Chapter 7.1

Aurus hurried into the hut just as a volley of flaming arrows rained down in his direction. He quickly slammed the door shut, only to stagger back when one arrow pierced through the wooden wall. The section it struck burst into flames at once. The hut was built from old, dry timber, and he knew the fire would spread in no time.

Do they suspect the Premier Guard is hiding here?

He rushed into Gaia’s room to check on her condition. She was still sleeping soundly, untouched by the attackers. As far as he could tell, no one had entered the hut before he arrived.

“Burn that hut down! I have a strong feeling there’s another powerful being hiding inside besides the man who went in. Don’t let either of them leave here alive!”

Aurus heard the shout from outside. Without wasting another second, he wrapped Gaia securely in a blanket. Then he smashed through the back wall of the hut, creating an escape route.

“We’re no longer safe here, Premier Guard. We have to leave. If I stay and fight them, we might both die. You still have to recover... for Tana’s sake.”

With that, he lifted Gaia into his arms and fled through the opening.

Aurus forced his way through towering grass and dense trees, putting as much distance as possible between Gaia and their pursuers. He could feel that her enemies would never stop hunting her as long as she lived. He had no idea how long he had been running through the thick forest—minutes, perhaps hours. He only stopped when darkness swallowed the woods. They had traveled far enough that his arm had begun to go numb from carrying Gaia.

Carefully, he lowered her to the ground and leaned her against the trunk of a large tree before sitting beside her. Closing his eyes, he allowed himself a brief moment to rest.

“So... now I finally understand.”

He stood and stretched his aching arms before glancing at Gaia. She was resting securely against the tree, and he was confident nothing would happen if he stepped away for a moment.

“It’s time to deal with the people who’ve been following us this whole time.”

A faint grin crossed his lips before his face returned to its usual emotionless expression.

“Come out!” he shouted at the figures whose presence he had sensed trailing them ever since they escaped.

Three figures dressed entirely in black immediately emerged before him, standing roughly five meters away. Their dark clothing blended perfectly with the night, allowing them to disappear into the shadows.

“Hand the woman over,” the figure in the center demanded.

“And why would I do that?” Aurus asked playfully. “What do you want with her that makes you so desperate to take her?”

“You have no right to ask that!” the figure on the left snapped arrogantly.

Aurus smirked. “And you have no right to take her from me. Her safety is my responsibility, and as long as I’m alive, none of you will lay a hand on her.”

The three figures exchanged glances.

Aurus knew they weren’t alone. His instincts told him there were more enemies hidden nearby.

He was right. The man in the center gave a signal, and the three figures vanished from where they stood. They hadn’t disappeared. They had simply melted back into the darkness.

Aurus could still sense every one of them closing in. He remained perfectly still, calmly waiting for the first attacker to make a move.

“Goodbye, you arrogant fool!” one of the figures shouted as he lunged from behind.

Aurus spun around in an instant. He met the attack with a swift kick aimed at the man’s weapon, knocking it from his grasp. Before the attacker could recover, Aurus followed with another kick that smashed into his face. He didn’t lower his guard after defeating the first enemy.

Moments later, he sensed another barrage of blades flying toward him. Even in complete darkness, he caught them effortlessly.

Kunai. The familiar weapons rested comfortably in his hands.

“Assassins...” he whispered.

The word stirred something deep within him. Holding the blades filled him with an oddly familiar sensation. The darkness itself seemed to welcome him.

“Let’s see whether the night fights for you...” he said with a grin as he tightened his grip on a kunai in each hand, “... or whether it favors me.”

Aurus charged forward at the same time as the remaining two attackers. His daggers flashed. In a single motion, both blades sliced across their throats. Agonized cries echoed through the forest as steel met flesh.

“A-argh!”

The two figures collapsed to the ground. Before Aurus could even straighten himself, he felt another shower of kunai hurtling toward him. The darkness favored his enemies. But it favored him even more. This was the kind of battlefield he had lived in long before becoming a general of Urvularia—the kingdom where he had first served as an assassin.

Once, he had been nothing more than a silent killer. It was Tana who had given him the chance to leave that life behind and serve in the royal palace instead.

“You picked the wrong person to fight,” he said coldly.

Aurus evaded the incoming blades with ease. Some he caught and immediately hurled back toward the figures concealed among the branches. Others he sent through the darkness toward enemies hiding behind tree trunks—or those preparing to strike. Unable to endure the relentless assault any longer, his enemies finally abandoned their hiding places and revealed themselves.

“Who are you?” one of them asked nervously. “Which division do you belong to?”

“You have no right to ask me that,” Aurus replied in a voice as cold as death.