A lesson

Thanatos and Sebir were looking at each other with pure anger. The mood quickly became tense.

"I'M TERRIBLY SORRY. Please excuse my college attitude." Trying to calm down their guest, the bartender, Lenard, tried to apologize immediately.

"I told you I'm not apologizing for shit." Unfortunately, Sebir wasn't going to let this go. "Hey kid, do you really think that breaking some old ass chair is going to intimidate me? I'm the one in charge of security in this place, and I'm used to dealing with lowlifes and pretentious assholes all the time! You want to break some toys because I hurt your feelings. Be my fucking guest."

"Should I check how good of a security guard you are then?" Thanatos replied immediately, and he started to crack his knuckles. "Let's see it firsthand"

"HAHAHA. This kid is bad in the head. Boys just throw him out."

A couple grunts got up from their seats and walked towards Thanatos.

"Sebir, don't touch him, you're going to end up making trouble again!" Lenard tried to calm down his colleague.

"Relax, they're not going to be violent with him. Besides, it's not like he's a member of a big syndicate. You say it yourself, they're small fish."

The grunts reached Thanatos and put their hands on his shoulder to take him out with force if needed, but one second later, they were flying across the bar and ended up crashing on some tables.

Lenard couldn't see it well because he wasn't a fighter, but Sebir's eyes saw it all. He just took both hands and launched the men at his back with minimal effort. The kid had more strength than his appearance initially indicated.

"If you want to take responsibility as boss, then I will tell you my demands. You can face me yourself, or I can destroy this whole building and beat up anyone that tries to stop me. Of course, a coward would choose the second and command his men to attack me all at once. So, take your pick." Thanatos wasn't lying at all; his intentions were completely true and plain to see.

Sebir knew that he could bring all his men to beat this rich kid down, but he could probably kill a few and cause damage to the building before he could be put to rest. So, he opted for the harder path, but the safest.

"Ugh... Come follow me to the back. We've got plenty of space there. It's been a while since I did this, but a brat like you needs it." He turned his back again and began moving towards the door. "I'll be a parent again today and teach you a lesson."

Even though he had threatened him and the entire building, Sebir wasn't feeling anything at all besides indignation. This bothered Thanatos more than anything. To be taken so lightly was the bigger insult. That asshole saw how I dealt with his goons in a second and still acts like I'm nothing to him. He's underestimating me, thinking I'm just the son of a noble. People like him exist in this world too. They think they are untouchable, but I'll show you.

Following Sebir, Thanatos started walking the same path his opponent had recently. Behind him, keeping his distance, was Lenard, timid and surprised by the noble man's power. He knew at this point that trying to appease him and deescalate the situation was impossible at this point, but nevertheless, he had to still try to find a way to end this pointless conflict.

The men made their way inside the building. It was a big warehouse, and lots of supplies were stored in boxes, and there were a lot of grunts doing labor moving the boxes and counting the materials. The looks started going their way when they realized that their security boss had been followed by a noble. Their curiosity was picked up and a lot of them followed too.

When Sebir reached the middle of the big and mostly empty room, he realized there was a crowd of his men in the entrance watching.

"First thing, you guys stay out of this." He pointed towards the crowd. Second, Lenard stay out of this. I'm not going to kill him, but the kid needs a beating to understand" Lenard gave him a worried look but couldn't say anything back.

"And third, you kid, what was your name?"

"I'm Thanatos, a member of Underworld. You best remember that syndicate after I beat you up."

"Sure thing, kid, you've got it. If you want to throw some punches, fine by me. You aren't the first noble that I have beaten up. A boy who thinks he's a top fighter just because he knows how to handle a sword. A girl who thinks she's a super special magician just because she was born with some talent. You need to learn that the world is a big place and that there are always bigger fish. Trying to mess with big syndicates always ends up with you dead. So, come forth kid, I will beat your ass down till you're satisfied." He took a battle stance and taunted his opponent.

Thanatos didn't care anymore. The way this guy had disrespected him all the time was too much. He was tired of letting people like him get away free after insulting him so much. Not anymore. He was going to beat him unconscious and everyone who would try to defend him. He wouldn't kill him. That would cause trouble, and he gave his word to Lia. So only a beating would have to suffice.

"I warned you. Don't blame me, old man." With that, Thanatos went flying towards Sebir. His speed was amazing, and he stood in front of his rival in a couple of seconds.

