Kaela practically bounced as the last embers faded from the battlefield.
"Did you see that? I defeated the assassins!" she said, grinning ear to ear. "Woo hoo! I did it!"
Liam, still catching his breath, glanced sideways. "No… we did it."
"Oh, right." Kaela smirked. "But I did most of it."
"Whatever," Liam muttered, rolling his eyes.
Lucas walked over, arms crossed, the faintest smile tugging at his lips. "You did well, kids
Dreck, silent and efficient, moved to the unconscious assassins and began binding them with reinforced aether cords.
Five minutes later…
One of the assassins stirred, groaning. The others followed, blinking through bruised eyes.
"Took you long enough to wake up," Lucas said, voice dry as sandpaper.
The lead assassin spat blood, glaring. "What do you want? Kill us already. And don't forget—they will come for you. All of you. You're finished."
"Yeah, yeah…" Kaela waved dismissively. "Same old villain talk."
Lucas leaned down, his face inches from the assassin's. "That's exactly what we want. But we're not killing you."
"You're going back," Dreck said, stepping forward, his voice low and steady. "And you're going to report. Tell them to send their best. Their top-tiers. Bring everyone."
"Bring all," Lucas echoed with a sharp smile. "We'll wipe them out."
Liam's head snapped around. "Uncle… are you kidding?! That's suicidal!"
But Dreck's eyes remained calm. Focused. Unshaken.
"Tell them," he said to the assassins. "We're the Assassin Slayers."
He straightened, his long coat brushing the dust as the title hung in the air like thunder.
Kaela gasped, eyes sparkling. "So cool!"
"Assassin Slayers?" Liam muttered, blinking. "Seriously?"
The assassins hesitated. Dreck made a subtle nod.
"Now go," he said.
The cords unraveled, and the battered enemies stumbled off into the darkness—shamed, broken, and carrying a message.
Lucas turned, raising an eyebrow. "What was that all about?"
"They'll come," Dreck replied. "And when they do—we'll use them."
"Use them?" Liam asked.
"To make the kids stronger," Dreck said simply.
Lucas chuckled dryly. "Assassin Slayers, huh? What's with the name?"
Dreck gave a shrug. "It struck me. If we're going to take on an entire organization, we can't just be a nameless group.
He looked over his shoulder, gaze steely.
"You get it, right?"
Kaela and Liam stood there in silence for a moment—then nodded.
As the silhouettes of the defeated assassins vanished into the night, silence settled over the courtyard. The battle was over. But its weight still lingered in the air—thick, heavy, and humming with the aftershock of aether.
Dreck turned to the two young warriors, his expression unreadable for a moment. Then, with a slow nod, he spoke.
"You both did well tonight."
His voice was firm, but there was a subtle note of pride in it.
Lucas folded his arms and added, "For the second time handling real assassins, you didn't just survive—you handled yourselves like professionals." He gave Kaela a pointed look. "Especially you. That leg sweep into triple pulse was clean. Sharp timing."
Kaela puffed her chest a little, tossing her hair back like it was part of her victory dance. "Well, I am kind of amazing. But thanks for noticing."
"Don't let it get to your head," Liam mumbled, but the smirk on his face betrayed his pride in her too.
Lucas rolled his eyes. "Alright, prodigies. Compliments over."
Dreck stepped toward the house and pushed the door open. The warm glow of the lights spilled out. "You two, clean yourselves up and get to bed. No detours. No training. No whispering battle moves under your breath like last time."
"Yes, sir," Liam replied, already trudging inside.
Kaela, however, raised an eyebrow and placed a hand on her hip. "Oh? So suddenly we're kids again? Just an hour ago we were Assassin Slayers—now it's 'go to bed' like we're in kindergarten?"
Lucas smirked. "And yet, you're still covered in dirt and blood like a kid who fell into a playground warzone."
Kaela opened her mouth to clap back but paused—then looked at her arm. Blood-stained, dust-covered, with a leaf stuck in her hair.
She sighed. "Fine. But only because I deserve a hot shower after saving everyone's life." She turned to Liam with a crooked grin. "You too, sidekick."
"Sidekick? I literally—" Liam stopped himself. "You know what, whatever. I'm too tired."
Inside the house, the hallway was quiet. The soft creak of the floorboards welcomed them as they headed to their rooms.
Liam stopped by the bathroom mirror and stared at his reflection. Scratches, sweat, dirt. And something else. A look in his eyes he didn't recognize until now. A small glint of strength. Confidence. Growth.
He cleaned his face, the water cold and refreshing. The fatigue hit him hard as he slipped into a fresh shirt and fell into bed. His muscles ached in that oddly satisfying way—the kind that told you you earned it.
Across the hall, Kaela's room was already alive with the sound of a shower and her complaining.
"Stupid assassins… stupid leaves… I swear if one more creep calls me 'little girl' again I'm putting aether in their teeth…"
Fifteen minutes later, she dropped onto her bed, hair damp, wrapped in a fluffy towel like a war hero home from battle.
"Sidekick my, huh" she muttered with a proud grin, closing her eyes.
Both kids slept without nightmares.
Because tonight… they had won.