The Emperor's new Knight starred at stars above,his mind distant and chest heaving under the influence of the rage he felt.
He had angrily punched several holes in his wall earlier when he returned home but the rage still remained, rooted deep where not even him could reach it.
The emperor had planted it and he felt hopeless unable to do anything about it,unable to uproot it.
Now he was on his way to a party he didn't sign up for,his presence being paramount for he was the object of the occasion but he had paused to stare into the dark moonless sky,his long dark hair parked in a ponytail fluttering in the cold evening breeze.
He perceived Athena's smell and immediately vanished to appear some distance away in the courtyard.
Zero walked on for a while,until the scent was back again,she was right behind him but there was one other scent,he looked up ahead to see Khaphias.
An infamous skilled chief Knight few years older than him who became a knight at a very young age.
Khaphias was just as tall as he was with an intimidating figure and huge biceps twice the size of zero's with fists large enough to crush a person's skull,his blond short hair tossed gently by the wind concealed a part of his face but not his eyes,from his vantage point the rage in them was evident so was the dark cloud of revenge that hung around him.
The Emperor's knight dispiritedly walked past the Knight whose eyes followed after him.
In the brink of an eye the knight had grabbed his shirt and slammed his back against the wall.
Beads of sweat tricked down Zero's chin as his breathing increased,his head spinning and through his blurry eyesight,he could see an angry Khaphias leaning in his face.
"I'm not going to ask what you did or how you did it but I will only let you live if you return back what's mine;"he grunted.
Zero's face twisted In a smirk.
"It's not my place to decide"he said and caught Khaphias's balled fist aiming for his face.
He teleported some paces away letting his attacker's fist to slam into the wall and just then,sighted two rocks coming at him in opposite direction.
Zero teleported again and the rocks to slammed into into each other before dropping to the ground.
He blinked and looked above him to see hundred of swords with their sharp ends pointed at him.
Then the earth below curled up to form two hands which firmly grabbed both his legs to prevent him from teleporting.
Zero could already tell that unlike him Khaphias was past a middle upper tier semonio,he was probably delealing with a lord tier,a demon on par with the king of Urah and most suitable for the position of the Emperor's knight.
'Curse you Emperor...this is all your fault'Zero thought within him but didn't voice out the words.
"Do you think I wanted any of this?...I was set up,I got a summon!"
Khaphias let out a dark laughter.
"Is that your way of pleading for your life? lying to my face...you honestly think I would believe that?".
"And what if it's true,why not try finding out for yourself before jumping to conclusions".Zero said and Khaphias shook his head.
"Doesn't matter since the position will go to me naturally if you're out of the way!!"Khaphias said and sent the swords raining down on him but Zero freed his feet in time to teleport above them just before they reached him.
And in an instant a thousand swords appeared above and below him.
Zero immediately teleported behind him with a sword pointed at the chief knight's neck but Khaphias disappeared the next second and was no where in sight.
"Come on Khaphias,don't break me even more,I don't want to kill you".
"Kill me?... How does the dead harm the living?!"Khaphias voice boomed and Zero looked above him where the voice had come from.
He raised his sword immediately to block the Knight's sword coming for his neck and in an instant the chief knight's sword curled up like a serpent into his hand,tearing flesh in the process and giving way for the red crimson liquid to ooze out from his injuries.
Zero let out an agonizing cry as Khaphias released his grip from the sword,just then he felt a new pain,a different metal curl up his body from his waist like a serpent, cutting him as it did.
It's grip tightened against him, tearing muscles and sinking deep as it approached his organs.
Zero found his mind going blank as a sea of his own blood flooded the grass below.
He was dying,slowly.
His eyes darkened on reflex as he stretched forth a weak febble hand towards khaphias and suddenly a black smoke engulfed the chief knight,his eyes darknening under the influence of Zero's sorcery.
At first he wasn't intent on using Dark magic in such exposed area and although he had lost everything precious to him and had no cause to live,his revenge was the only thing to makeup for being unable to protect them,he couldn't die yet.
Khaphias fell to his knees,with his face lifted to the sky and slowly the serpentine metal's grip against the emperor's knight loosened gradually before they dropped to the ground.
