A couple of days have passed and everything was quiet. Roge was transferred to the Imperial Troops to serve in the current war against the Kingdom of Vero as a punishment for his misconduct. He should be back in a year, that is, if he doesn't die in battle. He will most likely survive since he is almost three times bigger than the average soldier. That man might have little brains but still, he is strong enough to be of value.

He won't die there because I will kill him myself.

The work here was simple and easy even though it required a bit of strength. During the past days, I've been watching Cales meticulously, every single move he made while fighting the new recruits as I engraved them in my memory.

Even though I may be small and don't possess the strength of a man I am agile and fast. I need to be smarter to be stronger. I need to be strong enough to avenge their deaths.

Stella, mother, baby brother, and little sister Nai all died that night due to the thirst for money. They were tortured and then toss aside like garbage. Every night I still hear my little sister's screams echoing as her bones were being broken, one by one. Every day I hear Stella's desperate moans for death as they used her as their recipient of semen.

I cannot forgive them for such sins. I can't forgive myself for being weak.

Money and status rule this empire however the true winner of a war is not the king or emperor with his sparkling crown instead it is the one who watches it unfold. The true winner is the one that controls everything and everyone, like small puppets, from the shadows.

I grab a wooden sword and head to the back of the shack, shadowed by the trees. This was perfect for training since they couldn't see me from the mansion or from the training fields. After retying up my uniform higher than usual I start practicing the swings.

Even though I memorized Cales posture, putting it to practice is a completely different matter. This wooden sword was making me lose composure constantly as my body wobbled left and right after each swing.

To be honest I don't know how many hours I stood there, shoving the sword forward, moving it constantly as I tried to remain still in the same place. I looked up to see the sun rays escaping from the leaf prison of the trees. The sun was already setting.

"Breathe. Relax your body. Empty your mind Eri." I repeated these words softly as the trees would whisper through their leaves, judging me, mocking my constant failure.

I swing and my body maintains its posture. I do it again. And again. And again. It was far from being the perfect posture but after all of this, I managed to remain in the same place, without moving, while swinging the sword. An unpreceded smile is born within my lips as I sense the sweat drops fall down my humid skin.

Suddenly I freeze, the air got heavier and I felt like I was drowning. My body was shivering in fear. I look down just to see the shadows from the trees move towards me, taking shapes I never knew existed.

"What is this?" I mumble as they grew closer to me.

"Ling!" The voice of someone shocks me and I look to the shack. The air is light again, the pressure disappeared and the shadows were back to normal. My arms drop the wooden sword in some bushes and I head towards the front of the shack just to see Cales holding a recruit with a deep cut on his shoulder.

"What happened?" I hurry towards him and open the front door. "There" I point to a wooden cabinet big and low enough to lay someone as I go grab the first aid kit.

"He slipped and fell onto a rock" he states as I undress the upper half of the soldier. No matter how you see it, this was no ordinary wound. It was deep, different from a blade, different from an arrow. It looked almost as if he got grabbed by something with big claws.

It looked just like when eagles catch rabbits, they fly down enough to their prey and quickly carve their claws onto their skin, preventing any running attempts from their meal.

"Leave Ling, it's getting late. I'll finish this since you don't have any medical knowledge" he states as he starts cleaning the recruit's wound. The poor guy looked as if he was filled with pain, his breath was unsteady and the blood kept on pouring out.

'She's not even blinking an eye. The other maids would've already made a scene yet Ling is perfectly calm. Where did she come from? No, what has she gone through at such a young age?' Cales thought as he glanced at me.

"As you wish Mister Cales" I bow my head and take my leave. Something is not right. He didn't just fell, there's no way a rock could've done that.

My body freezes. A pool of coagulated blood appeared in front of me, on the floor as I walked back to Mrs. Dae's shack. I lower my body and touch the mushy red blood. Something feels off.

There are only small stones, none with the shape of the wound. Simultaneously there is only blood at this specific place, there is no trail leading back to the shack. I look behind just to see some pieces of the dirt humid, almost as if something had been there. Something like water or blood.

'Did it suck in the blood?' I question myself as I touch the dirt however, as I spread it in my hand, there was only brown covering my fingers.

I get up and continue to head back. This incident was strange, too strange. I'll keep observing... for now.

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"Mommy mommy! What's this?" I ask mother as I point to the darkness on the floor.

"Those are shadows sweetie" mom picks me up and smiles happily. "Light creates shadows. Everyone has one. Look, mommy and Eri have one too" her body moves slightly as she points onto the floor behind us.

