Aiden, Elianor and Kaneko where on their horses cantering through the forest, away from the Black Hand’s headquarters. Elianor was now riding behind the horse Kaneko and Aiden shared, following the more experienced individual towards the Capital of the Northern Kingdom: Lindheimr. They were too afraid of halting and resting until they reached their destination, thus they still wore their cloaks, but had taken off the masks. Kaneko’s face was still not visible to them, since she was in front.

Eventually they managed to get out of the woods, although their speed had dropped due to the horses getting more and more tired while riding at full speed. Even though there was no indication someone was chasing after them, they decided to keep going and have the horses rest once they reached the city. Which they did, not too long after. A couple of hours after their escape, the horses where happily munching on some hay, inside the city’s stables while the three of them frantically run towards the King’s palace. This was Aiden’s first time in such a big medieval city and, frankly, he would prefer it if he were to come here under different circumstances. For now, he had to focus on his task. They run enough for their legs to ache and the insults they got from people to be more than the stairs they had to painfully climb before finally stopping in front of two guards standing outside the palace. “Please let us pass…” Said Aiden while catching his breath. “We need to speak to the King, it’s urgent!” Added Elianor who seemed to be in a better condition, but tired nonetheless. “You can say everything you want now and we’ll make sure the King hears about it.” The guards seemed to not understand, or believe Aiden’s plea. Kaneko seemed pretty nervous about speaking to them, but she had no choice. “We can’t tell you, it’s for the king’s ears only.” She turned the hilt of her sword towards the guards and offered it to them. “This is the only weapon we have, please let us pass.” It was the first time Aiden and Elianor got a good look of her face. Her hair was short and messy, it seemed to be mostly light brown, but the sides of her head had two dark blonde patches of hair that gave it a somewhat layered look. Her skin was white, but of a darker tone and her eyes dark green, but the irises were not round like a human’s, they were slit-shaped, like a cat’s. Her cheeks also had three marks each, resembling what looked like whiskers. Finally, they noticed that her ears were covered in fur and were also shaped as if they belonged to a cat, when not moving they could easily blend in with her hair. Elianor seemed to be surprised by her appearance, but Aiden was outright shocked. On the contrary the guards were not surprised at all and casually picked up the sword and proceeded to touch the three of them all over trying to find any other weapons. When they realized no other dangerous item was on them, they were let inside.

