The Mark on my back started pulsing, and I knew Ghost was already nearby, hiding in shadows. So far, everything was going as planned.
But that didn't last long.
A small boy stumbled out from one of the tents-a captive who'd somehow managed to slip free. He crept carefully along the edge of the camp, but I could see he was seconds from running straight into three patrolling scavengers. If I went for him, the entire camp would realize we were here. My chances at a clean approach were slipping away.
A chained wolf-like nightmare at the guards' feet snarled, and the boy's frightened gaze shot toward the sound. As he stumbled back, one of the scavengers spotted him and lunged, ready to drag him back.
Well, there went my chances.
I launched myself forward, closing the distance in an instant and slamming the scavenger's head into the ground. I pivoted as the other two turned on me, but they were already down before I could act. A cloaked figure stood behind them, their blade lowered as they cast a quick, assessing glance my way.
Ghost. I realized with some surprise that we'd both been watching the same thing unfold-and had made the same decision to intervene.
The boy, wide-eyed and trembling, clutched his arms around himself, clearly terrified. I held up a calming hand, nodding toward the tent he'd emerged from. "Go back and wait quietly. I'll come for you soon."
He nodded, and I quickly healed the small scrapes on his wrists and legs. Calmer now, he turned and ran back toward the safety of his tent.
No sooner had he disappeared than Ghost grabbed my collar and dragged me into the nearest tent. Two scavengers were inside, I burned a hole through chest of first one. Ghost dispatched the other with a single fluid strike.
Before I could catch my breath, Ghost turned to me, gripping my collar tightly and shoving me against the wall. As he—She pulled her hood back, I finally saw her face. Her intense violet eyes locked onto mine with a fierce, almost unsettling focus, gleaming with both challenge and clarity. Her face was striking-sharp yet graceful, her fair skin framed by deep purple hair that cascaded around her face in waves.
She looked... impossibly beautiful.
"What the hell are you doing here?" she demanded, her voice low and fierce.
I lowered my own hood, looking back into her unblinking gaze. "Don't worry," I said, keeping my tone even. "My friends are there, people are still safe."
She looked stunned, her grip loosening slightly. "Wait... how did you—? How did you even know I'd be here?"
"Which part—why you brought them there, or how you'd end up here?"
"Both," she muttered, clearly exasperated.
"Because it's what I would have done. You couldn't save large groups before because there wasn't anywhere secure to take them. But when I stopped the storm, you realized there was someone else here, someone who could help keep them safe. So you stopped waiting, and started attacking without holding back."
She hesitated, her expression unreadable. Then, without a word, she drew her sword and, with a swift arc, struck down a scavenger who had just entered the tent.
"We're not done," she said curtly, the fierce determination flaring in her eyes as she wiped her blade.
I smiled, readying my stance as more voices sounded outside. "We can talk all you want after this is over."
"Just stay out of my way."
"I should be saying that."
Outside the tent, the camp was beginning to stir as shouts broke through the relentless rain. They were starting to notice the missing ones. Ghost and I exchanged a quick glance, and without another word, we moved together, slipping into the shadows cast by the dim torchlight.
The storm overhead seemed to fuel the tension. Lightning cracked above, illuminating the scavengers scrambling to ready themselves, their wolf-like nightmares snarling and straining against their chains. I crept behind one of the guards, a whisper of heat trailing along my fingertips, and with a quick burst of flame, his weapon was incinerated, leaving him defenseless. Before he could shout, Ghost was on him, her blade slicing through the rain and putting an end to his cries.
"Let's pick up the pace. If they decide to use prisoners as shields, we're in trouble," she said, a sharp edge to her voice.
I thought up a bold idea, though I wasn't sure if she'd go for it. Still, I laid out the plan, watching her face closely.
"I don't know... Can you really hold your ground for that long?" she asked, doubtful.
"You're handling the hard part here, remember? I just need to keep them busy. Trust me," I replied with a small grin, determined.
She exhaled, a reluctant nod following. "Fine. Just don't mess it up—if you slip, someone else will pay the price." And with a final look, she vanished into the shadows, leaving me with my task.
I pulled my hood low and walked into the open, abandoning all attempts at stealth. It was time to make as much noise as possible and draw them to me. I charged forward, hurling small bursts of somnium at the first line of guards.
"The Ghost is attacking! Release the nightmares!" one scavenger shouted, panic clear in his voice.
"Report to the Boss! Call for reinforcements!" yelled another.
More than I'd expected swarmed toward me—scavengers by the dozens, scrambling with their weapons drawn. I held back my most destructive attacks, wary of the nearby prisoners. My only option was to eliminate them in smaller groups, picking off those who ventured too close. Most of their weapons—swords, bullets—were no threat. A heat barrier kept bullets from reaching me, and most weapons melted before they even made contact. But the nightmares—their twisted, snarling bodies—were relentless. Some were tearing themselves apart just to lunge for a bite, dissipating my barriers with each suicidal charge.
Even so, I was handling them, carefully drawing them farther from the prisoners. Just as I thought I could manage, however, a voice rang out.
"The Bulls are here!"