"Are they bad?" I ask her as she chuckles softly.

"Of course not. Remember what mommy taught you about yin and yang? It is the same with shadows and light. If we stand in the light for too long we will be thirsty and hot but if we stand in the shadow then we will be very sad" her thin finger pokes my nose making me sneeze. "However shadows can't exist without light so they could never be bad"

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"Mom!" I gasp as I wake up in shock. My body was sweaty and my breathing was unsteady. Ever since that happened I can barely sleep. Every damn night I have dreams with them. Some are innocent memories that try to keep me tied up to a dream of a peaceful past however, the other ones are nightmares that are vivid within the tissues of my soul, those are the ones that keep my feet on land, tying me to the harsh reality.

Even then this dream was weird, I didn't even remember this conversation with mom. I guess it was because of what I saw today, there is no other explanation: my brain was trying to calm me down, at the best of its abilities.

I get up and after getting dressed I head out. The breeze was growing colder and the air was lighter to breathe in. "Winter is coming" I thought as I headed towards the training fields.

The soldiers only start their practice in a couple of hours so in the meantime I will practice by myself in secret. My stamina is getting better by the day even though it was already pretty good from helping on the farm however, it is nowhere near enough.

I grab the hidden wooden sword behind the shack and head towards the practice dummies in the middle of the training field.

Feelings of uncertainty and greed kept clouding my mind as I would swing the sword to the doll.

"Too slow."

"You're too open."

"Hit the critical points."

Those were all things Cales would yell to the new recruits and now, as I was standing in their shoes, I could understand what he meant. It was already hard enough for me to maintain my balance with each swing or even after each hit on the target. Besides, my targets were not hay dolls, they were people, with muscles and nerves, people that moved.

'It's not enough. I need more.' I carve the sword on the floor and place my hands on my knees while gasping for air. My body gives in from exhaustion and I lay down on the dirt.

I'm alone. My father has been missing for a long time, ever since he left for the war, and I can only assume he has died in battle. The rest of my family is resting for eternity, unfortunately, I am well aware their souls are not peaceful, not until I can avenge them by my own strength. I have no one to rely on. Mrs. Dae looks approachable enough but even then it is a risk I am not willing to take.

I need to be strong. Right now I have to learn the sword, the bow, and how to fight. I cannot rely on pure luck to get me through. If I lose my sword then I need a trick up my sleeve.

I'll turn myself into an assassin. I'll kill everything and everyone that has wronged me, without a shred of regret.

I'll be the shadow of your sins following you around, waiting for an opportunity to slice off your precious head. Just wait, Mue. I'm coming for you and your little pigs.

Some weeks pass and winter arrives. I am now permanently assigned to the training shack since Liyan quit. Apparently, she got pregnant and left town. I wish I didn't know what happened but sadly, I can think about several scenarios that make me throw up from rage.

Malu is gone as well, she disappeared. I tried asking Mrs. Dae about it but she just told me that she left this land. Luckily her body healed but I don't think her mind ever will.

During this time I've been working more than I ever did. My body has improved greatly just like my skill with the sword, even though I'm still far from being able to kill someone. If I were to be sent to the battlefield I would probably be the first one to die. I've also been buying books with my salary, learning about the country, poisons, and medicine for when I leave this disgusting place.

The payment for this job is high since the maids don't last long in their positions. In the month I was here two of them already quit and I heard a rumor about two other maids that no one could find. Hopefully, they escaped this god-forsaken place and are finally able to be somewhere safe, even though, I don't think that is the reality.

Nevertheless, today is my day off so I will be going to town.

"Hello handsome, looking for some fun?" a woman in her mid-twenties asks as she presses her bare breasts onto me. There is only one brothel here but the ladies are for sure persistent. Despite my young age they try to grab me, almost like tigers who have stuck their sights onto a small prey.

Her looks and strong sweet scent would almost feel like you were watching a mermaid, once you tried to kiss those rose-cherry lips, you would be eaten alive for all you have. Her mature smile and her sparkling eyes made it hard for any man to resist their offer.

"We're not interested, sorry m'lady" I feel an arm grab me from my neck and push me away from the woman. Then, after walking some steps he lets go and I lift my head just to see Jin casually carrying around a big cloth bag. "Yo" he says with a completely care-free attitude.

"Are you here to get my head?" I ask as I straighten up my hood. He smiles provocatively.

"Maybe I am, who knows" I smile politely at his joke.