The group did not even wait for the gates to open entirely as they run in. They were given instructions on how to get to the king and so they completely ignored all the other guards, simply running past them. They went up a flight of stairs and through the corridors before reaching a door with a sign nailed to the wall over it, reading: ‘Meeting Room’. Aiden rotated the pommel and pushed the door open with his body while Elianor and Kaneko entered the room behind him. Inside there was a round table with papers and some silverware with leftovers and goblets half-filled with mead. On the far side they saw an older man, many wrinkles rested on his face and his body seemed slim, but he still looked like he had strength in him and was clearly far from weak or sick. “Who dares interrupt a royal meeting!” Exclaimed the man as he now grabbed a golden, gemstone covered crown that was laying on the table and placed it on his silver-grey hair. Before the group could respond, the rest of the people sitting around the table reacted as if they were struck by lightning, Elianor and Aiden widened their eyes, realizing their companions from Pinewood where here. Duran’s chair fell to the ground as he dashed towards Aiden grabbing his shoulder with both his hands. “I can’t believe it’s you lad! Are you alright?!” Lin followed and tried to get between the two. “Please be careful Duran! He may have suffered injuries!” She said and after managing to pull Duran’s hands off Aiden, she began frantically searching for any wounds or scars. Elianor was a bit jealous that Duran went to Aiden first, but was relieved when he turned to her and held on to her in a very similar way, almost resuming his talk from before. “I’m sorry for letting you get taken away. You need to share your tale over some ale! Let’s go to a tavern right now!” While Duran and Lin where obsessing over Elianor and Aiden coming back alive, Lloyd informed the King about the situation and made him calm down a bit. “I request silence! All those who just arrived may take a seat.” Lin was reluctant to stop inspecting Elianor and Aiden, but as she saw Duran sitting down with a disappointed sigh, she did the same. The three newcomers joined the meeting and finally saw Serena who was sitting quietly next to Duran, almost disappearing behind him. Lloyd took the opportunity of this momentary silence and spoke. “We are relieved to see you’re safe and sound. Also, I see you brought someone with you that we’ve never seen before. Maybe, you could introduce…” Before he was able to end his sentence, Aiden responded with haste. “Her name is Kaneko and I’m sorry for interrupting but we have some dire news that may save your life!” He said while intensely looking at the king who was taken aback by his words, but didn’t say anything. “There is a cult, some sort of organization hidden in the forest near the city. They plan on attacking the place dressed up as civilians and throw the whole kingdom into chaos. Their plan is to commit regicide and have their leader gain control.” Aiden finished talking and was met with silence. Kaneko realised that drops of cold sweat were beginning to slide down her forehead. “This cult you speak of must be responsible for the assassination attempt as well.” Aiden nodded and the king continued. “How did you learn about all of this?” Aiden, took it upon himself to tell the story of their temporary imprisonment and their escape, as well as revealing who Kaneko was, a reveal that shocked them greatly. Duran explained how the night he was supposed to guard the camp, he fell asleep and the two were taken. He also added that Serena was left injured and only managed to wake him up the next morning, as if he was under a spell. Kaneko was also asked to reveal her reason for betraying the Family. “I was made a Finger only because my sister was one…my actual sister, not a member of the Family. I was groomed to replace her if she was to have something happen to her. Every time I would train as hard as possible, but I could never surpass her. She put her soul, mind and strength into the Family and…one day…long ago, I tried to talk to her about what I saw the day that noble was killed. Even though it was our previous Father who was executed, the one who committed the murder was Baernon, our current Father.” Kaneko was nervous while talking, sometimes messing up the words and breathing faster than she should. “When she heard it, she got very angry, I thought she was going to leave the cult, but instead she slapped me and told me to not spread lies about our Father. My sister…Kioko, believed he was the most honest man on earth, but I knew what I saw from behind the tavern’s window. For years I was too afraid to leave or reveal the truth, even if I tried a few times before becoming a Finger. Every time no one believed me and, in the end, I just followed my sister, hoping she knew better and eventually I, too, supported Baernon. I thought his lie and framing of our old Father would all be for good. That’s why when Aiden was presented as this wiser person, someone who came from a land similar to what Baernon envisioned, I was so shocked by how he treated us. How he reacted to our cause and how he viewed us. But deep down, I agree with him and that’s why I want to save this kingdom. I am not going to lie and say that I agree with everything this kingdom stands for…but I hope I’m doing the right thing by betraying Baernon.“

The meeting went on for a while. Kaneko was sure that the cult was going to attack as quickly as possible through secret tunnels that spread below the city. They were practically ready to do so and just waited after learning about Aiden, under the impression he was going to join them. They were trying to figure out a way to counter their attack, but suddenly the door swung open and a guard rushed inside. “Your majesty! The people are rebelling! They are burning the city and attacking the palace!” Everyone inside the room immediately stood up. “Inform all guards to not kill the rebels, try to neutralize them any other way!” The guard nodded and frantically run away. The king looked at Lloyd, almost panicking. “Lloyd! What are we going to do!” The lord of Pinewood looked around the room and then responded. “I suggest Duran, Lin and Elianor stay here with us and protect you. Aiden and Kaneko can go and search the city for the Fingers while trying to calm the rest of the citizens down. They’ll also need some support; Serena go with them.” The king let Lloyd command his subordinates and so Aiden, Kaneko and Serena, after equipping themselves with some weapons and gambeson coats, left the palace through a lesser known backdoor and began making their way towards the city’s square. Aiden knew that Lloyd was counting on him to think of a way to calm the people down before they unwillingly join the Family in their madness and chaos.

They spend the next few minutes running through the city. Most civilians where on the run, trying to enter their houses or make their way to the palace and the square seeking for shelter. Some amongst them seemed to be more deliberate with their actions, pushing them around, screaming profanities and throwing torches around from time to time. Although a number of houses had gone up in flames some selfless individuals tried to contain the flames using magic, they were mostly successful but while Kaneko ran past one of those mages, a person that, no doubt, was part of the Family held a dagger in his hand and leaped towards him. Kaneko was quick to reveal her blade from beneath the cloak and slice through the attacker’s leg making him fall onto the ground in pain. Resuming their sprint both Serena and Aiden were surprised by her accuracy and speed.

