[Artemis Fray]

"It's Vanis," I said as the angry Deathwalker approached us, her eyes fixed on Mordred.

"What did you do to piss her off?" I asked.

"I have no idea," he shrugged, watching as the captain of Unit 5 stormed towards us, her heterochromatic red and purple eyes blazing with fury.

Vanis Hectus was an otherworldly beauty with striking eyes and shoulder-length silver hair that parted at her forehead, revealing an intricate tattooed pattern.

Despite being in her early twenties, she stood above average height.

Yet, her stature didn't seem to bother her. If anything, it had only sharpened her icy demeanor.

But the Vanis marching towards us now was anything but composed.

"PENDRAGON!" she bellowed, her aura shaking the air around us.

Blood swirled around her, crystallizing into a crimson sword that she pointed at his face.

Like him, she possessed the Haema strand.

But her control over blood was far more refined than the Captain's, even though they were of the same rank. She had mastered blood crystallization long before him.

She manifested her strand at the age of five, which probably contributed to her precise mastery of it.

She is a Reaper and one of the strongest captains in the Shield.

As expected from an ex-paladin.

Yeah. You all heard it right.

Vanis was a former paladin of the Order of Lux, excommunicated for one of the most grievous sins against the order.

Her crime?

Killing a Saint.

How lovely.

Enough background; back to the battlefield.

Locking eyes with her intense red and purple gaze, the Captain calmly asked, "What is it, Vanis?"

"That young man, the wraith," she pressed the tip of her sword to his throat, "was part of my Unit."

Oh. That isn't good. I could feel panic building up inside me.

If these two powerhouses start fighting, things will get very messy.

"And?" The Captain leaned closer, the blade's tip piercing his skin. "I think I just did you a favor. I made sure it didn't cause any carnage."

A hint of carefully suppressed rage leaked from his voice as he addressed Vanis.

Please don't make it worse, you idiot!

"I promised the Deathwalkers in my Unit to kill them swiftly if they ever became a wraith," she said, her gaze hardening.

"Ah," he nodded. "Well, you were quite far away, so I took matters into my own hands."

"You took it too far!" Vanis yelled.

The Captain cocked his head. "Too far, you say?"

A trickle of blood flowed down his neck as her sword dug deeper.

"You drove multiple stakes into his body, you twisted his limbs, and you gutted him. You subjected him to untold agony before burning him to ashes," Vanis hissed through her teeth.

"It," the Captain interjected, his voice cold and scathing. "I subjected it to those agonies. It's a wraith, Vanis."

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"He was a person before that! A fellow Deathwalker! We are to kill them as quickly as possible to prevent them from causing and experiencing further agony. Not subject them to horrific torture!" Vanis snapped.

The Captain suddenly grabbed her sword and stared into her eyes.

"When wraiths take over the body, they completely suppress the person. Any pain inflicted on the body is experienced only by the wraith," he explained in a cold voice.

"The only time the person feels pain is when we burn the body. That is when the wraith's hold over the person will weaken."

"And you use that to justify your actions?" Vanis shook her head in disgust.

"What if I am?" Mordred countered, tightening his grip around the crimson blade, the cut deepening.

"The wraiths slaughter Deathwalkers in far more horrific ways, and don't even get me started on the Abnormals."

Vanis's eyes glowed dangerously. "And we are to be like them?"

Mordred shook his head, his next words chilling. "No. We can be way worse."

Vanis's gaze turned icy. "The daily battles are taking their toll on your mind. You're getting reckless, letting your hatred for the wraiths drive you."

Her crimson sword dissipated into a red mist as she took a step back, her stare unwavering. "You're too dangerous to be let out of the Shield. You're out of control, Mordred."

Mordred sneered, "Out of control? Too dangerous? Profound words coming from the Saintslayer."

A collective gasp escaped from everyone gathered around the two Unit Captains.

A deadly silence followed before a terrifying bloodlust paralyzed me to the bones, and an overwhelming aura threatened to crush me.

It wasn't just me; the weaker Deathwalkers around us were on their knees, gasping for air, pure terror etched on their faces.

I unleashed my aura and straightened up, only to see something much worse.

The Captain and Vanis were glaring at each other, weapons ready.

"Did I hit a nerve?" Captain Mordred asked, flicking his white daggers up and down.

"Oh, you definitely did," Vanis responded, her gaze venomous as she readied her brilliant white sword, its blade adorned with intricate golden patterns.

The air shook as their auras clashed, blood swirling around both Deathwalkers, shaping into lethal appendages and spikes.

Ah, crap.

If these two clash here, the whole area would be leveled!

Nope, I am not dying from aftershocks!

Just as they raised their weapons, I streamed Aeris all over my body and dashed forward.

My Yoyo came to life as ardor and Aeris enveloped it.

With a swift motion, the black string of my Yoyo coiled around the two Captains, binding their movements.

I gripped the string tightly with my left hand, anchoring myself to the ground with both feet.

There is no way I can restrain these two powerhouses with my current strength, especially with one functioning hand.

I need to wrap this up quickly.

Thank the Incarni Master Lorvar insisted on me having a very tough string.

"How about we save the fighting for the sparring court or the Arena?" I grunted, straining against their strength.

Both of their gazes bore into me, intense and piercing.

Well, at least they're not focused on ripping each other apart. This is much better.

There was a very dangerous and tense silence before the crushing aura and paralyzing Bloodlust dissipated.

"Fine," Vanis growled and I relaxed, releasing the string restraining her

Looking at me, she said, "You better keep your Captain in check, Fray, before he gets you all killed."

"I'll be sure to remember that," I nodded to her.

Vanis narrowed her eyes before striding away, her footsteps echoing in the tense silence.

I let out a sigh of relief and turned to the Captain.

"Come here," I said between breaths, gesturing at him.

He frowned but complied, approaching me.

"What?" he managed before I landed a swift and solid punch to his handsome face.

Caught completely unaware, he collapsed to the ground, groaning and holding a bloody nose.

"What the fuck was that for?!" he demanded before I knocked him out with my Yoyo.

"Just shut the fuck up and take a nap," I growled before collapsing to my knees.

Bloody hell! That was stressful!

"Good call," Carlo appeared behind me and placed a hand on my shoulder.

"Just where were you, young master jackass?" I glared at him.

He rolled his eyes. "Apologies for not being present. I was preoccupied with preventing your brother from bleeding his guts out."

His eyes fell on the Captain. "He's getting worse. How many Deathwalkers has he managed to infuriate now?"

"Too many," I replied wearily, running a hand through my hair.

"He has one month left. We need to make sure he gets out of this place alive. We must ensure he meets Iris," Carlo reminded me.

I pinched between my eyebrows. "I know, Carlo."

Glancing at our unconscious Captain, I couldn't help but smile.

"He's really a handful, isn't he?"