Without warning, Kalden lunged at Reed, moving with blinding speed. His fist shot out, aiming for Reed's face, but Reed saw it coming. With a twist of his body, he dodged the punch and countered with a quick slash of his broken sword.

Jagged steel met flesh, and Reed’s blade bit into Kalden’s forearm, drawing a line of crimson. But Kalden didn’t so much as flinch. He barely acknowledged the wound as he grinned, a wild gleam flashing in his single good eye, "That all ya got?"

Reed chuckled. "I hope you get tetanus from that."

With a roar, Kalden swung again, his fist barreling toward Reed like a battering ram. This time, Reed didn’t dodge. He stepped into the punch, raising his shoulder to meet the blow head-on. The impact echoed through the empty street, the force of the hit sending vibrations up Reed’s shoulder and into his bones. Yet Reed was grinning.

He twisted his body, using the momentum from the blocked punch to drive his broken blade, stabbing it into Kalden’s chest with a sickening thud. The force pushed Kalden back a step along with his broken blade stuck in his chest, it had missed the heart entirely the result of Kalden twisting his body to minimise the damage. However before Reed could press his advantage, he felt something sharp and searing above his knee.

A gunshot.

Gritting his teeth he glared at the open window of the old inn behind Kalden. There the gunslinger flashed Reed a shit eating grin followed by a struggle to load his rifle again quickly.

Those few seconds of distraction got Reed another surprise in the form of a knuckle sandwich. The strength behind the fist actually left Reed rattled, the pain that followed made him realise that he could not ignore the strength and durability of a fellow enlightened.

Kalden, despite the blade stuck in his chest seemed unfazed apart from the blood dripping from his mouth.

Diving away from another gunshot as well as another follow up attack from Kalden, Reed shouted at the old inn, “I’m gonna shove that remaining wrist down your throat!”

With his weapon temporarily out of reach, Reed channelled his mana calling upon his gifted ability [Man Of Violence]. But as he focused, willing his core to manifest his gift, nothing happened. No fire ignited in his veins. No surge of strength. Only the dull ache of the bullet wound in his leg, and the maddening realization that [Man of Violence] wouldn’t activate because his battle hadn’t grown dire enough for it to work.

“Bullshi-” Reed mumbled, as he had to use his hand to catch a bullet aimed at him. With a hole in hand he stumbled back which put him in Kalden’s range, who managed to land a devastating kick on his already shot knee.

Pain coursed through Reed's body, he retaliated by trying to grab his broken sword but was unable to pull it off with Kalden stepping back in time. Before he could pursue him Reed felt another hot wave pain travel from his back, another bullet wound in his back.

For all intents and purposes Kalden and the gunslinger made a damn good team, and it infuriated Reed to no end as their teamwork halted his momentum. If he did not gain the upper hand soon he would bleed to death after being riddled with bullet holes.

With the threat of death looming over him like a guillotine — Reed tried to manifest his gift with no success. By now he was being toyed by Kalden and Reed knew it, feeling the burn in his leg as he shifted his weight he cursed his seemingly useless gift. Isn’t this dangerous enough for you, damned gift!

Reed flexed his fingers balling it up in fists, the hole in one hand making him wince. Bringing it up to cover his face, he assumed the boxing stance ready to throw down in one last desperate fist fight, “Alright you bastard, put em up we’ll settle it with fists. Like men!”

In spite of Reed’s taunt Kalden stopped a few feet away. Smiling he began to channel his mana, “Ya think I'm a dumbass?”

The air around him shimmered, the empty street grew thick with tension.

Kalden's scarred, dead eye suddenly blazed to life, a deep, malevolent red burning like the embers of hell itself. Reed’s eyes narrowed as a sulfur smell assailed his nostrils.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

The air around Kalden’s eye warped, shimmering as if reality itself twisted under its pressure. The glowing orb fixated on Reed.

And then it happened.

Reed’s muscles seized. His breath caught in his throat. His mind screamed at him to move, to fight, but his body refused to obey. Every other part of him was utterly trapped, like a puppet whose strings had been cut. His mind still churned, his survival instincts blazing, but his limbs? Useless. He was caught.

Kalden’s grin spread wider as he approached, his footsteps slow, methodical, enjoying every agonizing second Reed spent in captivity of his gift. "Got you," he said, voice dripping with triumph.

Reed’s world blurred, the weight of his impending death pressing down on him like a vice. The use of mana agitated Kalden's injuries, namely Reed’s broken sword that remained stuck in his chest. Kalden coughed out a mouthful of blood but did not stop his using his gift, slipping his hand to his waist, he pulled out a knife glistening with a strange green liquid.

