Legend of the Misfit

The days before the battle were nothing but relentless training days for Killian. He went extra on his training routine, did more hours of yoga with Master Ash, and sparred with Kira. 

Despite all the training, one challenge loomed in his mind—surviving Master Ash's overwhelming heat. Master Ash's overwhelming aura piqued his interest.

Though it took more than words to convince Master Ash, with Ahvi's charms, he managed to succeed.

The night was gentle. Master Ash and Killian sat before each other at the dojo. Master Ash's eyes were closed, his body slowly evaporating, and his aura radiating an eerie force.

Killian sat there, bracing himself for the inevitable.

He slowly infused his aura with hellfire, beginning with the lowest heat he could summon. Despite its mild intensity, Killian began to sweat, and before long, his clothes were drenched. 

As soon as his body began adjusting to the heat, the intensity of the heat increased. Without hesitation, he shrugged off his cloak.

[Damn… I think I'm melting.]

Killian began to pant as if he was carrying a mountain on his shoulder. Before he knew it, the heat became more intense, and his skin turned flushed. It felt as if his hair were being singed away.

After hours of enduring the heat, Killian's energy drained, and he began to feel dizzy. His vision blurred, and the next thing he knew, he was lying shirtless on his bed.

"That baldy nearly killed me." He slurred.

He could feel his body succumbing to the heat as he lay there. He let out a slow, steady breath and rose from the bed. Every cell in his brain pleaded with him not to touch his body.

He took slow, steady steps, careful not to let his skin touch itself. Once in the bathroom, he eased into an ice-cold bath, letting the chill soothe his burning body.

"Ahh… This feels great."

He let the relief sink in, slightly acknowledging that this might be his last bath.

"Death might scare me now. This bath is great." He smirked.

He remained submerged for nearly an hour, letting the cold numb the lingering heat.

[Time to get going.]

He stepped out of the bathtub, dressed up, and took a long and appreciative look at his beautiful reflection in the mirror. With a smirk, he winked at himself before heading out.

The city was alive, yet sorrowful. Young and capable warriors braced themselves as their families bid them farewell with their eyes drenched in tears.

The confident ones reveled in their surge of courage as they strode through the streets, while those burdened with resentment cursed Master Ash, blaming him for their predicament.

The cheerful city he had seen upon his arrival was gone.

He strolled through the crowd with his hands tucked in his pockets, making his way toward the city's vanguard.

As he neared the army, Morningstar closed in on him and tossed Killian a dagger.

"Are you ready?"

"More than ever."

They hurried to Master Ash and gave him a firm nod, signaling him to proceed. 

The plan was simple: Master Ash would lead the army to face the snarlers head-on, while Killian and his comrades used their smaller frames to slip through the shadows, retrieve the crown artifact, and ambush the leader of the snarlers.

To increase their chances of victory, Master Ash was using their main entrance, which would take them at least two days to reach the border—enough time for them to catch up.

"Fleeters!" Master Ash called out, and the army fell into formation.

"Steel your hearts, demons! Today, we fight not just for ourselves, but for everything we stand for!"

The army erupted into cheers.

[I've never seen anyone rejoice this much for death.]

"We march as one. We strike as one. We conquer as one!"

Their cheers grew louder. 

Master Ash turned to Killian, giving him a nod.

They immediately began marching through the main entrance, while Killian and the others turned for a tunnel.

Killian gestured for them to follow his lead. Before he could take another step, he felt someone wrap their arms around him from behind.

"Don't die, Killian," she said with her voice cracking.

[Must she hug me all the time? What's wrong with her mouth.]

Killian turned to Ahvi and let out a sigh.

"I won't. At least, I would try not to."

"Promise?"

[What a pain!] He shook his head.

"Yeah, I promise."

Once free of her grip, Killian checked his necklace artifact, as did the others—they had to ensure their presence remained completely invisible.

They proceeded to make their way out, as Ahvi and Sherry waved from behind. 

They steadily made their way out of a narrow tunnel, emerging once again back into the eternal abyss of darkness.

[Home sweet home.]

Lucid's mansion was a few hours away. Without a second to waste, they sprinted toward it.

The path was surprisingly easy, no monsters, no obstacles. Only decayed, rotting corpses littered the path, their foul stench polluting the air. It hit harder than a mix of rotten eggs, urine, and decomposing flesh, forcing a wave of nausea through Killian.

They held their breath as much as they could and refused to let the stench hinder them.

Fear surged through Killian. Returning to Lucid's place after all this time made his soul sink.

