Chapter 8: Dead?

All of a sudden, Dylan bolted No hesitation. No overthinking. Just instinct.

He dashed through the ruins very carefully to avoid his feet making a sound. Behind him, Raze's voice boomed.

"Spread out. Find him."

The soldiers moved immediately. He could hear them splitting off, their weapond coming on.

He turned a sharp corner—and almost ran straight into two soldiers.

Shit.

They saw him and raised their guns.

No time.

Dylan threw himself sideways…

And then, what happened next blew his mind. He didn't hit the wall. He went through it.

For a split second, everything felt weird, like cold static running through his veins. The stone, the dust, the solid wall… he could feel their weight but they weren't heavy enough to crush him. It was like he just… went into water.

And then, he was on the other side.

Dylan hit the ground, rolling to his feet his eyes wide, breathing hard. He touched his chest, his arms, his face.

Still here. Still solid. Still alive.

What in the actual hell?

On the other side of the wall, the soldiers were cursing.

"Where the hell did he go?"

Dylan didn't wait for them to figure it out. He took off again, feet moving before his brain could catch up.

He ducked into another passage, heart pounding. He just phased through a wall. That was new. That was insane. That was…

He grinned.

That was useful.

Dylan slowed his pace, moving through the ruins with a new plan. No more running.

If he ran, they were gonna catch him. Raze wasn't stupid, and his men were trained hunters.

But he had an advantage. He had turned had just turned into a ghost 😅

He wasn't running anymore.

He was hunting.

He crouched in the shadows, scanning the ruins. Time to be smart. He couldn't take on all of them at once. But in pairs?

Yeah. That was doable.

A duo of soldiers passed by, their armor humming with energy. Elite cyborgs. But Dylan wasn't intimidated. He had something they didn't—he knew some parts of this ruins.

He let them walk past, waited three seconds and…whew! With a flash, he attacked.

Silent and precise.

He grabbed the first soldier by the back of the helmet and slammed his face into the stone wall.

The guy went limp.

Before the second soldier could react, he grabbed his arm, twisting it behind his back—a sharp snap.

The man didn't even get to scream.

Two down.

He then dragged their bodies into the shadows and searched them. Weapons? Too bulky. Comms? Definitely not an option. It wasn't safe.

But their knives?

He twirled one between his fingers and grinned. Perfect. 😁

Over the next hour, Dylan tore through them.

Duo by duo.

They never saw him coming. Like a perfect assassin. He reaped them from the shadows, used the ruins against them, led them into traps he set on the spot. A broken pillar this time. A loose rock next time.

He even used his new trick, phasing through walls to escape just as they fired.

At first, he thought it was random. But after the third time, he realized that it wasn't the walls only. His body was actually shifting the strands aside to make him pass.

The same strands he felt when he moved the pillars before—like invisible threads tying everything together. The walls, the floor, the soldiers' armor…

Even himself.

When he phased, it was like he was slipping between those threads, pulling himself.

And he was getting better at it. Faster too.

By the time he was down to the last few soldiers, he was untouchable.

He loved this. He felt like screaming out in excitement. For the first time in his life, he wasn't running. He was actively hunting.

'THIS FEELS GOOD!!!!'

The cyborgs were helter skelter now, the lights at their ears were beeping faster, which means they were communicating faster and hysterically, moving in tight formation.

It didn't matter though. They were already dead.

Dylan took out the last two soldiers and finally stopped to catch his breath.

Only six left.

Five of Raze's men.

And Raze himself.

Dylan wiped the bluish green goo off his face and grinned. He was winning.

But then,

BOOM.

The entire ruin shook.

Dylan stumbled, pressing a hand against the wall.

What the hell?

Dust rained from the ceiling. Stones cracked. Heavy footsteps echoed through the ruins. Dylan turned and saw him.

'Aw maaan!'

Standing in the middle of the ruins like a damn warlord.

The five remaining soldiers stood beside him, weapons ready. But they weren't the threat.

Raze was.

Dylan wiped his mouth, straightened, and smirked.

"Wow," he said, tilting his head. "You actually made it this far. Thought I'd killed your entire squad."

Raze didn't react, he didn't even blink.

"Your tricks were entertaining," Raze said his voice deep, unshaken. "But that's all they were. Tricks."

Dylan clicked his tongue. "Yeah? Funny how tricks got me this far."

Raze took a step forward. Dylan instantly tensed.

He's fast.

"You're not special, Ashen," Raze said. "You were never going to win this fight."

Dylan scoffed. "Big words for a guy who just lost twenty-five men to a street rat."

Raze ignored that. "The packet's with Basilisk."

Dylan's smirk twitched.

"So u knew?"

"I figured it out a while ago," Raze continued. "But I can't be sure if you opened it. So, to tie loose ends…"

He moved. Very fast.

Dylan barely dodged. Raze was on him in a second, fist swinging.

Dylan ducked. Twisted. Phased through a pillar—

And Raze still hit him.

A full-force punch to his stomach.

Dylan flew.

He crashed into the ground, rolling, gasping for air. Pain shot through his ribs.

'Holy shit!'

One punch and Dylan was a sorry sight. 😂Raze wasn't just strong.

He was insanely strong.

Dylan coughed, groaning, pushing himself up. That was bad.

He wasn't fast enough. Not against him.

Raze cracked his knuckles. "Tired?"

Dylan spat out blood and grinned.

"Nah. Just warming up."

He moved.

Feints. Illusions. Phasing in and out, using everything.

It wasn't enough.

Every trick, every dodge—Raze was one step ahead. He countered everything. He was too strong, too experienced compared to Dylan who had just awakened.

Dylan's body ached. His vision blurred. He wasn't going to win this.

Unless...

Raze swung again. This time he hit Dylan.

Dylan's s body went limp. His head snapped back and he crumpled to the ground.

And then he stopped moving.

Silence.

Raze stood for a moment, his cyborg eye scanning Dylan's body suspiciously.

The five soldiers looked down at him.

"Is he…?" one of them started.

"Dead," Raze said dismissively as he turned to walk out.

"Let's go"

Dylan didn't breathe.