Eurus faced a big crisis. He was at the tower where Zerath was supposed to be according to the trinkets shop owner, but in no single direction did he catch even a hint of his shadow. He circled the place over and over again but didn't find Zerath anywhere.
He approached the passers by to ask but was only met with avoidance in response. Their unwelcoming gazes made Eurus retreat a few steps, and he quickly escaped the tower. Away from the crowd, he breathed out, confused and afraid of what to do next. He sat against the wall, watching the families before him enjoying the festivities.
Mother…
Vivia…
His eyes held a longing gaze with a tremble escaping his body. He stayed like that for sometime, lost in the laughter and voices. He eventually rose, making up his mind.
Eurus wasted no time and began running in the same direction he had come from. Pain surged in his arms and legs from the previous fight with the bullies, but he was determined. He lost his way countless times before he finally stood before the trinkets shop again, his small chest heaving out of breath.
The owner peered down from his chair and arched a brow.
"You're back? Ah, you look terrible."
"Not there. Zerath not there," he breathed for air as he spoke.
"Oh."
Eurus hastily nodded. "Zerath, where?"
"I don't know."
His eyes widened. "Don't know Zerath where?"
"No."
Eurus threw him a blank look.
"Why are you so confused?"
"You said Zerath at tower."
He chuckled. "I lied. Can you blame me? You were so easy to fool."
Clarity evaded Eurus only further. A shiver escaped his lips, recognizing the familiar mockery in the owner's eyes.
"You said Zerath at tower."
"I say a lot of things. It doesn't mean that everything is the truth."
His breaths grew messier and his heart angrier. He still couldn't fathom why he would mislead him when all he had asked was where Zerath was. Eurus heard him say that he lied, but he was clueless about it.
What is a lie?
Eurus didn't know an answer to that, but he sensed that he had been fooled. The disdain in his eyes felt similar to the bullies who beat him and robbed his money. Fury erupted in his heart, and he stretched his palm forward.
"Back. Give money back."
"The silver coins you gave me? They're mine now. You're not getting them back," he yawned.
"Money back!" Eurus exclaimed louder.
He had steeled his determination not to get robbed for the second time. He kept his fierce gaze fixed on the owner but couldn't hold it for longer when the owner narrowed his eyes at him. Alarm hit him in a second wave when the owner smiled out of the blue as he stepped out of his shop. The pleasant smile on his lips confused him.
"We live in a world where fairness is a myth, kid."
Eurus blinked, puzzled.
"So don't blame me when you jingle that hefty pouch of coins around so openly, asking to get robbed."
He was trying to comprehend his words when a kick landed on his stomach out of nowhere. The impact flew him all the way back, his back crashing against the brick wall. He immediately coughed up blood and collapsed on the ground, his ears ringing loudly. A shadow loomed over him, and he looked up tremblingly, pain coursing through his body like poison.
The owner's pleasant smile remained intact.
"And don't you dare demand your money back from me when you were so foolish to believe me in the first place."
Eurus clutched his stomach, gasping as an excruciating pain welled tears in his eyes. He struggled to stand, collapsing on his knees with every failed attempt.
"You have no sense of danger or caution at all. You came to me like a little innocent rabbit. What do you think a wolf is supposed to do?"
The demon's bitter words pierced him like arrows. Even more bitter were his deep blue irises that looked down at him with mockery.
"Which is why you got robbed by the bullies."
He stiffened. The flashes of that humiliation burned his face with shame and embarrassment. Gritting his teeth, he rose to his feet, ignoring the pain bursting from within his body.
"Money…back…!"
The owner laughed heartily.
"Sure. If you're so stubborn then I'll give it to you, provided…"
He clasped his hands behind his back and loomed over him with his irksome smile that angered Eurus.
"You're able to take it from me. Fight me and win. Oh and you're an ice demon, aren't you? You're forbidden to use your magic on me. Elemental demons never play fair."
