CHAPTER 9: INVADING

Rurik had been watching Kyrian the whole time.

The others might not notice, but how could he not?

Rurik approached, standing beside the boy, his spear resting on the ground. His eyes swept ahead, there was a large bonfire, and around it, several tents scattered a bit apart from each other.

And on the other side, there was a cave. Kyrian could see there were many things inside.

Silence filled the forest, and the moonlight brought forth fifteen shadows drawing closer to the camp.

The silence didn’t bother Rurik. What was bothering him at that moment was Kyrian.

His eyes, his body, they were far too relaxed for someone who had never even seriously wounded anyone, let alone killed six people.

He knew Kyrian was different. He couldn’t take his true age at face value. But... he saw it. Kyrian’s eyes were colder now.

Instead of the attentive, observing gaze from before, alert but curious, Kyrian now had the eyes of a hunter.

Rurik didn’t know if that was a good thing.

"Kid. Are you sure you’re really okay?" Rurik asked again.

The others also turned to look at Kyrian.

"I am... I think. Let’s finish this quickly and get out of here," Kyrian said, without turning his head, moving toward the first cabin faster than everyone else.

He went in and, within five seconds, came out. His spear was stained with blood, but his expression was still the same.

The spear had pierced the man sleeping on the ground.

The second one didn’t even have time to open his eyes before the weight of iron sank into his chest.

Kyrian kept moving, step by step, to the next cabin. Rurik decided to set it aside for now and acted like the other soldiers, splitting off and starting with the outer cabins.

That night, a massacre unfolded.

Kyrian moved faster than everyone, like a ghost slipping in and out as if nothing had happened. His superior vision allowed him to act with less caution. Not a single sound came when he entered.

The bonfire danced as the wind passed through the forest and around the fifteen intruders.

But then, in a moment of carelessness.

Benni entered a cabin larger than the others, but upon entering, he found no one. Only a strange shadow above the bed.

"... a pillow—"

Benni didn’t have time to finish the thought before an axe suddenly split his head.

And then a scream rang out, waking everyone.

"INTRUDERS! EVERYONE WAKE UP!"

The moment the voice sounded, Rurik was the first to act.

"FORMATION! EVERYONE FALL BACK AND FIGHT TOGETHER!"

Rurik shouted but ran toward the bandits’ cave. He knew that voice, it was Doran. If Doran was here, Gorrick had to be in the cave, and likely alone. The brothers didn’t get along well, though they fought together.

The soldiers regrouped immediately, spears pointed outward, close together since they had started with the outer cabins and could regroup quickly.

Kyrian was still inside a cabin, his spear driving from a man’s chin through his head as the man reacted to Doran’s shout.

In an instant, half-dressed bandits poured out of the remaining tents, weapons in hand, disoriented but angry.

Kyrian saw one bandit pass in front of his cabin entrance. He didn’t waste a second. His spear shot up instantly, piercing the man’s throat.

He darted out and ran toward the source of the voice. If someone had been discovered, they were probably in trouble.

Three bandits attacked him with everything they had as soon as they saw him.

The first swung down with a club. Kyrian dodged easily, slicing the man’s legs.

The second came from behind, Kyrian had already seen him. His spear spun, piercing the man’s right eye and sinking deep into his head. Kyrian leapt onto the man’s impaled body and kicked him away, using the momentum to pull his spear free.

Blood spurted from the bandit’s head as Kyrian lunged at the third man, who tried to stab him. But all the man saw was his world spinning, Kyrian’s spear tip passed effortlessly, slicing through his neck.

Blood sprayed. The head fell. The body collapsed.

That was when Kyrian suddenly heard laughter.

He turned, trying to understand.

His brow furrowed instantly. A large man, face covered in scars, with a wide mouth full of yellow teeth, held a massive double-headed axe in one hand, and in the other...

Benni, his head split halfway through, dangling lifeless.

"Well, well. What do we have here? You’re human? Kid, you look more like a freak. Killing people like this at your age... the world’s really gone to hell," Doran said with mock sadness.

’Where did this brat come from? Damn. Half of these useless fools are already dead, and the rest won’t beat trained soldiers.’

’The watchmen are dead? How did they get here so easily? Shit, I need to meet up with Gorrick.’ Doran thought, quickly assessing the situation.

He’d been outside the cave, enjoying himself with the only woman left. But who could have imagined this would happen so suddenly?

