"I'm looking for my friend Josha is there any chance he is here right now?" Malice smiled and acted his age for once. The butler looked at Malice carefully and them let him in. He was about to say something but before he could Malice drew a knife to his throat and said "Now listen to me carefully."

A young man was currently being held hostage by a kid. he disappointed with his life, ashamed of how he became forced to do such menial work like being a butler or cleaner and maybe even both. So when a kid no older than twelve held a knife to his throat, how could he not think his life was cursed and that the gods wanted him to suffer.

"Take me to Josha and I'll let you go, actually how about you help me with my little Josha problem and I help you escape your miserable life, a pouch of platinum isn’t much for me to spare." Malice whispered his offer into the Butlers ear, the words alone made him ease up a little.

Malice then let go of the Butler and watched him carefully, he seemed to think for a few moments before agreeing to help Malice, he was basically a slave in this household of course he would want to escape. So he lead Malice towards a large dinning hall where a boy around Malice’s age sat talking to a girl slightly older.

"Wait for me outside, don’t run off and tell anyone because even if I'm put in prison or executed my family will hunt you to the ends of the world." Malice gave a quite common threat it was just funny how his only family was his aunt and picturing her hunting and killing this butler truly was a hilarious thought.

Malice dismissed the Butler and continued further into the dinning hall, it was grandiose to say the least with sculptures and paintings and even a marble carved ceiling. Sat at a long table were two people, Malice guessed who one of them were. Josha the small noble with smart clothes and brushed brown curtains for hair who sat opposite a girl with Icy Blond hair and like many in the Primal World, stunning features. Malice was now close enough for the pair to notice him with both now looking very confused.

"Who are you and what are you doing in my Manor?" Josha questioned Malice as he drew ever closer, baffled how he got inside in the first place. Malice didn’t reply and crept nearer and nearer to the pair, naturally it looked very suspicious so the girl stepped forward ready to block his path.

"State your business or Leave. You see this, this is an advanced class title plate meaning I can squash you like a bug 'Beginner'." The girl wasn’t sure either why Malice was here but made sure to show her authority. Her hands were suddenly covered in a chilling frost as she prepared herself in a fighting stance.

'This girl is in the Mortal Gold realm, she probably has also learnt combat spells, honestly I don’t think I can win. Well maybe if I went for the kill but that would make to much of a mess and the chances of the Chevalier family tracing it back to me would be pretty high. Guess I'll have to play it by ear then, not much else I can do as me being here right now means that security will increase after today and my chances to get this kid will be low, should have thought through it more but clearly my encounter with Teacher Li still has me shaken.' Malice decided to formulate a plan before he was beaten by this frost witch.

"Young miss please excuse my interruption but I have an urgent message for Josha, regarding the health of Count Chevalier, you could say the Count was teaching me the ways of the industry and felt I could deliver this message quickly to you. The thing is it would appear that some unknown illness is plaguing the main family and the count has it the worst, you are return immediately before it may be to late." Malice tried to put on a performance that would urge Josha to leave for the Capital. "There is a Butler waiting outside to escort you unless the business amongst you two is more important. I will wait for you outside"." Malice walked out f the dinning hall, hoping his story hadn't been seen through. There were several factors that were out of Malice’s control such as the Count may have visited recently or that he hated children and wouldn't take on an apprentice, there were many variables that Malice was unaware of so he could only hope the story was believable enough for two children.

"Oi you are here to escort the 'young master' to the Counts estate, you will say nothing at all. Now go fetch a carriage you better know how to drive or at least someone who does." Malice whispered to the butler his instructions which when faced with threats and money he could only loyally follow.

"I'll see you tomorrow Eliza, I have to go check on my father. Please don't worry for us I'm sure the message was just exaggerated." Josha exited the dinning hall, worry clearly plastered on his face and then proceeded to the carriage outside, completely ignoring Malice whether he didn’t care about him or was just panicking, who knew.

Malice followed behind and in his peripheral vision he saw the girl Eliza, biting her nails also showing signs of worry, Malice felt that his plan worked a bit to well but realised he had created a loose end.

'I can't deal with her right now but she knows my face and when Josha inevitably goes missing I'm the first person they will search for, damn this is going to get messy.' Malice was calculating how he would get out this mess and solve the current problem of Eliza.

Malice sat beside the driver of the carriage who already knew where the Counts Estate was, if not Malice wasn’t sure which direction to go, the butler hung on to the side of the carriage and the group set off.

