The sword lunged at me… but I dodged.
It grazed my cheek, slicing through a single strand of hair.
Then… I grabbed the dead guard's sword.
It was heavy, but my hands didn't shake.
One step forward.
Then a strike!
The blade rose and then fell.
It cut the neck of the soldier who had leaned in for an attack.
He had no time to react.
His head hit the ground first, his body followed moments later.
Blood spilled across the stones, the sound of his fall announcing what was coming.
The other soldiers shouted:
"Take him down!"
They charged at me.
I didn't flinch.
I moved. Fast.
As if the wind itself was pushing me.
My sword tore through the first man's chest, shattered the second's arm, and stabbed the third in the gut.
Strike… then another… then a leap.
Everything became a blur of red.
I fought… and I was winning.
But my heart pounded like a drum.
And a voice inside me whispered:
"You're burning from within… beware."
Then I heard the cat.
Calm… but sharp:
"Stop! Your strength is fading! You can't take much more!"
I halted.
I turned quickly.
"But I just started!" I shouted.
The cat leapt onto my shoulder, replying:
"If you keep going… you'll die. Don't test your limits. Run!"
At that moment, I felt it.
My knees wobbled, my hands trembled, the sword suddenly heavy.
The soldiers didn't stop.
Their numbers grew, and arrows were being readied from afar.
The cat hissed sharply:
"We have to escape!"
Arrows whispered death behind me.
One skimmed past my ear, slicing a lock of hair.
Another scratched my shoulder.
But I didn't stop.
"Turn left! Don't run straight!" the cat shouted from my shoulder.
I jumped over a corpse, slipped under a broken gallows rope, and surged toward the left corner of the square.
A small gate behind a pile of rotting wood.
I pushed with all my strength.
Squeeeak!
It opened.
Cold air rushed at me, carrying the scent of dampness and decay… the alleys of the lower city.
"Down the stairs! Quickly! This is the drainage path. They won't follow easily!" the cat ordered.
I didn't hesitate.
I leapt.
Bones cracked, breaths whistled, footsteps pursued.
The stairs were slick, but they led to a dark tunnel… my lungs burned, my body bled from scratches, the sword heavy on my back.
Yet my heart still fought.
We reached an abandoned cellar, smelling of death.
"Stop… we don't move yet," the cat said.
I fell to my knees.
Everything inside me was on fire.
"How… much time do I have?" I whispered.
"Five minutes… maybe less, before your body collapses completely," the cat replied.
I lifted my head.
Footsteps approached from above.
They were searching.
"Will they find us?"
The cat shook his head.
"No, not yet… but we can't stay here."
He looked at me, voice softer:
"Listen… what you did today was only the beginning. You're still weak. We must train. Disappear. Then return."
"To where?" I asked.
A cold smile appeared on his face.
"To the hell they created for us. We'll take it back from them."
I exhaled, forcing myself to stand.
My body resisted, but obeyed.
Slowly, I moved through the shadows, the cat perched on my shoulder, leaving the square… leaving the blood… leaving Rai.
The cat said we were safe.
But I felt the opposite.
Every step in the tunnel, every drop of water falling from the ceiling, every distant echo… was a warning.
We walked in silence.
The silence was heavy.
Finally, the cat spoke:
"There's a small door at the end of this tunnel… behind it, an old hideout used in past wars."
I nodded. We continued.
Then suddenly…
The cat froze.
"Stop," he whispered.
I froze.
Even my heart tried to hold its breath.
Then we heard it.
Steps.
Light… deliberate… nothing like the soldiers.
Steps of one person.
And he knew exactly where he was going.
The cat dug his claws into my shoulder.
"This is no ordinary soldier…"
"Who?"
A soft voice: "A hunter."
Sweat ran down my neck, despite the cold.
What was a hunter doing in the sewers?
We heard another sound… a faint scrape… as if metal was dragged across the walls.
Then his voice:
"Leaving the square was unexpected… but your miracle won't last long, shadow dweller."
The cat stepped back.
"We have to run. Now!"
I ran.
For the first time, it felt like the ground itself tried to hold me back.
The tunnel sloped, mud slicked, air thickened.
Behind me, the hunter approached… not running, but relentless.
He moved with confidence, knowing I would fall soon.
"Faster! Faster! Your strength is failing!" the cat yelled.
But my lungs burned, my legs shook.
I stumbled.
Fell to my knees.
The hunter's steps drew nearer… closer.
I raised my head.
A rusty door blocked the way, chained shut.
I raised the sword.
"Open!!" I shouted.
I struck the lock.
Clang!
It didn't break.
A second strike.
"Behind you!!" the cat shouted.
I turned.
The hunter appeared.
His face hidden by a black mask, only gray, cold eyes visible.
He held a short spear, pointed, made to kill.
He raised it.
And as he lunged…
Third strike!
The chain snapped.
I pushed the door, stepped inside, and slammed it shut.
His spear pierced the door, stopping inches from my face.
A simple wooden barrier separated us.
He didn't try to break it.
From behind the door, he whispered:
"You won't survive next time."
Then he vanished.
I collapsed onto my back, gasping.
The cat jumped down from my shoulder, glaring:
"Remember this face. Remember this feeling. Weakness won't be forgiven again."
I stared at the cracked ceiling… struggling to breathe.
But something new ignited within me.
If I didn't learn now… I'd die in the next encounter.
For a moment, I thought… I had survived.
Just one moment.
Enough to hear the air tear apart.
Then… pain.
Unimaginable pain.
The spear pierced the door… and me.
Through my back… into my chest.
The tip emerged before me, dripping my hot blood.
I screamed.
A scream of terror, rage, and brokenness.
My knees gave out, my body froze, yet my eyes stayed open.
Through the gap, I saw him.
A dark face… a cold heart.
The hunter stood there… calm, silent, just staring.
As if it wasn't a mistake, but exactly how he intended to strike me.
Then he spoke softly, each word a slap:
"This isn't a wound… it's a signature."
He pulled the spear slowly… mercilessly.
It exited my body as it had entered, leaving internal and external bleeding behind.
I fell to the ground.
"Hold yourself together! Don't close your eyes!!" the cat shouted.
But I was drowning.
Heat… then cold.
Sounds… then silence.
The last thing I saw wasn't the cat… nor the tunnel.
It was the light.
A faint glow… coming from below the wall.
And behind it…
A third eye watching me.
An eye… not human.
And a new voice, deep and quiet, not the hunter nor the cat, but something else.
Cracked, it said:
"You've touched the blood… now you belong to us."
Then darkness.