The second day on the western road began without ceremony.
No fog.No omens.No sudden sense of dread.
Just wind brushing against tall grass and the steady rhythm of two pairs of boots moving forward.
Elias preferred days like this.
They lulled people into carelessness.
Arin walked a few paces ahead, eyes scanning the treeline with habitual ease. His injured shoulder had improved overnight, though not completely. He favored it slightly when adjusting his pack, but his movements remained fluid.
"You're quieter than usual," Arin said without looking back.
"I'm listening."
"To what?"
"Everything."
Arin smirked. "That explains nothing."
They continued in silence.
The road curved gently southward, narrowing as it dipped between two ridges. Sparse trees dotted the slopes, their branches bent by years of wind. Visibility was decent—but not perfect. Too many rocks. Too many shallow rises where something could crouch unseen.
Elias slowed.
Arin noticed instantly and matched his pace.
"You feel it too," Arin said.
"Yes."
The pressure wasn't hostile. Not yet. It felt… deliberate. Like a breath being held.
Elias's shadow stretched slightly, hugging closer to his boots.
They passed an overturned cart.
Arin raised a hand and stopped.
The cart lay half off the road, its wheels splintered, its contents scattered. Crates broken open. Grain spilled across the dirt. Dried blood stained the side panel.
"This didn't happen today," Arin murmured.
Elias crouched beside one of the crates. The wood was cracked cleanly—not smashed. Cut.
"Organized," Elias said. "Not beasts."
Arin frowned. "Bandits?"
"Unlikely."
"Why?"
"They would've taken the cart."
Arin straightened slowly. "So whoever did this wanted something specific."
"Yes."
Arin glanced down the road. "And left it here."
They moved cautiously around the wreckage. Elias scanned the ground carefully.
Tracks.
Boots. Several sets. Spread wide. Disciplined spacing.
Hunters—or mercenaries.
Not amateurs.
Arin exhaled through his nose. "This road just got interesting."
They advanced another hundred meters.
The first arrow came from the left.
Elias reacted before he consciously registered the sound. He twisted sideways, the arrow grazing his cloak instead of his spine. It struck the dirt behind him with a dull thud.
Arin dove forward and rolled, drawing his sword in one smooth motion.
"Down!" Arin shouted.
A second arrow buried itself where Elias had been standing.
Elias dropped low, his shadow flattening instantly against the ground.
Three figures emerged from the left ridge. Two from the right. Another stepped into view ahead, blocking the road.
Six.
No, seven.
One remained unseen.
Elias's jaw tightened.
The man ahead raised a hand, signaling the others to hold. He wore layered leather armor reinforced with metal plates, well-maintained and practical. His face was half-covered by a scarf, his eyes sharp and calm.
"You move well," the man said. "That saved your life."
Arin laughed once, sharp and humorless. "Always nice when people compliment us before trying to kill us."
"We're not here to kill you," the man replied evenly. "That would be inefficient."
Elias studied him carefully. No excessive mana output. No obvious enchantments. But his stance was relaxed in a way that suggested confidence.
"What do you want?" Elias asked.
The man's gaze flicked to Elias's shadow, lingering a fraction longer than necessary.
"Confirmation," he said.
Arin shifted slightly, angling his body between Elias and the speaker. "Confirmation of what?"
"That you're the one," the man replied.
Silence stretched.
Elias felt it again—the subtle pressure, tightening. Not from the attackers.
From somewhere else.
The unseen seventh presence.
"You attacked a town," the man continued. "Survived corruption. Killed something that should have flattened you. People are talking."
"People talk," Arin said.
"Yes," the man agreed. "But information spreads faster when certain parties encourage it."
One of the archers shifted position.
Elias spoke again. "Who sent you?"
The man considered for a moment, then shook his head. "That's not something I'm authorized to share."
Arin snorted. "Of course it isn't."
The man ignored him. "We don't need you dead. We need to understand you."
"And if we refuse?" Arin asked.
The man shrugged. "Then we'll take what we can and leave."
