As soon as I pushed the door inwards, I felt as if I had stopped in time. Cain, whom I had told to stay back, dashed around me, and, in his half-human half-animal form threw himself at the man standing inside this small office.

That man was none other than Solomon, who didn’t waste a second, as he activated some sort of skill, summoning a circle of swords around him and Cain.

“I knew you’d come to me first.” He said with an amused smirk. “You don’t really want to leave, do you? You just want to prove that you’re more powerful than me. Crazy bastard. But, as always, I will oblige.”

I aimed my gun at the man. Despite what my skills said, I was far from a marksmith, and I didn’t want to kill him. The fact that I was looking at his profile didn’t help the matter.

Cain growled and jumped up, avoiding the flying blades, and using one of them as a platform to launch himself at Solomon. A sword made of light materialised in the hand of the military man, and he mercilessly slashed Cain with it. The kid lost balance, and almost stumbled onto one of the airborne blades, but corrected his trajectory just in time. He grabbed the sword in Solomon’s hand, and his animalistic features instantly vanished. The sword of light darkened, and the darkness began to spread onto Solomon’s hand, who did his best to conceal an expression of pain.

“Let go of him!” I yelled, as I realised that the military man had some ace up his sleeve and that this was exactly what he had planned all along.

Solomon looked up at me. Our eyes locked for a second, and I felt a shiver run down my spine. He was smiling. The kind of vicious smile I’d imagine a snake would have after wrapping its tail and jaws around its prey.

I realised I had no choice.

Cain was in the way, but he was also very short. All I had to do was raise my gun. A voice inside my head told me not to do it, but something in Solomon’s expression told me that after he’d been done with Cain, it would be my turn.

With my eyes locked on my target, I pressed the trigger. At that exact same second, I noticed an arm reach out over mine and release the magazine. I barely had enough time to drop the gun, before it exploded at my feet.

I snapped my head to the side and was met with a man whom I didn’t recognise at first. He was tall, dark-skinned, and wearing a lab coat – It was that guy from the lab whom I had spied on!

“You should have shot when you had the chance.” He said with a smirk as he pulled out a syringe and aimed it at my neck.

With a speed I didn’t know I was capable of, I grabbed my sword and blocked the needle with my blade. I then took a step back, raising the katana in a guard.

“Very well. Have it your way.” Hermand said with an amused smirk.

My face twisted in an expression of disgust. Just what was wrong with these men to attack everyone they met? Well, it made some sense in my case, but still –

With a swift movement of his arms, he threw two blades of wind at me. I brought up my arms in front of my head, blocking both of them. But I failed to notice a third blade only a few centimetres above-ground.

It hit me in the shins, and I almost lost balance. Had the room been any larger, and had there not been a wall behind me, I would have ended up prone on the floor.

“Is that all you’ve got?” I taunted him.

They always did that in books, to reduce the attack accuracy of an opponent. But Hermand seemed unphased. He simply gestured for me to come closer.

I focused on my blade, using the skill, before lunging at him. Although I was by no means a swordswoman, hitting an unarmed and unmoving target proved to be surprisingly easy. I lashed him once, from the neck down to his chest, and stabbed him once in his side. Unlike his pal, he very visibly failed to contain the pain, despite not taking any physical damage.

He did that strange gesture with his arms again, and I braced myself for more blades of wind, but instead, a red ribbon appeared at the corner of my vision, telling me to duck under the flying blades and into the makeshift arena nearby. I did no such thing, as Solomon seemed way stronger than this guy. Instead, I charged at him with another sword attack.

He reached out to the wall, and grabbed it, pulling and moulding the cement into a makeshift shield around him.

I was forced to retreat and reconsider my plan.

Suddenly, I heard Cain cry out. I turned just in time to see him pinned against a wall, with a sword planted in his side, and another in his arm. Not only did he seem to be in immense pain, but also fully unable to move. I immediately put my current opponent on the side-burner, as I dashed towards Cain to free him.

“Stupid girl.” I heard Solomon’s voice, as a hand grabbed me at the neck and pinned me against the wall.

“Go to hell.” I responded as I blindly swung my sword in his general direction.

But my blade was met with nothing but air.

“You aren’t even trained in combat.” Solomon continued, still holding my neck, but moving just out of reach of my sword. “What were you even trying to achieve?”

I noticed that the hand holding me began to glow. I braced myself for another attack, but nothing of the sort came. Instead, all I saw was a series of System windows.

Solomon let go, having seemingly decided that I was now harmless. He gestured to Hermand to stay back.

Taking advantage of those few seconds he was distracted, I dashed towards Cain, and freed him from the blades holding him up against the wall. He fell onto me, unresponsive.

I tried to focus and teleport us away from here.

“Shit.” I swore under my breath.