Broderick’s sensors flashed amber. “Two heat signatures are approaching. Distance: eighty meters and closing.”

  Kyo’s jaw tightened. “Get behind me. Broderick protect Miles no matter what.”

  Miles clutched the side of Broderick, trembling. “what’s happening?” Broderick looked down at him “ Never fear small one, nothing bad will come to you” the red player looked at Broedrick in horror but moved closer to Kyo on instinct trying to get distance between each other.

  “Stay low,” Kyo said quickly, stepping in front of him. His eyes darted toward the treeline. “Broderick, stay on the defensive. But don't do anything until I give the signal”

  “Affirmative.”

  The serpent’s form expanded slightly, plates along his spine unfolding with a metallic hiss. A low hum built in his chest as his sensors swept the perimeter.

  Kyo took a deep breath, the memory of last night’s quiet warmth evaporating in an instant. Whatever peace he’d found was gone, replaced by the cold, sharp pulse of readiness.

  He muttered under his breath, “So much for a calm morning.”

  Broderick’s tail shifted beside him, the faintest trace of dry humor in his tone. “You seem to attract disruption.”

  Kyo’s lips tightened into a wry smile. “Guess I’m just lucky.”

  They all held their breath.

  The red player trembled where he crouched behind Kyo, his chest rising and falling in ragged bursts. Mud streaked his armor, and panic burned in his eyes as he looked over his shoulder toward the trees.

  Broderick’s optics flared, scanning the treeline. “Movement detected. One heat signature approaching, humanoid, large frame, height approximately six foot four, muscular build.”

  Kyo’s hand tensed at his side, magic beginning to gather faintly around his fingers. “How close?”

  “Seventy meters,” Broderick answered, his voice dropping to a low rumble. “Steady pace. Not running.”

  A chill settled in Kyo’s gut. Anyone being chased for their life would be running. Whoever was coming wasn’t chasing, they were hunting.

  “Class identification: paladin,” Broderick continued after another scan. “Energy readings suggest heavy plate armor and an active aura ward.”

  Kyo’s jaw tightened. “A paladin, huh? Great.”

  Miles whimpered. “Is that… bad?”

  “Not if he’s friendly,” Kyo murmured. “But I’m not betting on that.”

  The red player grabbed his shoulder, desperation rising in his voice. “You don’t understand, he’s not friendly! He’s one of them! They hunt red players for sport. Please, you can’t let him take me!”

  The serpent shifted in one smooth, protective motion, placing himself between Miles and the approaching sound. His body curved slightly, tail sweeping around the boy like a living barrier. “Stay behind me, Miles.”

  Miles obeyed without a sound, wide eyes fixed on the mist.

  Kyo’s gaze swept the treeline, every nerve alive with focus. The rhythmic crunch of heavy footsteps reached them now, steady, unhurried, deliberate. Whoever it was, they weren’t hiding.

  A figure emerged through the mist tall, broad-shouldered, and wrapped in plated armor dulled by mud. A massive war hammer rested casually across one shoulder, the head of it large enough to crater a skull with a single swing.

  The red player whimpered behind Kyo, clutching the back of his cloak. “Please… don’t let him take me. I didn’t do anything wrong. I swear!”

  Kyo glanced over his shoulder, meeting the man’s terrified eyes. “You said there were two hunters.”

  The red player’s lips trembled. “Th-there were. Maybe they split up… but he’ll find us. They always find us.”

  Kyo turned back toward the paladin, who had stopped at the edge of the clearing.

  The paladin grinned as he came into full view, the expression at odds with his size. “Well, would you look at that,” he said, voice rich with dry humor. “Didn’t expect to find a mage today. Why are you protecting this gutter trash?”

  The red player flinched behind Kyo. “Please! Don’t let him-”

  “Easy,” Kyo said, stepping forward. “Nobody’s dying here. We can talk this out.”

  The paladin stopped several paces away, lowering the hammer with a heavy thunk that made the ground shiver. His armor hummed faintly with runic light. “Talk? Sure. I like talking. Especially when it’s with people who don’t start stabbing first.”

  His sharp eyes flicked past Kyo to the man cowering behind him. “He didn’t tell you who he runs with, did he?”