Four figures emerged, covered head-to-toe in heavy iron armor with bull-like masks. They weren't ordinary scavengers; each emanated a powerful aura, their cores easily green, maybe even blue. These men kept their distance, launching coordinated attacks from all sides while the gunfire and nightmares continued to assault me from every angle. Their ranged strikes were precise, forcing me to deflect or counter them with everything I had.
But we were far enough from the camp now. I glanced up, narrowing my focus, and let my energy rise to the surface.
With a surge of somnium, I activated my technique, and a second sun burst into the stormy sky. Light flooded the area, blinding the scavengers who were trying to attack. I released the full force of heat around me. Those nearest were vaporized instantly, their screams cut off before they even began, while those farther away weren't so lucky—their armor seared to their skin, trapping them in molten agony. Every nightmare creature was reduced to ash, curling into the wind.
Only the Bulls remained, visibly shaken but still standing. I felt the strange sensation as small rocks and debris began to float, as if gravity itself was bending under the intensity. I was pushing the boundaries of my power, for the first time ever since I consumed the Heart.
"Now let's see how long you guys can stand," I muttered, stepping forward as the searing sun blazed above us.
With a single step, I closed the fifty meters between us, my speed blurring the distance in an instant. The nearest Bull barely had time to react; he raised his arms in a desperate attempt to shield himself, but it was too late. My arm was already through his chest, somnium burning within him, incinerating him from the inside out. His hollow eyes stared forward as the flame within consumed him.
The remaining two lunged at me, one charging from the side while the other launched into the air, aiming to strike from above. I stamped my foot into the ground, sending a boulder hurtling toward the one on the ground. He braced himself, planting his feet, but the impact shattered his stance, sending him stumbling back. Using the boulder as cover, I twisted and delivered an upward punch to the Bull dropping from above, catching him in midair. The force of the blow sent a shockwave rippling outward, throwing him back into the camp's walls with a deafening crash.
The last Bull, realizing he was alone, dropped his sword and charged at me in a reckless frenzy, his body surrounded by somnium, creating a last-ditch attempt to barrel through my defenses. I let him come, waiting until he was mere inches away before unleashing a wave of heat so intense that the air itself rippled, bending his somnium shield and melting the iron mask fused to his face. His scream was lost in the roar of flame, and soon, he crumpled to the ground in silence.
Just as I thought it was over, a deep, mocking voice echoed from across a nearby bridge. I hadn't realized I was standing near the island's edge until now.
"I see my men were no match for you," the voice rumbled. "But finally, we meet, Ghost. You've been a real thorn in my side."
I turned to see a towering man—easily twice my size—striding across the bridge, each of his steps heavy and deliberate. He held two enormous greatswords, one in each hand, and wore a battered wolf-fur cloak that draped over old, scarred armor emblazoned with a snarling wolf. His presence radiated an unsettling aura, an oppressive weight that suggested power bordering on indigo core.
Without waiting for a response, he ran a hand through his tangled beard, his lips twisting in a smirk.
"All this effort just to save a few nobodies," he sneered, voice laced with contempt. "Do you really think it's worth dying for?"
I stared back at him, and answered in a sarcastic tone. "As you can see, I am very alive. Can't say the same for your men, though."
He let out a low chuckle, eyes narrowing. "For now. But if it's a massacre you wanted, I'm happy to give it to you. Let's see those lives you tried to save vanish right before your eyes!"
He gestured with a sweeping motion, and my gaze followed to the camp behind me. Suddenly, the sky darkened as a monstrous shadow descended, plummeting into the heart of the tents holding the prisoners. The impact shook the ground as a hulking nightmare—a Revenant, unmistakable in its deadly aura—rose from the crater it had made. This beast was a twisted version of the wolf-like nightmares the scavengers had on chains, only larger, more grotesque, and radiating a vicious power.
With a chilling howl, it summoned a barrage of lightning, hundreds of strikes falling from the sky in rapid succession, reducing the campsite to ashes and rubble. The scavenger leader's laughter turned manic as he watched the destruction, his voice cutting through the thunderous aftermath.
"Well, that was easy," he sneered, certain he'd dealt a fatal blow. But as the smoke cleared, there were no screams, no panic. Nothing but silence and empty ruins. All the prisoners were already gone.
"Huh? What the hell…?" He blinked in confusion, his triumphant expression faltering as he took in the empty campsite.
Keeping my tone cool, I spoke up, my voice carrying across the storm's growing roar. "Look, I don't usually waste words on the dead, but you… you're just plain stupid."
He scowled, rage flashing across his face. "What is this? Where are they?!"
"You really thought I'd just come in here swinging blindly without a plan? Do you think the Ghost—the person quietly picking off your camps one by one—would suddenly barge in like this without reason?" I gestured to the bodies of his fallen Bulls. "Why did you even wait until after your strongest men were dead to show your face? Maybe, just maybe, if you'd joined them, you would've stood a chance."
"Big talk, kid," he snarled, his grip on the swords tightening. "You actually believe you can take me on alone? You and that mouth of yours won't last against both me and the Revenant."
The air shifted as the half of the sky I hadn't cleared earlier grew even darker, the storm raging with renewed fury.
"Who said I'm alone?"
A flash of purple lightning split the sky, and a figure appeared atop the cliff. The Ghost stood there, a silhouette against the chaos, her gaze as intense as the storm.