M.A.T.H. Chapter 30: The Devil Within.

The compound was a fortress of stone and steel, nestled deep in the heart of a jungle that seemed to breathe with a life of its own. The air was thick with humidity, clinging to my skin like a second layer.

The scent of damp earth and rotting vegetation mixed with the acrid tang of burning wood from somewhere in the distance. The jungle was alive with the hum of insects and the occasional rustle of unseen creatures moving through the underbrush.

The moonlight filtered through the dense canopy above, casting eerie shadows that danced across the ground like specters.

The compound itself was a sprawling structure, its walls weathered and cracked, covered in creeping vines that seemed to claw their way up the stone as if trying to reclaim it for the earth.

I moved through the shadows like a wraith, every step calculated, my breathing steady despite the oppressive heat. My dark getup blended seamlessly with the night, the only sound the faint rustle of leaves beneath my boots.

The League had trained me well—taught me to become one with the darkness, to move unseen and unheard. I was becoming a predator, and this jungle was my current hunting ground.

As I approached the outer perimeter, the first guard came into view. The man was stationed near the treeline, his rifle slung casually over his shoulder. His posture was relaxed, but his eyes scanned the darkness with a sharpness that betrayed his vigilance. I crouched low, my fingers brushing against the damp leaves beneath me. I took a deep breath, steadying myself. One step. Two. A flash of silver in the moonlight.

The guard crumpled without a sound, my blade slipping across his throat with the precision of a surgeon. Blood steamed in the cool night air, pooling silently in the earth as the man's body hit the ground.

I didn't pause. I moved forward, taking down sentries one by one. Quick. Efficient. No wasted movement. No mercy. Just like Ra's and Lady Shiva had taught me.

By the time I reached the compound's core, my heartbeat had settled into a steady rhythm. The mission was straightforward: infiltrate, eliminate, disappear. But then I saw it.

The room adjacent to Khalid's quarters was small and dimly lit by a single, flickering lantern. The air inside was thick with the stench of sweat, filth, and fear.

Chains rattled against the walls as the occupants shifted—children, no older than twelve, gagged and bound, their eyes wide with terror. The oldest among them, a girl with matted hair and hollow eyes, flinched at the mere sight of me.

A cold rage seeped into my bones, tightening my grip on my knife until my knuckles turned white. I had heard Khalid was a monster, but this? This was something else entirely. This was rot, a cancer that needed to be cut out. My jaw clenched as I turned away, stepping back towards Khalid's room.

Cautiously peeping through the window, I spotted a warlord, hunched over his desk, poring over maps and documents. He was alone. Vulnerable.

The window was wide open, so there wasn't a need for the lock picking tools I had brought with me.

I moved soundlessly behind him, blade poised. This would be over in seconds.

But then—a noise.

A rustle behind me.

My instincts flared as I turned to see a cat jump out the window, but it was too late.

Khalid turned, his face contorting in shock. "Who are you?!" he barked, his voice sharp and panicked.

I didn't waste words. I lunged, knife flashing toward Khalid's throat. A clean kill.

Except it wasn't.

Something massive intercepted my strike, blocking the blade with inhuman speed. The force of the impact jolted my wrist, sending a shockwave of pain up my arm. I staggered back, my knife clattering to the floor.

Then I saw him.

The bodyguard was a mountain of a man, his skin dark and almost stone-like, muscles straining beneath his flesh. His eyes glowed with a sickly, unnatural yellow. Not just a bodyguard.

Ra's had told me about people with extraordinary abilities and the guy in front of me was one of them, a metahuman.

Khalid smirked from behind his monstrous protector. "Did you think assassinating me would be that easy?" he sneered, his voice dripping with amusement.

I barely had time to move before the brute's fist slammed into my ribs. The force sent me crashing into a wooden cabinet, the air violently torn from my lungs. Pain exploded across my side as I rolled to avoid another crushing blow—one that shattered the wood behind me like brittle glass.

I scrambled to my feet, reaching for my backup blade. I slashed at the brute, but the steel barely left a scratch on the man's thick hide.

The bodyguard snarled, backhanding me with enough force to send me flying across the room. I hit the ground hard, my vision blurring at the edges. My ribs burned, my skull throbbed, and the taste of copper filled my mouth.

The bodyguard loomed over me, his massive frame casting a hulking shadow. "You're just another dead man who doesn't know it yet," the brute growled, his voice deep and guttural. "You should've never come here."

I spat blood onto the floor, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand. "Yeah? Well, I'm here now, big guy. So let's dance," I shot back, my voice laced with sarcasm despite the pain.

The bodyguard moved, his fist screaming toward my face. I twisted, ducking at the last second. The air groaned as the fist missed me by inches, slamming into a stone pillar behind me. The entire column cracked on impact.

I used the moment to strike, lunging low with my knives. I aimed for the soft spots—the neck, the joints, the arteries. But the skin was like hardened steel. My blades barely made a dent.

The bodyguard snarled, backhanding me again. This time, I was ready, putting up my guard just before impact. The force still sent me flying, every fiber of my body screaming in protest. I hit the ground hard, my head swimming. The world blurred, darkening at the edges.

Above me, the bodyguard chuckled, his voice thick with amusement. "Not so tough now, are you?" he taunted, grabbing me by the throat and lifting me off the ground.

