―R-Rynan... I DON'T WANT YOU TO DIE... PLEASE. DON'T DIE... DON'T DIE. DON'T DIE!!!
"RYNAANNN!!!"
Emi stopped running, her legs shaking as pain shot up from her wounds. Despite everything telling her to keep going, she couldn't do it―she couldn't just leave him behind. Her heart felt like it was being ripped apart as she turned around, refusing to accept that he might die.
―I have to go back!
The thought crashed through her mind like a desperate scream. Every instinct told her to run to safety, but her love for Rynan was stronger than her fear. She took a step back toward the house, ready to face whatever danger waited there.
"RY―"
Before she could call out his name, something incredible happened that froze the words in her throat. The sight that met her eyes wasn't just horrific―it was beyond anything she had ever imagined. She was witnessing the true power that Rynan possessed, the overwhelming ability he had kept hidden inside him.
KA―BOOOM!
An ear-splitting explosion erupted from the house where they had been living together. The sound was so loud that Emi felt it in her bones, making her ears ring painfully. Windows shattered for miles around as the shockwave rippled outward like an invisible tsunami.
Emi's eyes went wide as she stood frozen in complete shock. The entire house had been split diagonally down the middle, as clean as if a giant sword had sliced through it. The second floor collapsed and crashed down, mixing with the remains of the first floor in a pile of broken wood and debris.
Looking up at the sky, Emi saw something that made her legs go weak. The clouds above had also been split in half, forming a perfect line that matched exactly where the house had been cut. It was like the heavens themselves had been carved open by Rynan's magic.
It was at this moment that Emi, and the other people who witnessed it, realized something important. This wasn't just powerful magic―this was something that would change everything. "It was a new era of magic."
<-<-<-<-<-<-༒︎->->->->->->
―THIS CHILD... IS A MONSTER! AN INNOCENT WEAK KID MY ASS! NO ONE TOLD ME HE WAS THIS POWERFUL, NOT EVEN MY BOSS!
The assassin's thoughts raced in pure terror as he stared at what Rynan had just done. His eyes were wide with fresh fear, his whole body shaking uncontrollably. The magical attack had missed him by mere millimeters, and he could still feel the rush of air that had passed over him.
"G-GAH!"
He fell backward and landed hard on his butt, the impact jarring his spine. Panic made his movements clumsy as he tried to crawl away, his body refusing to work properly. When he turned his head to look at Rynan again, his blood ran cold.
The boy was just standing there, completely unfazed by the pain from his missing left arm. Blood poured from the wound like water from a broken dam, staining the floor bright red. But despite losing so much blood, Rynan remained upright, his cold eyes fixed directly on the assassin.
―THERE'S NO TIME TO BE SCARED... HE'S JUST BLUFFING!
The assassin forced himself to move, dashing wildly around the destroyed room. Silver-white flashes of light followed his movements, creating patterns that would give anyone watching a splitting headache. This was his secret technique, the pride of the Assassin Guild.
"FOOL'S DANCE."
"CAN'T SEE ME NOW, CAN YOU BOY!? SCARED? FROZEN IN FEAR? PATHETIC!"
"YOU'RE BETTER OFF DEAD!"
The assassin made one final series of dashes before coiling his legs against a nearby wall. He pushed himself forward with all his strength, his poisoned dagger pointed straight at Rynan's heart. In just a few seconds, this would all be over.
But―
"H-huh..?"
Time seemed to slow down as confusion and disbelief washed over the assassin. Something was very wrong, but his mind couldn't process what was happening. His attack should have connected by now, but instead he felt like he was floating.
"F-funny..! I can't feel my arms or my legs!"
Reality crashed back into him all at once as he fell face-first onto the debris-covered floor. The wet thud of his blood hitting the wood made a sickening sound that echoed through the ruined house. He wiggled desperately, rolling onto his back so he could see what had happened to him.
When he looked down at where his legs should be, he found nothing but empty space. His arms were gone too, cut off so cleanly that the wounds had barely started bleeding. The realization of what Rynan had done to him hit like a sledgehammer to his skull.
