Silence settled over the blood-soaked clearing, broken only by the restless howl of wind.
For the first time since the massacre began, the hunter had stopped hunting.
He tilted his head to the side, glowing green eyes examining the one person who managed to react to him.
Dom gulped under the killer's intense gaze; his trembling legs threatened to buckle beneath him, but he refused to move and expose the defenseless Devon behind him.
Then, the smile slowly returned to the hooded man's face. "A fluke?" He muttered as he raised his hand, the wind already responding to his mana.
Dom's eyes widened as he sensed the immense mana radiating from this man, already threatening to swallow him whole…until several vines suddenly emerged from the floor and wrapped around the mage.
The mage clicked his tongue in annoyance as he noticed one of the barely surviving guards weakly raising a hand in his direction.
With blood trailing down his lips, the guard looked at Dom.
"Go…" She said, her words barely a whisper… but Dom reacted quickly as he grabbed Devon and pulled him into the woods.
"No." The hooded man growled as he aimed another spell at their back, but the guard sent another vine, which pulled his arm down, causing him to miss his shot.
"You're…not going anywhere." The guard added as she squeezed her fist, causing her vines to audibly tighten around the man and pull him into an inhumane position
But despite being actively twisted like a towel, the hooded man chuckled. "I was hoping to feast on you while you were still breathing…" He said, then turned towards her with his hood finally falling off.
The color drained from her face as she recognized him instantly… from the savage scars and tattoos, the face of a notorious man…
"...I'll just save that privilege for the white-haired child."
The guard gritted her teeth as she poured what was left of her mana, hoping to break his body with her grip, but with a wave of wind magic, her vines were instantly reduced to shreds while a final wave split her vertically in two, along with the tree behind her.
Already several meters away within the woods…Dom ran… his legs kicking faster than they had ever done in their entire life.
"Dom…Slow down." Devon panted, barely hanging on as Dom pulled him with each hasty step. "I can't keep up."
Just keep running." Dom replied, "If we can just tell the other grown-ups what happened then-"
The roots suddenly caught Devon's feet, sending him tumbling to the earth and pulling Dom down with him.
The moment Dom hit the ground, he cried in pain, clutching his side where blood continued to seep into his shirt.
"Sorry. Sorry. Sorry." Devon said as he tried to help Dom…
But despite the unbearable stabbing pain, his clouded senses could detect that the monster they were running from was already catching up to them.
"Devon…" Dom grumbled as he sat up. "Use your magic and get help."
Devon's eyes widened once he quickly realized what Dom was going to do. "Are you crazy? He'll kill you."
"He'll kill both of us if we don't do this." Dom snapped back as he forced himself to his feet. "I'm the best target… I won't let him catch me."
Despite those words, Dom still knew it was futile… even though he couldn't escape if he wasn't injured… if there's even a tiny chance to save Devon and warn the town, it's one he's willing to take…
Before Devon could go against it, Dom yanked him to the side just before a wave of wind tore across where they were just standing.
"Run!" Dom screamed as he sprinted to the side just as the wind mage emerged from the opening in the tree created from the attack.
"That's the second time you've dodged it." He said as he fixed his eyes on Dom, who flinched at the sight of his even more terrifying face but continued his dash into the forest.
The killer stepped forward, then paused once he realized that the other child was now nowhere to be seen.
But a second later, he smirked knowingly as he silently stared at a certain tree. "I'll be back for you, child." He said before chasing after Dom… while Devon's body materialized from behind that same tree.
Even with his invisibility magic, Devon sank to the floor, trembling in horror at that very specific promise…
Meanwhile, with one hand pressed against his side, Dom ran as fast as he possibly could.
Branches whipped across his face and body as he shoved through the forest, lungs burning violently with every breath.
Several wind projectiles fired at him from the bellies of the forest's darkness, but with surprising agility, Dom weaved through the trees, using the vegetation as cover while desperately trying to maintain his distance.
As a helpless child… a being with no affinity… that was the only way he could survive against a powerful mage.
Roots and stones nearly caught his feet over and over again, but adrenaline forced his body forward before panic could let him fall.
His foot suddenly caught against a buried root, sending him crashing into a muddy puddle, dirty water splashing across his clothes and into his mouth. Pain shot through his knees and elbows as he skidded across wet earth.
