Wizzzzttt!

Another sharp whistle cut through the air, followed by the growing roar of pursuing hunters.

"Archers, ready your bows! Fire at that thing!"

Yet it missed, falling to hit the elusive shadow.

"What kind of aim is that? Are you maggots blind? Hit the shadow, damn it!"

"It's too fast! How are we supposed to hit that thing!?"

"Stop whining and keep shooting! Less talk, more action! Daggers at the ready—throw if you have to!"

The hunters shouted as they chased the swift shadow leaping from window to window. Kaiser, obscured by the darkness and the blur of his movements, dashed from one house to another, choosing the high ground to evade the bulk of his pursuers. He used the windows like doorways, slipping in and out with an agility that left the hunters in dreadful awe and frustration.

"Get ahead of it! Block the houses inside!" one hunter yelled desperately.

"Why don’t you tell the whistle to do that, genius?"

"The monster’s getting away! Damn, it’s too fast!"

The hunters struggled to keep up as Kaiser continued his relentless dash. He was like a phantom, untouchable and always a step ahead. Their shouts and whistles echoed through the empty streets, the confusion and anger mounting as they lost sight of the blur that evaded them with such inhuman speed.

Despite his fury granting him this incredible power, Kaiser's focus was divided. The rage that fueled his movements also clouded his senses, making each thought sharper but also more chaotic. The air seemed filled with whistles now, and he knew the hunters ahead were tightening their net, becoming more vigilant as they closed in.

Suddenly, a hunter with a crossbow managed to react fast enough, instinctively firing at the swift, leaping shadow. Kaiser, his mind dulled by the sheer rage and inexperience in dodging projectiles, couldn't evade in time. The arrow found its mark, plunging into his waist midair. Pain flared through him, sharp and hot, but his momentum did not falter.

That arrow’s impact revealed a downside of Zara's strength, the power that surged through his limbs came at the cost of vulnerability. His flesh, while faster and more agile than ever before, wasn’t significantly toughened. Focusing mostly on nimbleness and lethal agility. On the other hand, Kaiser was certain that his current capabilities felt beyond anything he had witnessed from Zara herself at the night of the Bandits downfall. Which is understandable, considering she's been fresh from imprisonment back then, where a shackle constantly sucked her strength to be insufficient in breaking free, until his involvement. Furthermore, she even stated that the only reason she got caught was because the bandits are fortunate enough to meet her in her lowest point. Even then, they failed to make her submit and eventually died in her hands. Her weakened state is enough to frighten him, let alone, Zara in her utmost condition. But that doesn't matter right now, his rage is only glad he had a deeper reservoir of strength, an inheritance that made him feel closer to the beast she was capable of becoming.

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Feeling the pang, Kaiser fluidly yanked the arrow from his waist, which is a mistake because it only let a hot rush of blood seeping out. He gritted his teeth, ignoring the agony, and kept moving forward, his body a blur of motion.

As he neared the settlement's edge, the number of hunters increased. Crossbows, daggers, and arrows flew at him from all directions. Most missed, but some found their mark by either luck or hones skill. Piercing his flesh or glancing off his limbs. The pain was nothing compared to the primal fury driving him forward.

Having learned his lesson, he snapped arrows that stuck in awkward angles, tossed away daggers that hindered his movements, and pressed on relentlessly.

Balancing between the wild sensation of losing himself in the fury of it all, and his own relentless rationality to save his companion. Kaiser's mind continued to race so did his wildly beating heart. He didn’t know if they were still alive, but his rage refused to let him consider otherwise. Eventually, his vision caught a glimpse of lightened houses, his attention narrowing to a single point as he leap high, landing on a tall rooftop.

And there it was, the Inn. Nothing else mattered.

The pain, the blood, the relentless attacks and noises all around.

His only thought was simple, desperate and somber.

'Just a little further... Just wait for me. I'm going to save both of you.'

Kaiser switched moving from rooftop to rooftop to avoid bumping into the villagers within their homes. However, his figures now are more visible to the archers below, exposing him to their aim. The repeated alarms had roused the village, and Hunters were converging on his position, their shouts echoing through the night.

But their efforts were in vain against the creature’s relentless speed. Kaiser's momentum and the elevated position made him harder to target accurately, having learned to take a less predictable path. It lessened the projectiles hitting him dramatically, but a few still find its mark yet they barely slowed him down thanks to his immortality constantly mending his wounds.

Kaiser can't stop, he couldn't afford to falter because they need him.

With a final leap, he landed heavily on a familiar balcony, the force of the impact rattling the wooden rail beneath his feet. An arrow jutted painfully from his back, blood seeping from the wound, but he ignored it just like many snapped sticks. His breaths came in ragged gasps as he forced himself to focus on the lightless room before him. Like a door of darkness, where tragedy or hope lay hidden. Before that door, Kaiser's senses went numb by the dread of knowing what was within.

Ariella and Cia were there... Hopefully.

An oppressive silence filled the air, pressing in on him like a vice. Dread twisted in his gut. What if he was too late? What if the worst had already happened? After all, silence meant many things. Too many at this moment.

He stepped down on the floor, feeling heavy as his feet were frozen by hesitation at the threshold, uncertainty gnawing at him. He was torn between the fear of facing a devastating truth and the desperate hope that his worst nightmare wouldn’t be realized. Of course, Kai hoped they were fine and everything was okay. Then, they could live peacefully just like they usually did for many days to come.

Taking a shaky breath, he steeled himself, knowing that there's no point in running.

'Please, god...' he prayed, irony not lost on him as he pleaded to a god for the safety of a real goddess.

Kai took a slow, deliberate step forward, breath held, and crossed into the darkened room.

And there, illuminated faintly by the screen’s glow, was Ariella— laying beside the slumbering Cia, as she played on his smartphone with a gentle smile. Noticing him, she turned and blinked, her brilliant smile shining brighter upon seeing her guardian that she couldn't sleep without. Ariella wanted to give him a welcome hug, but Kaiser bet her on it.

"Thank god, thank god you're both fine." Her guardian muttered as he locked in a tight embrace, so tight that it almost felt crushing, implying the volume of his relief. Fortunately, a deity's body isn't as fragile as mortals, letting her enjoy Kaiser's warm embrace to the fullest. Which she's fond of, due to the soothing warmth and sense of security it gave her everytime.

Ariella returned in kind, patting his head that was resting on her shoulders, giving Kaiser the comfort he desperately needed. Calming his raging heart.

"Kai?"

Awakened by his voice, Cia asked worriedly. Her frown only deepens as she smells a blood, steel and sweat. Hinting to the direness of wherever he recently came from. She's smart enough to know it wasn't pleasant, considering the distant shouts outside, as if the village are in danger.

Cia opened her mouth, wanting to check on him but the words got stuck on her throat. Remembering the fact that she can't do anything for him. She can't even live on her own, let alone, aid him on whatever his going through. Strangely enough, the faint scent of blood disappeared all of a sudden and something metallic fell nearby.

In that unseeing world of hers, his arm pulled her into a hug, too. Cia was startled for a moment, but didn't retaliate, hearing his ragged breathing calm down in that tranquil moment that spoke countless emotions in silence. That silence, though, was broken by the sounds of steady steps climbing the stairs. Then, at the second floor followed by the door creaking open.

There was silence again, as if the guest was taking their time observing them, or simply giving them more time with each other.

Eventually, a deep, recognizable voice spoke flat.

"So it is you... Kaiser."

Kai's grip loosened around them, as she heard him sighed, and said in a solemn tone.

"I'll have to be away again. Wait for me, okay?"