Night fell swiftly in Valewind. In the eastern slums, silence wasn't peace—it was a predator's breath before the strike.
Myrelion slipped through alleys like liquid shadow. His height worked to his advantage—nobody suspected a scrawny kid with soot-stained clothes.
But inside, he was coiled steel.
Footsteps. Two men. Six meters. Smell of iron oil and smoke. Crossbowmen.
He ducked behind a crumbling wall as two thugs rounded the corner. The insignia stitched to their coats was familiar.
The Black Thorn Guild. The very same slaver syndicate that trained and sold orphans as living weapons.
"Boss said the runt's gone rogue," one muttered, holding a lantern high. "Says he wants his head, not his body."
"Probably pissed his pants and ran. Wasn't even ten yet, right? How dangerous could he be?"
Myrelion stepped into the open, silent as a falling feather.
"You're about to find out."
Before they could react, Nyxfang appeared in his left hand. One man lifted his crossbow, but Myrelion was already within range.
The dagger whispered through air, slicing through muscle and bone. The weapon fell. The man screamed—until Solbite buried itself in his throat.
Time slowed.
The second thug turned to run, but Myrelion reached out, his right eye glowing faint gold.
Temporal Fracture – Delay Zone.
A ripple in the air froze the man mid-sprint.
With calm precision, Myrelion walked around him, positioned Nyxfang beneath the man's chin, and released the time bubble.
The thug's momentum carried him into the blade. He collapsed without a sound.
Blood soaked the alleyway, but not a drop touched Myrelion.
He stood there, chest rising and falling slowly. His heart didn't race. His breath didn't shake.
It's like breathing, he thought. Even in this young body… the kill comes naturally.
But he clenched his fists.
"I swore to live free."
His voice was a whisper swallowed by the wind.
These deaths weren't choice. They were necessity. Until he was free from the chains of his past, the blade would follow.
But one day… he would walk away from it all.
He vanished into the slums once more, leaving behind only corpses and shadows.