Stranger

"Uhmm...I think it's about time you announce what you came here for. Is it the dinner?"

Ayre tried to calm himself down as he waited for a response. Normally, a servant would knock and announce what's up, unlike your ex who ghosted yah, what's his or her business for knocking but the pause is taking too long for Ayre to consider this as just a servant having some kind of business with him.

"..."

A few seconds of silence.

"You're a bit polite aren't you? For knocking and all I mean."

Ayre continued staring towards the door's direction. He quenched the candle's fire and slowly got up. The door wasn't open yet as he tried to reach for the door to see who was behind it. However, he felt a soft breeze reach his body and saw that the door was already opening.

His already fast-beating heart just beat faster. He froze in place for he did not know who was coming out, or rather, in from that opened door. A few seconds passed but nothing seemed to be happening as he tried to calm down.

'Oh how I missed these loose muscles...'

Step, step, step...

Footsteps echoed throughout the room as a person five centimeters less in height than him entered the room. Of course, his supposedly loose muscles tightened up again as he saw the person enter.

"Have you managed to read the letter?"

A neutral voice. It felt like a natural voice to Ayre without any effect added but he was quite puzzled of whether this person is a man or a woman so he just addressed him as if he was a man.

Ayre did not know how to answer. It might look like something to be glad for: that he was only asked questions and not a straight dagger right through his neck, but a single wrong twist of the tongue can also end his life just as fast. Still, an unknown person covered in a black robe from head to toe just entered his dark room with only the glimmer of the stars on the dark-bluish night sky. It is already a surprise Ayre managed to stand up face to face with the person in question and answer:

"Hmm? What letter?"

"The blank one in your hand."

"You just said it's blank so why are you asking me if I managed to read it? What is there to read on a blank slate of paper? Or...is there something in this?"

A quite surprising taunt came out of Ayre's shaking but smiling lips.

"No matter. I am not quite sure if you're playing hard to get or just pure dumb. I still have to erase the memory either way so come here, let me touch your head and let's not make it hard for both of us."

"Uhmm you think fathers are so carefree now as to not teach their children to not follow a stranger's instructions? Clearly your father told you that too, right?"

...And erase what? He swallowed this last part of his thought though.

A slight reaction was observed from the unknown person. It seemed like he was quite pissed off by how Ayre is behaving. Wasn't he supposed to be a spoiled brat with nothing but his family's name up his whole being? Where the hell can one learn to be this annoying?

"Seems like before erasing whatever, I have to glue your yapping mouth first."

Still being sarcastic and not really minding what the other person is thinking, Ayre's head started spinning in a fast way rivalling that of a neutron star. As the son of the governor, he is not clueless about martial arts but he also hadn't delved too deep into it. He may know the basics but against unknown enemies, sometimes, knives are better off sheathed.

However, conflict cannot be avoided...

This was what Ayre judged based on the words he heard. The best option for him currently is to take a stance and be ready to counter any movement.

To try to completely make the person incapable of attacking again and to play it safe at the same time, he chose to use a certain martial arts focused on defense comparable to hapkido. Left foot front, right hand on shoulder level slightly behind the left while not being fully closed. Comparable to the scene where K*zuma was protecting a succubus he hired, a bit cooler and more serious, Ayre faced the person.

Of course as he was preparing his stance, the other person did not just stood on ceremony. In the large room, two people covered with a strange atmosphere are facing each other.

The tension was broken by the intruder after he started dashing madly towards Ayre's direction.

Ayre waited for the other person to be close enough before doing a circular kick with his left foot that was on a forwarded stance before.

Pak!

The intruder however, successfully blocked it with his left hand as he tried grabbing Ayre's face since it seemed like the requirement to somehow erase his memories.

Ayre, knowing that his face cannot be touched, turned around in a clockwise manner and performed a backfist with his slightly opened right hand swatting the unprepared intruder away followed by another roundhouse kick, towards the mirror.

Shatter! Crack! Whatever the sound when a mirror breaks was heard. The mirror broke. The intruder lost his balance but quickly repositioned by doing a forward roll but not with his robe as clean as earlier as small shards of glass are now sticking to it and his robe covered in fresh flowing small drops of blood. Separated by a few meters, the two conversed again.

"As expected of someone from the governor's family with great education. I quite like the slap you did a bit ago. Stings enough to make me realize you quite have the strength."

"Great education my ass. I barely kept my bones intact because of my lack of training. Man I need more milk..." Ayre replied while still in position.

Nothing but lies and sarcastic remarks came out of their mouths though.

The room was now a mess. Shards of broken mirror, pieces from the broken cupboard and the random things on Ayre's desk was now cluttered on the floor.

'Huh. That was quite a bit of noise. I tried throwing him towards the mirror and was quite successful so why....is no one coming over? Don't tell me no one noticed?'

He was quite confused with this occurrence. The sound of shattering glass, although early in the night, would still be loud enough to reach the ears of the other people in the house; be it the guards or his siblings and parents or the servants, well, deaf people are exceptions.

Ayre was in a daze and his opponent hadn't missed this. He threw three daggers towards Ayre. Of course he did not expect it to harm Ayre but it should at least startle him.

A split second later, Ayre saw exactly those three daggers rushing towards his indifferent face.

'Shit!'

'Tch.'

Both had reactions but both were the opposite of the other. One was surprised while the other was disappointed. Indeed, since Ayre managed to dodge it just as it was millimeters away from his face.

He might have dodged it but that's just not where danger resides. The intruder quickly repositioned and attacked Ayre from the front just as Ayre was about to turn.

'Guh!!! This guy!'

"'Ehhh? No one's coming to save you?' Well, I want to act like that, all cute and surprised but behind this robe is a poker face so it is not so fun."

The intruder joked giving Ayre time to get up.

"Poker face? You sure you ain't some seer who can see the future or read minds through divination or something instead?" Of course Ayre returned the favor... While having drops of gastric juices near his mouth that is.

"Of course I am not a seer but... I already expected this to happen. This, this was my set-up all along."

Set-up?

The nth time Ayre had his puzzled face for the day.

"You mean.. you set up...what?"

"I set up this area in a way so that we, the two of us, can be separated from the physical world the moment that door opens. Hehehe."

He let out a laugh that is not exactly creepy but a bit uncomfortable to whoever manages to hear it.

"Are you on drugs? Tsk. The other departments should do their jobs better...For sure, those drug bust reports are eighty percent bullshit."

"Drugs? You will be wondering if you yourself is on drugs the moment you see this."

A brief pause was granted however the still puzzled but wary Ayre did not let his guard down. He soon heard a sound produced from the other person's throat.

"Apparition."

A drop of the room's temperature was experienced the moment that word was spoken.