Time seemed to freeze.

Cade's eyes bulged as she looked down, blood leaking from her mouth. Hands trembling, unsure of what to make of reality.

Aurelius unconsciously let out a roar so loud it echoed throughout the mists of Akario. He lunged at Cade in an instant. Then the blade disappeared as quickly as it had appeared, and the shadowy figure ripped the door from its hinges, hurling it at Aurelius.

Aurelius flexed the joints in his hand, and a ball of compression came forth. He slammed it into the door, sending wooden shrapnel exploding in every direction.

The door still managed to slow him down enough that he could only watch as Cade failed to react to the Shadow's movements. The Shadow hit her in her wound that spurted blood and followed up with a knee to her face as she curled up before an elbow to the back of her head.

His movements were magnificient, each one perfectly setting up the next, taking into account the natural reactions of the human body and capitalizing on both his and the target's momentum.

But Aurelius could not see it. His eyes were so red that they looked like they would start bleeding. He let out a weird sound as he rushed his body to match the speed of his perception as Cade's body slammed to the ground, her open eyes twitching and her mouth opening and closing.

Barely over a second had passed since the blade went through Cade's stomach.

A beam of essence shot from Balgair's hands. The Shadow ducked and connected the movement to set up a kick that landed squarely on Balgair's chin. A cracking sound resounded. Balgair's body seemed to turn off completely as his legs gave out underneath him and he fell into a squat and bounced to the side from the force in his joints.

It was only then that Aurelius reached the Shadow.

The Shadow recovered his stance from the previous kick and seemed to be prepared for something. That something just wasn't Aurelius.

Aurelius' hand shot out and took the Shadow by the throat before slamming him through wall of the orphanage with the full force of his momentum and strength. The wall burst apart, but Aurelius could not care for the building. He flexed the joints in his free hand while holding the Shadow by the throat.

A ball of essence built up, and Aurelius shoved it into the Shadow's face. However, just as it was about to hit, a small plate of essence appeared to shield the Shadow's face. The man didn't even need to raise a hand for materialization. Even if the creation was stationary, Aurelius had never seen a feat of materialization so impressive. The plate was the most refined Aurelius had ever laid eyes on, despite being created in a split second without any kind of set-up at all.

Clearly, the man's strength was materialization.

The ball of essence struck the plate, and there was a flash of blue particles that lit the dark mists.

Aurelius tightened his grip on the Shadow's throat before rotating and throwing him into the dark mists, disappearing from sight. The Shadow didn't resist and was flung into the air like a weightless stone.

Aurelius widened his stance instantly after the release and breathed in. His hands clasped together, and a beam shot out where Aurelius calculated the Shadow's trajectory to take him. A vacuum sounded. The beam shot off. Aurelius shot off right behind it. He leapt and hurled through the air, all the way to where he saw a faint blue shield appear to block the beam.

He had counted on the Shadow's disorientation, and he had been right to do so. He could sense the overconfidence of the Shadow. He hadn't expected Aurelius to be so fast. So ruthless. And he would suffer for it. He would die fast. Then Cade would live.

The beam clashed with the shield of essence, and particles burst out. It was like a bigger version of the earlier encounter. Only this time, when the shield faded, the Shadow found Aurelius gleaming blue eyes, waiting to tear every muscle fiber in his body apart.

Aurelius flexed the joints in his hand once again. Then he feinted for the head and pushed the ball of essence into the Shadow's side. The Shadow was meant to explode, his organs being obliterated and flung all over. But that didn't happen. Aurelius gritted his teeth as the Shadow simply launched almost a hundred meters away, tumbling against grass and rocks on the way. The Shadow had seen the strike coming and prepared. It would not happen again.

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Aurelius wasted no time and pushed a crater into the ground as he lunged forward. He had directed the fight to an open area, so the Shadows no longer had his tricks. He was going to die.

Blood leaked from under the black mask as the Shadow managed to skid to a stop. When he did, Aurelius was there. Just one punch to the cheek, and the mask split apart. There was a crunching sound, and Aurelius lips curved.

The Shadow fell back and Aurelius pursued. He reached out a hand and ripped the mask off. A bloody mouth, a head of blonde hair, and a pair of wide eyes revealed themselves.

Aurelius materialized claws at the tips of his fingers, and his hands shot forth. One grabbed the throat, claws digging into the neck. The other went up, claws entering an eye cavity. After entering, the claws closed up, and Aurelius ripped out the prize.

The man's scream was bloodcurdling. Aurelius scowled at the sight, but remembered the sight of Cade convulsing on the ground, helpless and in pain. His eyes lit up and he squeezed the eyeball in his hand to mush before throwing the man face first into the dirt before stomping on his neck. "Answer my question before you die. Don't and I'll shatter your spine; leave you here to rot to death while paralyzed." To prompt an answer, he pushed his foot down. A pained, involuntary whine came in return. "Who sent you?"

"The President," the man said in a muffled voice.

Aurelius knit his brows and squatted down raising the man by his collar. Then his eyes shot wide. He didn't have time! He was about to flex the joints in his hand.

"She's alive," the man said, his voice a gurgle from all the blood in his mouth.

"What?"

"The girl I stabbed. She's alive. You're my target. I used a thin blade on her. That's why I also had to knocn her out."

"Why?" Aurelius raged, shaking the man as blood flooded from his eye.

"I thought making you mad would make you an easier target. Others just needed to be neutralized."

Aurelius breathing calmed down. The man said something.

"Huh?" Aurelius couldn't pick it up even with enhanced hearing. He out his head forward.

Then the man whispered, "Karase aki."

Aurelius eyes shot open. Gabriel returned to him. The few phrases of the Zalfarian language he had been taught. 'Karase aki. You will die.'

Aurelius's hesd shot back instinctually as a blade came up. The man leaned back and kicked Aurelius back before taking off running.

Aurelius ground his teeth loudly as he regained his footing and launched after the man. He followed as the man made his way through the mists with extreme finesse. He seemed to know the path. Aurelius couldn't catch him despite the physical advantage.

When he finally stopped, Aurelius heart sand. Just a little boy out in the mists, shivering uncontrollably with an ethereal blade at his throat.

"I'd recommend letting me go. For the kid's sake," the man said, smiling.

Aurelius squeezed his hands into fists. For an instant the idea of a beam shot through his mind. Then there was the image of the boy with a slit throat and a hole in his chest. Aurelius gave up.

"Next time we meet, I will take your head off," Aurelius said, pointing at the man, his eyes heavy and severe.

"We will not," the man said. "The President has declared a bounty on your head. Apparently, you were behind the Verdua massacre and a couple other more recent happenings. You're the most wanted man in the country now. 100 000 gold on your head alone. Good luck with that." The man snorted as he walked away backwards and disappeared into the mist, the boy firmly in his grip.

Aurelius could do nothing. He stood there with wide eyes, staring at his bloody hands. The President? Verdua massacre? He had been framed. Why? Who was his real enemy? The country? The country he had worked so hard to save wanted him dead more than anything else. It couldn't be. But he knew it was.

With this, his time in Mircrest was over. Everything he had worked for was ruined.

His hands reached up, and nails dug into his scalp. He breathed raggedly as he pulled on his hair, eyes shaking.

'No, no, no, no...' he whined inwardly as his head shook as his eyes darted all over, tears building up.

Then his mouth opened wide only for a single roar, "NO!"