As La'ru knelt on the ground, Ra made a move for the pendant that had fallen nearby. His action was swift, but so was the response of the two remaining henchmen at the left side of their boss.
Ra barely caught their movement; they were a blur, startlingly fast. Before he knew it, one of them had positioned himself directly in front of Ra, a foot planted firmly on the pendant."Whoa," Ra murmured under his breath, surprise flickering in his eyes. He hadn't expected them to react with such predator-like swiftness. It was a bit unnerving, a sharp sensation that tensed the fibers in his legs, his fighting instincts churning in his stomach.
"Leave them, Jeros. They're just some folks I took this pendant from. My mistake, the pendant's not worth anything," La'ru spoke up, her gaze not shifting from the imposing figure of Jeros.
Jeros signaled his men to return to his side with a simple gesture. "Grab your pendant and get out of here. You don't want to be around for what's coming next," he said coldly, the threat in his voice unmistakable.
As Ra scooped up the pendant, he moved over to where Ray stood, still captivated by the unfolding drama. "Let's get out of here. This isn't our fight," Ra advised, turning to leave the tense scene behind them.
Yet, Ray's eyes remained locked on La'ru, the tension between her and the menacing figure of Jeros palpable. Noticing Ray's reluctance to leave, Jeros's gaze shifted from Ray back to La'ru. "So, you're interested in watching this scum meet her end, young man? I did try to warn you," Jeros remarked, a sinister energy beginning to emanate from his hands, casting them in a dark violet hue.
Ra exhaled deeply, a mix of frustration and resignation setting in as he realized Ray wasn't moving. As he prepared to step forward, Ra's mind was suddenly flooded by a vivid memory, pulling him back into the past for a fleeting moment.
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"Ra!" Ray's voice, filled with urgency, pierced the calm afternoon air. At just five years old, he was already showing signs of the compassionate soul he would grow into. He pointed towards a scene that had captured his young heart: a large dog, its stance menacing, cornered a trembling bunny.
"Ray, that's just the way of life. The strong survive. It is nature." Ra tried to explain, his voice carrying the weight of the natural order. But Ray, with his naive innocence and determination refused to accept it as an unchangeable truth.
"I can't just watch and do nothing!" Ray declared, his tiny feet propelling him towards the impending conflict. The dog, easily matching Ray in size, turned its attention to the approaching boy, growling a warning.
Ray faced the dog, his small frame unwavering. "Leave it alone!" he demanded, his voice surprisingly steady. The dog, taken aback by the boy's audacity, paused, its aggressive stance softening under Ray's determined gaze.
To Ra's amazement, the dog backed down, leaving the bunny unharmed. Ray gently scooped up the frightened animal, his eyes shining with the triumph of a rescue.
"See, Ra? We don't have to let things just happen. We can make a difference. That is my nature" Ray said with a smile.
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Ra smiled... he smiled then and he smiled now as he turned around to stand beside his brother. "Damn it Ray" He said with a smirk. He knew where this was going. Ra was skeptical about their victory here but he could feel it. Ray had already made his decision.
In that moment, Ray surrendered completely to the instinctual pull within him, trusting in the unseen force that seemed to guide his actions. With the knife he had acquired from their attackers in hand, he allowed himself to be carried by this internal current, a trust in something beyond his own understanding.
His eyes snapped open, a clarity and determination within them. His movements became fluid, a dance of precision and grace that felt both foreign and natural. With a single step that carried the weight of a newfound power, Ray closed the distance between him and Jeros in an instant, as if propelled by an unseen force.
He executed a swift, elegant spin, the knife driving into Jeros' wrist with surgical precision before he quickly withdrew it. Without pausing, Ray continued his motion, spinning in the opposite direction, his movements a blur to those watching. As he ducked low, the blade found its mark once more, this time slicing deeply into Jeros' thigh.
The attacks were quick, almost too fast for the eye to follow, executed with a skill Ray himself didn't fully understand. Yet, there was no hesitation, only the surety of action driven by that guiding sensation within him. It was as if Ray was not merely himself in that moment but an extension of a greater force, one that knew exactly where and how to strike.
Jeros, caught off guard by the sudden and unexpected ferocity of this seemingly unassuming boy, could only react in shock as the pain from his wounds registered. Ray, standing before him now, was a different person from the one who had been pinned just moments before.
In the chaos that ensued following Ray's unexpected assault, Ra seized his chance, capitalizing on the momentary shock that had taken hold of their adversaries. With swift decisiveness, he lunged at the two nearest henchmen, his actions fueled by a mix of adrenaline and a deep-seated drive to protect.
Swiftly, Ra disarmed one of the henchmen, his movements fluid and practiced. Without a moment's hesitation, he turned the stolen sword against the henchman's unsuspecting partner, driving it deep. The blade found its mark with lethal precision, the force of the attack propelling the unfortunate soul backward.
But Ra didn't stop there. Using the momentum from his initial strike, he executed a perfect spin kick, knocking the sword's original owner to the ground with a thud that echoed through the alley. The henchman, dazed and struggling to regain his bearings, barely had time to attempt a stand before Ra was upon him again.
