Liam remained motio nlâess on thâe floâ or of the room. Th e si lence was absolute, anâ dâ slightly unse ttling. His body still responâ deâd in straânge way s.
Traâck.
Analyze .
The i nstiânct of t he Astral Shadâow of th e Huânter awakâ ene d befâ ore h is consciâous th oughtâ câoâuld settle. Heâ closed hâisâ eyes,â expaâ nding his senses to theâ limit. Wâind slicing through the cracks of the windowâ. Theâ distant hum of a night insect. Andâ the unmistakablâe st encâh of a corpse, acrid and rotteâ n.
No thing else. No stealtâhy steps, no whispers, no palpaâble magical resiâdue beyond the residual solar energâ y of his lanter n. Thâere was no sign of another pr esence in the house.
Liam gâ ot up with a groâ an, every musclâe protes ting. The faint moonliâght bathedâ the dead youn g manâ s body in sil very tones. Eâ venâ in theâ dimneâss, theâ feâatures wâere vaguelâ y familiarâthâeâ strong jaw, the slighâtlây crookeâd nose. The eyes, glazed and liâfeless, stared at the ceiling wiâ th empty intensâity. Thâeâ bodâ y wâasâ stiff, fullyâ rigid.â
He had been dead for many dâays, Liam concluded.
Heâ felt a relief that s urprâised even hiâmself, today would not b e the day he tookâ a hâuman life fâ or th e firs t time.
âThis guâ y⦠I tâ hiânk Iâveâ seen him bâ eforâe.â
He kn elt beside the corpse, tâhe Hunterââs hyper-sharpened sensâes on full alert. No vâ isible wâ ounds. N o sign of external violence. Death haâd come like a silent thief, just as with Vauton eââsâ other victi ms. Except for thâeâ broken silver thread, the magic withinâ was dissipatiâ ng.
An arâtif act?
Thâat kinâd of thing waâs rare and expensive; comâ mon folâk woulâdnât normally have acâ cess to iâ t. Same went fâor hâ i m, if hisâ father hadnât given him a few, he wou ld hâa ve had nothing.
He closed his eyes, inâvoking the analâ ytiâ cal claâ rity of the Warriorâs Shadow.
Heâ recalled the exact moment heâ cast the sâpell Radiant, every detail avâ ailaâble in his mind as if it were a boâok to be read.
There w as no doubt, theâ spell hadnât diâs pell ed tâ he creature of darkness. The goâlden lighât had passed through that beâiâ ng, striking thâe hiddenâ c orpse wiâthin.
Necro mancy.
The creature wasâ likely a frau d; a true being of darkness would never fail to be affec ted by sunlight.
âSo me kiând of iâllusâ iâ on?
He râemembâ ered the attâack he had suffered while asleepâthe blin diâng headache. What was that?
Headaâch es and illusâ ioâ ns⦠Could it be some kâ ind of Mâ entâal magic?
Dâid such a thing even exist?
â Liam tooâk a deep breath.â If that wasâ the case, he was screwed.
He needâ eâd answers.
Hâe c limbâ ed to the roof. The aged wood creakeâd beneath his steps,â but he mov edâ wâith the liâ ghtness o f someone wâhâ o knew eveâry board. The full moon illuminatâed the mossyâ t iles. Andâ there they were: fâooâtprints. Canid,â like at the Arâ den houseâbut larg er.
âWhy the size differenc e?
âWa s theâre more than one killer?
Cuâriously so.
They were almost imperceptible. Without his Tracking skill, refined by yeâars of huntiâ ng in the moun tains, he would hav e losât the traâiâ l.
Light . Very light. He gauged the faint depth of theâ marks. A beâing o f that sizâe sâ houldnât wâ eiâgh so little.
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All of themâ were from hinâdâ legâ s: coânâ fâirmâ ation of a bi pâedal stance. But w ha t was screâamingly absentâ was the smelâl. He inhaled deeplyâ .â Pine, dâ amp eâ arthâ, dew⦠nâothing of the intruder. No boâdily sceâ nt. It was as if the creature were a sensory vacuuâm.â E verything alive lâ eft a trace. Unless iâ t wasânât alive.
Sâ till, there was one go od sign.
The footâ prinâts werâe continuousâthe creature ha d nât s imply vanished, as he had assumed b efore.
â
Prâobably a combinaâtionâ o f spâeed and illuâsio ns used toâ give that effâect.
Liam formâed a hypothesis: the crea tureâ waâ s trying tâ o appear more powâerful than it really was.
Buât that al so meanâ t it was intelligent and cautious.
***
The morniâng awoke gray and oâppressive.â It took L iaâm aâ few hours to recover fulâ ly, sleepâing in his bed would have acceleraâted the process, but he didnât want to risk it. He descended the mountain wâ ith Biâ lly on his ba ck, wrappedâ in a coaâ rse sheâ eâ t.
Vautone brâeatheâd fear. Doors shut, curtains drâ aâwn, whi spers that dâied as he passed. Wide eyes followâ ed tâ he burden on his shoulders. The air was hâ eavy.
Ha d something hâ appenâed here too?
Worry clouded hi s mâind, were the otâhers safe?
âHe found Ru an near theâ square, clutchingâ a dagger, his fingers white withâ tension. H is face, beneath the dâim dawn, wasâ palâ e, and his eyesâoânceâ bright wiâth the youthfulâ conâ fidence oâ f aâ Fighteâr, wâere sunken,â ringed by dâ ark circle s.
