He moved like lightning—fast and precise—as he closed the distance between himself and Diana in an instant. She didn't see him coming until it was too late; by then, his hand was already gripping her wrist tightly.
"Gotcha," Cillian said coldly before twisting her arm just enough to disarm her without causing serious harm.
Diana cried out in pain but quickly retaliated by sending a burst of green energy toward him with her free hand. Cillian dodged effortlessly, pulling her closer until she had no room to maneuver.
"Stay down," he commanded sharply before binding her hands with black lightning that coiled around her wrists like chains.
Luca lunged at him from behind with his dagger aimed at Cillian's back, but Cillian spun around just in time to catch Luca's wrist mid-strike. With one swift motion, he disarmed Luca and sent him sprawling to the ground with a well-placed kick.
"Kids these days," Cillian muttered under his breath as he bound Luca alongside Diana.
With Diana and Luca subdued, Cillian turned his attention back to Aaron and the Joker. The two were still locked in their deadly dance, their movements fast and brutal as they traded blows.
Cillian didn't hesitate; he leapt onto the platform where they were fighting, landing gracefully beside Aaron.
"Took you long enough," Aaron said through gritted teeth as he parried another strike from the Joker.
"Had my hands full," Cillian replied curtly before raising one hand to summon a bolt of black lightning.
The Joker's grin faltered slightly as he realized what was coming—but by then it was too late. Cillian's lightning struck him square in the chest, sending him crashing to the ground below.
Aaron wasted no time; he followed up with a swift strike from his blade that pierced through the Joker's chest. The clown let out one final laugh—a haunting sound that echoed through the night—before falling silent forever.
The battlefield grew quiet as the dust settled. Kryll and Dylan approached with Diana and Luca restrained between them while Soren and Theon regrouped nearby. Aaron wiped blood from his blade before glancing toward Cillian with a nod of approval.
"It's done," Aaron said simply.
Cillian didn't respond immediately; instead, he looked down at the Joker's lifeless body with cold indifference before turning away without another word.
The battlefield was finally quiet, save for the occasional crackle of dying magic in the air. The Joker's lifeless body lay sprawled on the ground, and the two kids—Diana and Luca—were bound tightly with magical restraints, their defiant glares doing little to mask the exhaustion in their young faces. The group of boys stood scattered across the chaos-ridden circus grounds, their breaths heavy and their tempers frayed after the long night.
Aaron sheathed his sword with a sharp click and turned toward Cillian, his expression dark with frustration. "Where the hell were you?" he snapped, his voice cutting through the silence like a blade. "We've been fighting all night, and you just disappear?!"
Cillian, leaning casually against a broken wagon wheel with his arms crossed, raised an eyebrow at Aaron's outburst. "I had business to take care of," he replied coolly, his tone indifferent.
"Business?" Theon barked incredulously, stepping forward with his hands on his hips. His face was flushed from exertion, and his gloves were torn from the fight. "We're out here getting our asses handed to us by a couple of kids and a lunatic clown, and you're off doing business?"
"Yeah," Dylan chimed in, throwing up his hands in exasperation. "You could've at least told us where you were going instead of vanishing like some brooding shadow lord."
Cillian rolled his eyes and straightened up. "You handled it," he said flatly, gesturing toward the subdued kids and the Joker's corpse. "Didn't you?"
"That's not the point!" Soren interjected sharply, stepping between Aaron and Cillian before things could escalate further. His usually calm demeanor was cracked, revealing just how much the night had worn him down. "We're supposed to be a team. You don't just vanish in the middle of a mission without saying anything!"
Cillian let out a sharp exhale and ran a hand through his hair. "I didn't exactly have time to leave a note," he muttered under his breath.
Aaron took a step closer to him, his jaw tight with anger. "You're unbelievable," he said coldly. "Do you even realize how much trouble these kids caused? They're not just some random brats—they're dangerous."
At that moment, Kryll crouched down in front of Diana and Luca, who were sitting on the ground with their hands bound by glowing restraints. He tilted his head slightly as he studied them with narrowed eyes.
"Why are you two so goddamn annoying?" Kryll asked bluntly, his voice dripping with irritation. "Seriously. Do you wake up every morning thinking about how much chaos you can cause?"
