Zeth standing guard felt a little uneasy. Their city rarely experienced anarchy and ruckus as most were aware of its Lord relentless method. So suddenly experiencing a state that required James attention showed something big was coming.

“well that's to be expected actually, after what happened in capital and what my Lord plan on doing. The main question is who acted first?”

Trying to shake boredom away, he thought about possible culprit of situation.

“blackwood is one foremost suspect but it's really doubtful that he make a move now, he is too cunning and patience to resort such tactics, emperor isn't someone willing to take risks and wouldn't do so also. So one of lower ranking being used as bait or Holy Kingdom is more possible for it, and it's just to gauge our strength.”

As he suspected either of choices, he had a rebuttal for it himself. It was rather ridiculous, his thoughts circled and bore a simple result in the end. He wasn't really expecting to understand it either, he was still in training under his father, till becoming a full fledged assassin there was long way ahead of him.

His father evaluated him careless and overeager, for fixing him he appointed him to this post.

Being a butler and a guard was a tedious job, it requires patience, diligence and a keen eye for the details of what his master needed. It was harder for a thrill seeking young man in prime of his lifetime, but his father made him do it as training. For him to learn more and have forbearance as he once told him.

“an impatient assassin is dead before he knew it himself, so tone down or quit it.”

He showed him no mercy as he ordered him to give up on being an assassin, their family's expertise. As familial tradition he didn't want to give up on it even if it was unsuitable for him, he was unwilling to just put it away cause of a simple issue.

As silence ruled over area, he found something suspicious. He was being on this job for years, so he could tell something was off.

Samuel had turbulent sleeping habit, so creaking sounds of bed was usual as he moved too much usually whether he was already slept or not. But this time it was dead silent and it bothered him.

“young master, are you awake?”

He called him as he knocked on the door but he received no response.

As he was debating whether to open the door without permission or not, a faint voice reached his ear.

“help…”

It was very feeble and unrecognizable to him, the voice seemed close right inside of his ear and distant like fleeting winds at same time, voice sounded like a child's voice to him and this aspect of it amplified his worry.

“pardon my intrusion.”

As he opened the door hastily, he was greeted with a scene of abduction, Samuel hanging on top of a woman shoulder wasn't what he expected to see.

“Oh, so his voice got through my barrier and invited this bothersome pest. As expected, it wasn't wrong to fetch him faster.” with amazed voice she spoke while looking at half conscious Samuel.

Paying no heed to what woman was saying. Zeth kicked the floor as took a dagger out of his belt, making a decisive stab towards the woman who held Samuel over his shoulder.

But with agility far higher than his, she stepped aside and dodged his strike with ease.

“you're quite fast, care to introduce yourself?” asking her identity while he made another slashing strike towards her right side of torso.

But she was even faster than he assumed, using her fingers, she held his weapon easily, not allowing it to budge an inch. With a twirl of her wrist, she disarmed him and she drove him away with a high kick.

Holding his dagger with its blade, she waved the weapon infront of her as she spoke.

“you're unqualified to know me, little boy.” her condescending tone irked him a little.

She held someone and fought him like playing with a toy, this display of arrogance incensed the proud young man.

“Oh really?! And who said you can talk about my qualifications.” drawing two more dagger he took stance in her way to window.

“what?” with warm smile she looked at him, but in her smile trace of ridicule was rather obvious “you don't think an additional weapon is going to change anything?”

“yes I do, and you should, too.”

As his word fell, his shadow started to swell and rise, standing up at his side, holding two dagger just like him.

“Shadow family!” exclaiming in pleasant surprise she called him by that name, her eyes glowed with excitement.

“so that old bone wasn't the only one left with that power. Even better, I'll take you as a bonus.”

Wasting no time she stepped forward like a bolt, her speed was too much for Samuel as he barely held in a nausea that rocked him awake.

Zeth's shadow went forward as it tried to use sweeping hit with its double daggers to cut her legs, while he himself moved aside and aimed at her back.

“child play.” taunting him for his naivety, she used Samuel as sheild to zeth's own strike and struck his shadow with stolen dagger, ripping it to pieces under a blasting force, not losing the chance, she spun backward and made a heavy blow at zeth himself, blasting him to the wall.

Zeth had no choice but hold off his offense and with opening presented to opponent his clone was done for. He'd been underestimating his opponent, not only in power, also in methods, if she didn't saw him as target of capture, he would've be a goner already.

“I suggest you to step down, I'm a little unwilling to kill a fine specimen such as yourself.”

Her tone was light but arrogance and her high self-esteem couldn't be more clear from it. Her nail enlarged into vicious claw as she scratched the wall, leaving a deep dent on wall.

It was a way to tell him he was weak in confrontation.

Rising his body felt painful but pain of defeat was far more prevailing.

“damn it, I'm not gonna lose.”

She disappeared from his sight and reappeared right beside him, trying to grab his hand with frightening claw. 

Stopping his rising body, a black fog exploded from him filling the room, blocking eye from seeing.

“Shadow cover, not bad but still not enough.”

Her claw got nothing but a puff of smoke. He managed to avoid a dangerous blow, but it still changed nothing. Their clash wasn't a fight, rather one way slaughter, just slaughterer wasn't willing to tear the helpless lamb apart.

She didn't made another move and stood still, seemingly lost in encompassing fog that surrounded them.