They reached the fence of the mansion in no time. Fear crept into Killian, making his steps falter.

"Based on how you described Lucid's aura, we should be sensing it, right?"

"Yeah. I don't understand it either." 

While Morningstar and Killian murmured to each other, Zeya began to curse repeatedly and slapped her cheeks as she ordered herself to get it together.

Killian smirked; he was ready for the task.

"Regardless of what, we must search the mansion."

They gave a firm nod.

Moving with steady, cautious steps, they scaled the mansion's grandeur. Just before landing, they controlled their descent midair to avoid making noise by stepping on the grotesque decoration beneath them.

They carefully avoided any shades of light and swiftly made their way to the mansion's entrance. 

Zeya tried to unlock the door with threads, but to their surprise, it was already opened. 

It felt unusual. Killian immediately touched his necklace.

"Hope your necklaces are intact?"

Without a word, they removed their necklace. Killian was supposed to be at ease, yet something felt out of place.

Killian shook his head and signaled for them to move inside the mansion.

They carefully searched all the rooms, but the mansion was empty—and the crown artifact was nowhere to be found.

It was clear—Lucid had broken his seal. But how?… was he sealed at all?

It was a failed mission. And approximately, Master Ash and the Army were a day or two away from the border.

This piqued Killian's interest. He wanted to know what Lucid was up to, and most importantly, what he was doing to his friend.

Killian stood in the living room, his eyes darting around, and his hand resting on a sofa.

[How can this be? What if Raiden is dead?]

They had no time to dwell over mysteries—whether failed or not, they had to ambush the leader.

"Kill?"

Morningstar snapped Killian out of his thoughts.

"We must leave."

"Yeah… right."

They hurried out of the mansion and began sprinting back to the Fleeters city.

Though Killian was physically part of the crew, his mind was elsewhere—all he wanted was to find out if Raiden and Lucid were somehow connected to the predicament.

They quickly reached the tunnel, clapped for an opening, and shoved themselves inside.

They dashed through the city, making their way to the main entrance. 

The city was more lifeless than ever—Its air thick with grief and fear.

[I wish this lasted longer.]

Killian thought as he sprinted through the streets.

They reached the gate just in time, and the soldiers, spotting them approaching, swung it open without hesitation—giving them no time to waste.

They panted, their limbs grew dull with exhaustion, but they knew this wasn't the time to rest.

[This is nothing.] He smirked.

With their minds fixated on catching up to the army, they dashed through the woods, their steps and heavy breaths echoing through the trees.

"Kill."

Morningstar called out, tossing him a flask of water as they ran.

"That's a brilliant idea, Morningstar."

After almost a day of running, with only brief pauses for a few snacks, they began to close in a swarm of auras.

Initially, Killian mistook it for a brute beast radiating an enormous aura. But as he approached, he realized the sheer immensity struck him—it had to be more than one.

The sheer presence was overwhelming—even for Master Ash's army. They had to tread carefully.

They spread themselves through the woods, attempting to close in from different directions for better visibility.

Killian's steps were precise and orderly; he kept his breathing low and clutched his dagger tightly. 

As Killian neared, he sensed someone behind him. His heartbeat began rising as he froze in the moment.

[I must be careful… a slight mistake could send our mission up in flames.]

As his mind wandered, his back turned to it.

He heard the gentle rustling of grass in the breeze. He carefully turned, and it was Zeya. She had slit the snarler's throat and was gently laying it on the ground.

"Thanks." He murmured, following it with a sigh.

She gave Killian a thumbs-up with a dull expression.

They closed in on the aura together and peeked through the leaves cautiously.

The snarlers had met Master Ash midway and were fully armed for war. 

Before Master Ash stood a fox snarler, a smirk on his face, his skeletal sword resting on his shoulder.

For some reason, the snarlers were of moderate size compared to the giant ant Killian had encountered a while ago.

The beast seemed more conscious, and their heights were slightly above that of a demon.

Killian could feel something was off—the fox didn't carry the presence of a leader, just the arrogance of a proud prick.

He said nothing. He just stood in front of Master Ash and teased his presence with his mocking smirks.

"Zeya… Do you think the fox is the leader?"

Killian murmured. Zeya shook her head in disapproval.

Killian heard footsteps approaching. He tilted his head and raised his guard—there stood Morningstar and Kari.

"I don't think the master came with them."

Morningstar said, joining them.

"I figured that much. We must see the mission through."

They gave a firm nod.

With that, they slowly slipped from their grasp and dashed toward the border.