• [b]Prologue

    The boy’s muscles were working overtime as he sprinted down the dark cobble-stone road, the thumping of his heavy combat boots the only sound audible. The fact that there was no one on the streets was unsettling, but he liked it nonetheless.

    No one to get in the way.

    His breaths were becoming increasingly shallow the more he ran, but despite the burning deep in his lungs, he pushed himself harder. He wouldn’t fail. Not this time.

    Before he even had time to blink, a canine-like fiend jumped out from the approaching alley. He slaughtered it without even having to slow down and smirked to himself.

    Piece of cake.

    Grinding his teeth, the boy forced himself to run faster. By this point everything around him seemed a blur. He hoped to himself that they wouldn’t throw any unnecessary obstacles in the way. Better not to have to deal with the pain of a broken arm.

    As he rounded the corner, a shadowed figure suddenly appeared at the end of the road, and his feet involuntarily halted, causing him to slide several feet down the rained-drenched stone. Instinctively, he gripped the hilt of his sword and stared at the figure standing in the shadows.

    He took several cautious steps forward, his body in complete defense mode—one slow step after another.

    The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end the closer he became, and his heart began hammering in his chest—he prayed that the new arrival couldn’t hear it.

    Get a grip.

    He swallowed his nervousness and tightened his grip on his sword. “Show yourself,” he ordered. The figure didn’t move, but he could have sworn he heard a chuckle. The boy growled low in his throat.

    I don’t like the feeling of this. “Are you deaf,” he asked sarcastically. “I said show yourself or—”

    He stopped midsentence as the figure stepped slowly out of the darkness, revealing a body that rivaled that of a Goliath. An irritating knot formed in the boy’s throat, and he swallowed against it. Now was not the time to chicken-out.

    He unsheathed the sword from behind his back, liking how the moonlight played on the edges of the black metal. The boy held the sword in a challenging stance and smirked. That is until he saw the creature’s eyes.

    It was difficult to stifle a gasp when he was staring straight into the incandescent blue eyes of a Knight. By far the deadliest force in the galaxy. And the fact that he’d run into one now was just his luck.

    The Knight stared menacingly at the boy with an aura that could cause the bravest of Warriors to lose control of his bowels. Good thing I went before this mission.

    The boy pursed his lips. “What do you want?”

    The Knight’s lips slowly turned into a wicked smile. “Less talking…more fighting!”

    The boy barely had time to dodge before the enormous ball of energy rushed toward him. He recovered from his roll with a grace that could equal even the highest grade Warrior. “Come and get it,” he urged.

    Before he could throw another ball of energy, the boy dashed to the right and made an attempt to slice off the Knight’s arm, but his inexperience got the best of him. The Knight’s fist found its way directly to the boy’s chin, and a heavy force sent him flying into the air.

    The boy cursed right before the Knight’s boot connected with his gut. Unimaginable pain coursed through his body after slamming into a wall and crumbling to the ground. He moaned and clenched his teeth as he tried to ignore the pain and stand.

    Using his sword for support, the boy slowly but surely pulled himself up. The knight smirked.

    “You’re a tough little b*****d,” he said in an exotic accent. “Most don’t live after taking a hit like that.”

    The boy spit some of the blood out of his mouth and laughed mockingly. “I’m not like most.”

    The Knight appeared to consider his words thoughtfully. “I see. Well, then I’m glad I have the chance to fight someone of such high caliber. This should be fun.”

    The boy couldn’t help but smile. Fun. Exactly the word I would have chosen.

    Before he could think anything else, his body was rolling painfully out of the way of a bright red ball of energy that would have charred the skin right off his body all the way to the bones. Bile rose to his throat at the thought.

    The boy heard the sound of a Charger and immediately reacted by bouncing off the wall toward the Knight. The charge barely missed the boy’s head, and he took advantage of the Knight’s brief moment of vulnerability by coming down hard on top of him. Luckily there was enough force involved to knock the Knight to the ground.

    They grappled until the Knight was on top of the boy, his incredibly strong hands around the boy’s throat.

    Not good.

    The boy struggled to release the Knight’s hands from his throat as the oxygen depletion slowly began to have its effects. Everything began to become dark, and the boy feared that he’d lost. Until he saw an opportunity.

    Around the mammoth’s waist was a holster, and in it was his Charger. Perfect. With one hand still on the Knight’s wrist, the boy summoned every bit of his energy to grab the Charger before he passed out completely.

    “I’m disappointed,” the Knight snarled. The boy made an irritated noise as he watched the Knight’s hand glow with energy. “I actually thought this fight would be interesting.”

    Finally the boy was able to get a grip on the Knight’s Charger. He smirked and spared the Knight a dignified stare. “Yeah. Me, too.”

    The Knight barely had time to curse before the boy yanked the Charger from his holster and blasted it right in his face. The Knight’s body fell to the side with a thud, a gaping hole singed right through his boulder of a skull.

    Gagging, the boy compulsively pushed himself away from the Knight. “Ugh,” he said pinching his nose. The smell of burnt skin was unbearable, and not only that but he could barely breath as it was. The Knight definitely succeeded in constricting his airway.

    Picking up his sword, the boy walked over to the knight and nudged him with his feet. “Yep. He’s definitely dead.”

    “And so are you.”

    The boy’s heart stopped cold and his body tensed as he felt something cold pressed against the back of his neck. He barely had to to curse himself before the sharp metal pierced his skin and everything went black.