A hand gripped his head from behind.
How? How had he gotten there? Had the technique worn off that quickly?
"How did you get behind me, you bastard? I thought you were a mage? How can you move so fast."
Kaedros smiled coldly In return.
Human mages were typically limited to spells and techniques tied to their path specialties, unless, of course, they had a special path like his. The Noble Dragon granted him access to lots of things, though his true specialty was the sun.
And now. Light of Annihilation. His new powers that not only gave him the power of the sun but others types of power— shadow, light, fire.
That was what made up the Light of Annihilation.
Although he was still figuring out a lot of it at the moment.
That didn’t mean he lacked in tricks.
The spell that freed him from the mage’s Temporary Stop had been woven in secret the moment he first spoke behind them.
"You only have yourself to blame for not studying your targets," Kaedros said, already layering another spell (technique) silently in his mind.
The assassin’s eyes flicked to his partner, but the mage only shook his head, confused.
’...there’s no way... he was frozen. He shouldn’t be able to move...’
"So what now?" the assassin sneered. "You kill me, she dies. I’ve got your partner right here, dagger to her throat. You make a move, and you’ll be staring at a corpse."
He gripped the blade tighter, debating whether to use his stealth skill again. But something about Kaedros made that feel pointless.
Kaedros laughed. Not a pleasant sound, but a low, mocking one that made the assassin shudder. "Staring her corpse? No. You’re the one dying here tonight."
"Are you blind?" the assassin snapped, pressing the dagger tighter until a thin ribbon of blood trailed down Taria’s throat.
Taria whimpered at the sting, her earlier relief at seeing Kaedros alive quickly swallowed by the creeping dread of death. Maybe... maybe she should have listened more during training. Maybe she should’ve been stronger.
His current spell was almost complete. Just a little longer.
"But you won’t kill her," Kaedros said, voice cold and sharp. "You’re afraid of death too. Aren’t you?"
"Afraid of death? I work with death. I bathe in it. The smell of blood, the snap of bone, the warmth of a throat opening under my blade—" He laughed. A dry, psychotic rasp.
"Nothing sweeter than the moment they know they’re going to die by my hand....’
His killing intent bloomed, thick, suffocating, heavy like a cloak of stones, and it wrapped around Taria. She gasped, trembling. He wasn’t just a killer. He was unhinged. She knew, instinctively, that he meant to kill her no matter what.
"...Kael," she whispered, voice breaking.
The scout’s grin widened. "Ah, that sound. I love when they start to beg—"
Dark strands, like thick spider silk, lashed out and wrapped around his arm, his chest, his legs. They slammed him down with impossible force.
The dagger at Taria’s neck became nothing more than cold air.
"What—what is this?" The assassin thrashed.
He poured all the strength of his body and his frame struggle, but the shadows held fast, tightening like an executioner’s grip.
Kaedros’ eyes glowed icy blue. He turned to the mage, who had stopped mid-motion.
"Don’t move. Don’t run. I’ve marked you."
For the first time, the mage showed emotion, fear. His gaze darted around like a trapped animal.
"I—I can kill her from here!" he stammered, raising his hand. "And I’ll kill you too before the spell wears off again!"
"No. You won’t," Kaedros said. "Where I’m from, we learn to cast fast. Very fast. I’m not the best at technique, but I’m very good at speed."
The scout snarled. "Don’t you dare cast while I’m in front of you! Are you trying to kill me too?!"
Kaedros smiled faintly. "It’s been fun."
The darkness surrounding his right hand twisted into a solid spike, long and razor-sharp. He poured mana into it until thorns jutted out.
Then, he drove it into the assassin’s skull.
The mage flinched as a long, jagged spike of darkness burst from his partner’s head. The assassin gave no sound, just a twitch, and then his head exploded under the pressure of surging thorns.
The caster turned and ran, abandoning all reason.
Kaedros didn’t give chase. He simply raised a finger, and whispered a trigger word.
The only thing the caster heard was a faint whoosh. then something cold punched through his chest.
He collapsed wordlessly, eyes wide, heart pierced clean through.
Kaedros’ stomach growled faintly at the scent of blood and brains. His hunger stirred, but he shoved it down. He still had to maintain the illusion of being human.
Taria stood in place, frozen. Blood and a bit of brain matter clung to her clothes. She stared, eyes wide and grey. Silent.
Kaedros stepped forward, ripped the dagger from her throat, and released his spell. The scout’s body finally collapsed to the ground.
"A shallow cut. It’ll heal quickly," he murmured, frowning. She still hadn’t moved.
Was she broken? Humans were so... fragile.
"How did you do that?" Taria blinked, slowly coming back to herself. He stood tall in the dark alley, blue eyes glowing. So composed. So unreal.
She had always known he was hiding something. But she never guessed he was this powerful.
"You killed both of them," she said softly, her hand loosening from her spear.
"I did," Kaedros replied flatly.
Taria’s voice trembled. "...Who are you, Kael?"