Lady Vena spoke as she removed the locks on the box, "I asked you to kill the sheep not because I thought you were lazy and I wanted you to do something that would help raise your dog. I asked you to kill sheep because I wanted you to become familiar with the sight of blood and killing."
Arthur was not surprised by her reason. But then he had a change of heart when she opened the box to reveal a man.
The man was still alive. But he was bound with chains and made to curl up in the box. His mouth was also sealed with cloth. So he could only groan, not speak.
The sight of the man, plus what Lady Vena just said, made him realize what was going on. Everything clicked in his mind, and it brought a sense of horror.
His face paled, and he stepped back in fear. But he couldn't leave her side because Lady Vena grabbed his arm and held on tightly to it.
He shook his head and said, "No."
She took out a knife from her sleeve and extended it to him.
"Take it," she said calmly.
He shook his head again. It was all he could do. He couldn't speak because of the mounting terror in his chest. This terror gripped his heart and throat so tightly that he felt like he was suffocating.
He was truly having problems breathing. His breath had broken out of sync with his breathing technique. Now it was shallow and frequent.
She said to him, "You have two choices. You either kill this man or you kill Ruff."
This ultimatum gave him the motivation to speak. He said, "I won't do any of it, and you can't make me."
She nodded. "You are right. This is your choice. But if you don't make a decision and execute it in the next five minutes, I will make a choice for you. I assure you that it won't be a choice you will like."
The knife was still extended to him. She said, "Go on. Take it."
He couldn't believe what was going on. He was angry and afraid as he asked, "Why are you doing this? What will you gain from this?"
She sighed. "You're a good boy. You're talented, and you're smart. Everyone likes you; even some of your neighbors do. But I fear that you're too soft and kind, so I decided that this must be done."
He still couldn't believe what he heard. It made him angrier. His eyes reddened because of the anger.
"You're doing this because I am kind? What kind of reason is that?"
"I am not doing this only because you are kind. I should have done this when you reached the sixth transformation because every child in a noble family does it."
"It is a rite of passage for children in noble families. They are brought out to kill."
"I didn't care about it at first because I had given up on you. But then I saw that you had the potential to be successful in life, so I decided that it must be done. Your kind and soft nature, combined with the fact that you're developing too fast and will soon leave, only compelled me to bring the date forward."
He only had one thing to say. He said, "This is sick."
Then he vomited.
Lady Vena waited until he was done before continuing. "Sick or not, you have no choice in the matter. You will either kill this criminal or you will kill Ruff. Your indecision will lead to the death of Ruff. You have four minutes left to make a decision."
His face was pale, and his body was shaking. He wiped the vomit from his lips and asked, "Tell me more about his crimes."
She replied, "He is a serial rapist and murderer. He likes raping underage girls the most. He would kidnap them, rape them, and then kill them."
"He has done this to 73 girls, Arthur. Will you spare his life in exchange for Ruff's life?"
Arthur looked at the man. The man's eyes were wild with fear, and he was shaking his chains with all his might.
He looked at Ruff next. When he did, his eyes happened to meet Ruff's. The dog was looking at him innocently. It was wagging its tail, waiting for his instructions.
He thought to himself, "A stranger that is a criminal or Ruff that I love."
Lady Vena reminded him, "You have three minutes left to make a decision."
He made up his mind and exhaled deeply. Next he took the knife from her and approached his choice. Then he raised the blade into the air to stab it down.
A minute later, he walked out of the shack with blood all over his body. Lady Vena held him as he walked because his legs were too weak.
He felt weak and exhausted mentally, physically, and emotionally. He wanted to vomit, but he had done that to his limit already. There was nothing more to give in his stomach.
Coupled with his swooning vision, he needed his mother's help to even stand and not fall over.
Only the two of them came out of the shack. There was no Ruff with them.
Three had entered, but only two came out. However, they didn't leave yet because they were waiting for something.
What they were waiting for came out a few minutes later. It was Ruff.
Ruff's jaw was bloody. Blood was even dripping down from his mouth.
Arthur had recovered a little during the wait. But the sight of Ruff's bloody jaw and the thought of what he had ordered his dog to do caused his stomach to roll and squeeze.
Fortunately for him, there was nothing left in his stomach to vomit. So he was only queasy and disgusted.
Lady Vena said to the man that had brought them to the shack, "Dispose of what's left. We are leaving."
The man bowed as the three of them left the compound.