Greyson adjusted his sword belt as he entered the training district, in the northern part of Ne’arath. Several days after his meeting with Lord Yami, a messenger arrived at his estate, bearing a summons on him. It was a mandatory appointment with Genmei, and the warriors she had selected for the “anti-human” taskforce. What a fucking joke, Greyson thought, as he walked into the massive training area. He would never help these bastards kill his own kind, even Daniel and his group didn’t deserve to die at the hands of these savages. He sighed again, dreading how he would have to navigate this new obstacle.

  “Lord Lytro!” A young sounding voice called from behind him. Greyson stopped and turned to see who it was, and set his eyes on a young Dae warrior. She was thin, with violet skin, and deep purple eyes that stared at him with determination and eagerness. She was standing at attention, with her fist across her chest in a salute. “Lady Genmei has requested you join her in the noble observation box, my Lord! Please, follow me!”

  Greyson couldn’t even get a word out before the spindly girl spun around and began marching up some stairs, toward a tower with a circular structure at the top of it. Greyson took a calming breath as he began climbing the stairway. Upon reaching the top, he entered a large and luxurious room, where a dozen warriors stood in formation in the center, all at attention, before a very irritated looking Genmei. Her Pink eyes shot to him, and for a moment he expected her to yell at him. She instead, turned her ire-filled gaze to the formed-up Dae and began dressing them down.

  “Now that our ‘demon expert’ has arrived, I expect to see great things from every single one of you!” She barked, pacing back and forth. “You are, each of you, nobles of Visoth. Handpicked by my father because your families are some of the most powerful in Ne’arath. Do not disappoint me.” She faced Greyson, gesturing toward the formation. “Lytro, introduce yourself so we can get on with this. Farce.”

  A ball of fury burned in the pit of Greyson’s stomach. This elitest bitch thinks she can just up and talk to me like that? He fumed at the blatant disrespect. He knew her family was a big deal around here, but he had done the impossible. Well… he pretended he had at least. For all they knew, his feats were all true, and it was high time that Lord Lytro got some respect around here.

  He wanted to smile at her, but he refrained, giving her a deadpan stare before replying. “My name, is Lord Lytro.” He began, placing his hands behind his back and walking beside Genmei at the front of their formation. “And the only thing you need to know about me, other than my noble title, is my other one; ‘Demon slayer’.” He held their gaze for a moment, letting the tension build. He could see the disbelief in their eyes, all of these ‘warriors’ could barely be called such. They were snotty noble kids basically, and most likely of a much higher station than he was. But that didn’t matter anymore. Greyson knew that deeds and power could shift the scales in his favor. He just needed to prove that.

  “A bold claim.” One of the nobles said under his breath, causing the rest to chuckle.

  Greyson’s eyes shifted to the warrior at the far right of the first row. A red-skinned Dae man, who had a smug smirk on his face.

  “A claim?” Greyson narrowed his eyes at the Dae, stepping inches from his face. “You want to test me, then? You think you have what it takes to kill a demon?”

  “I have what it takes to kill a lowborn sack of Cro’kan shit like you.” The noble replied with venom in his voice.

  Greyson took a step back, and looked at each of the twelve warriors assembled. “I assume you all feel that way, then?”

  He was rewarded with chuckles and nods from the nobles. So, he turned to Genmei, who didn’t even attempt to hide her own smirk. “Let’s test it out then, shall we. Lady Genmei, let’s take this to the practice fields down below.”

  Genmei’s smirk faded as her face shifted to one of confusion.

  Before she could answer, Greyson turned toward the door and waved them to follow him. “Let’s go then.”

  It didn’t take long for their group to exit the tower, and make their way to the training circles below. Greyson stood in the center of the largest sparring circle there was. Keeping his hands tightly clasped behind his back. He knew something like this might happen, and had probably been a bit too quick on the draw, challenging them all at once. But dominance needed to be established; besides, nothing made him more happy than putting pompous Dae nobles in their place.

