the spell his master had taught him just the day before. The black and red sparked energy encompassed the boy's hand and formed what seemed like a sharp edge from any angle you looked at it. "Very good boy. Strike the stool over there, I want to see how sharp your magic has beome." Obediently the blue haired boy walked over to the chair and swiped his hand across a chair leg. At first it was as if nothing happened to the leg at all. Then a second later the leg split in a perfect clean cut and it fell to the ground with a clatter. The stool teetered for a second before it too fell on its side to join its removed leg.
"Very good boy, you've been practicing your magic haven't you," the man said as he stood from his chair and gestured for the boy to follow him, "Come and bring your mutt with you, its time for your next lesson." Shadows moved long the man's figure like a mantle as he approached the table that lay against one wall, the boy faithfully following the puppy at his heals. With them all next to the table, the shadowed man bent down and swooped up the dog in one smooth motion that happened so fast neither the dog nor the boy could react. "Now for your lesson," the man said as Tobi did his best to scramble out of the man's grip, "you love this dog correct, then I want you to show me how much you love it." Setting the dog on the table, the man stared at Takai with a grin that even within the mantle of shadows the boy could make out. Tobi on the other hand was huddled on the table, with his tail in between his legs, shaking with so much fear that he couldn't move. "What do you mean show him that I love him," Takai said, looking up at his master with tears already building up in his eyes. He already had an idea what his master meant by it but he didn't want it to be true, he didn't want to do what his master was going to command.
"I've shown you diagrams of animals before and detailed ones of the particular spieces your pet is," he spoke as he placed a hand on Takai's back and pushed him up to the table's edge, "so I want you to show me how much you love your dog and kill him. After all if you love a thing its only right to set it free." Tears building in his eyes started to fall as Takai looked at his best friend in the world, his only friend the puppy huddled in a shaking ball on the table. "No Master, please don't make me," the boy pleaded, his tears streaming down the sides of his face, "he's my best friend don't make me do that to him." The back side of the shadowed man came out of now where and struck the boy hard against his face. Takai flew across the room landing hard against the marble floor and sliding back against the wall. "You'll do what I tell you boy," he snarled at Takai as he took one small step forward, "you're alive by my pleasure only, and while you live you'll do what I say or I swear you'll wish that I left you dead in that village along side your parents." "Now," the man said, grabbing the cuff of Takai's shirt and pulling him to his feet before shoving him to the table's edge once more, "you'll do as I say and kill your mutt. Kill him and in the way I've shown you."
A large welt formed on the side of the bawling boy's face as he looked at his pet, his best friend. "I'll do as you say master," Takai said in a voice barely above a whisper. Reaching out, he took Tobi in his hands and pulled him from the table top. For a boy as small as Takai it wasn't a simple task but soon he had Tobi set gently on the floor. Large brown eyes looked up at the small blue haired boy, the tiny tail slowly wagging back and forth. The puppy could sense something was wrong and nuzzled up against his owner's hand in an attmept to cheer up the weeping boy. All that did was make Takai cry even harder as he pet Tobi, for the final time. As his hand came back up to the dogs head, the boy slowly pushed the dog down onto the ground. Tears splashed onto the marble floor and the golden fur of the small dog as the boy leaned over him, magic swirling around his hand. "Scythe Strike," the boy sobbed between the heaves of his crying body, solidifying his spell into its shape. The puppy looked up at his master as he began to struggle against the tiny hand that held it down, tiny whimpers escaping its mouth. Tear after tear fell from his eyes, his hand held shakily over the small dog's body. "Do it boy, do it now."
Takai rolled the dog on its back, small paws kicking furiously at the air and body kicking back and forth in attempts to escape. Squeezing his eyes shut, tears still streaming down his young face, Takai made four quick cuts with his hands. Even with his eyes closed as they were, his cuts were precise and the intention he meant from them worked exactly as it should. All four legs stopped their movements and the pup began to yelp, every tiny flexing of the muscles make him suffer that much more. Takai opened his eyes to see the crimson liquid pouring out of the four cuts in all the tendons that controlled the movements of each of his legs. A fresh wave of grief poured over the small boy as he looked at what he had done to his friend. "You're not finished boy, no breaks until its over." There was a clear threat in his master's tone of voice and the pain of the large bruise forming against the side of his face became anew. Blood seeped from the wounds, staining the sides of Takai's hands and fingers, the warm liquid forcing a small gag in his body. Still he continued.