He's not human.
That phrase echoed in his mind as he pushed himself to his knees, his vision slightly blurry from the blood loss.
He's a monster… Monster?
That's when he remembered… what Pops said… the restaurant conversation, the hunters… the hooded monster…
It's him.
A split second later, a crushing pressure suddenly slammed into his senses.
Dom sprang to his feet and twisted violently on instinct--just as a gigantic blade of compressed wind tore past him.
The attack cleaved straight through a thick tree ahead. The trunk slid apart and crashed down with a deafening crack.
"That's the third time."
Dom froze… a terrifying shiver running down his spine once he realized that the wind mage was now standing beside him.
"So it wasn't a fluke, then. What are you, child?" The man asked, genuinely curious.
With a panicked grunt, Dom dashed forward only for the man's heel to connect with his gut.
Blood-stained saliva spilled from his mouth as the force sent him rolling across the dirt like a discarded doll.
"Well, either way…" The killer said as he calmly lowered his leg. "You're still a child."
With a flick of a wrist, he conjured the winds again, which wrapped around Dom's body like invisible chains, raising him to his knees.
Through Dom's shaky vision, he gasped softly once he made out the structure within the killer's hand… a small, bloodied heart.
"I only had time to taste those other children." He said as he bit into the organ, splashing blood across his face as he chewed on the flesh before unceremoniously spitting it out. "Their meat tastes awful—like poorly cooked fish."
Then his gaze settled onto Dom's trembling blue aura.
"But yours…" The man smiled slowly, saliva dripping from his lips, mixing with the blood on his chin as he tossed the heart aside. "…yours will be different. I can smell it. You're special."
Dom weakly struggled against his invisible bonds, tears streaming down his face.
"Please… I—I don't want to die." He whispered.
The man chuckled warmly, almost sympathetically. "Neither do the pigs or cows…," He tilted his head, eyes glowing brighter. "…but you still eat them, don't you?"
He stepped forward.
"Cut their throat."
Another step.
"Ignore their screams."
Dom shook his head, his tears further clouding his anemic vision.
"Please." He begged.
But the man's grin only widened further. "That's nature, my beautiful prey." His voice softened into something almost gentle. "The predator hunts for food."
The wing began swirling around his body, leaves lifted, and branches creaked.
"The prey runs, only to get caught and die." He then crouched, mana flaring out of his body. "That's the wondrous circle of life!"
Instantly, the forest erupted as violent ind exploded from his body.
Dom cried out, his eyes closed as dirt and leaves blasted around him violently.
"You can't escape."
The whisper came from behind him now.
Dom's blood froze solid as he felt fingers reaching toward his back. It was so fast that his memories didn't even have enough time to flash through his eyes.
Only two words formed in his mind.
Pops… help…
The man's fingertips brushed against Dom's shirt just as a jet of flames tore through the woods like a missile.
The inferno carved a blazing path directly between Dom and the cannibal, swallowing the trees, leaves, and air itself in blinding orange light.
The cannibal recoiled instantly with a sharp snarl as the flames engulfed his arm.
Meanwhile, heat roared across Dom's face, and for a split second, the world vanished beneath fire and light.
The cannibal leapt backward through the explosion, landing several meters away as smoke curled from his burned arm. The flesh there was blackened, cracked, and still faintly glowing. The smell of burnt meat spread through the clearing.
"Who's there?!" The man snarled, emerald eyes flashing murderously through the smoke of the scorched trail.
The flames slowly began to fade.
And Dom blinked, his eyes widening once he realized he wasn't on the ground anymore.
Strong arms held him effortlessly, lifting him as though he weighed nothing. His breath hitched as his vision steadied, settling on the face of the man who had intervened.
He was old—older than Dom had expected—but not weak. Deep lines marked his face, carved there by time, heat, and battle. His hair was ash-gray, pulled back loosely, and his beard was trimmed short, singed at the ends as if flames were never far from him. Most striking of all were his eyes.
They glowed.
A deep rose-red, steady and calm, like embers buried beneath a mountain of ash.
"You good?" The savior asked, his voice low and grounded, cutting through the ringing in Dom's ears.