Elias felt his shadow tighten.
"Step back," Elias said quietly.
Arin glanced at him. "Elias—"
"Step back."
Arin hesitated for half a heartbeat—then did.
The man's eyes narrowed slightly.
Elias straightened.
The air shifted.
Not dramatically. Just enough.
The shadow beneath Elias's feet thickened, edges sharpening, responding to his intent.
The man raised his hand again. "Careful."
Elias didn't answer.
The unseen presence moved.
Elias sensed it a fraction of a second before the attack came—a displacement in the air, a pressure behind him.
He spun.
Steel flashed.
A blade scraped against his dagger, sparks flying as Elias blocked the strike inches from his ribs. The attacker materialized fully—a woman, lean and fast, eyes cold, moving with practiced precision.
"Found him," she said calmly.
Arin lunged toward her immediately.
The archers released their arrows.
Chaos erupted.
Elias dropped low, rolling beneath another shot, shadow surging upward to deflect a third. Arin engaged one of the fighters on the right, blades clashing in rapid succession.
The woman pressed Elias hard, her movements sharp, aggressive. She wasn't trying to kill him.
She was testing him.
Elias feinted left, then slipped under her guard, slashing across her thigh. She hissed, retreating instantly.
"Interesting," she murmured.
The leader barked an order.
Two fighters closed in on Arin.
Elias reacted without thinking.
His shadow surged outward, lashing across the ground and catching one of the attackers by the ankle, yanking him off balance. Arin took the opening, driving his sword into the man's shoulder.
The second attacker hesitated.
That hesitation cost him.
Elias closed the distance in two steps and struck, the dagger punching through a weak point in the man's armor. He collapsed, alive—but out of the fight.
The leader's eyes hardened.
"So it's true," he said. "The shadow responds on its own."
Elias felt a sharp pulse of pain ripple through his chest.
Too much.
Too fast.
The woman attacked again, faster this time. Elias parried, blocked, retreated, calculating her rhythm. She adapted just as quickly.
"You're holding back," she said.
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because if I don't," Elias replied, "this ends badly for everyone."
She smiled faintly.
Then the ground beneath Elias exploded.
A formation.
Runes flared briefly beneath his feet—then shattered as Elias leaped back. The blast tore a shallow crater into the road, forcing him to roll hard to avoid the worst of it.
The leader lowered his hand.
"Not bad," he said. "You noticed in time."
Arin shouted, "You're using formations now?!"
"Limited ones," the man replied calmly. "We came prepared."
Elias's breathing quickened.
This wasn't a random ambush.
They had studied him.
The woman pressed again, forcing Elias back toward the ravine. Arin tried to break away to help, but another fighter intercepted him.
Elias's shadow trembled violently, reacting to the pressure, to the threat.
He felt the fracture in his core stretch.
Silver flickered at the edge of his vision.
No.
Not now.
"Withdraw," the leader suddenly ordered.
The attackers disengaged with practiced precision, covering one another as they retreated. Arrows flew—not to kill, but to keep distance.
Within seconds, they melted back into the ridges, vanishing as if they'd never been there.
Silence fell abruptly.
Arin stood breathing hard, sword dripping blood.
"Tell me," he said slowly, "that was a nightmare."
"It wasn't," Elias replied.
Arin sheathed his blade with shaking hands. "They weren't trying to win."
"No," Elias agreed. "They were gathering data."
Arin looked at him sharply. "About you."
"Yes."
Elias pressed a hand to his chest.
The pain was deeper now. Persistent.
His shadow recoiled, pulling in close, almost hiding.
They moved off the road quickly, seeking cover among the rocks. Arin checked his injuries—scrapes, nothing serious.
Elias sat heavily against a stone.
"That woman," Arin said quietly. "She wasn't afraid of you."
"No," Elias said. "She was curious."
"That's worse."
They remained hidden until dusk.
No further pursuit came.
But Elias knew it wasn't over.
The hunters of the road had found him.
And next time, they would come better prepared.
:)