For hours upon hours, Takai made small precise incisions into the body of the small puppy. Every time he made a cut, every time his magic split open flesh, Takai could feel his best friend's soul slipping farther away. Not only could he feel it, but sight granted to him from the magic he was born with, he could see it as well. The perfect pure spirit of this precious animal slipping away by cuts made by the one that was meant to protect him. Warm liquid spread out from the body, the pool growing with every second. The cold marble floor gave it no room to which to seep so instead it spread, the pants that Takai wore soaking up the precious life liquid that he had spilled. What seemed like an eternity later the boy was finally finished. There was no longer any movement from the dog. No cries of pain, no whimpering of a tortured animal. All that was left was the mutilated body of what was once Takai's best friend. Everything was done with delicate precision. Not the exact precision of a hand that had practiced for years and perfected the art, but precision that was astounding for someone so young.
Takai's arms lay limp at his sides, his eyes without any glimmer of life in them as he stared down at the bloody mass. Tears still streamed down his face but there was no emotion to them anymore, they just poured down. There was no weeping, no heavy sobs. "Haha, good, good," Takai's master laughed deep and wicked laughs, staring at his young apprentice, "you've done well. That will be the end of today's lesson. Don't worry, I'll get you another dog soon enough so that we can have another lesson just like this down the line." The words hit Takai like a sledgehammer and his eyes widened out of mixture of horror and fury. Slowly his head turned, like a machine, and blank eyes stared at his master. Creaking of the cushioned chair and the shadowed man stood from his seat, brushing off the front of whatever clothes that he wore. Fury struck the small boy again and he jumped to his feet, charging at his master with a roar. "I"LL KILL YOU, YOU BASTARD!!! SCYTHE STRIKE!" The same magic he'd just used on his pet envoloped both of his hands and the boy jumped at his master. He never saw the blow coming. One moment he was in the air, swiping a hand at his master's face and the next he was sprawled on the cold marble floor in the pool of warm blood.
"Understand this boy," the man's cool amused tone was gone and replaced with the anger that he'd shown before, "I am your master and I will always be your superior. Even if you live to be a hundred years old, I will out class you as a wizard, even if you live to be a thousand, your power will only be a small fraction beside my own." A boot slammed into the boy's gut and he flew across the room, slamming his back into the table, shattering the wood. "You'd best understand that boy, or you won't live to regret it," Takai's master, hovered over the small blue haired body, hands curled into tight fists, "clean this up, all of it and tomorrow we'll have another lesson." With that, the shadowed man turned and left Takai alone, crying and in more pain than he'd ever felt so far in his young life. The pain wasn't only physical. His eyes went to the mass of flesh and bone, to his best friend and he threw up.
"Tobi!!!," a young boy exclaimed from behind the heavy wood. Creaking the door slowly began to open and the small puppy ran to the ever growing crack, sniffing at the young boy behind it, his small tail shaking even faster. The child pressed his entire body against the door and slowly it opened more until it was finally wide enough to allow him to pass through. "Back up Tobi, you know the Master doesn't want you to leave this room," the boy said, using his foot to keep the small puppy from running out into the hall and slipping into the room. The boy seemed to be no more than a handful of years into his life, blue hair resting on his head and a red tattoo marking his face along his right eye. The puppy barked happily, jumping up on the boy's leg whimpering so that he'd get some attention. The small boy happily took the small dog into his arms and hugged him close. The puppy quickly responded in return and started licking the boy's face playfully, happy to be with his young owner again. "Haha, stop Tobi, it tickles," the boy laughed, tossing his head side to side with a wide grin on his face.