  Kyo’s jaw tensed. “Didn’t ask. He said you were hunting him. That you and your buddy wherever he is hunts down red players and kills them for sport”

  “‘Hunting,’ huh?” The paladin chuckled dryly. “That’s one way to put it. Let me guess, he left out the part where his crew traffics kids through black-market safe zones?”

  Kyo’s stomach dropped. “What?”

  “Oh yeah.” The paladin adjusted his grip on the hammer, resting it against the ground. “Bunch of them call themselves the Ember Syndicate. Red players who figured out how to make their bans worth the risk. Run a few transport channels. Sell data and people but mostly kids.” His expression hardened, the humor slipping away entirely. “I don’t make a habit of letting that slide. Not when it comes to the innocence of a child”

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  Kyo’s hand twitched at his side, a flicker of pale energy crackling at his fingertips. “And you think he’s part of that? Where is your proof?”

  The paladin tilted his head. “I know he is. But I’ve been wrong before. But any one with that red insignia they wear so proudly is a good indication that they are part of the Ember Syndicate” His eyes narrowed slightly, flicking to the boy still half-hidden behind Broderick. “So let me ask you straight, mage, that kid with you… you protect him, right?”

  Kyo’s shoulders stiffened. “With my life. That's my nephew the only family I have left”

  “Good,” the paladin said evenly. “Then tell me I’m wrong, tell me you’re not standing between me and a man who’d sell a child like that one for money.”

  The clearing went still.

  Kyo glanced back, the red player’s face pale, his hands trembling. “That’s not- he’s making it sound worse than it is! I didn’t do anything, I swear!”

  Broderick’s optics glowed faintly, scanning. “Deception indicators… inconsistent. Elevated stress patterns on both individuals.”

  “Translation,” Kyo muttered, “they both believe what they’re saying.”

  The paladin gave a grim smile. “Welcome to moral math, friend. One of us is wrong, and the other’s standing on a landmine of conscience.”

  Kyo’s magic pulsed brighter at his fingertips. “Look, I don’t want to fight you. You said you don’t hunt innocents. Then back off, and I’ll make sure this one gets turned in safely. No one dies today.”

  “‘Turned in safely,’” the paladin echoed, amused. “That’s cute.You think people like that stop running?”

  Kyo opened his mouth to argue and that was when it happened.

  A flash of movement. A gasp and cold steel pressed against his throat.

  The kneeling man’s grin widened until it looked almost animal-like. “You’re gullible, mage. Real gullible.” He wiped his knife on the hem of his cloak as if it were a napkin. “Me and three others have been tailing you since you crawled out of that dungeon. We were waiting for the right night to take something valuable from your little circus.”

  Kyo’s hand curled at his side; his voice was cold. “Where are the other three?”

  The red player laughed, low and easy. “Oh, out scouting. My boys have big appetites, they saw an opportunity and they ran with it. Your girl wandered off to wash up, didn’t she? Too pretty to pass up. Perfect opening.” He leaned in, relishing in his eyes. “But I’ve got bigger plans than a quick snack. Money talks. The right people want children, this world doesn’t… replenish itself like the old one. People pay to make that happen. We find children, we hand them up the ladder, and nobody asks questions. Parents die, memories get scrubbed. Who’d even know?”

  The words landed like ice. Kyo’s jaw locked so hard a tendon stood out at his neck. “You’re lying.”

  “Oh, I wish I were.” The man’s face hardened. “But I’m in the business of the very real truth. And tonight? Your group looked soft and in love. We planned to take the kid while you two were busy playing house.” He spat the last word. “Shame you didn’t go to bed.”

  “I swear if you touch her or Miles I will kill you!” Kyo barked, every polite restraint snapping.

  The paladin’s broad shoulders stiffened. He turned, listening, at first patient, then hard. “Where is she? We can handle this trash and go get her” he asked, voice like a bell.

  Broderick’s optics cut to a hunter’s focus. He flicked his head toward the sound of water in the distance. “I cannot spot her. She is too far away for me to check”

  The red player’s grin went flat. He readjusted the dagger till the metal was just about to kiss the skin of Kyo’s throat. “Don’t make me prove I’m not bluffing. I'm not in the mood for anyone trying to play hero. Now you paladin put down your weapon and walk over to the giant lizard”

  The paladin lifted his hands up letting his hammer fall “I am not going to let you die man. Just hang in there.”

