The Devil's Blade

𝟷𝟺 || 𝙷𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚘𝚞𝚝: 𝙰𝚗 𝚄𝚗𝚏𝚊𝚒𝚝𝚑𝚏𝚞𝚕 𝙴𝚗𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚛

I awoke to my body being shaken hard by Zhena, who was calling out to me. "Alex!" her voice was filled with panic. My eyes struggled to adjust to light of the day, but I could make out a silhouette. My heart pounded in my chest when I sprang up to a boy, no older than us, with a determined look on his face. He was pointing a pistol right in our faces.

Panicking, Zhena and I raise our hands above our heads, trying to show we mean no harm. The boy studies us carefully then diverts his gaze to our belongings. His grip on the pistol tightens when he finds my sword positioned against my bag. Then he pulls the trigger and closes the space between the muzzle and my forehead. "Hey, calm down," I said, my voice shaking. "We mean no harm. We just stayed the night."

The boy's eyes narrowed, but there was a hint of doubt in his eyes. His initial fear began to wane, and he lowered the weapon slightly. "What are you doing here and what are your intentions?" he demanded.

"We are just travellers. We found this place on our way, and decided to stay there for the night." I explained to him.

The boy's face tilts a bit, showing signs of doubt in our story but also some curiosity. "Are you guys, perhaps, going north?" the boy asks.

My face lights up, knowing that he is starting to loosen up around us. I nod in agreement.

We found ourselves at what seemed to be a crucial turning point, only to be interrupted by the distant sound of approaching footsteps. Panic welled up within us again. The boy, a silent ally in this unexpected situation, gestures urgently for us to hide. Quickly, we gathered our belongings, each movement calculated to leave behind as little trace as possible, as if our presence could be erased from the spot.

In our hastily chosen hiding spot, we observed as a group of swordsmen passes the cave. They were wearing magnificent, shimmering swords at their belts, their confident strides speaking of a world far different from ours.

The aura surrounding them, a radiant glow, filled me with hope and an unspoken trust. A notion lingered that we could rely on these strangers. Slowly, almost tentatively, I began to rise from our concealment. However, the boy, with a soft expression and a shake of his head, halted my ascent. His unspoken warning compelled me to retreat once more.

Finally, as the swordsmen departed, we breathed a sigh of relief. Slowly, we emerged from our hiding spot, our eyes meeting with a shared understanding. The boy who had initially threatened us had stayed silent, he exchanges a glance between  me and Zhena.

"Who were those people?" I ask.

"They're from Mavis, the swordsmen of the north." he says, his voice low.

My eyebrows shoot up in astonishment.

"The north!? Then why did we hide? We could've—" Zhena begins to say, her voice filled with disbelief.

"But they're not going to help you." the boy says, staring directly at me.

I stand frozen, my brows furrowed, trying to figure out what he is trying to say.

Bending down, the boy picked up a small stone from the ground and approached me. Without warning, he cut my palm with the stone. I recoiled, clutching my wounded hand, only to watch in disbelief as the boy grabbed my hand again. The wound rapidly healed, leaving only a faint scar.

"This is the exact reason why they won't help you. Only this ability that you're unable to control is enough for them to assign you as an enemy. They won't hesitate to execute you." The boy explains, his words sinking in slowly.

Anger welled up in me as I pulled my hand away. "Who are you? How did you know—" I begin.

The boy's lip curl into a faint smile. "My name is Kai, and how I know is none of your business."

"Don't act so mysterious, I don't trust anything you're saying." Zhena retorts, her tone annoyed.

"Fair enough, but, remember, I don't have to trust anything you said either. I could still shoot both of you," Kai says, his tone oddly sweet but threatening

"Is that a threat?" Zhena's expression turns to anger.

"No, that was an assessment of our situation." Kai responds.

In a swift movement, Zhena draws her knife and grabs Kai by his collar. "One more word, and I'll slit your throat." she warns, her voice filled with authority.

"Zhena—" I begin, attempting to ease her anger.

Kai, doesn't seem fazed. His demeanor remains calm, almost indifferent, as if he's been through situations like this before.

"Easy there," Kai says, not resisting Zhena's grip. "I'm not your enemy, and I'm not here to harm you. I'm just trying to survive like you two."

Zhena's eyes narrow, her grip on Kai's collar tightening. "You've got a strange way of surviving then, pointing a gun at us and all."

Kai smirks, seemingly unfazed by Zhena's aggression. "In a world like this, you can't be too trusting. You never know who might stab you in the back, or who might posses powers that could get you killed."

I interject, trying to ease the tension. "You seem to know an awful lot about these powers, why don't you start by explaining, so we can trust you more?"

Kai takes a deep breath, seemingly considering whether to share more information. "The powers you possess, they're not common. Mavis, the northern swordsmen, they fear what they can't control. And they definitely can't control what you have."

I furrow my brows, carefully taking in his words. "That still won't explain how you know all of this?"

Kai sighs, clearly annoyed. "I might also possess some powers, happy now?"

My eyebrows shoot up in surprise. From everything he could've said, that was the last thing I expected.

Zhena loosens her grip slightly, her skepticism evident. "So, if we can't go North then what do you suggest we do? Hide forever?"

Kai's expression grows serious. "No, hiding won't help. If you ever want to sleep peacefully, going North is your only option."

"Didn't you just say that they won't accept us?" I ask.

"I'm just saying what I heard." Kai says with a smile. Nothing that leaves his mouth seems generous or convincing. Zhena is right. We shouldn't trust this guy.

Zhena eyes Kai suspiciously. "Why would we trust you?"

Kai's gaze flickers between Zhena and me. Then, he shrugs, "You can trust me or not, but you don't have many options right now."

As the realization of our predicament sinks in, Zhena releases her grip on Kai's collar. "Fine, help us. But one wrong move, and we won't hesitate to defend ourselves."

Kai nods, a glimmer of approval in his eyes. "That's fine by me."

The sun sets in the distance as the uneasy alliance is formed in the face of another uncertain journey ahead. We gather our belongings, preparing to move towards the North with a lingering feeling of distrust among us.