The Brightest Dark Magician

Chapter 2: I don't trust you... but

I stopped in my tracks realizing what he had said, this man claimed to be my uncle. Most kids who were orphaned would have fantasized about knowing their family but I had no reason to trust this guy especially since I had many enemies who would do whatever they could to swipe me off my feet. It was no secret that the previous head of my section had taken me in. Since he had had no sons he made me his son, he took care of me, fed me, clothed me, taught me, and though it wasn't obvious to anyone else, had loved me as his son.

My "uncle" realized his mistake and took a deep breath as if trying to figure out how to convince me. He seemed to come to a conclusion because his face lit up and he snapped his fingers after three long seconds. "You have a thin leather chord around your neck and strung on it is a ring with an M on it with flourishes all around it." He waited for my response. I didn't give him one, I didn't need to. Instead I entered the cab and waited to see where we were going next. The man slid into the seat smiling radiantly and the same look he had given me earlier returned.

"I finally found you, I've been looking everywhere and then after having some detectives help me out I found out that you had returned to the Empire's capital. I-" he stopped at the sight of my lifted hand. I needed to make a call and I couldn't have him talking in the background. I called the first number in my phone, Joe.

"Yo boss what's happening, you in some kinda trouble." Joe answered right away but knowing that I most likely wasn't in trouble sounded casual and laid back with his slang. He was my closest friend and the only one who would ever catch me with my guard down.

"No, my meeting just ran longer then I expected. An unplanned event has come up and I don't think I'll be able to make the meeting with the other section heads. Make sure they know that and they don't miss understand my absence."

"Ok Dar, if you say so. How did the trade go?"

"Great, there where no palace guards on duty so we made the exchange at a local cafe. Great weather for it too."

"Ok, is there anything else I could help you with? You know, I'm not a secretary, you could have a secretary, but you didn't trust having one." The hidden message was clear. I needed to trust people more.

"No, thank you though and you would make a great secretary." I said jokingly and I heard Joe chuckle before I hung up. My "uncle" was looking at me with a look of curiosity and worry, so I answered it without giving to much away. "It's nothing important." Obviously my "uncle" didn't believe that but as long as he didn't know my trade I was completely fine. Even if he did know it wouldn't make much of a difference, if he found out I could just make him forget through certain connections.

"So where are we going?" I asked looking out the window and see beautiful big houses flying by. We were heading up town but it didn't hurt to know how far we were going.

"To my estate, there are some things we need to discuss about your parents and their wishes for you. I know
it all must come as a surprise and you must be feeling-" I cut him off. "I honestly don't care, I don't mean to sound rude or disrespectful but I don't remember who my parents where and I don't care. For the longest time I thought they were dead or didn't care about me, but I'm happy with the life that I'm living now, so if you don't mind I will listen to you but I can't promise any more then that." My words took him by surprise, as if he had expected something different. I rolled my eyes knowing exactly what he was thinking.

"I don't live on the streets and I'm not poor either, I do have a job you know." I sat back against the seat and continued to look out the window with my arms crossed. Most of the time when people asked my age and I felt like telling them, a look of pity spread across their face as if my life was hard. My life wasn't easy with all the work I had to put into it but being the head of part of the black market has it's perks. I had been taught how to fight in single and multiple combat armed and unarmed. By the  time I was eleven I had finished what most kids learned in collage, and I was accomplished in the art of music, and dance. Although it didn't show, I would hope that my hand tailored suit would be a dead give away but apparently it wasn't.

"If I may ask, how have you um... lived all these years on your own." He asked earnestly. I didn't see the reason in lying since the best lies where just truths without to many details. "When I was five I was taken in by a man. He treated me well, gave me an education and made sure I was prepared for the world. He died four years ago, and since he had no sons other then me, I took over his business." I was thirteen when I became head of the section, it was the last day I ever got to enjoy living a care free life as a kid, it always made me laugh because I had only just become a teenager yet I was forced to become an adult.

"How old are you? You look like you might be eighteen with your height and that stern cold expression, but you look younger then that, maybe sixteen?" He asked guessing perfectly, I only nodded my response. "That would mean that if you took over your adopted father's business four years ago after he died then that would have made you thirteen. You took over an entire business when you where thirteen!?" His eyes became so big and his mouth dropped open obviously not believing it. I just shrugged. It didn't seem like to big of a deal for me but for anyone else I could see how it could be shocking. "How have I never been able to find you all these years then, I've looked everywhere but I haven't been able to find you. It's was as if you had vanished into thin air, the name Hugo had never been heard of." He sounded relieved, but it was as if I was suddenly far away. I remembered empty faces and I remembered him only some what younger and I remember being called by that name only it was from a softer more musical voice. My throat constricted and a sense of longing and dread filled my heart, I shook my head. Even if those where real memories I, wasn't that same boy.

"My name isn't Hugo it's Darion. That was the name I was given my mentor and that's the name I plan to keep. Maybe once I was called Hugo but I haven't heard that name in a long time so please don't call me that." I made my voice steady and calm but not cold, if this man truly was my uncle he didn't deserve that, but I didn't know him and he didn't know me. My uncle nodded but didn't drop the subject.

"Do you remember anything from before that man, your adopted father found you?" He asked the hope of hearing a yes evident. "No, I remember nothing." I turned away from him and continued looking out the window. The car pulled into a long driveway and stopped in front of the house, then the driver got out and opened my door door waiting for me to get out and then opened my uncle's door.

"Thank you victor feel free to do as you please. Hu- Darion and I will not be going anywhere for the rest of the evening." He turned to me waiting to object, I was already going to miss my meeting so I didn't care. The driver nodded saying yes sir and then drove off to park the car.

The inside of the house was very clean and big, I didn't really like that much space (which is why I chose to live in a penthouse) but my uncle told me it was more of a family heirloom then a house. He led me to the dining room and a butler but some cheese and fruit in the table. Neither if us touched it, instead we waited for one of to say something.

"I suppose you must have many questions, one being my name." He said in one big breath before adding in a whisper, "it's Balthazar Nightshade." The last name sounded familiar but I couldn't remember why, it must have been in one of my record or a book I read. The room became quiet so I figured it was my turn to kill the silence.

"It is nice to meet you uncle Balthazar, might I ask why I am here?" I used my being here as a conversation starter, and it defiantly started a conversation. For Balthazar at least who started mumbling to me or himself I wasn't sure.

"You've grown up faster then you should have, but your safe and look you've grown into a hard working gentlemen. You're not what everyone expected but I think you will do just fine in school."