Upon reaching the square they were met with blood, fire and screaming. Guards and citizens were fighting each other without any real distinction between who was trying to attack and protect themselves. “Quickly! Kaneko, go around the place and try to pinpoint any Fingers or members of the Family. Aiden, follow me up this watchtower and I’ll amplify your voice to have everyone listen to you!” Serena said out of the blue and grabbed Aiden, running towards the stone tower, which was empty since all the guards where either fighting or running towards the palace. Kaneko followed Serena’s orders and, with plenty of speed and agility, climbed on a rooftop and sprinted around the square trying to find any familiar faces. Once they reached the top Aiden stared from the tower’s crenels and saw all the violence that was caused by this one madman. “I don’t know what to say Serena. I need more time and I still won’t be able to guarantee our success.” He stepped away from the battlement and was slapped by Serena as soon as he turned around. “You are the main reason the Ice Elementals and the folk of Pinewood are now allied. We never believed it was possible to do something like that, but you proved us wrong. The same way we put faith in you back then, I put faith in you right now. I’ll make your voice loud enough so that everyone listens to it. Stone and steel will quake under the power of your words. You will save this kingdom and I’ll be here… by your side.” She smiled and held Aiden’s hand for a while calming him down. Aiden took a deep breath and with his eyes filled with determination as he got close to the crenel once again. Aiden fidgeted the grip of the zweihander given to him by the king and took a few deep breaths to limit his Rush, that was activated due to the violence and imminent danger that surrounded him, as well as clear his mind. His Rush was an ability he was getting better at using, by limiting it to only increase his reflexes and physical abilities he was able to better control his urges and reduce his tunnel vision. After a moment he had finally gathered his thoughts and decided on what to say. “Serena is my voice ready?” He asked while turning around to check on Serena, only to see a crossbow bolt flying towards him. Aiden’s muscles instantly reacted, almost on their own and he was able to bring the flat of the blade in front of the projectile and redirect it into the stone, only scratching his face with some shrapnel from the now broken bolt. Aiden widened his eyes in shock as he saw Serena standing a bit further away, aiming her unloaded crossbow at him. She seemed surprised as well, but not because of her actions. “What are you doing?!” He asked confused, but instead of an answer, Serena let her weapon fall and attacked Aiden with her shortsword. “Stop this!” He kept blocking her attacks, pushing her away with the base of the blade so he doesn’t have to hurt her. “You are such a disappointment! I thought I could trust you Aiden!” Serena barked at him. “How dare you turn your back at our Family, we could help you grow, you could help us rebuild this city and the entire world…you could help me put my mother’s soul to rest!” She screamed at him while pounding at his greatsword with her blade. Aiden was confused and lost for words as he stepped back more and more, finally feeling his back touch one of the merlons. “What are you talking about?!” He screamed back at her but she only stretched her hand in front of him and showed him her palm. “Flash!” Serena screamed and Aiden got blinded, but instead of sitting there he swiftly jumped towards her, grabbing her extended hand before she was able to pull it down. While his vision was coming back Aiden tried multiple times to grapple her and missed, but finally managed to get a hold of her second arm. Both of them pulled and pushed at each other for a while, the shortsword and the zweihander on the ground next to them. Serena’s clothing was ripped and started falling off her chest, revealing the horrible scar that marked the skin between her breasts. To Aiden’s surprise, the scar was gone and in its place the symbol of a white flame inside the palm of a black hand could be seen. In that moment, Serena kicked Aiden’s groin and tackled him to the ground, getting on top of him and grabbing her shortsword. She aimed for his neck, but Aiden reached out, grabbing her left hand and creating a flame inside his grip. Serena screeched in pain as her forearm got burned, she was not successful at stabbing him and Aiden responded by kicking her off. He got back to his feet and quickly grabbed his zweihander while Serena turned the palm of her scorched arm at him. “Flash!” Aiden’s vision went away by the powerful white light. Panicked, he swung his zweihander with as much might as he could muster in an attempt to hinder Serena’s attack and possibly frighten her. After his powerful strike, he took a large step backwards, almost falling off the tower as his body pressed on the side of a merlon. It took a couple of seconds for his vision to clear. Aiden let go of his zweihander and fell to his knees. In front of him, Serena’s body was laying on the cold stone, a deep, diagonal cut had struck her left shoulder and cleaved its way through her heart. Serena was looking at him, she said nothing as she closed her eyes, never to open them again.

