Blaire’s eyes immediately widened as he grabbed a wooden chair and stuck the object back towards the doorway it came from. In a split second, the grey orb exploded into fiery flames and surged towards Blaire and May from the corridors.

  As the mentor hurled the chair into the inferno, he extended his hand, gathering his spirit essence from his heart. His essence formed thin threads while converging to a single point, conjuring a wall of water that emerged before them. The wall stood firm as its surface boiled from the relentless flames, billowing steam into the air at the point of contact.

  Blaire’s eyes locked onto the entrance as his heart raced. “Mark! Take the canister and get out from the other side!”

  His voice cut through the tension like a blade and left no room for hesitation. In a blur of motion, several daggers tore through the mist, but before they could find their mark, Blaire effortlessly snatched each one out of the air. Without missing a beat, he returned every single one back in the direction they came from. Creating several silver trails of light into the darkness of the doorway. Blood curdling noises leaked from the entrance and soon a crunching sound followed.

  He grabbed May with his free hand and stared directly into her eyes. “I need you to protect Mark. Make sure nothing gets to him. Do I make myself clear?”

  May bit her lip hard enough to draw blood. She reluctantly nodded and turned away as Blaire released his grip to focus on the figures charging through the doorway. Their cloaked bodies, wrapped in a thick mist like robe, stormed through the steam, brandishing their weapons as they charged at Blaire. His gazed focused on the stone masks, taking in every bit of detail from the rigid, deformed surfaces.

  He steadied his breathing as he lunged forward, drawing his sword from its scabbard. The double-edged sword gleamed in the light as streaks of silver lines crossed the air. His blade met the aggressor’s sword as a resounding clash blew away the mist. With one heavy step forward, he deflected the enemy’s blade into the air and pushed closer. Crossing his arm above his head, he brought the blade back in a circle, slicing open the opponent’s neck with a single fluid motion.

  Blood sprayed in a crimson arc, dying his face in a slick metallic hue, but the mentor didn’t hesitate. His sharp gaze took in three more foes charging toward him, their eyes hollow yet burning with an eerie, unnatural light. Their dark cloaks were familiar, resembling the watchmen’s gear—but something was disturbingly wrong about them. It was like their clothes had mended with their flesh.

  Without a second thought, Blaire seized the limp body of his fallen enemy and hurled it toward the incoming attackers. In one brutal swing, they sliced the corpse clean in half. Splatting the old blood all over the stone walls as they rushed forward.

  As the blood obscured their vision, Blaire quickly pulled out several daggers from his belt and hurled them at their throats. The daggers cut through the air at a frightening speed, but to his shock, each one missed its mark. Narrowly grazing them as the daggers bounced off the ends of their blades.

  He drew a deep breath, firmly planting his feet on the ground as the spirit essence surged through him. In a split second, an azure light came to life and engulfed his blade in an ethereal glow that chilled the surroundings. As he sliced through the air with his blade, a single arc formed. One that tore the air apart as it rushed forth, turning the ground walls into a frost-ridden wasteland.

  The attack froze their bodies in place, their hearts ceased to beat, and they stood there like statues. Yet even though he had dealt with the intruders. Blaire could sense an overwhelming presence further down in the passageway. It was a sensation he had never experienced before, and it caressed his entire body, trying to break his spirit. However, no matter how long he waited. The figure that was leaking out the presence refused to move.

  Blaire fixated his gaze on the doorway before smashing his fist through a stone brick. Pulling the hidden lever in the wall as a series of mechanisms creaked within the basement. Before the figure in the shadows could respond, a series of iron-plated walls sealed the entrance they had come from. Blaire turned towards the direction May went and immediately sprinted after them.

  As he ran down the corridor, there were no dead bodies in sight, but the sound of weapons clashing drew closer. Blaire gathered mana beneath his feet as his footsteps became muffled. In an instant, he burst through the open bulkhead doors that lead to the surface.

  The bright sunlight momentarily obscured his vision, but soon he focused on what was before him. His children, May and Mark, were standing back to back, desperately struggling against some unknown force. They were incompetent enough to get stalled by standard foot soldiers, and he knew they needed to get out of here before whatever lurked in the church emerged.

  Despite his speed, he made nearly no sound. Closing fast behind the ambusher with his blade soaked in their comrade’s blood. Without sparing a moment, Blaire thrusted his sword through the heart of the enemy agent before him. Their body squirmed as the mentor’s hilt reached its end. Blood droplets plastering the floor as Blaire drove the enemy forward and impaled another foe with his long sword. Using the entire weight of his body, he push both of them towards May and Mark like a battering ram and kicked their corpses to the side as he pulled out his blade.

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  “Stay close.” Blaire’s voice was cold and unyielding, each word heavy with authority as chills crept down their spines. He held his blade before him as the azure light gleamed in the sunlight.

  As cold vapor left his lips, he turned his blade downwards and plunged it deep into the soil. Releasing a wave of frost that swept over the ground. What started as a soft crackling sound soon erupted into a thunderous snap as the ice clawed its way through the terrain, forming large jagged sheets that pierced the enemies surrounding them.

