Chương 27: Uncertain victory

Simon's laughter came to a halt as he noticed a man dressed elegantly in a suit with neat blond hair and a fine slim sword's shaft clutched securely in his hand. He had a wrinkling scowl on his average-looking face that said, "I'm fabulously wealthy and yes, you can't lay a finger on me," or so Simon assumed when he observed the man's dissatisfied expression. Another teenager stood close to the irked gentleman, but Simon couldn't see his face since he was wearing a strange black mask.

"We've brought him, Lord." As soon as they arrived, Ashton informed the Viscount.

He nodded and motioned for Simon to be brought forward by the two burly guards next to him. When the two guards approached, Simon gulped, their sizes perplexing him.

Simon's expression remained impassive despite a minor worry inside. He was hauled to the front by the other two men when Ashton and Jasper let go of his arms. They slammed him to the ground, scraping his knees, and forced him to kneel in front of the viscount Eric Grace, who was three feet away. Simon cocked his head and looked at Eric, who flinched at Simon's sardonic facial expression.

"You rotten vermin..." After narrowing the space between them, Eric murmured and bent down to Simon's level.

"I just have one question for you, and your punishment will be determined by your response."

["What? This isn't how nobles should conduct themselves... You blasted golden rodent, I know you'll execute me like this or like that "] Simon raised an eyebrow and questioned skeptically as he examined him from head to toe. "Is that so?"

Before he could hear the viscount's reply, he noticed a punch coming from the corner of his eye, leading him to shelter his face with his shoulder just before the strike fell on him. Simon flinched as he felt a sharp pain spread in his shoulder.

"It is, despite the fact that I haven't instructed you to speak yet." Eric stood up with a wry smile. He moved about Simon for a few moments before resuming his position in front of him.

"What did my son do to you?"

"What?"

"I'm sure he did something to anger you, right?"

"That is true." Simon nodded slowly, reliving the events of that day.

"So?" Eric tilted his head, his fingers beating on his sword's shaft.

"He interrupted my fight."

"Can you elaborate?"

Simon frowned and swung his attention around the place. "He rocked the earth and then whisked away my opponent."

"That, however, does not justify your actions. I'm afraid I'll have to end your pitiful life." Eric drew his sword from its sheath and aimed it towards Simon's bare neck. Eric's brows creased as Simon rolled his eyes and glanced back at him.

"However, I'm not done yet."

Eric turned to look and made a signal to the guy beside him. "Well, I'm done with this talk."

The person wearing the odd mask approached Simon from behind, grabbing his hair and shoving his face into the ground. Simon's fingers tightened and his stoic visage morphed into a frown as the familiar taste of dirt slid across his tongue reminding him of his days of misery, when he was fed dirt and rubbish more than food.

At the same moment, as the two guards tightened their grasp on his arms, the masked one lifted his head in a hostile manner.

Eric raised his blade in the air and twisted it like a dancer, not a swordsman, at least that's what Simon felt even in the thick of his rage.

Simon's eyes flashed crimson seconds before the sword pierced through the air around his neck. "Hesitate." Eric hastated to slice through the vulnerable rebel in front of him for a few seconds which bought Simon some time to take care of the three people holding him down.

"Back off." Simon clenched his teeth and cast a brief check around before headbutting the two people beside him. They fell on their rear ends, and the teen in front of him backed away, but before they comprehended what had occurred Simon gapped his mouth again. "Halt."

After being slashed in the shoulder, Simon got to his feet and pushed Eric to the ground, his weapon dropped and Simon commanded once again as the rest of the guards approached him quickly from the distance.

"Break off." When Simon circled the whole area with his gleaming crimson eyes, everyone came to a complete halt in their tracks.

Simon slumped over his trembling knees, gripping his throbbing head. "I haven't used it on so many people in a long time... Everything has a cost, huh..." He gazed at his suddenly numb feet.

He took a deep breath and stretched his stiff back before beating up everyone in front of him, leaving just the viscount and the teenager he confirmed was a family member from the badge on his fancy attire.

...

After high-kicking the final guard, Simon remained still for a few seconds, looking up at the blue sky. He rested his hand on the top of his head as his eyes met the bright sun above the horizon. He dragged the teen over, picked up Eric's sword, and dumped him next to Eric, who was on the ground.

Suddenly his hands began to tremble as various memories flashed through his mind, he pointed the blade's tip at Eric's throat and opened his lips, but no sound came out.

His surroundings shifted as the person in front of him transformed into someone else; he gripped the blade tightly but it appeared to be sliding away from him. As he gaped his mouth and inquired between heavy breaths, his eyes moistened.

"Why?" Even to himself, his voice was drowned out by the clamor of faraway piercing screams and nearby fire crackles.

Recalling these memories made his blood simmer, but he pushed himself to remain cool, otherwise, he would have chopped Eric's head off.

Simon murmured after shaking his head and relaxing his shoulders. "...Wait, what am I supposed to say?... Should I go with return or recommence? Let's go with that, then."

With apparent disappointment, he cast a short glance towards the distant mansion gate. ["Damn it, I'm too exhausted to use it or my strength. I suppose I'll go with threatening this rich bum."] He shifted his attention away from the dozens of guards stationed outside the mansion and toward Eric.

"Resume...?" When Simon turned to look around, he noticed everyone was panting and clutching their bruised bodies. "Stay down."

"Do you think you can still kill me?" As Simon neared the blade, Eric gulped.

When Simon noticed Eric smiling and slightly turning his head, he raised his brow. "It's not going to be worth it."

"What?" Simon ruffled his brows and took a quick look around.