"A-AAAAG―"
Before the assassin could scream, Rynan's face twisted with annoyance and he shoved his shoe into the man's mouth. The muffled cries that followed didn't make Rynan feel any pity or hesitation. He just stood there, staring down at the broken man with cold, empty eyes.
The assassin was already crying from the pain Rynan had caused him. His body twitched and struggled as hard as it could, even though there was no chance of escape. Without arms or legs, he was completely helpless and at Rynan's mercy.
"MMM!"
As Rynan crouched down, the assassin immediately grunted in terror. It was clear he didn't want to suffer any more than he already had. Rynan slowly removed his shoe from the man's mouth, watching as spit and blood dripped onto the floor.
"UAGH!"
The assassin gasped desperately for air, his chest rising and falling rapidly. His face was pale and covered in sweat from the pain. Every breath seemed to hurt as he tried to recover from being silenced.
"Now, you're going to answer my questions without any hesitation. I don't want to hurt you more than I have to. I already want to put you out of your misery―who knows, maybe I'll even spare you depending on what you tell me."
Rynan kept his face completely straight as he stared into the assassin's eyes. There was something terrifying about how calm he looked despite everything that had happened. The blood from his missing arm continued to drip steadily onto the debris-covered floor.
"What a good boy you are, staying silent and waiting for me to ask questions, huh?"
The assassin remained quiet, his ruined face showing nothing but pain and fear. Even in this hopeless situation, he was trying to resist giving up information. But Rynan could see the terror behind his eyes.
"How many of you are there?"
―S-shit. This kid doesn't talk like a normal child at all!
The assassin panicked in his thoughts, hoping that staying silent would somehow get him out of this. But he was fooling himself if he thought Rynan would accept no answer. The boy was clearly too smart to be tricked by simple silence..
"ANSWER ME, YOU FUCKING INSECT!"
Rynan grabbed a piece of jagged, rough wood from the debris pile to his right. Without any warning, he shoved it deep into the wound where the assassin's left arm used to be. The wood scraped against bone as it went in, tearing the flesh even more.
"GAADGSHEUBDBEJEKEJEJJE!!!"
The assassin let out a blood-curdling scream that could be heard by people far away. His body twitched and jerked violently as waves of agony shot through him. Blood poured from his mouth as his face crumpled from the unbearable pain.
"So, answer me. How many of you guys are there?"
"THE WHOLE ASSASSIN GUILD IS AFTER YOU!"
"DO YOU THINK I'D BE FOOLED BY SUCH A FUCKING LIE!? THE ASSASSIN'S GUILD SIDED WITH THE YLZA EMPIRE, MAKING THEM A TRUSTED ALLY. A TRUSTED FUCKING ALLY! SO ANSWER ME TRUTHFULLY―HOW MANY OF YOU ARE THERE, AND WHO ARE YOU WORKING WITH!?"
Out of pure anger, Rynan kicked the piece of wood deeper into the wound. The jagged wood broke apart inside the assassin's arm, creating dozens of tiny splinters. Each piece dug into the raw flesh like burning needles.
"DGAHWUWIWIWIWUHSBEJWIAAAAA!!!"
Unable to handle the pain anymore, the assassin began banging his head against the floor. He was trying to kill himself, making loud consecutive thuds as his skull hit the wood. But Rynan needed him alive until he got his answers.
"YOU DARE TO DO THAT!?"
Out of desperation to stop the assassin's suicide attempt, Rynan kicked the body as hard as he could. The man went flying into the pile of debris where the wood had come from. A loud crash echoed through the ruined house as he hit the broken planks and rubble.
"I-IT WAS THE B-BLOOD... MOON KNIGHTS..."
The assassin had finally confessed, his voice barely a whisper through his damaged throat. But before Rynan could ask any more questions, something terrible happened. The assassin's head suddenly exploded like a melon, killing him instantly and splattering blood across the debris.