Sparse laughter drifted through the camp. Whetstones scraped against steel. Low voices exchanged words. Grilled meat scented the air. They suspected nothing. No one expected the imminent violence. News of the failed ambush hadn’t reached camp.

  Seven soldiers guarded the perimeter. Charred tree husks bordered the camp. Setting up camp in abomination territory took either confidence or stupidity. Unfortunately, he likely had confidence in his strength.

  Even worse - he needed a Domain to survive the night out here.

  The odds were bad. Impossible to tell the Marked from the Mundane. Gauntlets concealed every Mark. Best to assume the worst.

  Three Marked versus ten soldiers and a noble. Nobles had a method that made their Marked more powerful than usual - Alira was an example, creating ice from nothing. Gideon was an extreme version, able to turn his body into walking flame. Best to assume his older brother was as powerful, or more so.

  The noble advantage didn’t spread to their soldiers. Unclear if their power-up was inherited or cost resources they’d only spend on direct heirs. Either way - this mission was dangerous. Kai swallowed and rubbed the silver ring, tracing the infinity symbol.

  No choice but to move forward and secure Alira’s help. Retreat was off the table. They had to wipe out most of the soldiers before they realised what was happening. But planning for ten unknown Gifts was impossible. They had to rely on Rusk’s threads, culling the numbers without the Ashvale brother noticing.

  Once the red noble caught on, Rusk’s threads and Alira’s ice would be useless against his flames.

  The trio crouched behind a copse of trees, studying the target. Shadow lay in the grass.

  Alira’s finger pointed at the tall redhead. “That’s Silas Ashvale. The rest of these rats will be easy enough to squash. But him...”

  Since when was it easy to squash ten Marked?

  Kai swallowed his doubts and nodded. “I can take care of him.”

  Alira raised an eyebrow. “How? Last time we—”

  “I’m stronger than last time,” he said. “If you distract him, I’ll do the rest.”

  “What was that about you being the perfect bait?” Alira said. “Have you forgotten already?”

  Kai scoffed. “If you have a way to kill him, I’ll be the bait.”

  Alira fell silent.

  Kai faced Rusk. “How fast can you move your threads?”

  Rusk shrugged. “Faster than most Marked can run.”

  It’d have to be fast enough. “You’re the star of this operation,” Kai said.

  Rusk raised his chin and puffed out his chest. Rightly so. He was the only one of them with a Gift perfect for crowd control. Alira could do damage with her ice daggers, but Rusk outclassed her in this field. He was powerful in both traps and offense. Kai dismissed a twinge of envy. He had impressive abilities of his own.

  He rolled his neck. “When I say, Rusk, cut through the camp with your threads. Cover the entire perimeter - kill as many as you can. If things go well—” He turned to Alira. “You won’t need to lift a finger.”

  “Unlikely. Where do you want me?” she said.

  “When Silas notices, you engage and distract him before he can burn the threads.”

  Alira scoffed. “And what will you be doing?”

  Kai smiled. “I’ll clean up the stragglers. Then kill Silas while he’s focused on you.”

  “And how—”

  “You’ll see,” Kai replied.

  He studied the camp once more. “Rusk, Shadow stays with you. He should be able to handle any runners. Get ready.”

  Stolen story; please report.

  He caught Rusk removing his bag in his peripheral vision. The bag unravelled and Kai sensed invisible threads in the air.

  Minutes later, Rusk nodded. “Ready.”

  Multiple threads encircled the camp, preparing to slaughter the inhabitants like a giant, razor-sharp noose. Soldiers attended to their duties unaware, their red plate basking in the red sun. Laughs and murmurs continued.

  “Go,” he said.

  The killing circle contracted.

  Two perimeter guards were the first to die. The first victim opened his mouth to scream. Thread severed his vocal cords first. His severed head struck the dirt soon after. The soldier next to him didn’t fare any better. In heartbeats, two men became butchered meat.

  The vicious thread kept contracting. Heads, arms, and torsos hit the ground in a pool of blood. The grass beneath turned red as blood seeped in. Kai’s suit couldn’t absorb the blood from that far, but that didn’t matter. He’d close in soon enough and claim all the spoils the dead had to offer.

  Five soldiers died before the screams began. One survivor ran toward Silas. His severed arm left a blood trail behind him. Silas turned toward the commotion. But carnage came from all sides. Confusion coloured his features.