With a cold efficiency that belied the turmoil within, Ra retrieved the sword from the fallen body and met the attempting-to-rise henchman with a decisive blade to the neck. It was a grim resolution, a clear signal that Ra was not merely defending but ensuring that these threats would not rise again.
In those few, breathless moments, Ra's actions spoke volumes of his resolve. There was no room for mercy, only the stark reality of their situation. As the dust settled and silence reclaimed the alley, the other two dropped their weapons and ran through the undercity as fast as they could away from the chaos.
In the aftermath of the sudden and violent altercation, La'ru slowly rose to her feet, her gaze locked on Jeros, who was now nursing his bleeding hand, his expression contorted in pain. Jeros, despite the searing pain, managed to sneer at La'ru, his words laced with spite. "If you hadn't interfered, she would be dead," he hissed, the threat in his voice unmistakable.
Ray, however, was more concerned with La'ru's well-being than with Jeros's grievances. Approaching her, he noticed the mixture of emotions playing across her face,anger, shock, and perhaps a trace of gratitude hidden beneath the surface. She remained silent, her eyes flicking between Ray and Jeros, as if assessing the situation and her next move.
Meanwhile, Ra was busy collecting the fallen weapons and the gold pouches from the men they had defeated. Ray watched his brother's actions, a reminder of the harsh reality they faced. In this world, survival often came at a heavy cost. Though Ray's heart was heavy for the lives lost, he recognized the necessity of their actions. The men they had defeated had intended to kill them; in the end, they wouldn't be needing their gold any longer.
Taking a deep breath, Ray allowed himself a moment to let go of the tension that had built up during the fight. He then turned back to face Jeros, his voice steady and resolute. "Leave her and us alone. Next time, it'll be more than just your hand you lose," Ray warned, his gaze unwavering.
As Ray turned away, every movement seemed to slow, as though the world itself was holding its breath. A sense of unease twisted in his gut, a premonition of something amiss in the air that hung heavy and thick around them.Time stretched, elongating the moments into an almost tangible tension. His focus was solely on Ra, his brother, his anchor in every storm they'd weathered together. Yet, as he moved, a peculiar sensation prickled at the edge of his awareness, a whisper of danger that he couldn't quite grasp.Then, without warning, the world snapped back into brutal velocity. A surge of unknown energy, swift and merciless, struck Ray with the precision of an arrow. It hit him on his lower side, an intense, burning pain that seemed to pierce through him, severing the slow-motion spell that had enveloped him. The impact was followed by the sound of lightning ripping through the air, speaking volumes in the language of pain and shock.Ray's body reacted before his mind could process the assault, propelling him forward with the force of the hit. He stumbled, a gasp caught in his throat as he tried to comprehend the sudden, searing agony that radiated from the wound. It was as if he had been touched by a shard of night, cold and unyielding, leaving behind a mark of its passage with cruel indifference.
Ray's sudden collapse sent a shockwave of fear and confusion through Ra. The air, charged with an ominous energy, seemed to thicken, making each breath heavy and each moment stretch into eternity. The sound of cracking, akin to the shattering of a thousand brittle leaves underfoot, reverberated through the dark undercity passages, marking the transition from a heated confrontation to a chilling scene of despair.
As Ray lay on the ground, a plume of smoke rose from the cauterized wound on his side, the size of an apple, a stark testament to the lethality of the unseen attack. The electricity in the air dissipated as quickly as it had appeared, leaving behind a silence that was almost suffocating.
In a blur of motion and emotion, Ra was at his brother's side in an instant, his heart pounding with fear and dread. The sight of Ray, so still and wounded, ignited a wildfire of panic and fury within him. Tears blurred his vision, a mixture of despair and unbridled rage, as he cradled Ray, desperately searching for signs of life.
The eerie silence that had fallen over the undercity was shattered by Jeros's malicious laughter, a sound that twisted the knife of fear deeper into Ra's heart. The source of the dark energy that had struck Ray was clear now...Jeros, his finger still outstretched, a wisp of smoke curling from the tip, a vile testament to the magic he wielded.
Overwhelmed by a tidal wave of anguish and fury, Ra's scream tore through the silence, a raw, primal sound that echoed off the stone walls. It was a sound born of unbearable loss and a thirst for vengeance, powerful enough to resonate through the very essence of the undercity.
As Ra's anguished cry filled the air, a palpable darkness seemed to envelop them, draining the light and warmth from their surroundings. The undercity was held in the grip of a cold, deathly stillness, a testament to the depth of Ra's sorrow and rage.
When silence finally reclaimed the space, the aftermath was chilling. The once menacing figure of Jeros was now nothing more than a grotesque sack of meat. His body lay twisted and broken, a canvas of countless cuts that left him nearly beyond recognition, submerged in a crimson pool of his own making.
The transformation in the undercity was stark, a return to normalcy that felt anything but normal. The light that crept back seemed hesitant, as if wary of the profound shift that had occurred in those few, harrowing moments. Ra looked at La'ru for a brief moment before a trickle of blood dropped from his nose. He wiped it with his right hand before he closed his eyes falling next to his brother into a deep sleep.