Mery.

As the night settled over Zagirad, the streets gleamed under the lanterns' soft glow. The city, alive with chatter and music, felt safe—deceptively so.

Alex and Mery had found a small inn near the market district, nothing too extravagant, but warm and comfortable. Mery sat by the window, watching the flickering lights of the city, a wistful look in her eyes.

"You're quiet," Alex noted, setting his sword down beside the bed.

Mery smiled faintly. "Just… remembering. This city holds a lot of memories."

Alex didn't press further. He could see the weight of the past in her eyes. Instead, he stretched and yawned. "We should rest. Tomorrow, we figure out our next steps."

Mery nodded, but something about the way she stared into the distance made Alex uneasy.

Late into the night, Alex woke suddenly. A sound—faint but deliberate—echoed through the hallway.

Footsteps.

He sat up, heart pounding. The inn was silent otherwise, yet something felt… off. He reached for his sword, moving carefully toward the door. He glanced back at Mery—she was still asleep, breathing softly.

Then, another sound. This time, closer.

Alex exhaled slowly and opened the door just enough to peek outside.

A figure stood at the end of the dimly lit corridor. Cloaked. Still. Watching.

Alex's grip tightened around his sword hilt. The figure didn't move, but something in the way it stood, the way it waited, sent an icy dread through him.

And then, a whisper—so soft he almost thought he imagined it.

"You're not supposed to be here, Alex."

"Oh no not again" Alex gnashed his teeth.

His blood ran cold.

The figure turned and disappeared into the shadows.

Alex wanted to chase after it, but something held him back. A terrible feeling—like if he followed, he would never return.

Instead, he turned back to Mery, standing over her protectively. The night stretched on, silent once more.

But Alex knew—something was coming.

And this time, it wouldn't be so easily ignored.

The silence in the room was suffocating. Alex stood frozen by the door, every nerve in his body alert. The whisper still echoed in his mind.

"You're not supposed to be here, Alex."

He turned toward Mery, who was still asleep, her face peaceful in the dim candlelight. For a moment, he considered waking her—but what would he even say? That some faceless figure had whispered his name and vanished? It sounded insane, even to him.

Instead, he locked the door and sat on the edge of the bed, gripping his sword tightly. Sleep would not come again that night.

Morning arrived with the bustle of the city outside. The scent of fresh bread and roasting meat drifted through the open window. Mery stirred awake, stretching as she blinked the sleep from her eyes.

"You're up early," she murmured, rubbing her temples.

Alex forced a smile. "Didn't sleep much."

Mery glanced at the locked door, then at the sword still in his lap. "Something happened."

Alex hesitated. "I… I thought I heard something last night. Someone in the hallway."

Mery's expression darkened, but she said nothing for a moment. Then, standing, she placed a hand on his shoulder.

"We leave tommorow" she said firmly. "We'll find transport to another city. Lets gather resources for now."

Alex wanted to argue—to tell her they were safe, that it was nothing but his imagination—but something in her tone silenced him.

She was scared.

They spent the morning gathering supplies, blending into the crowds of Zagirad's busy markets. Merchants called out their wares, children weaved through the streets, and the occasional knight patrolled, it looks like they pulled the lockdown off and released a statement issuing an apology for disturbance and saying they just messed up their detection since they needed to be on guard without imperial knights. their gleaming armor a reminder of the Empire's presence.

Alex remained on edge, scanning every face, every shadow. But whoever—or whatever—had whispered to him last night was nowhere to be seen.

Then, just as they were about to leave the market square, a voice rang out behind them.

"Excuse me, sir."

Alex turned. A man dressed in city guard attire stood before him, his expression unreadable.

"You're Mery, correct?"

Alex's heart pounded. He felt Mery tense beside him.

"Who's asking?" Alex replied cautiously.

The guard gave a polite smile, but there was something calculated behind it.

"I was asked to deliver a message." He reached into his pocket and handed Mery a folded letter, sealed with dark red wax.

Mery hesitated before taking it. The wax bore no emblem—no family crest, no official marking. Just a smooth, almost formless seal.

The guard nodded once and stepped away. "Be careful," he muttered under his breath, so low only Alex could hear. Then he was gone, vanishing into the sea of people.

