'And I thought I'd have to exhaust myself to find you.'
Zaves smiled as he watched Vio from the shadows. He hadn't expected to find someone he wished could be his brother during this mundane hunt, but life had its twisted ways of surprising him. While sneaking through the dense trees with the intent of ambushing the massive bear he and his comrades had surrounded, he'd spotted Vio observing them from concealment.
'Beautiful, absolutely beautiful.'
After memorizing Vio's hiding spot among the trees, Zaves moved with lethal grace. Twin ice swords materialized in his hands and leaped from his perch, plunging both blades deep into the bear's back the moment he landed. The creature roared in agony, thrashing into a wild frenzy that shook the very ground.
Zaves tightened his grip on the conjured weapons as his comrades expertly drove the wounded beast toward their prepared trap, following hand signals from a soldier carrying a large supply bag.
"Here!" the point soldier shouted from ahead.
Zaves leaped gracefully from the bear's back, landing beside his subordinate in one fluid motion. As he turned to face their prey, the massive creature staggered from a coordinated attack launched from beneath—his soldiers working in perfect synchronization.
"BOOM"
With a subtle glance, Zaves signaled the others to draw their weapons. The low growls of their war wolves filled the air as they moved to end the bear's futile resistance once and for all.
"Did you sense any of its pack approaching?" Zaves asked the soldier with the supply bag, his voice casual despite the chaos.
"We prevented the beast from signaling for help," the soldier replied with a confident smile. "None of its companions will come to its aid."
When the cornered bear had realized it was hopelessly outmatched, it had tried desperately to pound the ground—a primal call that would summon its pack. But Zaves had anticipated this, ordering a relentless assault at precisely that moment to prevent any communication.
'To my misfortune, I should have delayed just a little longer. This mountain is slowly killing me.'
When Zaves had first heard reports of the "rat"—their code name for Vio—he'd used it as the perfect excuse to descend from the mountain stronghold—but the Furious Night had shattered those hopes before he could act, forcing him to commission this hunting mission instead. A delightfully dangerous assignment that he'd specifically requested.
Hunting missions were the riskiest type of operation, prone to costly mistakes and unexpected complications. To make matters worse, the mountain had fallen into complete chaos because of that same "rat." No matter how this played out, for Zaves, conjuring disaster and spinning a convincing reason behind it came effortlessly..
His original plan had been elegant in its simplicity: allow the bear's distress call to succeed, summoning its pack, then abandon his soldiers to their grisly fate while he made his escape. But his timing had been slightly off.
'In any case, it seems the very reason I descended from my perch is still alive—and watching me with those keen eyes. This is going to be fun, so much fun.'
"Commander," one of his soldiers whispered urgently, pulling Zaves from his dark musings.
Noticed that his men had efficiently cleared a path, positioning themselves to allow him the honor of delivering the killing blow to their cornered prey.
Zaves stepped forward with his characteristic smile, drawing his primary blade with a theatrical flourish. As the steel cut through flesh and bone, severing the bear's life completely, he felt that familiar thrill course through his veins—the sensation that never failed to make him grin with genuine pleasure. He deliberately angled his body toward the treeline where Vio remained hidden.
'He needs to understand who I am. He must recognize me, his brother.'
Relaxing his expression into something more neutral, Zaves casually leaned against a nearby boulder while his soldiers efficiently worked on processing the bear's massive carcass. The wolves, their duty complete, melted back into the forest shadows.
When the butchering was nearly finished, Zaves extended one hand with practiced ease. Blocks of crystalline ice flowed from his palm, transforming mid-air into a functional cart that touched down silently on the forest floor.
'There—now he should recognize my abilities. But how can I best take advantage of this perfect situation?'
While contemplating his next move, his enhanced senses detected the distinctive approach of a messenger owl cutting through the canopy above.
'Damn it all, what do those fools want from me now?'
The owl landed gracefully on his extended arm, and Zaves quickly scanned the attached message with growing irritation.
'Hamim, dear Hamim—am I some common whore that your pathetic mother purchased for your convenience? Handle your own affairs, you incompetent bastard. But wait... what if I formed an alliance with my newfound brother and simply killed Hamim instead? That kind of betrayal could shake the entire mountain hierarchy to its foundation.'
Excitement flared through him like wildfire, though he kept his expression carefully neutral for his watching audience.
'Thank the void I came prepared for contingencies.'
He smoothly swapped the original message with a pre-written forgery he'd prepared, then bellowed with commanding authority:
"NAVIR!"
The shout echoed, making every soldier visibly flinch, especially the one whose name had been called. Navir swallowed hard, nervously approaching his commander while sweat poured down his pale face in rivulets.
Zaves hurled a carefully crafted accusation at the trembling soldier, fully aware that his words would fuel the other men's hatred and anger toward their comrade. It was a masterful manipulation, designed to create the exact chaos he craved.
As the remaining soldiers slowly surrounded the sweat-drenched Navir like a pack of hungry wolves, Zaves stepped back with his face blank but his eyes glowing with barely contained delight.
