"When shadows learn to breathe, even the stars hold their breath."
( In the previous chapter...
Rai gets caught by the adventurers and they kept him in the cage with the teen girl - marie and two kids - rock and lily. )
Now...
At Nightfall :
The night sky loomed over the dense forest, pierced by the occasional silver glint of moonlight. Deep in the trees, a fire crackled with an eerie calm, the smell of roasted boar thick in the air. Rai lay still inside the rusty cage, the cold iron pressing against his back. His lip was split, his wrists bruised from being tossed around like an animal. In the opposite corner of the cage, two small children huddled beside a teen girl who held them close. Their eyes were hollow, but their quiet sobs spoke volumes.
He watched the so-called adventurers with clenched teeth. He thought the Men who once said to walked under banners of courage, now feasting like wolves, laughing as they tossed the leftover bones at the cage. One of them held up a slab of meat, grinning.
> "Want a bite, little rats? Here!"
He threw the bone at them. The youngest boy whimpered.
The teen girl growled, her voice ragged.
> "You people are scum."
The man laughed, dragging a bite through his teeth.
> "Scum... shut up!! You slaves don't have the right to talk."
Another man arrived at the camp, waving a paper in his hands.
> "Guess what I found! The kid we just threw in the cage? There's a bounty on his head! Twenty gold!"
Gasps followed. One whistled low.
> "Twenty? For a brat? Damn, we just hit the jackpot."
Rai peeked through the bars, eyes widening as he saw his own half-covered face printed on the bounty. His mind blurred.
> Why? Why would they place a bounty on me?
As the adventurers celebrated their cruel luck, cooking meat and guzzling wine, Rai's heart pounded with dread. But deeper than the fear... was fury.
> "What did I even do?"
From the edges of the dark woods, something watched. Unmoving. Silent.
It started with a sound. Branches snapped. Heavy breathing. One of the adventurers looked up. A man stumbled into the clearing, blood on his clothes.
> "Brother! HELP! It's a tiger—A damn saberfang—!"
Everyone shot to their feet, weapons drawn.
> "You idiot! You led it here?! You always cause problems... Shit!!"
The adventurer who was chased by beast said :
> " I'm sorry!! I didn't mean to! It chased me out of nowhere!"
Other adventurer ordered :
> "Everyone ready to fight! Damn it's a rare beast."
Suddenly, the trees split apart with a growl that could shatter bone. The Clawfang leapt into the camp — monstrous, armored with fur like black iron, teeth like daggers. Chaos erupted. Blades clanged. Screams rang. And from the dark, the eyes still watched. As the group battled the beast, a cloaked figure emerged from the trees. Silent. Calculated.
They moved swiftly to the cage, crouching low. A rock was lifted and smashed against the lock. Once. Twice. No good.
Rai stared.
> "Who are you?"
> "Hey!! Run if they see you. They will catch you too..."
No answer.
Then a adventurer saw the cloak person near the cage.
> "Hey you!!! Who do you think you are trying to steal our slaves."
Rai whispers and anger tone :
> "We are not your slaves... You scambag!!"
Rai gathered courage to say this. He feels relief saying those words to him.
> "You filthy brat. Open your mouth again and I'll cut your tongue out! I will kill you!"
The cloaked one stood still for a heartbeat after listening to the word kill you. The cloak person clenched the fists. As showing anger. Then, the eyes goes to the man's waist.
Cloak person whispers :
> "He has the keys..."
Then, the cloak person moves fast in an instant. Rai and others shocked that they can't believe what they saw.
> "Ss-she killed all the adventurer in an instant with bare hands."
> " Who is that person?" Rai whispers. As marie and kids watches her in shock. Marie hide the kids – Rock and lily behind a big rock. Marie says :
> "No matter what... Promise me you don't come out. Ok?"
Lily asks :
> "What about you Sis? Don't leave us?" Her eyes are sad.
