Deep under the streets of Oakhaven, cold water dripped slowly from a stone ceiling. Desmond Caldwell hated the smell of the dirty tunnels.
He wrapped his expensive coat tightly around his shoulders. His hands were shaking violently. He did not want to be down here in the dark.
He stood in front of a heavy iron gate. A man stepped out of the shadows.
This man was called Viper. He was a top killer for the Blood Shadow.
Viper wore a dark red mask that covered the bottom half of his face. His eyes were completely black. There was no white in them at all. This was the dark result of eating too many forbidden pills.
"You look very lost, rich boy," Viper said. His voice sounded like dry leaves scraping on a stone.
Desmond swallowed hard. He forced himself to look at the killer.
"My father sent me. Lord Marcus Caldwell. We have a target that needs to be removed tonight. A man named Caspian and his wife Lyra."
Viper tilted his head. He let out a dry, evil laugh.
"The useless husband of the Valerius family? Your father wants to hire the elite Blood Shadow to kill a street dog?"
"He has hidden guards," Desmond said quickly. "Powerful shadows. We cannot touch him. My father will pay you ten million spirit stones right now. Just do it tonight."
Viper stopped laughing. He stepped very close to Desmond. Desmond wanted to step back, but his legs were frozen with fear.
"The Blood Shadow does not care about your spirit stones," Viper whispered. "We are outcasts. We failed to join the Shadow Command, so we built our own rules. We only deal in blood. We take a piece of your soul to bind the contract. If you lie to us, we come back and eat your entire family."
Before Desmond could speak, Viper pulled out a very sharp, curved knife. He grabbed Desmond by the wrist and sliced the blade quickly across the palm of Desmond's hand.
Desmond screamed in pain. Warm blood dripped from his hand.
Viper held a small glass bottle under the cut. He caught the blood until the bottle was full. He put a small cork in the bottle and smiled.
"The contract is signed," Viper said. He licked a drop of blood off his own finger. "Go home and sleep, rich boy. Your useless target will be dead before the sun comes up."
Desmond held his bleeding hand against his chest. He turned around and ran back toward the surface as fast as he could.
Later that evening, the Valerius Tower was finally peaceful. Outside in the courtyard, workers had finished cleaning up the broken glass.
Inside the warm living room, Caspian was sitting on the soft sofa. He was reading a simple newspaper. He wore loose gray pants and a plain white shirt.
Lyra walked into the room. She stood right in front of the sofa and crossed her arms. She looked down at him with very sharp eyes.
"Alright, Caspian," Lyra said firmly. "The fun is over. You need to tell me the truth right now. Who exactly is Bastian?"
Caspian lowered his newspaper. He looked up at her and gave a highly innocent smile. "Bastian? Oh, he is just a very nice man I met at a bus stop a few years ago. We drank some cheap coffee together. We became good friends."
Lyra rolled her eyes loudly. "A bus stop? Are you joking right now? A man with a black card bought the entire city building department to help me. And you want me to believe you met him waiting for a bus?"
Caspian chuckled softly. He rubbed the back of his neck like a normal, tired husband. "Maybe it was a train station. My memory is not very good these days."
Lyra picked up a soft pillow from the chair. She threw it right at his face.
Caspian caught the pillow easily with one hand. He laughed out loud. It was a real, warm laugh.
"You are impossible," Lyra said. But she could not hide the smile on her own face. She sat down next to him on the sofa. She leaned her head against his shoulder.
"Thank you for today. You saved my family again."
Caspian rested his chin on the top of her head. He closed his eyes. "You did all the talking, wife. I just made a quick phone call."
The quiet, romantic moment was perfect. But it did not last.
"Brother in law."
The loud voice completely ruined the mood. Silas ran into the living room. He was wearing an apron over his expensive clothes. He held a silver plate high in the air.
"Brother in law," Silas said with a massive, nervous smile. "I baked some fresh chocolate cookies. They are perfectly warm. Would you like a cookie? I brought milk too. Cold milk. Exactly how you like it."
Caspian opened his eyes. He let out a very long, very tired sigh. He rubbed his temples with his fingers. He looked at Lyra, begging her for help with his eyes.
"Silas," Caspian said slowly. He sounded incredibly annoyed. "It is late. Go to sleep. And please take the apron off. It is making me sad."
"Right away," Silas shouted. He dropped the plate on the table and ran out of the room like a frightened rabbit.
Caspian shook his head. "I think I liked him better when he was yelling at me."
Lyra laughed softly. "He is trying his best. Come on. Let us go to sleep. Today was a very long day."
A few hours passed. The night sky over Oakhaven was completely dark. Everyone in the Valerius Tower was fast asleep.
Suddenly, a thick red smoke began to pour over the tall outer walls. The smoke smelled like burned blood. It covered the grass and hid the broken cobblestones.