  If he was expecting to fight them, then he needed to be prepared to use his power. And Lord Lytro, the real one, obviously, was the user of a completely different element than him, being a Dae-Jin. That being said, he had read, in his recent studies, that Dae were sometimes able to learn multiple types of Dunamis. Able to wield two or sometimes three different elements at a time. It was rare and often took them years of practice to unlock, but it was possible. Over the last few days, he had spent a great deal of time in his spirit realm, the place within his mind where he could figure things like that out. He was somewhat successful, and was now able to slightly affect the wind around him. It wasn’t enough to win in a fight, but it was a start.

  He held back a smile as he saw the warriors assemble in front of him in another formation. Genmei stood at the edge of the circle, flanked by the thin violet Dae girl, who Greyson now assumed was her squire or assistant or something.

  Greyson removed his belt, then his tunic and cloak. Tossing them to the sand below. He stood, bare-chested, holding his bone blade in his hand and looked at them with fire in his eyes. “If you think you have what it takes, to kill me, then now’s your chance to give it a try. Use your blades, and your Dunamis, do whatever you think you need, to do it. If you succeed, obviously, you won’t have to worry about me anymore, and can go back to whatever trainer you had before.”

  The warriors looked at each other in confusion, but almost immediately seven of them stepped forward, led by the noble who had disrespected him in the observation tower. As they stood in a line before Greyson, more followed, until only one remained. A Dae man with grey skin and green eyes. He instead, made his way to the sidelines, next to Genmei and her assistant.

  “You really want us not to hold anything back?” The Dae at the front said, drawing his sword and bringing it to the ready. “You have that big of a death wish, huh?”

  Greyson smiled cruelly, bringing his own blade to bear. “Come on.”

  The Dae raised his hand, and unleased a blast of fire directly toward Greyson. He had been expecting an attack, unsure of what element, but was pleased that it was fire. He had coated his body in his own spiritual energy, something that, from what he understood, Dae couldn’t really do. At least not at the level of these losers. The blast of fire hissed as it was easily deflected around his body, burning and destroying the area around him. Smoke and dust billowed around Greyson for a time, until he saw the shocked expressions of every warrior before him.

  “Wha—” The Dae croaked, letting his hand fall to his side. “How did you…?”

  Greyson didn’t give him the chance to finish; he dashed forward, using his incredible human speed and sank his blade into the man’s shoulder. There was a moment of confusion, as the Dae turned his red face toward Greyson, clearly in shock, and trying to process what had just happened. Greyson tore his blade from his shoulder, spraying blood over the other nobles. Before he could even scream, Greyson kicked the man in the face, knocking him unconscious.

  “You think a demon would fall to such a pathetic attack!?” Greyson bellowed, the blood in his veins pumping with each thunderous beat of his heart. I’m gonna’ fucking enjoy this, he thought. He slashed at the thigh of another warrior, splitting it open, and sending him to the sand below with a cry of agony and a spray of blue blood.

  The other nobles drew their weapons, dashing away from the violence. Greyson could smell the fear on them, the dread and regret of their choices. Good, he thought as he slammed his pommel into the nose of another. Blood splattered on him as the girl he had hit, gurgled in pain before falling to the sand with a thud. He hit them, slashed them, and bashed them, refraining from killing them, but making sure they would always remember this day.

  The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

  Some of them tried to use their powers against him; stone, wind, lightning, and even another water user. None of what they threw at him even made so much as a scratch. The hopelessness of their situation sank in as only three of the initial eleven who challenged him were left standing. He stared them down, covered in the blood of their peers. “You get it now, I hope. This isn’t a game. You are fighting creatures that have the power to wipe out armies! To call golden flames from the skies and burn thousands of you away in the blink of an eye! Who can summon legions of golems, and raise your fallen brothers and sisters from the dead! To attack you without a hint of mercy! You have no idea what you are up against… but I do.”

  Greyson stabbed his blade into the sand, turning toward Genmei, who looked far less arrogant and pompous as she had mere minutes ago. “Your father tasked you with the mission of killing the demons, Lady Genmei. Ultimately it is your decision whether I stay or go. Send me away; I don’t care. But know that I am who I say I am; and my deeds are more than just words. If you determine that I am to stay?” He turned to look at the nobles, groaning in the sand, standing in fear, clasping wounds and nursing broken bones. “I will see you all, day after tomorrow, here in the same place. You will have the opportunity to try again if you’d like.”

