Kevin didn't stop running until his legs trembled under him. He didn't dare look back. Only when his breath finally came out ragged and uneven did he slow and ease Celize down onto her feet.
She immediately pushed at his chest. "We have to go back!" she cried, breathless, her hair disheveled, eyes frantic. "Captain Brandon, the others—they're fighting for us. We can't just abandon them!"
Kevin held her shoulders firmly. "Lady Celize—stop."
"No!" she shook her head violently. "I won't! Brandon is still alive. I know he is. You can fight, bring me back there!"
"Are you insane?" Kevin snapped, louder than he intended.
Celize flinched, but her jaw tightened. "I won't let them die alone. I won't sit here like a coward while people sacrifice their lives for mine."
"They didn't die for nothing," Kevin said, trying to hold back his own frustration. "Brandon told us to run. He wanted to protect you."
"What if he's still alive? What if…"
"Even if he is," Kevin cut in, voice low, "you going back there will only make his death pointless."
Her breath caught, but she kept resisting, hands balled into fists.
"Lady Celize," Kevin said more softly now, "the only way you can help them… is to stay alive. Stay alive, and avenge them. Find whoever sent those bastards after you."
She froze.
His words struck deeper than any blade.
Celize lowered her head, trembling. Then slowly, painfully, she nodded.
Kevin swallowed the lump in his throat. "Good. Now stay close. We can't afford to die here."
Kevin forward while holding Celize hand. It was supposed to be romantic. But their dire situation didn't give Kevin time to fantasize.
They pushed deeper into the forest, staying off the dirt road. The night was heavy, thick with damp leaves and the sound of distant insects. Celize hugged her arms around Kevin's, still shaken, her dress torn from the frantic escape. Kevin kept an ear turned in every direction, his hand never leaving the dagger's hilt.
The forest canopy swallowed the moonlight. It felt as if the darkness itself was watching.
Hours passed—or maybe minutes. Time felt wrong now. Every snapped twig felt like a warning.
They were moving along a narrow slope when a voice slithered through the darkness.
"Found you."
Kevin's blood went cold.
Six shadows stepped out from between the trees, silhouettes tall and armed, their blades glinting in faint moonlight. They formed a half-circle around him and Celize.
Kevin pulled Celize behind him, slowly, dagger raised. "Stay close."
Celize nodded, though her breathing was sharp and uneven.
One attacker stepped forward, the familiar cruel smirk marking him as the leader. "You made us run far, boy," he said. "But it ends here."
Kevin didn't respond. He only sank into a stance, sweat stinging his brow.
Under his feet, a pair of red pinpoints glowed faintly—Black Rabbit, waiting.
The first attacker lunged.
Kevin sidestepped, slashing the man's hip, but his arm shook from exhaustion. Another came from behind; Kevin twisted just in time to block, the impact numbing his forearm. The remaining four pressed in, patient, methodical—experienced killers slowly squeezing in a noose.
But the shadow beneath him shifted.
A blur of darkness erupted from Kevin's feet, slicing upward. Black Rabbit exploded into a spiral of speed and fangs, tearing into the legs of the nearest attacker. The man screamed as he fell.
Kevin didn't waste it. He drove his dagger into the man's throat.
The system whispered again,
"Congratulations. You obtained ten Soul Fragments."
Five left.
"Damn it, he's strong," one of them snarled, stepping back.
The leader said, "He has a pet rabbit hiding in shadow."
Kevin grinned despite the blood running down his shoulder. "Surprise."
Another two attackers rushed him. Kevin parried one strike, barely dodged another, but the second man's blade grazed his rib, drawing a hot line of pain. He hissed but kept moving. Black Rabbit leapt from the shadows and latched onto the leg of a third attacker, dragging him off balance long enough for Kevin to stab him through the chest.
"Congratulations. You obtained ten Soul Fragments."
Four left.
But Kevin was slowing. His vision blurred, breath coming in ragged bursts. He wasn't made for prolonged fights—not when he had fought Soulbornes the whole day and carried Celize through half the forest.
"Kill the rabbit first!" the leader barked.
