.......
"I'm coming with!"
........
"I should've listened to him" Akeno whispered, barely holding herself up as she stumbled through the forest.
Her breath came in ragged gasps. She collapsed to her knees, blood trailing behind her.
"I-I'm blacking out. I-I can't, I promised Shiro I'd come back." She crawled until her back fit the base of a tree, her strength finally giving out. Tears welled in her eyes.
"I can't move anymore...…I'm going to die out here..."Her voice broke as she whispered, "Help me, Shiro…."
Meanwhile at the Moonlit Inn…..Kinuko stretched on the bed, staring at the ceiling. "Ugh, how long is she gonna be out there?"
Boros sat cross legged on the bed , eyes closed, calm as ever."What are you doing, Shiro?" Kinuko asked.
"What do you think I'm doing? I'm meditating, isn't it obvious?" He muttered.
Kinuko rolled over, poked his cheek. "I'm so bored."
"Let me concentrate," he snapped, brushing her hand away.
Then – he froze. One eye snapped open. "Akeno's in trouble," he said sharply, rising to his feet.
Kinuko blinked. "Wait – what do you mean trouble?"
"I don't know. Just stay here." Before she could protest he was already out the window.
"Wait! Shiro!" she yelled after him, but he was already gone.
"Her Nexus is fluctuating…..either she's scared or in serious danger." Boros muttered under his breath. "Damn it, I should've followed her."
"Hang on, Akeno I'm coming." Without another thought, he bolted toward Akeno's location.
"S-Shiro...help me..." Akeno's voice was barely a whisper when he found her.
"Akeno! Are you alright?" Boros dropped to his knees beside her.
"S-Shiro…." She murmured again, her breathing shaky. "Don't talk. Just breathe. You're safe now," he said softly, his voice steady.
"Can you point me to the ones who did this?" With trembling fingers, she raised her arm.
"There…" she whispered.
"Alright. But first let's get you back to the inn." He gently lifted her onto his back. "Do you still have the arm they cut off?"
"Y-Yeah," she said weakly."Good. Hang in there. I've got you."
He crashed through the door of their room like a force of nature."You scared the hell out of me when you just ran off –" Kinuko started, then saw Akeno.
"Akeno!" she cried out, her eyes wide. "What happened to her?!"
"No time to panic. Lay her down. I'm using 'Sage healing'" Boros commanded.
"O-Okay!" Kinuko quickly helped him lower Akeno onto the bed.
Hours later, Boros stood up, sweat on his brow. "I stopped the bleeding and reattached her arm. She's asleep now."
Tears welled in Kinuko's eyes. "Thank you...Shiro."
"It's alright," he said, voice low, "I'll take it from here."
"Take it from here? What do you mean?" Kinuko asked, grabbing his arm.
Boros paused, his head tilting slightly as he glanced back at her, eyes cold and focused."It means I'm about to return the favor."He turned to leave, but Kinuko grabbed his arm again.
"You're gonna get yourself killed," she said, voice shaking. "Look what they did to Akeno – they don't fight fair. If they hurt you...." Her voice broke. "I can't take that." Tears streamed down her face.
Boros yanked his arm free. She called after him, desperate. "Don't just walk away like it means nothing. I…. I care about you too." She collapsed to the floor, curling into herself as the sobs came.
Back at the bar, Davis and his men were deep into their drinks, the table littered with empty glasses and the air thick with booze and bravado.
"You roughed her up good, Captain," one of them chuckled, raising a glass.
"Yeah," another smirked, "finally used that power of yours. Bout time." Laughter erupted around the table.
"Hey! Waiter!" someone shouted. "Another round for the Captain! You know who we are, right?" One of the men leaned in, voice dropping slightly.
"Still…..we lost a lot of good guys out there."
"I didn't think she'd be that strong," muttered another, rubbing a bruised jaw.
Davis leaned back in his chair, staring into his drink. "If it gets that bastard's attention….then yeah it was worth it."
"I just wish you hadn't let her go," one of the men said with a twisted grin, "I wanted to play with her a little more." That got another round of laughter.
Davis slammed his glass down. "Enough. We're done here."
