105 Regret

Another day passed, and we seemed to be in the clear. No one seemed to follow us, and no unexpected noises arose during the day or night. "Your wound is pretty much healed now, but how do you feel?", "Arf, arff", Curly barked happily. "Great to hear. We need to find a water source soon, because my supply will be running dry. Though not that urgent, it's better to start looking. Food shouldn't be a problem though, we have enough for a long time", I added.

That night, I had a weird dream. Someone wanted to take away my Formation brushes, and when he did, I heard annoying laughter. For some reason, the voice didn't belong to any of the masters. Then a rude awakening awaited me. I tried to stand up, but my body was frozen in place. "What the?..", I asked myself groggily. "Arf!", Curly's desperate bark sounded next to me.

The reason I couldn't move became apparent real quick. "This is an... Who's there!?", I managed to squeeze out. The Aura keeping me in place was strong, perhaps even the angry Aura inside my body wouldn't be able to fight it. Moreover, the Aura felt prideful, as if demanding me to bow. "I'm surprised such a weak woman could make it through this forest. That doesn't matter now. Give us back the pine marten, and we will let you leave", a male voice sounded beneath the tree.

He wasn't alone, since more people joined him down there. 'They must be the pursuers… I can't fight against them, not with such strength', I thought. "Pine marten? You mean her? She doesn't belong to me, but she doesn't seem willing to go with you either", I replied. "I'm not here to argue with a brat. Go grab the marten", the man ordered to another person. "Grrr…", Curly growled at them, unwilling to leave my side.

Just as the guy landed in front of us, I managed to release my own Aura. "No, you don't have the right to take her", "Swoosh… Argh!". The man who extended his hand towards Curly, lost it just like that. I acted on an impulse, due to anger. Whether that was a wise choice or not, I couldn't turn back time anymore. They wouldn't let me leave, therefore I decided to take Curly away with me.

With Curly in my hand, I battled against that man's Aura and escaped. "It'd seem we found ourselves a freak. We'll take both of them. That freak will sell for a good price", the man said, then two more Auras enveloped my body. I couldn't move at all, they were indeed too strong. "Bam!", something slammed me from the side. "I'll make it painful, bitch… Bam! Boom.. Argh..", "Don't kill her. We'll get a better price for her in a good shape", the man ordered.

"Fuck you, look what she did to my brother! You want me to let that go? Fuck the money, I'll play her to death for that!", the other man replied before slamming his leg into me once more. Then the torture suddenly stopped. "I told you to stop. Don't piss me off Gerner, or I'll mop the floor with you instead. Your brother was stupid to simply approach without caution. He can blame himself for that. As for her, we will pay you more for the wound. She'll fetch a good price, I know these things", the leader said.

The man dropped me to the ground, while picking up Curly. I could see her shaking and barking "Arf! Arfff!" all the time, but what could I do? They even wanted to sell me. 'Where are these two idiots when I need them…'. That guy didn't joke around with his beating either. All the bones in my body rattled, each time he kicked or punched. He was way too strong for me.

They locked Curly in some sort of metal cage, while the leader of that group walked up to me and smiled. "I wonder what animals did your mother breed with, to create such a freak. Don't worry, we will train you to be an obedient slave. Then sell you to a nice master. Who knows, maybe he will not beat you up everyday". Even though my body was being suppressed by a few Auras, the anger inside my body erupted. "Woah, easy there little girl. Don't strain yourself too much, your veins will pop", the man said at the sight of my anger erupting.

"Grrr… You will regret this. One day, you will regret", I spoke slowly while picking myself up. "Baren, she's seriously strong, and that Aura… We struck gold, man", another man commented. "I told you she's worth a lot, believe in my gut feeling a bit more, will you? As for you, shut up already, I had enough of your growls. Bam!", the leader's leg slammed me back to the ground, but my anger didn't stop.

"A tough cookie, eh? Oh well. Gerner, I've changed my mind. You can have a few punches", the leader said. The Gerner guy seemed elated, as he punched, kicked and tortured me to his heart content. All of that until I fainted.

What happened next was mostly a blur. My body couldn't move because it was tied everywhere. Everything hurt me like hell, and my possessions were gone. They actually used horses to carry me, even though it was the middle of a forest. They didn't even give me time to properly orientate myself the first time I woke up. They simply hit me back into the dream land.

Each time I woke up, a feeling of hunger accompanied the awakening. After waking up for the third time, they finally left me alone. There was no way to tell how many days passed, but it couldn't be little. The Forest was starting to thin out, which meant we were leaving that forest for whatever destination they had in mind.

"How about you tell us, what are you exactly?", the leader asked me. "Let me go", my reply was full of anger. "Let you go? I don't think so, little girl. We will get a great price for you, no matter what you are. There are some people who'll be interested in those eyes. Moreover, that Aura full of anger, I believe someone mentioned that sort of thing to me before. This makes you unique… Commodity. Don't worry though, you don't have to talk. I'm sure your new owners will be eager to find everything out", he replied.

"... You have no clue what will happen to this place, once the news of my capture reaches certain people. Not only will you lose your lives, your entire Empire will take the brunt of his anger. The two certain idiots will pay the price too. I'll suggest this once. Let me go, while you have the chance to", I said angrily. "Woah, little missy is really important, eh? Check it out guys, we have some sort of princess on our hands. Pray tell, who are these people? Who should we be so afraid of?", the man mocked my warning.