Aiden was kneeled and on the verge of throwing up. He was so confused at what happened, he couldn’t even clear his head enough to cry or apologize, or say anything. The sound of screaming and weapons hitting each other was still coming from below the tower, stronger than ever before. His vision was getting blurrier and blurrier, closing his eyes he began shaking with anger and disgust. Aiden felt a hand touch his back, his eyes opened and there he was: Thar’Gorol, the demon living inside of him. “I saw everything through the TV.” Thar informed Aiden. They were both in the living room of his old childhood home. “Shut up.” Aiden responded and pushed Thar away. “It’s my fault for trying to be supportive!” Said the demon. “I said shut up!” Aiden yelled and even Thar jumped a bit. He didn’t say anything back, leaving Aiden to furiously inhale and exhale for a few seconds. He then raised his head and looked at Thar. “What do you want?” Asked the demon. “End this…but first save the people.” Responded Aiden and after he made sure to have Thar memorize his message, he gave his body away.

Aiden’s physical body opened its eyes again. The irises had a deep crimson colour, as if the pupils where swimming in blood. Kaneko was now standing next to him. “What happened?” She asked worried while Thar was standing back up and stretching. “She attacked me. Serena was part of the Family. Now close your ears.” Kaneko was in awe but still nodded and followed Thar’s instructions. He got up on one of the crenels and looked below at the absolute chaos: luckily no one had died, the guards wanted to keep the situation from escalating and so they were holding back, but it could get worse at any moment. “PEOPLE OF LINDHEIMR! THIS CHAOS MUST STOP! IF DON’T WANT TO BE A PART OF THIS STOP EVERYTHING YOU’RE DOING AND KNEEL ON THE GROUND WITH YOUR HANDS BEHIND YOUR HEAD! GUARDS STOP ATTACKING ANYONE WHO IS IN THAT POSITION!” Thar’s booming voice was louder than the sounds of battle. For a second Kaneko thought her eardrums would explode, but as the ringing disappeared from her ears, she got close to Thar and looked down. The fighting had stopped and many of the citizens had already fallen to their knees. Thar stepped off the tower and began falling to the ground with his zweihander in hand. Kaneko was shocked and for a second her heart skipped a bit thinking that Aiden had committed suicide, only to see him land unharmed in front of everyone. Thar’s presence was so pressuring that many of the citizens averted their gaze and curled up as he walked through them. Kaneko climbed down the tower after him and walked by his side. She pointed at two of the people. “These are the two fingers responsible for this.” These two men stood up and held their weapons. “P-People! Don’t be scared! It’s our time to kill the king and bring the power to the people!” The citizens didn’t move at first but some begun shuffling around and whispering, members of the Family that were in disguise, trying to get everyone to become hostile. With one swing so fast it was almost invisible, Thar sliced the right’s man head off and let his twitching corpse fall down with a thud, immediately silencing everyone and making the guards stand still with widened eyes. “Where is Father?” Asked Thar with his eyes locked on the second man. “I…I don’t know…” He responded scared and ready to kneel back down. Thar placed his hand on his shoulder and the man began screaming in pain. His flesh was sizzling under Thar’s palm and when it turned into a brown the demon peeled off a piece and grossly consumed it in front of him and the terrified spectators. “Where is Father?” He asked again. “Stop, please! I don’t know! He left the hideout when we initiated the attack!” As soon as the man finished talking his head was separated from his shoulders and rolled on the floor next to his body. “Kaneko, do you have any idea where Baernon could be?” In the meantime, the guards worked quickly to remove the bodies, they couldn’t arrest Thar since his clothes had the King’s brooch, a symbol that his actions were approved by his majesty. “I don’t think he would choose a place I know of. Also, I know Serena’s death must have hit you hard…but you’re acting very unlike yourself.” Kaneko took a step back and examined Thar carefully, she could tell something was off. “Don’t worry about it, I feel perfectly fine.” During their chatting a guard walked up to them and presented a key, it was found on the body of the man Thar killed first. The key seemed sizeable and old, on the back it had a tiny engraving, the symbol of a tree and an axe. “That’s from an old lumber mill. It’s in the forest, deeper than the hideout but still within reach!” Exclaimed Kaneko as she inspected the key. She was living in that forest for more than a decade. It is natural for a demi human like her to have discovered some places without others knowing about it. “Let’s go kill that bastard.” Said Thar and took the key before being stopped by Kaneko. “Wait Aiden! My sister will be with him…I can’t kill her too.” Kaneko still loved her sister and was hoping that they could save her and simply arrest her. “I’ll take care of your sis, you just make sure Father doesn’t escape.” Thar sprinted towards the stables without giving Kaneko much time to say anything back. His speed was much greater that Aiden’s, to such a degree that Kaneko could keep up, but with significantly more effort. It only took them a few minutes to reach the stables and soon enough they rode again towards the woods. Kaneko was riding in front of Thar and she was certain that Aiden had changed in those few brief moments. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but she thought it would be best to focus on the task at hand while keeping an eye out for any action that would be suspicious.

