It was impossible to miss the piercing gaze that kept Jaycee in place. The reflection of the surrounding crystals mirrored off the man’s eyes, illuminating his reddish-pink orbs. The white of the sclera only made them pop even more. From where he remained, the unusually pale skin stood out.

Jaycee felt his heartbeat pick up. No matter how much you run from the nightmares, they always seem to come rushing back when least expected.

Alec glanced between the two, darting back and forth before landing on the stranger himself. “Who are you?”

“Zeke,” said Jaycee. Although his body froze in fear, his tongue worked just fine. He hoped Alec was none the wiser.

Before them, the man called Zeke brandished his blade. “I heard a prisoner escaped Jin’s famed prison in the sky. Rumour said it was you, Jaycee. But as they say, seeing is believing, right?”

Jaycee gulped, mind whirring. “How did you find us?”

“I knew you’d get here eventually.” An eerie smile graced his lips. “All I had to do was theorize when that would be. Guess I was right on the mark, huh?”

Jaycee, knowing the damage Zeke could inflict on them, remained on high alert, watching every move, no matter how insignificant. Zeke was one with the shadows and struck as rapid as lighting. He wasn’t prepared to take him on, hadn’t built up enough strength since his stint in jail. How would they survive this?

While Jaycee was having his internal struggle, Alec stepped forward, fan at the ready.

As if expecting him, Zeke peeked at Alec’s weapon before snapping back up to his face. “Thank you for bringing him here.”

Zeke voiced those words to rile Alec up, and even if one couldn’t see it on the surface, the modest twitching of the hand that held his blade gave him away.

Without warning, Zeke lept forward. The tip of his sword dragged on the ground as he charged toward them. Within seconds, he was on top of them, weapon raised above his head and ready to dive.

“Don’t let it touch you!” Jaycee yelled those words as he pushed Alec from the blow, both of them barely avoiding their arms being sliced clean from their shoulders. The dirt from where the sword hit blackened upon impact.

Now it all made sense. The rise in monsters, the decaying, almost crazed beasts they had encountered in the forest long ago, back when they were running from the soldiers sent to capture them by Jin. The way the world had changed so drastically in the few years they had him imprisoned. While true that nature was gradually deteriorating, the increased flow of death had him scratching his head. Until now.

“You’re the reason the world is dying at a heightened rate. What are you up to?!” Jaycee, curbing his fear, lunged at Zeke. There was talk back when he was still an assassin that Zeke’s weapon, made with a rare ore, poisoned you upon contact with your skin, immediately burning the flesh before turning it necrotic.

Zeke jumped back, easily dodging the blow. “I see you’re more intelligent than I gave you credit for.”

Alec, who had been oddly quiet, finally spoke. “The ore from this mine; that’s what you created your sword from, isn’t it?”