"Are you okay?" the assassin who remained uninjured crouched as he checked on his friend's status, all the while looking around vigilantly. He was concerned for his friend, but that wasn't enough to make him lose his guard. His enemy was in the shadows now. Any wrong move and he would pay dearly.
The fallen assassin coughed up blood in copious amounts. He wheezed as he struggled to breathe. Since he was travelling at great speed, all Mane had to do was put his hand in the way, and his momentum would do the rest. He was certain that his lung was punctured, and the possibility that his sternum was broken was very high.
The remaining assassin frowned at the lack of reply. To think that a peak mortal realmer would face such a fate at the hands of a ten year old kid. His comrade's injury was more severe than he thought. He could hear his laboured breaths and the hand he had placed on his chest informed him of his partner's irregular breathing pattern. He wasn't frowning because he cherished his partner's life, but because his friend's fighting ability had been compromised. There was no way he- his friend- would be able to help him out. If he had fallen after the battle was over, he would have been nonplussed. After all, although they had performed a number of missions together, the only thing that had improved was their incredible coordination. There weren't any deep feelings between them. He was an assassin, not a nanny. There was no way he would allow himself to get attached to anyone. And he knew his killing partner was the same.
"Here. Drink this." He reached into his robe and took a small bottle from the pouch hidden within. The contents of the mini bottle were poured into the dying man's mouth. The injured assassin greedily gulped down the medicinal vial. A relieved breath escaping his mouth once he was done. His rapid breathing slowly returned to a normal one. Upon realising that the medicine was finished, the other assassin returned the bottle to his pouch, opting not to throw it away. Although he had no deep bonds with his comrade, he wouldn't watch him die when he could help him. Besides, the potion he fed him would not only save his life, but allow him to fight at a fifty percent capacity for the next ten minutes. In a way, he saved his friend so he could get an extra fighting hand. No, that was actually the only reason he used such a precious resource on a dying man. Although he was still looking around vigilantly, he could feel the changes of his partner. His tense brows relaxed slightly when his partner finally stood up. But the spectator in the dark wasn't happy with this change.
"Who would have thought he possesses such a precious drug", in the dark Mane communicated with his masters. He had seen the entire thing. His lack of inner energy made it difficult for him to be pinpointed. Usually, once you clash head on with an enemy, you would leave traces of energy, making it difficult for you to get away. Only well trained assassins were able to rid themselves of all traces quickly enough to avoid any counterattacks or pursuits. And since Mane wasn't a well-trained assassin- but an open and overboard hunter- he had no such skill. He had only taken advantage of the fact that he had no energy signature in the first place to avoid his enemies, and choosing not to move regularly so that they won't sense his location. Normally even if a wielder couldn't sense a non-wielder it didn't matter because they posed no threat. But Mane was unordinary.
From the little scene that had played out Mane could confirm some things. Although the vial was expensive, it wasn't free. Don't insult me yet. Let me explain. Initially, he had assumed that they were affiliated with an organisation or a family that wanted him dead, but the recent episode had ruled the latter out. If the medicine was given to the assassin for free, he wouldn't have kept the bottle. For him to decide to keep the bottle meant that the bottle was so expensive he would rather just buy the drug to reduce the expense. This meant he was an assassin through and through. The despair in the eyes of the fallen assassin wasn't faked either, showing that he had no idea that his comrade possessed such a valuable asset. In conclusion, they worked together, but were not together. It was more likely that they belonged to a loose assassination organisation and usually completed difficult missions together to ensure a higher rate of success. As for why they decided to deal with him together, it must be because they heard of him finger flicking Frederick's brother. It was unbelievable to most, but with the thoroughness they displayed, they surely weren't a group to ignore such information.
"There you are" A chill went down Mane's spine when he heard the cruel voice of his oppressor. There was no one where the assassins previously stood- and lay. His small loss in concentration had doomed him. The strong and large hand on his shoulder forcefully halted his thinking and sank his little heart into the depths of his very being. He had given away his position! His worry upon seeing the fallen assassin stand up again had caused his breathing to slightly speed up. These experienced men had immediately caught on to the small gust of air he exhaled a bit too loudly in worry and had spotted him. They must have been listening very intently to grasp such a small sound. This small detail had Mane in despair. At such a close distance there was no way Mane could do anything.
"Focus boy. As long as you have breath, there is always hope. Can you feel it? Even those of us who have no authority over your body can, so I'm sure you can feel it too?" In his moment of despair, the calm voice of the 1st called out to him. He calmed down and closed his eyes, feeling for what the 1st spoke of. And his search wasn't in vain.
"You can feel it now, can't you?" the 1st asked again. Mane could only send his thoughts in affirmation. "Good. Embrace it. Let go. And allow your instinct, your glow, to take over." Mane slowly breathed out and smiled.
"What a calm child. I almost feel sorry for what is about to happen." The formerly injured assassin moved in front of Mane as he studied the handsome boy. The little boy who had almost taken his life had a small smile on his face. Apart from the initial panic when he was caught, there was no other emotion- no fear; the earlier despair was gone; and there was no anger. Such composure was admirable.
"Indeed. Do it quickly." The other advised, his hand still on Mane's shoulder, sealing the blonde haired boy's movements. His partner nodded at his words, swiftly swinging his dagger towards the boy's neck, intent on decapitating the boy in one fluid motion- quick and painless.
"What the…" Hardly had he finished his statement when he felt a hand reach into his chest. It passed through his muscles and bones as though there were none there and latched onto his heart. He watched in horror as the supposedly decapitated head remained neatly on his target's shoulders, and his own heart was ripped from his chest. He watched in despair as the one they had taken for a sitting duck opened his eyes and crashed his heart. Only, the bright blue eyes were visible no longer. Only a darkness that seemed to suck the soul in manifested in those previously lively eyes.
The remaining assassin couldn't respond in time. Everything happened in less than a second. "How could a non-wielder possess this strength and speed?" he wondered, but his wonderment didn't last for long. The boy before him disappeared. His heart leapt in fear as he felt a small hand on his shoulder. His fear didn't last for long however, as his head went flying off his neck. In his dying moments all he could hear was
"Absolute Darkness: Evasive Killing."