Diana glared at him defiantly, her green eyes blazing despite her exhaustion. "We were doing our job," she spat back. "It's not our fault you couldn't keep up."
Luca smirked faintly beside her, despite the bruises on his face. "Yeah," he added smugly. "You guys are supposed to be professionals? Could've fooled me."
Kryll groaned audibly and stood up, throwing his hands into the air as he turned back to the group. "See what I mean? They're impossible!"
Theon crossed his arms and sighed heavily. "I swear these two are more trouble than they're worth," he muttered before glancing at Aaron. "What do we even do with them now?"
"Turn them over to Elmirian authorities," Aaron replied curtly without missing a beat.
"Or we could just leave them here tied up," Dylan suggested dryly, earning a sharp glare from Soren.
"We're not leaving them," Soren said firmly before turning back to Cillian. "And speaking of leaving—what exactly were you doing while we were out here risking our necks?"
Cillian's expression darkened slightly as he met Soren's gaze head-on. "I don't owe you an explanation," he said evenly but with an edge to his voice.
Aaron scoffed loudly at that. "Of course you don't," he said sarcastically before shaking his head in disbelief. "You never do."
"Okay, okay!" Kryll interjected loudly, stepping between Aaron and Cillian before things could escalate further. He held up both hands as if trying to physically push their tempers apart. "Can we all just take a deep breath? We've been fighting all night—we're all tired—and honestly? I'm too damn exhausted to deal with this macho posturing."
Theon let out a low chuckle despite himself and rubbed the back of his neck tiredly. "Kryll's right," he admitted reluctantly. "We need to focus on getting these kids secured before they try something stupid again."
Dylan snorted softly as he glanced down at Diana and Luca. "They already look like they're plotting something."
"I heard that," Diana snapped.
"Good," Dylan shot back without missing a beat.
Cillian sighed heavily and turned away from the group, clearly done with the conversation. As he started walking toward one of the intact wagons nearby, Aaron called after him.
"This isn't over," Aaron said sharply.
Cillian didn't bother looking back as he replied flatly: "It never is."
The tension among the group was still palpable, their argument simmering down only slightly as exhaustion began to take hold. Cillian had turned away from the others, his boots crunching against the dirt as he walked toward one of the intact wagons, trying to push the irritation out of his mind.
But then he felt it—a faint movement, a shift in the air that sent a chill crawling up his spine. A shadow flickered at the edge of his vision, and his instincts screamed at him to turn around.
Slowly, he did.
His sharp eyes darted to where the Joker's lifeless body had been moments ago. The gaunt figure with its painted grin, sprawled on the ground in a pool of blood—it was gone.
Cillian froze.
The realization hit him like a thunderclap. His breath caught in his throat, and for a moment, he couldn't speak. Finally, he managed to stammer, "He—" His voice cracked slightly as he pointed toward the empty spot on the ground. "He's GONE."
The rest of the group turned sharply at his exclamation. Aaron's eyes narrowed as he stepped forward, scanning the area where the Joker's body had been. "What are you talking about?" he demanded.
Cillian's heart raced as his mind tried to make sense of what he was seeing—or rather, what he wasn't seeing. He took a shaky step back, his eyes wide with disbelief. "The body," he said hoarsely, "it's not there anymore."
"What?" Theon barked, rushing over to stand beside him. His gaze dropped to the empty ground where blood still stained the dirt—but there was no sign of the Joker's corpse.
Dylan cursed under his breath and gripped his weapon tighter. "You've gotta be kidding me," he muttered. "We just killed him!"
"No," Cillian said sharply, his voice rising as panic began to creep into it. He ran a hand through his hair, tugging at it slightly as his thoughts spiraled out of control. "No wonder none of the higher-ranking assassins could kill this guy." His words tumbled out quickly now, each one more frantic than the last. "No wonder we were given four days to take him down."
Aaron's brow furrowed as he stepped closer. "What are you saying?" he asked cautiously.
Cillian turned to face them fully now, his expression a mix of shock and dread. "Because—because—" He struggled to find the words, his thoughts stammering as if they were tripping over themselves. Finally, he blurted out what had been clawing at the edges of his mind.
"He—he—he's IMMORTAL."
The words hung in the air like a curse, heavy and suffocating.
