Elena evades the assassin's swift attack. She was out of breath, drenched in sweat. Her hands firmly gripped the katana as she faced the assassin.
The assassin, on the other hand, was calm. Despite being unable to touch her even once, he saw Elena as an easy target. The assassin ran his finger along his knife, looking at Elena. "Your heart is beating so loud that I can hear it. Why are you trying so hard to protect her? Why do you want to die for her?" He asked.
Elena looked at Evelyn sleeping peacefully, surprised that their battle had not disrupted her sleep. "I thought assassins were supposed to focus on their mission. You've been talking the whole time. I'm sure that's how Evelyn killed the other guy," Elena smirked when Evelyn's nature gift refilled her with energy. Her breathing returned to normal and her heartbeat became calm.
"You are gifted?" The assassin inquired.
"You sound shocked? Were you not trained to face off against the gifted?" Elena decided to go on the offense and sprinted toward him.
The assassin smiled, switching his knife into his other hand, and grabbing a second one. "I will give you what you want," he got into a defensive stance.
Elena knew nothing about fighting with a katana. She raised the katana above her head and swung down at the assassin.
The assassin smiled, seeing many different openings around her. He sidestepped and thrust his knife forward.
Before Elena could stop herself, the entire blade plunged into her stomach.
"I warned you," the assassin said, smiling. His expression changed when he noticed Elena's lack of pain. He backed away, leaving his knife with Elena. He realized he couldn't hurt her. He had been trying to harm Elena since she saw his attempt to assassinate Evelyn in her sleep. Now that he is successful, his target exhibited no reaction to pain, which will affect him with his current mission.
Elena pulled the knife out. There was no blood on the blade. She smiled, raising her katana again.
"I don't know what you want, but I don't have time for you," he rushed toward Evelyn to attack her.
Elena wasn't going to let this happen. Before sprinting toward them, she created a dome of vines around Evelyn.
While the assassin swung at Evelyn, the vines crept up his arm, restraining him. Elena jumped onto the vines and kicked the assassin in his jaw, sending him to the ground. She then kicked the knife out of his hand and knelt beside him.
"Who sent you?" she asked.
"Fuck you!" the assassin whispered.
"Should I kill him, or should I force him to answer me?" Elena mused. Her eyes moved to the vine dorm undoing itself around Evelyn. "If I hurt him, he might scream which would cause Evelyn to wake up. I can't also be seen carrying him around. Wait!" Elena turned to the assassin. "Why haven't you disappeared yet? Can't you turn to smoke and free yourself?"
"These vines are interfering with his gift," he confessed.
"He?! Who is he?" Elena asked.
The assassin refused to talk.
Elena shrugged and arose, "I guess there's nothing I can do about it." Looking around the room, she asked, "Where are her soldiers? They are supposed to be protecting her. Number Two? Number Three?"
The mentioned people appeared at the window.
"You should be standing here. If I hadn't come out of the closet, she would have been killed," Elena fumed.
"She told us to stand outside," Number Two announced to Elena.
"She told you to stand outside?" She chuckled, surprised. "Will you stay here if I tell you to? She questioned.
"Unless she permits us to obey you, we can't do anything," Number Two said to her.
Elena shook her head, powerless over them, "How am I to contact Number One then?"
"Evelyn granted him free will to be a hero," Number Three spoke.
Elena waved her hand, "Do whatever you want." After the two soldiers exited through the window, Elena faced the assassin, "What should I do with you now?"
"Die!" the assassin grunted and lunged at Elena with his knife back in his possession.
Elena would have been beheaded if she had not been quick to back away. Vines shot up from the ground and restrained the assassin once more.
"Some assassin you are." Elena placed the sword on his neck. His heartbeat quickened while glaring at her. "I am going to let you go. Tell those who sent you they will regret it if they keep coming after her." The vines slowly moved away from the assassin.
He rubbed his wrists and looked at Elena. "Unless you kill the owner of the shadow gift, shadows like me will keep coming after her," he warned before disappearing in smoke.
Sheathing the katana, Elena grabbed Evelyn's phone and jumped out through the window.
