The Price of Revange

The air in the Shinmori Forest felt thick, almost suffocating, as if it knew what was about to unfold. Kai moved silently through the shadows, his heart pounding with excitement and malice. Master Varin trailed behind him, his cold, calculating eyes fixed ahead.

Draven stood alone in the clearing, oblivious to the danger closing in. His mind was elsewhere on his hunt, on proving himself to Anna and the village. He didn't hear Kai's soft footsteps or see the glint of the blade in his hand.

"This is it," Kai whispered, his voice trembling with anticipation. "He's alone. I can finally make him pay."

Master Varin placed a hand on Kai's shoulder, stopping him in his tracks.

"Patience," Varin murmured, his voice like ice. "Let him struggle first. Then we'll strike."

Kai nodded, grinning with cruel satisfaction.

Draven crouched by the edge of the clearing, examining tracks. Something felt wrong, though a deep unease stirred inside him. He stood up slowly, his red eyes scanning the forest.

And then, he heard it. A twig snapped behind him. Draven turned sharply, his grip tightening on his dagger.

Kai stepped out of the shadows, sword drawn, a wicked smile on his face. "Surprised to see me, Draven?"

Draven frowned, his heart racing. "Kai? What do you want?"

"You," Kai sneered. "You made a fool of me in front of everyone. Now it's my turn."

Draven's gaze hardened. "This isn't a game, Kai. Go home before you get hurt."

Kai's smile twisted into a snarl. "I'm not afraid of you!" He lunged forward, sword swinging. Draven barely dodged, the blade whistling past his ear.

The two clashed, the sound of metal on metal echoing through the forest. Draven parried and blocked, trying to reason with him.

"Kai, stop! You don't know what you're doing!"

But Kai's anger had consumed him. "Shut up!" he screamed, swinging wildly, each strike more reckless than the last.

As they fought, neither noticed the dark figure of Master Varin watching from the edge of the clearing, his eyes gleaming with malice.

Slowly, he raised his hand, dark energy crackling at his fingertips, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

Then, a voice cut through the chaos.

Draven!!

Anna burst into the clearing, her face pale with fear, her eyes wide. "Draven, get back!"

"Mom?" Draven gasped, dodging another wild swing from Kai. "What are you doing here?"

Anna's voice trembled, but her grip on the blade in her hand was firm. "Kai, stop this! You've been deceived!"

Kai paused, his chest heaving, glaring at Anna. "Deceived? No one deceived me! I'm doing this for my honor!"

Before Anna could respond, Varin stepped forward, his presence suddenly looming. "Enough of this," he said, his voice cold and commanding. "Anna… you should have stayed out of this."

Anna's face went pale as she saw the sect master, her eyes wide with horror. "Varin… no…"

Varin's cruel smile grew. "You should have known better than to interfere."

In a blur of motion, Varin unleashed a wave of energy, striking Anna in the chest. She flew backward, crashing into a tree with a sickening crack. She cried out in pain, blood splattering the ground.

"Mom!" Draven screamed, rushing toward her. But Varin stepped in his way, his eyes gleaming with cruelty.

"You think you're strong enough to stop me?" Varin's voice dripped with disdain. "Let me show you just how powerless you really are."

With lightning speed, Varin closed the distance, driving his sword straight through Draven's chest.

The impact stole Draven's breath, his eyes wide in shock as he looked down to see the blade protruding from his body.

Draven's knees buckled, his vision swimming as blood poured from his wound, staining the ground beneath him. He staggered back, his vision darkening, his strength rapidly leaving him.

"Draven!" Anna's voice cracked with horror as she crawled toward him, her body weak from the impact. She reached out with trembling hands, desperate to touch her son.

Varin, however, showed no mercy. With a cruel twist, he yanked the blade from Draven's chest, sending a fresh surge of blood spilling onto the ground.

Draven collapsed, his body crumpling to the dirt, his hand reaching feebly for his mother. The world around him seemed to dim, the forest growing quieter, as if holding its breath.

"Such a pitiful sight," Varin sneered, wiping Draven's blood from his sword with deliberate, slow motions. "You were never meant to be anything more than a weakling, Draven. Just like your mother."

Anna screamed, crawling desperately toward her son. Her hand finally grasped his blood-soaked fingers, her face streaked with tears.

"Draven, no… please! Stay with me, Draven! Stay with me!" Her sobs wracked her body, each breath heavier than the last.

Draven's red eyes fluttered open weakly, locking onto her face. "M... Mom..." His voice was barely a whisper, blood bubbling at his lips.

Anna's heart shattered at the sight of him so broken, so small in her arms. "It's going to be okay," she whispered, tears falling freely. "You're going to be okay. Just hold on." But deep down, she knew the truth. Her son was dying.

Varin approached with slow, deliberate steps, his cold gaze fixed on Anna. "Such a tragic waste," he said, his voice devoid of empathy. "But there's no room for weakness in this world."

With a swift motion, Varin raised his blade high and brought it down with chilling precision. The sword cleaved through Anna's back, piercing her heart

She gasped, her body stiffening as the life drained from her. Her blood mingled with Draven's on the forest floor.

"Mom!" Draven croaked, his voice breaking with agony as he watched the light fade from his mother's eyes.

His heart screamed in silence as he saw her lifeless body fall over him, her hand still clutched in his.

The pain was unbearable more than his wound, more than his fading breath. His mother, the one person who had believed in him, who had fought for him, was gone.

Varin looked down at the two of them, a cruel smirk playing on his lips. "Such a foolish sacrifice. But necessary."

To ensure there was no lingering life left in Draven, Varin leaned down, his cold fingers pressing against Draven's neck. "Dead," he muttered with satisfaction, turning his back on the boy.

Kai stood frozen, his sword trembling in his hand, his eyes wide with horror. He hadn't expected this not the blood, not the cruelty.

"Master Varin... I didn't... I just wanted him to_"

"Quiet," Varin snapped, his gaze never leaving Draven's body. "This is what happens to those who stand in my way."

Kai, still shaking, looked down at the lifeless bodies of Draven and Anna, his mind racing. He had wanted revenge, but not like this. Not this nightmare.

"Let's go," Varin commanded. "We have no more business here."

Kai hesitated for a moment, his eyes lingering on Draven's lifeless form. But fear of Varin outweighed his guilt, and he quickly followed his master, their figures vanishing into the shadows of the forest.....

.

.

.

The clearing was silent once more. The only sounds were the soft rustle of leaves and the distant call of birds. Draven and Anna lay still, their blood staining the earth beneath them.

The forest had borne witness to countless deaths over the centuries, but this one felt heavier, like the woods themselves were mourning.

As the sun dipped behind the trees, casting long shadows over the clearing, something shifted.

Draven's body, lifeless and broken, lay sprawled in the dirt. The blood pooling around him had begun to dry, yet deep within his chest, something stirred.

A faint, almost faint thump. His heart—once stilled—beat again.

Thump. Thump.

It was weak at first, slow and strained, as though it struggled to find its rhythm. But with each passing second, it grew stronger. The sound echoed through his body, reverberating with a power not his own.

His fingers twitched. His chest heaved slightly, pulling in a shallow, ragged breath.

But there was no one there to witness it. No one to see Draven's lifeless form slowly, painfully, return to life.

The night fell, and the forest grew dark. But in the clearing, where two bodies should have remained cold, one heart beat on....