The Iron Maiden

Part 9

"Grah!"

Swinging his sword under the shining moonlight of the night in the Rosenblade family garden was a young child

His top was completely laid bare, exposing his buff physique that was glistened with sweat. His crimson eyes were locked at the training dummy in front of him while ruffling his black hair

The practice dummy had already sustained multiple slashes based on the markings on it and was nearly about to collapse

"Grh!"

And yet the boy continued to shower it with blows, each slash contained the fury and the rage that he was bottling up

'Damn it!... Damn it!'

The sound of his sword echoed throughout his surroundings, which caused the nearby small animals to flee with terror, their instincts told them that if they get even an inch closer to the boy, They would undoubtedly suffer

'I was defeated...Me?! Defeated!'

He thought to himself as he continues to release his rage

Throughout the life of the young boy he had received many titles and names, He had been called a ruthless tyrant by many, a prodigy of the sword by others, and a clever child by most. 

People would sing him praises like Flies in his ears which would annoy him constantly. After all, he knew that most of them were just lip service and were ploys to get into his good sides.

Nonetheless, he acknowledged that he was indeed better than most in a lot of ways. He knew that only a few people could beat him in terms of looks, that only a handful could match his intellect, and that his skills with the sword and magic as a child was absolutely outstanding

'And yet...'

"Hrraaaggh!"

The boy landed a powerful blow that contained so much force that it finally caused the dummy to collapse. His fatigue finally caught up with him as he immediately drops his sword and laid himself on the ground

"Haaa..."

He could feel the texture of the grass in his back as he looks up into the shining stars in the sky, he continued to fixate his eyes for a while before an image suddenly appeared in his mind

"Father..."

He reached his hand into the sky as if reaching for the bountiful jewels that were laid above

"What should I do...at this rate I-"

Suddenly interrupting the young boy was the rustling sound of the leaves, He knew that there were small animals nearby but most of them would be frightened to approach him so he thought that it was maybe something dangerous

Quickly rising up to his feet, he picked up his sword and quickly braced himself. He smiled at the thought of being able to fight something, The satisfaction that he got from beating up the dummy was nearly not enough

But as the sound grows closer, The boy had suddenly realized something

'Wait...these footsteps...a person's?...but how?'

The young boy knew that someone should not be able to find his location easily so his guard increased further

"There's no need to be so agitated, Sir Raiden"

The feminine voice that suddenly echoed throughout the forest gave his mind a frenzy of questions, His eyes darted around the forest, seeking to find where the voice came from. The excitement that he felt from earlier was suddenly replaced by fear