"You think a sorry will cut it?"
The voice rang out, sharp and arrogant, echoing through the spacious entrance hall of the Terra Association building.
Heads turned as the speaker barely older than a teenager stood with his arms crossed, a smug expression plastered on his face.
He was addressing another young man, who appeared unfazed.
The loudness of his voice had its intended effect.
People in the vicinity paused and glanced over.
A quiet murmur began to spread among the crowd.
"Wait, isn't that Cassian Virell?"
"The young master of the Virell family?"
Someone further back leaned toward his companion and whispered, "Are the Virell family powerful?"
"Powerful? That's an understatement," came the hushed reply.
"They're one of the Five Families in the Higher world, The elite of the elites."
The first man exhaled sharply. "Ssssss… Higher world."
"And to top it of, Cassian is the only known son of Magnus Virell," another voice added. "You know the corporate tycoon who owns half the real estate downtown? Yeah, That guy."
"Ssssss…" the one who asked could only draw in a long breath.
As the buzz continued, A girl moved closer to Cassian, whispering something in his ear, though she couldn't help sneaking a glance at Tarkan.
Her cheeks tinged slightly pink as her eyes lingered on him.
That's when Tarkan realized.
When he entered the Association building earlier, he'd been so surprised by the interior that he hadn't noticed the neck of his shirt had slipped down.
Cassian also noticed the girl's gaze and the blush.
His face instantly darkened.
"There's no need to cause a scene," she tried to soothe him.
"Let's just get registered and..."
Cassian cut her off before she could finish.
"Kneel and ask for forgiveness," he said coldly, "and who knows, I might give you a chance to be my lackey."
Tarkan had heard every word the bystanders had said about Cassian.
His background, His influence, His power.
And he didn't give a freaking shit about who he's family are.
He wasn't impressed at all by his flashy gears or his surnames that moved mountains.
And this whole incident? He now understood it wasn't a mistake.
Cassian had bumped into him on purpose, probably trying to look cool in front of that girl
Or maybe he thought he could assert dominance.
Such childish act.
With zero interest in the drama, Tarkan simply turned and continued toward the young man standing behind the counter.
"You dare ignore me?" Cassian barked.
In a flash, Cassian lunged forward, his hand outstretched, trying to grab Tarkan by the shoulder.
Tarkan moved slightly to the side, effortlessly dodging Cassian's hand.
Cassian's fingers grasped empty air failing to grab Tarkan.
The failure sent a jolt of humiliation through Cassian.
His cheeks turned red with embarrassment.
He clenched his fists tightly.
This guy this nobody
Cassian had studied Tarkan earlier and Judging by his presence in the Terra Association building, he was probably a newly awakened and was here to get registered.
His clothes were plain, No bracelet on his wrist, which was a must have in this era.
Even among lowborns, a basic bracelet was dirt cheap.
For Tarkan to not be able to afford even that told Cassian all he needed to know.
How dare he act like this? How dare a nobody ignore him?
A nobody, a stupid lowborn dared to disrespect him.
Cassian's rage only grew.
"Cassian, lets just..." the girl tried to intervene again.
But once more, Cassian didn't let her speak.
His hand went to his waist, drawing out a sleek, polished sword.
In one smooth motion, he slashed upward, aiming for Tarkan's head.
Killing intent radiated from his eyes.
Tarkan, who had taken lives over trivial things in his past life and had uncountable numbers of blood on his hands, was immediately able to sense Cassian killing intent
Cassian wasn't playing around.
The girl gasped.
Those nearby backed away, forming a loose circle, afraid of getting caught in the crossfire.
But Tarkan?
didn't even flinch.
He felt it the moment Cassian moved, the shift in the air, the subtle drop in temperature, the way Cassian's wrist moved.
More importantly, he felt the killing intent.
This wasn't a warning strike.
This Cassian kid was meaning to kill him.
Tarkan moved
His body responded before his thoughts had fully formed. The sword slashed past him.
Another miss.
Cassian's eyes widened, his frustration building up.
What he didn't know was that Tarkan had spent sixteen grueling years under the relentless training of Aries.
Sixteen years of drills, sparring and near death experiences.
Sixteen years where the only reprieve he had then was the occasional sleep and meal.
Cassian, who seemed like a pampered and privileged, had never tasted that kind of life.
He didn't know what it meant to fight for every breath.
With practiced ease, Tarkan dodged again.
He didn't even need to activate his timer to handle someone like Cassian.
Admist all this Tarkan's expression was calm almost eerily, No rage, No panic.
Without holding back, he struck Cassian hard in the neck.
single, precise blow to Cassian's neck.
Nothing flashy, using Just his bare hands.
Cassian's eyes rolled back in shock before he collapsed, instantly unconscious.
The crowd gasped.
But Tarkan wasn't done with him.
He followed, diving with an elbow strike aimed directly at Cassian's neck wanting to finish him off.
But just as the elbow was about to land--
A large and impossibly fast hand, shot out from the crowd.
It wrapped around Tarkan's throat mid-dive and yanked him sideways.
In the blink of an eye, Tarkan was flung through the air like a ragdoll
He smashed into a wall with a heavy thud.
The impact cracked the wall
He gasped, spitting out a mouthful of blood.
The room immediately fell deathly silent.
---
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