"Here I was thinking you were a lord tier,turns out you're just something in-between....Decommm_"
"Stop!!... Athena screamed as she grabbed his arm, slowly lowering it"Someone might be watching,you can kill him but not here"she pleaded.
Zero shut his eyes and reopened them,they had returned to normal and Khaphias slumped to the ground.
For a brief moment he stared at Athena ,unable to see her clearly through his blood bathed face,a part of him brimming with gratitude that she had been there to stop him,he wasn't intent on killing Khaphias but somehow back then the spell had taken control of him and he had lost his control.
Zero abruptly withdrew his hand and turned to leave when a sudden cold chill ran through him,his legs unable to hold his weak body gave way and collapsed unto the ground,his eyes swung shut.
He opened his eyes to see Athena seated close to his bed,the familiar appearance of his room stared back at him as his eyes studied his surroundings.
His hands rested against his bare chest and next his eyes drifted to his pants,a different colour than the one he had worn earlier.
Zero's face flushed with discomfort as a wave of unpleasant thought ran through his head_had she changed him_herself?
He quickly covered the area between his legs and froze.
Athena's eyes followed his hands understanding the situation before letting out a soft chuckle.
"You...Wha...what did you..do?"
Her eyes remained on the spot for a while before she gazed into his eyes.
"I liked it_"Her eyes narrowed slightly as she leaned in and said in a whisper"Turns out I like them small, just like that".
"What!"Zero's face reddened in embarrassment.
He touched the area again to assure himself his was still there and still the same size.
But he wasn't small,how dare she tease him thus.
"Relax...a male knight cleaned you up and the changing".
"It's small you say?!"
"I..uh I didn't say that"Athena looked away,her face flushing.
"I know what I heard and I don't like being teased with this,you make me want to punish you".
Zero slowly sat up and spat out the displeasing sour taste in his mouth.
"What did you have me drink".
"What healed you quickly,your wounds were deep and we need both need to attend the event...how are you feeling?".
Zero didn't answer, instead he grabbed her hand and pulled her into the bed with a mischievous grin on his face.
"Do you want to find out?" he asked,he could feel her racing heart,the saliva galloping down her throat and her loss for word only appeared to entice him more.
She was resting against him with his hand on her waist and his other hand firmly grabbing her arm,the he immediately turned to his side,his gaze on the hand he held, ready to do just what she was thinking he was about to do.
"Uhh..nu nooo!...I mean...no"She stammered.
"But why does a no sound so much like a yes".
Zero drew her even closer that her large breast pressed against his chest,then he looked down at them before returning his gaze back to her face.
His eyes rested on her lips as his hands slowly approached the area with her hand,his face leaning in.
Her heart was beating faster,her breathing had stopped and for some reason it amused him, stirred up something within him that desired to tease her even more.
Has she never been this close to a man before?
Zero sighed and pushed her off the bed.
"Get off me!"he grinned.
Athena had landed with her face with her hair falling out of place,she got to her feet,her brows furrowed,lips thinned as she watched the awkward smile on the Knight's face.
"You!_"
"What?do you want it?!"he raised a brow.
"Want it!"she exclaimed,in disbelief realizing she had just been teased and had fallen for it like a little girl.
Zero eyed her as his mind recollected what had happened earlier at the courtyard.
Apparently the chief Knight now knows he is a sorcerer and the only way to keep his secret hidden he knew was to kill her.
"I am fine... forget what you saw,if words gets out about this,I'll kill you!"Zero threatened although every part of him ached to do so immediately to protect himself.
"So you are a sorcerer...so?"
Zero eyed her closely,Athena appeared ignorant of the spell decompo which was used by the Emperor brother's bloodline whose entire family had been killed by the previous emperor and such was in her favour.
He immediately discarded the thought of killing her as long as she wouldn't spit out what she had seen which could spring forth investigations that would lead to a discovery that the sorceror prince still lived and that would be the end of him.
"But what is a sorcerer doing in the imperial city and what in the world was that overwhelming dark magic?".
Zero got to his feet and looked down at her,his gaze piercing and serious.
"Don't try finding out what that was and don't try to know anything about me either because the moment I know you do,I won't hesitate to kill you".
He approached his closet before taking out a shirt.
"I'll be at the party"Athena said.