Part 20

The eerie silence of Syrena was unsettling. Eucalyptus, Shaya, and Zephyr moved cautiously, their weapons at the ready. NaïKu was still missing, but there was no time to dwell on that now. They had to focus. Their lead on a Cross member had brought them dangerously close to Nicosa, a place crawling with enemies.

Eucalyptus halted suddenly, her heart pounding. Something was off. She scanned the trees above and there, in the shadow of a twisted oak, sat a young man, no older than twenty. His eyes pierced through her, cold and sharp. Shaya noticed him next, her hand instinctively gripping her sword. Zephyr, blind but ever aware, tensed up.

"Hello…?" Eucalyptus called out softly, her voice trembling just a little. The boy leapt down from the tree in a fluid motion, landing without a sound. As he straightened, the Cross-shaped scar across his eye caught the light. A Sub-Boss. They were in serious trouble.

"I'm Rune," he said, his voice calm, almost too calm. "And I’m going to kill you." His hand slid into his pocket, too casual for the danger that rippled in the air.

In an instant, the world exploded into chaos.

Rune moved first, sweeping his arm outward. Sand from the earth below surged like a tidal wave, swirling around him before crashing toward the group. Eucalyptus reacted, her heart racing, and the world around her slowed. Time froze. For two minutes, everything stood still—except her. She saw the deadly sandstorm frozen mid-air and quickly grabbed Shaya and Zephyr, pulling them out of harm’s way.

The moment the two minutes ended, the sand slammed into the spot they’d been standing. Rune didn’t even blink, his sharp eyes following their every move. Eucalyptus readied herself. She would need more than just her time-stopping ability to face him. She shifted into her animal form—a koala—leaping onto a tree to avoid another blast of sand, her small form making her a harder target.

Shaya, in the meantime, moved like a shadow. Her sword flashed in the sunlight as she darted toward Rune with the grace of a dancer. But Rune, a master of weaponry, parried every strike with a short blade he pulled from his coat. The clash of metal echoed through the forest, Shaya twisting and turning, her feet never still, while Rune countered every attack with cold precision.

Zephyr, crouching behind a tree, felt his body shift as his magic took hold. His mutation began—a thick, leathery skin like a beast’s, with the strength to match. His ears twitched, keenly tracking Rune’s every move. Though blind, he let his arrows fly with deadly accuracy, each one aimed by instinct and honed senses. But Rune wasn’t fazed. The arrows were swallowed by his swirling sand, never even touching him.

Rune flicked his wrist, and the sand beneath Zephyr’s feet rose like tendrils, wrapping around him. He struggled to break free, his mutated strength helping, but not enough. Eucalyptus watched in horror. She had to do something. Her mind raced—time was still on her side, though she couldn't stop it again just yet.

In desperation, she decided to visit Rune’s mind. She closed her eyes, allowing herself to slip into the realm of dreams. She had ten minutes inside his subconscious. There, in the stormy landscape of his thoughts, she saw a glimpse of his past—a boy, broken by the Cross, torn apart by betrayal and violence. But his resolve was unshakable, and even in this dream world, he pushed her out with force.

Back in the real world, the fight raged on. Shaya, now shifted into her wolf form, barreled into Rune with raw power, her teeth bared, and her weight driving him backward. But even then, Rune managed to maintain control, his blade cutting into Shaya's side, drawing blood. She howled but pressed forward.

Suddenly, Zephyr broke free of the sand, pulling his bowstring tight, his deer form giving him speed and agility. He loosed another arrow, this time imbued with magic, and it whizzed through the air, aiming for Rune’s heart. At the last second, Rune twisted his body, the arrow grazing his arm, blood splattering onto the sand.

Eucalyptus, shifting back into her human form, knew they were running out of time. They couldn’t win this fight by brute force alone. Summoning every ounce of strength, she stopped again. For the briefest moment, she had a vision—a future glimpse. Rune’s hand reaching into his coat, pulling out a second blade. He would go for Shaya’s throat next.

Without hesitation, Eucalyptus screamed, “Shaya, move now!”

Shaya leapt just as Rune's blade swiped through the air where her neck had been, missing by a hair. She pounced forward, taking the opening, her claws slashing across Rune’s chest. Blood poured from the wound, but he didn’t falter.

With a roar, Zephyr loosed another enchanted arrow, this time finding its mark. It pierced Rune’s shoulder, forcing him to drop his weapon.

The forest fell eerily silent. Rune stumbled, gripping his shoulder, his eyes still cold but now laced with something else. Pain. Without a word, he fell to his knees, his hand still clutching the sand as though it could protect him.

But it was over.

Breathing heavily, Eucalyptus stood over him. She didn’t move to finish him off.

Rune smiled faintly, his blood-soaked body crumbling to the ground. His once cold, sharp eyes were now softened with pain, exhaustion—and something that felt like relief. Eucalyptus’s heart raced as she knelt beside him, her hands shaking. Shaya was already at his side, trying to hear his final words. Rune's chest rose and fell unevenly, the blood pooling beneath him dark and thick. His lips trembled as he whispered, “Thank you.”

Eucalyptus froze. "What do you mean, thank you?" Her voice cracked, confusion mixed with panic. This man who had moments ago sworn to kill them was now thanking them? She didn’t understand. She couldn't.

Rune’s eyes fluttered open, his breaths shallow, ragged. "Please... destroy the Cross. Destroy it... for all of us." His voice was barely audible, each word labored, as though it took every ounce of strength he had left to speak. Blood stained the ground, spreading around him in a dark, cruel halo.

Eucalyptus’s mind raced. Why would he want that? They had just been fighting for their lives, and now... this? Her hands pressed into the dirt as she leaned in closer, her heart pounding in her ears. “What are you talking about? I don’t understand—” Her voice was frantic, desperate to make sense of the dying man’s words.

But Rune only gave a weak smile, eyes glazing over as the weight of his injuries began to pull him under. “I had to die… to protect it. To protect Kumo.” The name hit Eucalyptus like a punch to the chest. Kumo? Her old friend, tangled in the chaos of the Cross? “It’s waiting for you… please. Save it. Take it away… from Asael.” His voice was fragile, barely there, but the pleading in it—his begging—was unmistakable. He closed his eyes again, his breathing slowing with each passing second.

Shaya stood, understanding what was happening. She didn’t say a word, but her silence spoke volumes. Zephyr, who had fought so fiercely beside them, bowed his head. He could feel the heaviness in the air, the unspoken truth that hung over them.

Eucalyptus stayed kneeling, staring at Rune’s face, at the blood that was too much, too fast. Her throat tightened as her vision blurred with tears she fought to hold back. “Kumo was lucky to have a friend like you,” she whispered, her voice shaking. She reached out, brushing Rune’s blood-streaked hair back from his face. “You can go now, Rune. I’ll save it. I swear.” Her words were barely audible, choked with emotion.

Rune’s chest rose once more, weakly, then fell. The tension in his body relaxed, his face softening into a final stillness. Eucalyptus felt the weight of his passing like a stone sinking deep into her soul. He was gone. And his cross-shaped scar disappeared.

For a long, agonizing moment, there was nothing but silence. The world felt hollow, as if it had lost something precious in that single breath Rune never took.

Part 21