"Heh, so you're smarter than you look."
I channeled my remaining Shu into my arm instead of my dagger. It was a gamble to conserve what little I had left, trusting in the innate strength of the Neronium blade.
"Not so fast!" Redan pressed the attack, relentless.
"Quick reflexes won't save you, not with that kitchen knife you're waving around!" His taunts hit home. He was right—I hadn't had a chance to counterattack.
"If you're this pathetic without elemental control, you should've just stayed a laborer, you bastard! Stop making this harder than it needs to be!" His words were sharp, aimed to provoke.
I sidestepped another thrust, narrowly avoiding the sharpened edge. Nearby, Tiva and Seth watched with uneasy expressions.
"Seth," Tiva whispered, her voice steady, "when I give the signal, use your [Mudslide] ability."
I grimaced. Damn it. I didn't realize Redan had mastered his spear so well.
Though the shortened weapon had less reach, its reduced weight made his strikes faster, more precise.
Srat! Srat!
Pain exploded across my torso.
"Argh!"
Redan had swung his spear in a quick, diagonal arc, landing a direct hit. Blood poured from the deep gash across my chest.
"Damn it! We're too late!" Tiva cursed.
The jagged remnants of Redan's spearhead hadn't been completely severed earlier, leaving a fragment coated in the Queen of Naja Sputatrix's venom. The toxin now seeped into my wound, burning like fire.
"AAAAAAAHHHHH!"
My muscles spasmed as the venom spread through me, locking my limbs and clouding my mind.
"I've waited for this moment," Redan said, his voice brimming with satisfaction. "Waited for you to drop your guard. Fortune is finally on my side."
He loomed over me, triumphant. Tiva and Seth hesitated, weapons in hand but unmoving.
I struggled to stay conscious, pressing my hands against the wound in a futile attempt to stem the bleeding. My vision blurred, Redan's form becoming a shadow against the light.
"Redan..." I gasped, my voice weak. "If... if all you seek is vengeance... you'll only find guilt. Revenge... won't bring the dead back."
His eyes flickered with something—hesitation, perhaps—but the rage in them burned brighter.
"You deserve to die," he spat, raising his weapon again.
Those were the last words I heard before darkness swallowed me whole.
---
"Are you insane?!" Tiva's voice cut through the silence, sharp and furious.
"Why does it matter?" Redan retorted coldly. "Have you ever watched your family, your friends, your entire village slaughtered by a monster brought by some outsider?"
"I..."
Tiva faltered. She hadn't. She couldn't argue with pain she had never known.
"Seth," Redan barked, "use your earth element to bury the body."
"What?"
"Just do it! Pretend none of this happened. He was already here to begin with."
Seth sighed, reluctantly conjuring his skill. A hole began forming in the ground as the earth shifted beneath their feet.
"Sorry, man," Seth muttered under his breath as he nudged my body into the pit with his boot. "Bad luck, I guess."
Tiva glared at him. "Why are you doing it like that?"
"I'm not risking touching that venom," he replied flatly.
Seth moved on to his sister, Cloe. Her mangled body lay torn apart by the Grey Wolves, her face unrecognizable.
"C-Cloe..." His voice trembled as he knelt by her remains.
Tiva placed a hand on his shoulder. "Seth... we're Guardians. This is the risk we take every day. I know she was your only family, but you have to stay strong."
He nodded weakly, tears streaking his face. "You're right, but... this is too much, Tiva. Too sudden."
She said nothing. There was nothing to say.
They buried Cloe near my grave, marking the end of a grim chapter.
---
The group trudged toward Flaur, silent. Guilt gnawed at Redan's core, a storm of conflicting emotions swirling within him.
Why? Why do I feel like this? I'm the victim here... so why does it feel like I've done something unforgivable?
Tiva broke the silence, her tone sharp but laced with concern.
"Ken was right, Redan. Revenge won't bring the dead back. You can't rewrite the past with blood. Do you really think your family would've wanted this? For you to sink into this madness?"
He didn't respond, his head hanging low.
"I'm done, Redan," she continued. "This is the last time I help you. From now on, we're no longer a team."
"Do whatever you want," he muttered. "But if you tell anyone about this, I won't let it slide."
They pressed on, the weight of their choices heavy on their shoulders.
---
"Gather everyone. We're rooting out the Dooms agents hiding in this kingdom."
King Grim's order echoed through the palace. The Witch Council began their work, using [Seal Detection] spells to expose infiltrators.
[Seal]
Soldiers lined up in neat rows, passing through the spell's range one group at a time. Each squad emerged unscathed, but the Witches didn't stop.
Then, one of them paused, a sharp smile creeping across her face.
"Found one"