Two years later…
Leaves crunched beneath my boots as I sprinted through the dark forest, breath steady, heart silent. Shadows flickered across the trees like ghosts.
"There he is! The Faceless!" a voice shouted behind me.
A masked man in black armor burst from the ground like a rising specter, his sword gleaming in the moonlight. He swung without hesitation.
I twisted my body, barely dodging, and unsheathed my blade with a sharp clang. Steel met steel, the impact ringing through the trees. We clashed once more—clang, clang—before I leapt backward to create distance.
Ten more masked figures revealed themselves. Some crouched in trees. Others surrounded me like a hunting pack. All wore hoods. All bore the same insignia—The Order of Black Silence.
One of them, larger than the rest, chuckled darkly. "Hey, Faceless... before we kill you, why not take that mask off?"
I remained silent. The red glow from my eyes beneath the mask was the only response.
He scowled. "Not gonna answer, huh? Scrawny little brat. SHRED HIM TO PIECES! MEN!!"
They lunged.
I closed my eyes behind the mask and exhaled slowly. A familiar surge of energy built inside me—hot, violent, alive.
Crimson lightning exploded from my body in a blinding flash.
In the blink of an eye, I moved. My sword danced like a phantom.
Shhhkt. Shhhkt. Shhhkt.
Five heads hit the dirt before their bodies could react. Blood sprayed across the ground.
The leader's confidence vanished.
"F-FALL BACK! RETREAT!"
Cowards. They turned and ran.
But I wasn't done.
I vanished from sight and reappeared in front of the man who gave the retreat order.
"Where do you think you're going? Didn't you say I should be cut in pieces? Let me return the favor."
With swift, precise strikes, I cut him down—limb by limb, until nothing was left but gore and regret.
I turned toward the remaining four.
One—I sliced his leg clean off, leaving him to scream and bleed.
Another—I cut in half, severing flesh and bone with one clean arc.
The third—I removed his eye… then his tongue… and left him choking on agony.
The last… I didn't stop.
Blade after blade after blade. Slash after slash. Blood soaked the earth, my arms, my mask.
By the time I was done, there was nothing left but shredded flesh and silence.
I stood there, breath heavy, staring at my bloody hands, my soaked clothes, my mask dripping red.
I sighed.
"Look at what you made me do…"
Then—
A scream tore through the night.
"SOMEBODY HELP ME!!"
A girl's voice. Desperate. Terrified.
I turned sharply toward the sound, my eyes glowing an ominous crimson red, lightning sparking across my back.
And without hesitation—I ran