Pain taught the concept of fear to the living. It had taught the conscious to strive for pleasure and to avoid any stimuli that could cause internal and external torment.

Though pain may seem something that should be avoided at all costs I was drowned in it. They made me go through with it every single day until my body got used to how it felt. I wasn't dumb to it but I was numb to it.

"When you become insensible to pain, you have no reason to achieve pleasure. Pain and pleasure go hand-in-hand. I will provide you all the pain in the world until you surpass even the most stolid person."

The silence of the cave was torn and debris began to fall from the punches thrown by an enraged man. I did nothing but to avoid the strikes he was giving me but there were times when luck suddenly switched sides.

"You can't avoid me forever! Just surrender and give yourself to me!" Slade howled breathlessly.

The more I avoided him the more his behavior became erratic. He seemed too motivated to capture me and each time he missed, his rage increased immensely.

"STAY...STILL!"

I have to find a way to get out of here.

"I don't give myself to meat eaters," I deadpanned.

The man growled monstrously and a spiky black tail sprouted out of him with his scales suddenly increasing in number.

"But things can be negotiated if we settle this in a civil manner," I noted.

Slade disappeared from his spot and air was knocked out of my lungs. His grasp on my neck tightened as he cut the oxygen off from my lungs. I can feel his sharp nails digging into my skin while he pressed me against the rough and bulky walls of the cave.

My luck finally ran out and went to have dinner.

"I finally caught you..." he panted.

His red eyes glimmered and his jaw slightly elongated. The way he wrapped his hands around my neck struck a string within me. It was the string that made me grow limp and powerless.

This was no game anymore.

He wasn't planning on letting go.

"You'll stay here. You won't go anywhere. I won't let you leave."

My lips moved to speak but no words managed to come out.

To break the broken you must use the same methods on how he was broken in the first place.

"You can't breathe? Of course you can't. This is one of the ways you can get killed and if you go out there, I swear on your father's throne that you will get throttled while you bleed from below the back for getting plowed by those filthy pigs."

I wished at that time I grew the courage to be disobedient. If only I developed the common sense to leave.

I bled every day while I was inside the Kingdom under my parents' protection. There was no swine, no filthy pigs and no mutts that did those things to me; it was only royalty.

Iltut was a charismatic leader. He was a man suited to be King. He was man who could rule the people.

Yet he was also a man who destroyed what life I had. He had demolished me. He had killed the fire in my heart and chilled the warmth that a child should have. I grew up shattered with no purpose ahead of me.

My eyes began to deceive me. The dead man who I was just beginning to relinquish from my life stood in front of me with his hands tightening around my neck.

"The lesson isn't finished yet!"

My eyes trained on the face of my deceased master. I felt weak from the strangulation I was receiving but I couldn't do something about it. I was stunned for a moment and lost at what was occurring.

I slowly reached out and cupped his cheek. His eyes widened while my own narrowed. The walls behind me divided into different rectangles and pushed out, knocking him away from me. I let out harsh coughs and breathed in the air that was deprived from me.

"No matter what I do, I will never be good enough for you..." Slade seethed out while he stood up clumsily. "No matter how hard I try, I will always be the failure that will never work for you!" he spat.

"You cannot get what you want by addressing things with hate," I told him.

Just then, Slade suddenly looked crestfallen. His body trembled and his steps towards me became more restrained but edgy.

"You can't gain control over the world if you aren't aggressive enough. The same goes with the people who you want to love you," he murmured with his eyes hardening.

My expression softened. "If you continue to have such belief, then soon, the world that you are trying to gain power over will crumble and the people you deem important will break. You will be left with nothing but regrets and anger. There might be no chance to rebuild what is crumbled and to piece back what is already shattered."

Slade's expression twisted into bitterness and abhorrence. His glare bored at me while his lips trembled.

"Then why...why have you given me so much hatred?" He asked in a whimper. His hands turned into sharp claws and he took the stance of assault. "I will never be toyed with again!"