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The key to the lumber mill was hanging from Kaneko’s neck while they rode through the forest, moving deeper and deeper inside the sea of trees and bushes. The only sounds they could hear were birds chirping and various wild animals running away and hiding from them. It was Thar’s first time controlling a physical body to such an extent, but he could still perform most actions instinctively even if there was a noticeable difference between his spiritual form and his current one. Their ride would last for more than one hour and Kaneko informed him that they would also need to walk for a while if it meant reaching their destination undetected.

Back in the city, Elianor was following Duran and Lin while they were making their way out of the palace. The king and Lloyd where left in a secure room deep inside the castle’s dungeon while waiting for the storm to end. Upon opening the gates, they were met with a crowd of normal folk swarming the castle and a sizable group of guards pushing them away from the stairs. It seemed as if the mob itself was not in harmony or agreement with each other. Some of the people tried to simply talk to the guards but their voice was unable to be heard over the yelling and screaming, as well as the hits the guards were forced to endure due to the king’s orders. The Family had planned for the guards to be more hostile and kill or hurt some of the rioters, but since that wasn’t happening, they just needed to keep provoking them until someone broke. Duran and Elianor had gone to the base of the stairs supporting them while Lin healed any injuries she could spot. Suddenly they noticed some of the people gathering in the middle and using spears or other polearms to push the civilians aside and create a lane, splitting the crowd in half all the way up to the guards. From the back of the courtyard four riders appeared. Their black cloaks moving with the wind and their dark brown masks hiding their face. The first rider’s horse rose up in its hind legs and neighed, capturing the attention of everyone. The riders pulled the masks off their faces and dropped them to the ground. “People of Lindheimr! The King will not hide in his castle while waiting for us to obey as if we were mere sheep. Rise and take all that belong to you!” The crowd seemed to stay quiet for a moment but some started cheering for the riders and soon more followed their yelling. The riders in the front readied their lances while the two in the back gripped their maces and began galloping through the lane towards the scared guards.

Elianor was quick to push them aside and throw her weapon on the ground, holding her shield up with both her arms. The two riders aimed their lances at her and the impact was powerful. So powerful, in fact, that their weapons bent and snapped on the all-metal shield wielded by her. The riders themselves were flung off their steeds and halted the ones galloping behind them. Both of the horses ran past Elianor but suddenly their bodies felt stiff and their muscles could no longer move. Lin had gone up a few steps and her eyes were surrounded by a grey, mystical aura. Both her arms extended towards the beasts and her fists firmly gripping the air as if she was holding their massive bodies in place. The guards got a hold of the horses’ leads and tried to calm them. Lin relaxed her grip and from her expression they could tell she had done something that required a lot of energy. Elianor herself was in pain and her arms felt bruised beneath the armour, but she had no time to think about it, as all the riders were now off their horses and advancing on her with their maces and daggers. She took a few steps back and hid behind her shield while trying to find an opening to grab her weapon. Suddenly, she was pulled back on the stairs by one of the guards and Duran took her place holding his claymore low ready to defeat his opponents. The foolish Family members thought they could match his combat ability and attacked him. Duran took a step towards the first attacker and swung his sword upwards. The blade connected with the man’s arms as they were being brought down and cut them clean off right below the elbow. Duran moved past the disarmed attacker and while his claymore was still high up, another swing downwards was enough to claim one more life. Without messing up his flow, a powerful thrust split the chainmail rings under the third member’s cloak and pierced his lungs, but to his surprise the man was still alive enough to move into the blade and grab Duran’s hands not allowing him to pull his claymore out. The final member quickly moved behind Duran and lifted up his dagger, just when a mace, that was previously laying on the ground, hit his head, cracking his skull and mangling his flesh right above his ear. Lin was telekinetically controlling the rogue weapon and slowly moved it towards Elianor, who grabbed it thanking her.

