"Please, Thel, I'm begging you, come back to yourself!" Noen said desperately.
But Thel's answer wasn't a word — it was a brutal hiss.
Two knives shot past Noen's neck. Left and right. So close that the cold blades brushed his skin without cutting it.
Noen flinched.He couldn't move without pushing himself into the blades.
Trapped.
Thel smiled.
Then, from fresh tears, two more knives formed from his tearwater, bringing him back to five again. Two in each hand, one clamped between his teeth.
He walked toward Noen.
Slowly. Deliberately. Provoking.
A laugh that sounded like rusty metal echoed through the narrow alley.
"Knew you couldn't run, you dumb wanker."
His shadow fell over Noen. The knives gleamed threateningly.
"And now stay nice and still so I can cut out your eyeballs first, then your ears, and finally your mouth."
Noen's body froze in shock.
Thel leaned in slightly, spat the knife into his hand only to lick it provocatively and put back in.
"Let's see if I'm generous enough to kill you right away… or let you suffer."
He laughed again — horrible, deranged.
The situation…Noen's chest tightened.
It's… exactly like with Kairn… a few days ago…The similarities are terrifying…
— But now I can defend myself! — Noen thought.
He forced his breath to steady, but his heart hammered uncontrollably.
— Since he received a corrupted minor-god-power, his soul must be tainted. Lum might not intervene here… — Noen reasoned as Thel came closer.
Step by step.
— Rhuven tried to hurt me too… and my body defended itself back then.
Should I rely on that again? —
His thoughts collided chaotically. He could barely see straight.
Thel was only a few meters away.
— What if my body doesn't defend me here because Lum isn't active? —— What if I… but how would I… —
Too late.
Thel stood right in front of him. Close enough for Noen to feel his breath — yet just outside his striking range, so Noen couldn't touch him.
Then Thel moved with blinding speed.
Two knives shot to the left and right of Noen's arms, slamming into the wall beside him, pinning his arms like shackles. Noen couldn't move. He was completely immobilized.
Thel grinned, the last knife still between his teeth.
With a slow, slimy motion he spat it into his hand and licked across his mouth.
"This is going to be fun…" he said, disgustingly.