He threw a punch with his right hand toward Sebir's chin. It had enough force to send his opponent flying and break a tooth, but...

BAM!

Thanatos was the one whose face had turned backwards. He looked at Sebir, who had dodged the punch by going to the side. At the same time, he countered with his own hand, punching Thanatos' face, sending him backwards.

"AAAAGGGHHH…" He had to vomit some of the blood inside his mouth before he could speak correctly. His head was still a bit dizzy from the hit.

The crowd was surprised that the young man was still standing after a punch from their Boss. None of them had any doubt about how this fight was going to end.

"Not only strength but some endurance too, huh" He said, with a slightly annoyed voice. "I don't know if you were born with it or trained in some way to get that strong kid. The truth is that I don't care and neither will the syndicate members when they break your arms, cut your stomach open and splatter your head against a wall."

"SHUT THE FUCK UP! I´m not done. This hasn't even begun." The blood poured out from the side of his mouth, but he stood straight, ready to continue.

Quickly, Thanatos jumped again, this time at his full speed. He threw a left hook, but it was a feint. He changed immediately to a low kick to hit the knees. Sebir blocked with his own leg. None of them were giving up a single inch.

A flurry of punches from Thanatos rained down upon Sebir, but he managed to dodge all of them. How was it possible? All of Thanatos's punches and kicks were missing or being blocked.

This guy is not fast, at least not faster than the apprentice assassin I fought. So how is he doing it? A special skill, but I don't sense anything different. Is he just that good...?

Another punch landed on Thanatos's cheek. More blood appeared inside his mouth. The pain was starting to make his face go numb. He didn't have time to rest. Sebir counter attacked with his own punches, but unlike Thanatos, most of the punches landed directly in the face. All he could do was try to block the assault as his face began to swell and turn red.

In truth, the reason that Sebir could block all the strikes was experience. His fighting experience and countless battles gave him an advantage over Thanatos. Even though he was slower, he could see the young man's movements. Feints were easily spotted under the eyes of a man who has fought for decades.

The grunts were excited to see that this fight was entertaining. Normally, Sebir ends these types of fights with one or two punches. So, seeing the endurance and refusal to give up by the noble man was a sight to behold. They were cheering a bit for him.

Only Lenard was worried. If the young man continued to try to fight, he would probably die. Even so, he was still a member of a low-class syndicate and probably the son of a noble family. Depending on how big a family was, the worse the repercussions would be for The Sleeping Bird. You idiot, just knock him out before you end up doing permanent damage.

The blood was flying all over the warehouse. Punch after punch after punch, painting the walls and floor red. The cheering was starting to calm down and, in its place, a somber feeling was forming.

The fight turned quickly into a one-sided beatdown. Thanatos was only covering himself while Sebir continued to punch and kick him without hesitation. His body was weak after so many attacks, and with only one kick, Thanatos was sent backwards, falling to the ground.

"AH... AH... AH... AH..." He took a moment on the floor to recover his breath.

He could beat this guy. If he were to fight at full strength with his spells, he could probably beat him, but he made a promise. If something were to happen to Adel and Eric in the Red Dragon, he would have to save them. That's why he was keeping some of his strength. As a result, he must defeat this opponent using only his basic abilities. He can't make a scene and bring the guards to him.

"Are you tired, boy?" He asked with pure sarcasm, "If you have enough, then I will leave you be so you can walk out of here and never try to mess with the wrong people. You got that. The best thing for you is to go back to your mommy and daddy and forget this business ever happened.

"WH-WHAT DID YOU SAY? MY MOMMY AND DADDY!" That was too much for him to bear. "Don't you fucking dare bring my parents into this! You don't know anything about them, about me!"

"They are dead, right kid"

"H-How do you know that?"

"You just told me. It's written all over your face. I don't know your circumstances, but your parents probably won't be happy seeing you throw your life away. Just back down and go back home, kid." Sebir was talking with genuine concern to the young man. "There is nothing for you to do here."

Thanatos's heart was crushed; he couldn't talk back. His mouth moves, but the words won't come out. The image of his parents took all the battle spirit away from him...

No... there was still someone... A reason to fight... A young, beautiful woman with blonde hair and blue eyes.

"I… I can protect her… I have the strength now. I can save Lia no matter what! When she was about to be kidnapped, I saved her. I can make the difference!" He tried to lift his own spirit, but...

"If you try to walk this path with her, she's going to die because of you."

With those words, Thanatos's heart snapped in half.