"Well, well, well," the tall man said, his voice dripping with amusement as he stepped into the cave. His towering body cast a long shadow under the dim orange glow of the artifact. His sharp features twisted into a smirk as he surveyed us. "Looks like we've got ourselves some uninvited guests."
I kept my gaze fixed on him, calm but alert. Hina, on the other hand, took a step forward, her fists clenched.
Behind him, a woman walked forward, her denim mini-skirt swaying with her confident stride. She had long, flowing raven-black hair and wore a crop top that revealed toned arms adorned with bracelets that jingled softly as she moved.
She gave the man a playful pat on the back. "Oh, come on, Braun. You knew they'd be coming here. You just wanted the fun of crushing them yourself."
Braun chuckled, his broad shoulders rising and falling. "Hehe, Yuri, let me enjoy myself for once."
"What are you guys doing?!" Hina demanded, her voice sharp. She stepped forward, pointing a finger at them. "Do you even have any idea what you're messing with?! You are killing people here!!"
Yuri turned her cold gaze to Hina, her lips curving into a mocking smile. "Ahh… this bitch is still here."
Hina froze for a second before her jaw tightened. "What the hell did you just call me?" she asked, her voice low and threatening.
Yuri smirked wider, tilting her head mockingly. "Are you deaf too? So sad! Bwahaha!" She burst into laughter, tossing her head back.
Hina's face paled with anger, her body trembling as she took another step forward. "You're gonna regret that," she growled.
The fire around her ignited in fury as she couldn't stand being labelled as a bitch.
I sighhhed, shifting my weight slightly and stamping my foot on the ground, beside a dead body to grab their attention. My hands remained in my pockets as I spoke, my tone calm but firm.
"Why did you kill your own member?" I asked, glancing at the dead body beside me.
Braun's smirk faltered for a moment before returning, his expression unreadable. "Isn't that obvious?" he replied, his voice cold. "He was going to snitch on us. He didn't like what we were doing, so we had no choice but to....silence him."
I tilted my head slightly, my gaze still locked on him. "Oh, I see," I said, my tone casual. "Poor guy. Bad company."
Braun's brow furrowed slightly, confusion flickering across his face. "Huh? What the hell does that mean?"
I ignored his question, letting the weight of my silence settle in the cave. "Never mind," I said finally, turning slightly to glance at the orange-glowing artifact behind me. "Tell me… where did you get that Enervating Artifact? It's one of a kind and working so accurately on the elves."
Braun paused, his smirk faltering again. For the first time, there was hesitation in his eyes. He didn't answer.
Yuri stepped forward, crossing her arms. "You don't have to worry about that," she sneered. "You'll be dead soon enough anyway."
Braun, recovering from his hesitation, grinned wickedly. He ran his thumb across his throat in a slicing motion. "That's right," he said. "This is the end of the road for you two."
I sighed again, the sound echoing in the cave as I finally shifted my gaze back to him.
"You guys killed so many elves here, their kids, and ruined the entire island they had inhabited," I said, my voice low but laced with a calm fury.
Braun smirked, his broad shoulders shrugging nonchalantly. "Oh my, my... the boy's gonna cry for strangers now?" he mocked, his voice dripping with disdain.
I didn't respond. My gaze dropped to the ground, fixed on nothing in particular as my mind swirled. Memories from my past surfaced unbidden, painting a grim picture. Humans never change, do they? I thought bitterly. Why can't they just live in peace? Why can't they mind their own business, enjoy their peace, and let others live in theirs?
Hina shifted beside me, her concerned gaze flickering to my face. She gulped, sensing the heaviness in the air.
Meanwhile, behind Braun, the thin man with long hair moved his fingers delicately, his energy weaving into the walls of the cave like invisible threads. A sinister grin spread across his face as he muttered to himself, his eyes alight with cruel intent.
"I should hurry and bury them all here," he whispered, his voice low and dripping with malice. His fingers danced faster as he focused his aura on the cave walls. A soft, evil chuckle escaped him as he continued, "But anyway, how they managed to find this place is bizarre. That bitch Serina must've snitched on us."
His murmurs were inaudible to everyone as he kept whispering to himself.
"That man told us this guy is dangerous," he muttered again, this time with a faint quiver of unease in his tone. "I should hurry—"
His words were cut short as his eyes instinctively darted toward me.
*SWOOSH*
The sound of air splitting was followed by a sharp, wet GUSH!
The man didn't even have time to process what was happening. A black dagger pierced cleanly through his throat, slamming his body against the cave wall with a loud *THUD!!*
Blood gushed from his mouth as he coughed and gagged, his hands instinctively clawing at the dagger embedded deep in his neck.
I stood in front of him, gripping the hilt of the dagger firmly. My face was expressionless, but my eyes burned with a cold, merciless fire.
Behind me, Braun froze, his smirk vanishing as his eyes widened in shock. The realization hit him like a thunderbolt—he hadn't even seen me move. One moment I was standing in front of him, silent and lost in thought; the next, I had crossed the space between us like a blur, striking down his companion with terrifying precision.
Braun's head slowly turned, his face twisting in disbelief as he took in the sight of the thin man pinned against the wall.
Hina's eyes widened, her lips parting in astonishment. Yuri, too, stepped back slightly, her playful sneer replaced by a flicker of fear.
"You think I cannot see what you're doing behind his back?" I said coldly, my voice sharp and cutting through the silence like the blade in my hand.
The man's eyes met mine, wide with terror and pain as blood trickled from his lips. He groaned weakly, his body trembling against the wall, but I didn't release the dagger. My gaze bore into his, unrelenting, as I watched the life drain from him.