Ashes of the Elite

l admit, when I first walked into Cain's mansion, I expected something far more sinister. Dark halls dripping with blood, a dungeon full of screaming and dying prisoners, maybe even a grand, over-the-top torture chamber with an iron maiden in the corner for aesthetic.

Instead It looked normal, too, normal in my opinion. How dare this blonde-haired prick pretend to be a normal human being and not some Imperial vampire?

The floors were polished mahogany, the furniture was elegant but not gaudy, and the whole place smelled faintly of citrus and spice. How ridiculous is that? There wasn't a single screaming soul in sight. Hell, when we first arrived, I had glanced around and muttered, "Huh. No bloodstains or racks of torture devices? I must've walked into the wrong house. Lucky me."

Of course, one of the servants, an old woman named Marta, smacked the back of my head and hissed, "Watch your tongue, boy."

That was my first day. A week and a half later, I was still adjusting, albeit terribly. I was still pissed about my perfect escape plan being obliterated last week.

I had waited until the dead of night, when the rain fell in heavy sheets, drumming against the rooftop like a war march. The storm was my cover each drop masking my footsteps, each gust of wind muffling the sound of the window unlatching. I timed every movement with the rhythm of the rain, slipping down the trellis outside my room, landing as lightly as I could on the drenched grass below. The gate was the tricky part, but the storm worked in my favor. The downpour drowned out the sound of my steps as I slipped through the gap in the fence I'd scouted two days prior while fetching vegetables for the evening stew from the garden.

For a moment, I actually believed I'd done it. I was outside. Free. I started running a violent grin overtaking my face.

Then, just as I made it halfway down the darkened street, the wind shifted. A violent gust howled past me, and in an instant, he was there landing like he was some damn super hero.

Cain landed in front of me, as if he'd been waiting the entire time for me to try it, the storm bent around him. The rain lashed the street, soaking me to the bone, but not a single drop touched him. His wind magic deflecting the water, leaving him completely dry.

He looked me over, and instead of anger, there was only amusement in those nasty bright blue eyes of his. "Really, Ayato? Third night in, and you already think you can slip away?" He sighed, shaking his head disbelief. "I don't mind a little entertainment I find you amusing truly, but please don't mistake my kindness for weakness."

I clenched my jaw, dripping and defeated, but before I could muster a retort, Cain gave me one last look. Then, with a burst of wind, he launched himself back into the night sky, disappearing into the storm, leaving me alone to trudge my way back soaked, miserable, and cursing his name the entire way.