Oh no... I've been caught. But... How does he know I'm here? Evandria’s breath caught in her throat.

Her heart pounded loudly as she slowly stepped out from behind the tree. The moonlight revealed her blue eyes, wide with unease.

Elion’s tear-streaked face was expressionless again. But his eyes… they still carried the weight of what she had just witnessed.

“I wasn’t trying to spy,” she said, her voice calm as usual, though she felt nervous inside.

What is he going to do now? Should I run away? But that wouldn’t change anything. I shouldn’t have followed him here, she thought, her mind racing.

Elion looked at her but said nothing. Instead, he began walking toward her, one step, then another.

“W-wait—why are you coming closer?” Evandria panicked, taking a step back. “I told you I’m not here to—”

Before she could finish, Elion closed the distance between them. Now he stood too close. Then his arm firmly wrapped around her waist and pulled her tightly against his chest.

Evandria gasped. "W-what—what are you doing?!" she blurted as her eyes widened.

Before she could even process what was happening—

Whoosh.

An arrow tore through the air, aimed straight at them.

Elion’s free hand lifted calmly.

Crack.

He caught the arrow mid-flight.

Evandria’s breath caught in her throat. “…What?”

Without even sparing it a glance, Elion tightened his grip, and the arrow snapped in half before the broken pieces fell to the ground.

“Well, well, I’m impressed you were able to sense our presence.” A voice echoed through the vineyard, amused and cold.

Figures emerged between the vines. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six.

“But I thought there was only one of you. I didn’t know there would be two.” The same voice spoke again.

Seeing them, Evandria’s chest tightened. Assassins… Are they here for Elion?

Elion immediately moved her behind him. “Stay back,” he said quietly. His icy tone left no room for argument.

“Guess we’ll just have to take care of both,” said the one who appeared to be their leader.

Evandria’s breath hitched. Her heart pounded violently.

Elion’s cold blue eyes turned toward the man. “I’d like to see you try.”

The first attacker lunged at him.

Slice.

The blade cut through the air where Elion’s neck had been a second earlier, missing by inches as he twisted aside. In the same motion, his hand shot out, seized the attacker’s wrist, and snapped it.

“Aaaarrrggh!” the man screamed as the bone broke.

Elion immediately slammed him into the ground. The impact knocked the air from the attacker’s lungs as dust rose around them.

Before the first body had even gone still, another shadow rushed in from behind.

Evandria gasped. “Behind you!” she shouted.

Elion turned at the sound of her voice. The blade struck his palm with a sharp clang as he caught it between his fingers.

In the next instant, he drove his elbow into the attacker’s throat.

A sickening crunch followed, and the man collapsed, choking.

Two more attackers charged at once, one striking high, the other sweeping low.

Elion leapt, the lower blade cutting through nothing but air. For a heartbeat, he seemed suspended, his coat flaring behind him. Then his foot connected with the first man’s chest, sending him flying backward onto the ground.

The second blade came fast, slashing upward. It tore through the fabric of Elion's sleeve, grazing it but never touching skin.

For the first time, something shifted in Elion's expression.

In one swift motion, he seized the attacker by the collar and dragged him forward, slamming him hard against a vine post. The wood splintered with a sharp crack under the force. The attacker crumpled to the ground.

Evandria stood frozen, her heart racing. She had never seen Elion like this. She wasn’t sure what frightened her more, the men who attacked him, or how easily he destroyed them.

Whoosh.

A chain blade came slashing toward Elion’s neck, glinting in the moonlight. 

He ducked at the last second, and the weapon tore through the vines behind him with a harsh shrrk, leaves scattering across the ground.

But before the chain could retract, Elion moved his fingers slightly. The chain froze midair under his telekinetic control.

Then, with violent force, the blade reversed direction. It shot back along its own path and slammed straight into its owner. The impact lifted the man off his feet before he crashed hard onto the ground.

Silence followed, broken only by the soft rustling of falling leaves. Now only one remained, the one who had been standing back the entire time, their leader.