  Greyson leaned down, picked up his discarded clothing and equipment, and left the training area without another word.

  ~

  “I’m still in shock!” Todo shouted in between bouts of laughter. “You really sent Lord Ryoko’s eldest son to the healers…” He wiped a tear from his eye. “Oh, what poetic justice this is, Lytro. By the spirits, you have really stuck your nose in it this time.”

  Greyson grumbled to himself while sitting at his desk. In the hours following the incident in the training district, dozens of summons were sent to Lytro’s estate. All from high nobles who were demanding retribution, or explanations for why their sons or daughters were nearly killed. He ignored them all. Truth be told, he regretted making such a violent statement, but there wasn’t much he could do about it now.

  The next day, Todo had been the only person he permitted entry to, not because he trusted him, but because he was probably the most harmless of the nobles he knew of. And he needed to know what was going on out there. None of what the boisterous noble reported was good news. There were official petitions now for his head. To have him tried as a criminal for the offences caused, valid challenges from other nobles came as well. You sure know how to make a fucking mess, Greyson, he thought, rubbing his eyes as he listened to Todo’s irritating voice go on and on.

  “I get it, Todo, alright? Just shut up and let me think.” Greyson snapped, finally being brought to the end of his patience.

  “Oh, there’s no getting out of this, Lytro.” Todo taunted. “You can ignore all the servants you want outside your door, but once Lord Yami’s messenger arrives, you better jump. He’s the one that will decide your fate after all.”

  As the hours ticked by, after Todo was sent away, his words turned to reality, as a messenger from Lord Yami himself, knocked on his door. As much as Greyson wished to disassociate himself with Dae culture, he needed to adhere to certain things. He was vulnerable here, and needed to salvage what he could of the mess he had made for himself. He could always assume the identity of another person, if things got too hot, but that, in and of itself, was a difficult task. Keeping his current persona around was the least troublesome path, so long as he kept his temper in check.

  He made his way to the capitol building again, following his previous route, only this time turning himself invisible; a nifty trick he picked up from his time sneaking around Eleutheros. He was very grateful for the ability, as he evaded the dozens of servants and messengers who were camped outside his estate. He maintained this ability until he eventually got to Yami’s office door. He hammered the wooden plank outside of it with his fist, announcing himself, before the gruff voice of Yami ordered him to enter, muffled from within.HeH

  Greyson did so, sliding the door open with a touch of his hand, and the transfer of his power. Yami was sitting at his desk, having a conversation with none other than his daughter, Genmei, who turned to face Greyson as he entered, but avoided his eyes as he looked at her.

  “Lytro…” Yami’s voice was rough like gravel, as he steepled his hands in front of his face.

  “Lord Yami, Lady Genmei.” Greyson greeted them, bowing his head slightly as he came to a halt before the desk.

  Yami studied him for a time, his pink eyes scanning up and down. “You have caused quite the stir in court, Lytro… Many noble houses are calling for your blood. I was hoping you could… clear the air. Perhaps clarify what in all the living and dead spirit’s names you were thinking, when you nearly killed all of your charges!?” Yami’s voice rose to a bellow, and veins bulged in his neck as his temper began to flair.

  “What I was thinking?” Greyson asked, looking as annoyed and offended as possible. “I was trying to save their miserable lives, Lord Yami.”

  Yami slammed his fists on his table, and rose like a feral beast, snarling in rage at Greyson. “You forget yourself, Lytro. You are—”

  “I am the only one who has seen the truth of our situation!” Greyson interrupted, seeing the shock on Yami’s face. “When I arrived at the designated area, I found sniveling and pompous brats! I reminded them, that this is not a game. This is for the survival of our empire!” Greyson let his fury fly, most of it was artificial, but he needed this unchecked emotion to push his way out of this situation. “These are creatures that can slaughter us in the blink of an eye. The ones I killed were weaklings compared to the monsters in Eleutheros! You think that they would stand any chance at all if they faced them!?” Greyson’s chest rose and fell with his heavy breaths as he stared Yami down. “I will not apologize for showing them how weak they are. I will not answer any summons from nobles who have a problem with my methods either.” He turned his gaze from Yami toward Genmei, who seemed to struggle maintaining eye contact with him. “You saw what happened, Lady Genmei. Tell your father and I that they’re ready to go against the demons. After seeing what I did to them.”

