The Dragon and the Angel: Reincarnated

The return of the merchant's son

The beautiful, relaxing memory of the young boy came to an abrupt halt the moment he felt a sharp pain in the back of his head.

"Kyros!" shouted old man Balthos after he slapped the boy on the back of his head. "Stop daydreaming you brat and go back to work! I paid good money for you, so you better do your job right!" his words were harsh and his glare merciless.

"Sorry, master! Yes, master! I'll get back to work right away!" the child said quickly and bowed all the way to the ground in front of him.

"You better! Hmph!" the man turned around and walked out of the room.

After he left, Kyros rubbed the back of his head where he got smacked. It hurt, but what hurt more was the possibility that he might not get those new clothes his master promised him. Trying not to cry, he picked up the big broom and returned to cleaning the room. The tool was bigger than him and at times, he felt as though it would slip out of his grasp and break something. Still, Kyros had no right to complain to his master, after all, he was nothing but a mere slave in his household, and it was only thanks to Balthos he was still alive.

The merchant bought Kyros a few months ago for the price of twenty gold pieces from a slave dealer in the city. It was a rather good bargain considering the many other 'items' the dealer had. Of course, as a merchant, Balthos knew his trade and didn't drop the haggle until the boy's price was brought down by at least 40% of the original price.

Soon after that, Kyros was brought to his new master's home in the Suki village. As soon as he got there, he was thought the rules and put to work as a cleaner. He had no choice but to obey without complaint.

In the New Kingdom, slavery was not something uncommon or even illegal, it was a flourishing business. Because of that, anyone who could afford a slave had at least one or two, be they children or adults. As for their treatment, it only depended on their masters. Some were cruel, some sadistic, while others were kind and merciful. Still, if there was one thing vividly clear to all slaves, it was the fact that they were not seen as humans nor treated as such by their masters. Thus, many of them were destined to a very harsh and painful life. Kyros was well aware he wasn't an exception from that rule. If he wanted to survive and live, he had to be useful to his master.

Not long after Balthos left the room, the young slave stopped sweeping and let out a heavy sigh. He looked down at the floor and let his mind reach out for the only happy memories he had, back when his mother still had the power to keep him safe from the insanity of their world.

Kyros was a rather curious child for being able to remember such things when most humans out there forgot even what they did three minutes ago. However, he believed everyone was the same as him, and in consequence, he never said a single word about it, to anyone.

Suddenly, he heard a clicking sound behind him. The door knob turned, and the door opened with a small squeak. Kyros turned around and looked at the one who entered the room.

"Who are you?" a young boy's voice was heard.

The boy was taller than the slave, but only by a palm. He wore fancy clothes made of green cotton with spiraling red drawings sewed on it, showing clearly his wealth and higher status.

Seeing how the boy didn't get a reply, he asked again, but this time, he raised his tone of voice a bit higher, as if ordering him.

"Did I not make myself clear? Who are you? What are you doing here?"

The slave child flinched and looked down, tightening his grip on the handle of the broom.

"K-Kyros sir, I'm a slave in this house..." he replied with a quivering voice.