Threads of Yellow.

Falkone opened his eyes, revealing a blood-covered sclera with a darkened pupil and iris. With one look Skadi determined that Falkone no longer contained any sense of humanity within him. 

He was on the last stage to becoming a Dreadspawn. 

No longer was he of any sanity, nor was he of any chance for redemption. With those eyes, one could determine that Falkone was going to turn almost soon.

She knew that even his final form didn't look like that of a human anymore. Sure, Zealots tend to change their appearances but not to that extent.

That.. 

That is something that only those that have lost all sense of reality could achieve and it was not any form of notability at all.

Still, Skadi's heart was deterred.

Killing someone always made her feel really regretful inside of her heart.

Yet..

Skadi remained astute and determined that Falkone was no longer human.

As a final stand, Falkone stretched his arms and tried to grab Skadi by the neck. However, Skadi made a cutting motion with her arm and cut Falkone's arm using the winds.

With those cleanly sliced arms, blood never came out. Only a convulsing muscle contorted as Falkone winced in pain.

His mouth opened and let out a pained scream, his face filled with panic, and his bloodshot eyes could not believe that his arms were cut off.

Perhaps it was not due to pain that he acted like this, maybe it is because of the astonishment regarding his slashed arms.

He tried to move backwards by utilizing his legs to struggle pathetically - a desperate attempt for escape.

Skadi held the gun on her hand firmly, aiming it at Falkone's piteous self. 

"No! No! Please!", he pleaded and begged whilst trying to run away from the hunter close by, "We'll do anything! We'll give you riches, power, i-information!"

The lattermost word somehow piqued Skadi's interest. She pointed the cannon-sized barrel near his head, and spoke directly to his ears.

"Speak. How did you obtain such a forbidden Zeal?"

Falkone squealed, his body trembling in harrowing fear.

"D-do you promise to let me go after I answer?"

Skadi sighed, and nodded her head, "Sure."

Falkone let out a deep breath as his body easened.

"Alright, t-this power, it was not original mine, it is n-not an innate talent nor Zeal of mine! We sailed upon the Gigantia Sea and chanced upon t-the core - the one that you destroyed! We thought that it was an ancient relic, r-really we did! We thirsted for power so we somehow figured out how to use it! Upon doing so, we were granted unfathomable powers relating to blood!"

Skadi pushed the hot muzzle of her gun to Falkone's head, "When and where?"

Falkone tried to cover his face with his arms but didn't realize that they were gone.

"I don't know where! B-but we found that core a year or more ago! I swear!"

"A year.."

Skadi's mind raced.

It matched the rise in notoriety of Falkone's name. It was perhaps a year ago that he wreaked havoc upon one of the villages in an island near Helios. Back then, the authorities were enraged due to his malicious acts. In the investigation, they found that the bodies were simply lifeless husks, although not much information was disclosed, Skadi realized now that this was not a work of someone utilizing Metaphysical Zeal. 

Rather!

It was someone that sucked the blood out of all the people.

Quite a peculiarity.

"Upon contact with the core, have you heard any whispers or any ravings inside your mind?"

Falkone's mouth opened but immediately closed, his eyes beginning to fill with terror.

Skadi further scalded his forehead skin with her gun's muzzle, "Speak!"

"..bloodrenders.", he whispered ever-so quietly.

Skadi gritted her teeth, "Louder!"

"Bloodrenders!"

Her eyes widened and she pulled back the muzzle of her gun. Then, she began to think:

It- It can't be..

Bloodrenders are mere stories that are passed on. It dated back to 500 years ago, to the Eclipse Era and the Golden Age of Mystics! That 'man' said that they were vanquished, removed by the World's Light!

Now.. a proof of their existence lay below me.

Skadi gazed down at Falkone, she scanned his worthless body and searched for any clues of the mythical Bloodrender. 

The only thing worth noticing was the crest on his back - a sun-like symbol of flesh with tentacles coming out of its circular edge.

"What else have you heard from the ravings?"

"I-I don't know much I swear!"

She raised her voice, imposing a threatening tone to him, "Say it!"

"I hear ravings about ascension! Similar to any Zealot, I suppose.. but the ravings on my head were louder - m-more savage and aggressive!", he exhorted with his tone filled with deep panic and fear.

Raising her fingers to her chin, Skadi focused her gaze on the distance. Then, she turned her head back to Falkone, staring at him with a pitiful gaze.

"Is that all you know?"

He raised his arms, the muscles convulsing rapidly as if it were pushing out blood but nothing flowed out of the blood vessels.

"Yes, I-I swear!"

Skadi tilted her head upwards to listen to the winds around her and determine if Falkone's tone and breath were telling the truth.

Then, she nodded, "Alright, you don't seem to be lying.."

