he tried to stab Noen.
Noen's eyes flew open and, at the very last moment, he made a sudden leap backwards. The strike only cut through the air in front of his chest.
"What the hell has gotten into you?!" he shouted, out of breath.
"Shut your damn mouth!" Thel snapped.
In a fluid, almost unnatural motion, he pulled his arm back and hurled the knife at Noen.
Noen threw himself to the side. A split second later came the impact — a sharp, clattering sound as the knife struck the roof tiles and then slid down the slanted tiles into the depths, disappearing.
Noen gasped, his hands shaking. Breathing heavily.
"Are you insane?! You could seriously—"
But he didn't get to finish the sentence.
Before he could even fully straighten up, he saw it again: A tear separated itself from Thel's face, remained floating in the air… and began to change. It thickened. Solidified. Became a second knife.
"No, no, no…" Noen whispered.
Thel threw it.
Too fast.
Noen dropped down, only feeling the rush of air directly above his head as the knife missed him and clattered across the tiles behind him.
And then there was a third.
Thel charged forward.
His gaze empty.
Wild.
Noen jumped up, ran, sprinted across the roof, leapt off the edge, landed awkwardly in a narrow alley — and kept running, blind with panic, straight through the tight streets of the city.
Behind him came a dull impact. Footsteps. Too fast.
Then that sharp hissing through the air again —
A knife shot past him and grazed his arm.
A burning pain shot through him, but he didn't stop. He kept running, almost tripping over a basket, knocking over a crate and charging straight through the market as people jumped aside in shock.
"What's going on?!"
"Hey! Watch out!"
Noen didn't hear them.
All he heard was his own breath — frantic, desperate — and the footsteps behind him.
"M–m– mini god powers…?" he gasped as he ran. "T–that… that can't be…"
Tears blurred his vision.
He is my friend…
— Am I going to lose him too? —
The thought tightened around his throat for a moment.
He turned into a narrow alley.
And came to an abrupt halt.
A wall.
No exit.
Dead end.
His breath came in sharp bursts. His heart hammered so loudly in his chest that he could barely hear the footsteps approaching.
Slowly, he turned around.
And saw Thel coming closer.
Two knives in each of his hands — and one even clamped between his teeth.
"Please, Thel, I'm begging you, come back to yourself!" Noen said desperately.
But Thel's answer wasn't a word — it was a brutal hiss.
Two knives shot past Noen's neck. Left and right. So close that the cold blades brushed his skin without cutting it.
Noen flinched. He couldn't move without pushing himself into the blades.
Trapped.
Thel smiled.
Then, from fresh tears, two more knives formed from his tearwater, bringing him back to five again. Two in each hand, one clamped between his teeth.
He walked toward Noen.
Slowly. Deliberately. Provoking.
A laugh that sounded like rusty metal echoed through the narrow alley.
"Knew you couldn't run, you dumb wanker."
His shadow fell over Noen. The knives gleamed threateningly.
"And now stay nice and still so I can cut out your eyeballs first, then your ears, and finally your mouth."
Noen's body froze in shock.
Thel leaned in slightly, spat the knife into his hand only to lick it provocatively and put back in.
"Let's see if I'm generous enough to kill you right away… or let you suffer."
He laughed again — horrible, deranged.
The situation…Noen's chest tightened.
It's… exactly like with Kairn… a few days ago…The similarities are terrifying…
— But now I can defend myself! — Noen thought.
He forced his breath to steady, but his heart hammered uncontrollably.
— I just have to punch him r-right?" Or t-that Lum thing Rhuven talked about."
His thoughts collided chaotically. He could barely see straight. Thel was only a few meters away.
"Pls Thel...." Noen said, in an last attempt, but..
Too late.
Thel stood right in front of him. Close enough for Noen to feel his breath — yet just outside his striking range, so Noen couldn't touch him. Then Thel moved with blinding speed. Two knives shot to the left and right of Noen's arms, slamming into the wall beside him, pinning his arms like shackles. Noen couldn't move. He was completely immobilized. Thel grinned, the last knife still between his teeth. With a slow, slimy motion he spat it into his hand and licked across his mouth. "This is going to be fun…" he said, disgustingly.