  The blade dug into Kyo’s throat, the edge kissing skin and drawing a thin thread of blood. The bandit’s breath was rancid with ale. Behind them, Miles’ frightened sobs broke the silence like splintering glass.

  For a split second, the world tunneled to pain and then to Ava. Alone, maybe already in danger. That thought struck through the fog like lightning.

  Kyo didn’t freeze. He moved.

  He dug his heel into the ground and threw his full weight forward. The sudden momentum jolted the attacker’s balance off-center; Kyo’s hand shot up, grabbing the man’s wrist. A twist, one sharp, mechanical movement learned from too many street fights and the knife clattered into the mud.

  The man cursed, swinging wildly, but Kyo’s counter was brutal and efficient: an elbow to the ribs, then a head-butt that sent blood spraying. The attacker reeled, stumbling back with a broken snarl.

  Broderick reacted instantly. The serpent’s metallic body coiled like a spring, tail slamming into the man’s chest with bone-shaking precision. Another loop pinned the man’s arms. Broderick’s scales glowed faintly, tracing along his spine as he hissed, “Hostile restrained.”

  “Move, now!” Kyo barked.

  He shoved the attacker face-first into the muck and turned toward the blue-glowing canister rolling near the stream, Somnus-B, a sleeping agent used by Syndicate hunters. He kicked it hard, sending it spinning into a rut before the vapor could spread.

  The paladin didn't waste any time during their struggle; he ran to his hammer and swung it up in the air just to send it crashing down in a burst of golden light that cracked the ground. The shockwave threw dirt and debris into the air, a warning line etched between them and the fog beyond.

  Shapes emerged, two Syndicate scouts, masks marked with red slashes. The paladin met them halfway, hammer singing with divine resonance. Every swing was purposeful, his silvered armor etched with sun sigils that flared brighter with each impact. One hunter caught the blunt end of the hammer to the ribs and went sprawling; the other darted aside, but not far enough. The next blow hit like judgment.

  Kyo turned, throat bleeding, magic flickering across his skin like nervous static. “Miles,” he rasped. The boy flung himself into his uncle's arms, trembling. Kyo crouched and pulled him close. “You’re safe but you need to stay with Broderick. I need to help the paladin okay? Stay with him. No matter what.”

  Broderick’s lenses dimmed to a soft blue. “Acknowledged.”

  The serpent tightened around the subdued bandit, gears whirring as he adjusted restraint pressure. “Threat contained. But… failure logged. I did not predict a multi-hostile engagement. Humans are very unpredictable”

  The paladin, panting, rested the hammer’s head against the ground and looked toward Kyo. “You fight like a man who wants to live! I respect the hell out of that!”

  Before Kyo could reply, the pinned bandit, nose broken and blood down his chin, started laughing. “Too late,” he wheezed. “My boys’ll finish her off by now. The pink-haired one, what did you call her- Ava? Told them not to ruin the face, but, eh… they don’t listen.”

  Everything inside Kyo stilled.

  The sound dropped away. There was only a ringing and in that ringing, Ava’s face: terrified, mud-streaked, gone.

  Something inside him cracked.

  The air warped. Sparks flickered between his fingers as his aura ignited. Broderick’s sensors spiked, detecting a surge. “Mana density increasing beyond stable limits”

  “Don’t you ever say her name!” Kyo roared.

  The light exploded from his palm, a shockwave of blue fire that ripped across the clearing. The bandit hit a tree so hard the bark splintered. He slid down and didn’t move again.

  Broderick flinched, shielding Miles with his coils as energy rolled past in a thunderclap. The serpent’s optics flickered crimson. “Kyo Izen vitals exceeding safe parameters!”

  “I’m fine!” he shouted, chest heaving. Magic still crawled over his arms like living lightning. His pupils had gone silver. He turned to the riverbank, voice cracking. “She’s up there. I can feel her!”

  The paladin opened his mouth and froze.