Even though they had won this fight, the damage was already done and whispers of unfairness and rebellion were already being spread amongst the city folk that were now a brewing recipe for disaster. Just when their actions seemed to be irreversible the gates opened once again and, to everyone’s surprise, the King and Lloyd came out of the palace with a group of guards escorting them. Sensing the swift death that could be brought upon the king, Elianor held her shield up in front of him together with the rest of the guards while Lin moved back ready to use her magical abilities if need be. Duran stayed in front of the shields, brave and bold, but also vigilant and perfectly alert. The king ordered Lin to augment his voice and, using a crate from inside the palace, he raised himself above the others around him. “SUCH CHAOS HAS SHALLOWED OUR PROUD CITY. IT HURTS ME…BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY IT HURTS YOU!” The king took off his crown and handed it over to one of the guards. “I, ALFREID GAINSBOROUGH, ABANDON THE THRONE AND HUMBLY REQUEST FOR THIS CHAOS TO END!” Alfreid ended his speech and retreated back into the castle before the members of the Family could do anything to stop him. Besides, he wasn’t the king anymore. This shocking turn of events was not what the Family expected and thus they had no plan to counter this and keep the crowd riled up. The only thing they could do is let the mob and guards to calm down while returning to their hideout in search of their Father.

Deep inside the forest, Kaneko and Thar had dismounted their horses and moved through the thickets quickly but silently. Most of the time they had spent outside of Lindheimr was wordless and Thar could tell Kaneko was always keeping an eye out for him, probably more so than she did for any rogue members patrolling the forest. Eventually, through the many trees, a structure covered with weathered red paint could be seen. It was similar to a barn but with an extra room on the outside of it. Moving closer they noticed the room contained a large, round saw head that went halfway through the wooden floor and was connected to a mechanism that moved all the way to the ceiling and ended with an old chain hanging down. The smaller side-room was similar to a garage, but the main building only had three locked possible entrances: The main door, a smaller back door and a side door that connected the building and the lone room. Only the last door was locked from the outside and upon closer inspection of the lock it was clear that their key fitted perfectly. Kaneko pushed the key inside and turned it while holding her sword in her right hand. They opened the door carefully and readied their weapons. They didn’t even get to open the door fully when Baernon’s purple mist began pouring out of the room. Thar grabbed Kaneko and pulled her back slamming the door closed. “That bastard was ready…” He wasn’t able to finish his sentence as he had to dodge a curved blade that almost took his head off. “Please don’t refer to Father with such rough words.” Kioko was now standing in front of Thar, having switched places with Kaneko in that split second it took for Thar to close the door. Inside the large and empty warehouse Kaneko had her vision obscured by the thick, purple fog that surrounded her and Baernon. “It pains me to see someone like you betray me Kaneko.” Father’s voice was heard from somewhere in the mist. “I’m only doing something I should have done long ago.” Responded Kaneko while her eyes darted around the room. “I will leave this place with my sister and you in chains. I suggest you give up now.” Kaneko’s threat was met with laughter. “You and Aiden can never hope to beat someone like me and Kioko. You’ll both meet your final fate in this place.” A magenta light flashed in the mist and Kaneko was barely able to dodge the blast of energy that came from Baernon’s hand. Baernon’s magic had the ability to crystalize and form tiny projectiles that slowly dissolved inside the wound making the victim feel a horrible and lingering pain, hindering their ability to fight. She moved in to slice him with her sword, but he had already moved.

