My eyes were narrowed, hands clasped in front of my face.
I was sitting alone in my current place of operations.
The mission wasn't just a failure. It was a disaster.
And the boy was no sleeper, he was an awakened one.
Everything just went the wrong way. First I hadn't managed to exhaust the boy, even if the battle was glorious.
Then he had claimed victory, which I couldn't deny.
He had me in checkmate as soon as the arrow was ready.
A shiver ran down my spine at the thought of the arrow.
A transcendent arrow, with powerful enchantments.
A death sentence to most.
How had the boy gotten such powerful memories? He couldn't have bought them.
And he hadn't been spotted in the dream realm.
His trail was gone. He was at the first house for several days, before leaving.
I hadn't seen him first, nor his apparent pet.
I rubbed my temples.
This was a very bad situation, and it was all because of the now-dead Captain Zhiu.
He just had to defy my direct orders. Enrage the boy. And now there was no possibility of him joining Clan Valor.
Not like the boy ever wanted to join.
But it is always better not to have such a wild card against us. Especially if he joined the Song. I'm sure Beastmaster would be intrigued by his ability to seemingly exist among creatures.
Finally, I sighed in frustration. It seemed, the mission was on hold for now.
There was no point in chasing ghosts.
I could already imagine father and the government frothing at the mouth from such a failure.
Hopefully, Father wouldn't start sending assassins after the boy.
Nothing short of a Saint could best that.
And his awakened ability? A mystery.
All I know, the man died filled with terror. He had died from sheer fear. His heart couldn't handle it.
A terrifying ability.
An ability seemingly undefendable, uncounterable.
A death sentence.
I sighed, brushing away a strand of dark hair. Then I stood up, slowly leaving the half-ruined room.
It was time to meet with my own squad, as well as the other one.
I stood in front of six people, all backs straight, shoulders squared.
Yet they couldn't hide their eyes, the emotions in them.
All were filled with a tinge of fear, fear of the mission and the boy.
And Chloe? She looked like she was about to have a heart attack.
Her fingers twitched from time to time, brows covered in sweat, pupils trembling.
Her fear was understandable; she had been a hostage of the boy after all.
Finally, I cleared my throat.
"Squad two, you are returning to Valor. Make sure my father hears of this. "
I paused, about to give them responsibility that no person wanted to have.
"You are to inform Captain Zhiu's family of his demise. Make sure nothing of the truth leaks. And do be sure to give them compensation."
The three members of one of the elite teams tensed, fear replaced by grief.
They left after exchanging goodbyes, my own squad remaining in front of me.
My voice softened slightly, these three had grown on me. They weren't just foot soldiers, pawns. They are people, entrusting their lives to me. Following every order without hesitation, even if it was dangerous.
I've already been informed of a wedding between Chloe and Dex.
They had the right to decide for themselves for once.
I cleared my throat once again, sitting down.
The others followed my lead, their muscles relaxing.
"The situation is simple." I started, my voice low.
"Whoever doesn't want to continue with the mission, has the right to leave. I will not judge you for your wish to survive. You are only awakened."
No one spoke. Everyone's heads fell to the ground, clearly thinking.
Good. They shouldn't make such a decision on the fly. Emotions shouldn't impact their judgment of their own capabilities against such a foe.
Rel stood up, eyes glistening.
"And what will you do, Lady Morgan?"
I didn't pause, didn't think. I had already decided.
"I will continue the mission."
I stated.
Dex stood up, his form towering over all of us.
"I shall continue."
I nodded, but I wished he hadn't. I really did wish he hadn't.
Soon enough, Chloe and Rel both agreed to continue.
I almost grimaced, my facial muscles tightening under the strain.
This was a good squad. One of the best I had ever worked with. And they could be so much more.
Yet they still followed me into a mission against a foe they had no chance against. Not alone at least.
This time, I wouldn't be selfish. I wouldn't fight the boy alone.
As the boy had said, "There is no honor in life or death."
***
I sat on a fallen log, a campfire in front of me.
I was alone. There wasn't anyone with me. Not the spiders, not Fenrir.
I had waited till my friend's wound had healed. Got in contact with the others. Made sure they would stay together this time.
And me? I left. It was clear to me now, I was the problem. As long as I stayed with my friends, with my family, they would be in danger.
I clenched my fist in front of the flames. Determination surging through me.
"I will master fear, fill up my second core. And become a master. Or I will not return."
I vowed silently into the flames.
With the promise made, I extinguished the small flames. Warping back into the ruins.
First, I needed to make sure Morgan wouldn't search for me there.
She needed to know I was leaving, so she wouldn't hunt my family.
Blood sense extended, pinpointing a devil.
