Chapter 3: Predator and Prey

The ruins of Velios stretched before Yoru—a graveyard of forgotten history, swallowed by time and silence. The scent of decay clung to the air, mingling with the lingering presence of the void.

His footsteps were soft against the broken stone, but in this emptiness, even the smallest sound felt deafening. His senses sharpened. His hunger stirred.

Somewhere ahead, Voidborn lurked. He could feel them—skittering, restless echoes of what they once were. But they weren't his only concern.

Someone was watching him.

Yoru didn't look up. Didn't change his pace. But he felt it—like cold fingers pressing against his spine. A presence. Silent. Patient. Waiting.

A hunter.

The High Order had moved faster than he expected.

---

The Hunter's Arrival

High above, perched on the skeletal remains of a crumbling tower, a figure in obsidian armor observed the lone outcast. A silver cloak rippled behind them, untouched by the wind. Their mask—smooth and featureless, except for a single glowing rune—betrayed nothing.

Lunar Executioner.

One of the High Order's elite. A hunter without hesitation. Without failure.

Their grip tightened around the glaive in their hands, the blackened steel humming with restrained power. This mission was different. The reports had been… unsettling.

An outcast absorbing the power of the void?

Impossible.

Heretical.

And yet, the proof was undeniable—the drained corpses of Voidborn, the unnatural shift in abyssal energy surrounding Velios.

This wasn't a rumor.

The boy had changed.

---

The Hunt Begins

Yoru felt it before he saw it.

A shift in the air. The world holding its breath.

Move.

He threw himself to the side a split second before a blur of silver and black tore through where he had stood. A glaive sliced clean through a stone pillar, the impact shattering it to dust.

Yoru landed smoothly, sliding backward, eyes locking onto his attacker.

The Executioner stood at the heart of the destruction, unshaken. Their masked gaze settled on him with cold precision.

"You are an anomaly." Their voice was distorted, emotionless. "The High Order has judged your existence unnatural."

Yoru exhaled slowly. His muscles coiled, ready. "I should be honored, then."

The Executioner raised their glaive. "No. You should be afraid."

They moved.

Fast.

Yoru barely had time to react before the glaive came down again. He dodged left, but the sheer force of the strike sent a shockwave through the ground, cracks spiderwebbing beneath his feet.

Too fast. Too strong.

But something inside him stirred in response.

His body moved on instinct—shadows twisting at his feet. Void Step.

He vanished.

Reappearing behind the Executioner, his palm already glowing with abyssal energy.

He struck.

Darkness lashed out, tendrils of void energy wrapping around the Executioner's arm, pulling at their very essence—Abyssal Devourer.

For a moment, their movements slowed.

For a moment, Yoru thought he had the advantage.

Then—

A pulse of raw power exploded outward.

The force sent him staggering back as the Executioner straightened, their rune-lit mask unreadable.

"Interesting," they murmured. "You consume. But you are not yet complete."

Yoru wiped blood from his lip, smirking. "Then let's see if I can fix that."

The battle had only just begun.

---

The Abyss Answers

Yoru's pulse thundered in his ears. The Executioner was stronger, faster—decades of discipline sharpened into a single killing blade.

But he wasn't the same Yoru they had once cast aside.

Dark tendrils flickered around his fingers, the remnants of his failed attack dissipating into the air.

The Executioner tilted their head slightly, analyzing. Then, without hesitation—

They stepped forward—

And vanished.

Yoru's instincts screamed.

Void Step.

He flickered out of existence just as a glaive cleaved through where he had been. The shockwave split the ground, sending jagged cracks through the shattered stone.

He reappeared several meters away, breath steady despite the thrill of near-death.

The Executioner did not pause.

"You rely too much on reaction."

They flickered again.

This time, Yoru barely managed to twist away as the glaive slashed past his ribs, tearing through his coat.

Pain flared. Blood sprayed.

Too fast. Too precise.

Yoru clenched his jaw, dark energy crackling around his hands. He couldn't match them in speed or power. Not yet.

But there was another way.

He exhaled. Controlled the field.

The void answered his call.

A pulse of abyssal energy erupted from his core, black tendrils shooting outward. They coiled around the Executioner's feet—Void Bind.

For the first time, the hunter hesitated.

A fraction of a second.

Enough.

Yoru twisted his fingers—Void Step—

And disappeared into the darkness.

---

The Executioner's Gambit

The Executioner tore through the bindings in a single motion, but by the time their glaive cut free—

The battlefield had changed.

Shadows stretched unnaturally. The ruins darkened.

No light. No movement.

No sound.

Abyssal silence.

The Executioner's masked gaze swept the field. Their grip on the glaive tightened.

"A domain," they murmured. "Impressive."

A whisper.

Not words—an absence of them.

Then—movement.

Too late.

A clawed hand burst from the darkness behind them, raking across their armor. Sparks flew as void-touched nails scraped against enchanted plating.

The Executioner spun, glaive slashing through the air—

But there was nothing.

Only shadows.

Then—another strike.

This time, it hit flesh.

The Executioner staggered, a gash forming along their side. Not deep. Not enough to kill.

But enough to wound.

