Like a mirror on ground it lays.
On one side gravel beach, on the other high trees calmly waving in the wind.
The mirror, the small pond reflects said threes making it look like there is a whole world on the other side, illusion only being broken by glitter of miniature waves created by calm wind and morning sun.
Meanwhile slight mist hovers over the lake and obscures what's on the other side besides the threes, making world look small but mystical.

And there, in this cold morning, he lonely stands... or well sits. And he isn't lonely ,tho It might look like it to onlookers. What onlookers don't know is that next to him in spirit form is his servant, Florence Nightingale, examining her master who is calmly... well fishing.

Nightingale:"I am still not sure I see the appeal of this." she says looking at her master's big, bent, calm rod.

Stefan:"That is understandable it's how I felt when i'd go fishing with dad. There is nothing happening for most of it and you know what's probably gonna happen, but I think I got it. For one just calmness of surroundings is beautiful I feel but it's not just about beauty of looking at a painting. Calmness let's me completely free my mind and let it rest. Just rest however is boring which is where fishing comes in. Rod is there and is for the most part just still part of painting, but when fish bites it changes. It reminds me time is passing and breaks monotony in my meditation. Heh tho having a partner talk with you kinda changes things. That is probably why he wanted to go alone so many times. I kinda wish I understood the beauty of peace with occasional breaks better back then."

Nightingale:"I see so it's about having mental rest, and fishing breaks that rest just enough so that peace doesn't make you go insane."Tho from the sound of it you might also be motivated by sense of longing.

Stefan:"You got it. Tho that is only from my experience , I imagine for a lot of others there is a gambling aspect to it."

Nightingale:"Gambling?" she asks completely dumbfounded.

Stefan:"Yeah you see you go put in your time as currency and then basically completely randomly you might get rewards for it. You might only be losing time but as some say time is money, so I still can see it as gambling. With that being said I seem to be on a losing streak." he says with joking pain in his voice.

Nightingale:Isn't also almost everything then gamble with time. Some are just safer bets. Is that how you see life as a long series of gambles? What are you betting on then?"Well you did catch a lot of fish but you seem to be not happy with those."

Stefan:"Oh right I didn't explain to you. The ones I caught are basically useless , not edible and take up space of other fishes. Dad said to just chuck them on ground when you catch them." And as he says that he looks at ever growing pile of "useless" fish behind him in his bucket.

Nightingale:"You aren't throwing them on the ground tho? Trying to get the best out of losing?"

Stefan:"I'll let them out in our bases aquarium later. I'm too big of softy to just chuck them on ground. I'm sure dad would have done the same had he had the option." and then he says silently"He always was the nicer one of us."

Nightingale:"Heh well maybe your bad luck isn't fully your fault you did scream at Francesca for asking you where you were going, saying it was bad luck."

Stefan:"Oh yeah that brings back sweet memories of being screamed at by dad for doing the same. But don't worry about Francesca, i've gotten back at her for that already."

Nightingale:"Ehhhh...?" she makes a sound afraid to ask for details but "This won't put her health at any risk?"

Stefan:"Oh of course not I am not a monster!"

SCENE END

My name is Francesca Anastasia, Anastasia being the last name, I get the confusion.
Anyway that isn't important, what is important-

Francesca:"SUZI WHY ARE THERE WORMS IN MY CAN OF PATE!?" she says looking at wriggling mass inside can she held in her hand.

Suzi:"Lady Francesca I think that is a can Stefan kept his baits in." says the maid with slight fear in her voice.

Francesca:"Oh so he is behind this, that little... To think I almost spread this on my bread!
Was this just cause I asked him where he is going?!"

Suzi:"I don't know how well known it is but apparently here it's bad luck when going fishing, so yes I think this is retribution for that."

Francesca:"To think he even went and brought Nightingale with him to fish. I was gonna have breakfast with her but they went before sun went out."As she says that she walk over to garbage can and throws can with baits, before she checks her hands. It's cause her imagination is playing tricks on her , making her feel like worms are wriggling on her skin even tho she never touched them.

Suzi:"I understand you were planning to eat pate but it seems we don't have it. Do you want me to go and buy it or get something else for your breakfast?"asks maid worried for her master's wellbeing.

Francesca:"Oh i'm sorry to bother you but yes thank you, i'd appreciate if you went and bought pate. I just feel like eating it this morning. " she says while caressing Suzi's posterior.

After this she went and walked Suzi to door despite her protests and after exchanging a kiss Suzi left for the shop.

Francesca:"I swear to god, if I didn't owe him as much as I do I would have already sent assassins after him. Well sending assassins after him would probably be a losing gamble either way." She thinks aloud.