Zeth moved constantly, her state didn't fooled him that she didn't knew where he was, giving her a second opportunity he would be over, he couldn't fight endlessly, he had to just take a few seconds till…

“we're short on time here and I'm tried of your boring game.” Her uninterested voice and sudden change in her mood like a child's tantrum, was outside of his expection.

“what the …” his voice died in his throat as she suddenly appeared behind him.

“got you.”

He thought he was used to her speed but this time he was caught off guard. But it wasn't his mistake this time, it was lack of knowledge on his opponent capabilities, and him being in wrong place.

The scratching mark she made on wall wasn't just for intimidation, it was a plan she made to get him.

It was a short distance teleport, not by space magic but by extreme force to make the move.

Holding him by his neck, she lifted him up as if he was weightless.

Being held like that he threw his dagger in right hand to her feet and tried to stab her neck with other. Her hands were both occupied but still disadvantage of him being forced to avoid hitting Samuel only left him with one side of her to attack.

She didn't glanced at thrown dagger as it fell on ground with a metallic noise hitting her leg armor.

And other was parried by her claw without even letting her hand off his neck. Her index finger was arched backward and nail was extended further stopping his last ditch struggle.

“damned bitch, you're already done for …” 

“how am I done for, I'm bringing two of you with me, and it's a real blessed night that no one can ruin. We're going to have so much fun ahead of us, hehe.” Her gleeful expression was resembling a masterful painting of a happy woman, if she wasn't strangling one man with one hand and held a child captive in other.

“Zeth …” Samuel sad voice had regret added to all his despair and other dark feeling.

Not only he wasn't saved but he made another victim, exactly as he feared.

Seeing dagger on ground, he tried to pick it up, just to not reach it. Just to lack a little.

The delicate hand which held him, suddenly tightened as pain raced through his back.

“Aghhh” 

His consciousness grew dim at heavy force threatened to snap his spine in half.

“bad boy would be punished, you know. So better be obedient from now on or it's gonna hurt, alot.” the sweet voice in his ear informed him of consequences of any defiance.

As she moved away from spot on third step a dagger was pushed into her back in a instant, it's hilt was held by a shadowy hand.

“haha, you thought …I can only …use my own shadow?” with hard suffocating sensation gripping him along with his shallow breathing, he laughed at her. He'd used focused strike, their family's skill, the power in it was nothing negligible, delivering an agonizing pain in her back.

“ugh, little brat, you think this is funny?” her face twisted in demonic shape as two canine protruded out.

her surging hostility caused her to put much more pressure on zeth's neck as she brought her face closer to him. Opening mouth widely she bite his neck wildly, drawing a large amount of blood. 

“guhh, y …you won't …be able to …escape now…dumb bitch.”

As his body shriveled and dried up, his eyes shone in a victorious light.

The house powerhouses wasn't limited to James, there was another one there too.

Though her detection wasn't her forte but if she noticed and arrived then this was finished.

Though late Ramona also become aware her mistake and his target as danger alarm rung non stop in her head. She had forgotten about her being in enemy territory and nearly killed someone who she could use in a much more profitable way.

“shit.” she freed zeth as she cursed her stupidity and tried to move Samuel to reuse him as sheild. But a sword flash cut her body from hip to collarbone, giving her no chance to make another move.

Samuel fall off along with half of body as gushing blood covered his upper body. A hand took him away from spot with haste.

As he raised his head and look at his mother, he found her looking away, staring at corpse without blinking.

“stay near zeth and don't move, whatever happened don't move and just make sure he doesn't fall asleep.”

She sounded different from how he remembered her motherly voice, even he felt a bit of fear from it.

“ah, I messed up.” with a regretful remark, the body with left half missing stood up.

The head had fallen off, so it was strange feeling in how body was moving, or how she was talking. Before being able to shake off uncomfortable feeling, Samuel saw another horror inducing scene. 

The body a little away from him start to grow blood vessels, bone and muscle. Seeing a beating heart forming right in the open or bone morrow, wriggling innards and skull content in his clear view, gave him a sick feeling in gut.

“ugh…” covering his mouth to push the urge of vomit back, he stepped back and tread to zeth's side, the heaving of his body showed that he was breathing, albeit on death door, he still was there.

“you caused him to see such unbecoming appearance of me, how are you gonna compensate for it, I wonder?” Ramona said as she moved toward the lifeless body part that was thrown on the floor.

compensation? Is this woman have any sense to her? Was what Samuel wanted to shout at her but a faster person responsed to her.

“I will, I will surely compensate you for tonight trouble.” Emma replied to her in agreement and added. “I'll eradicate your existence, if you cease to be both from world and his memory, then all will be fine, what do you say,hm?”

“Oh, really. I say let's try it. it's being long since I've really fought anyone though.” A scornful smile played on her lips as she clutched her own pervious head.

The severed body part pulsed creepily and in a matter of seconds, it broke down and formed a sword.

With a length around two meter, hilt decorated with skull, two moving eyes looking around in it, teeth made out the edge and lastly blade body was consists of bone along with blood vessels that covered all parts of it.

Holding such weapon، she spun it around few times, cause extra flesh that still stuck on it to drop.

“why didn't you attacked me while I was performing cursed blood sword manifestation? Was it for honor or pride? Whether it was, you made a pointless and foolish decision, you'll never match me while I hold it.” contemptuous look in her was like looking at dead fly.

Her curious inquiry and mocking tone left Samuel baffled, although he didn't suspected his mother decision, even he was curious about why she did so.

“such a big confidence in your weapon, it's plain who is real fool.”