Chapter 44: The Shadow's Illusion
Wex looked at Ren and simply snapped his fingers.
The world around Ren blurred and dissolved like ink in water. The house, the locked door, the ceiling—everything vanished. In a heartbeat, Ren found himself standing in the corner of a dark, filthy alleyway, his back against a cold brick wall. Wex was standing right in front of him, the same jagged dagger held loosely in his hand.
"How... how am I here?" Ren stammered, his eyes darting around the alley. "I was in the house! I locked the door!"
Wex let out a dry, rasping chuckle. "I told you, I'm the King's shadow. I'm not a healer, Ren. I'm a Master of Shadow Magic. You've been trapped in my 'Shadow Realm' since the moment you stepped out of Liraver's shop. Everything you saw—the carriage, the chase, the house—it was all a fake reality I built to tire you out."
Ren felt a cold sweat break out. He had been fighting a ghost the whole time.
"Now, talk," Wex's eyes glowed a deeper, more menacing red. "I don't enjoy killing kids or women unless they've done something truly monstrous. So tell me, what did a brat like you do to King Ziro? Why does he want you dead so badly that he sent me to do it secretly?"
Ren's mind raced. If I tell him Kaito is my brother, he'll kill me for sure. If I say nothing, he'll kill me anyway. He looked down, pretending to be defeated. "I... I don't know why the King is after me. I'm just a student. Please, just let me go. I haven't done anything!"
Wex stepped closer, the tip of the dagger grazing Ren's chin. "Last warning, kid. Tell me the truth, or I'll gut you right here and toss your body in the trash. No one will ever find you."
Ren looked up, his expression changing from fear to a sudden, sharp defiance. "You want to know the truth? Fine. I'll tell you..." Ren leaned in close, then barked, "FUCK YOU!"
Ren gathered every ounce of his Vane energy and slammed a desperate punch into Wex's stomach. The impact was solid. Wex was caught off guard, flying backward and crashing into a heavy metal dumpster with a loud CLANG.
Ren didn't wait to see the damage. He turned and sprinted toward the light at the end of the alley. I have to get to the main road! I have to find Kimo!
But as he reached the exit, the shadows on the ground surged upward like liquid. In a flash, Wex was standing right in his path, looking completely unbothered.
"Cute," Wex muttered.
Before Ren could react, Wex's boot connected with Ren's stomach in a brutal, lightning-fast kick.
CRACK!
Ren was launched backward, his body slamming into the brick wall with enough force to create a spiderweb of cracks in the stone. He slumped to the ground, the air driven completely from his lungs. A thick stream of blood escaped his mouth, staining the pavement.
The world began to go dark at the edges. Wex walked toward him, the bone-white knife spinning between his fingers. "You have spirit, I'll give you that. But spirit doesn't survive a shattered ribcage."