We ran. Fast. Back the way we came.
Branches whipped past us, leaves tearing under our feet. Somewhere behind, the river kept roaring, and ahead, the forest opened up like it was holding its breath.
Then,
Something heavy hit the guard carrying Julian. I didn't even see what it was. One second, they were running; the next, they were flying like broken toys. Julian rolled across the ground with a groan.
I jumped off the guard who was holding me and spun toward the direction the blow came from.
And there he was.
The metal-skinned man.
Half his face hidden by a black hoodie, the rest glowing faintly under moonlight. His skin looked like steel dipped in shadows, arms long, steps quiet, too quiet for someone that big.
Something about him made my stomach twist.
The air around him didn't feel right. It was too cold, too still, like even the wind was afraid to move.
"Hand over," he said.
His voice. Ugh. It slithered through the night like a snake, dry and sharp and full of death.
"Hand over the kid."
I didn't move.
Didn't blink.
I knew why he was here. They were either gonna sell Julian or use him, use his royal blood for something dark.
Julian… he's my, I mean, Xavier's youngest brother. The moment I saw his guardian was Loid, I had my own doubt, but the moment I heard his name back at the baron house… I knew.
He's my younger brother, too.
The one I never got to meet.
"What should we do, Young Master?" the guard behind me whispered, his voice tight. His hand was on his sword.
No. If we draw swords, we're dead before we even blink.
"What do you want?" I asked. My voice came out calmer than I expected.
The forest answered with silence. Crickets stopped. Leaves rustled gently in the breeze.
A gust of wind passed between us, brushing against our cloaks. In the distance, the forest creatures chirped like they had no idea death was standing right there.
"The kid. Hand him over," the man repeated, taking one step closer. Leaves crunched under his boot, like bones.
"If we do that... will you let us go?" I asked.
"Young Master…" the guard whispered behind me, like he couldn't believe I said that.
"I will kill you painlessly," the hoodie man said, without pause. No hesitation.
Exactly what I expected. No chance he was letting us walk away.
"What are you gonna do with him?" I asked again.
What I am doing is stalling for some time. My eyes flicked left and right. Adrien. Loid. Someone, please, get here.
He didn't answer right away. Just stood there like a shadow stitched to the earth.
"None of your business. Hand him over."
Creepy bastard.
I took a step forward. My fists clenched.
"Well," I said. "Since you're gonna kill us either way… I guess we'd better fight back."
________________________________
(Guard pov)
If that hoodie man said he would let us go if we hand over that kid, will young master really do that? I hope not.
I didn't know what scared me more, the monster in the hoodie or the boy standing in front of him.
"Well, since you're gonna kill us either way… I guess we'd better fight back."
Because when Young Master said that, something changed in the air.
The bloodlust. It wrapped around us like a cold, slithering chain. It coiled tighter, pressing into my skin like it wanted to choke me out.
It wasn't coming from the enemy. It was coming from him.
Young Master Kaiser.
His eyes glowed faintly in the moonlight, silver-gray like sharpened frost. His face was blank, expressionless, but from his body radiated something unnatural. A wave of pure, murderous intent that made my knees almost give out.
I nearly fell to my knees before him. My god, thank the stars he's on our side.
"You got a quiet aura," the hoodie man said, letting out a low chuckle. His voice curled around my ears like mist, like venom. "I wonder how a kid your age has such strong murder intent."
"Well," Young master Kaiser tilted his head just slightly. Then smiled. "None of your business."
I almost fainted.
He's only five. Just five years old.
But he stood there like a soldier born under a storm. Like someone who's seen death and decided to stare back.
"You're interesting," the man said, taking a step forward. The ground under him cracked slightly. "Very interesting."
I instinctively reached for my sword. But,
Young Master lifted his hand. Just barely.
A tiny flick of his fingers.
Don't.
His eyes slid toward mine, calm and sharp. That one glance said everything: If you draw that sword, you'll die. Don't. And I believed him.
Could we even escape this thing? I didn't know. But if I had to bet everything, I'd bet it on him. I know I am crazy for betting on a kid I was supposed to protect, but still, I don't know why I am doing this.
"If you think I'm interesting," Young Master said, his smirk widening, "then why not let us go?"
The wind picked up again, cutting cold through the forest. Leaves rustled. The night creatures went silent. Even the time itself felt like it paused.