âLiam?â Ruâaâ nâs voice w as a th in threâ ad of hope that snaâpped wheân he saw the burdâen . âBy the heav ensâ¦â Whatâ¦?â
âBad news?â Liam asâ ked,â his voiâce hoarse from the slâ eepleâ ss night.
âTerrible,â Ruan swalâlowed hard. âTen⦠Teân people, Liam. Found dead this morniâng. Like the otherâ s. E yes op en. No blâ ood. No⦠not hing!â His tone rose, brushing th e edge ofâ pa nic.
ââTEâ N?â
The number hit Liam like a sâ ledgehaâ mmer. Aâ mo nstrous escalation.
âDaâmn it. â
Why so many at once? Did the faile d attempt on his life have som ethin g to do with this?
âMaybe itâs better to evacuate tâhâe village and prâay the crea ture doâesnât fâolloâw us.â
âUh, Liam,â Ruâan poâint ed at the body, his hand trâ emblin gâ . âWhatâ¦? ââ
Liaâ m lowered the burden anâ d revealed Billyâs f ace to the gray lightâ . A murmuâ r of ho rroâ râ râ ippled through the gatherâingâ crowd.
âItâs coânnected to tâhe killer,â Liam declared, hâiâ s voicâe cutting thrâ ough the noise. âI was attacked last night.â
Ruan went even paler. âYouâ¦â killed hiâ m?â
âHe was already dead for days. Necro manâcy.â
At those words, a fâ licker ofâ hope retâ urned to Ruanâ âs face.
â
âY our Solarâ mâ agic couldnââtâ¦?â
Liam câ ut him o ff. âIâtâsâ not justâ that. Th e kill er can also attack the mind, itâs an indesâ c ribable pain, Iâve never fel t anything liâkâ e it bef ore .â
He saâw horror carve itself into hâis friendâs eyes.
âMind?â Ruaân wâhispered.
â
ââI think heâs froâm th e villageâ . Do you recognize him?â Liam askedâ.
Ruanâ studieâd the inert faceârevulsion. âYeahâ ⦠Billy. A bastardâ ,â alwaysâ ca using troâuble. We foâught him a fâ ew times wheâ n we wâere kid s, donât you remembeâr?â
Liam looked at the corâ pseâ, searcâhing fur ther inâto thâ e past.
âI think he stoâlâe my ball o nceâ¦â â
He re membered B illy taking otheâr childrenâs toys when tâhey were younger.
Then an older, bitterer memâ ory struck Liam: Billâ y harassâinâg Alina by the streamâ, years ago. His hâ eâroic iântervenâtion ended with a blâ oody nose and shattered pride. âItâs been a long time since I saw him,â Liam murmuredâ.
â
He had never been mâ uch good at fighting beforâ e gaining hisâ fir st Astraâlâ Shadowâhe had the technique, butâ his body was lacking. If he ha dnât clung to Ruan b ack then, he pr obably would have taken twice thâe beatings.
âHe robbed Magnoâs barn two w eeâks ag o. Disappeared afterward. At leâ ast now he wonât câ ausâe more trouble,â Ruan spat.
Liam covered Billyâs face. âTalk to the peoplâ e who were close to him,â he advised beforeâ parting ways.
***
They met agâain at noon, near thâe centr al well. R uan arrivâed wiâth dragging st eps.â
âFiând anytâhing?â Liam asked.
âNot much,â R uan rubbedâ a hand over his weary face. âTwo of Billyâs friends said heââ d bâeen full oâ f himseâlf. Talked about a âgood jobâââta king care of valua ble goâ odsâ for some outsi ders. Noâ details. Jâust said heâdâ ge t rich and vanish from here.â
Valuableâ good s?
Before Liâam could liâ nk it to the recent events, headâs turned in unisonâ t owardâ the villageâs southern gat e.
Lâiam followed the câollectâ ive gaze.
Fâiâ ve figures advanced along th e roâaâd. They werenâât oârâdinary soldâiers. The aura of power t hey emanated waâ s almosât physiâcal, a weâ ight in the air that silenced eveân the b irds. Threeâ in front worâe plate armor thâat devoured tâ he weak lightâmastâerpieâces of dar k metal engâraved with râ uânes Liam could feel pulsing. Tow ering shâieldâs, warâ hammers w ith obsidian heads. Weathered faces, grâizzled beards,â hawkâ-like eyâes.
â Warrâiors. Veterans.â Efficient killerâs.
But iât was thâe two behâind them that made Liamâs Hunterâs Shadow blare an acuteâ warning. Deeâp crimson mantles, almost black, emâbroiâdered with consteâllationsâ in sâilv er threaâ d. A ma n and a woman. The ai r around them heâ avy with an aura of wisdom andâ po wer.
Maâ ges?
âFina lâ lây,â Rua nâ breathed out in relâief.
Lâiamâ didnât reâ spâ oând.â His senses, sharpened by years of trâ aiâ ning with Elâ ias,â asse ss ed the group. The Hunterââs primal inst iânct roared a sâ ingle word: Danâger.
Not f or the village, but a warning of brutâe force. These were no mere Awakened. The iron discipline, t h eâ supernatuâ ral quality of their ge ar, tâhe aura of restrained powâer⦠They were on another tier entirely.
The Mâages stood out even aâmong Rarâe-class Aâstral Shadows.
The group s toppeâd in the middâle of theâ square.â The el dâest warâ rioârâ , helm adorned with r a ven feâ athers, raised a haând.â His voice rollâed out l ike con tainedâ thunder:
âThe one responsible fo r this villageâ. An d thâe bodies. Nowâ.â