An explosion shook the entire area as lightning spread nonstop, while the dark mist slowly began to dissipate.
In the center of the ground where the explosion had erupted, surrounded by cracks, the elf lay bleeding, and Kaly, the leader of the hunters, pressed her fist against the black-haired man's shattered face.
At that moment there was no calm, nor any cheers of victory. The few hunters who remained stared in horror at their leader's transformation.
She had used a forbidden spell of her people, a spell that had to be invoked, spoken aloud, something that wounded the spirits living within their skins. That was precisely why it was forbidden to use their true voice, even if it cost them their lives.
At that moment, the spirit of the bear living inside the leader's mask suffered, screaming and tearing itself apart with every second the transformation remained active.
However, just then, laughter began to echo among trees that started to rot as a poisonous scent spread through the air.
"Good, I knew I could have fun with you. At least you taught me something interesting before dying," the elf's voice said in a polite tone.
"It's been a long time since someone killed a fifth of my soul, so I will grant you my name, as a sign of respect…" At that moment a dark presence began moving through the air until four rotten, blackened trees started to crack.
From within the trunks emerged four bodies identical to that of the dark elf, each one, however, with a different eye color. One had a completely pink eye, another green, another purple, but the most important of all, the one who spoke politely, had his eyes covered with a blindfold.
Without wasting time, Kaly moved at lightning speed, leaving red sparks in her wake. She aimed for the blindfolded elf, but he, without changing his cold and calm expression, raised his guard and received the blow with his forearms.
The overwhelming force launched his body several yards into the forest, while Kaly, the leader of the hunters, chased after him seeking to land another lethal strike, but the elf's body instantly turned into black mist and vanished.
{{Dark Magic: Soul Mirror: Canceled}}
At that moment each of the elves began to disappear, except for the one who was holding his breath while his disfigured face bled in the middle of the cracked ground.
Thus, every fragment of the elf's soul merged into the most battered body of all. It began healing rapidly, and the sound of bones snapping back into place could be heard as he rose from the ground.
"I am Luther Kranp, emissary of the night and cultivator of laments," the elf said, closing his eyes and pulling a purple blindfold with golden ornaments from his pocket before calmly covering his eyes.
Feeling that dark presence, Kaly hesitated about returning to the fight. For a moment she wanted to flee. She was far from the camp after chasing a copy, her instinct demanded it, to run.
"They say no one truly knows themselves until they stand before the end of their life. That's when you learn whether you would give your life for others or give others for your life," the elf said as he calmly walked toward the survivors.
Each hunter was capable of defeating multiple soldiers from any kingdom. Each one was practically a predator in that forest. But in that moment, they all knew the truth, now they were the prey of a monster.
"Do you know why I mention this? It's because I do not wish to kill. Perhaps a part of me, the one you met, the killer instinct, but that is not all that I am. Above all, I am a living being like you, and I do not wish to take lives without purpose."
That black-haired, pale-skinned, pointed-eared man spoke with courtesy and coldness. He seemed so polite it was strange to feel his presence saturated with death.
At that moment Ebony was wrapped in green flames, spiritual flames whose purpose was to force a spirit to leave a body, so they did not harm flesh, but they did overload the spirit.
The blonde girl, gasping from the heat, felt the presence of the dark elf, this time at his fullest splendor, a strange presence, half alive and half dead, yet brimming with magical energy.
"(That bastard is a monster… I think he might even be stronger than the phantom rider we met… This is bad… Even if Lucian got here, he'd probably kill us all…)" Ebony thought, struggling to breathe.
At that moment the dark elf shifted his gaze toward the blonde who was being burned. Intending to approach her, he began to walk, and with each step the ground darkened while violet magic began to seep from his body.
"What do we have here… A guest, perhaps? In my experience hunting all kinds of beings, most have the same scent in their soul as in their body, but you are different, little one," the dark elf said.
The black-haired man stopped in front of the blazing bonfire where Ebony remained tied up, trying to breathe.
"An interesting scent, but I'm afraid you will die here, unable to tell your story," the elf said, raising his hand and pointing at the blonde.
"Hey, long ears… Want to hear something funny?" Ebony said in a mocking tone, forming a faint smile.
"No," the dark elf replied, then began channeling his violet magic into the girl's body, magic so dense and poisonous that even the green fire changed color instantly.
"AHHHH!" Ebony began to scream in pain and, trying to resist the magic with a defiant glare, shouted, "Too bad, I'm telling you anyway!... You damn monster, you had no right to kill those hunters!"
"And so what?" the elf said as he began pressing his fist while his magic penetrated the girl's body, seeking to poison her soul.
"YOU… You were only after the necklace… You could've just stolen it… But no… You elves are always so damn proud… If someone looks at you as an equal even for a second, you have to shove their head into the dirt!" the girl screamed through the pain.
"You are mistaken. I am not that bad. I am a hybrid. The ones you speak of are pure elves, whom I despise even more than you do," he said coldly, his brows tightening beneath the blindfold as anger flared at the memory of his bloodline's origin.
"HAHAHA…" Ebony began bleeding from her eyes as she felt her soul being invaded by that dark magic. "That's hilarious… Because in the end your face still looks like a stupid proud bastard just like those blond pieces of shit!"
At that moment the dark elf frowned and his lips tightened slightly, but just as he was about to kill the girl, lightning struck the forest and in the next instant Kaly appeared before him, aiming to land a blow.
The elf, with his free hand, stopped the strike without moving. He would not stop, no one could stop him.
Until the sound of trunks breaking filled his ears, and in an instant, from the forest, a giant black serpent appeared, baring its fangs, enraged by a silver sword embedded in its body.
"Always getting yourself into trouble, idiot! Now leave it to me!" Lucian shouted as he fled from the serpent, steering its fury toward the hunters' camp.