Aelric’s senses screamed.
Something was coming.
His pain sharpened his instincts rather than dulling them. He turned toward the approaching presence—fast, powerful, and deadly.
Then he saw him.
A lone warrior, his armor worn and battered, yet his movements precise. A sword gleamed in his hand, raised in preparation to strike. His face was unreadable, his expression empty—but his body was not his own.
Aelric only needed one glance to understand: he was being controlled.
No hesitation.
“Move!” Aelric barked.
Yulong was already there.
His blade came down with terrifying force, aimed straight for Aelric’s skull.
Aelric’s barrier flared to life just in time. The impact sent cracks through the translucent shield, the force far beyond normal.
“Kaela! Veyne!” Aelric shouted.
They reacted instantly.
Veyne lunged forward, his sword flashing in a wide arc to break Yulong’s momentum. Kaela was right behind him, moving like a shadow, her spear striking toward Yulong’s exposed side.
But he was too fast.
He pivoted sharply, dodging Veyne’s strike with unnatural precision. Kaela’s spear came next, aimed at his ribs—but he twisted midair, contorting his body in an unnatural way to avoid it.
And then, without pause, he countered.
His blade lashed out in a deadly horizontal arc, aimed straight for Veyne’s throat.
Veyne barely got his sword up in time. The impact sent him skidding backward.
Kaela, seeing the opening, flipped over Yulong, using the momentum to bring her spear down—but his hand snapped up unnaturally fast, catching the shaft mid-air.
Her eyes widened. Impossible.
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With brutal strength, he hurled her away.
Kaela flipped midair, landing with a controlled skid, but her expression was sharp with realization. “He’s reading us.”
Aelric’s mind raced. His movements—so precise, so unnatural. This wasn’t just a skilled fighter. Something was guiding him.
A puppet on invisible strings.
But strings can be cut.
Aelric’s voice was calm despite the chaos. “He’s not fighting on his own. The Order is controlling him.”
Veyne’s grip on his sword tightened. “Then let’s break their control.”
Easier said than done. Yulong was relentless. His strikes came like a storm, inhumanly perfect, adjusting instantly to counter every attack they threw at him.
But there was something off.
Aelric’s eyes narrowed. Not every attack was flawless.
Some movements were too mechanical, as if forced. And twice now—he had hesitated.
Aelric took a step forward, speaking over the clash of weapons.
“Who are you?”
Yulong’s sword froze for half a second.
Veyne’s blade almost struck his shoulder—but at the last instant, Yulong’s body twisted unnaturally, avoiding it with a contortion that no normal human could perform.
Aelric’s mind sharpened. That wasn’t a dodge. That was forced movement.
He didn’t want to avoid the attack.
He’s fighting back.
Aelric’s voice was steady, calculated. “You weren’t always like this, were you?”
Another hesitation.
Kaela, catching on, pressed forward. “You had a life before this.”
Yulong jerked. His next strike faltered slightly—just enough for Kaela’s spear to cut across his armor, drawing blood.
Veyne’s sword followed immediately after, forcing him back.
Aelric’s gaze sharpened. That’s it. That’s the crack.
His words came measured, deliberate. “You were someone before the Order took you. A warrior? A knight?”
Yulong flinched—but the Order’s control snapped him back into motion, his sword lunging toward Aelric’s chest.
Aelric barely raised a barrier in time, absorbing the impact.
His voice didn’t waver. Keep pressing.
“A father?”
Yulong’s body seized.
A guttural sound escaped his throat. Not a growl—something deeper. A sound of pain.
And then, for the first time—his lips moved.
“…my son.”
Kaela’s spear blurred through the air, striking his side. He barely blocked in time. His movements were breaking—his control was slipping.
Aelric took a slow step forward, gaze unwavering. “The Order took him from you, didn’t they?”
Yulong shook. His breath came ragged, his sword trembling in his grip. His body tried to move—but for the first time, his mind resisted.
They don’t control him completely.
Aelric’s mind sharpened. He’s trapped. He knows who he is, but his body isn’t his own.
And that meant—they could free him.
“Veyne,” Aelric said calmly. “We need to break whatever’s controlling him.”
Veyne’s grip on his sword tightened. “Then let’s stop holding back.”
Kaela adjusted her stance beside him, flipping her spear once. “I was waiting for you to say that.”
Yulong’s breath hitched. He took a shaky step back—but the Order’s influence forced him forward.
Aelric raised a hand, barriers forming in layered defenses. “Go.”
Veyne moved first, his blade igniting with controlled flames. He struck in sharp, precise movements, his speed almost equal to Yulong’s now.
Kaela flowed beside him, her spear unpredictable, twisting mid-air before striking at unnatural angles. They fought together, pushing him back with sheer momentum.
And then—Aelric saw it.
A flicker in Yulong’s expression. Fear.
Not of them—of himself.
He knew what the Order had done to him. He knew he couldn’t stop.
Aelric’s voice cut through the battle.
“You have a choice.”
Yulong froze.
For the first time—his body refused to move.
And in that instant—Kaela and Veyne struck as one.
Their weapons hit—not to kill, but to break his control.
Yulong staggered. His breath came in ragged gasps. His sword slipped from his grip, his hands shaking.
And then, for the first time in years—his body was his own again.
He collapsed to his knees, his chest rising and falling in uneven breaths.
Aelric stepped forward, looking down at him. This man had suffered. The Order had used him, twisted him.
And now—he was free.
But freedom came with a price.
Aelric met his gaze. “Tell me everything.”
Yulong’s hands clenched. He had nowhere else to go.
And so, slowly—he began to speak.
Chapter 20 ends