I choked, my vision swimming. My arms felt weightless, my legs dangling uselessly. Blood dripped down my forehead, blurring my sight as my body screamed in protest.

Khalid watched from the sidelines, a smirk playing on his lips. "You really thought you could take me down?" he sneered. "You're nothing."

The bodyguard threw me across the room, my body slamming into a wall with a sickening crunch. Pain lanced through my entire body as I dropped to the ground, my limbs refusing to move. My breaths came shallow, my mind racing.

I was losing.

The world around me flickered, the air growing still as if time itself had paused. Then—a voice.

"You are weak."

My blood ran cold. I knew that voice. It was my own, but not quite. It came from behind me, dripping with malice.

A figure loomed in the shadows, chains dangling from his wrists and ankles. I didn't need to turn around to see him. I knew exactly what he looked like.

"At this rate, you will end up dead. Permanently. And those children will be trafficked, raped by men five times their age," the figure sneered, his voice a mix of certainty and malice.

My muscles tensed. I could feel the overwhelming presence of the figure pressing down on me, like I might suffocate from it.

"You won't be able to protect anything, let alone save your own life," the voice continued, the sound of shifting chains echoing as the figure stepped closer.

"Look at me."

I clenched my jaw. "No."

"You know very well that you need me."

An arm reached toward me, the faint rustling of metal ringing in my ears. The figure leaned in, like a devil whispering into my ear.

"Hey… Just accept me."

The voice turned into a manic chant. "Come on, come on, come on, come on—"

"SHUT UP!" I roared, snapping back to reality.

I clenched my jaw, forcing myself to focus. I had spent months training under the League, learning to control my mind, my body, my emotions. But there was a part of me—something deep, something feral—that refused to be tamed. And now, as I lay bleeding, my enemy looming above me, I felt it stir.

Khalid raised an amused brow. "Still alive?" he taunted.

I wiped the blood from my mouth, ignoring Khalid. The bodyguard launched himself into the air, fist raised, aiming to break me beyond repair.

I barely had time to roll away before the bodyguard's fist slammed into the ground where I had just been. The impact sent a shockwave through the floor, shattering the tiles and sending dust and debris into the air.

A crater formed beneath the man's knuckles, a stark reminder of just how much power was packed into those monstrous fists.

Khalid's voice cut through the haze. "Finish him off."

I felt the guard's bloodlust in the air before I saw it. The bodyguard's shadow loomed over me, a giant poised to bring down the killing blow. I forced myself to move. My body screamed in protest as I rolled just as a foot came down, missing my skull by mere inches. The force of the stomp cracked the floor beneath me.

Faster than before, sharper. My muscles screamed in protest, but my mind was clear, my senses heightened. This was either a good sign, or a very bad one.

But I did not care, I needed to survive and complete my mission.

I twisted away from the brute's reach and sprang to my feet. Before the guard could turn, I grabbed one of my fallen knives, but instead of aiming for flesh, I aimed for the man's eyes.

With a brutal thrust, I buried the blade deep into the socket.

The bodyguard howled, stumbling back as blood poured from the wound. Without hesitation, I yanked out the knife and rammed it into the other eye. The screams that followed were deafening.

The brute flailed, blinded, his massive hands swiping wildly at the air. I ducked beneath one of the swings and moved fast, grabbing a fallen firearm from a dead guard nearby.

I didn't hesitate. I emptied the entire clip into the man's skull at point-blank range.

The first few bullets barely cracked the skin. But I knew better than to stop. I aimed for the same spot over and over, hammering lead into the metahuman's skull until finally—finally—the bone caved.

With a sickening, wet crunch, the bodyguard's massive frame wavered, then toppled. His head hit the ground with a dull thud.

Silence.

I stood over the corpse, chest heaving, blood coating my hands. The room smelled of gunpowder, sweat, and death. My ears rang from the gunfire.

Khalid was still at his desk, frozen in place, his face pale.

I turned to him, eyes dark, jaw clenched. I was exhausted, barely holding myself together. But I wasn't done yet.

Not by a long shot.

Khalid bolted for the door.

I was on him in an instant.

The warlord barely made it three steps before I grabbed him from behind, dragging him back. I slammed Khalid face-first into the desk, knocking the breath from his lungs. The man gasped, struggling, but I held him firm.

"You're not going anywhere," I growled, my voice low and dangerous. "You've got a lot to answer for."

Khalid's eyes widened in fear as I tightened my grip, the cold steel of my blade pressing against the warlord's throat.

"Any last words?" I asked, my tone dripping with sarcasm.

Khalid opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out.

He trembled, his bloodied face twisted in terror. "Please… I can pay you—"

I didn't let him finish when I grabbed Khalid by the hair and yanked his head back. With a swift, merciless motion,

I slit his throat.

The warlord gurgled, eyes wide with shock. Blood spilled down his front, soaking his clothes, pooling onto the floor. I let go, watching as Khalid slumped forward onto his desk, twitching, until he finally went still.

The room fell silent once more, the only sound the faint drip of blood hitting the floor. I stood over Khalid's lifeless body, my chest heaving.

And somewhere, deep within me, the voice of my darker self whispered, "You know you can't escape me."

Irritated by how overwhelming his presence was, I clenched my fists, pushing the voice aside. I had a job to do, and I wasn't done yet. The children were still waiting, and I wasn't about to let them down.

Not now. Not ever.

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