We moved at the same time.
No signal.
No countdown.
Just instinct.
The four assassins turned almost immediately.
Too fast.
They had been waiting.
"Contact," one of them said calmly.
Not surprised.
Not alarmed.
That was worse.
Spiro reached them first.
A direct strike as he appears from the shadows.
Fast and Precise.
The assassin blocked it.
Easily.
Metal clashed…
CLANG.
Theo appeared from the side, blade aimed at the man's neck.
The assassin twisted.
Barely avoided it.
"Two shadows," he muttered. "Annoying."
Robert charged forward.
Heavy.
Unstoppable.
His blade came down with force…
The ground cracked where it landed.
The assassin stepped back just in time.
Margaretha followed.
Her kick cut through the air.
The assassin blocked with his forearm and started kicking Margaretha back.
Strong.
They were strong.
All four of them.
I moved.
Straight for the nearest one.
No hesitation.
My blade aimed for his ribs.
He caught it.
With his hand.
Not bare…but with a reinforced glove.
His eyes met mine.
Cold.
"You're the one."
My chest tightened.
He knew.
He twisted my blade aside and struck.
Fast.
Too fast.
I barely brought my sword up in time…
CLANG.
The impact ran through my arm.
Pain followed immediately.
I stepped back.
He advanced.
No wasted movement.
Every step calculated.
Behind me…
Chaos.
Metal sound was clanking loudly.
Everyone's breathing was short and sharp.
Someone groaned.
I didn't look.
I couldn't.
Theo appeared again.
Striking from behind.
The assassin I faced moved before Theo even landed.
He ducked.
Turned.
Then kicked Theo in the stomach.
Theo was forced back.
"…he's reading us," Theo muttered.
"No," I said, forcing my breath steady.
"He's anticipating."
That was worse.
Another assassin joined him.
Two against us.
The pressure doubled instantly.
Their coordination was perfect.
No overlap.
No hesitation.
"Break them apart!" Spiro's voice cut through.
We tried.
But they didn't let us.
I hear Robert roared beside me.
I can see a heavy swing forced one assassin back.
Margaretha followed immediately.
Her kick landed.
But the assassin absorbed it and countered.
She barely dodged.
Then…
It happened.
The assassin I was facing shifted.
Just slightly.
Enough to open a gap.
Too obvious.
Too clean.
A trap.
I knew it.
But my hand moved faster than my brain.
I still moved.
My blade went in…
And his partner struck.
From my blind side.
Too fast.
Too close.
I couldn't react.
Something slammed into me.
Hard.
The world spun.
I hit the ground.
Air knocked out of my lungs.
I looked up…
Robert.
He stood in front of me.
His body…
Twisted.
A blade buried deep in his side arm.
The assassin had aimed for my heart.
Robert took it instead.
"Move," he growled.
His voice was strained.
But steady.
The assassin pulled his blade out.
Blood followed.
Heavy.
Too much.
Robert didn't fall.
He stepped forward instead.
Shielding me.
My chest tightened.
Something broke.
A memory…
My brother.
Standing in front of me.
Blood.
Too much blood.
"Don't—"
I pushed it down.
Hard.
Not now.
I stood.
Forced my body to move.
Pain shot through my shoulder…
Sharp.
I hadn't even noticed when it happened.
Blood soaked my sleeve.
Left side.
Deep.
But not fatal.
Spiro was still fighting.
But…
Something was wrong.
His movement…was slow.
An assassin struck.
A clean hit.
Across his stomach.
Blood spilled.
He didn't stop.
But I saw it.
He was hurt.
Badly.
"Focus!" Theo snapped.
He was bleeding too.
But still moving.
Still striking.
We were losing.
Not in numbers.
But in condition.
They were cleaner.
More precise.
Less wasted motion.
"End it now!" Spiro ordered.
No strategy.
No formation.
Just…
End it.
I moved.
Ignored the pain.
Ignored everything.
My vision sharpened.
The world slowed.
I saw it.
A gap.
Small.
Almost invisible.
I stepped in.
Fast.
My blade went low…
Cut through the man's leg.
He faltered and screamed.
It's more than enough.
Theo appeared.
His blade went through the man's throat.
One down.
Beside me, Margaretha screamed.
Not fear.
Force.
Her kick landed clean.
The second assassin staggered.
Robert charged.
Even he was heavily bleeding and wounded.
His blade came down…
And split the man open.
Two down.
The remaining two didn't panic.
They adjusted.
Immediately.
One of them moved toward me again while the other moved to attack Spiro's side.
Relentless.
Focused.
I raised my blade…
Too slow.
I successfully blocked the attack.
THUD.
Margaretha slammed into him from the side.
Both of them hit the ground.
She stabbed the falling assassin with her invisible wind blade.
Again.
Again.
Again.
Until he stopped moving.
Margaretha was bathed in blood.
The last one…
Faced Spiro.
Even wounded.
Spiro stood straight.
Calm.
Cold.
The assassin lunged…
Spiro stepped in.
Closer.
Too close.
Their blades crossed…
Then…
Spiro's blade went through his chest.
Clean.
Finally, all the assassins were dead.
There is no celebration, only silence.
For half a second.
Then…
I instinctively scan the surroundings.
More dense mana signatures are coming.
Closing in.
Fast.
Too fast.
"They're coming," I said.
My voice felt distant.
Numb.
"How many?" Theo asked.
"Too many."
That was enough.
Spiro looked at all of us.
Quickly.
Assessing.
Robert…
Trying to close his heavily bleeding wound with an herb and a potion.
Spiro itself…
Pressed his heavily wounded stomach with an herb.
Me…
My shoulder was stinging and spewing thick blood.
The others…
Not clean.
We are not ready for another desperate attack.
"We split," Spiro said.
No hesitation.
No debate.
"We regroup later."
Margaretha shook her head. "No…"
"We don't have time," he cut her off.
"They'll surround us again."
He looked at each of us.
"Run."
No one argued this time.
Because we knew.
Staying together…
Meant to die together.
We moved.
Different directions.
No formation.
No plan.
Just survival.
I ran.
My shoulder burned.
My lungs screamed.
My legs…
Barely responding.
Behind me…
Footsteps.
Not close.
But coming.
Always coming from every side.
I turned.
Cut through alleys.
Jumped fences.
Slipped.
Got up.
Ran again.
My vision blurred.
From pain.
From exhaustion.
From something else.
I heard it again.
A voice.
"Don't stop."
My brother.
"I'm trying," I muttered.
My breath is shaking.
"I'm trying…"
I stumbled.
Nearly fell.
Caught myself.
Kept moving.
The city blurred.
Snow fell harder.
Covering everything.
Hiding everything.
Then…
I saw it.
A grate.
Half-broken.
Leading down.
Dark.
Frozen.
Cold.
A sewer.
I didn't hesitate.
I forced it open.
Slipped inside.
Pulled it back.
Darkness swallowed me.
The smell hit immediately.
Rot.
Filth.
Water.
I moved deeper.
Slow.
Careful.
Listening.
Above…
Footsteps passed.
Voices.
Faint.
Searching.
I held my breath.
Didn't move.
Didn't think.
Time passed.
I didn't know how long.
Cold seeped into my bones.
My body shook uncontrollably.
But I stayed.
Alone.