  “Follow me! We’ll lose them in the slums!” Blaire rushed forward with May and Mark close on his heels.

  From the corner of his eyes, he could see several figures charge after them. Their black robes fluttering in the wind as they pursued them. He clicked his tongue and directed May and Mark into a narrow alleyway leading to the slums. Once they passed him, he followed closely behind and struck the entrance, creating a wall of ice to block their pursuers.

  “Who the fuck were those guys?” Blaire asked.

  "I don’t know! But according to Salamander’s report, they could be the empire’s special forces that he ran into during his last mission!” May desperately ran through the alleyways while checking each corner. “Ahhhh I hate this! I didn’t think we would run into them so soon!”

  Minutes passed, and Blaire’s sharp glances behind revealed no pursuers. But as they rounded a corner, May and Mark suddenly halted. Blaire raised a brow, scanning their surroundings but soon saw May gesture for them to hide. They pressed their backs against the cold stone wall, blending in with the shadows of the buildings as the rattling of iron plates grew louder.

  As a group of soldiers emerged from the distance, he held his breath and quickly laid out his options. The soldiers were heavily armed and a direct confrontation would take too long. If they ran back, their pursuers would get them and there was nowhere for them to hide. In a desperate search for an answer, his eyes soon fell on a nearby manhole cover. Without wasting a single second, he lifted the lid and signaled for Mark and May to enter. Once they leaped down to the sewers, he quickly followed, sliding the cover back into place as he descended into the darkness.

  The moment his feet hit the cobblestone floor, a sharp blade pressed against his back.

  “Don’t move.”

  The voice was muffled but familiar. Blaire’s gaze shifted to May and Mark, their hands raised in surrender. Bitterness crept into his chest. Out of all the bullshit he could have fallen into, this was the one he least expected.

  “It’s been a while, Owl.” Alex lowered his sword, signaling for his companion to do the same. “Didn’t expect to run into you here.”

  “I did,” Tucker chimed in. “Told you we weren’t lost.”

  Alex stared at Tucker with a deadpan look in his eyes. “I don’t want to hear you utter a single word after the tomfoolery you put me through.”

  “Salamander?” Blaire turned around and let out a sigh of relief as he held out his hand. “It’s a relief to see you, old man.”

  “Likewise.” Alex smiled as his hand tightly clasped on Blaire’s. “I honestly thought we would have a hell of a lot of trouble finding you. It’s a miracle you found us first.”

  “Hey guys, I don’t want to ruin the joyful reunion, but we should probably get the hell out of here.” Tucker pointed at the dust that fell from the top of the circular stone walls. “We’re already walking on a thin line with the amount of guards crawling down here.”

  “Agreed. Now isn’t the time for pleasantries.” Alex signaled for Blaire to take the lead. “Guide us to the safe house. We’ll continue our conversation there.”

  Blaire closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “We can’t. We’ve been compromised.”

  “Compromised?” Alex thought for a moment and stared at May and Mark. The only ones who knew of this mission were those with him now and the Head Administrator. But it was unlikely that any of them would have been traitors, especially the siblings. “Then in that case, what would you suggest Owl?”

  “Frankly, I don’t know. We could try sneaking through the city’s gates, but it’s heavily fortified now.” Blaire signaled for them to follow him as he walked along the cobblestone path leading further into the sewers. “There’s a chance we make it out, but not with the canister. Would it be possible to leave the way you two came in?”

  Alex shook his head. “When we tried retracing our steps, there were far more soldiers patrolling the route we went. It was like they were expecting us.”

  “Plus, causing a commotion on that side of town would just bring the entire encampment to us,” Tucker added.

  Blaire looked over at May and Mark, who shrugged their shoulders. “In that case, we don’t have many other options left.”

  “Um…” May raised her hand to draw their attention. “We could use the old teleportation device at the base of the sewers. It’s something we found when we were stationed here in the past. It might still be there.”

  “That thing? It’s unreliable,” Blaire criticized.

  “But unreliable doesn’t mean dysfunctional.” Alex stared at each member of the group. “Does anyone else have any other suggestions?”

  “We could break through the gate,” Tucker said.

  Everyone stared at Tucker with a series of disappointed expressions before turning away.

  “Any serious suggestions?” Alex asked.

  After a moment of silence, Tucker turned to Alex and nodded. “I guess we’ve made our decision.” Tucker gestured for them to lead the way, and as he did this, a cold flicker of light flashed through Blaire’s eyes.

  So that’s the rookie.

  He glanced at Tucker, then went back to Mark, who held the canister. It wasn’t worth trusting a greenhorn with something so important, and knowing Salamander, the old man would probably protect his partner. While he would have to protect Mark and May. It wasn’t unexpected once he heard about them, but knowing that another burden was added didn’t make him feel any better. He would die for his children, but not for some kid. Especially a kid that had yet to prove himself.

  Blaire had been in this city for years, and suddenly, everything was thrown into chaos in a single night. The rattling of their equipment made his heart sink. He clenched his fist, stretching the leather over his knuckles with a bitter feeling in his mind.

  There was a darkness lurking in Everfall. One he had never known existed, and it was rotten to the core.