Hunter and Hunted

The dust still clung to Lucas's heels as he left the city.The map rested in his hand, but his mind was a whirlwind of noise.

"They're coming."

The whisper cut through his mind like a blade dipped in ice.

He stopped.The wind shifted.The air filled with the scent of rust and ashes.

And then, he heard it.

A roar.

The sky split open in flames. A wall of fire tore through the clouds.

The earth exploded beneath his feet. Shards of stone flew like starving blades.

Lucas leapt aside.The second blast came before he even touched the ground.

This time, he didn't retreat.He advanced.

He ran through the flames. His skin crackled, the smell of charred flesh clung to the air.But he kept going.

The Dragon Knights

Dragons carved through the sky like living spears. Fire, steel, fury.

Knights in black armor wielded enchanted lances, each one vibrating with an ancient aura.

Lucas recognized the crests.The same kingdom he had left in ruins.

Sir Aldric landed first.The others followed, forming a line.Silence fell for a moment—and then came the sneer.

"So this is it?" said Sir Aldric with a crooked smile. "The fugitive from the dungeons. I expected more scars... or at least a little more fear in your eyes."

Another knight laughed.

"I was expecting a living shadow... not a beggar soaked in dry blood."

"The fallen hero at last," mocked another. "They sing songs about a massacre. But looking at you now..."

He spat on the ground.

"...the legend seems a bit exaggerated."

Lucas didn't answer.But his shoulders trembled slightly.

It wasn't fear.It was the effort not to smile.

Sir Aldric stepped forward, voice firm.

"We were at the front. When we returned, they said a prisoner had escaped. That the entire prison was stained with blood. But there were no bodies. Only silence."

His eyes burned with a contained rage.

"We swore to hunt the one responsible. And look who we found."

Lucas lifted his face, eyes hollow like an ancient abyss.

The Abyss whispered:

"They think there's still mercy left in you."

Lucas smiled.A dry, fractured smile.

"If you came for vengeance..."

His eyes burned crimson.

"...then bring everything you have."

The Perfect Hunter

The first knight charged with brutal force.

Lucas didn't dodge.He waited.The blade swung.

And then... silence.

The strike cut through the air.Lucas was no longer there.

The knight looked around—confused.

Something touched the back of his neck.

Too late.

Lucas appeared behind him, already holding his severed head.

He dropped it to the ground like discarding a useless weight.

One of the knights stepped back, voice trembling.

"H-He's not supposed to be able to do that..."

The Fury of Dragons

Another knight dove from the skies, sword raised high.

Lucas lifted his eyes.A breath of calculation amidst the chaos.

When the blade fell, he took a single step.The steel brushed past his face by mere millimeters.

The knight hit the ground.Lucas was already behind him.

His hand pierced through the armor.And pulled.

A scream.Brief.The man's chest was ripped open like soft clay.

Blood painted the earth.

The dragons roared.

One dove in flames, its mouth wide like a living furnace.

Lucas ran toward the fire.His skin split open, but he didn't stop.He couldn't.

He leapt.

Grabbed the creature's horns and twisted.

"Down."

The neck snapped.The dragon fell like a dying meteor.

Lucas jumped free before the impact.Another roar followed.

He spun in midair. His blade already in hand.

It sliced through the wind.

A dragon's head spiraled upward.

But then—a flash.

Something sliced through the air and grazed Lucas.

He was hurled against the rocks.He rolled, tasting blood.Lay there for a second—his shoulder burned. His flesh sizzled.

For a moment, Lucas touched his wrist—But there was only charred skin and silence.

The Spear of the Gods

Sir Aldric watched.Cold.Unmoving.

He spat on the ground.

Lifted his spear.

The air around the weapon cracked.

Lucas felt it before he saw it.A pressure.A warning.

"This spear..."

"Isn't meant for men," completed Sir Aldric. "It's the Spear of the Gods. One of the three sacred treasures."

Lucas clenched his teeth.

"Forged from the bones of a god. Used in the war against the ancient Demon King."

The blade absorbed the light, as if it wanted to devour the world.

"It doesn't pierce. It erases."

Sir Aldric charged.

Lucas tried to dodge.But the space beside him disappeared.Air, dust, sound—everything was erased.

One mistake.One mistake and he would cease to exist.

He hesitated.His heart skipped a beat.

But before he could react—

The wind shifted.

The Arrival of the Mage

Lucas turned his head.Sir Aldric did too.

Something split the air, as if an invisible force cracked the horizon.

At the top of the hill, a silhouette.

A man.

No armor.No blade.But with eyes that burned like two extinguished suns.

The shadows around him shrank.The dragons recoiled.

"This isn't your battle," said Sir Aldric, trying to keep his voice steady.

The man smiled.

"Interesting."

Lucas didn't move.But he felt it.The air around him had changed.

Sir Aldric hesitated.

He looked at Lucas. Then at the stranger.

Something was wrong.Very wrong.

"Retreat."

And silence closed around the battlefield like a tomb.