The forest was quiet, too quiet for Veyric's own comfort. They hadn't encountered anyone in hours. His eyes took to the map, analyzing which trail they'd have to follow next. They were losing daylight, and unease had become his enemy. Vera looked at him, one eyebrow clamping down, the other raising.

  "What's up with you? Ever since last night, you haven't been saying much. Well, you don't really say much in the first place, but it's still strange." Vera said.

  "I'm certain someone's following us. Last night, when we were taking a break, you didn't say much about who was tracking you down." Veyric added.

  "Because, if I told you, you'd leave me to fend for myself," Vera replied.

  "Would you shut up about that? You're already here with me, what's the p—" The swift flow of an arrow sped towards Veyric's head. With speed, Veyric grabbed Vera, tugging her out of the way with him. The arrow whizzed into the ground nearby.

  "Whoa!" Vera exclaimed, eyes widening.

  "My instincts never lie to me," Veyric said.

  Ruffling came from the surrounding bushes. A group of mercenaries showing themselves.

  "That arrow should've killed you, but you're fast, too fast." One said. They clutched their longsword, boots biting into the ground.

  "There are six of you. Do you really need this many men to kidnap a girl?" Veyric asked, grabbing Vera, making sure she stayed close to his side. Four more men came out from behind trees—they were practically surrounded. Vera's hand tightened around Veyric's.

  "You're naive to protect her. That's a thousand Aegium just walking around, waiting to be claimed." The first one said. They were the leader of the pack, and Veyric focused on them.

  "That's it?" Veyric questioned, pulling his hood down—making sure that his horn wouldn't poke out from the rip in it.

  "Naive. A thousand Aegium can change lives." The leader replied.

  "I'll give you a chance to hand her over, so we can be on our way. You don't want to get on our bad side, kid. We'd hunt you until our very last breaths."The leader added with a grin. Vera's hand was shuddering in Veyric's.

  "Go fuck yourselves," Veyric grumbled out. The leader charged at him, and the three others followed suit. Veyric pulled Vera behind, front-kicking the leader away. Afterwards, the second man lunged at Veyric with a sword. Veyric weaved away from the slash, the fabric of his cloak being cut through. While the man was recovering, the third approached with a thrusting stab. Veyric dashed back, with Vera still clinging to his hand, and he managed to avoid the stab.

  "Fuck!" Veyric growled out, watching an arrow glide past before he tossed Vera out of harm's way. Once again, the leader approached him, thrusting their blade at Veyric's shoulder. Veyric lunged forward and stopped, slipping to the side of the attack, striking his palm into the side of the leader's cheek. Afterwards, he backfisted them with the same hand, using his free hand to disarm them and impale the leader in the stomach with their own sword. Veyric moved on to the next, smearing his fist across their face with a deadly punch. The second mercenary yelped out in pain, staggering into a tree. Veyric wound back his fist and struck them hard in the face, repeatedly striking until they could barely stand, blood streaming out of their nose, and their weapon dropping to the ground. Veyric grabbed them by the head and slammed the back of it directly against the tree—their body fell to the side, out cold. Veyric's knuckles were painted with blood, and his eyes were gleaming underneath his hood. His gaze met the third mercenary. They were hesitant—hands shaking while trying to face his shimmering gaze. Veyric leaped into the trees, tackling one of the archers. A shout tore through the air, Veyric gaining control mid-air, palming their face until slamming the rear of their head against the ground. Veyric landed, slightly squatting from the high leap.

  "HEY, CLYDE?!... CLYDE, WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU? I NEED HELP!" The remaining mercenary shouted.

  "OH, CLYDE, WHAT THE FUCK!" He added. The mercenary looked over to his leader, who was impaled on the ground nearby, blood swarming his corpse. Vera took in the scene—she was speechless. Veyric grumbled, golden flashes, and steam coming from his palms, until he clenched his fist. Suppressing it all until it faded.

