(Part 5)

He would never forget. Kyrano swore to himself that he would never forget though his heart trembled a little in fear. In his nineteen years of existence, he has never been this afraid, never been so uncertain of himself and his own sense of determination.

Even when his father died, even when his sister passed on, he had been able to wrap his head around the single-most important fact that he lived for his mistress. He had always been completely confident of himself, that he trusted the very core of him to be the one who would stick completely faithfull by his mistress's side, that all of him was hers and in service of her.

And now he was beginning to doubt himself.

Kyrano was beginning to doubt that soon, his mind might break, and that he would lose himself, and become in his most basic form –a man of needs, wants and fears.

Kyrano had never irrationally feared anything in his nineteen years of life, but now he did.

He feared everything that was coming. He feared the future.

Completely lethargic, Kyrano sagged into the hard wooden chair that he had been thrown upon. He had not have the chance to lie comfortably on a horizontal surface in an extremely long time. He no longer knew what it felt to enjoy a luxury like that. He no longer knew the luxury of sleep.

The room was filled with a low, uneven, unrhythmic buzz that was aimed at preventing his sleep. Unrhythmic sounds were enemies to an individual's sense of hearing, and even thought Kyrano was completely exhausted, he could not fall into sleep.

He knew he was close to the edge; he was going to lose his mind soon. He was going to lose himself very soon. His desperate clinging onto his mental lifeline was going to fade away very soon, and there was nothing he could do to stop it even though he saw it coming. Was he even going to be back by his mistress's side? Was he even going to survive this? Was there a way for him to die and end this torture?

The Crawfords had been ruthless and completely efficient. Even a butler like Kyrano –a man of completely healthy mental strength –was close to his breaking point upon the third week of confinement. Focusing more on breaking his mind than his body, Kyrano had been forced to go with extremely little sleep, made to endure erratic sounds, and had even placed him in a room where the oxygen levels would be regulated.

The Oxygen Room, as Kyrano now had a name for it, was completely horrifying. Placed in the small room, bound by chain on his wrists and ankles and gagged by a cloth around his mouth so that he could not bite his own tongue as suicide, the oxygen levels had been controlled so that he could barely survive, constantly gasping for air. It was not only a physical trauma that would show no bodily scars, but it also induced complete emotional stress that all humans would go through –even someone as naturally calm as Kyrano was.

No one had bothered to talk to him throughout the entire process of his torture in his three weeks. Not a single word had been uttered since he had been escorted from the Master's office, after Oscar had announced that Kyrano needed to be punished for his leading the young mistress astray. There had not been a single deadline said, not a single word uttered that he could hear.

The sound of locks clicking open, and heavy doors swinging open elicited no physical response from Kyrano, who was chained to the chair in the tiny room. He was now in complete isolation. He could see nothing, and the only sounds he heard was the erratic buzzing sounds. There was no light, no indication of time spend, nothing at all in the world.

And it was the worst type of torture by far, because they weren't doing anything to him. His mind was still reeling from the constant trauma and shock, and his body was still bracing for even more physical torture that never came. The tension in his mind and body was so high that his mind actually went into overdrive when he heard doors opening.

But it was not his door that was opened. It was the outside –the torture room.

And then, the first words that Kyrano heard in three weeks.

It was the sound of Oscar's disdainful words.

"How is he?"

"We are close." The answer came from another voice that he recognised –the butler that was supposed to be currently serving Kyrano's mistress. Kyrano was past the point of caring about why the butler was back in the Main House even though he should be by the young mistress's side watching over her in school.

"How much longer is this going to take?" Oscar's voice was impatient now, though Kyrano clung into the first sound of humanity, the first voice and first words that he recognised in three weeks. It was like heaven –like clinging to an oasis. It made him realize that he was still alive, still in the world that he knew, in a place where people still spoke in language that he understood. "You said it was going to be faster than this."

"Yes, but he has a strong mind. He is hard to break." Maiko's matter-of-fact tone held no apology.

"Like his father." Oscar growled this time. "This one's strength is not far from his father. No, he's worse. He is a like a cockroach. No matter how many times you stomp him, he just keeps coming back like an idiot."

"He will break soon." The reassurance came, and even Kyrano silently agreed with Maiko. He could feel himself breaking soon, no matter how strong his determination was supposed to be.

