Chapter 15 — The Eye Is the Truth
The Vestige roared again.
Not the wild cry from before.
This time it was longer. Focused. Angry.
The sound rolled across the land and did not fade quickly.
Everyone felt it.
The creature lowered its body and shifted its weight. Its eyes locked onto one side of the circle. Not Arun. Not the strongest fighters. The weakest gap. The man who had slowed after the earlier hit.
It moved.
Fast.
Too fast for its size.
The Vestige charged straight through the circle, ignoring blades, ignoring arrows. A sword struck its shoulder and slid off like it had hit stone. An axe landed on its back with full force. The impact echoed, but the edge did nothing. Arrows hit its chest and belly, snapped, and fell uselessly.
The Vestige slammed into the ground and swung its body sideways.
A man went down hard.
His leg bent wrong as he hit the dirt. A sharp cry escaped him before he could stop it. He rolled, dragging himself back with his arms, blood soaking his pants.
He was alive.
But he was out.
The circle broke.
Confidence broke with it.
This was no clean hunt.
This was not controlled.
This was survival.
"Hold positions!" Arun shouted.
No panic. No retreat.
"Move wide. Don't bunch!"
The team obeyed on instinct. They spread out again, slower now, more careful. The Vestige turned its head again and again, tracking movement. Its breathing was heavy. Thick saliva dropped from its mouth. Its chest rose and fell like a bellows.
Arun watched closely.
No tricks.
No help.
Just eyes and judgment.
He saw it.
Every time the Vestige made a heavy move, there was a short delay. Half a second. Barely visible. When pressured from two sides, it overcommitted. When forced to turn too fast, its back leg dragged slightly.
Built to ambush.
Not built for long fights.
"Stop trying to cut it," Arun said.
"Force it to move. Make it turn. Keep pressure."
They changed instantly.
No wild strikes.
No rushed shots.
One man stepped in, drew an attack, then rolled away. Another followed, forcing the Vestige to turn again. Dust kicked up. The ground cracked under its weight. It roared in frustration and swung wider, harder.
It was getting angry.
That was dangerous.
And useful.
The Vestige lunged again, this time straight at Arun.
Arun didn't move back.
He moved sideways.
The creature slammed past him and twisted hard to follow. Its claws tore through dirt. Its body lagged for a breath.
Arun saw its eyes clearly then.
Dark. Alert.
Avoiding.
It shifted its head every time something came close to its face.
It knew.
Arun's jaw tightened.
That was the key.
"Shogan," Arun said calmly.
The man stepped forward without hesitation.
Everyone knew him by that name. Shogan. Quiet. Heavy-built. Always steady. No one asked questions about his past. No one needed to. Strength like his did not need explanation.
Only Arun knew his real name.
Aditya Giri.
And only Arun knew how far his strength went.
In this team, Shogan was the strongest. Stronger than Arun. Stronger than anyone there. That was why Arun chose him.
"You draw it," Shogan said.
"Yes," Arun replied. "I'll hold it. You take the eyes."
"Roger."
No drama. No debate.
Arun stepped forward and raised his weapon, making sure the Vestige saw him clearly. He moved openly now. Provoking. Drawing attention.
"Here," Arun shouted. "Come on."
The Vestige answered with a scream and charged.
Arun met it head-on.
He dodged at the last second, struck its side, and stayed close. Too close for comfort. The Vestige snapped at him, missed, and slammed its body sideways. Arun rolled, came up fast, and struck again.
It followed him.
Exactly as planned.
Behind the chaos, Shogan moved.
Silent. Low. Fast.
He did not rush. He waited for the moment. The opening Arun was creating with every risky move.
The Vestige raised its head to bite.
That was it.
Shogan lunged.
He drove his blade straight into the Vestige's eye.
Once.
The scream that followed shook the ground.
Shogan didn't stop.
Twice.
Three times.
Four.
Five.
Each stab deep. Precise. Brutal.
Dark blood burst out, spilling over his arms, his chest, the ground. The Vestige thrashed wildly, slamming its body into the dirt, claws tearing at nothing.
Then its movements slowed.
Its legs failed.
The roar broke into a wet, broken sound.
And then it collapsed.
The body froze.
No breath.
No movement.
Silence fell again, heavier than before.
Then the body began to fade.
Slowly. From the edges inward. Like smoke being pulled away. In less than a minute, nothing remained.
Except one thing.
A small object lay where the chest had been.
Shining.
A relic.
No one moved toward it.
Arun looked at Shogan. "It's yours."
Shogan wiped blood from his face and nodded.
"You killed it," Arun continued. "Keep it in contact with your body. Any part. Don't break contact. Over time, you may gain durability like that thing had."
No promises.
No myths.
Just truth learned in blood.
Shogan picked it up and secured it against his skin without a word.
The injured man was lifted carefully. He was conscious, breathing hard, teeth clenched. Pain, but alive.
Arun scanned the area.
Weapons damaged.
Stamina low.
Noise had carried far.
This land had heard them.
"We go back," Arun said. "Now."
No one argued.
They turned as one and began the long walk back toward the Horizon.
Behind them, the land stayed quiet.
But no one believed it was empty anymore.