She pointed the barrel of her gun towards his pathetic body and placed her finger on the trigger.

"B-but you promised!," Falkone looked surprised, staring at her with a deep feeling of betrayal.

Skadi smirked.

"Would you really believe a pirate like me?"

Falkone's face turned from fear to anger, his bloodshot eyes exploded and tendrils came out of the pores of his body, "Curse you!"

He was on the brink of losing control. In fact, he is already losing control of his current state. 

His arms regenerated, forming into distorted flesh and bones with teeth growing around it. Then, he stood up and lunged at Skadi to pierce her in the chest!

His body contorted and twisted becoming larger by the second.

And yet.. Skadi was still faster.

She pulled the trigger and sent an incandescent green thunder bolt towards Falkone, burning his insides and his skin.

He began to be set ablaze, scorching red-hot fire consuming his flesh and blood.

In the end, he fell to the ground and started rolling on the ground while struggling with his newly-made arms to purge the flames out of his body.

Skadi parted her lips, speaking in a shrill tone while looking at him with a cold demeanour:

"You are as pathetic as every pirate I've encountered. To think that I've actually feared you at first."

She shook her head.

"Truly a befitting end to someone as pitiful.. You were born as a human, yet you die as a Dreadspawn. Fall and burn, forever you shall never seek peace and never shall you walk with humans again."

Skadi turned around and walked towards the direction of Cetas and Elishia. With her back turned she raised her left arm and brought it down as if a guillotine were cutting a sinner's head off.

A heavy wind pushed itself down on Falkone's burning neck, slicing his head away from his body. Blood never gushed out of his neck nor his head. Instead, fire engulfed his body and burned even his bones to ashes.

*

Near the shores, currently at Reid's battle with the assassin.

A flash of lightning exploded in the clouds above, vibrating the air and ground which made Reid's footing to be unbalanced. He tripped on his heels and fell over at the cobble pavement.

Utilizing his hands to alleviate the damage of the impact, Reid felt a cold sensation creeping up on his palms.

He immediately flinched and gazed at the ground below. 

"Blood?!"

A one second interval was all the red assassin needed to take an opportunity and strike Reid at the heart. Its red-dagger swiftly pierced the air and pushed to Reid's chest.

Reid instinctively moved to the right, dodging the fatal blow by inches away. Still, his left shoulder was pierced, making him grit his teeth in excruciating pain.

He raised his blade and swung to the direction of the assassin, forming a crescent arc. 

However, the assassin leaped back and completely avoided the slash.

With Reid's legs sodden in crimson-blood, he felt a heavy weight on his pants as he struggled to stand up. 

Uttering under his breath, he cursed, "Damnation!"

Even with his weakened left arm, Reid firmly gripped the handle of his longsword. Now, the foundation of his body became severely deformed. He lost his center of balance and floundered in the blood-sunken streets.

Then, the assassin sprinted towards him, aiming to strike Reid at his vital organs.

Reid deflected a heavy blow, immediately thinking of a counter attack. 

But! 

The assassin was fast. Upon its dagger being reflected, it already recuperated and ducked. Pulling back its arm, it gathered energy to strike Reid in the legs.

Reid instantly noticed this and shifted his body to the left. Then, he struck downward, echoing a whistle in the air due to its heavy blow.

He knew that it was not enough.

Even if it were to hit the assassin, the lacking strength from Reid's left arm became insufficient to fatally wound the assassin. 

So, after his strike, he immediately ran back while still facing forward at the assassin.

The blood on the ground made it harder for him to run - the energy from his steps lessened and his pace slowed.

Contrary to this, the assassin casually scampered and jumped on the surface of the blood.

Reid stopped in his tracks, moving to the side and forming a downward arc with his longsword. 

The assassin, who was supposedly in the area of his attack, jumped back a few centimeters back and dodged Reid's slash by an inch's length.

Reid anticipated this and focused his strength on the right side of his body. He shifted the angle of his longsword and slash sideways, hitting the assassin at the abdomen.

Immediately on impact, his right arm began to contort in pain. His eyes turned red as his vision darkened. His mind felt hazy, sensing as if fog formed in meters around him.

He focused on the red-dagger and realization struck him. 

Reid's eyes widened.

"..poison."

He did not notice but his left arm pulsated crimson - its veins were swelling red and looked as if it spread to blood vessels near it.

Reid fell on his left knee, his longsword supporting his weight.

Right then, his body felt warm and energy pulsed inside of him once more. Pain no longer existed within his left arm and his vision returned.

A lingering green light came from above and covered his entire body. Then, an illusory gray light entered his skin and charged him with surging energy.

"J-Jones.. Krrhk!"

The assassin didn't waste the chance and lunged towards Reid, its dagger facing front as the tip glistened in blood.