Yoru stepped out of the abyss, silver eyes gleaming through the veil of darkness. His smirk was sharper than ever.

"You're strong," he admitted. "But strength alone isn't enough in my domain."

The Executioner exhaled slowly. Blood dripped from their wound.

Then they whispered a single phrase.

"Then I will break your domain."

And the world shattered.

---

The Past Returns

Cracks of golden light splintered through the void, pushing against the overwhelming darkness.

Impossible.

No one should be able to break free so quickly.

But the Executioner wasn't just anyone.

With a single slash of their glaive, they severed the shadows, stepping back into existence. Their mask remained expressionless—

But their golden eyes burned like fire against the night.

Yoru exhaled, exhaustion creeping in. He had to retreat—

Until he felt it.

A presence.

Soft. Familiar.

His eyes widened.

Her.

A gust of wind carried the scent of lotus and winter frost. A figure stepped into the ruins—silver hair flowing, amethyst eyes locked onto him.

"…Yoru."

His heart, steady even in the face of death, faltered.

He hadn't heard that voice in years.

The Executioner stood amidst the fractured void, golden eyes glowing beneath the cracked edges of their mask. Blood dripped from the cut Yoru had left on their side, staining the dark fabric beneath their armor. But they didn't falter.

Instead, they took a step forward.

Yoru barely noticed.

His gaze was fixed on the silver-haired figure standing at the edge of the battlefield, untouched by the chaos. She wasn't supposed to be here.

She shouldn't even be alive.

Yet there she was—just as he remembered, yet somehow changed.

"…Yoru," she said again, her voice soft, uncertain.

His pulse hammered in his ears. Not now. Not in the middle of this.

His grip on the void wavered, the darkness around him thinning. The Executioner moved in an instant, lunging to exploit the opening.

But then—

The girl moved too.

Faster than thought, a streak of silver and blue blurred between them. A single, elegant motion—her hand brushing against the air like a painter touching canvas. A ripple of frost erupted from her fingertips, meeting the Executioner's strike mid-air.

A clash of elements.

Golden force met icy resistance. The ground between them cracked, steam hissing into the cold night air. For the first time, the Executioner hesitated.

Yoru inhaled sharply. "You—"

Her gaze flickered toward him, something unreadable in those violet depths. "You're still reckless, Yoru."

His throat tightened.

The past clawed at him, unbidden. Memories of stolen moments, whispered words beneath starlit skies. The weight of a promise they never got to keep.

She was alive.

And she was protecting him.

The Executioner straightened, their glaive lowering slightly as they assessed this new opponent. "Celestial Yin Arts," they murmured. "A forgotten technique."

The girl's expression remained unreadable. "And yet, you recognize it."

Yoru exhaled, steadying himself. His heartbeat was still uneven, still reeling from her presence, but he shoved the emotions aside. Later. He would deal with it later.

For now, they had a common enemy.

He smirked, forcing his usual confidence back into place. "Looks like you're not the only one with surprises, Executioner."

The masked warrior tilted their head, as if considering. Then, without another word, they stepped back. A tactical retreat. They weren't foolish enough to fight a two-on-one battle they weren't prepared for.

Yoru watched as the Executioner vanished into the shadows, their presence dissipating like mist in the night. He didn't relax—not yet—but he let out a slow breath.

Silence settled over the battlefield. The ruins, the void, the tension—none of it mattered in that moment.

Because she was standing in front of him.

"…It's been a long time," she said quietly.

Yoru swallowed. "Yeah."

A pause.

Then, softer—"You're not going to say my name?"

His jaw clenched. Of course he knew her name. He had never forgotten. But saying it aloud made it real, and he wasn't sure if he was ready for that.

She took a step closer, hesitant but determined. "Why are you here, Yoru?"

He let out a low chuckle, shaking his head. "Shouldn't I be the one asking you that?"

A ghost of a smile played on her lips. "Maybe."

The distance between them felt too vast, despite the mere steps separating them. He had spent years convincing himself she was gone, that she was just another part of the life he had lost.

And now she was standing in front of him.

Alive.

Different.

And just as dangerous as he was.

"Are you here to kill me too?" he asked, his voice quiet but laced with something sharp.

Her smile faded. "No, Yoru. I'm here to stop you from becoming something you'll regret."

His smirk didn't reach his eyes. "Too late for that."

She sighed, something sad and knowing in her gaze. "Then I guess I'll just have to fight for you instead."

He didn't know what to say to that.

For the first time in a long while, Yoru felt like he was standing on the edge of something unknown.

And he wasn't sure whether to take a step forward—or turn and run.

----

End of Chapter 3.

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In Chapter 4: Chains of the Past, Yoru, weakened from overusing his void energy, faces the Lunar Executioner. As he struggles, a mysterious silver-haired girl, a figure from his past, appears and intervenes in the battle. She proves to be a formidable ally, and together, they manage to escape the Executioner. They find themselves in the ruins of an ancient temple, where their reunion is filled with tension and unspoken emotions. The girl confronts Yoru about the dangerous path he's on, leading to a moment of vulnerability between them, though Yoru remains guarded. Their reunion is filled with unresolved feelings and a promise of further revelations.