"You better make sure he does." The reply was an unveiled threat. "I have spent enough time putting up with him. He had better make a good servant after you are done with him."

"Have a little faith, Oscar." Maiko replied, no longer sounding like a butler, but rather more like a friend now. Kyrano did not bother wasting brain space wondering how the Head Butler was speaking so casually to the Head of the household. "Have I not gotten rid of your obstacles over the years?"

"And yet you have failed rather spectacularly with a pair of teenagers." Oscar's reply was gruff, as if he didn't want to accept the colloquial talk from his own butler. "How is Louise doing?"

"Suffering." Maiko's answer was short, and finally, Kyrano's mind roused a little. His mistress was suffering... his butler instincts strained to think of something to do, but nothing was feasible in his sad state. "But Brandon Greaves and Keyron Reyes are being surprisingly cautious. They seem to see themselves as the lady's protectors."

The name of his own brother allowed Kyrano a tiny piece of relief in the corner of his mind. His lady was still safe if Keyron was watching over her. No dangers could come past to the young lady if a man of the Reyes bloodline watched over her.

"Let them play their little game." Oscar scoffed. "Once we are done with Kyrano, those little obstacles that they try to play on us are going to be useless."

"Indeed. Kyrano's skills as a butler is very much credible."

The reassurance seemed to somehow improve Oscar's mood. Kyrano could distantly hear footfalls again, the door opening again.

"I look forward to it, Maiko. Make it quick, and I will reward you handsomely for giving me a butler with the golden coat of arms."

"Certainly." Maiko bade as a farewell, and the door closed again. This time, however, the footfalls continued as the Head Butler walked across the torture room.

The door to Kyrano's isolation room opened, but he didn't look up. He didn't open his eyes, nor did he show any reaction at all. Slumped upon his seat, Kyrano cut a completely useless figure.

A hard kick on his stomach jerked him against his restraints on reflex, and Kyrano coughed even though that action took energy that drained from his very frame. Clear that Kyrano was alive and awake now, Maiko grinned.

"There is only one way out of this, and the sooner you understand it, the better it will be for you, Kyrano." Maiko said, and it sunk into Kyrano's heart that it was not even a proposition.

It was a promise.

"It will only get worse."

________________________________________________________________________________

The room was completely silent, and Kyrano stood in the middle of it, blindfolded, waiting.

There was the slightest sound of air hissing –something almost inaudible even in the silence. But Kyrano dodged, and heard the thud of a knife burying into wood, not far from where he stood. Had he not dodged, he would have been stabbed in the side.

Flinging his hands out, he let the hidden blade in his sleeve free from their catch, sending it sailing through the air. There was a metallic sound as his blade pierced through machine.

They were not done.

One by one, the machines that Kyrano could not see continued to aim at him in all directions, coming from all directions. And yet, one by one, with the deadly precision of someone who had trained for the better part of the month, he destroyed all of them with his thrown hidden blades –doing all of it blindfolded. This was the last part of his training; he knew.

The last attack came from directly above him, but Kyrano had already heard the clang of a catch being released before the weight could come crushing him. Rolling to the side, Kyrano rose with lightning-quick speed, and drove both arms down, sending the last pair of hidden blades in both his sleeve down the machine. If it had been a human, he would have stabbed through ribcage and directly into the heart.

There was a strange mechanical sound that announced the death of the last machine.

The door opened, as Kyrano removed his blindfold, squinting a little against the light that flooded into the room through the open door. His master stood in the doorway, clapping light with a completely proud and satisfied expression.

Kyrano smiled. He had passed the test. He had served his purpose –he had pleased his master.

"Very good, Kyrano. This is very good." His master complimented, and Kyrano bowed low to show his humble acceptance of the compliment.

"Thank you, Master Oscar. I am honoured to receive such compliments."

"Now that you have proved yourself as best of both the jobs that I have placed for you, are you ready to show me the results of your hard work?" Oscar questioned, and Kyrano straightened quickly, nodding once in affirmation.

Oscar stared at the young man of nineteen years old. Two months ago, when Kyrano walked in through the front gates of the Main House, that butler had been spoilt, broken and led astray and seduced by Louise. But Maiko had done exactly what Oscar had wanted.

Kyrano was punished. Purified. Taught and straightened out.