'More, give me more, so much more.'
It was as though something invisible and intoxicating surrounded him—an aura unseen by others that filled him with overwhelming pride and arrogance. The sensation made him feel wonderfully warm, but suddenly that familiar warmth no longer satisfied his growing hunger.
'Not enough. It's nowhere near enough. Never enough.'
Zaves stepped smoothly into the crowd, dispersing the angry soldiers from around their target with casual authority. Then he issued new orders: investigate the rat's movements immediately, while leaving Navir to handle transporting the bear's processed remains back to base.
"This is absolutely unbelievable—damn it all to hell!" one soldier exploded in frustration.
"Calm yourself," Zaves said soothingly, placing his arm on the agitated soldier's shoulder with what appeared to be friendly concern.
"Commander, all our efforts here were completely wasted," the soldier complained bitterly.
"What I don't understand is why they suddenly want to capture the beast alive. Hadn't the higher-ups already given up on their taming experiments?" asked another soldier standing nearby.
Zaves placed his other hand on that second soldier's shoulder, completing his subtle trap. The group began voicing their collective frustrations as they walked deeper into the forest, until Zaves suddenly stopped without warning.
All of them looked at their commander with growing wariness, wondering why he had halted so abruptly in this isolated spot.
"A word," Zaves announced with his signature smile.
"Again?" one soldier muttered under his breath.
"Quiet! Do you want to anger him?" another hissed urgently, elbowing the first man to silence him before Zaves noticed.
Though Zaves's frequent physical contact often made them deeply uncomfortable, they tolerated it because of his relentlessly cheerful demeanor. Despite their unease, his constant positivity made it difficult to complain about something as seemingly trivial as unwanted touches.
The soldiers formed their familiar circle as they always did for these impromptu speeches, bracing themselves for another of his motivational talks.
"We are strong. We are brothers in arms," Zaves declared with conviction. "We shouldn't harbor anger or petty grudges against our fellow brothers, should we?"
"We shouldn't!" the soldiers shouted in practiced unison.
"I can't hear you properly. I said, Should we?" Zaves repeated, cupping his ear theatrically.
Reluctantly, they forced smiles onto their faces and sighed in resignation. Zaves had always been exactly like this—demanding, repetitive, but ultimately harmless.
"We shouldn't!" they shouted again with more enthusiasm.
"Then," Zaves said, his familiar smile slowly transforming into something sinister—a dark expression none of them had ever witnessed before—"don't get angry with me… Or better yet, do get angry. It will be my absolute pleasure."
Purple flames erupted from his fingertips like liquid fire, spreading from the nearest soldier to the next in a deadly chain reaction until the supernatural blaze had engulfed every single man in their circle.
"AHHHHH!"
Agonized screams echoed through the forest as their eyes rolled back to pure white. Their physical bodies remained untouched by the flames, but their very souls burned with excruciating intensity.
"AHHHHH!"
The screams grew even louder, more desperate, until they finally cut off with terrifying abruptness. The purple flames vanished as suddenly as they'd appeared, leaving the soldiers' lifeless forms scattered on the ground. No burns, no visible wounds of any kind—but no spark of life remaining either.
"Phew. Not going to lie—I've been craving your souls for weeks now," Zaves said with genuine satisfaction, grinning as he stepped carefully around the corpses. "Do you have any idea how challenging it was to hold back while touching you all? The restraint nearly drove me insane. Now a new brother is waiting for me somewhere ahead—a real one this time."
With deliberate, unhurried steps, Zaves made his way toward Zeer Village. He wasn't in any particular rush, having timed everything perfectly by tracking the sun's position overhead.
Zaves knew with absolute certainty that Vio wouldn't follow the hunting party directly—instead, the clever observer would shadow Navir's movements. And Zaves knew exactly which village the terrified soldier would flee to for sanctuary.
'And here we are, right on schedule.'
The villagers bowed respectfully as Zaves entered their settlement, recognizing his authority immediately. He pointed a single finger at one of the nearest residents.
"Who else is here?" Zaves asked, his tone dripping with barely concealed disdain.
"Two honored ones have graced our humble village with their presence," the villager replied with practiced calm.
"Did you recognize both of them?" Zaves pressed.
"I recognized the honored Navir immediately, but the other visitor remains unknown to me," the villager answered honestly.
"Excellent," Zaves said with satisfaction.
"Does the honored one require anything else from us?" the villager asked with cautious politeness.
"Yes, actually I do," Zaves replied, gripping the villager's shoulder firmly with his characteristic smile. "I want you to disappear completely."
Purple flames consumed the helpless villager instantly, who managed only a single, brief scream.
"AHHH!"
At precisely that same moment, the Furious Night began its nightly cycle. The village's central protective pillar began glowing with ancient power, forming a magical barrier designed to shield the settlement from external dangers, completely oblivious to the far deadlier threat that had already infiltrated from within.