The sun's pale golden light fell on the trees, making the green of the leaves even darker, almost black. There was no sound from any wild animals or birds nearby. A strange, heavy silence prevailed.
Raijin's voice pierced the silence.
"Tell me," he said, "why were you following me?"
The girl smiled lightly.
"If you want answers, come and ask. If you survive, I'll tell you."
The next moment, she lunged forward. Both her daggers flashed like lightning.
Raijin stepped forward. He bent down and blocked the daggers with his sword. A loud, crackling sound of metal echoed—CLANK!
He immediately turned and kicked the girl hard in the stomach.
The girl stumbled back but recovered before falling.
"You're not bad," she said, laughing. "At least you've used some of the power gained through begging."
"Begging?"
Raijin's heart raced. For a moment, fear and anger flashed in his eyes.
*How did she know this power wasn't my own?*
A thousand questions flooded his mind in an instant. He looked at the girl.
She stared at him with rapt eyes, a cold, cruel smile on her lips.
"That's what you're thinking—how did I know?" Her voice became heavy. "This power isn't yours. There are many things you don't know yet. If you can get out of here alive, you can find out at your own pace."
Raijin's eyes were still red with anger, but now surprise was clearly visible too. A painful smile spread across his face.
"Begging..." he repeated softly. "You called this power acquired through begging, right? You're wrong."
"I didn't get this by begging. Instead, a lot was taken away from me... or maybe those people distanced themselves from me."
There was a bitterness in his voice that had never been there before.
"But still... call it begging if you want. What's lost, what's been taken away—only I know."
With that, he pointed his sword at the girl.
"My name is Raijin Chrono. Shouldn't you tell me your name now?"
The girl laughed loudly.
"Okay, getting serious now? Fine. My name is... my name is... what is mine?"
*Ha ha ha...*
"I'm sorry, I have so many names. Can't remember which one to tell you."
Raijin's eyes narrowed. He took a step forward.
The girl was still laughing.
Suddenly—
She was right in front of him. So fast he didn't even see her coming.
The dagger pierced straight toward his chest. Raijin barely dodged, but a stream of hot blood gushed from the wound. The taste of iron filled his mouth.
He swung back, but the girl retreated easily. Such agility seemed impossible in tight leather pants, tight armor, and wooden sandals tied with tree bark. Yet it was happening right in front of him.
The girl stepped back and said, "Don't die so soon. The game has just begun. You still have suffering left."
She licked Raijin's blood off the dagger with her tongue.
"Oh yes, one thing I forgot to mention. If you die, I'll vent my anger on your friends." She glanced toward Sofiya, Ishan, and Kade.
Raijin stumbled but didn't fall.
"Don't worry," he said, spitting blood. "I won't die so easily. I still have a lot to do."
The two collided again. Their speed was so fast that even Sofiya, Ishan, and Kade couldn't follow with their eyes. The blood on their clothes had dried and turned black.
Suddenly—
*Ping!*
One strike. Raijin's sword broke in two. The front half fell to the ground.
Raijin dropped to his knees. His body was covered in countless wounds. Any ordinary person would have died instantly. Yet he still clutched half the broken sword tightly between his fingers.
The girl stood before him.
"What were you saying? Your name? That was a stupid question."
Her smile deepened.
"I know. You've been betrayed by the friend you trusted most. The one you spent your entire childhood with."
She knelt down, buried her right dagger in the ground, grabbed Raijin's hair, and forced his face up. A terrifying smile spread across her face.
"Tell me—how does betrayal feel? Because I've never been betrayed."
"Tell me... what happened? Why aren't you speaking?"
"Hey, you're not talking at all. Not dead already, are you?"
Just then, Raijin started laughing softly while spitting blood.
The girl looked at him in surprise.
Raijin said, "What? Wondering why I'm laughing? I think you already know the answer."
The girl stopped laughing. Irritation was clear on her face.
"Bastard... this is your end!"
She pulled the dagger from the ground and placed it against Raijin's neck. She drew her hand back—to plunge it in.
Just then—
"Let him go."
A voice echoed. The direction was impossible to pinpoint.
The girl froze. She looked around. No one was there.
Sofiya, Ishan, and Kade were terrified. They couldn't understand anything.
The girl tried to strike again.
But—
The blow never landed.
She stood frozen in place, as if pushed back to her original spot.
Her body suddenly stiffened.
Slowly, her skin began to peel away like melting wax. Red flesh and white bones gleamed underneath. The entire skin vanished. Only a skeleton remained, with shreds of flesh clinging to the bones.
Her final laugh dissolved into the air.
The next moment—the skeleton vanished.
Fear, surprise, and relief washed over Sofiya, Ishan, and Kade's faces all at once.
Then, a figure appeared in the air.
Raijin's eyes were half-open.
"The condition is quite serious," the figure said softly, approaching him.
In an instant—all of Raijin's wounds healed.
The figure then looked at Sofiya, Ishan, and Kade. Their wounds healed as well.
"He'll remain unconscious for now," it said.
The next moment—the figure dissolved into the air.
Sofiya, Ishan, and Kade—whose wounds were now completely healed—rushed to Raijin's side.
He was alive.
But unconscious.
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Thank You For Reading This Chapter.
Author: Mohammed Zaid Saifi