  Kai drew his dark blade, eyes locked on the massacre. “Time for us to play our part.”

  Alira nodded. She unsheathed a steel sword with strange blue etchings along the blade. “Need my help with the runts?”

  “I can handle it,” Kai said. “Focus on distracting Silas.”

  Alira smiled. “Whatever you say, boss.”

  Shadow looked at Kai and tilted his head.

  “Stay here. Protect Rusk.”

  The black wolf lowered its head and pawed at the ground.

  Kai stroked his head. “I’ll be back soon.”

  He unfolded from his crouch. Alira stood, knees bent, ready to sprint toward the camp.

  Kai grabbed her shoulder. “No need.”

  Space warped around them. The world snapped back. They stood in the camp’s centre. Close enough to see Silas. The red-haired noble glared at them.

  Alira sighed. “You sent soldiers to ambush us while we were minding our business. This is our response.”

  Kai tore through space again, leaving an echo in his place beside Alira. Spatial senses pinpointed his prey. Surviving soldiers rushed to Silas. As if he could save them. The reporting soldier from earlier remained beside Silas. The others had to be faster than Kai to get there.

  A grim smile spread across his face.

  No chance.

  He flowed through space like the wind. He slashed at the one-armed running soldier and severed his legs. His dark blade carved through air, armour, and flesh without resistance. The man screamed and toppled over with a thud. He looked at the bloody stumps where his legs used to be and screamed again. The black sword cleaved once more, separating the man’s head from his torso. His scream died.

  One. Four left.

  Alira’s voice came from his left, his echo’s too. The words escaped him. Blood streamed into his suit. One purpose consumed him. Kill. Hunt. Destroy. He slid through space like a death wraith.

  The next kill was cleaner. He materialised before a running soldier. The man’s momentum carried him onto Kai’s waiting blade. It pierced his armour, his flesh, his heart. Kai wrenched the sword free with brute strength, severing half the man’s torso and clearing a path for his guts to escape their fleshy prison. Not so clean anymore.

  Two. Three left.

  More red flowed into his black suit, refuelling the machinery of death. Alira and his echo’s voices were behind him now. He ripped through space. The voices shifted to his right. His dark blade carved downward. The soldier running toward him opened his mouth, eyes wide. A pitiful cough emerged as his flesh parted from shoulder to torso. His head and right arm fell to Kai’s left. The rest of the corpse fell to his right.

  The bloody mess hit the ground with a thump and metallic crash. Intestines and organs lay exposed like a butcher’s display.

  The suit drank again. He moved forward.

  Three. Two left.

  The sound of steel clashing against steel rang out on his right. The talking was over. He had to hurry.

  The fourth soldier had seen what happened to the third. He stood a few paces behind the lopsided corpse. The soldier turned to run - smart but too late and too slow. Kai thrust his sword forward. The black blade impaled his skull. He died before he could realise his action’s futility.

  Four. One left.

  More blood.

  The last soldier was near Silas. Time for Kai to enter the main stage. Space bent to his will. He emerged behind the last target. The soldier cowered near the command tent behind Silas.

  Silas had transformed into a walking flame. His flaming sword clashed against Alira’s steel, blue etchings glowing. Edges of the swirling flame froze before Silas pulled away. Kai’s echo slashed at him but did no damage. His dark sword was inferior to the authentic article.

  The last soldier trembled, hands gripping a steel sword pointed at Alira and Kai’s echo. The wrong direction.

  Silas sniffed. Then roared. "Soldiers, form up on me!"

  The soldier went to move, but Kai’s hand covered his mouth. His hungry blade plunged through the soldier’s ribs and kissed his heart. The messenger took his last breath in silence.

  Five.

  “They’re all dead,” Kai’s echo said, a smug grin on his face.

  The walking flame tensed. He likely wanted to check on the soldier behind him, but knew better than to show his back to Alira. Bad news was, his back was a perfect target for Kai.

  He fed soul essence into his sword, expanding and contracting space as he thrust the dark blade into the man-shaped flame.

  The flame dimmed.

  He teleported beside Alira, grabbed her, and blinked away before Silas's retaliation or Rusk's threads reached them.

  Silas released a pained roar. A barrier of flame exploded around his flaming figure. The ever-constricting threads burned. Kai had made the right choice. The flames had dimmed, but the fight wasn’t over. Silas was pissed off, wary, and fighting for survival.

  Things were about to get worse.

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