  Genmei’s face flushed a light purple as she held his gaze. “I can’t, and you know it, Lytro. As much as it pains me to admit it, father. Lord Lytro is correct. His actions might have been far too brash, but his point is well made. We need seasoned warriors for this taskforce. Dae who have seen battle.”

  “No.” Greyson crossed his arms, gaining a look of confusion from Genmei. “They will do, if they decide to stay with us. I only need them to be serious about this mission. If we change them all out now, then the lesson will be all for naught. I hate wasting a good lesson.”

  Yami let out a slow and shaky breath, flexing his fingers. “You must do… exactly as I say from now on, Lytro. Do you understand me? This is why I put Genmei in charge, she is of a higher station than these nobles, and commands their respect. Your low birth presents a problem. I need you both to ensure that something like this never happens again.”

  Greyson let out a silent sigh of relief as the words left Yami’s mouth. “I will run it by Lady Genmei if there are ever anymore issues.”

  “See that you do…” Yami grumbled, sitting back down on his chair with a heavy thud. “The amount of strings I will have to pull to turn this around will be astronomical… Lytro. Half of the high council members wish to see your head on a spike.”

  “I promise you, Lord Yami. That this will be worth the trouble.” Greyson said with as much assurance as he could possibly muster. “When I am done with them, you will have a truly powerful taskforce at your command. Lethal and loyal to the empire.”

  Yami held a hard gaze again, seeming to scan Greyson for any hint of uncertainty. “Very well…” He finally said, before waving his hand toward the door. “I will handle the nobles, and you keep your promise… or I swear, by all the spirits…”

  “Understood, my Lord.” Greyson bowed before turning and making a swift exit.

  ~

  Genmei let out a breath she didn’t know she had been holding as the door to her father’s office slid closed. She turned a tentative gaze toward him, as he watched the door. She had never seen her father’s temper so easily extinguished. Never seen a noble, even one of a higher station, stand up to him in such a way, let alone a lowly one like Lytro. She was astonished at the audacity of the man. She fumed inwardly at his blatant arrogance and insolence.

  “Is it true?” Yami asked, pulling her from her thoughts. “Did he truly defeat all of them at the same time?”

  “Yes…” Genmei answered, her voice tight with agitation. “And he didn’t so much as use the Dunamis, Father. They blasted him, over and over again, slashed at him, but nothing could even scratch him. He defeated them all in the blink of an eye, and was even holding back.”

  Yami let out a frustrated curse, then leaned back into his chair. “There is something about him, Genmei. I can feel it; there is something special about him. His encounter with the demons might have truly changed him for the better. Or… maybe he really is cursed.”

  “He seems loyal enough.” Genmei shrugged.

  Yami snorted. “Perhaps. Perhaps not. Either way, we will watch him. His power cannot be denied, and that is the only thing that matters. He might be a key warrior in this fight against Eleutheros. I want him on our side, whatever the cost. Have you looked into his house?”

  “They’re essentially broke, father.” Genmei said with a bit more disgust than she intended. “I say ‘they’ in error though. He’s the last of his house. No others remain alive. His father and mother were both killed at the hands of demons in the second battle of Vul De Rah. Burned to ash, so the reports say; by a demon wielding a golden blade of light.”

  “I see…” Yami rubbed his chin. “We can’t have a warrior with that kind of power destitute, Genmei. It leads them to desperation and treachery. See that a contract is made for the payment of his services in this taskforce. I want every one of his needs met.”

  “A contract?” Genmei reeled in surprise. “But he…” Her words petered out as she shrank under her father’s gaze. “Understood, father. I will have one written up by morning.”

  “Good, see that you deliver it to him personally.” Yami stood from his chair, and moved toward the exit of his office. “You have the authority to negotiate with him if he has any further demands. Meet them, don’t argue or haggle.”

  “Father…” She grumbled.

  “I know how you are, daughter.” Yami waved his hand and the door opened. “Refrain from your innate need to crush your adversaries, and just listen to me. Make sure he is happy.” At those words he exited the office, and the door slid closed.

  “Just not too happy…” She said to herself.