Now bursting with energy, Reid accepted the assassin's strike and put all of his brawn to his longsword.

He slightly tilted his body to the left, dodging another fatal blow from the assassin. Then, while the blade of the dagger was inside of him, he wrapped his right leg to the assassin's leg.

Consequently, the assassin became rooted in place. Reid dragged his longsword to the side, striking a heavy blow to the left of the assassin.

However, the assassin threw its left arm towards the longsword and parried Reid's strike! Reid's grip was not firm enough which ultimately led to his weapon being flung meters away. 

He lost his right leg's grip and was pushed back by the assassin to the bloodied ground.

His body felt warm, his muscles twitched, his skin crawled, his mind filled with fear. Yet, Reid stood up once more..

He realized that the assassin in front of him was weaponless. He too had no blade to bear yet Reid felt a mounting blockade on his right chest.

The red dagger was plunged inside of him!

Feeling no pain whatsoever, Reid removed the sharp blade and held it tightly this time.

He pointed it towards the assassin with a bloodied black blindfold. Reid then spat blood out of his throat, he clenched his jaw and glared at the formidable foe in front of him.

Reid's eyebrows furrowed.

His eyes glowed luminescent white and his vision showed the intricacies of the Metaphysical Realm.

Reid felt calm, his heart easened to the point of being ever-so still.

He let out a long and deep breath.

Right now I could do it.

A raging surreal light dimmed inside of the assassin's innate Soul. It growled to escape its body, and screamed to escape the shackles of its material self.

Its Zeal, where is it..

Reid ubiquitously stared at the assassin's innate Soul. Looking further inside and beyond its Metaphysical appearance.

Then, it appeared - multiple small yellow strings that engulfed the assassin's entire Soul. It wrapped itself around him, most of the threads looking worn and on the brink of snapping.

Reid knew where to strike.

He calmed his heart and breathed deep. He peacefully closed his eyes, not blocking his vision but rather sensing the Zeal around him.

Then, he heard the sound of splashing liquid, the air shifted in front of him and the threads of Zeal intertwined with one another.

The assassin leaped and ran towards Reid.

Yet, Reid waited.. and waited..

His heart calmed to the sounds of an imaginary beat formed by the assassin's light footsteps.

Ripples formed below him. 

Those very ripples clashed with a larger and stronger ripple, disrupting its tranquil path.

Then, the assassin arrived in front of Reid.

Reid slowly moved his right arm, holding the dagger with a firm grip

Then, he slashed diagonally which formed an aslant crescent.

Within Reid's vision, he saw neither the Souls nor a material body. Instead, he gazed upon threads of yellow that encompassed a human body.

He scattered his sight around, focusing upon a weak link between threads. 

Just then, the red dagger remained physical and corporeal, still, it phased through the red assassin's cloak.

It pushed inside, looking as if the assassin's body were of intangibility. Then, it met the Soul, filtering inside of it and heading towards the smaller strings of yellow.

The red dagger impacted the weak link between threads, seemingly stopping at collision.

A mere second passed.

A second which felt eternity to Reid's sealed luminescent eyes.

The dagger severed the bridge between threads. It cut the flow of Zeal within the assassin's body, putting its crimson figure to a halt.

Within two breaths, Reid gradually opened his eyes and let light enter his vision once more.

In the melancholy of the nightly streets, Reid no longer caught sight of the red assassin that once pursued him. 

Rather, he softly gazed at the empty streets near the dock of Seyil. Blood filled the ground below him, reflecting the composed light of the tranquil moon.

Then, he let go of the red dagger and adorned his face with a distinct smile.

Reid uttered a silent whisper:

"I've done it."

Upon the utterance of his word, Reid's energy dissipated and his fatigue enveloped his entire body.

He fell to the ground - his face half sunken in the crimson blood basked in the bright moonlight.

Sudden heavy footsteps resounded in the distance, slowly making its way towards Reid's drained body.

Then, he heard an all-familiar rowdy voice belonging to that of a man that he respects.

"You've done well boy!"

A fat, bulky man entered his vision, however, Reid can only see half of the man's body. He held a naked dark man on his one arm - pieces of his body melted and broken.

Nevertheless, that dark man looked unconscious.

"G..alk..an," Reid addressed the fat man in front of him.

The fiery-red haired man laughed loudly, his voice echoing in the silent streets of Seyil.

"The Hunt is over! We will drench ourselves in a sea of Solaris!"

Reid wanted to cover his ears but he was unable to as his body was sprawled on the blood, feeling powerless and devoid of any energy.

Galkan, though, was on the contrary. He continued to crack up and let his voice be heard by the people of Seyil.

"Hahahaha! Rejoice, boy.. We are RICH!"

"..ugh-," Reid groaned.