Two men swung downward toward the shifting shadow, trying to pin the black rabbit. Kevin reacted instinctively, blocking one, kicking the other aside, but it cost him precious movement, precious stamina. The third attacker slipped behind him and slashed, hitting Kevin's back.
He gasped, stumbling forward.
Celize screamed his name. "Kevin!"
But Black Rabbit shot up once more, sinking its fangs into an attacker's wrist. The man howled, dropping his weapon. Kevin used the opening to slit his throat.
"Congratulations. You obtained ten Soul Fragments."
Three left.
But Kevin's limbs grew heavy. His knees wobbled. Sweat stung his eyes. Blood dripped from multiple wounds—the fight was wearing him down.
The leader grinned. "You're slowing, boy."
Kevin tried to lift his dagger again, but his arm felt like wet sand. He managed to block one strike, but the parry rattled him to the bone.
Two attackers moved in at once—the leader from the front, another from Kevin's blind spot.
Kevin realized too late.
He lifted his dagger to stop the leader's blade—but the other attacker was already lunging at his ribs.
Celize saw it.
Her breath froze. She didn't think—she just moved.
"KEVIN!"
She threw herself between them.
Kevin's eyes widened just as the blade sank into her lower abdomen.
Celize gasped, the sound soft, broken. Blood blossomed across her dress.
"No…" Kevin whispered.
The attacker yanked the blade free, letting her collapse into Kevin's arms.
For a moment, everything inside him went silent.
Then something snapped.
Kevin's face twisted—rage, fear, a primal fury he had never felt before. His pupils shrank, breath shaking, muscles tensing like a cornered animal's.
"You…" he growled, voice trembling, "you stabbed her…"
Black Rabbit emerged beside him, ears flat, small body shaking—not with fear, but with the same fury radiating from Kevin.
The leader smirked. "Should've stayed dead in the forest, boy."
Kevin slowly lowered Celize to the ground, his eyes never leaving them. He rose to his feet like something no longer fully human.
Veins pulsed at his temples.
His muscles coiled.
And when he spoke again, his voice was barely recognizable.
"I'll kill you."
He charged with a snarl, Black Rabbit launching from his shadow like a shot of pure darkness.
Kevin fought like a beast unleashed—no technique, no restraint, just raw, vicious survival. Every strike was fueled by rage; every movement meant to tear and destroy. The attackers underestimated the shift—his speed, his sudden brutality.
He slammed into the first attacker, knocking him backward and stabbing him repeatedly, long after the man stopped moving. Blood splattered Kevin's chest and face, but he didn't blink.
"Congratulations. You obtained ten Soul Fragments."
The leader backed away, now truly alarmed.
Kevin whipped toward him, dagger dripping.
"You're next," he hissed.
The leader raised his sword, but Black Rabbit struck first—biting deep into his calf, forcing him to stagger.
Kevin pounced.
Their blades clashed once—twice—and then Kevin forced his knife into the leader's throat, pushing until the man's wild choking stopped.
When the last attacker fell, Kevin stood panting, drenched in blood—some of it his, most of it not. His hands trembled. His breath came in ragged gasps.
Only then did he turn back toward Celize.
"Celize…"
Her body lay where he placed her, pale, shaking, blood pooling beneath her.
Kevin dropped to his knees beside her. Immediately, he tore a piece of his shirt and pressed on her stab wound, hoping the bleeding would stop.
"No, no, no—stay awake. Don't you dare die." His voice cracked. "You hear me? Stay with me…"
Celize weakly lifted her hand, brushing his cheek with fingers already cold.
"I… didn't want you to die," she whispered.
Kevin's throat tightened. "Idiot… why would you do something so stupid?"
Her eyes softened. "Because… you saved me. Again…"
Her eyelids fluttered.
"Celize!" Kevin grabbed her hand, gripping it like a lifeline. "Stay awake—just keep looking at me—"
But her vision blurred.
Her breaths grew shallow.
And her hand slowly slipped from his.
Kevin froze.
Trembling.
Bleeding.
With Celize dying in his arms.
All of a sudden, the system's voice echoed.
"Your Soul Fragment is full."
"Proceed with SoulLink?
"Yes or No?"