But he didn't get far.
Before he could even get close to Noen, Saevin shot forward, grabbed Thel by the leg while he was still mid-air—
And slammed him brutally down.
Thel hit the ground with full force.
The chin first.
A dull, sickening crack echoed through the narrow alley.
Noen's eyes flew open.
He could see the pain on Thel's face as his head snapped back and he lay there on the asphalt, breathing harshly.
Saevin stood over him.
He still held Thel's leg as if it were nothing more than a loose piece of cloth.
And then…
Then he looked at Noen.
That stare.
A deadly, piercing stare, as if Saevin was looking straight through Noen's soul.
A chill ran down Noen's spine.
That gaze was not of this world.
Slowly, Saevin reached for Thel's head.
He lifted it up as if it were much lighter than it should've been.
Thel hung limp.
He was already too injured to fight back.
Only a faint, rough breath escaped his throat.
"Thel…" Noen whispered, broken.
At that moment, Saevin pulled one of Thel's knives from his pocket.
No warning.
No announcement.
A single, swift strike.
Noen didn't hear a scream.
Only the rush of air, then—
A dull thud on the ground.
Something rolled.
Noen's body seized up.
His breath stopped.
His eyes widened.
The head.
Thel's head.
It rolled until it almost touched Noen's knee, then slowly came to a stop. Blood splattered onto the wall, onto Saevin's clothes, onto the ground.
Saevin had not looked away from Noen for even a single moment.
Not at the strike.
Not at the fall.
Not at the rolling.
He stared at Noen directly.
Unchanged.
Unmoved.
Noen's legs gave out.
He collapsed.
He fell to his knees, then slid down onto the ground, supporting himself with trembling hands.
His body shook — not from cold.
From something far worse.
"Thel…"
The word barely escaped.
His fingers dragged across the ground, searching for something to hold on to, but there was nothing.
He sobbed, gagged, lost all control.
Tears mixed with dirt, his forehead pressed against the asphalt.
His best friend.
Dead.
His girlfriend.
Dead.
And both times…
both times he could only watch.
"AAAAHHHHHHHH!!" he screamed, choking on his tears.
He pressed both hands to his face, desperate, broken.
Saevin stood over him.
His gaze was still fixed on Noen.
Then he spoke quietly:
"This is the only solution…"
Noen barely heard him.
His ears were full of his own ragged breathing.
He still layed on the ground, unable to move.
Saevin continued, calmly:
"When a human receives power from a minor god…"
He paused.
"…he can never be the same again.
He will forever be in—"
"HOW WOULD YOU EVEN KNOW THAT?!"
Noen screamed.
He lifted his head, tears, snot, dirt on his face, his voice torn, broken.
His chest rose too fast, too hard.
He could barely breathe.
"YOU HAVE NO IDEA!!"
He gagged.
His voice cracked.
"M–MAYBE THERE IS A CURE OR SOMETHING!!"
Saevin's face twisted.
He roared back:
"DO YOU THINK WE'VE NEVER TRIED?!"
He released Thel's leg and took two sharp steps toward Noen.
"YOU HAVE NO IDEA!"
He now stood directly in front of Noen.
The alley trembled under his voice.
His silhouette seemed larger, heavier — like a storm tightening around a single point.
Noen raised his arms to shield himself.
He trembled, gasped, cried.
And Saevin, his voice rough and vibrating, snarled:
"YOU HAVE NO IDEA, NOEN.
NOT THE SLIGHTEST!"