In the darkness of a dark night, screams echoed through empty streets, piercing the depths of a soul.
"Is he still looking for me?!" Ryu whispered, the vibration of his breath mixing with the night like mist. His heart was pounding in his chest, the fear coursing through his body like ice through his veins.
Standing like a shadow in the middle of the street, the Black Panther grabbed the crying boy by the collar and lifted him into the air. "Don't cry!" he cried, his voice trembling with anger. He tried to suppress the boy's screams, but he couldn't hold back the tears streaming from his eyes.
The darkness within him whispered once more: "Fuck! If it's not with this boy, then where is it? I'm running out of time, I have to hurry!" The pressure of the voices in his head made his steps even harder. He dealt a heavy blow to the little boy's thin leg.
The agonized scream, which rose up in an instant, hit the cracked walls of the street, and as it echoed, it spread like a wail. "Please… let me go!" the little boy pleaded through tears. He tried to push Black Panther's leg away with his tiny hands, but his efforts were futile; before him stood a being as hard and cold as a stone statue.
Huddled in the corner, in the shadow of the wall, Ryu had forgotten to even breathe. The scene he saw suffocated him like a dark hand gripping his very soul. The boy's echoing screams echoed in his mind, each echo seeming to shatter his skull. His knees were on the verge of giving way; he trembled with pain, both from fear and from the inexplicable changes within his body.
"I want to stop him…" he thought, his heart falling as if it were falling into a deep abyss. But even imagining facing Black Panther weighed heavily on his soul. He felt as if his very existence would crumble if he tried to stand against the creature, swallowed by the darkness of the world.
Black Panther's yellow eyes focused on the writhing little boy. The pained expression on the boy's face had triggered a numb look on the panther's face. The boy's cries and whimpering had become as routine as the soundtrack to Black Panther. His eyelids grew heavy, and he let out a deep yawn, his mouth slightly open.
"Boring," he muttered, his voice both mocking and bored.
For a moment, the boy tried to understand the strange numbness in Black Panther's voice. But the tears continued to stream down his cheeks. The excruciating pain in his legs prevented him from even thinking.
Black Panther finished his yawn and stretched slightly. "At least scream some more," he said coolly. "If you're in pain, let me at least enjoy it a little. But you're no fun as you are."
The boy continued to groan at these words, unsure of what to do. He ran his hands over his aching leg, whimpering desperately. "Please… I'm sorry… please let me… please!" he said, his voice growing weaker. The tears flowed unabated, his trembling lips quivering helplessly.
Black Panther, however, observed the boy's pathetic state as calmly as if he were examining an object. A slight grin appeared on his face. "Hm… I wonder," he thought aloud, "if I cut his arm off, would he scream some more? What do you think, little one?"
Laughing at these cruel questions, he reached out his hand for the boy's arm. Just as his fingers were about to grasp the boy's thin arm, he froze suddenly.
It was as if a disturbing whisper, echoing in his head, had spread like a cold wave through his body. The muscles in his hand tensed, and for a moment, he was at a loss. His pupils dilated, and a whisper escaped his trembling lips: "No! So soon?!"
His body trembled uncontrollably, and beads of cold sweat broke out on his forehead. He yanked his foot away from the boy's crushed leg and took a few steps back. He brought his left hand to his head, his fingers covering his left ear, and panic mingled with fear flashed in his eyes.
"S-sir?!" he stuttered. The anxiety in his voice was clearer than anything else at that moment. He stood there, his body trembling from head to toe, the panther's cruel face momentarily lost, replaced by helpless fear.
Ryu's breath caught. Even his own ears could barely hear the low whisper escaping his throat.
"Sir? Wait… I can hear those voices too?"
Black Panther seemed to have completely forgotten his surroundings. He froze, as if crushed under the weight of a dark presence, trying to respond to the voice echoing deep within his mind. But what was truly frightening for Ryu was that he could hear these conversations so clearly. This couldn't be happening. Such a thing was impossible.
But why?
He unconsciously put his hands in his pockets, his nails digging into his palms. At that moment, his fingertips felt cold metal graze his skin. The watch.
At that moment, everything clicked into place.
"Ah… right, this watch belonged to him."
His mind raced."Does that mean I've bonded with him? Or am I hearing this voice because I've absorbed some of his powers?"
He squinted, trying to regain his composure. The second option made more sense. If the watch was truly a relic, it couldn't just be an old accessory. It was possible he'd formed a bond with Black Panther's powers.
