The princess's severed head hanging in my hand still warm blood dripped in slow, deliberate rivulets down her neck and across my fingers her hair, now matted and streaked with red, clung to my skin like silk soaked in ink i could still feel the faint, final twitch of her nerves where my blade had passed clean through
But her eyes… they remained shut. Peaceful. As if still asleep. Untouched by what had happened
I stepped into the corridor in silence, barefoot against the polished stone now slick beneath me slick with blood, with weight, with meaning
No one was here.
Not because I'd been careful because they still didn't know the princess of the false city… was dead
I thought I might feel something about her
but not there was no regret not guilt of killing her Just… something but there was only stillness
My mind was calm and clear like a pond, long after a stone has sunk to the bottom.
I had thrown the stone
Now, I only needed to watch the ripples fade.
"Jaipa must have rested plenty by now " I murmured, adjusting my grip on the head
I should hurry
But before I could move further, the gate creaked open, and the hallway widened into a marble atrium. Two guards stood there, relaxed, casually chatting silver-plated armor gleaming under sunlight, matching crests stamped over their chests loyalists, trained and stationed but the moment I saw them, I knew...
They weren't prepared for this
One of them noticed me first then his gaze moved from my blood-slick face to the thing dangling from my grip
"Where did this kid come from...?" he muttered
Then both their eyes locked onto what I held " The princess ! "
Her severed head, still dripping form blood
Their expressions froze and eyes widened. Backs pressed instinctively against the wall. Their lips parted, but the air caught in their throats.
Then....A scream tore through there throat
"Drop it!" the first one shouted, his voice cracking and echoing across the corridor like a warning bell as for me i didn't move to attack
Instead, I raised my hand the hand with which I was holding there priencess head slowly and deliberately not in surrender
But to show them to let the image sear itself into their memory their beloved princess her blood
My cold, empty eyes....
And the silence of death clinging to the space between us
"…No," I said quietly and coldly
instantly they stepped back then the first guard surged forward, blade drawn with a cry that cracked under pressure the second followed close behind, his movements were tighter and more controlled, but just as desperate as the first one
I shifted slightly, sliding the princess's severed head into the crook of my left arm. Cradled still dripping
I had no intention of killing them not unless they gave me a reason but mercy was not the same as hesitation
The first guard came in high, telegraphing the swing before his muscles even moved. My eyes had already read the motion Predictable i ducked low, sliding beneath his arc, and closed the gap my elbow slammed into his exposed throat with a dull, precise thud and he gagged and stumbled
Collapsed in a heap, struggling for breath.
The second came in low, aiming to gut me at the waist with a desperate sweep quick, but not quick enough to reach me
My blade slid free without a whisper a breath that was all I needed
Steel met steel, the impact absorbed by the flat of my iron blade. A sharp pulse of Tai energy shot through my arm it was controlled and tempered, enough to redirect rather than overpower
His weapon went spinning from his grip, clattering across the marble
In one fluid motion, I stepped forward and dragged the tip of my blade across his cheek a shallow and ntentional single line of blood formed, nothing more
it was a line of warning
He stumbled back and raised his hands instinctively in surrender, blood trickling down his cheek i watched them for a moment neither dared meet my eyes
" Good ! "
"Tell the king," I said coldly, adjusting the severed head in my arm "If he wants this back… he can find me at the well on the city's edge by the fallen house "
Then I turned.
let them live, Let them scream, Let them ring their bells and flood the streets with fear let them choke on the panic
I stepped out into the open corridor, the wind greeting my face like a whisper before a war.
Without a sound, I spread my wings weightless sprouting from my back. With a burst of force, I launched into the air, not too high, just enough to keep above reach
But they were already waiting
A group of knights stood below, shouting commands. Shields were raised, spears flung blades even, hurled like desperation could make them fly true. Within seconds, bowmen appeared, lining the walls, drawing arrows with precision
"Now this'll get dangerous," I muttered
The words barely left my mouth before the sky filled with death arrows, a thousand black feathers aimed at my heart
There was no time to think, landing would mean fighting and I had no reason to spill more blood not hear
I raised my hand.
And let the taii energy surged sharper than before, deeper and condenced, creating a shield of flared around me, red and pulsing, wrapping my body like armor born of instinct the arrows struck one after another, a rainstorm of steel but none could pierce the barrier
For a moment, I looked at the glow surrounding me. The texture of it, the way it moved more refined and felt more denser then before
"I didn't realize… my energy's had grown stronger?" I whispered, surprised by my own power
"When did this happen…?"
But now wasn't the time to think of that
I angled forward, wind tearing past me, and accelerated the knights chased on horseback below, their cries mixing with the thunder of hooves. Others followed on foot, relentless and many but they were too slow.
I pulled ahead
After several minutes, the city thinned and the red-tinted buildings gave way to crumbled earth and dead grass and then I saw it the well and Jaipa
He was already waving, arms flailing like a idiot
"HEAR… RUDRA… OVER HERE!" he shouted, grinning like an idiot.
I exhaled and slowly descended, the rush of power dimming as my feet touched the cracked stone near the well as the wind died
Jaipa, still beaming, gave me a once-over
"You look like a demon dipped in blood."
There was nothing i could say I just gave him a look
"Did you get hurt anywhere?" Jaipa asked, his eyes scanning me from head to toe, his tone unusually careful
I shook my head and muttered, "Nah."
His expression shifted lips twitching with a question he hadn't voiced yet
"What is it? Ask we don't have much time," I said flatly.
"Did… did you sprout those horns?" he asked, gaze narrowing toward my forehead.
"As you can see," I replied, gesturing casually to the small protrusions more like raised bumps than anything fully formed. "They're still small "
Slowly, Jaipa's eyes drifted downward to what I was holding
The moment he saw it the severed head in my hand every trace of cheerfulness vanished from his face. His usual humor, his strange brightness... all gone...
But this time, he didn't look shocked or depressed.
His eyes held something heavier something deeper a pain I could see but would never understand
"How much time do we have before they get here?" he asked, his voice lower now, almost distant
I paused. "About twenty minutes."
he replied instantly "You should rest," while looking away.
"I should," I agreed on that lowering myself to the ground
I closed my eyes
Not to sleep just to remember...
Every technique, every form, every drop of knowledge I'd ever absorbed—I pulled it forward now, lining it up in order, stacking it in my mind like weapons on a shelf what I had done back there... even a maniac would fear to attempt but I had done it anyway
And then, while resting, my eyes flicked toward my wrist
Wait… what ?
"Jaipa… look!" I shouted, my voice sharper than I intended
"JAIPA!"