Still laughing, the boy set down the small puppy and scratched him behind the ear. "Go get your toy Tobi, go on," the blue haired boy said as he placed his back to the door and started pushing it back closed. The small puppy quickly ran off at his owner's directions and soon came trotting back with an old rag doll in his mouth. Dropping the doll, the small puppy looked up at his master and spun around barking with his eye pitched bark, wanting to play. The door shut with a silent thud and the boy reached down and picked up the doll. Watching the doll carefully the pup moved back and forth, wagging his tail waiting for his master. "Go get it Tobi," he shouted and tossed the doll across the room. Immediately the pup spun around and ran after the small toy, sliding on the smooth marble floor again. A laugh escaped from the boy as he watched the pup chase after the toy and soon he too was running after the pup. They played together, running around chasing the doll, playing tug of war and just had a good time together. Laughter and tiny high pitch barking filled the room, echoing off the marble and escaping through the cracks of the thick door.
The room was but one small piece of a much larger mansion. A mansion that housed more than just the small boy and his tiny pet. The noise traveling from between the cracks of the door echoed down the completely empty hallways, bouncing from wall to wall until it traveled from one end to the other. By the time it reached this point the sound was so quiet that it would have been unnoticable if their had been any other sound at all. But there was nothing, nothing to drown out the noise. "Hmm?" A man cocked his head gently to the side, turning a ear towards the sound of the happy pair. Light from a single candle flickered from where it stood on a large cherry wood desk, illuminating several reports scattered about each from a guild, both dark and legal, and a few from the Rune Knights themsevles. The man himself though was shrouded in shadows, even the light of the candle seemed to fall short of where it should have. "It seems that the boy really loves his dog," the man spoke in a voice that was barely above a whisper, turning from the report in his hand, "well if the boy has time to play, then its time to learn his next lesson."
"Let go Tobi," the small boy laughed tugging on the small rag doll. The golden labridor had his teeth sunk on the other end of the doll, pulling it and shaking its small head viciously trying to get it from his master. Another laughed escaped from the boys mouth and he let go of the doll just to watch the pup run off with it then come padding back up to him. "That's a good boy Tobi," he laughed, taking the doll from his mouth without a fight this time. "Takai." The small boy's body instantly went rigged just from hearing the voice call his name. Tobi yelped like he'd been kicked and ran back into his bundle of blankets beneath the table. All laughter and joy from just moments before vanished, warmth replaced with a chill. "Yes Master," Takai said timidly, turning slowly to face the speaker. Even in this room filled with candles and light a shadow engulfed all the detailed features of the Master of this Mansion.
"I hope that you've completed all your chores for the day," his voice came out cold, no compassion as he crossed the room and took a seat in the one cushioned chair in the room. Swallowing nervously, Takai bowed his head and shook it gently in an affirmitive. "Yes Master," with his hands together, a nervous expression written on his face, "I just wanted to play with Tobi for a bit before our lesson." "Did I give you permission to play with your mutt?" "No Master." "Then you shouldn't have been playing here. It's of no consquence now, its time for your lesson. Takai's head snapped up in surprise. He was sure that his master would have been furious with him, not asking his permission to play. For some reason though his master let it slide and it made the small boy very nervous. "Yes Master," the boy said nervously and started heading out of the room.
Shadows surrounding the man's face turned slightly as he followed the boy's movements, "Where do you think you are going?" Takai slowly turned towards his master, fear written on his face, "I was going to our lesson room." "Oh we'll be having our lesson right here in this room," a shadowed hand gestured to the room and rested back down, "and so the lesson shall begin. First bring out your mutt." "Here Tobi, come on out," Takai obeyed immediately speaking softly and gently trying to bring his puppy out from his hiding place. Whimpering quietly, the small labador slowly came out from his shelter, tail between his legs and taking the path that kept him as far from the shadowed man as possible. The boy picked the small dog up in his arms as he came close and craddled him close, afraid of what the master wanted with his pet.