Showcasing the near perfect coordination, the crackle of gunfire filled the air. The gunslinger, who had been watching from his perch, taking careful aim, his gun barrel had been pointed directly at Reed's head. Time seemed to stretch endlessly, each second an eternity, as Reed could only stare down the twin threats — Kalden’s green blade and the bullet hurtling toward him.

He could feel death closing in, its cold breath on his neck.

Then suddenly, warmth. A sudden, intense heat that grew hotter and hotter, prickling against Reed’s skin. In his paralyzed state, where his only freedom was the movement of his eyes, he witnessed a blinding flash—a man-sized fireball tearing through the air.

Smashing into Kalden’s side with an explosion of heat and force so intense, it sent the Red Scorn’s leader flying several feet, flames gnawing at his body. The blast was so powerful that it disrupted the entire scene—momentarily lifting the paralysing hold of the Kalden’s gift on Reed.

Alas before Reed could make a move in that same instant the gunslinger’s bullet hit its mark.

Reed’s world turned black.

-Earlier That Day-

Aria leaned against the counter of her bakery, the warmth of the ovens doing little to chase away the cold dread settling in her chest. She half-heartedly sold her pastries to the few customers that wandered in, her mind far from the task. The sweet scent of freshly baked bread and cake filled the air, but the comfort that normally came with it was absent.

Instead, her thoughts lingered elsewhere — Reed, the lost rogue who had popped into her life out of nowhere like a ghost. He had promised to take care of her problems, to rid her of Kalden and his gang, to protect her from the fate that loomed ever closer.

But for what price?

I want your house, your bakery and you. Especially you… Reed’s words echoed in her mind.

He definitely wasn’t one for romance. His demand for her, for all of her, as his reward weighed on her, something she couldn’t shake. Aria had laughed it off when he said it, but now, the echoes of her own laughter felt hollow. She had seen men like Reed — dangerous, selfish, willing to risk everything for their own gain.

What if he dies? The thought crept up on her, making her stomach twist. Despite her reservations, despite how little she wanted to admit it, she was worried for a man who had seemed no better than the literal gang he wqs facing. Promising to fix everything, Reed had jumped into the lion’s den, but what if he couldn’t? What if Kalden was too strong? What if this was all a mistake?

Aria packed another loaf of bread, offering a forced smile to the customer before they left. The weight in her chest only grew heavier as she blankly stared out the bakery window. Somewhere not far from here, a battle that would change her life was taking place. When all was said and done, ignoring his rather outrageous fee, Reed was fighting for her when no one else did — he was fighting for all that mattered to her.

And the thought that she had send him to his death did not sit right with her.

___

Reed's eyes snapped open. His heart pounded in his chest, and the sharp tang of blood filled his mouth. He gasped for air, pain flaring at the side of his head. His hand instinctively shot up to feel the wound—a bullet was definitely lodged in his head, but it hadn’t killed him. He was alive.

He staggered to his feet as quickly as his body would allow, blinking through the haze of pain. In front of him, Kalden was struggling on the ground, the smell of burnt flesh filled the air, his body was still lit by the relentless flames from the fireball. And yet the man wasn’t dead — his durability, a testament of being an enlightened one, kept him alive despite the damage. Kalden’s face twisted in fury as he rolled, patting out the flames with grim determination.

But Reed didn’t have time to focus on Kalden. He could hear the telltale click of the gunslinger reloading, adjusting his aim.

"Reed!" A voice called out from behind, and everything suddenly made sense.

Aria.

His body moved before his mind could process the thought, pure instinct driving him forward. He lunged toward the sound of her voice, tackling her to the ground just as the gunslinger fired again. The gunshot echoed in his ears, followed by a hot, searing pain in his back as the bullet found its mark.

Reed grunted, the impact driving the air from his lungs as he shielded Aria beneath him. His vision blurred, pain wracking his body, but he held on, gritting his teeth. He’d taken the hit. He wasn’t dead yet.

But he knew he was running out of time.

Aria’s breath came in sharp gasps beneath him. “Reed! Reed, are you—?”

He forced a ragged smile, trying to catch his breath. “Not dead… don’t jinx it,” he rasped. “But... that was the fourth bullet. I’m gonna murderize that gunner.”

Above them, even with a single wrist the gunslinger being the menace he was adjusted his aim once more, his eyes gleaming with cruel anticipation. Waiting to pull the trigger on Aria to finish the job.

Kalden, still on the ground, glared through the flames licking his skin, his rage burning hotter than the fire that clung to him. "You think this is over?" he growled, his good eye filled with hatred.

Reed's bloodied hand tightened, his breaths shallow, the weight of the situation pressing down on him harder than ever.

But now with him being so close keeling over and dying, he finally felt his gift responding.

The fight had only just begun.