A few minutes into the journey Malice instructed the Driver that they needed to make a stop he made some excuse about a black-market selling medicine that may help the Chevalier family. With the hope of saving his family in sight Josha agreed instantly to follow Malice’s orders. The carriage moved in a winding oath down several alleys when suddenly the carriage halted altogether.

"Why have we stopped are we at the destination?" Josha questioned from inside the carriage to no avail. So he decided to climb out and see what was going on. What he witnessed was the driver passed out on the floor and Malice and the Butler nowhere to be seen, suddenly a painful sensation overflowed Josha's head, as he fell to the ground he saw the butler with a large rock standing behind him, without warning Josha was knocked out. The butler seemed dazed by what he just did, what he was forced to do and while he stood there in his stupor the driver who had witnessed the whole thing, jumped up and began fleeing he saw in his peripheral vision a man with a sword sticking out his chest which frightened him even more, dashing at full speed to escape.

The man with the sword in his chest slowly stood up and the sword disappeared into thin air, this was Malice and he had just completed the final step of his plan, he hoped that the carriage driver would go the counts estate and tell the Count that his son had been kidnapped by a Butler that worked for him, and killed his 'apprentice' at which point that lie would be seen through and the assumption that the butler and 'apprentice' worked together would be made, the butler got greedy and betrayed the 'apprentice' and kidnapping Josha by himself. Malice knew that there wasn't a hundred percent certainty that his plan would work but the odds were in his favour.

Malice and the Butler then dragged Josha down a hidden alley at which point they saw a Burly Black man with long pasty white hair sat on a chair next to a large door.

"I'm here to see Lillian or Dantallion about a certain business deal." Malice dropped Josha and looked at the Burly man, he seemed to be the Day guard whereas the tattooed baldy was the night guard.

"Hmm you must be Malice, take the centre corridor and walk straight until you see a crimson door with black spikes protruding from it, you'll find what you seek. Only you may enter though." The man eyed the butler which made him shrivel back in fear.

"I can just go if you give me the mon...." The butler felt strange having not finished his sentence, looking down what was even stranger was the now clearly visible crimson gorge in his throat, staring wide eyed at Malice he thought for sure he was being tricked but that thought lasted as long as his final breath.

"I'm sorry but you are the biggest loose end of all, the only real witness to what happened here, rest easy knowing that you helped me become stronger. Too bad the Chevaliers will never find you, and thus never find me." Malice simply walked through the door and headed down the corridor, his actions didn’t surprise the doorman and actually made him smile, soon after the corpse was gone and all that remained was ash in the wind.

Malice ventured down the corridor which was eerily quite, except for the occasional scream and cry that would last for barely a few seconds. Continuing on he found himself in front of a crimson metal door, with black spikes as a wild as thorns sticking out. With Josha over his shoulder he slowly entered into a study room, bookshelves with books and scriptures of all kinds collecting dust, alchemical and rune enchanting equipment were displayed and behind a luxurious desk sat a man of gigantic stature, Blood coloured eyes and crimson tied back hair. Trenches for scars across his face and an almost ravenous and death hungry aura.

"Welcome Malice, Sit." Dantallion was clearly a man of few words or perhaps thought a Mortal Copper realm Magus didn’t deserve his words.

Malice sat in a chair opposite Dantallion, Malice could feel fear deep down, not for his life but something far more frightening, he didn’t even know what that was and could only comply to soothe it.

"Azazel speaks highly of you, Lillian likes your ruthlessness and I am pleased with your resourcefulness and will to do what is necessary." Dantallion praised Malice and from someone so strong Malice actually felt proud, like doing this task was fate and destined to happen.

"The Chevalier family stole from me and so I return the favour. You have done well, have earned the respect of my family. You must wonder how we can accept you as one of our own after so little time. I can say this, when you are as strong as me time is inconsequential. I see your faith and will to be stronger, your talent is an added bonus. Become one of us, a Ghena not in name but in body and soul and we will kill, lust and live together." Dantallions powerful aura burst out his body purple rays with a blue colouration spread throughout the room, the true strength of someone in the Royal Cobalt realm was displayed in front of Malice, it gave him the feeling of a conqueror or that of a king.

Malice now realised that perhaps the Ghena family needed Malice as much as he needed them, with Malice’s progress the Ghenas would progress. If he was being used as a growing powerful weapon then so be it, he finally had people he could rely on again. With the help of Dantallion, the world could only prepare before Malice engulfed it in his power.