"I'm glad to know your family is doing well. Have a good day" after turning around I start walking towards the extremely small bookstore that existed in the town. Sadly this was the only place that sold books and, even then, they were very expensive.

I need to find a way to get inside Mue's library. From what the maids have told me, he owns so many books that one would go blind from reading it all. I'm aware that it will be hard but I need knowledge.

For the last weeks, I've been thinking about how I could get closer to the Mue's without getting on the Ice Knight's sight. I considered a lot of possible scenarios but none of them ended with me alive. That's why I need knowledge, about wars, strategy, about the country, its citizens but most importantly, about how to survive.

"Can you even read?" I drop the book I was reading on the floor and my voice lets out a small scream. Jin's face was so close I could hear his breath and his body was leaning onto mine.

"Space! Please!" my eyes lock into his as I make my demands.

"Oh... Sorry, my bad" his hand rubs against his dark hair. "But what've you been doing? I've never seen you around anymore"

"Why do you want to know?" I have no reason to be suspicious of Jin but his questions were making me uncomfortable. He then grabs a small wooden bench on the store and sits down, silently. Even though he might come off as someone pushy he is nowhere near stupid.

He looked better than when I met him. Back then he was dirty and filled with some small wounds like scratches and cuts but now he looked clean and healthier. Even his clothing was different compared to the dirty rags he was using, they were "richer" so to speak.

As my eyes wander back into the books I was holding I let out a sigh. When I was young my father brought some books, very cheap ones and I learned how to read from them however I'm still not great at it. He would try to give me one each birthday but sadly that was only possible sometimes. I know he would save some money aside for over six months just to be able to buy the cheapest book in this small store.

People like me that usually are born away from the town never get any education besides on how to grow crops and how to do basic house chores. That is how we survive but my father was kind and he knew I wanted to learn how to read and write.

Luckily, now that I work at the mansion I have Mrs. Dae teaching me some basics since we need to know due to certain tasks. I also try to learn by myself whenever I have a chance.

"Are you done?" Jin asks me as I head out of the store.

"Yes but what are you doing?" truthfully I couldn't understand why he waited for me or even why he kept following me around.

"Hanging out with my friend. Is that forbidden?" he opens the bag and takes out a carrot. Then starts eating it casually, almost as if he was mocking me.

"Your friend?" I look around and then face him again. "Who? I don't see him"

"Very funny," he grins and pokes my head making me lose my balance for a second. His attention then shifts to a sketchy side street but no one was there. "I'll be back in five minutes so just wait here," without hearing my reply he heads to the street, leaving his big carrot bag at the door of one of the degraded houses.

I don't know why I decided to follow him, maybe it was just an instinct, maybe it was pure curiosity but the truth is the closer I am to the loud voices, the quicker my heart rushes in my body. Is this what they call adrenaline?

"You can't leave Sosu, you know that Jin," a deep male voice says as I hide behind a wall of a house. The area was dark and there was an intense smell that almost made me threw up on the spot.

"I already told you didn't I? I'm not going back. Deal with your mess by yourselves," Jin's voice echoed through the area.

"You either join us alive or in your grave. You don't have a choice," another man talks. His voice was coarse and rough.

"I'm leaving. You guys suit yourselves," Jin starts walking back. I hear his feet step on water puddles, he is walking towards me. Suddenly the sound of metal clash fills my ears alongside several screams.

I walk out of my hiding spot just to see Jin standing with a bloody sword in his hand however he was perfectly clean, without any red stains on him. Around him, there were corpses of ten different men, all perfectly executed almost looking like they were peaceful sleeping, except one that cowered in the corner, unharmed. Even then, on the floor, there were small blood pools from where the men had been cut. In a couple of seconds, everything was silent. What just happened?

My knees were shivering as I looked at the scenario in front of me. The vomit that I kept holding inside of me was threatening to come out at any moment.

'You saw...' Jin thinks as he tilts his head and looks at me. His eyes looked as if he had been possessed by a demon. Those eyes weren't alive, they were dead, only focusing on the blood of his enemies. Honestly, he wasn't looking, he was just reacting to anything. Somehow I knew what he was glaring at me for "Are you a friend or a foe?" he was asking me without speaking. I step back slightly and then, suddenly he blinks regaining his sense of self before heading towards the last man alive, cowering in the wall of one of the empty houses. I look around and grab the sword of one of the men that were lying on the floor.