If this person will have a child in the future no doubt that the child will have an explosive behavior.

The huge boulder that blocked the entrance was instantly crushed to bits. The whole cave was filled with a mist of dust and once it cleared, I saw a man who looked like Slade standing on the heaps of wreckage. 

His shirtless torso was sheathed with his glossy sweat. He jumped to one tall rubble to another until he reached the both of us. He was wearing the same eyepatch that his brother had.

He eyed me for a long time. There were various twists in his expressions and the most notable ones were shock and regret. I watched as the newcomer raise his hand and landed a firm and loud slap at Slade's cheek.

"How...how could you do this Slade?" He questioned.

He formed a firm fist with his hand and then landed a strong blow on Slade's face, followed by a powerful kick that sent him crashing against the wall.

"Why do you keep hurting people for your amusement? The Master didn't raise you that way, you're becoming exactly like papa!" He snarled before turning his back on him.

"You're a damn pain!" He added.

Slade scoffed. "I'm always a pain. I'm the irresponsible twin. I'm the good-for-nothing one. Otousan and Okaasan favored you more and everyone hated me. Nothing is new. The only person who really cared about me was the master but he's gone already."

Slade recovered from the pummeling that his brother gave him and stood straight. He snickered and smirked at his twin brother.

" Are you upset that I didn't tell you about our mate before touching him? You shouldn't take interest at this point; you have a lover already and you made love with her.  I can do whatever I want with him now that you're out of the picture."

Slade's brother scowled even further and his jaw clenched with his teeth grinding.

"Do not put Wye Fye in this. I know my boundaries now. My mate is not my priority anymore; Wye Fye is my priority."

"That's good," Slade snorted while he nodded continuously with approval.
"That woman has some use to me now. As a token of my appreciation I'll stop my attempts of murdering her from now on."

I did not know who this Wye Fye was or what was tension connected to her but I couldn't care less. It would be wise if I didn't meet her.

"I would like to return to Caleb and eat peaches. Please do not block my way."

When none of them decided to acknowledge my concerns, I took it upon myself to bestow the freedom to leave. My eyebrows twitched when I felt my wrist get grabbed from behind me and another hand grabbed my other wrist from the front. I narrowed my eyes at Slade and the unknown man.

"I do not mean to be rude but for my peaches, I will. Your existence means nothing to me though I do not wish for any of you to perish."

"You're wounded and the cause of your injuries is my idiotic brother who shows no compassion but to himself."

I felt Slade's hold on me tighten and he tried to pull me to his side only for his look-alike to oppose the force of pull.

"Let go of him Slade. You have no rights to claim him as yours if you're just going to destroy him," the man said.

"And you have no right to interfere knowing that you already chose someone else to love. You couldn't wait for him. You were too engulfed in the heat of the moment to even bother for the consequences," Slade countered.

I sighed. What were they talking about and why were they fighting over someone they barely knew?

"I do not care for your feelings for I do not know any of you. It would be appropriate if you fight over someone who you have been with for a long time rather than arguing over a person who you people just met a few hours ago. You two are both idiotic and a disturbance to my life."

The Slade look-alike released me reluctantly. "I'm sorry for the inconvenience," the man stated with an obvious annoyance in his voice. "I am Sevor by the way, and you are?"

"I am Lucian. It is not a pleasure to meet you both. Please fall off a tall tree but be sure to survive because I do not condone death."

Sevor grimaced and frowned at me. "What's with that attitude? You're as worse as Slade."

"Wait, you told me your name was Lettuce!" Slade protested.

Ah my tongue slipped. "Lettuce was my second name. Address me as Lucian from now on," I deadpanned.

I looked between him and Slade and attempted to find any difference that could help me distinguish them as Sevor and Slade.

Sevor had splits at the corners of his eyebrows and they were a lot bushier than Slade. Slade had a natural frown on his face while Sevor had a more kind and relaxed look.

"Forgive my rudeness. I was raised to be selfish and uncaring. I was taught that my existence is far more precious than any other worthless being. I am trying to adapt to this standard of simplicity. Bear with me as I try to tolerate your existence."

