Reynard Alistair.
A minor villain.
He had no tragic backstory. No grand ambition.
Just a spoiled noble boy, easily manipulated, and discarded like trash.
His death wasn't even important. A tool to push the story forward.
And now, I was him.
Death was breathing down my neck.
---
Evelyn's candle flickered, the dim light dancing across her face. Shadows twisted behind her, like claws reaching out of the dark.
She took a step closer. The floor creaked under her weight.
"You seem troubled tonight, Young Master," she said softly, her voice almost a whisper.
I swallowed hard. My throat was dry.
"I'm fine," I replied, forcing the words out.
Her smile widened, and something about it made my chest tighten.
"What's wrong? ," she said, her voice light but chilling.
"Your face is pale," she added, her tone almost mocking. The candlelight flickered again, casting long shadows across her face. Her eyes seemed darker now, hollow and sharp, like pits that could swallow me whole.
I stood abruptly, the chair scraping loudly against the floor. My heart hammered in my chest. "I just need some air," I said, my voice shaking despite my attempt to sound calm.
Evelyn tilted her head, her green eyes gleaming. "Air? At this hour? The night can be... dangerous, Young Master."
Her words froze me in place. My instincts screamed at me to move, but her presence felt like a weight pressing down on my shoulders.
Suddenly, the candle in her hand went out. Darkness consumed the room, swallowing everything. I couldn't even see my own hands.
Then, I heard it—a soft, almost inaudible sound.
The unmistakable click of a blade unsheathing.
---
Panic surged through me. I bolted for the door, crashing into a bookshelf in the process. Books tumbled to the ground, but I didn't care. The sound of hurried footsteps followed me, quick and deliberate.
"Where are you going, Young Master?" Evelyn's voice echoed behind me, sweet and deadly.
I reached the door and yanked it open. The hallway was dim, the only light coming from faint moonlight seeping through a distant window. My bare feet slapped against the cold floor as I ran, my breath coming in short, ragged gasps.
Behind me, Evelyn's footsteps were steady. She wasn't running, but she was close. Too close.
Unaware of the mansion's structure, I ran through any obstacle I found in front of me.
Moreover, it was really strange that, the whole mansion was engulfed in darkness, despite their being candle chandeliers at each pillar of the mansion.
I couldn't think straight, and frantically searched for clues to survive.
Evelyn was an assassin.
She was an anti hero in the first half, and became the protagonist's supporter in the middle of the second half.
Her family was the casualty of a war between two Dukes of the Empire, which fueled her hatred for it's people.
Hence, she joined the Night's Order as a form of retaliation.
If I wanted to point one thing, which she utterly despise, is noble bloodline.
You can guess the rest of how it would have gone.
Her skill was the creation of an innate domain within which she was invincible.
This made her a deadly assassin, as she could do anything within that domain.
However, the confusing part was, Evelyn was supposed to get this skill in the later half of the story itself.
When, the fact that I was currently inside her domain sinked in, panic struck me, as I instinctively felt death closing in.
---
I barreled down the hallway, my lungs screaming for air.
My heart pounded against my ribs, each beat drowning out Evelyn's soft, unhurried footsteps.
Every step I took was a gamble—I had no idea where I was going.
A faint crash sounded behind me.
I glanced over my shoulder just in time to see Evelyn knock over a vase that had been in her path.
She didn't even flinch, her green eyes locked on me like a predator eyeing its prey.
"You'll tire yourself out soon," she called, her voice calm, almost playful. "Then what will you do, Young Master?"
I didn't answer. My hand darted out, grabbing a decorative suit of armor from its stand as I passed.
With a desperate shove, I sent it toppling into her path.
The crash of metal echoed through the corridor, but Evelyn barely slowed.
A flash of movement—she vaulted over the fallen armor with a grace that made my stomach churn.
---
The hallway opened into a large sitting room, its furniture draped in heavy sheets.
The moonlight spilling through the tall windows illuminated the room in an eerie glow.
My eyes darted around, searching for something—anything—to slow her down.
There—a low table stacked with candelabras and dusty books.
I shoved it over, the contents scattering across the floor.
Evelyn's footsteps faltered slightly as she approached.
"Making a mess won't save you," she said, her voice laced with amusement.
---
I dove through a side door, slamming it shut behind me.
My hands scrambled for the lock, but the handle refused to budge.
A second later, the door rattled violently.
Evelyn was on the other side, testing the handle with deliberate, measured pressure.
I backed away, my chest heaving. The room I had entered was a library—rows upon rows of towering shelves loomed over me, their shadows swallowing the faint light from a single window.
My gaze darted around for another exit. Nothing.
---
The door creaked open.
Evelyn stepped inside, her movements slow and deliberate. Her blade glinted in the dim light, a wicked smile playing on her lips.
"You've led me on quite the chase," she said, her tone mockingly pleasant. "But we both know how this ends, don't we?"
I grabbed the closest object—a heavy book—and hurled it at her.
She swatted it aside effortlessly, her smile never wavering. "Books? Really, Young Master?"
---
Desperation clawed at my throat. I yanked a shelf, sending a cascade of books tumbling down.
She disappeared for a moment behind the chaos, and I seized the chance to run deeper into the library.
---
A sudden crash echoed behind me, and I dared a glance back. Evelyn had pushed a shelf over, blocking the path behind her. She was cutting off my escape.
I skidded to a halt, my eyes scanning for another route. My breath caught when I saw her silhouette at the end of the aisle.
"Running is pointless," she said, her voice soft, almost tender. "Just give up."
---
I didn't reply. Instead, I grabbed another candelabra from a nearby table and swung it wildly in her direction. She sidestepped easily, the sharp edge of her blade glinting as she swiped at me in return.
The dagger missed my throat by inches, grazing my shoulder instead. Pain flared, hot and sharp, but I didn't stop. I threw the candelabra at her and sprinted down another aisle.
Then, I made a fatal mistake.
I rounded a corner too sharply and collided with a shelf. The impact sent me sprawling to the ground, books raining down around me.
Before I could get up, a shadow loomed over me.
Evelyn crouched, her dagger gleaming in her hand. "Tired already, Young Master?" she asked, her voice dripping with mock concern.
I scrambled backward, my hands slipping against the polished floor.
She reached out, grabbing my ankle and yanking me toward her with terrifying strength. I kicked wildly, but it was no use.
Evelyn pinned me down, her blade hovering just above my throat.
"This is where your story ends," she whispered, her green eyes cold and unyielding.
The dagger's cold steel grazed my throat, sending a shiver down my spine.
Then, something strange happened.
A soft cracking sound echoed in the air, faint at first but quickly growing louder.
Evelyn paused, her blade still poised, her sharp eyes flicking around. "What…?"
The air shimmered, faint lines appearing all around us, like fractures in a pane of glass.
"What is this?" Evelyn hissed, her voice losing its usual confidence.
I didn't have an answer. My heart pounded harder as the cracks expanded, the shimmering lines branching out until the entire room was veined with glowing fractures.
Suddenly, with a deafening shatter, the world around us broke apart like glass.
---
For a moment, everything went silent.
Then, as if someone had flipped a switch, the library snapped back to normal.
The towering shelves, the dusty books, the moonlight seeping through the windows—it was all exactly as it had been before.
Except now, Evelyn's dagger was still pressed against my throat.
Then I heard a voice behind me.
"Yo, that's my prey."
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A/N :
Please comment down your thoughts on the story so far.
Next chapter : Predators In Pursuit
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