Marie says :
> "Sis has to take down the bad guys... After everything finishes. I will make you something to eat. Ok?"
Lily says :
> "Ok, Sis... I will stay here." With a small cute smile. Marie pats her head.
Marie says to Rock :
> "Take care of your sister. Ok? Promise me."
Rock says :
> "I promise Big sis... But take care. Come back fine. We don't have anyone except you Sis." He was little sad but showed a strong desire to protect in his eyes.
Marie says :
> "Don't worry everything gonna be fine. I will be back. I promise."
As marie come back to Rai leaving both kids to a safety behind the big rock.
Threat begins :
The remaining adventurers together captured the beast by spells, there was a magician in the adventurers.
> "Binding magic (tier 2) : Trap of underground chains."
A strong claw type chains from underground came out and the saberfang is binded to the ground with magic. As they all enjoyed that they defeated the saberfang. They saw that their teammate was layed on the ground covered in blood in Dead state.
They all shocked also by the prisoners that they captured were out of the cage. They saw the cloak person and says in anger and frustration.
> "You are the one who killed him!!! It's impossible. He has a rank Iron and above it that he is level 2 in it."
Other whispers in shock.
> "He is the second strongest in our team. And he was killed with ease."
Cloak person whispers :
> "He was weak. I can't imagine, it just taken me bare hands to kill him."
They all shocked by what the person said.
The team leader gets angry and rushed to her saying.
> "Don't joke with me... You will pay for this. I will kill you for sure."
Listening kill you again. The cloak person silenced. And clinched the fists and fight starts between them. The other adventurers tries to join the fight. But the team leader orders them.
> "Don't dare to step in... It's my fight."
He thinks while fighting inside his mind:
"What the heck is happening. He doesn't even fighting. He is dodging all my attacks. I am even a rank Iron of level 3. He is stronger than I thought. Even his face is cover. Who in the world is he...?"
The teamleader whispers :
> "What happened to your strength? You are just keep dodging my attacks." He mocks the person.
He says a enchantment :
> "Sword style (tier 2) – dark lightning slash."
Then suddenly the cloak person gets a cut on his cloak on shoulder. Then the cloak person back off a little. The man mocks again.
> "What happened. You stopped. Did my level feared you. I am rank Iron with a level 2 adventurer skill. I will kill you with my special attack."
He reads a enchantment of spelling on his sword.
> "Sword style (tier 3) – ghost essence blade."
The other adventurers whispers :
> "This is the boss strongest tier. I am seeing it for first time."
> "The blade which can cuts even a mountain."
Team leader says to the cloak person :
> "Be honoured to be killed by me. You are the first person I used this technique on."
He rushed to the person in a speed.
> "Time to die..."
The cloak person stayed silent and whispers lowly :
> "I think the play time is over. Let's get serious."
The cloak person just take out a small dagger from his wrist and as the adventurer comes to attack. The cloak person instantly slashes. No one can able to see what happened. Then the adventurer collapsed with his sword broken. And a slow whisper while dying.
> "It's impossible... No one has stop–"
He was fallen to the ground slashed on his body covered in blood. As The cloaked person walked into the fray. The adventurers saw everything and shocked.
> "Who the hell are you?!"
No answer.
One charged. The blade shimmered.
Shhk.
One down. Another ran. Throat slit before the second step.
She moved like wind over glass. Deadly and graceful. The remaining adventurers shocked what they seen. They all frustrated and goes to attack the person.
> "How dare you!!!"
The cloak person kills every adventurer who rushed to him. But a adventurer who was chased by the beast ran away in the forest and escaped.
The cloak person whispers :
> "Tch. He ran away... But I don't care less..."
As the cloak person killed all the six adventurers.
The Evolution :
As the cloak person turn around walking towards the kids. But then suddenly, The saberfang that is binded with magic to the ground by the magician adventurer. Raised up because the magic caster is dead. But that's not the shocking part, It is that the beast started to devouring the died adventurers dead bodies.