With those words, Sevor's face turned red in anger. He gritted his teeth and grabbed my arm roughly yet being careful not to add any more injuries on me. "You shouldn't say that to someone! Are all ancients this self-centered?!"

"I believe so," I murmured.

"And you're even admitting it!"

"I don't see any reason to hide it. You shouldn't be angry at Slade for hurting me for I am not hurt. I was trained to be numb and I only challenged him to test his capability to destroy what I am."

I snatched my wrist from his grasp and walk to where my chlamys was.

I re-attached the discarded clothing around my shoulders and looked back at the twins who were looking at me with curiosity. "Goodbye," I stated and faced the bright entrance.

"Wait!" Sevor shouted but I paid him no attention as I walked out and felt no ground beneath my feet. It would seem that one cannot enter this cave without wings. This was somewhat unfortunate.

My body was engulfed with tingling sensations as the winds caught me in their airy forms. My descent was fast and I awaited my face to clash with the rocky floor.

I heard the loud roar of a beast erupt from above me. It was as if miracle was really by my side when only an inch was left between my form and grave. I was snatched from death's palms and raised to the blessings of life.

The creature rotated in its ascend and then slid downwards when it reached the peak of its twirl. Another growl boomed from behind. I didn't bother looking since my eyes were teary from the cold winds that were caressing them. It was a long flight that I wonder if this creature was going to devour me once we reach the destination which it planned to go. Its black and rough claw held me securely and I looked up to its unique form. It was black and spiky and its teeth were sharp and uneven.

"Where are you taking me?" I asked in a louder tone.

The response that I received was a grunt. The creature's movement accelerated and we landed on top of the already cracked floor in the forest which indicated that this was their usual landing spot. Another creature that look like the one carrying me landed beside us. I was gently placed to the ground and loud snapping noises occurred after, along with the shrinkage of both beasts that transformed into the men who were quarreling before. They were both naked from head to toe.

There was a small entrance crafted at the wall behind me. A red headed woman emerged from it. She was wearing a long white robe with her hair tied into a pony tail. Her skin was porcelain-like and her canine teeth were long.

"Sevor, Slade!" She called out. She hugged Sevor first and then whacked the head of Slade which earned her a growl.

"Wye Fye, sorry for worrying you," Sevor stated with an apologetic face. "I found Slade but I couldn't find Rui."

Wye Fye sighed. "No, it's okay. It's my fault for not watching over them properly." She cupped Sevor's face and then frowned. "Your eyes..." She murmured.

She turned to Slade and then stared at his eyes next. "Their colors changed." Her expression saddened which made Sevor grabbed her by the arm and then placed a kiss on her forehead.

"I will never replace you," Sevor murmured. "Even if my mate is here, you're still the one for me."

Slade snorted and then walked towards me. I watched him as he tilted my head up and then placed a kiss on my lips. "Let's go treat your wounds."

Why treat the person that you wanted to hurt intentionally? What was the issue between these two and why was I in it?

I noticed Wye Fye staring at me cautiously as she was hugged by Sevor by her waist. I tilted my head at her in question but she looked away and then leaned her head against Sevor's chest.

"I wish to return to Caleb after. I cannot sleep without him or my brother."

"We will return you after we treat your wounds," Wye Fye assured. "That is if Slade lets you go."

I sensed dislike in her tone. Did she accidentally eat a worm from a fruit or did she feel that I was a threat to her relationship with Sevor? How irrational. I did not even know them. Like I said, I wish for the both of them to fall from a tall tree for taking me off course from the destination in which Lucius asked me to go to.

I frowned. "Lets hope Sevor agrees with you since he's the one who brought me here," I replied which made her eyes widen.

Was I wrong? I suppose I was not since there was silence in this tensed atmosphere.

"Oh, excuse me for my rudeness but I find all of you dislikeable. I hope we get along just fine," I informed them monotonously and bowed.

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A/N: Halu