บท 6: Dagger in the Dark

Five years have passed since the lightning storm incident. I'm now twenty years old, ever closer to my physical peak.

I'm a father now, with two children both sons and another child on the way. Their names are Aniketos who is four. And Akadios who is two. I have no idea how to be a father, though that's not something I have to worry too much about since Isadora takes care of the majority of the child raising.

Neither of my sons have expressed any sort of supernatural abilities yet. Though mine didn't manifest until I was ten.

My father passed away early last year, leaving me in control of his portion of the family business.

I never really formed enough of a connection to truly grieve for him, but his passing did sadden me greatly.

Shortly after my fathers death I suffered an assassination attempt, and that's how I found out that my inner flames burns away poison before it can kill me. If not for what happened the next night I would have just assumed it was a mild case of food poisoning.

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It was in the dead of night, and I was in the middle of a meditation session surrounded by lit candles, their flames rising and falling in time with my breaths.

When I sensed a heat source from a human body enter my sensing range. Slowly the heat source made its way through my villa and directly to my sleeping quarters. My sleeping quarters, which are completely off limits to everybody, even my wife.

Minoan society is very gender divided, men have separate sleeping quarters from woman, even husband and wife.

As the intruder made their way to my room I immediately extinguished the candle flames with a single thought. Shrouded in complete darkness I waited.

Once they made it to the outside of my room they waited there for several minutes, most likely verifying that I was a sleep.

The moment they entered my room all the candles present instantly blazed alight, momentarily blinding my would be assassin. In that same instant i was already on my feet and pouncing toward them.

Subduing and knocking them out was ridiculously easy. I guess the combination of catching them by surprise, partially blinding them, my enhanced speed, and strength all worked in my favor.

In minutes I had the man stripped and bound to a chair. Among his belongings was a sharp bronze dagger and small clay jar containing a clear slightly yellowish liquid which I assume is poison.

I then moved him outside to my courtyard and slapped him back to consciousness.

The look of wide eyed terror on his face when he fully realized his situation, turned into absolute horror as fire blazed to life in my hand.

"Demon!! Please. Please spare me my Lord, I didn't know. I swear I didn't know!!" The man blubbered, tears pouring down his face, body shaking like a leaf.

"I know why you are here" I stated menacingly, literal fire burning in my eyes.

"Tell me who sent you, and I will grant you a swift death." The flames engulf my head.

"Deny me, and you will burn. Slowly. For days, and then your family." And finally my entire body.

"Antikles!! It was Antikles the Bull! He sent me! Please my Lord I beg of you, mercy. Please show me mercy!"

"Mercy is for the innocent" Instantly the man is set ablaze, and within minutes nothing remains but ash and bones.

Antikles. The only other bee farmer in Zakros besides my self. A recent addition to the city, for the past two years now he has been trying to make a name for himself. It seems that with my fathers death the competition thinks I'm easy pickings.

I'll have to prove to them how detrimental that line of thinking is.

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One week later Antikles and his entire household were tragically burnt alive in an out of control fire.

It was all the city could talk about for months.

My would be assassin was the first human being I had ever killed whether in this life or my last.

And I didn't feel an ounce of remorse, I burned a man alive and I felt nothing.

I guess I should be grateful for this type of attitude I have, it can only make things easier for me in the future. This world, This time period, human lives mean next to nothing.

Over a year latter, and I still cant help but feel as if I lost something.