"You said your brother is back?" Shadow asked, leaned against a tree in the forest. Standing opposite her was Andrew; he kept looking around as though someone was going to come and see him there.

"You can't be here. If anyone sees you here, that will be the end of me," Andrew said in a panic.

"Calm down, kid. The kingdom is officially entering a lockdown. Movement will become restricted for the most part. I want to cut down your brother before I leave," she said.

Andrew looked at her. He had no choice. With his head bowed, he spoke.

"He returned yesterday from his academy," Andrew said. He had kept an eye out for when Raze would return. He didn't expect it to be so soon, but Raze was back and already working on more things inside the town.

Today, his father would be returning from wherever he had gone, and so would the knights of the barony, which meant there would be more lookouts in the town. So today was the perfect day to finally take out Raze. But Andrew was still panicked about the situation. He wished Shadow would leave it for now and maybe find another opportunity to take down Raze. But she wasn't budging.

Shadow pushed herself off the tree and started walking away.

"Where are you going?" Andrew yelled.

"Just go back to your manor and relax. I'll take out the kid for you," she said before walking into the depths of the forest.

Andrew stood there, head slightly hung low and hands swinging beside him. There was a slight look of regret on his face, but it was quickly removed.

"A man has to do what he has to do," he muttered under his breath before turning and walking away.

[..... ]

Raze stood in the forest after finishing his training, his usual routine of letting the flames and heat temper his body. Fey was beside him.

"So why exactly didn't you inform her like you said you would about the abomination that was about to spread in the city?" Fey asked. Raze had already told him what happened—how he bought the sword, how the sword was carrying demonic energy, and how he had planned to inform Lady Rose but never did.

"Um, yeah… I think it's mostly because I forgot," Raze said, scratching the back of his head. "But I already sent her a letter. By now, it should be getting to her. She'll know everything."

Fey was about to say something when suddenly the bushes rustled. Raze immediately activated God's Eye, scanning the area. He picked up a figure—one he knew all too well. The same figure that had nearly killed him in the past.

Shadow.

She was moving in his direction.

"Seems we have company," Fey said.

"Yeah… and not the good kind," Raze replied.

"Hmm? Do you know her?" Fey asked.

"She attacked us when we were going to the academy. She was pretty powerful. I'm not even joking, I almost died to her," Raze said.

Fey looked toward the approaching woman, scanning her from head to toe from a distance. "She is quite strong," he said, "but nothing to worry about."

Shadow came into view. The moment she stepped out, a sinister smile curled on her face. She looked up at Raze.

"It's been a while," she said with a grin.

Raze stared at her. "I don't think we have any fond memories together."

She tilted her head. "Really? I find wanting to stab you through the chest a fond memory, don't you think?"

"I'm not sure that's how it works," Raze replied. But a smile formed on his face. "You couldn't have picked a worse time to look for me. Any other time would've worked."

"And why is that?" she asked.

"Well, because today, I have Fey," Raze said with a childish smile, pointing at Fey.

She looked at the boy beside Raze, confusion wrapping around her face. She clicked her tongue.

"I guess even in the face of death, you want to joke around. I do love someone with a sense of humor." Her smile sharpened. "Sadly, I have to finish this quick and move on."

She drew her dagger and launched forward without warning. Her speed was terrifying, boosted by wind magic as she crossed the distance in nearly an instant, her blade already slicing for Raze's neck.

But Raze vanished, teleporting backward. The blade missed.

She froze for a moment, stunned. Her eyes shot up, spotting Raze in the distance, caught off guard but readying himself.

Before she could move again, someone grabbed her by the back of her hair. She hadn't even registered the touch before she was yanked back with so much force that her body was sent flying through a tree.

BOOM!

The trunk cracked as she blasted through it.

Fey stood there with a nonchalant expression. He turned to Raze.

"Why the hell didn't you block earlier?" Raze yelled. "I had to teleport away! What if I didn't time it right and died?"

Fey gave him a dumb smile. "If you're incapable of dodging even one strike, I wouldn't find you interesting anymore. You should at least be at some level of skill after all the training you do every single day."

Raze clicked his tongue. "Whatever. Just make sure you finish her off. She's a tough one."

"Yeah, that's not a problem."

BOOM!

Fey was suddenly kicked in the side of the face, his body twisting as he was sent crashing through multiple trees. Shadow stood there, fuming, breathing hard, furious that he had tossed her so casually.

But Fey rose to his feet easily. He cracked his neck, then his back.

"I should really start paying more attention to my surroundings. Especially mid-fight," he muttered before lunging forward again.

He moved so fast she couldn't follow. In an instant, he was already beside her, fist balled tight. He twisted his entire body into one punch and drove it into her ribs.

BAM!

Bone shattered under the impact as her body was launched high into the air. Fey kicked off the ground, leaping even higher. He clasped his hands together, then swung down in a hammer strike, slamming into her back and sending her hurtling toward the ground like a meteor.

She hit the earth hard, the impact carving a massive crater beneath her.

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