"He's right," said Jaxon, already putting on his coat. "Tomorrow we hit up Guild HQ," Davis added.
"We need another mission. We're running low on funds."
"Yes, Captain!" the crew shouted in sync, grabbing their gear and heading out into the night. "Man, I'm wiped. Hope I can get some sleep before sunrise." One of Davis's men muttered as they trekked into the forest, boots crunching over dry leaves.
They were halfway in when the trees began to thin. Moonlight spilled into a clearing – silver, quiet, eerie.
That's when they saw him…..A lone figure sat on a rock, still as stone, bathed in the moonlight.
"Yo…. what's up with that guy?" one of the men said, voice dropping.
"No idea," another replied, hand instinctively drifting toward his weapon. As they drew closer, the figure didn't move – but his eyes locked on them. Unblinking. Piercing. Like he'd been waiting.
The air shifted. Heavy. Tense Then, a voice – low, ice cold, filled with something ancient and dangerous,
"Was it you?"
His stare cut through them, soaked in bloodlust. A slow grin crept across Davis's face.
"Well, look who finally showed up," he said, voice laced with mockery.
"Took your sweet time didn't you?" Boros moved towards them in slow, deliberate steps eyes locked.
"Answer me.... was it you?"
One of Davis's men tried to jump in, "Nah, man, you got it wro–"
But he didn't get to finish. From the shadows, Boros emerged, his presence shutting down the noise like a switch flipped. He stepped between them and locked eyes with the man.
"Who gave you permission to speak.....human?" He growled, his voice low and deadly laced with pure bloodlust.
Then without warning, he tore the man's throat open. His body hit the ground hard, convulsed, blood bubbling at the lips.
Boros stared down at him, annoyed more than anything.
"Stop making that sound" he muttered.
"I said shut up"He crouched beside the man, expression calm, almost bored, then crushed his skull with one hand like it was nothing.
W-When did he–?" Davis stumbled back, eyes darting around. "How the hell did he get past me?" He clenched his jaw, panic turning to rage.
"He's insane! Everyone ATTACK!"One of his men stepped forward, focused and ready.
"Clear the area. I've got this – Crystal Crush!" In an instant, a hundred glowing spears of crystal burst into the air, shining like stars. With a gesture, they rained down, each strike booming like thunder, kicking up a massive shockwave of dust and debris.
The earth trembled.
Silence.
Davis leaned forward, eyes straining through the smoke. "D-Did we do it?" The dust began to settle.
Boros stood there – bleeding, riddled with holes, but still upright.
A manic grin stretched across Boros's face, like he was enjoying the violence. "Humans are really weak fools," he said his voice low and mocking.
"Did you really think an attack like that would bring me down?"
"Pathetic….." Boros whispered, voice low – almost disappointed – as he stepped forward, his wounds still bleeding, steam rising from his skin.
Davis couldn't move. Couldn't breathe."H-He took the full hit…..and didn't even flinch," he stammered. "No one just – takes that. No one stands up after that... what the hell is he?"
His voice cracked. "He wanted it. He let it hit him. Like, it was nothing. Like….. I'm nothing"
Boros's eyes glowed faintly in the dust, locked on him with a calm, inhuman focus.
"You celebrate your victory…..over one woman?" he said, walking closer, each step deliberate.
"You…..Humans really are filth." The air around Davis thickened, like the world was holding its breath.
"This is isn't how it was supposed to go. She was bait. Just bait. I broke her down so he'd come. So I could kill him."
"That was the plan."
"But now he's here....and I'm too damn scared to move."
"You know…." Boros said softly, voice like a knife under the skin. "I enjoy seeing people weep in despair. The crying. The begging." "But you lot….."He glanced around at the frozen soldiers.
"You're too scared to even scream."His lips curled into a faint dead smile. "I'll be generous, I'll give you a head start."For a second, no one moved.
Davis's men glanced at each other, silently begging someone else to make the first move.
Their captain wouldn't run.
He never did.
Deserting meant death.
Then Davis bolted, No warning, No orders. Just turned and ran like the devil himself had grabbed his spine.
That was enough.