Kyrano was a completely new man now, and Oscar was completely satisfied. Finally something was going along his way. Finally that cockroach had submitted to his fate. The cockroach was now his. Oscar had never been happier owning someone as dirty and insignificant as a cockroach.

"Do me proud, Kyrano. I foresee a great future for you." Oscar patted the young man on the shoulder, hardly remembering a time where Kyrano stood on the opposite end of this war that was about to wage.

"Anything that you ask for, Master Oscar, I will obey with my life. All I ask is to serve you forever."

"Very good." Oscar praised once more.

Completely brainwashed. That was the only two words that Oscar could think of as he now looked at the capable young man. The golden coat of arms shone well on Kyrano's butler coat, and for the first time, Oscar took pride in having his butler wearing that golden coat of arms. It had always been a cause of distate when Kyrano was still serving Louise, but now he saw things clearer –particularly when the man awarded the golden coat of arms worked for him.

"I am your butler and only your butler, Master Oscar. I serve you and only you as my master." Kyrano bowed once more, and Oscar could not resist the grin.

Oh, how badly the young butler was twisted. Had it only been half a year ago that Maiko reported that Kyrano's oath was that 'he was Miss Louise's butler, and only her butler'?

There was no hint of the previous Kyrano. Maiko had outdone himself.

"Then, do your job well." Oscar instructed, turning to walk back out of the room. Kyrano nodded, then followed reverently behind his master. There was no more asking where Kyrano was headed, and Oscar had felt nice –satisfied –enough to be there to send his butler off. Besides, this time, this butler was finally going to serve his purpose, to finally settle his last obstacle that came in the form of an irritatingly-resilient teenaged girl.

"Master Oscar, you do not have to spare the time to send me off." Kyrano said with a helpless plea.

Oscar was not sure if he should be terrified at the 180 degrees change –the fact that Kyrano had been broken so completely that he wasn't even the emotionless butler that Oscar had expected him to be. Kyrano had been broken so thoroughly by Maiko that his entire mental psyche had changed. Kyrano's characteristics hadn't changed –he was still a completely efficient and well-natured butler. But what had changed was the fact that where Louise stood with the top priority, now it was Oscar. Oscar was Kyrano's life now.

"I am able to spare time for efficient and obedient servants, Kyrano." Oscar answered as they stood by the front entrance of the Main House, where Kyrano's belongings were once more placed in the car awaiting to send him off. All that the chauffeur was waiting was the young butler himself.

"I am utterly grateful to hear that." Once more, Kyrano gave his most sincere bow. "I promise that I will do my best to fulfil all that you ask."

"Be wary of Louise." He cautioned, watching as Kyrano nod seriously. "Remember who you serve."

"I serve you, Master Oscar, and only you." The butler's answer was completely serious and heart-felt. There was no space at all, no hesitation present to show otherwise.

"Good." Oscar nodded. "But if your heart somehow finds it in itself to waver, Kyrano, remember your brand."

"My heart will not waver." Kyrano promised with utmost confidence. "But if it assures you, Master Oscar, I remember clearly. The brand of Crawford is seared into my back, and should I forget and succumb to Miss Louise's devious seduction, I will remember the pain at which I received this brand. It will clear my mind to my goal."

"I am glad to hear that." Oscar smiled brightly now.

Maiko and Oscar had not pulled any punches on the young man, and the result was perfect. Kyrano was now conditioned –on reflex –to see Louise as someone of contempt, as someone of distaste. Louise was someone repelling for Kyrano, and Kyrano had already shown unconscious reactions to the mention of the woman's name –for example, like a wince, flinch or an unconscious tick in his eyes.

"Then be off, and serve me well." Oscar pat the young man's shoulder once more. "Do me proud."

"As you wish, Master Oscar." Kyrano's answer was completely reverent, and the young butler bowed deeply.

In the butler's heart, there was nothing more than loyalty to Oscar. Oscar's words were his life's commands, and his master had trusted him enough to go back to Miss Louise's side. Master Oscar had trusted him enough to execute the mission that only he could carry out.

It was a mission of utmost importance –one that Kyrano had been preparing himself for in the better part of the past month.

Kyrano sat himself in the car, and watched the scenery as the car rolled slowly out of the Crawford's residence.

The mission for Kyrano was simple: Kill Louise Crawford.