Eis rushed out of the Snake's place without even glancing at the surprised guards on his way. The sun was already high in the sky, and time was slipping away. He was supposed to meet Geb and the others at the ambush spot by noon, and he knew he had less than an hour left, even if he was being optimistic.
As he raced through the streets of The Belows, Eis' mind was a tumult of thoughts, swirling with the Snake's words. He couldn't dismiss what Arthur had said, no matter how much he wanted to. The man's words cut deep, unearthing buried memories of his past—the scattered fragments of a life he tried to forget.
His family, the orphanage, the endless struggles in The Belows—it was all a tapestry of pain and resentment, and at the center of it all was Eis himself. He had long believed that he was the root cause of his own suffering, that somehow, he deserved the misery that had befallen him. The only thing that had kept him going was Narni. She was the one person who made him feel like he mattered, the one genuine connection he had in this cruel world.
Of course, Eis cared about the boys, too. Geb, with his unwavering determination, was more than just a friend; he was a role model, a hero in a world that desperately needed one. Born to lead, Geb had been forced into the lowest rungs of society when his parents lost everything to their rivals. Their deaths left Geb to grow up fast, forging him into the man he was today—a man resolved to succeed, even if it meant becoming a wanted criminal.
And yet Eis knew well... he could never be Geb. He was never meant to be a hero.
Then, there was Borus, the mystery of their group. No one knew where Borus came from, not even Borus himself. He had appeared one day in The Belows as a ten-year-old boy, with no memory of his past, like a ghost materializing from thin air. But despite his mysterious origins, Borus had managed to survive in a place where kindness was a rare commodity. His perpetually positive outlook made him an oddity, a light that refused to be extinguished.
'I will enter the portal.' The thought struck Eis like a bolt of lightning, sending a jolt through his body. It was such a simple change of mindset, yet he had stubbornly refused to consider it until now. It was far easier to joke about his death instead of facing his problems. Narni and that strange girl had also told him, but it wasn't until he spoke with Arthur that the realization took root in his mind.
"F*ck, when did I become such a coward?" Eis muttered to himself. He had spent so much time running, hiding, and evading his fate that he had forgotten how to face it head-on. 'After we succeed, I'm going to the Guard and entering the portal. They won't pass up the chance to throw in fresh meat to extend its lifespan. After I leave the coin with Narni, she can train and get ready. No more regrets!'
With that decision made, Eis felt a weight lift off his shoulders. The fear, doubt, and endless self-loathing all seemed to fade away, replaced by a newfound resolve. He finally knew what he needed to do, and it gave him a clarity he hadn't felt in a long time.
He quickly made his way toward the city's outer wall, moving with a purpose that had been absent before. Using a hidden tunnel that only a few knew about, he slipped through to the other side, leaving the stifling atmosphere of The Belows behind. Once outside, he broke into a full sprint, pushing his body to its limits.
The wind whipped past him as he ran. For the first time in years, Eis felt truly alive. The decision to face the portal head-on, to confront whatever horrors it held, had given him something he had been missing for so long—a sense of direction, a purpose. He grinned and continued running.
Eis arrived at the ambush site almost on time, his breath still uneven from the sprint. The location they had chosen was ideal—a section of the old imperial road far enough from the city to avoid immediate detection, but close enough that their retreat wouldn't be hindered by a lengthy pursuit. Eis scanned the area, but to his confusion, he saw no sign of his comrades. The only response to his arrival was the stillness of the ancient stones.
"Did they give up?" he muttered, feeling a pang of unease.
A rustle from the nearby trees snapped him out of his thoughts. He spotted Geb's familiar figure waving at him, urging him to move. Not wasting any time, Eis started toward him, waving back in acknowledgment.
"Are you kidding me? Not only are you late, but you're strolling around like a church priest," Geb hissed, his voice tinged with frustration as Eis approached. "Where the hell have you been?"
"It's a long story," Eis sighed, feeling the weight of the morning's events. "Am I really that late?"
