The gap between them

Metheus leisurely stretched his body while waiting for Sarius to make the first move. When he noticed the boy flinching at his sudden movement, he snorted in contempt as he continued stretching.

"What? You chicken?"

A vein popped on Sarius' temple. Those words only served to increase his ire.

Without further hesitation, Sarius shot forward to the man and threw a punch on his face. It was the same move he had done last night but it was one much faster than before. Metheus had not the chance to react as Sarius' fist neared his face in an alarming speed.

The punch landed right directly on his face and a loud bang reverberated across the area soon after.

Dusts and sand engulfed the clearing from the impact, making it much harder to see and Sarius was only able to barely make out Metheus' figure in it.

'Did I get him?'

Sarius narrowed his eyes. For the first time, his attack finally managed to land on its intended target since Metheus had, without effort, blocked all his attacks before.

It didn't take too long for the fine particles of solid matter to subside and when the area eventually cleared up, Sarius had a look of disbelief when he saw Metheus standing, a bored look on his face with not a single scratch on him.

The man was completely unharmed!

"Is that it?"

He covered his mouth with his right hand as he yawned.

"I'm sorely disappointed."

Sarius' gritted his teeth as he once more, closed in on Metheus. His hands blurred as he threw punches after punches after the man. Metheus only stood there, taking all Sarius' punches with ease. He was not the least bit phased by the boy's attack.

"Ahh, that felt good."

Sarius growled as he continued attacking with even more fervor. He made use of every part of his body to attack the man: his fist on Metheus' nose; his elbows on his temples; his knee on the man's chin and his kick hitting his neck. His movement was getting faster and faster the more his attacks made contact with its target, releasing a series of onslaught against Metheus.

The ground started to crack and was gradually breaking as Metheus faced the boy's assault head on. His feet was slowly getting buried each time he receives the boy's attack but he nevertheless, continued to stand on his original position, not moving a single bit.

"Just give up. There's no way you can win against me."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that."

Sarius said with bated breath. He was getting frustrated. All of his attacks were not doing anything against Metheus but there's still something he had not tried yet. It's his only remaining hope for now.

"Oh?"

He raised a brow at that. It looks like the boy still have something up his sleeve.

"Take this!"

Metheus frowned when he saw Sarius about to punch him again. He analyzed the power behind his fist and was unamused. It was no different from the boy's previous attacks, making him disappointed. Here he thought the boy was going to do something special.

Sighing, Metheus lazily threw a punch.

Sarius' heart skipped a beat. The man may have not put any effort behind that attack but he knows how powerful that punch is first hand. After all, he had taken those same punches numerous times on his body last night.

When Metheus' fist was seconds away from hitting Sarius, the boy disappeared in a flash of blue light and reappeared right under him.

Time seemed to slow down between them. Metheus immediately looked down and saw Sarius crouched down with his fist pulled back. His eyes widened considerably. He had just gotten an idea what the boy is going to do.

"Don't tell me you're planning to?!"

"Oh, I am!"

Sarius smirked. He delivered a successful and powerful blow, hitting the king right directly on the crotch!

An explosion was once again heard in the area…

…followed right after by the loud nefarious laugh of a young beautiful boy.

"Hahaha, serves you right you old man!"

He had finally gotten the upper hand against Metheus. This plan was already formed in his mind when he had first found out the weakness of every men and even women alike. Brutal it may be but it is the only way he knew of that will surely bring even the strongest of men into their knees.

He had found out this weakness earlier this day when Feya was chasing him for interrogation because of his injuries. Long story short, the girl tripped and when he tried to catch her, she accidentally hit his balls and he was left sprawling on the ground holding his private area for a while.

Metheus had his hands on his private as he hissed through his gritted teeth.

"That fucking hurts!"

Sarius had a smug look on his face when he laid his eyes on Metheus. Powerful or not, this arrogant king is in the end, still a man after all.

"Or… not."

The corner of Metheus' lips suddenly rose. He looked at Sarius amusingly. It seems like the boy is starting to learn how to fight dirty.