  "The other one got away…" Veyric mumbled to himself while approaching the last mercenary, punching them hard in the stomach. Their sword was discarded along the ground, knees buckling, hands clutching their stomach. Veyric swung back his boot and slammed it into the mercenary's face, their head recoiling in the direction of force, their body collapsing. Vera subconsciously stepped back. She wanted to scream, but her throat locked. All she thought was, this couldn't be the same man from before. In the aftermath of the battle, Veyric flexed his bloody knuckles—looking back at Vera.

  Stolen novel; please report.

  "Sorry, I didn't want you to see that… And one got away, which isn't good for us." He said.

  "I understand… But don't apologize for keeping us alive." Vera replied.

  "Let's continue for a bit, then we'll take a break at sundown," Veyric said. They walked in silence—leaves and branches crunching underneath their shoes, the light of the sun slowly beginning to wane, shadows forming in the forest. Eventually, they stopped to rest, getting a fire started while the sun was beginning to set. Vera sat on the ground, staying close to the golden-lit campfire while she hugged herself—a chilly breeze blowing through. Veyric was sitting across from her. It was easy to see his eyes glowing in the dark.

  "Since I didn't tell you last night, I'll tell you this time, but I doubt you know who they are," Vera stated, and Veyric's gaze looked towards her.

  "Yeah? So, who's out to get you?" Veyric said.

  Vera hugged her knees tightly, taking a deep breath.

  "The Onyx. They hunt for information and complex theories relating to Almighty Blood." Vera replied.

  "Almighty Blood? This is the second time I'm hearing about that. What is it?" Veyric questioned.

  "I have no idea. I wish I knew what it was, because a lot of not-so-good people are looking for it." Vera said.

  "How do you have a connection with these Onyx people?" He asked.

  "Because I was their best test subject. But, I escaped and snuck onto a ship that was going to Phithia. Sometimes I don't realize how lucky I am… There are still people there being experimented on just for their thrill of discovery. I feel bad leaving them, but I saw an opportunity for freedom—and I took it." Vera explained, shivering from the cold. Veyric pulled off his hood, revealing himself to her—the night had fallen, and their only source of light was the golden fire.

  "I'm warm, but you seem to be shivering. Here, you can borrow this for the night." Veyric took off his cloak, handing it to Vera.

  She smiled, taking it and putting it on.

  "Ooh, this is really warm and baggy, and comfy." She said.

  Veyric's hair rested around his shoulders and down his back, his eyes cutting through the darkness with their bulwark gaze.

  "The truth is… I think we're much alike, but I was afraid to admit it. Too afraid to accept it. Too afraid to let another person in and take advantage of me. I don't want to be seen as a weapon or an uncontrollable monster. I just want to figure out how to get back home, or if it still even exists." Veyric explained.

  "What if your home and your kind don't exist anymore?" Vera asked.

  "Then, I guess I'll just find a way to fit in," Veyric said.

  "You don't need to fit in—the world just needs to respect you, and you can choose to do it any way you want. I'll make this world respect me by becoming the smartest in it!" Vera expressed.

  Veyric couldn't help but respect her tenacity, grinning.

  "Determination is a good look on you," Veyric said. Moments passed, and Vera fell asleep, her breathing evening out. The night went on, and it was serenely quiet. A feeling that Veyric hadn't experienced in a long while. He could hear the leaves in the forest gently brushing together from the whistling winds.

  At the first crack of dawn, Vera woke up. She sat up from the ground, noticing that the campfire had been put out—Veyric was leaning on a tree nearby, the runes in his horns glowing as he stared off into the distance. His gaze slowly traced back to Vera.

  "Good morning, ready to go?" Veyric said. Vera yawned loudly, stretching before standing and taking off Veyric's cloak.

  "Mhm, I'm ready. Thanks for lending me your cloak, I'd freeze without it." Vera said, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

  "Don't mention it," Veyric replied. He threw his cloak back on, putting his hood over his head. They began to walk the trails of the forest once again. Soon, they'll arrive in Leviara.