The Advent Of The End

Chapter 20: Smile

"Nice" Castriel said, reloading back her bow with a poison arrow, looking at the one she shot that hit its target accurately. "Clean shot".

"How clean do you think?" Someone said behind her, making her stand up and shot an arrow right behind her, and seeing that no one's there.

"Am I...dreaming?" She said to herself, clasping her head with one hand and the other with the tree branch she is positioned to.

"I can assure you" Someone said behind her again, now peeking on her face to see if she is really alive and well. "You're not dreaming".

After knowing where the enemy is, she kicked him from the chest and the result is his body hit the trees, making the tree rumble, leaves falling, and apples detaching from the branch. He stood up and regained his posture, only to see the lady have her bow targeted at him.

"HANDS UP!" Castriel said, locking her bow to his chest, making sure that she won't lose sight of him. He raised his hand up, signifying his surrender and wanting a peaceful resolution.

"WHO ARE YOU!?" She shouted, gripping the bow and the arrow tighter, her hands becoming numb and tired after trying to get a clear shot of the enemy not too long ago. "STATE YOUR PURPOSE!"

"My name is Evan" He said, his hands becoming a bit tired of raising it up. His heart beating fastly, thinking of a plan on how to get the girl to his side. "And my purpose?". He used his shadow walk and meld with the shadow behind him, feeling the cold of the dark, and searched for where the location of the lady is. While Castriel searched around to see where the guy is, fearing that she might get ambushed and killed without even fighting, which is a dishonorable death for her. When she turned around, the guy is already at her ear.

"To get you to my side, of course"

"DON'T MESS WITH ME!" She shouted, shooting the arrow at where Evan is supposed to be, only to see that he's already gone.

"Since, I know your boss" He whispered behind her again, at her left ear. Balancing himself perfectly at the thick, wide branch that holds them both. He moved closer to her ear "And your purpose of serving him".

"YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING!" She replied, shooting again after turning around, only to see no one there again. She started to fear the power the guy has, as she never saw a spell nor Makyo like this before. Something that melds with that shadowy part of an object. If an assassin has this kind of power, it will be easy enought to assassinate nobles, and he'll be living with fame and fortune. She must never gave him and opening, no matter what.

She rotated around, searching to where he might reveal himself next. She didn't anticipated something, which made her an easy target for him.

"AHHHHH!!!!" She screamed, seeing that she is pulled down to the dark, feeling a hand down at her legs, like someone is dragging her to the abyss. She didn't get a chance to retaliate, as for when she realized it, she had been pulled in to the shadow. It only lasted for two to three seconds at most, but her body felt cold and around her is only pitch dark, making her feel that she is in the void, before getting pulled back in to a nearby tree.

Both her hands were tied up in the tree bark, as she struggled to break free but the man is too strong for her. She tried summoning her bow, knowing deep in herself that she could, feeling a sensation of cold in her veins. However, she couldn't summon it, no matter how hard she tried. She struggled and struggled, wobbling her body has hard as she could, moving in all directions while kicking swiftly at her target, only to know that she's been kicking at the air this whole time. Feeling that her legs were aching and her hands still tied to something she didn't know, she finally give up.