"Oh no, not at all," Geb replied with heavy sarcasm. "I'm sure the carriage will kindly wait until we're all ready." As if on cue, a sharp whistle echoed from the other side of the road, signaling the imminent arrival of their target. "Come on, they're almost here." Geb grabbed Eis by the arm and pulled him toward the cover of the trees.
Borus was already in position, lying on his belly with a short sword at his side. His usual cheerful demeanor had been replaced by a focused seriousness. He gave Eis a quick nod, acknowledging his presence without a word.
"Stay to my left; the brothers are on the other side," Geb instructed, kneeling down as he took his position. Eis followed suit, crouching beside him. "We shouldn't need weapons, but it's better to be safe. Here, take this." Geb handed him a short sword.
"I'm not much with swords, Geb. I'm better with daggers."
"It doesn't matter," Geb replied, his tone reassuring. "It's just for intimidation, and as a last resort." He then produced a small circular device, a flat disk with a single button on top.
"Is that the blocker?" Eis asked.
"Yeah, the cheapest one I could find," Geb admitted. "The Alchemist said it should be enough. The carriage's floating and weight-reducing arrays should stop working for about thirty seconds. That's all the time we'll need to take down the merchants. Four of them, no guards."
"Sounds straightforward. You never mentioned who gave you this information."
"No, I didn't," Geb replied with a smile. "Just keep your head down and follow my lead. To be honest, I didn't really need your help with this. I involved you for your own sake. Eight days left, right?"
"Right," Eis murmured, glancing at the runes on his left arm. They seemed less ominous now. "I've decided, Geb. I'm going into the portal. I'm going to f*cking survive."
Geb turned to look at him, his expression softening. The fear that had clouded Eis' eyes for so long was gone. "Eis, if you want, you don't have to go through with this, and..."
A second whistle interrupted him, drawing their attention to the road. Around the bend, a carriage drawn by two majestic white horses appeared, moving at an incredible speed.
"Get in position," Geb ordered, making a mental note to talk to Eis after this was over. He waited for the carriage to come closer, then clicked the button on the disk and tossed it onto the road. The moment it came within ten meters of the device, the effect was immediate.
The ten-meter-long metal carriage, which had been floating effortlessly about thirty centimeters above the ground, suddenly plummeted down. The impact was jarring, the deafening crash echoing through the hills.
Though the fall wasn't from a great height, the sheer speed and sudden stop were devastating. The metal structure groaned under the strain, bending slightly from the force.
However, it was the horses that bore the brunt of the catastrophe. The elegant creatures, once galloping with grace, had no time to react as the carriage flipped over them. The heavy mass of metal crashed down, squashing them instantly. The weight was so overwhelming that the horses were silenced before they could even cry out in pain, their bodies buried under the cold metal.
For a moment, the world seemed to hold its breath, the crash's echo still reverberating in the still air. Then, as if a spell had been broken, movement exploded from both sides.
From the cover of the woods, figures sprang up, their silhouettes barely discernible against the trees. Geb led the charge, and Borus was right behind him, his usually cheerful demeanor replaced with decisiveness.
Eis followed them, gripping the short sword Geb had handed him, his heart pounding in his chest as adrenaline surged through his veins.
Two more figures emerged from the treeline from the carriage's opposite side: the brothers. Their appearance was almost comical at first glance—the taller one was lanky and thin, his limbs long and seemingly awkward, while the shorter one was stout, his round belly jiggling slightly as he moved.
Yet, despite their odd contrast, there was nothing humorous about their approach as they held their shortswords ready to be used.
At the same time, the twisted remains of the carriage stirred. With a loud creak, the door was shoved open, and three men and a woman emerged, scrambling out of the wreckage. Their clothes were fine, marking them as the merchants they had expected; their faces were drawn with shock.
"Surround them!" Geb barked as he arrived at the scene, his boots splashing in the blood pooling beneath the crushed horses. The metallic scent mixed with the dirt and foliage around them, creating a sickening atmosphere.