Soren's face paled as he exchanged a tense glance with Kryll. "Immortal?" he repeated quietly, almost as if saying it aloud would make it true.
"That's impossible," Aaron said firmly, though there was an edge of uncertainty in his voice now. He glanced back at the spot where the Joker's body should have been and clenched his fists tightly. "There has to be an explanation."
"There is an explanation," Cillian snapped, his voice sharp with frustration and fear. "That's why no one else could kill him! That's why we were sent here with such strict instructions—and why they gave us four days! They knew this wasn't going to be simple."
Dylan let out a low whistle and shook his head slowly. "So what now?" he asked grimly. "If we can't kill him for good…"
Cillian didn't answer immediately; instead, he stared at the empty ground where the Joker had been, his mind racing with possibilities and questions that had no answers.
Aaron finally broke the silence with a growl of frustration. "We regroup," he said firmly. "We figure out what we're dealing with—and how to stop it."
But even as Aaron spoke with determination, a lingering unease settled over them all—a gnawing sense that this fight was far from over.
As the group of boys continued arguing, their frustration and exhaustion hanging in the air like a palpable mist, Diana and Luca remained bound on the ground, their defiant glares doing little to mask the weariness in their young faces. Despite their tough exterior, they had been through a lot tonight—fighting against adults with skills honed over years.
In the chaos of the moment, nobody noticed a small, almost imperceptible movement between them. Diana's gaze flicked to Luca, and for a fleeting second, a tiny giggle escaped her lips—a sound so soft it was almost inaudible. Luca's eyes sparkled with amusement as he caught her glance, his own smile barely suppressed.
The moment was brief—so brief that it went unnoticed by the others. But in that instant, something passed between them—a shared understanding, a silent communication that only they could see.
Their laughter was a tiny rebellion against the darkness that had consumed their lives—a moment of levity in a world that had taught them to be hard and unforgiving. But it was also a reminder that even in the midst of chaos, there was still room for joy—small, hidden moments of connection that no one else could see.
As quickly as it began, the moment ended. Diana's expression hardened once more, her gaze returning to the group of boys arguing above her. Luca followed suit, his face smoothing into its usual mask of defiance.
The night was still thick with tension, the chaos of the battle lingering in the air like the acrid smell of smoke and magic. It was just 2:38 AM, but the commotion had stirred the entire village awake. Lanterns flickered to life in the surrounding houses, casting uneven light on the circus grounds, which were now a battlefield littered with debris, overturned stalls, and scorched earth.
The boys stood amidst the wreckage, their breaths heavy and their tempers frayed. Diana and Luca remained bound on the ground, their defiant gazes fixed on their captors. The Joker's lifeless body had vanished without a trace, leaving behind only an unsettling emptiness that gnawed at Cillian's mind.
But before anyone could process what had just happened, the sound of hurried footsteps broke through the silence. Villagers began pouring out of their homes, their faces etched with confusion and anger as they took in the destruction before them. Some carried lanterns, their flickering flames casting eerie shadows across the ruined circus grounds. Others clutched makeshift weapons—pitchforks, wooden clubs—though they didn't seem ready to fight so much as demand answers.
"What is going on here?!" an older man shouted as he stepped forward, his voice trembling with outrage. His gray hair was disheveled, and his wrinkled face twisted into a scowl as his eyes darted between the boys and the bound children.
"Look at this mess!" a woman cried out, her voice shrill as she gestured toward the overturned stalls and shattered wagons. "You've destroyed everything!"
"And for what?!" another man added angrily. "To tie up two little kids?!"
The crowd grew larger by the second, villagers spilling onto the circus grounds from every direction. Their voices rose in a cacophony of shouts and accusations, each one louder than the last.
"They're just children!" a young mother yelled, clutching her toddler tightly as she glared at Cillian and his group. "What kind of monsters are you?!"
"Do you have any idea what you've done?!" an elderly woman screeched, her cane trembling in her hand as she pointed it accusingly at Aaron.
"You've brought chaos to our village!" another man roared. "We'll report this to the Emperor of Eldoria! He'll hear about this!"
The mention of Eldoria's Emperor sent a ripple through the crowd, emboldening them further. The villagers surged forward slightly, their voices growing louder and more unified as they hurled accusations at the boys.
To be Continued...