"Good, now hand him to me." The boy looked at his master's outstretched hand and slowly handed over his pup. Tobi scrambled mid air, trying to escape Takai's grip and flee from the shadowed man. It was no use and soon the man held the pup up with one hand, turning the dog around in the air. "You've trained him correct?" The boy nodded, to afraid to speak. "Good, show me what tricks you've taught him," the man said, setting the dog down on the ground. Instantly the small dog dashed from the man's hands and hid himself behind the legs of the boy. "Tobi, here," the boy spoke and pointed at a place in front of himself and the dog slowly moved to where he was told. "Good boy Tobi, now sit." The dog once more obeyed and sat down. Takai continued to run through a series of tricks he had taught the dog and one by one Tobi preformed them. "Very well now its your turn Takai," the man said, placing his fingers together to form a point in front of his face, "show me your control of the magic with in yourself." Takai looked at his master and nodded. It was strange for his master to do a lesson like this, it has never happen before and it made the boy nervous.
Obediently Takai did as he was instructed and slowly began to draw upon the well of magic deep within himself. Holding his hand out in front of him a small orb of a pitch black magic that had tiny blood sparks dancing along the surface. "Good boy Takai, now do the spell I taught you yesterday." The tone of voice that the shadowed man used was the same as the one Takai had just used when speaking to his pet. That and the copying of the words he had used, there was no mistaking that he was saying that Takai was his pet. Even realizing this, the boy did as he was told and focused the magic in his hand into the spell his master had taught him just the day before. The black and red sparked energy encompassed the boy's hand and formed what seemed like a sharp edge from any angle you looked at it. "Very good boy. Strike the stool over there, I want to see how sharp your magic has beome." Obediently the blue haired boy walked over to the chair and swiped his hand across a chair leg. At first it was as if nothing happened to the leg at all. Then a second later the leg split in a perfect clean cut and it fell to the ground with a clatter. The stool teetered for a second before it too fell on its side to join its removed leg.
"Very good boy, you've been practicing your magic haven't you," the man said as he stood from his chair and gestured for the boy to follow him, "Come and bring your mutt with you, its time for your next lesson." Shadows moved long the man's figure like a mantle as he approached the table that lay against one wall, the boy faithfully following the puppy at his heals. With them all next to the table, the shadowed man bent down and swooped up the dog in one smooth motion that happened so fast neither the dog nor the boy could react. "Now for your lesson," the man said as Tobi did his best to scramble out of the man's grip, "you love this dog correct, then I want you to show me how much you love it." Setting the dog on the table, the man stared at Takai with a grin that even within the mantle of shadows the boy could make out. Tobi on the other hand was huddled on the table, with his tail in between his legs, shaking with so much fear that he couldn't move. "What do you mean show him that I love him," Takai said, looking up at his master with tears already building up in his eyes. He already had an idea what his master meant by it but he didn't want it to be true, he didn't want to do what his master was going to command.
"I've shown you diagrams of animals before and detailed ones of the particular spieces your pet is," he spoke as he placed a hand on Takai's back and pushed him up to the table's edge, "so I want you to show me how much you love your dog and kill him. After all if you love a thing its only right to set it free." Tears building in his eyes started to fall as Takai looked at his best friend in the world, his only friend the puppy huddled in a shaking ball on the table. "No Master, please don't make me," the boy pleaded, his tears streaming down the sides of his face, "he's my best friend don't make me do that to him." The back side of the shadowed man came out of now where and struck the boy hard against his face. Takai flew across the room landing hard against the marble floor and sliding back against the wall. "You'll do what I tell you boy," he snarled at Takai as he took one small step forward, "you're alive by my pleasure only, and while you live you'll do what I say or I swear you'll wish that I left you dead in that village along side your parents." "Now," the man said, grabbing the cuff of Takai's shirt and pulling him to his feet before shoving him to the table's edge once more, "you'll do as I say and kill your mutt. Kill him and in the way I've shown you."
A large welt formed on the side of the bawling boy's face as he looked at his pet, his best friend. "I'll do as you say master," Takai said in a voice barely above a whisper. Reaching out, he took Tobi in his hands and pulled him from the table top. For a boy as small as Takai it wasn't a simple task but soon he had Tobi set gently on the floor. Large brown eyes looked up at the small blue haired boy, the tiny tail slowly wagging back and forth. The puppy could sense something was wrong and nuzzled up against his owner's hand in an attmept to cheer up the weeping boy. All that did was make Takai cry even harder as he pet Tobi, for the final time. As his hand came back up to the dogs head, the boy slowly pushed the dog down onto the ground. Tears splashed onto the marble floor and the golden fur of the small dog as the boy leaned over him, magic swirling around his hand. "Scythe Strike," the boy sobbed between the heaves of his crying body, solidifying his spell into its shape. The puppy looked up at his master as he began to struggle against the tiny hand that held it down, tiny whimpers escaping its mouth. Tear after tear fell from his eyes, his hand held shakily over the small dog's body. "Do it boy, do it now."