As this happened from the back dark figure observed it all.
Close to 2 meters tall and muscular this dark figure was our Hanes.
Feeling like he saw something he shouldn't have he quickly but silently steps away, barely managaing to keep his usual stoic appearance.

In his retreat he accidentally walks into training room where his servant is sitting on floor , drinking brandy filled with sadness.

Hanes seeing the chance to escape the awkwardness he was feeling he decided to start talking to his Fiore.
Hanes:"Still not over the loss you took?"

Fiore:"Huh of course not. How could I get over loosing to some bruiser?" he said with wavering voice, obviously slightly drunk.

Fiore:"And he, HE, HE jumped in and saved me like he is superior. How can I get over that."

Hanes:"I don't think he wanted to insult you in any way when he saved you, plus him saving you hospitalized him, so I don't think it's as bad for you as you might think it is."- Hanes continues trying to cheer up his friend and servant, even tho he is realizing slowly this situation is pretty awkward as well.

Fiore:"He did get hospitalized but did you see him, he was so beautiful. His heart beating so hard it sounded like thunder and so fast like gallop of horses. His veins and muscles bulging like they will explode, he reached peak of humanity. And look at me. I am so far behind him. All this time I spent honing my skills was basically for nothing. Just leave me alone."

Hanes:"The way you describe him are you sure you haven't got a crush?" Hanes says like always monotone but obviously joking.

As his joke didn't make any impact Hanes could see he is way past the point of being talked into a better mood, so he left his servant to drown his sadness with alcohol.

Hanes:I don't think i'll ever get the types that dedicate their lives to something that much.

SCENE END

Nightingale:"So I heard from Francesca you went to forest by yourself once?" she says while playing with fish in bucket that are getting used to their new surroundings.

Stefan:"Oh that time. I guess I could tell you about it to pass the time" as he says that he tosses another inedible fish into bucket. He doesn't have to even turn around because how used he got to tossing them behind his back. Except..

Nightingale:"Master I beg of you to look at where you are throwing fishes." says Nightingale with slightly angry look and fish on her head.

Stefan:"Oh yeah sorry. Either way the time I went to forest." he changes the topic quickly.

Stefan:"It was right after I got initiated into world of magecraft by Boss's father. He wanted to use me to well do what I do now. Locate supernatural threats and either contain them or kill them. I however doubted my ability at the time. So I wanted to do a bit of special training to finally surpass my limits.
I simply went into forest. I did my usual training while there but that was only the beginning of my true goal. Days passed I killed an animal here and there to feed myself but the I slowly decreased that since it was only prolonging me reaching my goal."

Nightingale:"What was the goal there?"

Stefan:"To surpass death. I wanted to get myself trough the point where I should for sure die and then push past it. I was hoping that would let me achieve new strength. I even heard of near death experiences allowing people to achieve new abilities from Boss's father so it made sense to me."

Nightingale:"And that worked?" she says dumbfounded by the fact someone would put themselves in that kind of situation based on what is basically a hunch.

Stefan:"Yes it worked greatly. I still remember the first time I reached that state so clearly. I was starved, dehydrated and had slept barely at all because of predators. And at that very moment I was chased by some. It was a pack of wolves. I ran like you couldn't believe. It was impossible. I was too weak and frail at that point to fight them. Is that the reason you thought I ran? Well no it was complete opposite I was luring them into a clearing and then."

Stefan in past:I can tell by smell and sound, 11 wolfs all attacking in perfect sync. My life is flashing before my eyes. You are too weak to stand. Too weak to open your eyes. Too weak to breath. To weak for even your heart to beat. But remember they are enemies. These wolves are enemies.
And what is it you said at his grave to yourself.

He remembers a scene. Graveyard filled with people, but he felt alone in that see without person that was guiding light in his life.
Stefan in flashback:"If I can't ever be as good of person as you... I will surpass you in everything else and I will never lose to an enemy. You'll see."

Stefan in past: Yes it was a promise to him and to yourself. A sole motivator and purpose for your life was decided there, on his grave. He needed to die for you to find yourself. And it worked. So you promised. -As he was thinking this fangs were reaching for his flesh ready to clamp down on it.

Stefan in past: "THAT YOU WILL NEVER FALL TO AN ENEMY. " And as he let out that scream he hit them. Not one or two but all eleven of them at what seemed like same moment. His hunger, thirst and exhaustion disappeared. Because he reached his goal. Because it was written in book of destiny that in that moment before wolves get to him he would die of exhaustion but he didn't because...