I warped in front of it, standing on a rooftop.
Then the same transcendent arrow from a week ago appeared.
The explosion was as deafening as they always were. There was no doubt, that Morgan would come here. She was dry on information. I had purposefully avoided her every move.
I ignored the kill confirmation, slowly walking towards the soul shards.
I grasped the four awakened soul shards. I didn't feel joy, I didn't feel the satisfaction of killing a powerful creature.
I was changing faster and faster. And I'm sure, in a year, I wouldn't want to kill these things anymore.
The thought was sickening, but I ignored it.
I had learned long ago, before I was even infected. That all things had a price. And power? It had the greatest price.
Some went mad, and some flaws were devastating.
And others? They became greedy. And greed was a death sentence for any awakened.
Soon enough, blood sense detected four figures. It seemed the other squad hadn't shown up. Or perhaps they left.
I slowly turned around, my face covered by my long, pale, black hair.
An arrow flew right at me, useless. I warped it away, holding it in the air right at the archer's own neck.
The arrow shattered into a thousand pink shards, obscuring the figure.
I stepped backwards, the slim assassin girl shooting past me like a missile.
I gazed at the giant of a man who had just thrown his teammate at such speeds, my brows raised.
That strength was comparable to Morgan's, an incredible feat.
Then the man rushed forward, his giant heavy steps almost shaking the ground itself.
I sidestepped the greatsword, my hair swaying from the wind force the swing created.
It wouldn't be a great idea to get hit by that.
Finally, Morgan herself made her move.
She appeared behind me, palm flying at the back of my neck.
This time, I wouldn't be foolish. I wouldn't play around. Wouldn't limit my abilities.
Warp activated, the giant man's sword appeared behind me.
I could feel their eyes widen, Morgan's hand smashing against the memory.
Both held, after a second of struggle, the blade vanished into a building. Then through it.
Golden sparks started gathering in the man's grasp, the same memory slowly manifesting.
Morgan herself used her forward momentum, sending her left foot straight at my head.
I stepped forward, towards the man.
The kick missed me by inches.
Morgan spun with the kick, the back of her right hand shooting straight at me.
I merely warped, the attack useless.
She was holding back, as she was.
But her raw technique was different. It wasn't just skill fueled by strength anymore.
Now she used the environment, her own momentum as a weapon.
Then her body sharpened, sunlight reflecting from her whole body.
She blurred, so did I.
I dashed towards Morgan. Just as we were about to make contact, I appeared behind the man using warp. My fist slammed straight into a yellow transparent barrier.
I vanished again, just in time to avoid a greatsword.
This wasn't good, they were coordinated.
And the archer wasn't attacking, I couldn't use her own arrows against them.
And I didn't feel like taking another hostage.
I paid for my lack of attention, as a dagger slammed into my stomach.
I heaved, but warped away before the figure could follow up.
Kinetic surged, my attire glowing brilliantly.
It had been charged fully, good and bad news.
I raised my hand, trying to pause the fight. Of course, it didn't really work.
All I got was Morgan rushing straight at me.
It seemed she didn't plan to play around anymore.
I dodged a swing, redirected a knee, and slammed my own towards Morgan.
Her palm blurred, blocking the knee.
But there was no impact, I was already in the air behind her.
The knee slammed into her head, smashing her into the ground.
I warped before I touched ground, catching the assassin girl by her throat.
I roared in effort, raising the figure into the sky, then smashing her into the ground, back first.
All I heard was a pained gasp before an arrow slammed into me.
I flipped with the momentum, the arrow stuck in my attire. As soon as it started glowing, I warped it to the giant man.
A small explosion rang out, sharp pink shards flying every which way.
Finally, I got the time to breathe. Everything had devolved into chaos far faster than I had expected.
"Morgan!"
I shouted out, my voice clear as day.
She slowed in her sprint towards me, but didn't stop.
"If you could perhaps listen?"
I asked politely. But inside, I wanted to just slam their heads into the ground and be done with them. Or perhaps just warp away.
But that wouldn't achieve what I want.
She stopped, using the time to scan her teammates' minor injuries.
I coughed silently, continuing my speech.
"I came here, just to inform you of something."
She raised a brow, but her defenses didn't falter.
"Our playground" I waved my hand all around, "is changing, it has gotten quite boring here."
Morgan's hands faltered, brows knitting together.
Of course, she thought it was merely a ploy to buy me time.
But soon enough, she would notice my absence in the ruins. In a few weeks, perhaps a month.
And then, she would know I hadn't been lying.
Then Morgan surged, her form lacking any details, just a blur.
I just warped away, my objective achieved.
Now? It was time to train, hunt, and evolve.
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