"Are you finished?"

Sarius' eyes were as wide as saucers. Metheus was acting all along! He wasn't even hurt from taking a fist to 'that area' in the slightest. To think he can take a hit to his balls yet remained unscathed, this man is a monster!

Gulping the saliva inside his mouth, Sarius took a deep leap, finding a safe distance away from Metheus. He then gasped when he noticed that from beginning to end, he didn't even move from his original position although his feet was already buried knee-deep into the ground.

"Now Sarius boy… let me show you how to throw a punch properly."

Everything happened in an instant. Sarius carefully watched Metheus' every action. The man turned to the side then pulled his right fist back. The next thing he knew…

The mountain far away from them and the surrounding forests within its vicinity was suddenly obliterated.

•"☆"•

Feya and Calista sat comfortably under the shade of the tree as the little girl listened attentively to her mother's instruction while showing her daughter how to play the stringed instrument in her hand. Its appearance was like that of a small U-shaped harp with 7 strings fixed to a crossbar. It was a lyre.

Sarius also sat beside the two trying to listen to their conversation. Alas, it was all for naught. He found it hard to concentrate on them as his thoughts kept drifting towards last night.

He knew that Metheus was strong however… he never expected the man to be that powerful. He then thought of his deal with him. For him to give permission to let Feya roam outside the palace… he had to beat him first and then there's still another condition he didn't know yet.

Sarius sucked in a cold breath.

Beat him?

Metheus?

His heart pounded against his chest at the thought of beating the man.

He found the notion inconceivable. He was afraid but a large part of him found it…

Exhilarating.

Is such a feat even possible?

The challenge for this seemingly impossible task was making his blood pumping. He wanted to beat him. It is no longer for Feya's sake alone. He wanted to defeat the man for his own reasons and to satisfy the excitement within his heart. He wanted to win!

"...rius! Sarius!"

"F-Feya?"

Sarius stammered as he looked at Feya.

"Are you okay? You've been in a daze for a while."

"Oh…"

It seemed that he was quite preoccupied by his thoughts that he never noticed his surroundings.

"Yeah, I was just thinking something."

"I see… hehe, Sarius, I managed to learn a song from mother. Would you like to hear it?"

Feya asked excitedly, she had been practicing this for days already and she wanted to let Sarius hear her play a song.

Sarius just smiled.

"Sure."

The girl then held the instrument properly. She took a deep breath and started plucking the strings.

Sarius didn't know much about music but at the brief period that he listened to Calista's playing earlier, he found hers much pleasing to the ears.

Feya's playing sounds rough and even he can tell that the girl still have much to learn and there might be some that will find it unbearable however…

He didn't know why he likes it when Feya plays more than her mother. He wanted to listen to her play and when he looks at her face full of determination…

It makes him want to do his best too.

Sarius closed his eyes as he hummed along with the music. This first song that Feya played for him, he will forever cherish it in his heart and never forget about it but as for now…

He just wanted to fully enjoy this moment with her.

.

.

.

.

.

Calista gently smiled as she found the two children really adorable right now. She can tell that they really treasure each other from their interactions. It almost reminded her of her and her husband. She then slowly stood up and walked away, leaving the children to their own devices. Now that Feya had gotten herself a friend, the least she can do is let them be with each other without her interfering.

Feya finally stopped playing the lyre and then looked at Sarius right after.

"How was it?"

Sarius' grinned.

"It was beautiful."

Those words made her have a wide smile on her face. She was happy to hear that praise from him.

"Thank you Feya."

"Hmm?"

"Because of you, I feel much more confident now. I no longer feel afraid of him and it's all thanks to you, Feya. That's why, thank you."

Feya didn't really understand what Sarius meant, she just nodded her head dumbfounded.

"You're… welcome?"

Sarius chuckled.

"Anyway teach me how to play this thing."

"It's called a lyre. Why do you want to learn?"

"I feel really happy when you played. I also want to play and make you happy."

"You're already making me happy."

"Really?"

"Really."

"I still want to learn."

"Hehe, okay."