Ken went to sit down in the chair facing the window, closing the book which was lying on the desk. It appears he had been reading just now."You're an avid reader," Cassio commented, staring at the bookshelf which he had failed to notice when he entered the room earlier. There were so many books arranged nearly in it, some caked in dust."I have a fond for knowledge," Ken said. "Life in the castle is so boring, books became my partners.""I don't find here boring," Cassio said his mind. "It's so quiet and shut out of the rest of the city, giving me a sense of serenity.""How long can you stay here while not frequently interacting with people," Ken asked as he took out a brown book from a locker within the desk."At least a year," Cassio replied truthfully. I'm not a social person."You need a treatment," Ken said. "Only sick people can stay alone for a year. Even mad people need companions."At least a year...Cassio corrected inwardly and resisted the urge to frown and say something o
A figure dressed in a black leather trenchcoat and trouser dashed through the forest, moving with so much stealth that he didn't make a sound while running across the leaves. It was as if he was running in the air, not coming in contact with the ground. He had a brown hair, brown eyes and narrow lips, his expression very grim as if he had lost something very precious to him. A black hilted sword was strapped to his left side, his right hand calmly placed on it as he ran through the forest.Suddenly he stopped and crouched, his eyes scanning his environment while his ears perked up to listen to distinct sounds. Every scene and sound was distinguishable to him and he could even observe and hear things from over 100 meters to 200 meters.Charcoal, men dressed in black and happy laughter...he outlined what he smelled, saw and heard in his mind. His brown eyes narrowed as he took out a piece of crumbled paper from the right pocket of his black trenchcoat. There was a neat handwriting which
Ethan panted as he finally reached the top of a hill, dropping to the ground with a loud thud. Beads of perspiration dropped from his body, causing his shirt to be sticky. His expression was extremely weary, his eyes having this glint of hopelessness in them. Chase also lay beside him, catching his breathe. Both human and dog didn't say anything for some minutes, trying to regain their energy.For hours now they had been walking towards the north, going through forest paths without meeting a single human being. They hid and moved stealthily to avoid being spotted by bandits or wild animals. They weren't powerful enough to handle any peril if they were met with one now. So they decided to be very cautious as it was better to be safe than sorry."When are we going to see Cassio?" Ethan asked, losing all the hope he had. "We've been going for two days now and we still haven't found him. He's the only relative I remember..."Chase couldn't help but sigh as he said, "We would have gotten t
That night Cassio was temporarily assigned to a room in the castle. It belonged to Prince Ken's bodyguards and had previously been inhabited by Matthew and Thorne. But now it was empty because Matthew was still undergoing treatment (his condition had being too grave) while Thorne was dead and gone.Cassio let out a deep sigh as he stared at the large bedroom with two medium size beds and a cubicle which served as the bathroom. There was a large wardrobe standing at a corner of the room and a wooden desk and chair facing the window just like in Ken's room. But unlike Ken's, the desk and chair were covered in dust, evident that they had not been used for a long time.Not everyone pursues knowledge, he muttered to himself as he walked to the bed nearest to the window and sat down, his palms covering his face. I've made it to the castle but it's still uncertain if I can succeed in becoming a knight.Cassio stood up and walked towards the desk. Apart from a mirror, feather and ink on top,
The church was a large building with white bricks, a large cross on top of its roof. There were several rows of windows made of glass, all of them reflecting the sunlight. On closer inspection, there was a sculpture of the moon engraved into the center of the cross. The environment was very serene, making one feel as if one had stepped into another world devoid of problems. Outside the cathedral were several sculptures belonging to legendary figures of Camelot. They represented past kings and knights who had made sacrifices, making Camelot what it was today.The driver of the carriage pulled the reins, causing the two white stallions to halt slowly beside another carriage with Camelot's emblem. There were other several carriages, all of them well packed some meters away from the cathedral. There were chatters as people walked into the church—both rich and poor, noble and common, knight and civilian—they were all given free will to enter the church.This doesn't look like a church whic
When the carriage arrived at the castle, Ken couldn't help but chuckle, "You're going to learn what it takes to become a bodyguard.""You're making it sound horrifying," Cassio said half-heartedly as he looked outside he carriage, admiring his surrounding. The castle had a very large environment with several orchards, gardens and lawns which cast a natural beauty on the surrounding. The air was also fresh like spring, the atmosphere quite and refreshing.I wonder why you'd still want to leave the castle? as Cassio exited the carriage he couldn't help but shake his head. He then walked into the castle building, going past the grim looking guards who heard long spears. He kept wondering if those guards were just ordinary or they were true knights.Cassio navigated his way through the hallway to the bodyguard room which had become his since Matthew had become crippled for life, his chance of advancing from a Bodyguard shattered. He couldn't help but sigh, wondering why people were so unl
Ugh...Cassio finally opened his eyes, becoming conscious. He blinked his eyes a few times in order to adjust to the intensity of sunlight. Closing them he turned around and stood up before finally opening them."You're awake finally," Ken said. He was performing a sword art, his right hand moving with fierceness to create powerful sword strokes which caused ripples in the air. He stopped and sheathed his sword, his lips curling into a warm smile."I guess..." Cassio said awkwardly. He had never fainted out of fear before in his entire life and this was very embarrassing considering how he had boasted that he would become Ken's bodyguard. It was too embarrassing."Well, you may choose not to go through that part of the training and focus on exercises that will strengthen your body and make you faster," Ken said. "I was already a Bodyguard before I could complete the training here.""Those mechanical soldiers, who creates them?" Cassio asked, becoming very intrigued by the mechanism beh
Damn...that was Cassio's only thought as Ken came flying towards him with clenched fists. Knowing that he couldn't possibly fight Ken, he quickly turned around and ran. Several spikes were immediately shot out of the ground towards him, their metal surfaces reflecting the sunlight.Slash! Slash! Slash!Three spikes immediately got him despite him trying his very best to dodge them all. One slashed below his right eye, another slashed his left arm while another stabbed his right chest. He gnashed his teeth and continued running, relying on his reflexes to become nimble.Bang!Ken was already upon him, punching his back. The impact sent Cassio off the ground into the air, five spikes stabbing into his body. He crashed to the ground and rolled several meters out of the spiky region, spitting blood as he immediately rolled voluntarily to evade Ken's kick which would have gotten his head."You can't become my bodyguard by being weak!" Ken yelled with anger evident in his voice. "In order t