The night was warm yet the wind is sharp and chilling. But Darius reckoned it wasn't the cold but rather it was the eerie silence and overwhelming emptiness of the place, despite the fact that the houses are close together.
It remained barren, just as the starless night sky. Dark and empty, devoid of even a single sparkle of light.
'What happened to those hooligans the old man warned me of?' Darius thought as he walked further along the dark path. To be honest he was expecting the place to be a little more crowded.
"Psst!"
Darius looked around to look for the person trying to call his attention.
"Psst!" the person repeated.
Ah, there they are by the wrecked window, hiding half of their face behind the wooden wall.
"Are you calling me?" he asked, his feet already taking him closer to the shambled house.
The woman nodded, "Are you insane? Why are you out here? If Black Annis were to find you, you'll die!" she warned.
"What?" Darius furrowed his brows. "Who is Black Annis anyway?" he asked curiously.
"What?!" the woman exclaimed. "Oh are you a traveler?" she asked upon realization, gaining a silent nod from Darius.
"W-well, just go back to your lodging, it's too dangerous out here."
"I will, but you have to tell me who Black Annis is…" the young man persisted.
The woman swallowed thickly as she hesitantly composed the right words to say it.
"S-she a witch… that had been taking people. Word has it that she had been killing and eating her victims. Unfortunately, nobody knows where she is or where she came from. For God's sake, we don't even know how to get rid of her, the number of missing people just keeps increasing every day." A tear was shed from the corner of the woman's eye, the fear and pain taking a toll on her gentle heart.
"Is there anything else that you know about her?"
"W-what?" the woman looked at him puzzled.
"Nothing… never mind." Darius shook his head.
"I should get going, thank you for the warning." He added, giving her a smile before leaving.
Darius walks further south, his feet taking him closer to the back gate. Where the silence felt more eerie and terrifying.
In his mind, he felt as if he was walking along the path of death itself.
Suddenly, he heard a sort of rustling. It was so faint he almost missed it, if it wasn't for the deafening silence.
Instinctively, Darius brought his hand to his side- reaching out for his sword. Upon the realization of his mistake, Darius felt his mouth run dry, his shoulder shuddering, and his blood growing cold.
He did not bring his sword.
It was a fatal mistake especially for a hunter because you never know when will you come across any danger.
Darius backed away cautiously, his senses are all on high alert.
In a brief moment, Darius felt a whip of air behind him. A chilling cold breeze with the scent of rotting meat and copper.
'This is not good.' He swallowed thickly, his teeth tightly clenched, both hands baled into fists.
For a second time, Darius felt the breeze. But out of instinct he tried to grab whatever it is that's circling him.
Just like the decision of leaving his sword behind, it was a terrible idea. Because as soon as he extended his arm, a huge cut appeared.
He wasn't even able to see what happened, it just occurred in an instant.
A quick slash, faster than he could even blink.
"Assh!" he hissed from the pain, bringing his arm closer. His free hand clutches the wound as if it will help the bleeding.
'Fuck' that was the only word he could think of, as Darius rack his brain for a solution.
'Fool' Ravana's voice rung inside his head. 'Use magic, what's the point of spending all of those time training you if you're not going to use your skills to fight?!' She lectured.
Darius did not reply, she was right. It's just that… he had a moment of panic. Everything happened so quickly that he didn't have the chance to react properly or even think clearly.
'Focus Darius, listen to the sound around you, and try to sense your enemy.' Ravana instructed.
"How come I can't see or hear it anyway?"
'It's using a form of magic that conceals its presence.'
Another whip of air passed him by, but this time he had the chance to prepare himself. A crackle of electricity appeared around his arm, repeating the same motion he did before. Darius tried to grab his assailant.
It was faint but Darius could swear that he made contact with the witch, as the scent of burning cloth filled his nostrils.
As he try to recollect himself while focusing on his next use of magic, the witch came back to distract him.
Sharp claws tried to riff Darius's throat, if it wasn't for his quick reflect he might have actually died. Stepping away just in time, he managed to get away with a shallow cut in his neck.
'Retreat for now and let's call it even.' Ravana ordered.
"I don't think it will let me do that," Darius replied he started backing away.
As if on cue, Darius felt a whip of air behind him.
At that moment, Darius once again lost his composure causing him to lose control.
The colors blue, purple, and white, going off into a huge explosion of magic, sending Darius a few feet away. The amount of magic power unleased was so massive it light the night sky in a brief moment. So much electricity traveled everywhere it almost looked as if lightning had struck.
Smoke and dust filled the air creating a curtain that clouds one's vision.
While lying on the cold ground, Darius could a loud ringing inside his head. The arm he used to manifest the magic power is in searing pain, his whole body felt hot and sore. While his breathing was ragged, each time inhales he could feel his lungs burn.
'Get up Darius!' Ravana ordered.
'You can't stay like this if your opponent decided to attack. You'll be as good as dead.'
Darius cough as he forced himself to stand, his vision was foggy, and his blood dripping down the ground.
Propping his elbow, Darius could the pain intensify as if he's going to crush in his own weight.
"Darius!" he heard Brennan shout as he tried to keep himself conscious.
'The brat is coming to your rescue again, how pathetic. If this keeps up… you will never be able to see your brother.' Those gut-wrenching words were the last thing he heard before he passed out.
Purple eyes glistened as they opened to see the decaying roof of the inn.
Darius groaned started getting up and as he did fatigue and pain take over his body.
"Oh, you're awake!" Brennan exclaimed, his loud voice making the other cringe.
"Keep it down…" Darius complained as he squinted his eyes, keeping the headache at bay.
"You know… you shouldn't have done that, you scared the people." Brennan lectured. "I know you've been practicing magic but it was not right to use it so casually."
Darius furrowed his brows, for Brennan to say such a thing.
He was offended, to say the least.
"Casually?" he asked.
"Yeah… I mean… what were you even doing in the southern gate?"
"I was fighting someone," Darius depended. "There was a-" he was about to explain what happened, but the sound of the creaking door interrupted him.
"Ah pardon me, I just came to bring some breakfast." The old man said as he lifted the tray for them to see the bowls of soup and slices of bread.
"Let me help you." Brennan stood and took the tray.
"Thank you. I will now serve the other guests but please, if you need anything else let me know."
"Some new bandage will be wonderful," Brennan replied with a gentle smile.
"Of course, I will bring it at once." The old man dipped his head a little before leaving the young men to their own.
As the door shut close and the sound of the old man's shoes started disappearing, Brennan walk back to Darius's bedside.
"So, you're saying?" Brennan asked as he placed the tray in the old nightstand.
"There was a witch terrorizing the southern gate, they call it Black Annis. I was walking around when I came across it, it attack me first so I had no choice but the defend myself" Darius explained.
"Well that explains those nasty cuts," Brennan mumbled.
"And here you are lecturing me," Darius said with a scowl.
"Hey… I was just saying that-"
"It's fine, there's something more important." Darius suddenly said.
"We will have to kill it," Darius looked into Brennan's eyes. His purple orbs were dull and serious.
Brennan shook his head, "Of course… we can't let it terrorize the people any further. We have to keep them safe." He replied while looking at those familiar eyes. He had seen those before… the look with the full intention to kill.
Darius nodded his head, "Yes…" he agreed. Yet with that aside, he has another reason in mind.
'If I could kill that creature… then I could use the sword to steal its power.'