The next morning, Aeron and the others made their way to the guild office, the tension from the previous day still hanging heavy in the air. The building was rugged but sturdy, its walls lined with weapons and maps. Inside, seven members of the guild sat around a long wooden table, their faces etched with a mix of curiosity and seriousness.
"Morgra and some punks working together in this kidnapping, you say?" the guild leader said, his gravelly voice filling the room. His sharp eyes studied Aeron and the group carefully. "We'll ambush their hideout tonight."
Leo stepped forward, his brow furrowed. "At night, that area is pitch black. Visibility will be nearly zero. It would be wiser to launch an attack before darkness falls."
The guild leader smirked slightly, his gaze shifting to Miley. "We've got a mage here, don't we? That should help."
"We can't fully rely on her," Aeron interjected quickly, his tone firm but polite. His expression tightened as he stepped forward, glancing at Miley, who shifted uncomfortably under the attention.
"I have a better plan," Aeron added, his voice steady, his eyes meeting the guild leader's directly. There was a quiet confidence in his tone, a determination that silenced the room.
A few moments before sunset…
Leo was patrolling near the edge of town when he heard the faint sound of a child crying. His instincts kicked in immediately, and he rushed toward the source of the sound. There, in the fading light, he saw a little girl sitting on the ground, tears streaming down her face.
"Why are you crying?" Leo asked gently, crouching down to her level.
"I… I lost my mommy," the girl sobbed, her small frame shaking as she burst into tears.
Leo's heart ached at the sight. "It's alright," he said softly. "If you tell me where you live, I can take you home."
The girl sniffled, wiping her eyes with her tiny hands. She stopped crying and took Leo's hand, leading him toward the forest. The trees loomed ahead, their shadows stretching long in the golden light of dusk.
As they reached the forest's edge, Leo paused, he looked at the girl, her hand small and fragile in his own. "Before we go any further," Leo said cautiously, "I want to show you something."
The girl tilted her head, her wide eyes filled with innocent confusion.
Suddenly, a loud crack echoed through the forest as a bullet pierced her chest.
The little girl let out a guttural scream, her voice morphing into something monstrous. "WHO DARES TO HURT ME?" she shrieked, her sweet, childlike tone replaced by a deep, horrifying growl. Her body began to twist and contort, transforming into a hideous creature before Leo's terrified eyes.
"Is that… is that how a Morgra looks?" one of the guild members whispered from the bushes where they were hiding, his voice trembling. "It's my first time seeing one."
"Shooting it in the heart didn't kill it," Emma said, her hands gripping her gun tightly as she watched the creature in horror.
"That's why swords are better than your otherworldly guns," the guild leader retorted with a smirk, his voice steady despite the chaos. Drawing his blade, he pointed it toward the monster. "Charge!" he roared.
With that command, the guild members, along with Kael, sprang from their hiding spots and charged at the Morgra. The air filled with the clash of weapons and the creature's guttural roars as they fought.
After an intense battle, the Morgra finally let out one last screech before collapsing to the ground, lifeless. The group stood around the creature's body, catching their breath, their weapons slick with its blood.
"Now that this is done," the guild leader said, his voice still carrying the adrenaline of the fight, "let's deal with those gutter fangs."
Aeron stepped forward, his expression serious. "Remember what we discussed," he said firmly.
The guild leader rolled his eyes, waving a hand dismissively. "Yeah, yeah. 'All lives are precious.' We'll capture them, not kill them," he said, mocking Aeron with a smirk.
Aeron's gaze didn't waver. "I mean it," he said, his voice low but commanding.
"Fine," the guild leader relented, though a trace of sarcasm lingered in his tone.
"It's getting dark," Leo reminded the group, glancing toward the fading sunlight filtering through the trees. The urgency in his voice brought everyone back to focus as they prepared for the next part of their mission.
When they reached the hideout, an eerie silence greeted them. The windows and door were shattered, and the interior bore signs of chaos. As they stepped inside, their breaths caught in their throats. The floor was soaked in blood, and the bodies of all the criminals were strewn across the room.
A chilling wave of fear passed through the group.
"Did that monster do this?" the guild leader asked, his voice unusually hesitant. "Or did they have a fallout and turn on each other?"
Kael knelt near one of the bodies, his brow furrowing. "They were killed only a few minutes ago," he muttered, studying the fresh wounds.
"Look at this," one of the guild members pointed out. "Every single one of them was stabbed in the exact same spot—in the chest."
Aeron's eyes darted across the room, his senses heightened. "This wasn't the work of the monster or infighting. There's someone else here. If we move quickly, we might still find them."
The group sprang into action, scattering to search for clues. Aeron's gaze fell on a single footprint near a shattered window, the print too distinct to belong to the scattered chaos of the room. His instincts screamed at him to follow it.
Without a word, Aeron rushed outside, following the trail. Emma, Kael, Miley, and two guild members quickly followed, sensing his urgency.
The trail led them deep into the woods. As Aeron pushed forward, he caught sight of a figure in the distance—a man clad in the same attire as the cultist from their test.
"Stop right there!" Aeron yelled, his voice cutting through the stillness.
The man halted, turning his head slightly. "Why do I always make mistakes?" he muttered to himself, his tone heavy with disappointment.
