The smoke had thinned, but the tension hadn't.
Chandler stood with his arms behind his back, eyes like twin frost-edged blades trained on Kai. The silence between them wasn't peace—it was pressure. Crushing. Immovable.
Kai still stood tall, despite the lingering bruises and blood crusted along his temple. But deep down, something was boiling. Something angry.
Chandler turned slightly, his voice detached and smooth. "You do realize, don't you… that what you did out here constitutes reckless endangerment of royal citizens?"
Kai's face twitched. "What?"
"You took an unauthorized Z-rank mission, cost two lives, destroyed half a forest, and almost unleashed a demon onto nearby settlements. Under Elarian Law… that's grounds for detainment."
"Detain me?! I saved the damn town!"
Chandler didn't blink. "You endangered more than you saved."
Kai stepped forward. "You think you can just show up after everything I went through and toss that in my face?"
"I don't think." Chandler's eyes narrowed. "I decide."
Kai snapped.
His fist flew like a missile—driven by pain, grief, pride, and rage.
But Chandler had already moved.
Like time rewound just for him, Chandler's head tilted an inch left. The punch whiffed through air.
Kai struck again—fast. A left hook. Then a straight.
Chandler dodged both with eerie ease, boots never breaking position. Just tilts, sways, and whispers of movement. A blur of control.
Kai shouted and lunged, throwing a furious combination.
Whiff. Whiff. Whiff.
And then—pain.
In less than a blink, Chandler caught Kai's arm, spun him like a toy, and wrenched it behind his back in a cruel, precise lock.
Kai screamed.
"I could shatter this elbow right now," Chandler said coldly, voice as emotionless as wind across stone. "Strip you of your right arm forever. Take away the only thing you've ever trusted."
Kai groaned, teeth grit. "You… bastard—!"
"Hmm…" Chandler's fingers pressed tighter. "Still resisting. I wonder…"
He leaned in closer to Kai's ear.
"Let's say I dislocate the shoulder. Tear the ligaments. Turn you into a reminder to every other reckless little insect who thinks they're more than they are."
Kai's knees buckled as pain tore through his side. Chandler tightened the grip.
And then, softly:
"Or maybe I just snap his neck and be done with it."
His words were too calm to be a bluff.
He wasn't threatening a boy.
He was baiting someone.
"…How about it?" Chandler said louder now, not to Kai—but to the forest.
"To whoever's watching. Should I twist the bone until it cracks?"
The wind stilled.
Kai's eyes widened.
He realized then—this wasn't about him.
He was being used.
From the trees, a shadow dropped with a quiet thud.
A figure in ragged robes and long dreads stepped forward, bottle swaying at his side. His eyes gleamed under a sunken hood—tired, calculating, and full of fire.
Sir 8.
"…Let him go, Chandler."
Chandler smiled faintly—finally—and released Kai, who collapsed to his knees, gasping and holding his wrist.
"Well, well." Chandler straightened. "You've aged, Eight. And you still drink that same garbage."
Sir 8's jaw tightened. "Still choking kids to get attention, huh?"
Kai looked up, confused, pain throbbing. "You… know him?"
"Unfortunately," Sir 8 said.
Chandler's arms folded again, the lawmaker's mask re-set on his face.
"You're under investigation," he said calmly. "For treason. For desertion. For using forbidden ki. And for vanishing from three separate kingdoms where your presence was outlawed."
Sir 8 didn't blink.
"Got proof?"
Chandler gestured at the burning forest. "I don't need proof when I have a crater and a corpse."
Kai's eyes shifted between them, mind racing.
Sir 8 had always seemed broken. Haunted. But now, Kai was seeing it—really seeing it. The weight he carried. The shadows trailing him.
Chandler took a step forward. "You can come peacefully. Or I can burn this forest to ash until every squirrel squeals your name."
Sir 8 raised his hand and cracked his neck.
"…You really want to play that game?" he muttered. "In front of a kid?"
Kai groaned, still holding his shoulder. "I'm right here, y'know..."
Chandler raised a single brow. "You were never part of the real conversation, child."
Sir 8's grin turned dry. "Then I guess it's time we remind the royal court who I am."
The tension snapped like a blade being drawn.
To be continued…