Chains of Vengeance

Chapter 191: Phantom in the Dark

Ramael stared at the black cat in front of him. The man stood with an almost provocative calm, his arms relaxed at his sides, as if nothing unusual had happened. But for Ramael, the world was beginning to lose definition.

His vision was blurring around the edges. Colors seemed less vivid, duller, as if the light itself were receding from him. It was a bad time for his body to start taking its toll. He hadn't slept in two days, gone one day without eating, and hadn't drunk a single drop of water in a while. "Being mortal still doesn't agree with me..." he thought, feeling his strength fading, although his will remained strong.

"Hello, I'm Aym. What's your name?" the cat said in a light, almost playful voice. "Honestly, that blow you gave hurt quite a bit... but it was impressive!" In fact, you remind me a bit of my teacher... I still remember the hell that was the test he gave me, and...

But his words fell on deaf ears.

Ramael, without responding, turned and ran in another direction.

"Huh?" Aym exclaimed, raising an eyebrow. "Not a sound, not a word...? Well... I guess I could chase you for a while."

The cat stretched like someone waking from a nap. Then it leaped nimbly onto the branches of a nearby tree and began darting from treetop to treetop, its feline movements seemingly choreographed.

Ramael, for his part, ran in a straight line. He didn't worry about avoiding branches or roots; the noise or the bumps didn't matter. He just wanted distance. He breathed hard, feeling the heat rise up his neck.

"That cat... he's too good in trees. Maybe he's part monkey or something..." he thought, between gasps.

But then he stopped dead in his tracks. Instinct alerted him too late.

From a bush in front of him, Aym emerged, walking slowly, not a single leaf sticking to his body.

"You know," the cat said with a crooked smile, "if you run straight, it's easy to follow your route... and overtake."

Without a word, Ramael swung his wooden bat hard. Aym barely had time to raise an arm and deflect the blow, though his expression showed more surprise than annoyance. However, when he looked back in front of him... Ramael was gone.

"Oh!" Aym exclaimed, staring at the bat he now held in his hands. "Now I'm even more interested in you! Running straight was a decoy too, huh? Very clever. And now you think you disappeared... you think I have no idea where you are. No footsteps, no crunching... Wow, you're good." Aym twirled the bat between his fingers, with the lightness of a magician. His voice took on a somewhat more serious tone.

"You see... I had a very particular instructor. And although his training method was basically constant torture..." he smiled somewhat nostalgically, "I can say I learned quite a bit from him."

He looked up at the high branches.

"And let's just say I graduated with honors, so to speak."

And without warning, he hurled the bat high into the air.

From the darkness among the foliage, a hand caught the weapon in midair with some reluctance.

Ramael descended stealthily, moving down the trunk as if it were part of him, and stood in front of Aym. He kept a prudent distance, his breathing still labored, his body on edge. But his eyes... his eyes were as sharp as ever.

The bat rested in his hand, and the silence between them seemed more eloquent than any threat.

Aym tilted his head with an expression of genuine fascination. His eyes sparkled with amusement as he watched Ramael, who stood motionless before him, the bat firmly in his hand.