Stefan:"Because I had enemies to beat. That was all motivation I needed to surpass death. Either way what I hoped would happened ,happened. My physical strength exploded, so I returned to civilization."

Nightingale:"Wait master you are moving too fast. You only said you hit the wolves, go into more details."

Stefan:"Well it's not like I skipped anything essential. Wolves ran away afterwards. Can you blame them? Something that looked like a corpse just moved faster than you could imagine. Of course the only possible decision was to run. Afterwards I hunted down some animals to finally eat and like I said returned to civilization. I seemed to have broken my limit then as I seem to be able to get stronger trough training now with no real limit as it seems."

Saying that he stands up planning to finally leave and go back. Sky has become burning orange and it will soon be a sunset.

Stefan:"So that is how I became Stefan, main executor of family Anastasia. " There is no reason for him to ask about her past however , for he already saw it all in his dreams.
He saw sick and injured struggling to live and her working her hardest to help them.
Spending her families fortune to improve conditions of hospitals and revolutionizing nursing as a profession.
And he saw...

That in her whole life.
Even when she was proposed to... nobody told her they loved her.
Even tho number of people she helped outnumbered number of rocks on this gravel beach, she never got anything from it. But she always wanted to do it with no complaints.
She gambled with her time where only reward she'd ever get would be barely anything, where as I spend my time in hope of getting lead completely opposite life of me. Where i just selfishly want to get stronger she helped others no matter the cost.

.

.

.

.
She is same as him.
She is the same as that saint I try to compete with.
Not an angel. Not an angel nor a goddess, but a human... A simple good human.
But it's nice to once again see light.

Stefan:"So let's go." he said with a cheery tone.

What a fake smile Nightingale thought to herself.

Nightingale:"Ok let's go but master that story about wolfs reminds me, you never told me how you knew werewolfs we hunted weren't really feral. "

Stefan:"Oh that." He remembers the scene of the day mansion was attacked, his servant held by neck by one werewolf.
Just as she was about to release the grenade to blow it away , werewolf's partner shorter than him but much more muscular flies like a cannonball and hits his partner.
He drops Nightingale as two werewolfs fly and hit a tree.

Taller Werewolf:"What happened why did you fly at me like that?!"

Shorter Werewolf:"He... he …. he is too strong. He also realized we aren't ferals"

Taller Werewolf:"What do you mean? He is just a human?!"

Shorter Werewolf:"A...a...a... beast." he says with tail between his legs and bent down ears while sounding like a scared puppy.

Stefan in past:"Let's go Nightingale,they weren't feral, they were only a distraction. Don't worry about them I am sure they won't do anything anymore" he says as he shows himself from the woods.
If it's not obvious he threw werewolf he fought with at one that was holding Nightingale by her neck.

Stefan in past:"From what werewolf I fought with told me mansion is in danger. We should hurry."

Nightingale in past:"Are you sure master but-"

Stefan in past:"I am. Trust me I have faith in shorty over there"

And so they leave, leaving only two werewolfs, one dumbfounded and one so scared he is still shaking.

Taller werewolf:"Shit our job was to distract them let's cha-" before he could start his sprint he is grabbed by shorter werewolf who is still shaking.

Short werewolf:"Please no! Just look at me , I am stronger of two of us and look at the state i'm in."

It's only then that he realizes what state his partner is in. Both his back legs were broken so that he couldn't run. Most of his teeth were smashed out and even his rib cage seems smashed up.

Taller werewolf:"What in God's name?"

Stefan:"He tried to run away when we charged at each other for second time. Well I thought we were charging at each other but he quickly turned away and charged the other way. Also not going for humans and only massacring sheep isn't something ferals would do. Combination of those 2 behaviors told me they were faking it so I quickly caught mine and started interrogating it."

Nightingale:"And so he told you they were only a distraction?"

Stefan:"Yeah. I also made my werewolf sign a magical contract saying they won't step out of line anymore. It will only punish my werewolf if contract is broken but don't worry in it I also stated he has to stop his partner from doing anything."

Nightingale:"You just have contracts like that on you?"

Stefan:"Yeah I have modifiable contracts pretty much always on me. It's how I often deal with enemies you can reason with. Of course getting only one of them to sign a contract was a small gamble but I think a safe one."

Nightingale:"That's very kind for someone who claims not to be." He really is soft, how come he thinks so badly of himself then. Is it just because it isn't natural? Is it just because he forces himself to do it?

Stefan:"Yeah well I don't see myself as best person but I try."

And as they chat they travel and quickly get back to city where they were planning to buy some stuff.

