Ryan's sword blade was as clear as water, its edges sharp enough to shatter the silence—he placed it against the kidnapper's neck with chilling calm, until it touched the skin.
Ryan stood over him, speechless.
He looked at him with his blue eyes that reflected nothing—neither anger nor triumph. Only coldness. The kind of coldness that makes people wonder if what stands before them is a human being or something else entirely.
Ryan looked at Kai ،who was panting, then at Elisa, who was pale. He looked at them coldly and spoke in a calm, steady tone:
"Of course he must die."
Ryan heard footsteps receding and knew the third person had escaped, but he didn't care.
Elisa stood, pressing her hand against her scratched arm, her eyes darting between the kneeling man and the icy sword at his throat. Kai, who had gone to help her up, caught his breath slowly. Elisa spoke.
"You don't have to kill him. I know he's bad, but he can be dealt with in another way."
Ryan didn't move. The sword was still. His eyes were fixed.
Then he spoke, his voice as flat as ice.
"I will kill him."
It wasn't an announcement. It wasn't a threat. It was just a sentence, like, "I'm going to close the door."
Elisa suddenly looked up.
"What?"
He glanced sideways at the frozen man.
"Of course the other one will die too."
She took a step forward, her voice sharp but with a hint of tremor.
"This isn't your decision!"
"It's all over. We can hand them over to the soldiers and they will take care of it."
He looked at her and repeated the word as if it were a joke that didn't make him laugh
"Soldiers, and then what? They're imprisoned for years and then they're released."
Kai takes a step forward.
"But killing is not the answer."
Ryan turned to him slowly. He looked at him with those blue eyes and mocked him.
"You, who were about to kill a moment ago, are now giving me lessons?"
Kai's face reddened, but he didn't back down.
"At least I didn't just stand by and watch, and I didn't let them kidnap the young lady like someone else did."
Ryan looked back at the man, who was trembling and begging for his life.
"Please don't kill me. I only did it for the money. My wife is waiting for me at home."
He said with utter indifference,
"Don't worry, it won't hurt, I think."
Elissa screamed,
"Ryan, no—"
Ryan didn't let Elisa finish her sentence, and with one gesture he
The kidnapper's head fell to the market floor.
Kai froze.
Elisa turned her face quickly, her hand flying to her mouth, but she didn't scream. The shock was too much for her to say.
Ryan didn't look back. He walked slowly toward the second man—whose hands were beginning to tremble, who was hitting the ice around his legs in vain, his eyes widening as Ryan drew closer.
"No—no please, I just—"
"Shut up."
Ryan raised the sword.
"Enough."
The voice came from behind him — quiet, but with an undeniable weight.
Ryan turned towards the source of the screaming.
"Anna"
Anna stood at the entrance to the alley, her hand slightly raised, her eyes fixed solely on Ryan. She didn't look at the severed head, nor at the trembling man. Only at him.
"Ryan. Put the sword down."
Ryan did not put his sword down and looked at the man again.
"He must die too."
I took a step forward.
"I know why you want to kill him, so don't worry, you won't see him again. So put the sword down."
A second. Two seconds.
Ryan's fingers on the sword hilt didn't loosen.
Then—slowly—his hand dropped.
The icy sword melted into thin air as if it had never been. The man remained frozen, gasping, unable to believe he was still breathing.
Ryan turned to Anna at last. In his eyes, there was no regret, no relief. Only that cold emptiness that makes anyone who faces it wonder what lies beyond.
Ryan then looked at Elisa and Kai, who were looking at him fearfully, then looked down at a pool of blood where he had cut off the man's head.
His clothes and face were also stained with blood because of it. Then he remembered something; it was the first time he had killed someone.