14-Nightbringer

"There's something wrong," Gwen said as she looked around.

"Yeah, I don't know why, but there's nobody here. If it weren't for the burnt trees, I'd believe there was nothing here," Miles said.

They had arrived just a minute ago and quickly surveyed the area. Surprisingly, there was nobody around to be seen, except for the burnt trees and charred ground, indicating there had been a battle.

"I'll go ahead and check inside," Miles said, activating his invisibility and moving towards the mansion.

"Be careful!" Gwen shouted after Miles.

As Miles went ahead, Gwen waited where she was. Miles' invisibility was quite good, and hardly anyone could notice him, so she wasn't worried about him.

*Where could my brother be?* Gwen wondered.

Her brother had arrived last night and had gone out early in the morning without saying where he was going.

When Gwen asked him where he was going, he didn't respond.

*He doesn't even care about me!!* Gwen thought angrily.

"There are two people inside and ready to fight—"

"AHHHH!... Quit popping up out of nowhere!"

"Ah... Sorry," Miles said with a small smile.

"Anyway, let's go and stop them," Gwen said.

So, the two of them quickly headed towards the mansion, about to enter when their spider senses warned them of a great danger.

They looked at each other and nodded before entering.

As they stepped inside, Gwen's eyes widened at what they saw.

There was a familiar figure standing before them. Long black hair and a broad figure belonged to someone Gwen knew very well.

"Brother?!" Gwen exclaimed in shock. Then, realizing her mistake, she covered her mouth.

But it was too late. Her brother turned around and looked directly at Gwen.

"Gwen," he said with a smile. "I knew something wasn't normal, but I didn't expect this. You've surprised me quite a bit."

"My Gwen... Who's she?" Gwen denied.

Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

"Oh come on... Even if you change your voice, I can still easily recognize you," Zephyr replied.

"I—I," Gwen stuttered, *Damn, what am I going to say?*

Luckily, before Gwen could speak, Miles spoke up.

"What happened to the guy on the floor?" he asked.

"Are you talking about Hammerhead?" Zephyr said, looking at the body on the floor.

"His soul was destroyed. So, in terms you'd understand, he's dead," he added.

Upon hearing this, Gwen asked, "Y-you did it?" Her words trembling.

Without hesitation, Zephyr said, "Yes."

After a five-second silence, Gwen asked, "Why?"

"He was a bad guy. The head of the Hammerhead family ruling Brooklyn and the one who put me in the hospital for three years," Zephyr replied.

"Still, you didn't have to kill him. You could have handed him over to the police to stand trial," Miles retorted.

"Don't worry, he was judged by a god himself," Zephyr said with a smile. The smile on his face was huge and quite terrifying.

Sensing a change in her brother's tone, Gwen realized something was wrong and whispered, "There's something wrong..."

"I'm sure he's my brother, but something's different about him," she added.

"I noticed that too..." Miles replied.

"What are we going to do?"

"I don't know."

Zephyr watched their whispered conversation with a small smile. Then he sniffed the air and furrowed his brows.

"Hey, it's time for you to le—"

Before Zephyr could finish his words, a thin spear, two meters long, flew towards Gwen.

When Gwen's spider senses kicked in, it was too late. The spear was already approaching her, heading straight for her heart.

Just as the spear was about to pierce Gwen's heart, Zephyr pushed her out of the way, diverting the spear's path. Then, he caught the spear mid-air.

The spear in Zephyr's hand was red-black in color, with motifs resembling trapped souls, much like those on Zephyr's red katana.

"Quite impressive. You must be the hunter. Given that you were able to kill James, you must be close to my power," he said.

The voice was soft and clearly belonged to a girl.

Zephyr ignored this voice and asked, "Are you okay?"

Gwen's heart was pounding heavily, and she hadn't quite understood what had just happened. "I-I'm fine," she replied.

"Good," Zephyr said, then turning to Miles, he added, "Take her and leave."

His earlier arrogance and ego seemed to have vanished completely. Gwen being in danger had awakened him from his previous state.

*Looks like I need to be more careful when using this power,* Zephyr thought.

"What? What about you?" Gwen asked.

Just as Zephyr was about to answer, thorns emerged around the spear he held with both hands. The spear rapidly spun, tearing Zephyr's hands apart. Then, it swiftly returned to its owner.

"Abi!" Gwen cried out and ran to Zephyr. "Are you okay?" she asked anxiously. But when she saw Zephyr's hands, she realized her anxiety was unnecessary. His hands had already healed.

"Go!! I can't fight him with you here!," Zephyr shouted.

Gwen, noticing the red glow in Zephyr's right eye, took a step back.

"It's time for us to leave. If we stay here, we'll only be a hindrance to him," Miles said, taking Gwen and leaving the mansion.

"Why did you send them away? Or do you want to die alone?" the girl asked, giggling.

She had green hair and bright red eyes. The details on her face were like a masterpiece by a painter. But Zephyr didn't care about any of that.

"I don't want them to see me tear you apart!!" he snarled and disappeared from where he was, appearing in front of the girl.

He punched her in the stomach, sending her flying straight into the nearby wall.

"Nightbringers, always appearing like a jackal smelling blood. Both your friend James and you. You never think about the consequences of your actions. But I'll teach you, all nightbringers, that there's a price to pay for what you do. You and James should be proud; I'm teaching this to you first," Zephyr said, looking at the girl embedded in the wall.

The girl coughed up blood and forced her eyes open.

"Don't think I'll give up that easily!" she shouted and pushed herself out of the wall, assuming a position to throw her spear.