Chapter 3: Something Hatched
Blood soaked into the cut lines on the sheepskin scrolls.
A second later, the ground under their boots lit purple.
The lines spread through the dirt and grass roots. They stretched out from each man and linked together, forming one big spell circle around the fire.
The marks on the ground burned brighter. Their purple light pushed back the fire’s orange glow and made the assassins’ eyes look pale and empty.
The air shook.
The wind around the fire was forced away. Grass bent outward in a wide ring, pressed low against the ground.
Small purple sparks gathered above the circle. The light pulled together bit by bit, packing itself into a tight ball in the air.
The men in black went pale. The cuts on their palms bled harder. Blood ran down their fingers and into the scrolls. Even their hands started to shake.
The spell was not done yet.
They had not finished the chant.
Kael moved anyway.
He stomped into the bloody mud and rushed away from the campfire.
The old curved saber in his hand drew a pale line through the dark. It cut into the first man at the waist and came out through the opposite shoulder.
The assassin’s scroll had only started to glow when his body split apart.
Blood and purple light sprayed out together.
Pffft!
Kael was already on the second man.
He did not give them time to finish another word.
He hit the edge of the spell circle and swung his saber across the second man’s neck. The word "power" died in the man’s throat as his head flew off.
The third assassin tried to jump back, but the glowing lines under his boots held him in place.
By the time he tried to pull free, Kael was close enough for the man to smell wine on his breath.
Kael chopped straight down.
The saber went through shoulder, chest, and belly.
The man split open and dropped.
The purple light shook.
The spell in the air broke apart. With the chant cut off, it had nothing left to hold it together. It burst like a firework that had gone wrong.
The spell circle went dark piece by piece.
Soon, only a few torn scrolls were left on the grass, soaked with blood and giving off a weak purple light.
Kael bent down and picked up one of them.
His fingers tightened.
He crushed the old sheepskin in his fist. The marks flashed once, then turned into powder.
Kael brushed the powder off his hand and spat.
He hated these so-called Shadowblade elites.
Hated how they depended on magic for everything.
And honestly?
He had a point.
What kind of idiot stood on a battlefield and waited for his enemy to finish chanting?
"Ptooey! What kind of slimy trash did those nobles hire? Sending cheap assassins like you to kill me?"
Kael kicked a twitching corpse away from his boot and kept cursing.
"Worthless. Trash. Dressed in black like you’re something special. You look like sewer rats from Blackrat Lane. Filthy and stinking."
He flicked his saber once, throwing a thin line of blood onto the grass.
Then he put the battered weapon back over his shoulder and looked around.
The disgust on his face was obvious.
Wind blew through the camp.
Around the fire, the grass was red and burned. Broken blades, torn scrolls, cracked masks, and severed heads lay everywhere.
A few moments ago, these men had been Shadowblade elites.
Now they were just meat.
"Ha!"
Kael suddenly turned and shouted toward the Black Forest behind him.
His voice cut through the night and went straight into the trees.
Rustle.
Crash.
Branches shook above.
A dark figure shot through the treetops, landing on thick branches as he ran deeper into the forest. His black clothes flashed between the leaves a few times, then disappeared.
Kael clicked his tongue.
"Tch. Coward. That’s who they sent to kill me? With skills like that, you should be home crying in your mother’s arms!"
After throwing out one last insult, he turned away.
Only then did he notice something near the fire.
"Huh. What’s that?"
On the far side of the campfire sat a golden egg.
It came up to Kael’s waist. It was hard, smooth, and nothing like any bird egg he had ever seen.
The men in black must have dropped it there before they attacked.
After all the blood thrown around in the fight, the egg still lay in the grass with only a little mud and crushed straw stuck to its shell.
Kael frowned and walked over.
He reached out and knocked on it with his knuckles.
Thump. Thump.
Dull.
Solid.
Not hollow.
"What the hell is this thing? Can I eat it?"
He walked halfway around the egg, then crouched and stared at the shell.
He waited.
Nothing.
No sound.
No movement.
No answer.
Kael was not a patient person.
"What kind of stupid thing— Fine. I’ll eat it!"
As he spoke, he reached back and drew the old curved saber again.
The blade caught the firelight.
Kael gripped the hilt with both hands, raised it over his head, and aimed at the golden egg.
He was about to crack it open like a butcher.
Perfect.
Midnight snack.
A reward for his hard work tonight.
He was already wondering what a giant egg would taste like when—
Wait.
What?
Just as the blade was about to fall, the golden shell cracked by itself.
Crack.
A thin line opened near the top and ran downward.
Then another.
Then a third.
Cracks spread across the shell, and the whole egg began to shake.
Kael froze with the saber still raised.
Before he could curse, white light burst through the cracks.
The fire disappeared inside it.
Kael lifted one arm to cover his eyes and stumbled back half a step. The light hit his face so hard his eyes stung.
Even the wind stopped for a second.
The grass around the egg turned pale.
"Ah! You rotten piece of crap!"
Kael’s temper flared at once.
He gripped the saber tighter.
Only one thought remained in his head.
The moment the light was gone, he was chopping this stupid egg to pieces.
At last, the white light faded.
Kael lowered his arm.
And saw a girl.
She was sitting inside the broken shell.
Small.
Barely up to his waist.
Golden shell pieces lay all around her. A few stuck to her hair and shoulders, like she had just pushed her way out.
Her large eyes stared up at the boy holding a saber over her.
Kael’s face froze.
Her head was a little too large for a human child.
Her body was small and round, almost the same size as her head.
She did not look human.
Kael’s eyes moved upward.
Silver hair fell from the top of her head all the way to the ground, spreading over the broken shell pieces around her.
On her round little head were two small horns.
Since she had just hatched, they were not sharp yet.
Just two smooth little bumps.
She kept staring at him.
Her eyes were wide and clean.
No fear.
No hate.
Only plain curiosity, like she had just opened her eyes for the first time.
Her small pink mouth moved, as if she was trying to learn how to make a sound.
Kael still held the saber in his hand.
For once, he did not bring it down.
The girl looked up at him and slowly spoke in broken Imperial Common.
"Da... da?"