Hours later at sunrise, Evelyn sat on her bed watching the television. The news of the Manager's death was being broadcast, "Edmond Richards, owner of the 'Assassin's Legacy Museum' was found dead in his house.
"So, that's his real name," Evelyn smiled. "Fitting for someone like him."
On television, the broadcaster announced, "Following the death of Edmond Richards, his wife has announced a date for the auctioning of his museum."
"There is no way he's going to miss that," Evelyn said. She had already taken her bath. She was surprised to see her prized outfit gone upon entering her closet. Not only that, her sword and the mask were all gone. Evelyn smiled. "Of course. I told her to take whatever she wanted," she sighed, not expecting Elena to go near the glass.
Evelyn dismissed the situation and changed into something different.
She wore a soft, cropped white sweater that revealed a hint of her stomach, its fuzzy texture adding a cozy feel to her playful look. Paired with it was a pleated skirt in a vibrant pink and orange plaid, sitting high on her waist and swaying with her movements. White knee-high socks hugged her legs, adding a classic, almost preppy touch, while white sneakers grounded the outfit in a casual, effortless style. The combination was both chic and fun, balancing warmth with a hint of boldness.
When she was done, she wore dark glasses to protect others from her power. "I hate this color," she said when some of her hair brushed her face.
While exiting her closet, Victor entered her room. He smiled when he saw her.
"Ever heard of knocking?" Evelyn asked.
"My bad," Victor's deep voice resonated within the room. "Vivian told me what happened. Are you alright?" he asked with a concerned tone.
Evelyn looked at him, the dark shades over her eyes. "You can tell how I'm doing with your eyes," she smiled at him.
Victor walked closer to her, "Just know that I will do everything in my power to protect you." He pulled Evelyn into an embrace. "The East will regret coming after my family," Evelyn could see the venom dripping from his words.
"Family?!" Evelyn rolled her eyes in Victor's blind spot. He pulled away and looked at her.
"I will assign you some men for protection while I deal with matters. If you need anything, give me a call. I will try my chances at the museum," Victor told her.
"But the museum is in the South and Western Veridians are not allowed there," Evelyn sounded surprised.
Victor chuckled, "Don't worry about that. Would you like to come with me?"
"I would love to, but I have to do something about my hair," Evelyn exclaimed.
Victor eyed Evelyn's hair but chose to keep quiet.
"About the guards, I already have some capable ones. All I need is a car. A safe one," she said.
"I will have one of my cars brought to you," Victor assured her.
"Thank you. Off you go now before you are late for the auction. It's a long journey," Evelyn playfully pushed him out of her room.
"Whatever you say," Victor laughed as he exited the room. Since Evelyn came into his family, she had always been a quiet girl, so he was glad to see her like this.
"Number One, you and Elena should meet me at the 'Polished and Pretty' salon," Evelyn telepathically contacted Number One.
"Alright," Number One replied.
Evelyn made her way out of the house. A Rolls Royce was parked on the compound.
"That was quick," she greeted the guards and walked over to the car. Upon inspecting it, she saw Victor's logo on the hood. "Is this man trying to get me killed?"
A man walked up to the car and greeted her. "I'm the driver," he informed her.
Evelyn eyed him before telling him to leave.
"I work for your father," he said.
Number Two and Number Three approached Evelyn, having received her telepathic command.
"These guys are with me," she gestures to her soldiers. "You can take the car back. I'm not driving in this. I would rather offer myself up to them."
"Mr. Blackwood told me to stay with you. I'm not going anywhere," he insisted.
Evelyn sighed, calling one of the guards at the gate. "Knock him out," she gave the order to one of her soldiers.
"What?" the driver's heart rate quickened.
Number Two obeyed and knocked him out with the rifle they got from Phantom Edge.
"Put him in the car and take him away. Tell my dad not to worry but I have people that can protect me," Evelyn told the guard.
The guard quietly nodded and carried the driver's unconscious body into the back of the car. He then waited for the other guard to open the gate for him before driving away.
"Change of plans. Get to the dealership and get me a ride. I prefer one that doesn't stand out."