The hoodie man let out a low hum, almost amused. "Oh…" he giggled. "Do you know what I love doing when I meet something interesting?"
The way he said it in a slow, playful tone made my stomach twist. This isn't going to end well.
A cold sweat rolled down the side of my face. My body started shaking. I didn't even realize I was holding my breath.
"I wonder what," Young Master Kaiser replied, his smirk now gone, his face falling back into that blank, unshakable expression. Like a doll sculpted by war.
Then, he moved.
The hooded man vanished.
Just, gone.
I couldn't track him. Couldn't even blink before it happened.
All I saw was a blur. A black hand, crackling faintly with dim, sickly blue light, slammed into Young Master's chest.
The force launched him backward.
He flew through the air and smashed into the thick trunk of a tree behind us. Bark cracked. Branches snapped. The ground shook slightly.
And then silence.
"YOUNG MASTER!!"
I didn't mean to scream. I didn't even realize I had. But the sound tore from my lungs, raw and loud enough to make my ears ring.
How, how could someone hit a child like that?
Young master Kaiser dropped to his knees. Blood spilled from his mouth, dark and slow. He coughed again.
He looked so small, so fragile; for the first time, I saw a boy instead of a monster.
I ran toward him. I didn't care how I looked. My voice cracked. My steps fumbled. I didn't care.
The hooded man chuckled again, his voice like poison soaked in honey.
"I like to crush things," he said calmly, "until I lose interest in them."
God, this bastard.
Young master Kaiser clutched his chest, trying to steady his breathing. His little fingers dug into the ground like he was clawing his way back up from something deeper than pain.
I stood up.
My hands were shaking. My legs felt like twigs. But...I can't stand this anymore.
"You bastard!" I snapped, my voice shaking but loud.
I knew I was no match. I knew I'd probably die. But how could I just watch him do that to our Young Master?
The man didn't even look at me. He tilted his head like I was a bird making noise in a cage.
Then,
"Oh, I see…" Young Master murmured, coughing again. He slowly wiped the blood from his mouth with the back of his hand, smearing it across his pale skin. "You've got some... ill taste."
His voice was rough and low.
But calm. Like he wasn't scared.
Enough.
I drew my sword.
I knew I couldn't beat that monster. But I couldn't just watch. I'm an Ashford guard. My duty is to protect the Ashford family, even if it kills me.
I stepped forward, sword raised. "Don't touch him again!"
Before I could even swing, the hoodie man lifted a single finger.
Just one.
A force, invisible and brutal, slammed into me like a sledgehammer to the gut. My sword flew from my grip. My body launched back, ribs burning, breath knocked out.
I hit the ground hard. Something cracked, most likely my leg. Pain screamed through my thigh. I tried to stand, but my body refused. My right leg bent in a way it shouldn't.
I couldn't move.
I couldn't even crawl.
The bastard didn't even look at me. His focus stayed on Young Master Kaiser.
And then he moved again.
The hoodie man didn't fight like a man. He floated forward, quiet, smooth, like a shadow slithering through smoke.
He didn't strike with rage. He struck with calm cruelty.
He grabbed Young master Kaiser by the collar and lifted him into the air like a doll.
Please no! Not young master!
Young master Kaiser kicked.
And then with that force, he slipped from the man's grasp like a cat, but the hoodie man caught him again in midair, his grip now on young master Kaiser's tiny arm.
He slammed him into the ground.
The earth shook from the force.
Young master Kaiser tried to roll, barely dodging a follow-up stomp. Dirt flew everywhere.
He got up just to get hit again, a backhand this time. It sent him tumbling, coughing blood.
Then a kick.
Then another slam.
He was getting crushed, again and again.
Like the bastard was testing how far he could go.
Just stop! Stop this cruelty!
Young master Kaiser blocked a few hits. Slid under one. He even tried to counter, but his punches were too small. His body is too young.
But his eyes weren't broken yet.
Even as he knelt, panting, blood dripping from his mouth and nose, he glared back.
I wanted to scream. I wanted to yell Stop this. But I couldn't even lift my head.
Beside me, the boy, Julian, sits frozen. He hadn't moved.
His little hands were trembling at his sides. His eyes were wide, wet, locked on the nightmare in front of him. He looked at young master Kaiser being crushed like he was watching the end of the world.
And then, I just took off my eyes just for a second, but as I gazed back, both the young master and the hoodie man stayed still, frozen in place.
What's going on?