Stefan:"Well we won't be having fish for dinner luckily so I guess we need to buy something. What would you like?"

Nightingale was about to say how she doesn't really have a preference but notices something weird about the sentence Stefan just said.

Nightingale:"Luckily? Don't you like fish?"

Stefan:"Not really. I like fishing but bothering with their bones is just too annoying for me. I lose my appetite by the time i'm done with them. I do like the taste tho to be clear. Either way back to the topic, what do you like?"

Nightingale:He fishes but doesn't like eating fish. What a unique master."I don't really have a preference as long as it doesn't overly negatively impact ones health."

Stefan:"Is that so. I guess we'll just eat chicken , they should have that in mansion. " He then moves for a moment before abruptly stopping and raising his finger like a light bulb shined above his head.

Stefan:"I read on some site you liked apple pie and we didn't have that recently so I guess I could buy apples and make it. Obviously I don't know if what site said was right so is that ok with you?"

Nightingale:So he went so far as to research on the food I like"Yeah apple pie would be great, thank you." she says with a gentle smile , appreciating another one of her master's attempts at kindness..

After buying apples they finally head home for the day.
They only made a stop to give some change to a begging girl with black, slightly green hair, and dark emerald eyes, who thanked Stefan with what seems to be her whole heart.
It was an action that wouldn't benefit him in any way, and certainly not make him stronger, but like led by light he did it.

Stefan:"Before you say anything Nightingale , like I said, I try."

Nightingale:"You know i'm not sure there is a difference." Says his servant still with a gentle smile.

SCENE END

As they arrive home Stefan quickly goes to aquarium and let's fishes who were fighting for space in his bucket to roam free.

Calling them "useless" and "not for anything" might seem cruel of Stefan's father but considering they weren't good to it not nor the prettiest he probably wasn't wrong.

Still to him the swarm of them moving trough water could be called beautiful.

Francesca:"What happened fisher, bad catch?"

Stefan:"Well I mean it is by your fault. By the way how did you enjoy your pate."

Francesca:"Greatly, tho Suzi had to go and buy it, thanks to you." she says while looking away not wanting to let him enjoy her trauma.

Stefan:"Oh don't blame your abuse of your servants on me."

Francesca gets flustered for a moment misunderstanding what Stefan said.
Francesca screams:"It's not abuse Suzi and me are just lovers." still flustered.

Stefan:"What the hell are you talking about."He says as he eats one of the apples he brought."Well excuse me i'll be making apple pie now." he says while walking away.

Francesca realising her mistake sits on a sofa suppressing her anger.

Suzi:"I'm sorry miss. Could you please refrain from screaming that type of stuff. I'll get accused of seducing you for better pay!"

Francesca:"Oh you come here," she says while gesturing with her hands"come here."

In the end Suzi sat next to Francesca on sofa after which they cuddled.

SCENE END

Stefan:"Dinner's served!" He yells pretending to be one of the maids.

Everyone including the staff gathers around the big table in dining room. It's a long rectangular table. It's covered with soft white cloth, with golden details on the edges. Everyone of course has a plate and cutlery similarly white with golden details. Well almost everyone. You see Stefan or head maid as he calls himself is eating a bit lonely in a next room.

Lonely until his worried servant checks up on him.

Knock Knock

Stefan:"Come in." he says with full mouth and manners of a starving pig.

Nightingale:"Master why are you eating by yourself and please slow down so you don't choke."

Stefan:"Don't cough don't worry about me. I just like to eat by myself and I haven't eaten anything today so I have to compensate. You don't have 140kg like me by fasting a ton."

Nightingale:By yourself. Was spending today fishing not enough? No wait a minute!"140!? Master are you sure you got that right that is way too heavy fo-"

Stefan:"For how I look, right? Yeah my BF% is pretty low i'm 175cm and I am not too big so I should be much lighter but I have 140kg. According to tests they did on me it seems like muscles and bones have become many times denser than that of normal humans. Either way there is nothing to worry about i'm fine." As he says that there seems to be commotion in dinning room. Commotion but obviously nothing serious still they are curious to see what it is.

And so they walk in trough the door and there is a new face for Nightingale.

Standing at 180cm and seeming decently fit. With his hair cut short on sides and slightly longer messy hair at the top. It's similar pinkish gray like Nightingale's hair. He has 3 piercings on his left ear and a black leather jacket.

?:"Yo I see there are some new faces here so let me introduce myself. I am Adam Niki, first executor of Anastasia family by seniority and second by fighting ability. Nice to meet you all and it's nice to see you Francesca and Boss."

SCENE END