Suddenly the environment changed. As the saberfang evolves into more strong and dangerous. It evolves into level 3. It roars heavily where the pressure is intense that Rai and marie kneel down by it. Marie shocks by seeing that. But Rai in confusion and feared by beast aura.
> "What the heck is that beast. It is totally different from before, even the presence and air feels heavy."
Marie says with feared eyes :
> "When a saberfang evolves it transforms to a different beast, a beast of level 3 which is the strongest level in a beast that ever seen. And the beast is known as saber dragon."
Then the cloak person jumps to attack on the beast but gets hits by his energy beam.
The cloak burned away. Rai and marie's eyes widened in disbelief. They saw a tall, beautiful women with a light armour, light blue hair like morning sky and a sword to his waist.
Marie was too shocked, she whispers in her mind :
"I feel like I saw her somewhere... But I don't remember clearly."
The women whispers :
> "It's became dangerous now. It's after a long time since I am facing a threat like this."
> "Don't you agree... Tsuki..."
Then, she removed a thin silver blade from her waist, shimmered into the moonlight.
The women whispers:
> "Sleep, beast. You've roared long enough."
Rai's eyes narrowed.
> "It's thin sword. That won't cut—"
SLASH!!
The skin of beast fell clean off.
Rai froze.
What kind of blade...?
The children stared in awe. Rai and marie cannot able to believe their eyes.
Then the women say something that makes marie to remember someone.
> "That sword... that style... That can't be..."
Ice spread beneath the cloaked figure's feet as she approached the saber dragon beast, still raging. Her blade lifted again. The very air changed. Temperature dropped. Breath fogged. The surroundings and weather became cool.
But here –
"The Silent Moon... Had risen."
She muttered:
> "Silent moon style : Tsukikiri...(Mooncutter)."
With a single upward slice, a trail of frozen blue light carved through the beast. It dropped in silence, its roars frozen mid-breath. For a moment, nothing moved. No sound. Just frost. Then everything shattered into tiny pieces. The beast was killed like a water drops of ice crystals.
Rai and marie with the other kids rock and lily felt relieved and happy. As the tears also came out of joy.
Marie whispers :
> "After a long time... Finally we are free."
Marie cuddles with the kids. Rai feels happy for them.
> "Good for you... Marie." Rai smiles a little.
Then, the women slowly walked out of the cold mist. Her sword was dripped frost, her eyes glowing like frozen stars. As she kept the sword into the sheath. The environment went stable and pleasant. She walks to towards them. As she comes closer to them.
Rai asks her in curiosity :
> "Who are you!? How can you do that?"
Then marie cuts Rai words answering :
> "She was one of the top 5 Royals. Her name is Selene kaelith also have a title called as The Silent Moon."
Rai shocks when he listened that she was a royal.
Then, Selene stands before them. Marie with respect for royals he kneel with gratitude and her level of being royal blood.
> "I am honoured to see you mrs. Selene."
Then Rai and the other kids also come back to marie and do the same.
Selene says :
> "Hoo... You know me... That's nice of you. But it's ok just stand up."
Marie says :
> "Thank you for saving us. But why a high royal is here at the place like this."
Selene replies:
> "Just... Chasing a shadow I hoped I'd never seen again." She fakes her laugh.
Then, Rai also says :
> "Thank you so much for saving us."
Then suddenly Selene felt something terrific aura from Rai out of instinct.
She whispers in her mind :
"This presence... No ordinary boy carries such weight."
Selene turned to Rai, stepping back and draw her sword from her sheath. Raising the blade slowly. With the piercing blue eyes that glowed like snowfire.
Her voice was sharp, cold.
> "Who... No... What are you?"
Rai blinked, heart racing. He doesn't understand what is happening. Even marie is shocked by this. She's the one who saved them... The Silent Moon...
And she just saved his life. Or ended someone else's. But from the dark the eyes are still watching everything.
"From the darkness... The eyes never blinked."
...To Be Continued...