If this was true…
If this was true, he could learn everything by listening into Black Panther's mind.
An instinct whispering within him told him this was a great opportunity.
But at that moment, the voice echoing in Black Panther's mind made the very air around him thick.
"What do you think you're doing?"
The words filtered out with a deadly echo, sharp as a knife. Black Panther's entire body recoiled, his breathing labored as if his insides had suddenly been squeezed. His eyes widened, his heart pounding wildly.
A subconscious screaming fear coursed through his veins. His entire body tensed as if he felt the breath of death on the back of his neck.
"How long do you plan to linger there, Black Panther?"
Black Panther involuntarily bowed his head, placed his left hand over his heart, and as if swearing allegiance to an invisible being, he whispered:
"I-I… was finding the watch, sir."
His voice was trembling and inadequate. Something seemed to catch in his throat as the words left his mouth.
"The kid who stole that watch is somewhere around here. I'll find the relic as soon as possible, sir! That's why I'm still wandering around here."
However, another truth echoed in the depths of his mind.
"Fuck, fuck! I'm still stuck with this damned monkey community because of that little bastard!"
The rebellion in his mind was too fearful to utter from his lips.
Ryu, who had been silently watching all of this, had completely focused his mind on these conversations. Hearing Black Panther's thoughts so directly was even more disturbing than observing him.
"So he's still searching for me… and this watch is a relic…"
The more he thought about it, the more he realized that what he had experienced wasn't just a coincidence.
"Well, since he put me through this, it's understandable that it's a relic… But aren't relics only found in Velenor Palace?"
New questions were rapidly forming in his mind. He knew he wouldn't find the answers now, so he focused his attention back on the conversation.
But the threatening voice continued to echo in Black Panther's mind.
"Black Panther, since when did you get so stupid?"
He was literally shaken. His knees shook at the sound, his heartbeat becoming erratic.
"Did you think an Relic user would go unnoticed there? Even with a cloaking spell, the Light Spirit users in the Velenor Empire will find you soon enough. Leave now!"
Cold sweat was pouring down Black Panther's body. He dug his nails into his palms and clenched them, his breath coming in short gasps.
Panicked, he tried to reply:
"But, sir! That boy still has the watch!"
There was silence that lasted only a few seconds. But that silence was like a moment when even time seemed to freeze, each second seeming like a knife against his throat.
And then…
The dark presence in his mind loomed over him like a giant shadow.
"Black Panther."
The voice was softer this time, but it carried such a weight within it that the threat beneath the words practically froze his blood.
"Are you disobeying my orders?"
In that instant, Black Panther's knees trembled, his breathing became erratic. A fear of death coursed through his veins like ice. His eyes widened, and his muscles froze.
"I apologize, sir."
His voice was almost inaudible. He felt as if he were choking on the words as they left his mouth. In that moment, the dark silhouette in his mind was fixated on him. Like a predator, ready to hunt him, it waited just a step away.
Ryu, listening to all this conversation, tried to gather his thoughts.
This voice… This aura…
"I wonder… Are those silhouettes the one they call the Elder Lion?"
Even as he thought it, his instincts whispered to him that the thought was right. He continued to watch.
The voice echoing in his head was cold and emotionless. Black Panther's face remained expressionless as the words seared into his mind like a whisper floating through the mist.
"Leave some leverage before you leave; you've already been noticed. You'll have time to escape."
He closed his eyes heavily, trying to suppress the anger within him by controlling his breathing. But the rage rising in his chest enveloped his mind like poison coursing through his veins.
"Alright sir, I'll handle it now."
The Black Panther replied in a submissive tone. The voice of authority echoing deep within his mind was undeniable. His commands were like unquestionable destiny.
With a harsh movement, he raised his right hand to cover his eyes, and placed his left on his hip. The muscles in his jaw clenched, his teeth clenching like a steel vise. His chest heaved rapidly, uncontrolled rage coursing through his veins like fire.
"Damn it!"
His voice came out in a suppressed growl. His mounting anger forced the beast within him to unleash.
"Those fuckers are always interrupting my fun! Damn it!"
He shouted the words, pulling his left hand back. The crunch of his bones filled the air as he clenched his fist. And then…
He slammed it into the wall with all his might.
There was no expected explosion. The stone should have shattered and scattered, but nothing was heard.
A deathly silence.
But the wall… It cracked.
The cracks, which had started as small, capillary vessels, spread like a disease. Dark shadows seemed to seep from the cracks in the wall. It was something no normal human could ever do.