The boy who spoke was one of the lesser nobility who was there during the rite. He was also one of those left behind to learn from the outpost until they are ready for the second rite.
He did not come alone. Behind him were three more of the children, and they glared at Vacuse with heated eyes. Far from them were more children who were left behind, all of them watching. Unlike the boy, they seemed to be even lower in the nobility rank.
The lead boy stepped forward and pointed his finger, almost going as far as to try to poke him in the eyes, but Vacuse caught the hand firmly in his grasp.
He sighed. Vacuse could fight anyone all day, but he really did not see the point in fighting those who were so grossly weaker than him, and when he was the weaker person, he did not go around provoking either.
It was stupid and could get him killed.
Why could not everyone just understand that?
The boy struggled to pull his finger away, his cheeks puffing hauntingly. "Do you know who I am?"
Vacuse's eyes turned to the left where the knights of the outpost stood watching. They did not make any moves; they had seen it happen again and again.
Even though they were kids, they would still try to prove their dominance and know each other's place. It was also better for the knights because they would not have to always break up fights.
This was exactly why Vacuse was baffled. Why did they think he needed to fight with them to show his place?
He looked at the boy and then at the others behind him. His hand tightened into a crushing grip. "Which of my behaviors or appearance shows weakness? Tell me now so I can cut it off!"
The boy's expression slowly began to turn into fear and pain. He made small whimpering sounds and tried to frantically get away, but Vacuse held tight. "You are only a bastard! You might be a Vorrakyn, but you are a bastard first!"
Vacuse smiled, and it chilled the boy into silence. "You are right. I am only a bastard, and it is a fact that I have never argued with anyone. But what does it matter? I am a bastard who is stronger than you."
With a sharp movement, he snapped the finger in his grip, the bones cracking like a twig. The boy screamed, and hot tears fell from his eyes as he fell, crawling to get away.
Vacuse's eyes narrowed on the others. "He is not smart enough to come up with this. Someone must have inflated his ego and tried to test me out. A very stupid thing."
One of the boys stepped forward. He had intense eyes and a smile that lit up his face. "My Lord, I am..."
Vacuse was immediately in front of the boy, his body leaving a trail of blue shadows behind with his incredible speed. The other boy startled and moved back, but Vacuse's hand snapped out and caught him gently on the neck.
"You put him up to this?"
The boy's eyes widened as he realized that things were not going his way at all. He stammered, "It was a mistake, only a test!"
Vacuse's smile was vicious. "A test? Do you fancy yourself as a little plotter, eh? You want to test your future lord? What gave you the courage? I am really interested. Say something sensible, and I will not hurt you too much."
The surroundings suddenly turned heavy and tense. Fear made the rest of the children take hurried steps back. The boy's eyes widened with doom as he felt the truth in Vacuse's voice. "Eh, my name is..."
"Hush! You are not worthy enough for me to know your name. Do not sully my ears, boy." His voice was cold and harsh, devoid of anything that might make it childlike.
Even the knights who were slowly creeping forward in sheer surprise showed stunned expressions on their faces. They had never seen such arrogance mixed with a chilling presence like that before. And from a child of six! Was this the true nature of a Vorrakyn?
Sweat covered the boy's face, and he began to shiver. "I was only joking! Yes, it was a play, all a joke."
Vacuse snorted coldly. He dropped his hand from the boy's neck, his right hand still covered in blue energy. Then, without warning, he slapped the boy.
Ta!
The sound of flesh on flesh was dull, but the impact was not. The boy flew back, blood and teeth flying in the air as he fell, unmoving but breathing. The bones of his jaw seemed odd, dislocated.
Vacuse frowned. "I give you the mercy of living for more years. Use it wisely, and you might not die by my hand. If you are weak, stay away from those who are strong. It will save your life. For some time."
It had saved Vacuse's life until those who were much stronger than him decided he needed to die.
He turned away from them and strode toward the knights. He bowed to them. Then he waited patiently.
One of them cleared his throat and stepped forward. "Ehm, Cadet Vacuse! What did you just do? Explain yourself!"
Vacuse stared up at them and blinked. "I only defended myself. It is not prohibited here, right? I apologize if it is."
"Do not do it again."
Vacuse shook his head. "If they stay out of my way, then naturally there will not be any conflicts between us."
The knight cleared his throat and appeared helpless for a while before he suddenly clapped, his eyes lighting up. "Right! All of you gather up. You need to talk to the commander here and then be sorted in."
That was how the knight carefully navigated the awkwardness.
And that was how Vacuse, reborn and with vengeance in his heart, did his first rite and dominated it. It is now time to focus on training and claiming a dragon.
"I will have to dominate that too. In the future."