Gabriel walked.

Night had settled over Eldenreach by the time he reached the market.

Torchlight washed the ground in a dull amber glow, shadows stretching long and broken between the wooden buildings. The town had already begun to forget the panic at the gate.

The images the woman in the fog showed him replayed on a loop in his mind. Each cycle adding to his list of questions.

How did she know about Mera and the Order?

What about the soldiers marching through the town?

How did the Order know I was here?

The questions kept piling up.

His jaw tightened.

You were never alone. The last thought echoed in his mind.

The thought lingered longer than the others, not because it frightened him, but because something in his body refused to dismiss it.

Gabriel slowed his pace, letting the rhythm of the market carry on around him.

The noise didn't fade; it separated. Individual footsteps broke from the crowd, wood scraped against stone, breath moved too close to matter.

He pushed his senses outward, tracking without looking, measuring distance and position by habit. Searching for anything that didn't belong.

The smells followed. Torch smoke. Old oil. Damp wood.

And beneath it, a musty scent that didn't fit.

His posture adjusted without thought, weight settling lower, shoulders loose, hands relaxed but ready. His eyes moved calmly across alleys and rooftops, lingering on the gaps between torchlight where anything careless would give itself away.

No footstep broke rhythm. No breath shifted out of place. The musty scent lingered, faint and unmoving, like it had no source to trace back to.

Then the air beside him stirred.

"Righteousness begets cruelty."

The words weren't spoken loudly. They didn't echo. They didn't come from any direction his senses could pin down.

Gabriel stopped.

He reached for his blade, drawing it in one swift motion.

His attention narrowed, senses tightening inward again, rechecking the space he'd already mapped. The scent was gone. The market noise flowed on unchanged.

He was only stationary for a brief moment.

He didn't wait for things to come to him. He moved toward the guild. Towards Hanitz.

The whisper faded as quickly as it had come, lost under the sound of boots pounding against the frozen ground.

The night was just starting, but Gabriel had already shifted his mind. He would track and hunt those who wanted to hunt him.

Townsfolk paused mid-conversation as they caught sight of the drawn blade in his hand. A few stepped back. Others looked away. No one challenged him. He didn't bother hiding the sword. If anyone was watching, they were meant to see it.

The guildhall came into view ahead, lanternlight spilling out through its windows, warm against the cold night. The sound of voices drifted through the thick wooden doors.

Gabriel crossed the last stretch of open ground and slowed only enough to adjust his grip.

Gabriel pivoted as a shape dropped from the roofline of a low stall, cloak snapping as the man came down blade-first. The strike never landed.

Gabriel stepped inside it and drove his sword up through the attacker's ribs, the point bursting out beneath the collarbone. The man's weight carried them both forward for half a step before Gabriel twisted the blade and shoved him off.

The body hit the ground hard and didn't get back up.

The second attack came from behind.

Gabriel didn't turn fully.

His free hand opened.

Crimson fog burst from his palm in a tight surge, focused rather than wild. It struck the man mid-lunge, coiling around his torso and limbs before he could cry out.

Gabriel clenched his fist.

The fog tightened instantly.

There was a wet, tearing sound as pressure collapsed inward. Bone cracked. Flesh split.

The man was wrenched apart at the centre, his body torn cleanly in two before either half could hit the ground.

The red haze recoiled back into Gabriel's hand, instantly.

Both halves struck the ground a second apart.

Silence followed.

Gabriel turned toward the guild and kept moving, sword still in his other hand.

No one screamed.

No alarm was raised.

The street absorbed the violence by pretending it hadn't seen anything at all.

Gabriel crossed the remaining distance without slowing, blood cooling along the edge of his blade as the guildhall filled his vision. Torchlight spilled across the stone steps.

He stepped inside.

Marching down the corridor with purpose. Sword and cloak covered in dried blood.

Gabriel didn't need to scan the room. The giant was standing by the counter with the Guild assistant.

He walked through to the guildhall, drawing the eyes of the adventurers in there.

Tankards froze halfway to mouths. Chairs scraped as bodies shifted back on instinct.

His boots carried him straight across the hall, leaving a dark trail where red liquid dripped onto the floorboards. He stopped only when he was a breath away.

The Guild Master and the elf girl both turned toward him.

"Not again, lad, you're makin—"

Gabriel didn't look at Hanitz.

His eyes were fixed on Ennu.

"The Order is in Eldenreach," he said. "Find them."

Ennu stiffened. Colour drained from her face, then rushed back all at once as her hands clenched at her sides.

"M-Me?" she stammered. "I'm not an adventurer."

Gabriel's expression didn't change.

Hanitz stepped in, placing a heavy hand on Ennu's shoulder.

"You heard him, girl," the giant said, voice low but firm. "Go find them. Quietly. Don't cause a scene."

For a heartbeat, Ennu didn't move.

Then she straightened.

The trembling stopped instantly. Her shoulders settled. Her breathing evened out.

"Yes, Guild Master," she replied, voice steady.

She turned to leave.

Her eyes met the former Paladin's. Promising consequences he wouldn't like.

"Ha, ha, ha." Hanitz's laugh cut through the entire hall. "How did you know?"

Gabriel turned to the giant.

He opened his mouth-

The bell rang. Sharp and urgent.

The sound tore through the guildhall, repeating, drowning out conversation as tankards rattled and chairs scraped back. Adventurers froze mid-motion, faces turning toward the ceiling as the second peal followed the first.

Hanitz's expression changed.

The laughter vanished.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.