Doran suddenly hurled Benni’s body toward Kyrian.

Benni wasn’t exactly a friend to Kyrian. But Kyrian liked him, Benni always brought all sorts of food for him to try.

Now, in front of him, Benni’s lifeless body, head split, was flying toward him.

Kyrian felt a bitter taste in his mouth.

’As I thought. Life really is fragile. Don’t worry, Benni. I’ll bring him to you soon,’ Kyrian thought, raising his small hand toward the corpse.

And at that moment, just as Benni’s body was about to land in his hand.

An axe came down at high speed toward Kyrian.

Doran had used Benni’s body to distract him. But that didn’t escape Kyrian’s sight.

He couldn’t block it, so he dodged, jumping back. But because of that...

Doran’s axe struck Benni’s head again, splitting the rest down to the neck.

"What a monster, what a monster. How can you let your friend’s body be hacked apart like that? You’re really a kid?"

’No good. I’m still drunk from last night, and this kid’s strong and faster. If I fight him, I might lose.’

Doran said before suddenly running in the opposite direction, toward the cave.

Kyrian looked at Benni, his hand trembling slightly on his spear.

’Why? He was already dead. And yet, he got caught up in it again.’ Kyrian didn’t know why, but he didn’t like it.

Meanwhile, twelve soldiers were fighting fifteen bandits. The fight was rough the bandits knew the terrain far better.

But despite that, the well-trained veteran soldiers quickly gained the upper hand, taking them out one by one through teamwork.

Now, only Doran was left.

After one last look at Benni, Kyrian narrowed his eyes and sprinted at full speed toward Doran.

He would kill him. For the first time, he would kill because he wanted to. Not because it was his mission.

...

The moment Gorrick heard his brother’s shout, he was gearing up inside the cave.

Unlike Doran, he didn’t drink, and he was fully prepared. He only stepped out once he felt ready.

But when he did, Rurik appeared with his spear aimed straight at his head.

He saw the tall man, the scars, and the spear closing in hard.

But his sword blocked the blade at the last second.

"So... it’s you again, my friend Rurik. Looks like we just can’t get along, can we?" Gorrick said as he lunged at Rurik with even greater speed.

But Rurik blocked and dodged with ease before his spear drove Gorrick several steps back.

His brute strength was greater than Gorrick’s. Last time had been trickier because of Gorrick’s speed.

But now, after so much training with Kyrian, Rurik felt Gorrick was slower. If he had been weaker before, now Rurik believed he could win in only a few moves.

His spear came down fast, with raw force, from above.

Gorrick sidestepped, his blade sweeping toward Rurik’s face. Rurik pulled back just enough to avoid the sword, while his spear swung again from the side.

But then, a sound ripped through the air. Rurik felt danger at his back. Turning, he saw an axe spinning toward him at high speed.

Gorrick had already seen Doran in the distance and, as the axe closed in, attacked at the same time.

’Damn!’

It was Rurik’s last thought as his spear blocked the sword and he tried to duck under the axe.

But the axe didn’t arrive at the expected moment.

Instead, a loud clang echoed in his ears, the sound of metal and sparks.

He felt a gust pass just beside his head, grazing it.

Looking toward the axe’s path, he saw, slightly to the left and farther away, Kyrian.

In his hand, a bow stolen from the bandits.

’That was close... maybe I should train more with a bow. It’s more useful and faster, especially when I can see exactly where to shoot,’ Kyrian thought, lowering the bow. That had been the only arrow he found with it.

Doran, realizing the axe had been deflected by the arrow, was stunned.

’How the hell can someone do that?’

He glanced back, saw the boy running after him, and picked up his pace. Without a weapon, he’d die instantly, so he ran toward his brother.

"BROTHER GORRICK!" Doran shouted.

Gorrick understood instantly, pushing hard to kill Rurik before he could act. Rurik had to retreat several steps. Doran closed in at that moment, kicking Rurik’s legs hard enough to make him kneel.

The sword came down at Rurik’s neck, but he focused only on blocking it, a direct hit would mean instant death. Doran was unarmed, even if he interfered, he couldn’t kill Rurik instantly.

Doran clamped his hands on Rurik’s neck, squeezing hard as he shouted.

"GORRICK, KILL HIM NOW, DAMMIT! THE BRAT’S AS STRONG AS ME. KILL HIM AND THEN WE’LL KILL THE BRAT!"