Panic exploded. The others scattered like roaches, crashing through trees, tripping over roots, some screaming, most silent with terror.'I –I have to live,' Davis thought, lungs burning, 'I don't care what happens to them, I just have to survive.'
But the forest answered back with the screams of his men. One by one. Short. Brutal. Final.
"C-Captain! Help-!"
"Don't call me!" Davis snapped, whipping his head back. "Just run, dammit! Move your ass, Jaxon!"
"Yes…." Boros whispered, blood dripping from his fingers as he stepped over twitching limbs. His eyes gleamed with something far beyond joy – something feral.
"This is how it's supposed to feel." He stepped through blood and broken bodies, like it was art. He let out a low, twisted laugh that built into a scream of delight.
"Cry louder! I want to hear it! Scream like your soul's being ripped out!"
Another of Davis's men tried to crawl away. Boros grabbed him by the ankle and dragged him back, grinning ear to ear."Beg me....Lie to me....Pray."
"None of it matters. You're already dead – you just haven't realized it yet." He leaned in close, whispering in the man's ear before ending him.
"Embrace it….Fear.....Pain...…Nothing else is real....Only this…..Only me."
Then he rose, soaked in blood, grinning like a man who'd seen the face of God – and decided to burn it.
"That leaves just two," Boros muttered, eyes locking onto the trail where Davis and Jaxon had fled.
"It got real quiet all of a sudden…." Jaxon said, glancing over his shoulder.
Davis's voice trembled. "N-No way…..you think he killed them all?"
"Shit. Shit! Why me? All I did was kill one girl!"
A voice cut him off – calm, sharp and uncomfortably close.
"Then I guess it's fine if I kill you right?"
They froze. Standing ahead of them, somehow already there was Boros. His grin twisted like something carved into his face with a knife."Why do you run?" he asked, stepping forward.
"Those who deal death, should embrace it when it's their turn right?" But the words meant nothing as Davis and Jaxon were too scared to even hear him.
Jaxon pointed with a trembling finger. "Y-You're a monster…." In a blink, Boros was gone – and then right in front of him.
"Human," he whispered, eyes cold and merciless. "Who said you were allowed to breathe?" Boros slammed his palm over Jaxon's face – and crushed it like glass.
Blood sprayed as he flicked the mess from his fingers.He turned slowly to Davis.
"Ahhh!" Davis screamed, falling back, scrambling in the dirt.
"Please! Please!, I'm sorry!" Tears streamed down his face. His voice cracked under the weight of sheer terror.
'Lower your head and obey him....Don't do anything without his permission. That what all my instincts are screaming right now. Shit….I can't move.'
Boros crouched to meet him eye to eye, his voice smooth and cold.
"Across every solar system, in every corner of every universe…..humans are the weakest species." Davis trembled as Boros leaned in closer.
"Do you know what I hate most?" Boros whispered.
"Humans who pretend they're powerful. Who puff their chest like they matter. But out here?" he tapped his temple with two fingers. "You're nothing but gravel under the feet of giants. You can't even imagine what true power looks like."
"Do you understand?" Boros asked with his eyes locking with Davis.
Davis nodded frantically. "Y-Yeah. I get it. Please…. Can I go?"
Boros smiled manically.
"Yeah... I'll let you go –"
A pause.
" – to hell."
Boros pressed two fingers against Davis's neck like a vice.
"AHHH! Please! Let me go! Somebody – please!" Davis screamed, his voice breaking. Boros tilted his head almost curious.
"Feel that?" he said calmly.
"It's like icy needles are passing through your veins right?" Davis sobbed, his body twitching.
"Please…..it hurts….." Boros leaned in, his breath cold against Davis's ear.
"I just arrived," he whispered, "and you're about to leave. Don't you think it's an exquisite contrast? It's almost like a painting."
"Help…." Davis whispered, barely able to speak.
Boros chuckled softly. "Don't be like that. Weren't you happy to see me before? What was it you said?" He feigned a thoughtful pause.
"Oh right – 'Took your sweet time, didn't you?' "
Davis eyes widened.
"W-Who….no…. what are you?
The smile vanished from Boros's face.
"A monster." he said flatly.