Chapter 112-You Are Not!
"Fuuh… Did I lose him?" Rin thought as he rested his black on a wall while keeping his eyes on the way he came from. He was sure that the three men didn't see him since he ran away quickly. But, he wasn't sure whether one of them followed him or not.
'I still have a few minutes before Aria will come after me. I can take a detour and then go back to her from the other side.' He thought to himself as he calmed himself down. His heart was still beating fast but he was now way more composed than before.
Rin felt really ashamed that he had to run so cowardly like that but he was one that knew his limits and those men are clearly way above his limits. If he did stay, he was sure that his death was set in stone.
After waiting for some time, he checked his mana pool to see how much he has left.
'Tsk, I can only use it for one or two more minutes at most. Not optimal.' Rubbing his chin, he tried to think of his next steps.
But, before he could even do anything, he heard the sound of a strong wing gush. His mind wasn't even able to register what happened. His body, however, was faster to react as his survival instincts kicked in and he quickly dived into the shadows again without thinking twice.
Not even a split second passed and someone appeared near where he was standing just a moment ago. Looking at him with his eyes widened and his heart almost popping out of his chest, he saw the burly man from before.
His dark violet eyes looked around ominously as if he was searching for something. His aura kept pressuring the area to the point of suffocation. However, Rin couldn't really bother about that, not when his life was this threatened.
Then, the man vanished again like a lightning bolt, leaving behind a small cloud of dust.
'Fuck…' Rin cursed as he peeked out of the shadows slightly. His face was sweating and his heart was beating at maximum heart rate, threatening to burst at any moment. The fear that Rin was feeling at this moment was somehow rooted in his whole being even though he only met these people barely a few minutes ago.
How can someone be so maliciously powerful that he could turn him into a scared mess just from being there? That wasn't something that only sheer strength can do. There was something else about these people that made them so oppressive. Something that Rin couldn't grasp quite yet.
'He's still roaming the place. If he stumbles upon Aria by coincidence or finds her… I don't want to even imagine what could happen.'
Clenching his teeth, Rin decided to move faster and leave the area with Aria as fast as possible before the burly man finds them.
*Swish*
Taking a peek left and right, Rin started moving quickly but silently, crossing each street after making sure the man wasn't close by. The sheer nervousness that he felt at the moment made him think about leaving this place quickly without looking back. But, he would immediately shut those thoughts up and focus on what he needed to do.
'If Aria ends up harmed because of me… I will never forgive myself.'
After moving for some time, he reached the street where he left Aria at.
'Where is she?' He clicked his tongue as he looked around. He barely had any time left and his mana pool will be completely emptied. He also can't get out to drink a mana potion because not only does the potion not restore his mana instantly, but it also takes some time to take effect in contrast to healing potions' instant effect.
*Swish*
Leaving the shadows, Rin looked around him as he tightly grasped his dagger, ready for anything to jump on him.
'Aria, where are you goddamit?' He was getting more and more frustrated the more he looked around. She should've been here now yet she isn't. Was she caught? Did she go search for him?
*swish*
Suddenly, the same sound of wind he heard before reached his ears. Rin felt the hair on his arms stand up and quickly tried to hide. He had no way of entering his shadow again so the only thing he could do was to try and hide outside.
'Fuck, fuck, fuck…' He cursed as he closed his eyes.
*Tap* *Tap* *Tap* *Tap*
The sound of steps kept getting closer and closer to his place of hiding. With each passing second, he felt his fear grow bigger and bigger.
But, before taking the last step, the one that could potentially make the burly man discover Rin, he suddenly changed direction and started walking away. The relief that Rin felt was so big that he almost laughed.
However, that relief didn't last long…
"Sneaky insect."
In a moment, the burly man manifested beside him, looking down with his dark purple eyes disdainfully at Rin.
Then, without hesitation, he grabbed RIn by the throat and lifted him up.
"Ugh!!" Rin struggled to release himself as he started suffocating slowly.
"Too curious for your own good?" The man asked.
However, RIn had no way of answering.
After that, the man turned around and smashed Rin's body against the hard wall.
"Blurgh!!" Air was knocked out of his lungs and his eyes widened.
But, it was far from over, the man then lifted him up again and smashed him on the wall, face first. The cement cracked and a small hole appeared where Rin was bashed.
*Smash* *Smash* *Smash*
The man kept hitting him on the wall again and again and again ruthlessly. Blood splashed out of Rin's nose and mouth. He was on the verge of getting knocked out. However, he knew that if he collapsed now, he was dead for sure.
After twenty or more hits, the man pulled Rin and asked.
"Why did you follow us?"
"Ugh…I-I have no idea… Ugh, what you are talking about.."
*Smash*
"Speak."
"I sai-"
*Smash*
The beating didn't stop at all and Rin didn't try to say anything to the man. Whether he dies or not, the most important matter is that if he survives this, the trouble will only sweep everyone around him with him. Elise, Aria, his parents, and everyone else will be a target.
*Swish*
Seemingly getting bored of this, the burly man pulled Rin out and threw him on the ground.
"Cough! Cough! Cough."
Then, he pulled out a black dagger and aimed it at Rin's face.
"Pay for your grave mistake."
After spitting out a mouthful of blood, Rin looked at the man, and in a totally unexpected outcome, he smiled widely.
"Before you do anything… Ugh, tsk… I want to say one thing…"
The man's cold eyes didn't waver at all but he didn't immediately kill Rin.
The latter then lifted his arm up and flipped his middle finger slowly.
"Fuck you." His grin was so carefree that it would make anyone halt from shock. He had acted like this while still feeling that crippling fear of the man. Even Rin was slightly impressed at his own attitude. Fear somehow didn't stop him from
Without hesitation, the man then pierced with his dagger, aiming for Rin's throat. He didn't even hesitate for a second to end his life. Closing his eyes, Rin waited for the inevitable.
But, less than a second later, he still didn't feel the cold blade pierce his body and the long, cruel pain that comes with it.
Opening his eyes slowly, he looked at the man with a confused gaze. But, that confusion completely shifted eventually.
The man's hand started shaking, and his aura also completely vanished as if something swallowed it. Everything about him became nothing but an illusion.
"No way…"
His dagger dropped to the ground as he started retreating, his eyes never leaving Rin.
"There is no way… No, it is not possible…No! No!" Holding his head, he started muttering quickly as if he was in complete shock.
His fingers dug deep into his head as blood spilled out quickly and coated his veil in a darker shade of black. His eyes were fidgeting left and right as he kept retreating back as quickly as he could.
"What is wrong with him…?"
The man's hands kept digging into his head and injuring him again and again and again, like an artist carving a statue out of hard stone. His skin peeled off and his face looked even more hollow than before. Hell, even the veil couldn't hide the hideous state he turned into.
It was as if in less than a second, he completely lost his mind. But it wasn't as if he just decided to turn insane by himself. Something had happened that made him like that. But, Rin couldn't see that at all, his eyes were closed and even if they were open, he was sure that nothing changed around him. It all didn't make sense. Nothing made sense.
"You are not! It can't be!!! This is a lie!! A fucking lie!!! Our lord is not merciful!! It can't be him!! You are nothing to him!! I say! You are nothing!!"
Turning around, the man then ran away quickly without looking back.
(A//N: No, it's not a plot armor for those asking. I am building future plot points from now as they are what will flesh this arc out.)
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