"Turn around!" Aeron demanded, his hand instinctively reaching for his gun.
The man sighed, almost lazily. "Now I have to kill more people," he said, his voice calm yet unnerving.
Before anyone could react, the two guild members behind Aeron fell to the ground, their bodies lifeless as fresh blood pooled beneath them. Both had been stabbed in the heart in the blink of an eye.
The others froze, unable to comprehend what had just happened.
In the chaos, Aeron felt a shift in the air. His instincts took over, and his ability activated. Time slowed around him as he caught sight of a blade slicing toward Miley. Reacting with precision, Aeron raised his gun, deflecting the blow and pushing the attacker back, throwing the knife away.
The man stumbled slightly, regaining his footing. His expression was one of surprise, though his tone remained casual. "It's been a while since someone blocked my attack," he said, tilting his head. "Impressive. What's your name, boy?"
"I'm Aeron," he replied, steadying his stance.
The man smirked, his tone almost friendly. "I'm Nyvra, a member of the Demon King's Representative Cult. A pleasure to meet you, Aeron."
Nyvra's expression darkened, his smirk fading. "I wish we could chat longer, but I'm in a hurry, so I'll make this quick."
With blinding speed, Nyvra lunged toward Aeron, aiming a punch at his face. Aeron's powers kicked in again, slowing time. He caught Nyvra's hand mid-swing with his left hand, his grip firm.
Nyvra's other hand shot forward, aiming for Aeron's stomach. Reacting just as quickly, Aeron grabbed Nyvra's wrist with his right hand. But this time, the force of Nyvra's blow sent Aeron stumbling backward.
Kael charged forward, using his strength to ram into Nyvra with his shoulder, sending him reeling.
Nyvra steadied himself, clicking his tongue in annoyance. "Can't you see I'm having a one-on-one here? Don't interfere." With a swift kick, he sent Kael sprawling to the ground.
"Ice Impact!" Miley's voice rang out as she cast a spell, hurling a barrage of ice balls at Nyvra.
With a mere snap of his fingers, Nyvra shattered the ice mid-air, the shards falling harmlessly to the ground.
Emma fired relentlessly, her bullets slicing through the air toward him. But Nyvra dodged each one effortlessly, his movements fluid and unnervingly calm.
"Four against one? That's hardly fair," Nyvra mocked, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
"He's too strong," Aeron muttered, gritting his teeth.
"Hey, you," Aeron shouted, trying to catch his breath. "What does the Demon King's Representative Cult even mean?"
Nyvra chuckled. "No clues. I just joined for fun. Keeps things… interesting."
"What about the cultist who infiltrated our camp?" Aeron pressed.
"Who?" Nyvra asked, genuinely confused. A moment later, recognition lit up his face. "Oh, you mean that idiot who's been missing for the past several months? So he's been captured by you guys?" He grinned wickedly. "Did you kill him?"
"We're not monsters like you!" Aeron snapped.
Nyvra's grin widened. "Big mistake," he said, his tone almost gleeful. "Despite being a psychopath, he's one of the most powerful sorcerers you will ever meet."
The group exchanged uneasy glances.
Nyvra leaned in slightly, his eyes gleaming with malice. "Did you know he can summon packs of monsters in an instant? If he's enraged, he'll unleash a rampage, drowning your camp in swarms of creatures."
The group's expressions darkened, a heavy tension settling over them.
Nyvra chuckled, flashing a sinister grin. "But don't worry—you won't have to live long enough to witness it."
Aeron's body tensed with rage. Without thinking, he lunged forward, drawing his knife in a single, fluid motion. His instincts screamed at him to be cautious, but his fury drowned out the warning. He aimed for Nyvra's throat, a direct, lethal strike.
But Nyvra was faster.
With a casual flick of his wrist, he caught Aeron's hand mid-strike, gripping his wrist with unsettling ease. "Too predictable," Nyvra muttered.
Aeron smirked. In a split second, he released the knife, letting it drop into his other hand. With a swift motion, he slashed across Nyvra's face, leaving a thin, crimson trail.
Nyvra's smirk vanished. His expression twisted into something darker—something truly dangerous.
A split second later, he attacked.
Nyvra's sword slashed toward Aeron with terrifying speed. Sparks flew as metal met metal, Aeron barely blocking the onslaught with his knife. Nyvra's strikes were precise, relentless, each one heavier than the last. Aeron's arm burned with effort as he parried, dodging, deflecting.
The others could barely follow their movements. All they could see were the blinding flashes of metal clashing, the sharp ringing of blades echoing through the battlefield.
In the heat of the moment, Aeron spotted an opening. As he parried one of Nyvra's strikes, Miley cast a spell, launching balls of compacted dirt that momentarily distracted him. Seizing the opportunity, Aeron delivered a solid blow to Nyvra's chest. The attack barely left a scratch, but it was enough to make Nyvra pause.
He glanced at the sky—dawn was breaking. Clicking his tongue, he took a step back. "That was entertaining," he admitted, his tone laced with amusement. "But I have someplace to be." His gaze met Aeron's, a twisted excitement in his eyes. "For the pleasure you've given me, I'll let you live… for now. I look forward to our next duel—just the two of us."
With that, Nyvra vanished in an instant, leaving only the fading echoes of his laughter behind.