"I'm not sure what you did, but I can not handle this many well-trained and armed guards at the same time. As a result, killing you would be a terrible waste of talent when I could train you to become stronger."

"Do you think I'll buy that malarkey? When I lower this sword, you will-" When Simon glanced down, he noticed a blade jutting out of his abdomen.

The masked lad struggled to get up, but eventually did so and kicked Simon's sword out of his grip and fetched it. He tried to slit Simon's neck, but Simon grabbed the sword and stopped him.

"Kill him, Lily!" The teenage boy yelled at the girl standing behind Simon. Her hands quivered as she drew back from the sword's shaft, a dreadful expression on her face. "Lily!"

Lily grasped her head and shook it. "I can't do it! Please accept my apologies, brother Aaron!"

Simon clicked his tongue as his bloody hand drew Aaron's blade closer to him and kicked him in the stomach, knocking him back a foot. He returned his gaze to Lily. "You're such a coward, you can't even finish what you started. But don't worry, I don't beat girls." As he approached her, she shot him a terrified expression.

"Are you the one who threw the brick at me yesterday-" Someone gave Simon a whack to the neck in the middle of his speech once more, however, the individual did not do it correctly, and instead smacked Simon's neck, angering him much more than previously.

Simon turned around to see a panicked man staring at him. "At the very least, do it right." He kicked the man in the face, knocking him back into the crowd of guards, and when he glanced about, the viscount, teen, and the girl were nowhere to be found, but behind lines of different guards.

Simon's mind drifted as he gazed down at the blade sticking out of his wound and then at the splash of blood in front of his feet. ["Did I lose? No, not yet!"] He tightened his bloody fists as he darted his eyes around him.

Simon spoke with his head high and an apparent grin, his red eyes locked on Eric. "You're not going to kill me." As blood flooded his twitching mouth and his legs gave way, he chuckled.

["Seems like an uncertain victory for me, because I honestly have no idea what's gonna happen next. Wait, why are these sweaty bastards staring at me like that? What? Is this the first time you've witnessed a child stating THE FACTS? Grow up morons-"]

When he watched the people's puzzled expressions, blood poured from his grinning lips, and he collapsed abruptly yet dramatically.

The same man who tried to whack Simon got closer to him and was about to end him for good. Eric shouted at him out of nowhere. "Don't kill him! Nobody is going to do it." The man was surprised and slowly rose to his feet.

Lily and Aaron both yelled at the same moment as they threw their heads in Eric's direction.

"Father?"

"Father!"

Eric sighed and gave them a brief glance before returning his gaze to the guards. "Fix him and put him in a cell till I figure out what we'll do with him."

Eric took up his sword and walked into the mansion, followed by his children.

When they got inside, Aaron took off his mask and scowled at Lily, his jaw clenched. "It's all your fault! Why did you even get outside?!" Lily tightened her hands and chewed her lips until her knuckles whitened and her lips tore.

"I..I-"

"You what? You had the opportunity to kill him! Utterly useless!"

"Enough." Eric returned their stares with a shake of his head as he straightened his unkempt blond hair. The siblings walked solemnly, avoiding eye contact.

Two hours later...

Francis sighed as he observed the scar on his palm. "What do I desire...freedom... I've earned it and lost it, so it shouldn't be too difficult to recover it...then love? That I don't need." He shrugged his shoulders and peered at the cell's bars.

"Wealth and power? I'm sure I'd turn into a horrible person. I'm already covered in dirt; if I earn it, cleaning myself will be harder. Let's forget about it and see where faith takes me." He shook his head, leaning against the wall.

He drummed his fingers on the ground and closed his hazel eyes, counting how many people were approaching his cell and calculating when they would arrive.

["One...two...no...three pairs of legs in thirty seconds. Wait are there three or...two?"] As he heard the jingling of the keys, he gaped his eyes. Francis stood in the corner as soon as he noticed the guard's uniform and slid his left hand inside his trousers.

Ashton entered the cell, cradling his bruised arm, and cast a glance at Francis, who had vanished from his prior position. Ashton wiped his eyes and looked about, puzzled. "I just saw him over there...Ouch!" He felt a numbing sensation in his lower back, but before he could turn around, he noticed a small blade in front of his throat.

"What is it?" Jasper entered with an elderly gentleman who was holding the shoulders of an injured youngster.

As he adjusted the lad's hand, Jasper raised an eyebrow. "Can you tell me where you got that?" He shifted his gaze from the trench knife to Francis's expressionless face.

Francis cocked his head in the direction of Jasper. "Does that matter?" Jasper signaled the elderly gentleman to hold onto the bandaged lad as he shook his head at Francis. He carefully removed his sword from his belt and laid it on the ground.

Francis narrowed his brows and tightened his grasp on Ashton. "What are you up to?" As Jasper neared him, he took a few steps back.

"I tossed mine; now it's your turn."

"And what happens if I don't?"

"That's going to be troublesome, but if you do it, I'll let you out on one condition."

When Ashton and the gentleman heard Jasper, their eyes widened, but Francis simply squinted. "And what is your condition?"

Jasper draped his cloak over his shoulders and rolled his sleeves up. "You'll have to beat me in a fistfight. But bear in mind that when I release you out of the cell, you'll be on your own."

At the same moment, as he hurled the knife, Francis snorted and pushed Ashton to the side. "Deal." He cracked his knuckles and locked eyes with Jasper.

A/N: Simon refers to his power by "It". Also, because his power is a bit complex, I'll just say that using it more than thrice a day has a detrimental effect on his overall health, especially when speaking big words, so there is a limit, which he clearly exceeded, so yeah. If it's confusing, I'll put an additional chapter later to describe his power in greater detail.