As the four pressed forward along the narrow forest path, a heavy stillness suddenly fell over the air—as if the world itself had paused to watch what would unfold. Then, without warning, five armed men emerged from the shadows, cutting off their path. Their eyes gleamed with hunger, circling like wolves that had finally cornered prey.
At their front stood a towering man, broad-shouldered and scarred, a deep mark carved into his cheek like a permanent sneer.
"Well, well…" he drawled, his voice dripping with mockery. "Look what we have here. A pack of strays wandering into our land."
Shane didn't flinch. His gaze remained steady, cold as winter steel."And who are you," he asked quietly, "to speak of land? We're just passing through."
Jeff's laughter was low and coarse, echoing through the trees."I'm Jeff—the one who owns this road. And the law here is simple…" He slowly drew his blade, its edge glowing with a faint crimson hue. "You either give up everything you have… or you get buried beneath these trees."
The faint clatter of armor broke the tension as Thanatos stepped forward, his presence alone enough to disturb the air."We don't have time for this," he said, his voice heavy and final. "Step aside… or regret it."
Jeff's grin widened, feral and unhinged."Regret?" he spat. "That's the last thing you'll feel before you die."
The moment shattered.
Shane's sword left its sheath in a flash, erupting with violent green flames that twisted like living things. At the same instant, arcs of blue lightning crackled around Thanatos's scythe, illuminating the forest in brief, violent pulses. Chris pulled his bowstring taut, and a crimson arrow of pure energy formed between his fingers.
Only Lance hesitated.
His hands trembled as they tightened around the hilt of his sword, slick with sweat. His eyes darted between friend and foe, unable to tell which terrified him more.
Then the world erupted into chaos.
Steel collided with steel as Shane met Jeff head-on. Green fire clashed against red flame, and the impact sent a shockwave tearing through the ground beneath them, throwing both men backward.
Thanatos moved like a force of nature—silent, unstoppable. He descended upon two of Jeff's men with brutal precision. His scythe pierced the first man's chest in a single, fluid motion, cutting his life short before he could even scream. Without pause, Thanatos twisted, his weapon rising just in time to intercept the second attacker's strike.
Behind them, hidden by the chaos, Lance stumbled back and pressed himself against the rough bark of a tree. His breath came fast, uneven.
Then he saw it.
A shadow moving where it shouldn't.
One of Jeff's men was slipping through the fight unnoticed, dagger raised—aimed straight for Chris's unguarded back.
Time slowed.
Lance didn't think. He didn't hesitate.
Something deep within him—something raw, something new—took control.
He moved.
Silent as a whisper, he stepped behind the attacker and drove his sword forward.
The blade pierced flesh.
The man froze.
Then collapsed.
Lance staggered back, his chest heaving. His eyes locked onto the blood that now coated his blade—dark, real.
His first kill.
A scream tore through the battlefield.
"You damned rats!" Jeff roared, his voice breaking with fury as he watched his men fall one by one. "I'll burn you all alive!"
But his rage was cut short.
A wet, final sound echoed behind him.
Thanatos had already finished the second man.
For the first time, fear flickered in Jeff's eyes
He turned to run.
Too late.
Shane dragged his flaming blade across the ground. The earth split open with a violent crack, and from its depths rose three cursed spirits—twisted, wailing entities of pure malice. Two surged forward, devouring the fiery birds Jeff had summoned, while the third lunged after him, slamming him violently to the ground.
Elsewhere, Chris released his final arrow. It struck true, piercing the shoulder of an enemy archer. Both men staggered, drained and unsteady.
The wounded archer, desperate and trembling, raised his bow one last time—aiming straight at Chris.
But Lance was already moving.
With a sudden burst of speed, he closed the distance, his blade flashing as it struck the man's leg, forcing him to collapse. Then, without thinking—without feeling—Lance raised his sword high…
…and brought it down.
Silence followed.
Heavy. Suffocating.
The forest itself seemed to hold its breath.
Only one sound remained.
"Please…" Jeff's voice trembled, broken, stripped of all arrogance. He lay on the ground, dirt and blood clinging to him. "Take everything… gold, weapons… anything… just let me live."
Slow, deliberate footsteps approached.
Thanatos.
He stood over Jeff, his shadow swallowing what little light remained. His eyes were empty—devoid of pity, of hesitation, of mercy.
"In this world," he said coldly, "those who prey on others… have no right to beg."
Jeff opened his mouth.
But no words came.
The scythe fell.
And in an instant, it was over.
Jeff's body collapsed into stillness, his head rolling across the blood-soaked ground.
The battle had ended.
And in its wake, only silence remained
deep, unnatural…
and utterly unforgiving.