By the time Khizo and Cloris arrived at the farm, the soldiers were already vanishing into the horizon, marching toward Krimagha. Their father stood motionless; his shoulder weighed down as he watched the soldiers fade into the distance.

"What's going on, father?" Cloris asked, dismounting from his horse. His face was etched with concern.

"A high lord from Petuk has arrived in Krimagha," their father replied with a weary sigh. "You know what that means."

"Again?" Cloris exclaimed, his voice rising with frustration. "We just gave half of our stock to another lord a few months ago."

"Will we even have enough to last through the next few months?" Khizo asked.

Their father's shoulders sagged under the weight of the question. "It will be tough, but we will make do. We always do. That's how it is with the Alliance. Whenever one of their lords is short on coin, they come at our stock."

After a pause, he straightened, shifting his tone to one of reluctant resolve. "First thing tomorrow morning, I want you both to ride to Krimagha and deliver the goods to the lord. Get this over with."

Khizo and Cloris exchanged a grim look before nodding.

The next morning, Khizo and Cloris took off early in the morning. Heavy sacks of grain were tied to their horses, producing snorting breaths from both Aron and Cal.

They weren't alone on the road to Krimagha. Farmers from nearby lands trudged alongside them, their carts and horses equally burdened. No one spoke much.

Once they passed through the gates of Krimagha, the sight of crisscrossed streets bustling with activity unfolded before them, stretching out in every direction. Narrow cobblestones snaked through the city, flanked by cramped buildings stacked so tightly, that they seemed to lean into one other. The air buzzed with the clamor of merchants shouting their wares and the hum of countless conversations blending together.

"It's been almost a year since I last came here," Khizo stated, his eyes sweeping across the familiar chaos.

"You must miss the city terribly, right?" Cloris asked.

"Of course, I grew up here," Khizo replied with a faint smile. "Spent my whole childhood running through these streets."

Cloris raised an eyebrow. "I suppose that doesn't mean you know where we'll find this lord, does it?"

Khizo shrugged, tugging lightly on Aron's reins as the horse sidestepped a passing cart. "We'll just follow the crowd."

They let the flow of the bustling street guide them, weaving through the maze of alleys. They took turn after turn, passing through Beggars who were hunched on every corner of the street.

Finally, they stopped in front of a grand manor that loomed like a fortress amid the cramped buildings. Its stone walls were smooth and polished, in contrast to the worn and weathered buildings around it.

"This must be the place," Khizo muttered.

Cloris glanced at the imposing structure. "Well, no mistaking it. Let us get this over with."

A large crowd had gathered in front of the gates, all carrying sacks filled with various goods. The guards were calling everyone one by one, allowing only small groups through the gates before closing them again.

"These lords have no shame, aye?" an old man hobbled over to them. His back was hunched beneath the weight of his sack.

"They keep taking from us, giving nothing back," Cloris muttered, his voice full of anger.

The old man nodded bitterly. "We've been sleeping hungry every other day because of their taxes. My daughter... she's grown so pale."

"No use complaining. Nothing can ever fix this city," Cloris replied.

Suddenly, the sharp sound of angry shouts cut through the air, drawing their attention.

"What is going on?" Khizo asked.

The old man squatted down slightly, peering over the crowd. "It's the king's chariot. Looks like it is passing through this street."

The shouts intensified as the chariot drew nearer, surrounded by an angry mob.

"Coward King!"

"A puppet of the alliance!"

"He is just a loyal dog of the Great Alliance!"

"Betrays his own people!"

Khizo watched as the chariot, draped with luxurious curtains of fine silk, approached. The taunts grew louder but the procession paid no mind.

"Keep hiding behind that curtain, coward!" the old man shouted.

As the chariot rolled past, the situation turned violent. People began hurling rotten fruits, stones, and anything they could find at it.

Khizo's gaze hardened. Without a second thought, he stepped forward, his hand plunging into the sack of grain. He grabbed a handful and tossed it at the chariot.

"Calm down, Khizo! You might get into trouble." Cloris hissed, grabbing his arm to pull him back.

"As if he ever does anything," he muttered.

The old man let out a bitter laugh. "Doesn't matter what you do. The king's too busy behind his curtains to care."

"Why waste our hard-earned grain on him then," Cloris said.

As the day progressed, the crowd outside the manor slowly started to thin. The sound of angry murmurs and shouts faded into an uneasy silence. Finally, the guards at the gate called out to them.

When the gates creaked open, they were met by the sight of a vast lawn, its grass well-trimmed, and a grand villa standing proudly at the center.

They were ushered inside the villa into a lavish hall. The walls were adorned with beautiful paintings, each one framed in gold, and elegant vases sat atop the pedestals. Chandeliers hung from the ceiling, casting a warm glow over the room.

At the center of the hall sat a fat man, his immense body rocking back and forth on a chair. Guards stood watch at every corner.

"What do we have here?" the lord's voice boomed.

"Sacks full of grains, Lord Gayde," Cloris replied, bowing low in front of the lord.

The lord barely acknowledged him, his attention fixed on the sacks as he dug his hands into the grain, feeling it between his fingers.

"Touch my feet," Lord Gayde ordered.

Cloris hesitated, then slowly bent down to obey. But before he could reach the ground, the lord's booted foot came crashing into his face with a thud. Cloris stumbled back, clutching his cheek.

"Why is your brother not touching my feet," the lord's gaze snapped to Khizo. "Have you not taught him any manners?"

Cloris turned to Khizo, only to find his expression frozen, his eyes locked on the lord.

The fat face of Lord Gayde, with a large mole on his cheek, struck a chord deep into his memory.

A flashback from fifteen years ago surged in his mind. He was back in front of his old house, a crowd gathered outside it. Before witnessing the massacre of his family, one image seared itself into his memory – a face marked by a large mole, retreating from the scene, surrounded by a convoy.

And now, after all those years, that very face was here again. There was no mistaking it. The years of pain and anger flooded back in an uncontrollable rush.

"You killed my father! My mother! My sister!" Khizo screamed, his voice raw with fury.

"Ah, here we go again," the lord rose from his chair and slapped Khizo across the face, sending him stumbling off guard before he collapsed to the ground.

Cloris sprang forward, rushing to help Khizo. But he was quickly restrained by the guards.

Khizo tried to crawl away, but the lord stomped his boots onto his chest, the force knocking the breath from his lungs.

"I killed a lot of fathers, boy. Which one was yours?" the lord asked, stepping closer, his hand tightening across Khizo's throat.

"Larry...Larry Kane," Khizo choked out, barely managing to speak.

The grip on his throat loosened, and the lord's expression shifted to one of disbelief.

"Larry Kane... No way!" Lord Gayde stammered, his voice faltering.

Seizing the opportunity, Khizo wrenched himself free and kicked the lord hard in the chest.

Before Lord Gayde could recover, Khizo's hand swept the surrounding area in a frantic search. His fingers closed around a vase.

With a roar of fury, he hurled the vase at the lord's face, shattering it into pieces. A jagged shard embedded itself in the side of the lord's head, and blood poured from the wound.

As his knees buckled, Lord Gayde collapsed onto the floor, his blood pooling beneath him.

"You..." he croaked, his voice faint and trembling. His lips moved into a silent prayer before his body went still, lifeless.

For a moment, all Khizo could hear was the pounding of his own heart. The deafening silence was finally broken by a scream.

"The Lord! He has been killed!" a soldier's panicked cry rang out.

Author's Note

Sorry for the long delay. Took a long break from writing. But I will try to release new chapters faster.