Kai ran, but he could feel Ronan's weight on his shoulders.
His friend was exhausted, nearly unconscious, and every alley seemed narrower, every passage darker. The sound of torches and shouting behind them had faded, but it had not disappeared.
Sweat burned in his eyes. His chest felt as if he had swallowed embers.
He knew he wouldn't last much longer.
"Hold on… just a little longer," Kai said between ragged breaths.
"I… I'm slowing you down…" Ronan whispered weakly.
"Shut up, Ronan. You're not dying here."
They reached a side exit in the city wall, nearly hidden among stones and dry weeds.
It was their chance to escape.
Meanwhile, the townspeople gathered in the central square, still holding their torches high.
At that moment, the sound of hooves and metal echoed through the streets.
Six riders appeared, clad in white armor engraved with golden runes.
The villagers stepped aside as if light itself had descended from the heavens.
The captain dismounted first. His presence was almost suffocating.
"Speak. What happened here?" Seraphiel asked.
"An… abomination, sir!" a villager cried. "He escaped. He was carrying another with him. They ran into the alleys!"
Seraphiel turned his gaze to Anna, who was already smiling, as if she had been waiting for the hunt.
"Anna. Track them."
"With pleasure."
She knelt down, placing her hand on the stones still damp with sweat and footprints.
She murmured a chant, and lines of light spread across the ground, revealing the path Kai and Ronan had taken.
"They haven't gone far," Anna said softly. "I can still feel the trail burning."
"Then go," Seraphiel replied. "Show these villagers that the Light does not fail."
Anna moved ahead alone, swift as a white shadow.
Her steps made no sound. Her fists were protected by sacred steel gauntlets—reinforced knuckles engraved with golden runes.
She was a pugilist, trained not to carry swords, but to crush bones with her bare hands.
Kai and Ronan had reached the side gate.
Kai tried to force the wood open, nearly managing to create a gap, when a voice cut through the darkness.
"I found you."
Anna appeared like a flash of light, her right fist raised.
Kai barely had time to twist his body, pushing Ronan behind him, when the punch wrapped in light came crashing forward like a divine hammer.
The impact exploded against the stone wall, cracking it.
Ronan collapsed to the ground, far too exhausted to react.
Kai stepped in front of him, dagger in hand, his eyes locked on his enemy.
"Abomination. Now you won't escape."
And the chapter ends at the exact moment she lunges forward again, her glowing fist flying straight toward Kai.