"Why don't you stop breathing?"
"Who gave you permission to live?"
Footsteps. Kayne woke up inside a pitch dark cell where he couldn't move his arms and legs. His neck is also chained with heavy iron.
Did they come back to him and secretly chained him down?
But the place feels familiar and different at the same time. His sense of smell can't detect any odor. All he sees are shadows running. Running? Why is he running? He remembered that he was locked inside. Why is he running outside and the guards are after him?
"Monster!," one of the chasing guards said.
He felt the need to escape from that place but he can't see what his body is doing nor can he control any of his actions.
The scenery changed and he saw the vast azure sky above him. He's falling yet his heart feels at ease.
Then he remembered the first time he met Rigel and how high he fell from the floating island.
Rigel's warmth made him forget that he's an escapee of that island. His normal life became that of Kayne Fenriz Regulus, a student, son of the monstrous Professor Rigel Regulus.
His nightmare finished and he woke up to the blood-stenched prison of Rigel's family — his current reality. He's drenched in his own sweat and his limbs aren't shackled.
Someone knocked on his door and ordered him to prepare to leave. "You'll receive 30 lashes as per instructions of the family head. Please proceed quietly to the area."
When they reached the designated area, another guard walked him to a wall and binded his arms with chains. "This is only a job, master. Please, don't hate us."
Kayne cracked up on what the guard said. "Don't worry. What you need to worry is that they'll see me perfectly fine later. That will make it hard for you to prove that you did punish me."
"Is that true?" Luke Regulus showed up from a dark corner and walked to them. The guards lowered their heads immediately to him and moved away from Kayne. "Is what you are saying the truth?"
Kayne snickered and asked them to cut off his ear.
The guards looked at each other to see who had the guts to cut off Kayne's ear. Before they could decide, Luke Regulus already pulled out a small knife and cut off Kayne's ear.
Kayne cried from the pain and blood oozed out from the wound. After a few seconds he smiled in victory and breathed deep to ignore the physical pain. "This is magic, grandfather."
Right in front of them, Luke saw how Kayne's ear regenerated as if nothing happened. The piece of flesh on his hand also turned into dust and there is no more trace of a severe wound except for the blood stains on his clothes. In a few minutes, his ear was torn and repaired itself.
"Enough of this. Go back to your post and don't tell anyone what you saw here," Luke ordered to the guards behind him.
The guards left and Luke tried to help Kayne to get out of the chains but it already crumbled on its own. There, he also noticed that the kid was not wearing his usual gloves. He already knows that Rigel found this child on his way back from a trip on one of his investigations but having seen Kayne's peculiarity, Luke is more convinced that the child is their own blood relative. Whether he's Rigel's real child or not, he doesn't care anymore. With Kayne on their side, he's more assured that the family will continue to prosper.
"Clean yourself and prepare for the gathering later. I already asked the butler to give your assistant a hand if you ever need something."
"Aren't you going to call me a monster?" Oddly, Kayne felt that people fear him because of his abilities.
"You saw me as a dragon already. I am much more horrible than you." Luke specified.
Kayne shyly accepted this fact and wore the gloves he hid in his pockets.
He followed Luke upstairs without a word. Outside, Peony is already waiting for him with a towel.
"Young Master, breakfast is already served in the room."
Kayne patted Peony's head and let her guide him back to the room. The destroyed part of Lion's den is already back on its previous shape. For this, Kayne feels that all members of the house are high ranking Neos. Aris too, although he looks so clumsy, his level of magic is also topnotch.
When they reached the room, Peony scanned him all over to ensure that he did not suffer any kind of injury. "Whose blood is this, young master," Peony asked on the large amount of blood dried on his master's neck and clothes.
Kayne broke off from Peony's prying eyes and went straight to the bathroom. It's not his plan to hide something from her but following what his grandfather did and said in the basement, giving out the information that he can heal himself automatically seems like a bad idea.
He also has no idea if he'll meet a few more Koiren who will dauntlessly sell off his life for a lump sum of money.
Kayne closed his eyes. Both he and Koiren are now out of Yothopyia Institute. After Koiren left for their business, he felt a sense of relief but right now, he's having a very bad feeling that a great disaster will fall upon him.
He fixed his eyes on his gloved hand and reminisced on the day Rigel gave it to him. Compared to that stuttering orphan, he has so many things in his possession right now including his name, Kayne Fenriz Regulus. "I wonder if Father is faring well on his side," he whispered, missing Rigel's countless instructions and reminders. His memories of Rigel gives impetus to his decision to search for him. He clenched his fist and made a jab in the air. "From today onwards, I'll be the one going to look for him."
He can already see how he'll fare on this decision and that is through the use of the Regulus family's influence. And his first step is to impress everyone at the gathering tonight.