2 Chapter 1: Eyes of a Predator

I gasped awake drenched in sweat from head to toe. Was that a dream? No, it felt real, too real. I looked at my hands, they were small. Smaller than I remembered. I climbed out of the 'bed' and looked around the room. I rushed to the bucket of water and stared at my reflection as it stared back at me. My face was childish, smaller and thinner. 'The scar I had on my cheek was gone,' I thought placing my hand on where the scar used to be. I was twelve years old again. Thirteen years younger than I was when the Empire attacked. I slapped my cheeks to make sure this was real. It was. An evil glint filled my eyes as I thought of what I would do to the Empire. To the man who led to my masters' death.

The gods had answered my prayers. 'Soon, soon I would become a knight. I will save Arhad and then make the bloody traitor pay. I will kill him with my own sword.'

If I remember correctly, when I was twelve I used to be a slave travelling with traders from the east. Considering the cell I was in, it seems that tonight is the night of the auction that I'll be bought by the captain of the royal guards. My cell was slightly better than the rest. It had a small straw mat bed and a bucket full of clean water for myself. The cell had a damp stench from the moss on the walls and very little sunlight passed through the iron bars that worked as a window. I could hear a few people in the cell besides mine. I was valuable merchandise to them, that would probaly be why I had a cell all to myself. In my past they had called me the remaining warrior of the Phantom clan.

The Phantom clan all had the same features. Black hair and golden-amber eyes. There was a legend about the Phantom clan. That each is bestowed a power to be able to communicate with the Shadows.

Shadows were a clan of cat-like beasts made up from darkness. They had green eyes that sparkled like emeralds and they were larger than normal tigers. Their King, who was said to be the only one to be able to communicate with the Phantom clan, was larger than all of his subjects. I remember that our elders had mentioned that something was needed in order to communicate with the King but I couldn't remember what. During my past life I was never able to awaken said power. I never even bothered to research about it. I was happy to have found a captain who treated me better than the slave traders who captured me. I was happy to have met Arhad and be able to share something with him.

That had been enough for me in my previous life. I realize now that it had been a mistake. If I had the power of the Shadows I may had been able to save my masters. No, I would have been able to save them all. I lied back down on my shabby bed and waited for my new beginning that would start at nightfall.

"Sold to the man with 60,000 taks," the auctioneer declared as the set of armor was being taken off the stage by some of his helpers. "Next up we have the highlight of the night," he bellowed enthusiastically. "We all thought that they had faded out of existence but tonight," he paused dramatically, "we have the very last child of the Phantom clan." I could hear gasps and cheers as I was brought onto the stage. The auction house was a large circular building with red seats arranged in the room. It looked far much grander than the cells beneath it. The seats were filled with people from different standings. Some were nobles wearing fashionble clothes and a few were wealthy commoners. Both men and women attended others wearing masks to hide their identities. All the bidders stared at me as I was made to stand in the middle of the auction stage. Their eyes sparkled with excitement as they took in my features. I could tell they believed I was a member of the Phantom clan.

"in addition," he added slyly and glanced around the room, "you'll not only get the child but the information of the Phantom clan battle techniques and tactics."

One of the guards released my shackled and handed me a dagger. Three men were tossed onto the stage. The auctioneer whispered to me, "a demonstration only. Try anything funny and it's dead." He moved back and addressed the people with a smile. "She'll demonstrate her power for all of you to see just what you're getting." I grasped the hilt of the dagger tightly. I switched the blade in my hand, the blade facing away from my targets. I crouched down into a stance that had been drilled in my head ever since I was a child.

"look at that ladies and gentlemen, those are the eyes of a predator."

I blocked them all out and glanced at the three men. They were each holding a sword in their hands. "it's just a child, how hard could it be?" The minute he finished that sentence I dashed towards him and jumped. I sliced his throat while I was mid-air before switching the blade in my hand and drove it straight into his heart. I landed on top of him as he crashed onto the ground. His blood splashed on my face but I only wiped it away with the back of my hand not giving it any second thoughts. I didn't really care about the blood. I yanked the dagger out as the crowds' cheers riled me up. The two remaining men stated at me frightened. They weren't ready to believe that one of them had fallen so quickly to this 'child'. I moved away from the body slowly, still maintaining my stance. I blocked the next sword strike with my dagger. I moved closer to him my dagger gliding against his blade and punched him in the gut. I was way weaker than before but I still packed a punch. I moved behind him and used him as a shield against the man dashing towards me. His sword pierced his friend's body and he stared at him in shock. Taking the opportunity presented in front of me, I dropped the dagger down to my other hand. Spinning around, I lodged it in his neck and moved away. The two men collapsed and I looked at the auctioneer. The crowd was amazed and all their eyes said the same thing. 'A mere child beat three grown men with a dagger?' "As you've all witnessed, this is the power of the Phantom clan. Bidding starts at 800,000 taks."

"1 million, I have 1 million."

"2 million," a hand raised two fingers. "3 milli…"

"20 million," the captain of the royal guards said as he stood up. The auctioneers' eyes gleamed with excitement of the money he was going to get. "we have 20 million. Going once, going twice, sold to the man for 20 million." He declared as his men shackled me. I didn't say a word as they led me away to the back room.