Daelan's eyes snapped open. The first thing he felt was the sharp taste of saltwater in his mouth and the gritty sensation of sand against his skin. He blinked, his senses slowly returning, his body aching as if it had been torn apart and stitched back together. His muscles screamed in protest, but it was a dull, distant pain—one he was all too familiar with.
The world around him was quiet, save for the faint sound of the waves lapping against the shore. He was lying on the ground, his cloak tangled beneath him, the remnants of his previous battle—his last encounter—pushing to the forefront of his mind.
Kazuki. That fight...
The last thing he remembered was the intensity of their battle, the way Kazuki's blade had clashed against his own, the fierce energy that had filled the air as their powers collided. He had lost. He had fallen. And yet, here he was, alive, breathing, the salty air filling his lungs.
"What... happened?" Daelan's voice was raw, his throat dry and cracked from the exertion. He pushed himself up with a groan, his hands trembling slightly as they touched the cold earth beneath him.
His mind raced as his memories rushed back. His final form. The power. Kazuki had pushed him to his limits, and yet, somewhere in that battle, Daelan had tapped into something deeper. His body had given out, and he'd succumbed to unconsciousness. But now—now he was awake.
And the scent of blood still lingered on his tongue.
Daelan slowly rose to his feet, the world around him spinning momentarily before steadying. He stumbled forward, finding his bearings, and then, the unmistakable scent of death reached his nose.
The men. The fishermen.
His dark eyes narrowed as he turned toward the shoreline. It wasn't far—a group of men unloading their haul, their boat anchored nearby. His sharp senses picked up on every detail—their movements, their nervous glances, their hushed conversations. They had found him. They had helped him.
And now, they were a threat.
Without a word, Daelan pushed himself forward, the darkness within him thrumming as he moved. He was still weak from the fight, but the power inside him—the insatiable hunger—was there, and it was enough to fuel him for now.
One of the fishermen, a younger man with wide, nervous eyes, noticed him first. "You... you're awake?" His voice trembled as he took a step forward, hesitant yet curious.
Daelan didn't answer. Instead, he allowed the void within him to surge, his power rising like an unstoppable tide. The air seemed to grow heavier, the temperature around them dropping as the fishermen took a few cautious steps back, their instincts screaming that something was wrong.
"What's wrong with you?" one of the older men, a gruff figure with a weathered face, called out, his hand reaching for the axe slung across his back.
Daelan's lips curled into a cruel smile. "Nothing," he whispered softly, his voice a low growl. "But you all will be."
Without warning, he surged forward, his movements impossibly fast, his hand reaching out to grab the nearest fisherman by the throat. The man's eyes widened in shock, his hands scrabbling desperately against Daelan's iron grip.
"W-What—what are you—" The fisherman choked out before Daelan squeezed harder, his grip tightening as the man's body went limp.
A quick, brutal death. Daelan didn't waste time. He dropped the body, already moving to the next one. The others scattered, their minds panicking, their hearts racing with terror. But there was nowhere to run.
One by one, Daelan picked them off. Their screams filled the air, but they were drowned out by the roar of the waves, the endless crashing of water against stone. His hands were stained with blood, but his expression remained cold, detached. He moved through them like a predator hunting its prey, each strike a calculated blow, each death an inevitable consequence of their existence.
When the last of the fishermen fell, Daelan stood over their bodies, his chest heaving with the effort. The power inside him still throbbed, but now it was sated—satisfied, if only for a moment. The bodies lay around him like discarded objects, their lives snuffed out without remorse.
The void inside him whispered, urging him to destroy more, to consume more. But Daelan shook his head, pushing the temptation aside. He wasn't finished yet.
His mind turned inward, calculating his next move. The fishermen had been a necessary distraction, a means to an end. The real objective lay ahead.
The secret hideout. His safe haven, the place where he could regroup and regain his strength. It had been years since he had set foot there, but now it was the only place where he could recover in peace.
Turning his back on the carnage, Daelan strode toward the rocks. His steps were slow, deliberate, as if nothing in this world could touch him. The ocean wind tugged at his cloak, the scent of salt filling the air once again.
The beach seemed so eerily quiet now, the remains of the fishermen's boat bobbing gently in the water. Daelan ignored it, his mind already a thousand miles away. He needed to disappear. He needed to rest.
As his figure disappeared into the shadows, the only signs of his passing were the bodies left behind—the scattered remains of men who had no idea of the nightmare they had helped, unknowingly, to awaken.
Kazuki stood at the edge of the cliff, overlooking the city below. The last battle had left him exhausted. His muscles were sore from the clash, his breath uneven as the remnants of the fight with Daelan flickered through his mind. He still couldn't get the image of their final moments together out of his head. The power Daelan wielded was unlike anything he had ever encountered. Kazuki had pushed himself to the limit and barely managed to stand his ground. But despite the victory, there was an unsettling feeling gnawing at him.
Kazuki glanced down at the blade he had used to fight—Wraithblade. The cursed weapon felt heavier than before, a weight on his soul that grew each time he wielded it. The power within it was immense, but so was the toll it took on him. Kazuki couldn't shake the feeling that Daelan's power was not truly gone, that this was just the calm before a storm far worse than they had yet seen.
He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to clear his thoughts, but it was no use. His mind kept returning to the strange, cold aura Daelan had radiated during their battle. Something about it had unsettled him. It was as if Daelan wasn't just after power—he was after something far darker, something beyond what Kazuki could comprehend.
"Still brooding?" Lira's voice cut through his thoughts, soft and warm as always. Kazuki opened his eyes and saw her standing just behind him, her gaze fixed on the horizon as well.
"I'm not brooding," Kazuki replied, though his voice held a tinge of weariness. "Just thinking."
Lira stepped forward, her hand resting on the stone railing as she joined him in looking out over the city. The sun was setting, casting an eerie red glow across the skyline. It felt like the world was holding its breath, waiting for something.
"I know what you're thinking," Lira said after a long pause. "You're worried that he's not truly finished. That Daelan is still out there."
Kazuki didn't need to answer. She was right.
"You're not the only one who's worried," Lira continued. "Everyone's on edge after the battle. There are rumors of strange things happening at the edges of the city—people going missing, strange sightings at night. And then... the fishermen."
Kazuki's brow furrowed. He hadn't heard about the fishermen yet, but if it was connected to Daelan, it didn't surprise him. The man was dangerous, far more dangerous than any of them had anticipated.
"What happened to them?" Kazuki asked, his tone sharp.
"Bodies found near the beach," Lira replied. "Ripped apart, drained of life. It wasn't the work of bandits or wild animals. There was a sort of... precision to it."
Kazuki's heart skipped a beat. The feeling of unease intensified. "You think it's him?"
Lira looked at him, her eyes unreadable. "Who else could it be?"
Kazuki clenched his fists, his mind racing. "He's still alive. I can feel it."
"Then we need to prepare," Lira said firmly. "We can't afford to let him regroup. Whatever happens next, we need to be ready."
Kazuki nodded, though a deep, gnawing sense of dread filled him. "You're right. But we need more than just power to stop him. We need to understand him."
Lira's eyes hardened. "Then let's start by finding out what he's really after."
The weight of their task settled between them. Kazuki wasn't sure if he was ready for what was to come, but one thing was certain—he wouldn't face it alone. They would face it together.
The night settled around them, the calm before the storm, and the city below seemed eerily quiet, as if it, too, was waiting for the darkness to come.