Night pressed down on the clearing like the sky itself was holding its breath. Smoke drifted in thin, dying ribbons. The ground was a torn battlefield of cracked stone, scorched trees, gouged earth, and blood. And in the middle of it all, Kaelith knelt in the dirt—shaking, coughing blood, everything that once made him terrifying now reduced to trembling, broken flesh.
His flames were gone.
His pride was gone.
Only fear remained.
He lifted his bruised face toward Reider, eyes wide, terrified of the silent storm standing over him.
"P—Please… have mercy…" he whispered, voice splintering.
Selene was no better. She could barely sit up, her hands trembling uncontrollably, her eyes glossy with tears she never thought she'd shed in her life. She had mocked, she had taunted, she had played with her victims. But now she stared at Reider like death had taken a human form.
"We were just following orders…" she choked out. "Please…"
Reider didn't soften. Not even a little. He didn't flinch. Didn't hesitate. He stood tall, aura simmering like a shadow ready to swallow the world. When he finally spoke, it was calm, sharp, and cold enough to freeze the blood in their veins.
"Where did all that confidence go?"
Kaelith tried crawling back, legs refusing to cooperate, body shaking from pain and panic.
"You don't have to do this," he begged. "W-We won't come after you again! We swear it!"
Reider stepped toward them slowly. Each step deliberate. Measured. Quiet. That made it worse—far worse—than rage ever could. Selene's breath hitched, tears running freely.
"Please!" she sobbed. "We'll disappear! You'll never see us again!"
Reider's voice was flat, a blade scraping stone.
"Disappear? After trying to kill my wife?"
His eyes glowed faintly—black laced with silver—empty of compassion.
"You came to take her life."
Kaelith's face crumbled. "We didn't know—! We were just told t—"
Selene thrust her hands up in surrender, crying so hard she could barely speak.
"We'll do anything! Anything! Please!"
Reider cut through their begging with the same sharpness he used to break bones.
"You'll do nothing. Because you're already dead."
Selene's voice fell to a horrified whisper.
"N-No… please… no…"
Kaelith went pale. His body stilled, realization finally sinking into the deepest part of his bones.
Reider raised his hand.
Aura spiraled around it—black streaked with blood-red light—violent and alive.
Kaelith made one final, desperate attempt.
"Reider, wait! Don't—"
Reider cut him off like a judge passing sentence.
"You should've begged before you touched her."
A flash detonated from his hand, lighting the entire forest in red and black.
Selene screamed.
Kaelith stared in soul-shredding terror.
Mei didn't move to stop Reider.
She watched with silent sadness. But she didn't stop him.
Reider blurred from sight, appearing behind Kaelith so seamlessly the world barely had time to blink.
Kaelith's body froze.
A thin, clean line appeared across his chest—cut so fast even the blood needed a second to realize it had been summoned.
He looked down slowly.
"W…what…?"
His body fell. Lifeless. The earth caught him with a dull thud.
Selene released a scream so raw it stripped her throat.
"NOOO!!!"
Reider turned toward her. No emotion. No hesitation. No pity.
Selene tried crawling backward again, nails ripping into the dirt.
"Please! Please! I didn't mean to! I was forced!"
Reider stared down at her like she was already a corpse.
"You enjoyed it when you were winning."
Her breath hitched. That single line shattered any illusion she had left of escaping.
Reider raised his hand again, aura charging.
Selene's final word was a broken whisper.
"M-monster…"
Reider nodded once.
"Exactly."
The aura burst outward—another flash, brighter than lightning.
When the light died, Selene collapsed beside Kaelith, her eyes empty, body limp.
Reider stood over both corpses, aura fading slowly as silence returned to the clearing. Mei stepped forward carefully, her hand trembling as she reached for Reider's arm. Her touch was soft, grounding, real.
For a moment—just a moment—the storm around him quieted.
