24

When Lycurgus turned around to leave the viewing area, he was shocked to see Kaji standing there. He had a look that denoted a slight fear as his eyes were trained on Azarios.

"Scared Kaji?" Lycurgus asked with a slightly sardonic smirk on his face.

Kaji's eyes floated towards Lycurgus' no smile returning to him, "You aren't even a little worried? Azarios is no joke. The kid's potential is limitless."

The smile vanished from Lycurgus' face as he placed a hand on Kaji's shoulder "Nothing is without limits Kaji. Especially a human, and he still is human no matter how beastly he seems."

The tension seemed to slip away from Kaji's demeanor slightly, as he joined Lycurgus and Taezu to head toward the contestant waiting area.

When they arrived this time only Dynami, Kyden, and Taryu waited for them. There was no fancy scroll or dramatic wait. Kyden stepped forward and spoke plainly, "We decided that the first match will be between Kaji and Azarios, followed by Taezu against Lycurgus."

Azarios made a face, displeased that he was heading right back into combat, "Can I get a little break first? I'm spent from my match against Kilos." Taryu looked to the other chiefs and whispered something. The group conferred with each other and came to a silent decision. Taryu spoke again saying "We are changing the order of the battles, Lycurgus and Taezu will go first since they had rather quick battles. This should give you time to recuperate your energy and gain a quick rest."

Dynami stepped forward, "You all are to be considered the most elite of all the villages, each of us would like to talk to our prospective champions individually."

Lycurgus' eyes met his father's eyes at that statement, 'What does he want to talk to me about now?' he thought.

"We'll give you ten minutes to prepare for the next match so don't waste too much time." After Dynami's words, everyone left except for Taezu, Lycurgus, Kyden, and Taryu. Kyden took Taezu to another room and left Lycurgus and Taryu there alone.

"So, what do you want to tell me?" Lycurgus said with bitterness in his voice. Taryu reached out a hand to touch Lycurgus but decided to pull it back before speaking.

"This is your first real fight," Lycurgus turned around and cut him off "Look if you're going to tell me things, I already know save your breath." Taryu went silent for a moment before speaking again. "I've been thinking about ways to make things better…" Lycurgus turned his head to look at his father now interested in the conversation a little more.

"I have the idea of sending Shezira back to Yfantis, her homeland, and if you boys want you could stay here or go with her." Lycurgus gritted his teeth, "Her home?!? She hasn't been there since before I was born!"

In the back of his mind, Lycurgus didn't know why he was really fighting the idea; it was the best he had come up with himself. Aside from winning and demanding to be placed back inside the village that was the best course of action and he knew that.

"Our home is here dad, just let us come back. When I win grant me the wish of placing us back into the village." Taryu shook his head no, "You don't get it. She can't come back to the village. It would fracture so much that I've struggled to build." Lycurgus stepped forward the anger once again swelling in his chest. "We plan to conquer the other villages anyway, what are we waiting for?"

Taryu's eyes lit up with a furious surprise, "I thought of you as wiser than that Lycurgus. You're letting the love for your mother cloud your vision. You saw the combatants of this competition; this is just the youth of these villages. The true elites make many of these competitors look like novices. Hana's older brother for one, he could probably win this whole tournament without too much struggle. Tiziano has a future, but we need time, your mother would fracture the peace of the village destroying our strength."

"You're the leviathan of the village! What do you care about that? What you say goes!" to a piece of Lycurgus he felt like a petulant child, but it didn't matter. He wanted his father to do right by his mother, and he wouldn't accept any less.

"The villagers won't go for it! She murdered Le daughter of one of the most respected families of Tiziano."

Lycurgus grew frustrated, not at his father but at the lack of a better solution, but he could only channel his rage toward his father. He didn't know where else he could send it.

"Explain the situation, explain that Le wronged and cheated Mom. She served her penance, exile." Taryu ran his hand through his hair. "What and show favoritism? You don't understand but your mother already has a strained relationship with this village."

There it was again, that hidden knowledge that eluded him. "And what is that? What did she do that was so horrible that her image would already be tarnished? The greatest weaver of the Malunid?"

Taryu grew quiet for a moment, then in a low voice said: "She's the daughter of the man who killed my father, and in a way assisted with his death."

Lycurgus was stunned, he had never met either of his grandfathers. Both were dead before he was even born. He had no idea that one of them murdered the other. No, it wasn't just the murder of a simple man, it was the murder of the previous chief of Tiziano. Someone highly revered by the villagers.

Lycurgus let out a sigh, he felt so hopeless. There was no way they'd have enough food to last them during the Malunod, and the soil of Tiziano wasn't built for farming. Then he thought of Kilos' goal. The right to rule his village. A smile stretched across Lycurgus' face.

"Let me take rulership of Tiziano if I win. Then I can bring mom back into the village and no one would question a boy's mother coming back."

Taryu went quiet for a moment then shook his head, "No I can't do that."

All the rage that was slowly fading, erupted to the surface in a blazing furry "What!"

"You keep missing the point, the peace of the village is fragile, not only that but you're nowhere near strong enough to defeat me. Me losing would simply destabilize the village internally as well as showing that we could be attacked."

Lycurgus could barely hear his father's reasoning. All he could focus on was the fact that it was still a no.

"You need to calm down, you're caring the same rage that put your mother in the situation in the first place."

The rage that burned in Lycurgus was palatable, and it tasted disgusting in his mouth. That comment only made it all the more unbearable and Lycurgus snapped.

"You've never wanted her to be there, have you? You hated her, you hated mom. That's why you treated her like this. You just want to use me and Lysander in your scheme! You don't care about us, you only care about the stupid politics of the village! We are nothing more than pawns in your game. You don't even trust me to lead the village!"

Taryu's face was cold, and the words he spoke were even colder, "Why would I trust a child for a job that requires a man? This conversation is over, your time is up."

And with that Taryu left the waiting room, leaving Lycurgus alone with the rage boiling inside of his heart.