"Who? My father, the Emperor of the North". Just as these words left my mouth, I noticed an idiot standing a bit further away. Just as they were about to laugh at me, I had something to add. "For now though, you should worry about him". They turned around, and also noticed master Yater walking towards the camp.

"Anna, you got yourself caught. That's a bit disappointing, is it not?... It's not nice to treat your masters like that, is it now?", the voice of Master Yater sounded in the area. The five people who captured me, rushed to their legs and drew their weapons.

"What she said isn't a lie. If you actually made her a slave, not only would I lose a leg or two, your whole Empire would burn or freeze. Oh, he wouldn't spare no one", master Irwin showed himself as well. "Who the hell are you people?", the leader of the group asked, but motioned for others to spread out. "Oh, we are just your friendly neighbours. I suggest you let her go, and I might kill you quickly", master Irwin added with a large grin on his face.

The man decided not to fight him head on, instead he rushed towards me. "Heh, wrong move", master Irwin said, before the Aura of unimaginable anger enveloped us. That Aura was as strong as my father's, he really was a master of that Art. Everyone froze in place, none of them could move as much as a muscle under such pressure. Even my own body felt the brunt of that Aura.

"Took you long enough. Release me, I want to pay them back". My eyes must've changed already, since the world in front of me wasn't full of different colours anymore. "Hehe, little Anna grew up a bit. Sure, I don't mind", master Irwin made a gesture, and the rope tying me down disintegrated.

Curly was tucked away in the corner of camp. I quickly approached the cage and released her. "It's alright, Curly. It's me, remember? I'm here to take you away from these people", I tried to make her calm down. Curly finally looked at me, and realised that this wasn't a dream. "Arf!", she barked before jumping onto me. "I'm sorry… Don't be scared anymore, we will be safe now… Here, stay with this man, he will not harm you. I'll deal with these people first", I said, but she didn't want to leave my side.

'She's too scared at this stage, but I'm not going to let these people go', "Come with me then, but it will get bloody", I warned. She didn't care about that, only staying with me was on her mind at that stage. "So, you wanted to sell me as a slave?.. Bam! Bam! Bam!...", my fist slammed the face of that leader relentlessly. He was strong, but with master Irwin's Aura keeping everyone in check, he was nothing but a piece of flesh.

"Bam! Bam! Bam!...", more punches flew his way. I didn't bother being nice at all, these punches contained everything I had. Even though my body hurt, and I felt hungry, I didn't stop punching him, until his face became a bloody mess. He was no longer breathing, he died a while ago but that didn't stop me from punching him.

"That's quite cruel of you, Anna", master Irwin said a bit surprised. "Shut up, I want none of this bullshit right now". With their leader dead, the others knew what was coming to them. That didn't mean I'd stop there. One by one, I punched and kicked them to death. No matter how much they begged or cried, there wasn't a shred of guilt or compassion for these people in my mind.

Once the last of them hit the ground lifeless, I spit at his corpse and said, "Be happy my father or mother wasn't around to see this, you'd be begging for death". "...You two had fun playing games? Enjoyed messing with me?", I asked the two masters.

"You agreed to the training, who do you blame now?", Master Irwin replied. "Training is one thing, this shit is another. I had no chance against them, so where the hell were you two? Took you long enough to be here, eh? What if you haven't arrived?", I asked. "Calm down, Anna. We wouldn't let them enslave…", I stopped master Yater. "With your stupid games, I wonder about that. I had enough of bullshit, locations and your games. You taught me nothing in reality, I had to learn everything by myself. What use are you people then?".

"Yater, let me handle this", master Irwin said, then turned towards me. "You must've grown another pair, to talk to me like that. Though I'm happy you actually control your anger in a way, your father gave me a free hand. That means, I can break you up as many times as I want. Grab your sword, I'll teach you some manners", he added. "That's perfect, I wanted to kick your ass for a long time. Curly, wait here", I said before searching the corpses on the ground.

As soon as I found my sword, my attacks began. Everything my aching body had on offer, was used. Even my Aura felt different for some reason. I was angry, but the control of my body belonged to me. Master Irwin didn't seem to think much about that. He blocked my attacks easily, then retaliated. "Bam! Uegh!", the strength behind his punch was not something my body could take on lightly. "Bam! Bam! Pak!...", he slammed me to the ground. "What's wrong? Did you lose your balls so quickly? Stand up, I have more to teach you".

My anger erupted again, slowly making me lose control. "Grrrr, Swoosh!... Pak, pak… Swoosh!", my attacks were aiming to take his life. "I'm happy that your weak mindset is gone, but! Bam!... You will not talk to me like that. Bam! Pam!... What? Can't stand up anymore? I'm not finished... Bam!... If you want respect, you have to earn it. To earn it, you need strength. Become stronger than me, and shut me up if you don't agree… Bam!".

I couldn't pick myself up anymore, but he still beat me up like a rag doll. My Aura soon disappeared. My anger didn't even get a chance to try and harm me. My body became powerless. "I'll let you off for today. Remember this lesson, or I'll remind you again…", he said.

"Your father handed you to us for a reason. I intend to make a warrior out of you, because I respect your father. Starting tomorrow, you will learn under me. This is an order, not a proposition. I'll make you control that anger, and make you stronger. We are done with those so called games. You want the real deal, the real deal is what you get", he added. I fainted once more shortly after that, he beat me up real good that time.