Eurus stared at him.
"What? The bullies could take your small money pouch because they were stronger than you, right? So prove that you're stronger than me. The strongest and the smartest always survive."
Eurus trembled. It was a monumental task to even breathe without convulsing in pain. He failed to understand how he was supposed to physically fight the owner like the bullies had fought him. He felt no strength in his arms and legs. His mind raced to find an answer, but the pain from the harsh kick deterred him.
He bit his lip hard until it bled. The thought of not being able to retrieve even two silver coins filled him with the same despair and helplessness he had felt over twenty years ago. The similar hopelessness of the past bellowed when he had failed to protect his mother and could only watch her being taken away.
At this point, the gathered crowd pitied Eurus. He was in no position to defend himself, much less fight. But a sudden, almost maniacal laughter from the owner jolted them away from their pity.
He grabbed Eurus's head, threatening to crush it with his palm.
"See, this is the problem with you. You're just standing there like a fool, thinking about your options when you could've just frozen me right away. You're an ice demon, are you not?"
Eurus blinked once, then twice, but his face remained impassive as if they weren't speaking the same language at all.
"...You said, no magic…"
"And why do you bother to listen to me? Do you now understand the source of your idiocy? There are no rules in a fight when facing an enemy. Only trickery and deceit. Whatever makes you win. If ice is your strongest weapon, then why aren't you using it?"
He arched his brow. "Why? Just because I told you not to? Because you're afraid of hurting my feelings? Or because you're too arrogant to prove that you're more than just an ice demon? Are you going to think of rules and ethics in a battlefield? You could've frozen the bullies, but you didn't. That's why you lost so miserably. Your strength has no meaning if you lack the brains to use it to your advantage."
Eurus winced when the owner's grip tightened on his head, but it paled in comparison to being looked at like a weak demon. He fell back when the owner released him without a tinge of delicacy.
"Get lost, kid," he sneered.
The owner walked back to his shop, stretching his arms up with a yawn. Without any warning, a precarious chill settled in the air. The temperature took such a sudden and sharp drop that his fight instincts kicked in instantly. But no matter his caution, he couldn't stop the frost from creeping up his ankles, gripping him all the way to his knees. His lips uncontrollably shivered as if the biting chilliness was freezing his very blood.
He turned his head very slowly, his gaze meeting Eurus's, who faintly glowed with a silvery aura. Mana escaped his body, coursing through the street market and consuming it with a wintry layer.
The crowd's unanimous shock was audible, each demon hugging themselves for comfort. A string of sneezes rang throughout the air as they scrambled to find warmth.
Eurus walked up to the owner, slowly and steadily while biting down the pain from his bruises. He raised his palm before the owner once again.
"Give money back."
It was clear to Eurus that his sudden interference didn't sit well with him.
"You're too late to the fight. Undo your magic."
Eurus stared at him keenly and said, "You said no rules. So no rules. I still fight if I want. The fight is not over because there no rules."
A steep silence descended.
The owner somehow managed to grab a hammer from his shop but couldn't break the ice off. He hit it with all his strength, but it refused to shatter.
"You should give up now."
The owner's gaze squinted as he heard the voice of the person who had just spoken. His expression soured further upon realizing that his guess turned out to be true.
"Rise for the Crown Prince Zerath!"
Everyone immediately lowered their heads in a bow and took a step back. They watched Zerath approaching the owner unhurriedly, and a gulp passed down everybody's throats. They wondered if he was going to be punished for causing a scene in the festival - and by extension, the crowd too for not coming forward to stop him. People quickly and sneakily began to disperse.
A visible and guiltless scowl appeared on the owner's face.
Zerath asked, "Is that bad mood because of the ice or me?"
"Naturally, it could only be because of the ice, couldn't it? After all, the nobles never do anything wrong to hurt their people's interests. So ice it is."
He smiled, unfazed by his bitterness.
"Fierce as always, Silas."