It took only a heartbeat for the woman with the silver blade to sense it — a presence approaching the village with a weight that made the air itself vibrate. Her sharp eyes narrowed. Her armor, polished steel layered with etched runes, reflected the dim sunlight in silver flashes. She looked built for speed: slender frame, balanced stance, and a deadly calm earned through years of training… and fighting.
Her fingers tightened around the blade.
Whatever was coming… wasn't human.
She looked toward the city's direction a moment longer, assessing, measuring. Then, as if deciding the threat was not immediate, she slowly turned back to Kaelith — only to freeze as she caught the faint sound of him lightly chuckling under his breath.
Kaelith's smile was small, almost amused, like someone watching a child play with fire.
"Sensing it now?" he asked, eyes drifting toward the horizon. "Are you planning to fight it?"
The woman's tone dropped cold. "Are you?"
"No." Kaelith stepped past her casually. "Human conflicts aren't my hobby. That's your department."
She gave him a sharp glance before walking past him with a dismissive scoff.
"Stay out of the way," she muttered.
But before Kaelith could respond, the ground trembled — a deep, rolling vibration that ran through the walls, the floor, and even the air. The house rattled. The tea cups clinked. Amy stirred in her sleep.
The woman staggered, nearly losing her balance.
Kaelith didn't move an inch. His cloak didn't even sway.
"Figures…" she hissed, regaining her footing.
"My mission is to protect the lady," she continued, referring to whoever had sent her. "If she hears I let people die while I stood around, I'll never hear the end of it."
Before he could respond, her body blurred — a sudden burst of wind and silver light — and she vanished from sight, leaping in a single bound toward the city.
Kaelith watched her disappear, hearing distant screams slowly build in the wind. He listened for nearly ten minutes, emotionless, as chaos echoed across the rooftops.
Then behind him — a small rustle.
Liora's fingers twitched.
Her eyes snapped open with a gasp, as if pulling herself out of a nightmare. She sat up quickly, confused, her pulse racing. Amy lay still beside her, breathing softly.
"What… happened?" she whispered, rubbing her head.
She pushed herself up and stumbled outside. The moment she stepped through the doorway, she froze — Kaelith was staring into the distance, unmoving, focused like a predator listening to its prey.
"Kaelith?" she asked softly.
He turned his head slightly, acknowledging her presence — but before he spoke, another scream broke through the air, followed by a violent tremor that nearly threw Liora to the ground.
She wobbled — until Kaelith's arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her back upright with effortless strength.
"You're awake," he said with a small smile. "You sleep like a beast and wake up like one."
He plucked a tiny leaf from her hair.
Liora glared up at him. She didn't curse… but she was dangerously close.
"What was that shaking?" she demanded.
"Oh." Kaelith shrugged casually. "There's a beast in town. It's killing people. Also, that strange woman went to deal with it."
Liora just stared.
Killing…? People…?
Her breath caught. Her heart sank. Her mind went immediately to her parents — out in the city somewhere. Working. Helping. Vulnerable.
She opened her mouth, dread rising — but Kaelith placed a hand on her waist again.
"Hold on tight."
The shadows lunged up around them like liquid smoke.
And then the world snapped.
Buildings, trees, sky — all dissolved into streaks of darkness. Air rushed past so quickly it punched the breath out of her lungs. For a heartbeat, she felt weightless. Then—
They emerged on top of a tall bank building hundreds of meters away.
Liora stumbled, clutching her stomach. "I— I think I'm—"
Kaelith caught her again. "Shadow travel is not for humans. Try not to fall apart."
She wanted to hit him. Or yell. Or do both.
But then—
A roar shook the entire city.
They turned.
Half the town lay in ruins.
A giant lizard-like monster — towering, scaled, and heavy enough to crush stalls with a single step — rampaged through the streets. Buildings toppled. Dust rose in thick clouds. People scattered, terrified.
And darting around the beast like a silver flame was the woman from earlier — fast, precise, nearly invisible with how quickly she moved. Each strike landed in a blur of sound and flash of metal.
But the monster barely reacted.
Its hide was too thick. Its muscles too heavy.
It kept moving toward something deeper in the city.
Liora's chest tightened.
Papa… Mama… where are you…?
---
THE SILVER BLADE WOMAN
The woman gritted her teeth, skidding across broken stone as the beast's tail slammed into the ground with crushing force. She darted between falling debris, blade swinging in tight arcs that would've torn through steel — but the creature's body barely dented.
Her lungs burned. Her muscles trembled.
People were trapped under rubble. Others froze in fear, too overwhelmed to run. Children cried. Some lay motionless, whether from shock or injury — she couldn't tell.
She could not protect everyone. Not alone.
She leaped forward again, delivering two sharp vertical slashes along its abdomen. Sparks flew — but the monster barely flinched.
"Come on…!" she hissed.
She landed, panting, preparing to attack again—
And then—
A low voice echoed directly into her mind.
"Aim for its eyes."
She stiffened.
That voice…
The strange young man.
Kaelith.
Annoyed she hadn't thought of the obvious weakness, she drew in a deep breath. Focus returned. Her legs tightened. She shot forward like a launched spear —
Straight toward the monster's head.
She plunged her blade into the eye with precision and force, the creature letting out a violent cry and stumbling backward. It collapsed onto several buildings, shaking the earth with the impact.
Silence.
For a moment.
Just a moment.
Then the woman's head lifted.
Her breath caught.
More monsters.
Six… no, eight… sprinting toward the city at alarming speed. Slightly smaller than the first, but stronger, faster, more aggressive.
And behind them—
Her stomach dropped.
Something sat atop another enormous lizard — a tall figure, humanoid, with four sharp, elongated fingers gripping a trident. It wore malice like a cloak, its posture relaxed as though watching an entertaining play.
Its eyes locked onto the city.
Onto them.
---
Liora's heart sank.
"Kaelith… my father… he'll try to fight. He— he won't survive this."
Her breath came shaky. Tears brimmed but didn't fall.
Kaelith turned to her. His eyes were no longer the casual, mocking ones she knew. They were sharp. Cold. Focused.
He felt her fear — the bond pulsed faintly between them.
"I don't get involved in human battles," he said quietly.
Her chest tightened.
"But—" he continued, "for the sake of peace…"
His aura thickened like a gathering storm.
"I will fight. Just make sure every human stays out of my way."
Before she could speak, Kaelith vanished — shadows folding around him like a living mantle.
They reappeared on the streets below.
And then—
The shadows responded.
Black mist curled around him, rising like smoke from burning coal. The ground trembled as if bowing under his presence. The air grew colder, thicker, darker.
His aura swelled — not loud, but absolute.
People felt it immediately. A heavy dread clamped their hearts. Some fell to their knees from the pressure alone. Others fled blindly, desperate to escape the crushing weight of his power.
The shadow behind him rippled into a monstrous silhouette — a form born of fear and darkness, towering and shifting with every heartbeat.
The lizard creatures slowed.
The boss monster rose from its throne-beast and planted its trident into the ground, releasing its own corrupt aura. Buildings cracked under the force.
It pointed the trident at Kaelith.
"Move," it rasped, voice cold and grating.
Kaelith stepped forward.
Darkness rippled outward.
"Make me," he said — calm, deep, and final.
And the city held its breath.