Dom tried to speak, but nothing came out. His throat worked uselessly before he finally managed a stiff nod.
The savior's grip adjusted slightly, careful—gentle, even. "Alright," He said quietly, then stiffened briefly once his glowing eyes lingered on Dom's white hair.
Recognition flickered across his face for only a second before disappearing beneath focus again.
"I've got you."
The words hit harder than Dom expected.
The savior lowered him carefully behind his back before stepping forward without hesitation, placing himself between Dom and the monster instinctively.
The act was effortless, practiced.
Like he'd done it his whole life.
Across the clearing, the cannibal flexed his burned hand slowly as flakes of charred flesh crumbled away from his skin.
"You've got some nerve," He growled, voice sharpened with rage, "… interrupting my hunt. You'll pay for that!" The wind howled in response around him.
The savior straightened fully.
Only then did Dom notice the uniform.
Black, reinforced, and battle-worn, lined with faint blue seams that almost pulsed softly with mana. A long white coat hung from the man's shoulders, its edges patterned with red-yellow flames that seemed to flicker even while still. On the center of his back was a symbol every citizen of the South knew by heart—
A black beast, fangs bared, with the number 3 etched boldly beneath it.
"Elon Kruger," The savior said, voice steady as stone. "The Mage Cannibal."
The name landed like a death sentence.
"You were being transported to the Capital for execution," The savior continued, turning fully now, his back broad and unmoving for Dom to see. "Your suppressor cuffs failed. You killed your escorts and escaped."
Elon's glowing green eyes dragged over the golden bow and arrow insignia on the savior's chest, then up to the elderly face.
"A Magic Knight," He said slowly, savoring the words. "Did they really send someone like you after me?" His gaze sharpened. "So who the hell are you supposed to be?"
The Knight didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he took a single step forward. "An old timer," He said at last, "… who happened to be nearby."
Dom shuddered as heat began pouring off the Knight--thick, oppressive, pressing against his skin. Red mana leaked from the man's body like smoke from a forge, warping the air around him.
Elon chuckled softly. "Doesn't matter who you are. You interrupted my hunt."
He licked his lips, eyes flicking briefly toward Dom before returning to the Knight.
"And for that, you'll die. At least…" His smile widened unnaturally. "…you look like someone with a strong taste."
The Knight tilted his head back, eyes closing.
For a moment, he looked almost tired.
"I heard about what you did," He said quietly. "The people you slaughtered before you were captured. The bodies they found yesterday in Canvas. The two hunters you killed last night."
His hands suddenly clenched at his sides, and Dom flinched as the Knight's aura surged, heat washing over him in one suffocating wave.
"The guards sent to search, and when I followed the tracks… I found those boys."
The silence that followed was heavy—absolute.
"Judging by their size," The Knight continued, his voice tightening as he glanced at a Dom. "... they were about this one's age. They probably hadn't even gotten their first girl yet."
Blood dripped from his clenched fists, evaporating against the scorched ground, adding the smell of iron into the air.
"And… you slaughtered them like animals."
Elon tilted his head, genuinely puzzled. "We are animals," He replied calmly, raising his uninjured hand. "I got hungry and found prey. So I hunted and ate." His grin widened further. "It was simple survival. Nothing more. Nothing less."
The Knight turned slowly, red eyes burning as they locked onto Elon's. "Is that how much value a human life holds to you?" He asked.
"What do you mean?" Elon said as he looked down at his blood-stained hand, studying it like a chef examining his work. "Human life is the greatest gift of nature."
His grin stretched wider.
"The texture of the meat. The flavor… And their mana—each person tastes different. It's an experience beyond compare."
A vein bulged violently on the Knight's forehead. "The Capital ordered me to capture you, so that you'll get the painful execution you deserve…" He said, voice trembling with fury.
"But after hearing that crap…" He raised a fist, his knuckles igniting with scorching flames. "…I'll send you to hell myself."
Crimson light exploded outward as the Knight's aura flared, heat crashing into the forest like a living thing.
Trees groaned. The ground cracked apart beneath his feet. Leaves ignited mid-air before turning to ash instantly.
Elon's grin widened impossibly as he spread his arms, welcoming it. Like a starving beast finally seeing a worthy meal.