Four figures dropped down from the high roof. They landed on the ground without making a single sound. They moved like dark spiders creeping through the red fog. It was Viper and three other elite killers from the Blood Shadow.
They pulled out sharp, black daggers. They slowly walked toward the front doors of the tower.
"Stop right there."
The voice came from the shadows near the garden. Thorne stepped out into the open. He wore his sharp black business suit. His face was completely calm. He blocked the path to the front doors.
Viper stopped walking. He looked at Thorne and laughed his dry laugh.
"A single guard?" Viper asked. "The Caldwell family told us there were hidden shadows here. But I only see one man in a nice suit. You are about to die for a useless boss."
Thorne did not waste time talking. He stepped forward with incredible speed. He punched directly at the chest of the closest killer.
The killer tried to block the punch, but Thorne was too fast. The hit landed hard. The killer stumbled backward, coughing loudly.
But the killer did not fall down.
Viper smiled under his red mask. "We are not cheap street trash. We are the Blood Shadow."
Viper and the three killers reached into their pockets. They pulled out small glowing red pills. These were Blood Burn Pills. They swallowed the pills quickly.
The reaction was terrifying. The veins on their necks turned thick and black. Their muscles grew larger. Their eyes glowed with an evil red light. The forbidden pills were burning their own life energy to give them massive, crazy power.
The four killers rushed at Thorne all at the same time.
Thorne had to step backward. He dodged a sharp blade that cut the air near his face. He blocked a heavy kick that shook his arm.
For the first time in Oakhaven, Thorne was actually struggling. These outcasts were fighting like wild animals. Their speed was unnatural.
Thorne pulled out one of his black obsidian blades to defend himself. The loud sound of metal crashing against metal rang through the quiet courtyard.
The noise was very loud.
Upstairs, a window opened.
Then, the heavy front doors of the Valerius Tower slowly pushed open.
Caspian walked out into the cold night air. He was wearing loose pajama pants and a simple gray shirt. He was holding a steaming cup of warm tea in his right hand. He was yawning widely.
He looked at the fighting in his front yard. He looked at the red smoke ruining the grass.
He did not look like a mighty Sovereign. He looked like a normal man who was extremely annoyed that his sleep was ruined.
"Do you know what time it is?" Caspian asked loudly. His voice cut through the sound of the swords. "People are trying to sleep in this house."
Thorne kicked a killer away and bowed his head slightly. "I apologize, Commander. These rats are using forbidden pills. They are a bit stubborn."
Viper turned his head. He saw Caspian standing on the steps in pajamas. Viper laughed out loud. He saw a weak, sleepy man holding a teacup. This was the easiest job he ever had.
"The useless husband comes out to die," Viper yelled. He pointed his sharp knife at Caspian. "Your guard cannot save you now."
Viper ignored Thorne. He pushed his legs hard against the ground. He flew through the air like a red bullet. He aimed his knife directly at Caspian's chest. His speed was incredible because of the Blood Burn Pill.
Caspian did not drop his tea. He did not freeze the air. He did not let out a massive aura of power.
He simply sighed.
When Viper was only one foot away, Caspian took a single, lazy step to the side. Viper missed completely.
As Viper flew past him, Caspian raised his left hand. He extended one finger. He casually tapped Viper directly on the center of his chest. He hit a very specific meridian point perfectly.
Caspian knew exactly how the body worked. He knew how the forbidden pills flowed through the blood.
That single tap acted like a giant wall inside Viper.
The wild red energy inside Viper instantly reversed direction. It crashed backward into his own core.
Viper hit the ground hard. He dropped his knife. He let out a terrible, choking gasp. His eyes went completely wide with pure horror. He tried to stand up, but he could not move a single muscle in his body. The reversed energy had completely paralyzed him.
The other three killers froze in place. They stared at their leader lying on the ground. A sleepy man in pajamas had defeated their best fighter with one finger.
Caspian took a slow sip of his warm tea. It tasted very good. He looked at the three terrified killers.
"Your leader is not dead," Caspian said in a tired voice. "But he will not walk again for a very long time. Pick him up. Take him off my grass."
The three killers did not say a word. They were shaking with fear. They quickly grabbed Viper by the arms and dragged him backward toward the gate.
"And when you go back to the dark underground," Caspian called out. "Tell Lord Marcus Caldwell that his down payment was not big enough to buy my life. If he sends you again, I will not be this nice."
The killers ran away into the night as fast as they could. The red smoke slowly cleared away in the wind.
Thorne walked over to Caspian and bowed deeply. "I should have stopped them faster, sir."
"Do not worry about it, Thorne," Caspian said. He turned around and walked back toward the open doors. "They were very annoying. Please lock the front gate before you go to sleep. I am going back to bed."