Alex wished to open it but Mery grabbed his arm. "We're not opening that here."

Alex clenched his jaw but nodded.

Something was very, very wrong.

And whatever it was, it had just found them.

The streets of Zagirad were quieter than usual as Alex and Mery made their way back to the inn. The letter in Mery's hands felt heavier than it should have been.

*"Leave Zagirad before nightfall. You are being watched."*

No signature. No explanation. Just a warning.

Mery walked beside him, her grip tight on his wrist. "Alex, we can't ignore this. We need to leave."

He swallowed hard. "But why? Who—"

A sound behind them made him stop. Footsteps. Slow. Measured.

He turned his head slightly, just enough to glimpse a shadow slipping between the buildings.

His stomach tightened.

They reached the inn, climbing the stairs to their room. Mery locked the door behind them, pressing her ear against the wood. The hallway outside was silent.

Too silent.

Then—

A creak.

Alex barely had time to react before the door exploded inward.

A hooded figure stepped through the broken frame, moving without hesitation. A blade glinted in their hand, thin and strange, like liquid darkness solidified.

"Alex, get back!" Mery pushed him aside, drawing her dagger.

The assassin lunged.

Mery moved, fast, intercepting the attack before it could reach Alex. The clang of steel rang through the room.

Alex scrambled back, his breath shallow. He reached for his own weapon, but before he could, the assassin feinted—a quick, deceptive shift of movement.

Mery blocked high.

The blade went low.

She gasped.

Alex's world slowed as he saw the dark steel slice through her side.

Mery staggered, her knees buckling.

The assassin didn't hesitate, stepping forward to finish the job—

But she wasn't done.

With a surge of strength, she grabbed the attacker's wrist and twisted, forcing them back. For the first time, the assassin faltered, off balance for just a second.

"MOM!" Alex rushed to her, but she shoved him away, her breath ragged.

"Run," she gasped.

The assassin recovered, but something shifted in the air—a whistle, faint but sharp.

Then, as suddenly as they had come, the attacker withdrew, vanishing into the shadows as if they had never been there.

Alex caught Mery before she hit the ground.

Blood—too much blood—spilled between his fingers as he held her.

"No, no, no," he choked out. "Mom, stay with me—"

Mery coughed, her body trembling. She lifted a shaking hand, pressing it against his cheek.

"Alex," she whispered. "You… have to… leave."

"MOM!!! STAY WITH ME MOM!!!" Alex for the first time had tears swell up on his face, this was his mother, memories of her cooking, welcoming him, letting him cry into her chest when he got hurt and treating him when he was sick, spending nights awake for him to get better made their clunches to his heart.

"A... lex... my boy... you need... to leave... i love you so much... please... do---" she caughed as blood went up to her throat.

"MOM!!! PLEASE!!! HEEELPPP HELLLPP!!!" Alex yelled.

"Alex... promise me..."

"ALEX!!! LISTEN!!!" Mery yelled.

"Yes... yess i am here mom..." He pulled his head towards her heart.

"Promise me you will not try to take revenge..." Mery looked deep into his eyes.

"HOW CAN I D!!!" Alex gritted his teeth.

"Promise me!!!!" Mery ordered.

"I promise.... i promise...." Alex said thid as tears flowed in his face.

"I love you so much Alex, survive, Remember to survive... and i hope.... you... live.... a... good.... life..." Merry pulled his face to her and kissed him on his cheek. She like the times when she took care of him hugged him.

Her eyes fluttered.

Her breathing slowed.

Then—

She went still.

Alex's world collapsed.

"MOOOOOOOOMMMMM!!!" With one feral yell he creaked.

He sat there, holding her, as the silence stretched around him. His body felt frozen, unable to move, unable to process the truth of what had just happened.

Then, something cracked inside him.

He had seen them. The one who did this.

A person. A killer.

Not a monster. Not an accident.

Someone he could find.

Someone he could destroy.

His grief turned to something sharp, something cold.

"Mom sorry, i will break a promise... i will..." Alex'es eyes cracked, he this day, cried tears of blood.

Revenge.

With shaking hands, he closed his mother's eyes. Then he stood, wiping his tears away.

He wasn't just going to survive.

He was going to make them pay.

End Of Chapter.