Drip. Drip. Drip.
The male’s body jerks. The weapons in the air lose power instantly and crash to the floor in a deafening clatter.
He looks down slowly. A black blade protrudes from his chest. Blood spills from his mouth as he chokes on a wordless moan.
The blade tears free from his body, swooshing through the air before disappearing.
He sways on his feet, his expression one of disbelief as he crashes to the ground. Particles of soul energy rise through the air, confirming his death.
The darkness immediately disappears.
And as he falls, a female appears behind him.
She sighs as she looks at the dead male at her feet, almost as if he were an inconvenience.
Pale blonde hair falls over her shoulders in soft waves, framing a heart-shaped face so symmetrical it borders on unnatural.
Large, brown eyes dominate her features. She has thin, straight brows, a small straight nose and softly sculpted cheekbones that lend her the kind of refinement usually reserved for nobility. Her full mouth is set in a composed line, betraying nothing.
She is objectively beautiful. But something about her is eerie…bordering on terrifying.
Her disconcerting eyes sweep over me once before dismissing me. She looks around, taking in all the destruction and the blood-stained ruins. Then her attention ends on Moe.
She’s still on her knees, her breathing harsh as she tries to understand what’s happening. She’s not even looking at the newcomer. Her eyes are on me, her lips mouthing frantically to me.
“Are you all right?”
“Yes,” I grind out.
That one word makes her sigh in relief and she finally lets herself relax.
“Glad… I’m so glad,” she whispers, tears of happiness pouring down her cheeks.
The newcomer takes a step toward her. She’s watching her intently as if there’s something about Moe she can’t quite figure out yet.
“You are mortal,” she eventually says.
Her voice is low and smooth—cultured, elegant, and utterly untouched by emotion.
Moe stiffens. She looks between me and the female, already wondering if this is our new enemy. If this immortal killed the other warrior so she could claim the points for herself.
I wondered the same at first. But something doesn’t quite fit in. If all she wanted were my points, I would have been dead before even setting eyes on her. No, this is something different.
In fact, she doesn’t even seem to mind my presence, focused as she is on Moe.
What is she after?
She walks closer to Moe.
“Stop.” Despite the pain I’m in, I drag myself forward on the ground, crawling until I am in front of Moe—a barrier between her and this unknown female.
“You’ll have to pass through me to get to her,” I grit out.
My hand finds Moe behind me and with a strong pull, she hoists me up next to her. My arms find her immediately; hers circle my bleeding waist. We both stare defiantly in the face of our potential death.
At that, amusement stirs across her otherwise immaculate features.
“You misunderstand the situation,” she says calmly. “If I intended harm, neither of you would still be breathing.”