"Are you insane?!" shouted a middle-aged man with a long, well-groomed beard, his expensive silk clothes now stained with dust and blood. His voice carried the unmistakable tone of authority, as if he was used to commanding others. "Do you even realize who you just attacked?"
"Shut up." The tall brother's voice was icy as he slammed the handle of his shortsword into the man's face. The crack of bone echoed in the tense air, followed by a spurt of blood and the clatter of teeth on stone as the man crumpled to the ground, groaning in pain.
While the others kept the remaining merchants in check, Borus slipped into the carriage, his movements quick and efficient. Eis stood nearby, his knuckles white as he gripped the handle of his sword, unease gnawing at his gut. Something about this felt wrong. Very wrong.
These people did not look like the merchants they had expected. Their clothes, too delicate and pristine for mere traders, bore the same emblem—a black dragon in flight over a red moon. He glanced at their faces, noting how the initial shock in their eyes was replaced by something else. Disgust... and was that pity?
"Geb," Eis whispered urgently, his voice trembling. "Something is very wrong here. These people don't look like merchants."
Geb's eyes narrowed, but before he could respond, a sharp cry of pain erupted from inside the carriage.
A headless body was hurled from inside the wrecked carriage, slamming into a nearby tree with a sickening thud. Blood splattered across the ground, painting the soil and leaves in a grotesque display. The scene was so sudden, so brutal, that it momentarily froze everyone in place.
"I commend you for your efforts!" A deep, rumbling voice followed, resonating from within the carriage. The speaker emerged soon after—a tall man with long blond hair cascading freely over his sculpted face. His piercing blue eyes swept over the ambushers, lingering on each with a mixture of mockery and curiosity.
But what truly seized the attention of Geb, Eis, and the others was his right hand, which held something round and bloody.
Borus' severed head.
The face of their companion was frozen in a horrifying expression of shock as if the moment of death had been so swift that his mind hadn't fully registered it. The sight was enough to drain the color from Eis' face, leaving him pale and trembling.
"Attacking nobles of the Shocan Empire is more than daring!" the man declared, his voice full of dark amusement. "Come, show me your courage! I, Zastan Shocan, fourth Prince, shall be your opponent!"
Eis felt the blood in his veins turn to ice. The presence of this man radiated power that far surpassed anything he had ever encountered. It was a tangible force, a crushing weight that made his knees weak and his breath catch in his throat. He could sense it, even if he couldn't fully comprehend what he was sensing. This Zastan Shocan was a monster far beyond Aria and Marcus combined.
Zastan's gaze drifted over to Eis, and when their eyes met, the prince's lips curled into a cold smile. It was as if Zastan could easily read his mind.
Meanwhile, the supposed merchants had collapsed to the ground, lying prostrate before Zastan. Their bodies were utterly still, like statues carved in worship, not daring to move in the presence of their lord.
"So it was like that." Geb's voice broke through the oppressive silence, filled with a heavy resignation. "I will take full responsibility, Eis. Stay behind me, and don't try to leave. You two should do the same." He gestured to the brothers, who looked at him as if he was insane.
Geb, however, paid them little mind. He stepped forward, drawing his sword. His voice was steady, filled with a strange calmness as he addressed the prince. "My name is Geb, and I don't have a last name. As the leader of this group, I challenge you to a duel of honor and request mercy for the lives of my men."
Zastan raised an eyebrow, his interest piqued. "Oh!" he chuckled. "How unexpected. Even though the circumstances don't oblige me to grant such a request, you will have my word."
"I thank you for your generosity." Geb nodded. He glanced back at Eis and the others, his eyes filled with resolve. There was no fear in Geb's gaze, only the acceptance of what he had to do.
Eis watched in stunned silence, his mind struggling to process the whirlwind of events. This wasn't how it was supposed to go. Before he could even think to say anything, Geb charged forward, his sword aimed straight at the heart of the prince.