Takai rolled the dog on its back, small paws kicking furiously at the air and body kicking back and forth in attempts to escape. Squeezing his eyes shut, tears still streaming down his young face, Takai made four quick cuts with his hands. Even with his eyes closed as they were, his cuts were precise and the intention he meant from them worked exactly as it should. All four legs stopped their movements and the pup began to yelp, every tiny flexing of the muscles make him suffer that much more. Takai opened his eyes to see the crimson liquid pouring out of the four cuts in all the tendons that controlled the movements of each of his legs. A fresh wave of grief poured over the small boy as he looked at what he had done to his friend. "You're not finished boy, no breaks until its over." There was a clear threat in his master's tone of voice and the pain of the large bruise forming against the side of his face became anew. Blood seeped from the wounds, staining the sides of Takai's hands and fingers, the warm liquid forcing a small gag in his body. Still he continued.
For hours upon hours, Takai made small precise incisions into the body of the small puppy. Every time he made a cut, every time his magic split open flesh, Takai could feel his best friend's soul slipping farther away. Not only could he feel it, but sight granted to him from the magic he was born with, he could see it as well. The perfect pure spirit of this precious animal slipping away by cuts made by the one that was meant to protect him. Warm liquid spread out from the body, the pool growing with every second. The cold marble floor gave it no room to which to seep so instead it spread, the pants that Takai wore soaking up the precious life liquid that he had spilled. What seemed like an eternity later the boy was finally finished. There was no longer any movement from the dog. No cries of pain, no whimpering of a tortured animal. All that was left was the mutilated body of what was once Takai's best friend. Everything was done with delicate precision. Not the exact precision of a hand that had practiced for years and perfected the art, but precision that was astounding for someone so young.
Takai's arms lay limp at his sides, his eyes without any glimmer of life in them as he stared down at the bloody mass. Tears still streamed down his face but there was no emotion to them anymore, they just poured down. There was no weeping, no heavy sobs. "Haha, good, good," Takai's master laughed deep and wicked laughs, staring at his young apprentice, "you've done well. That will be the end of today's lesson. Don't worry, I'll get you another dog soon enough so that we can have another lesson just like this down the line." The words hit Takai like a sledgehammer and his eyes widened out of mixture of horror and fury. Slowly his head turned, like a machine, and blank eyes stared at his master. Creaking of the cushioned chair and the shadowed man stood from his seat, brushing off the front of whatever clothes that he wore. Fury struck the small boy again and he jumped to his feet, charging at his master with a roar. "I"LL KILL YOU, YOU BASTARD!!! SCYTHE STRIKE!" The same magic he'd just used on his pet envoloped both of his hands and the boy jumped at his master. He never saw the blow coming. One moment he was in the air, swiping a hand at his master's face and the next he was sprawled on the cold marble floor in the pool of warm blood.
"Understand this boy," the man's cool amused tone was gone and replaced with the anger that he'd shown before, "I am your master and I will always be your superior. Even if you live to be a hundred years old, I will out class you as a wizard, even if you live to be a thousand, your power will only be a small fraction beside my own." A boot slammed into the boy's gut and he flew across the room, slamming his back into the table, shattering the wood. "You'd best understand that boy, or you won't live to regret it," Takai's master, hovered over the small blue haired body, hands curled into tight fists, "clean this up, all of it and tomorrow we'll have another lesson." With that, the shadowed man turned and left Takai alone, crying and in more pain than he'd ever felt so far in his young life. The pain wasn't only physical. His eyes went to the mass of flesh and bone, to his best friend and he threw up.
End of Part 1
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