"Mikaela!" Imzyh's voice cut through the tension as he stepped forward, his grip tightening around his daggers. "You're not doing this alone. I'll join you."
Hassan noticed immediately.
His lips curled into a crooked smile.
"Oooh... what do we have here?" he chuckled, tilting his head slightly. "That look... you're still clinging to your revenge, aren't you?"
Imzyh didn't answer.
The battle continue, Mikaela's blade came from the front and Imzyh's daggers struck from the side. Hassan didn't retreat. He stood his ground.
Clang. Clang. Clang.
Every strike was met. Every swing deflected. His movements were effortless, almost lazy as if he were playing with them rather than fighting seriously. Mikaela pressed harder, her strikes becoming faster and heavier.
"You think this is a game?!" she snapped, forcing him back a step.
Hassan's grin only widened.
"What a beautiful display..." he murmured. "Sisterly love in the middle of a slaughter."
Their blades collided again sparks of steels scattering across the bloodstained floor.
Then
Hassan's expression shifted. Just slightly.
He twisted his wrist, catching Mikaela's blade and sliding it off balance. In that brief opening, he pivoted and knocked Imzyh's daggers aside with the back of his hand.
A single motion.
He stepped back and vanished.
The next moment, he reappeared atop the pile of corpses behind them, landing lightly as if the bodies beneath his feet meant nothing.
"Honestly," he sighed, brushing a speck of blood from his sleeve, "I expected more."
Imzyh didn't give him time to settle.
His hand flicked forward.
A sharp whistle cut through the air a multiple daggers shot toward him in rapid succession, glinting under the dim light as they aimed for his throat, his chest, his eyes.
Hassan's expression soured.
"Annoying."
His arm moved fast.
Clink. Clink. Clink.
Each dagger was deflected mid-air, falling uselessly to the ground.
"You think you can defeat me with toys like this?" he scoffed.
Then his tone changed.
Colder.
"I don't want to waste time anymore."
Slowly
A third eye opened on his forehead.
Mikaela felt it immediately.
"...Careful," she muttered.
But it was already too late.
Hassan moved.
Unnaturally fast.
His body flickered, disappearing from the top of the corpse pile and reappearing right in front of Imzyh.
His eyes widened in shock.
"What—?!"
He barely had time to react
YOU ARE READING
Ashes Whisper
FantasyAshes Whisper is a novel that follows the story of Elara, a young woman cursed with the ability to absorb the souls of the dead. As the war takes a heavy toll on Elara, she struggles to keep fighting, and her curse becomes increasingly difficult to...
