Chapter 22: Flames

Braco was the one who instructed the Imperial soldiers he brought to open the cart and bring out everything inside.

While the people watching had been expecting to see something surprising, they weren't expecting to see the soldiers bring out people one after the other.

They were bloodied and wounded and had been beaten to an inch of their life, as they staggered out of the cart with some falling to the ground unable to stand on their two feet.

While no one recognized them, regardless of how dirty and bloodied their faces were, Klaton did.

'Gordon, Mattew, Crashe…' he knew their names and recognized each of them.

He balled his fists tightly by his sides as he turned his gaze towards Mino, who continued to avoid his gaze.

"I'm sure you know these men! If you come with us, all of you will serve a much lower sentence," Braco slowly said in an entreating tone.

"You're a yoret. There's a thousand reasons why we would want you alive!" Braco continued.

Rye listened but was no longer paying attention.

Yes it seemed like Klaton the leader of the intruders had been betrayed, but while they would spend the rest of their lives in prison, Rye was sure to spend hers servicing military men.

Following whatever orders she was given, even if it was detrimental to her body.

'Even if I refuse, they'll just force me to submit,'

"Submit! Refuse and we'll slaughter all your men! It's you we want!" Hazor yelled, brimming with anger as he stared at Klaton, who continued to stand still with no hint of fear or apprehension on his face.

The villagers were just as tense wondering what was going on and who the man Hazor was shouting at was.

Haze, as hot-tempered as he looked, drew his sword and dashed towards one of the men bound in chains.

Klaton instantly moved to intercept him only to find a dozen men blocking his path.

No matter how fast he was, he wouldn't be able to get to his men in time.

'Mino!" Klaton cursed under his breath as he raised his voice.

"I SUBMIT!"

He was convinced they wouldn't kill him even if he wasn't sure if what they had planned for him wouldn't be much worse.

"Take him!" Braco instantly ordered, satisfied to see Klaton grind his teeth together and stand without struggling as his men moved closer and bound him in chains.

The smile on his face no longer looked as friendly as before, but instead had a predatory form to it as he turned back to look at the Villagers.

"Kill everyone on that side! This will serve as a lesson to all of you. You know better than to harbor humans!" he ordered.

Rye lifted her head up, her eyes meeting Misha's own who didn't even seem afraid, as she glared at Rye without saying a word.

"Please- spare one of my sons! I'll die in his place," Krella begged, unable to hold it in.

At first, she accepted her fate only to feel a strong urge to fight against it, but it didn't work.

"I won't repeat myself again!" Braco barked at the men closest to him who seemed to be taking their time to carry out his orders.

In seconds, screams filled the air followed by the strong smell of blood that lingered, as they killed Krella, her son, and Misha, followed by any one that had been kneeling close to them.

Klaton didn't care as he continued to look on with a blank look on his face even after he had been chained.

'I still have one more trick up my sleeve!" Klaton thought, knowing that the chains that bound him couldn't hold him for long.

But he was still waiting for one of Braco's men to lead him into the cart when he watched Braco turn his attention back to him.

He began to speak with a huge smirk on his face.

"Like I said, your men mean nothing to us," Klaton frowned, feeling an impending sense of danger he didn't like as he heard Braco continue to speak.

"Kill Them!"

The order had barely been out of Braco's mouth when Klaton's eyes widened in anger.

"IF YOU—" Klaton opened his mouth to roar, prepared to say anything to keep his men alive but even before he could say more it was too late.

Hazor who already had his sword drawn dashed forward in the blink of an eye, killing the first of the ten men that had been tied together.

Killing him with one downward slash of his sword.

"Hazor!" Klaton screamed with tears filling his eyes only to watch Hazor do the same thing again even before his name was completely out of Klaton's mouth.

Hazor was fast! Frightfully so! In a few seconds, he had killed half of Klaton's men, as everyone around him watched with open mouths, and expressions of horror, glad that they weren't on the wrong side.

"BRACO! HAZOR!" Klaton screamed again trying to summon his ability of fire to burn the chains like he thought, only to watch the flames die even before they could completely appear.

"They're anti-magic chains. You won't be able to break out of them!" Braco chuckled loudly, showing how much he enjoyed watching Klaton squirm even if he wasn't the one cutting his men down.

Still, Klaton continued to do his best to activate his powers, even if it proved to be impossible.

It didn't help that Hazor worked even harder than before only pausing to take a break when there was only one person left.

Even Rye who didn't care about Klaton couldn't help but feel his pain as she watched him struggle from where she stood.

She couldn't imagine watching all her friends killed in front of her without being able to do anything to stop it.

Unable to help, Rye simply looked away from the bloodied scene knowing that she would be next.

'Once Hazor was done playing with his sword, who else would he turn to,' Rye thought to herself, with a wry smile on her face wondering how they could all be so miserable at the same time.

"BEG ME! Drop on your knees and beg and I'll let him go!" Hazor promised, baring his fangs as he spoke and held his sword to the throat of the Hornel he stood behind.

Klaton glared, pulling against his chains until his hands bled buno matter what he did, he was unable to summon his flames.

His gaze fixed on Hazza, the last of his men that remained alive.

"Don't! It's not worth it!" Hazza spoke in a

hoarse tone in a voice barely above a whisper but Klaton wasn't listening.

One knee after another, he slowly dropped to his knees.

"Don't kill—" he opened his mouth to beg only to hear the sharp sound of a sword sliding against flesh, right before he watched Hornel drop to the ground.

Hazor burst into laughter, wiping the blood of his sword with Hazza's dead body on the ground, feeling Klaton's gaze on him.

"Did you really think I was going to let him live?"

The first thing Rye felt was how hot the air around her suddenly became. Just when she was wondering why, she watched Hazor burst into flames.