"I'll forgive a newcomer like you. Tell your boss that next time he tries something, I will come for his head myself. He needs to know his place" Jin says as he grabs the curly brown hair of the man in front of him, harshly, threatening him. He then gets up and walks towards me.

"Who are you?" I question him as he stopped right in front of me. His menacing face was sending shivers down my spine but in all honesty, I wanted to know. I needed to know who I had helped. I needed to know I didn't save a monster from misery.

"Does it matter Ling?" his voice was so cold. He walks by me and I instantly grab his clothes and point the sword at his chest.

"It does" I say with my hands shivering. It was heavy, much more than the wooden sword I've been using to train.

"What are you going to do with it? Kill me?" his eyes were focused on mine as his body headed towards me again. In the blink of an eye, I feel a sharp pain on my stomach and then my arm.

I was being pushed strongly on the wall while Jin grabbed my arm, right after he punched me on the stomach. I couldn't even see him move, I couldn't even see him attack me. What was this technique? The sword and my cloth bag were both on the floor and his grip was so tight that all my muscles were screaming in pain.

'Such a small body yet such scary eyes. Ling, you are indeed very interesting,' Jin thinks as I glance at him angrily.

"You can't even defend against an attack like this and you want to know who I am?" he whispers into my ear as his body leans forward.

"One thing has nothing to do with the other. I'll ask again, who are you?" I start to struggle to get out of his grip and then, after some minutes overwhelmed by the silence he lets me go.

"I'll tell you but not here." after letting out a sigh we head back to the main street. 'I can't let my new prey escape can I?' Jin chuckles.

"So will you explain it to me now?" I state after sitting down in a small tavern.

"I used to work for Sosu, an organization that follows the orders of a rich merchant around here" Jin leans back on the wooden chair. "I quit a while ago but they are still interested in me. It's so troublesome" he scratches his head.

"What did you used to do? For Sosu I mean?" I call the waitress and when she arrives I ask her for a cup of water.

"Lots of bad things but we needed the money" when the waitress arrives he grabs the cup and drinks it. "I was thirsty, thank you for the treat!" he chuckles as I look at him dumbfounded.

"Well then Jin, it was a pleasure again, have a good day" I get up and leave the tavern, I felt like I was talking to a six-year-old child and that annoyed me. How can he be so relaxed and care-free after what just happened?

Is that truly the reason why I am so annoyed? I hate this. He is strong. I've seen it. He dealt with those ten guys in a couple of seconds even though he is only a couple of years older than me. It is irritating that he is so powerful yet he has this childish attitude that just makes me want to yell at him.

Again. This feeling. Someone is watching me. I look around worriedly as I keep walking towards the mansion.

"Do you know you're being followed?" I jump to my side as a reflex and I see Jin eating another carrot from the bag he was carrying.

"I know," I regain my breath and keep on walking as he matched my pace.

"What'chu gonna do about it?" he says with his mouth full.

I smile at him politely, dodging his question however he grins almost as if he knew what I was thinking.

'What a cute little lamb,' he thinks as his eyes glare at me, lustful for more amusement.

The truth is, I know exactly what I am going to do. I've had eyes on me ever since I arrive at Mue's mansion so that means it has to be someone from the inside however nothing has happened to me yet. That means the person following me is suspicious of something and is trying to gather proof or is just trying to find a window to kill me.

"You can't even wield a sword and that's what you intend to do?" his dark eyes glare into mine. He looked curious and greedy for more amusement, nothing like he was behaving up until now. Part of me wondered if this childish side of him was just a mask he used. "Do you want me to teach you... Lin?" he asks me as I feel my whole body shudder.

A threat? A friend? Who was he exactly? Did he realize who I am?

My body backs away instantly as I stare at him.

'What a nice reaction you've got there and those vengeful eyes... I really want to know more' he thinks while covering his lustful smile with his right hand.

Even though he lives there now I made sure to clean up anything that would tie me to my family. I even didn't place names on the graves to avoid any future problems.

He could've asked around about the family there. I did mention I lived there but there is no way that he knows who I am with that little evidence. Besides, people never talk about the deceased in that area so their death will remain a mystery to him. Jin is just provoking me.

"Don't look at me like that Ling, it was just a question." he smiles and then leans closer to my ear. "Even though I am quite curious to know who is the one who created that glare"

"Jin, behave yourself" a polite but cold smile appears on my lips. I won't give in to this boy's teasings.

"The offer is on the table, hope to get a reply when we meet again" Jin starts walking away while waving his hand.