They moved fast. Too fast for anyone normal.Aden barely got his sword up before the first blade came for his neck. Steel clashed with a sharp crack that rattled straight through his ribs. Pain pulsed across his core, a hot warning that made his breath hitch.
Seven assassins.In his room.Just like the book said.
The first attacker pressed harder, trying to overpower him. Aden twisted, letting the blade slide off his guard, but a second assassin rushed in immediately. A stab aimed at his stomach forced him to pivot sideways. He almost slipped on the polished floor.
They were coordinated. Trained.Not random killers.These were elite.
One hissed, "End it quickly."
Another replied, "He isn't using aura. Do not give him room."
Aden's stomach tightened.
He blocked another strike, but the force sent a ripple of pain through his injured core. His knees faltered for a split second. Long enough for a blade to slice across his upper arm. Warm blood spattered the floor.
He gritted his teeth.Move.Focus.Do not die here.
Two assassins attacked together. Aden ducked under the first slash but barely deflected the second. Sparks snapped between their blades. The assassin saw his stance shake and lunged again.
Aden stepped aside just in time, letting the assassin overextend. He grabbed the man's wrist, twisted it hard, and shoved him forward. His blade tore across the assassin's neck as he fell.
The remaining six surged forward.
Aden didn't have aura to brace himself. Every clash jarred his bones. Every parry dug pain deeper into his ribs. His core pulsed again, threatening to collapse. He fought anyway.
"Break his guard," one ordered.
Two blades came at him from opposite sides. Aden parried one and let the second cut into his shoulder because he had no choice. He hissed and rolled back, bumping against the corner of his desk.
He couldn't even breathe deeply. His core punished him for every movement.
The assassins closed in, confident now.
Aden forced himself upright. His vision blurred, but he tightened his grip.
Bodies in my room.That line in the book.They were already here.
Another assassin lunged. Aden deflected weakly, and the assassin sneered. "He is weakening."
Aden grabbed the man's wrist and yanked him forward, using the assassin's own momentum to pull him between two others. Their blades hesitated for a fraction too long.
Aden drove his sword into the assassin's ribs, using his body as a shield.
Two more rushed him. He blocked one by slamming his blade onto theirs, sparks flaring. The other swung low. Aden jumped back, barely avoiding the sweep, and kicked the corpse in front of him into their path.
They stumbled. Aden took the opening and stabbed upward, driving his blade through another assassin's throat.
His breathing was ragged now. His ribs screamed. His arm dripped blood. His sword felt heavier by the second.
One assassin stepped forward. "He can barely stand. Finish it."
Aden spit blood to the side. His voice came out broken and furious. "Try."
The assassin struck hard. Aden parried with both hands, barely holding. Pain ripped through his core. The assassin pushed again, sensing weakness. Aden let go with one hand and redirected the blade, letting it scrape across his ribs.
It hurt like hell.But it opened the man's guard.
Aden slammed his forehead into the assassin's nose. The man recoiled. Aden finished him with a quick stab to the chest.
He didn't have strength for two. He barely had strength for one.
The last two circled him like wolves. Blades dripping. Faces unreadable behind their masks.
Aden's vision tilted briefly.Stay awake.Stay alive.
Both attacked at the same time.
Aden didn't block. He couldn't block both.He dodged left, letting one blade cut into his coat instead of his skin. The other thrust came close enough to graze his ribs. He felt warmth spreading across his side. He ignored it.
He caught one assassin's wrist and yanked him forward. Their blades met in a tangle, steel scraping steel. Aden shoved hard, using the assassin as a shield.
The second assassin stabbed, trying to reach Aden. Instead, his blade plunged into his partner's back.
The dying man gasped.
Aden didn't hesitate. He tore his sword free and stabbed the second assassin through the heart.
Silence.
Broken breathing.
Blood dripping onto the floor.
Aden staggered back, leaning against the wall. His ribs felt like they were on fire. His core pulsed in anger, punishment for pushing it too far. But he was alive.
And the book had been right.
Bodies in his room.His surrender.His arrest.Claire's death.
All of it was the future he'd just stepped into.
Aden wiped blood from his chin and pushed himself off the wall.
If Claire was next, he didn't have time to rest.
He stumbled toward the door.
He had to get to the forest.
Right now.