---
VAEL & ERYNDRA APPROACH
Far beyond the battlefield, the night air tore open as two streaks of magic carved through the forest. Vael and Eryndra flew with speed that blurred the trees into streaks of shadow. Mana trailed behind them like comet tails.
Eryndra's voice cracked the wind.
"You feel that, right? That aura—it's Reider!"
Vael's expression was sharp, colder than steel, her eyes glowing faintly with focus.
"He's fighting. And it's not going well… for them."
Branches whipped past them as they landed in a burst of air and mana. The moment their feet hit the forest floor, their expressions shifted.
The battlefield stretched before them.
Trees reduced to ash. Ground fractured. Deep scars carved through the earth. Blood splattered like paint on stone. And two corpses—Kaelith and Selene—lay broken and twisted, faces frozen in terror.
Vael's eyes widened.
"He did this… alone?"
Eryndra stared, stunned.
"I knew he was dangerous, but this…"
Reider stood in the middle, his posture relaxed, expression blank, aura still faintly crackling like embers refusing to die. Mei lingered close behind him, hand still resting on his arm.
Eryndra forced a shaky smile, trying to cut through the tension.
"Sooo… I'm guessing negotiations didn't work out?"
Reider's response was immediate, flat, and unbothered.
"They tried to kill my wife."
Vael's eyes darted to Mei, and for a brief moment her stern expression softened.
"Are you alright, Mei?"
Mei nodded gently, gaze drifting back to Reider.
"He protected me…"
Eryndra snorted softly, crossing her arms.
"Protected her? He slaughtered them."
Reider didn't look at her.
"They deserved worse."
Vael walked closer, slow and careful, studying him like she was checking for fractures.
"You didn't hesitate."
Reider didn't blink.
"Should I have?"
Vael paused, jaw tightening. Then she shook her head.
"No… not this time."
Eryndra smirked weakly, trying to hide how uneasy she was.
"Remind me to never get on your bad side, Reider."
"You shouldn't."
Eryndra decided she very much believed him.
Mei looked at him—really looked at him. Her eyes softened, warm with gratitude and emotion that only deepened when Reider finally met her gaze.
"Thank you…" she whispered.
Reider's face softened, almost imperceptibly.
"You're my wife. It's my job."
Eryndra let out a breathy laugh.
"Man, I can't tell if that's romantic or terrifying."
Vael cleared her throat sharply.
"We need to be careful. If Lucian and Aldric sent these two, they'll send worse next time."
Reider's voice turned colder than winter.
"Let them."
"That's the problem, Reider," Eryndra said seriously. "You can't take on the world alone."
"I don't need to," Reider replied bluntly. "I'll protect her."
Vael stepped up and placed a firm hand on his shoulder.
"You don't have to do it alone. You have us."
Reider hesitated—not physically, but internally. You could see the flicker of conflict in his eyes, like someone unused to the idea that help wasn't an insult.
Then Mei stepped closer, fingers slipping into his hand with quiet determination.
"We're in this together, Reider."
Reider looked down at their joined hands. His expression didn't change much, but the aura around him softened. Even the air felt a little lighter.
Eryndra grinned.
"Yeah, besides, you've got three wives now, remember?"
Vael went bright red instantly, whipping her head toward Eryndra.
"D-Don't say things like that!"
Mei flushed too but didn't deny a word.
"Still not denying it though…"
Reider blinked.
"But you are."
Eryndra burst into uncontrollable laughter, nearly bending over from the force of it.
"Oh, I like this guy!"
Vael pressed a palm to her forehead, sighing like she regretted every decision that led her to this moment.
"What am I going to do with him…"
They stood together—Reider, Mei, Vael, and Eryndra—in the center of destruction, united not by blood or title, but by a moment that solidified something more binding.
Something unspoken, but undeniable.
The bodies of their enemies lay cooling behind them, but none of the four looked back.
They had something far more important ahead.
A war.
A kingdom.
A church.
And a future they would have to carve out with their own hands.
Side by side.
Together.