Thar’s and Kioko’s blades came into contact, one sliding off the other. The swift assassin was amazed at Thar’s ability to match her speed and deflect most of her cuts without breaking a sweat. “Oh my…I had no idea you were such a capable fighter.” She purred after nearly getting hit by one of his thrusts. Her demeanour seemed to have changed as her voice quivered with bloodlust. “Underestimating your opponent is no good. Especially if you’re up against a strong and handsome individual such as myself.” Thar smirked at his own boasting and got, suddenly, cut by a pair of sharp claws that managed to reach his skin. “Tch…You act as if you’re a different person.” Added Kioko as she pulled back her blood covered hand. Thar said nothing, seemingly unphased by the pain he dashed forwards swinging his zweihander. Although his aim was true, his target was able to move incredibly fast and get behind him. Before she could kill him, a bright flame appeared on his back and flared towards her. Kioko dodged away and watched as Thar turned to stare at her with his blood-red eyes. The flames on his back had turned into embers that burned on his armour and face causing him no harm. Kioko’s eyes widened and she gritted her teeth, worrying about the outcome of this fight. She had no choice but to face him, Baernon needed her to kill this man. They were on the verge of greatness, she only needed to overcome this one, final, obstacle and have the work of a lifetime pay off. Kioko launched herself onto Thar only for her body to blink out of existence. The ethereal remnants of her magic had a deep, indigo colour and followed her as she reappeared right above him, ready to thrust her sword into his skull. The fire grew wild as Thar instantly reacted to her attack, matching the tip of her blade with the flat of his own. He turned his body and greatsword while blocking, throwing Kioko off balance and making her land awkwardly next to him. She tried to resume her attacking, but could only stare in fear while Thar’s punch flew towards her abdomen burning with embers that upon impact burst into a raging explosion of flames. Kioko got thrown into the air and landed on the rusty saw head, the edges penetrating her back and digging deep into her body. “No, please!” She screamed in agony as Thar grabbed the chain with his left hand and pulled it down with all of his power. Kioko’s screams ended as the saw rotated, viciously ripping into her insides.

While Kioko and Thar were exchanging blows, Kaneko had to use everything in her disposal to avoid the projectiles Baernon shot at her. She was sprinting around the room, side stepping, climbing walls with her claws and using loose ropes or chains, hanging from the roof, as a way to manoeuvre while in mid-air. The entirety of the warehouse was filled with Baernon’s mist and Kaneko had no real way to tell where he was, since he seemed to be able to move through the fog as if he were a part of it, smooth and unnoticed. Kaneko had only been fighting him for a few seconds, but she already knew some of his abilities and could see patterns in the way he fought. Baernon’s mist didn’t enhance his speed, it could only reduce the speed of other beings if their Sun Aura had been broken, something that Kaneko was trying hard to avoid. She had also realised that he was unable to fire any worthwhile projectiles while running around so he had to be still and aim properly, especially for the longer shots which usually consisted of a single, larger crystal that blew up into shrapnel when Baernon gave the command. It didn’t take much for Kaneko to realise her speed would only keep her safe temporarily, after all, she wasn’t able to move as fast as her sister. She momentarily slowed down while on the floor, baiting an attack from him. This crystal was whole at first and exploded when it got close to Kaneko. Most fragments missed but a couple found their mark. She ignored the searing pain and tried to bait one more attack. This time Baernon shot her with multiple smaller crystals, revealing that he was closer. Some of them penetrated the skin of her arm, adding to her ache. She gasped and curled her body around her right arm while switching her weapon to the left. Through the mist Baernon grinned with satisfaction while preparing to cast his final spell. A bolt of purple energy started forming in his hand, this magic was slower but more devastating that his crystals, if he were to hit her, she would die instantly. Kaneko saw the dim flash of light and with an extraordinary burst of speed, she threw a knife at Baernon with her right hand. The blade span around, making the fog it touched disappear. She had calculated the throw to meet with Baernon’s beam and, to his surprise, the knife split it in half. Unfortunately, the beam didn’t stop. Kaneko was hit by Baernon’s powerful magic and the knockback was enough to send her flying. She went straight through the old, wooden side door and landed in front of Thar who had just put an end to her sister’s life. He kneeled over her, startled, and quickly came to the realisation that she was unconscious. “Is it necessary to have someone fall unconscious every time I’m in control?” He sighed and complained to no one in particular, before going inside the warehouse with his zweihander ready.

Inside, the mist had mostly gone away, on the floor he found Baernon’s body with Kaneko’s peculiar knife sticking out of his neck. Thar pulled the knife out, but it broke inside his hand. “It’s all made out of Kurlim…Enchanted with cancellation magic as well…” He picked up the remaining shards and, for good measure, stabbed Father right through the heart. After throwing his body out, Thar carefully dragged Kaneko inside and sat down with his back against the wall. He then closed his eyes and prepared to return the body to its rightful owner, feeling very alive after his first real fight.

Chapter 11: Chaos in Lindheimr.

END.