Chapter 381 — Not Human

The forest returned, exactly as it had been, complete with afternoon light and ambient sounds and the smell of blood-soaked earth.

But the despair didn’t leave.

It clung to Serath’ana like a physical weight, crushing her beneath its pressure, making breathing difficult and thinking nearly impossible.

Her hands slowly fell from her ears.

Her eyes, streaming with tears, lifted.

And she saw him.

A man dressed entirely in black, every inch of his body covered except for his eyes, which were visible through the white mask he wore.

Those eyes were crimson.

The bright and vivid crimson of fresh blood.

They looked at her with complete disinterest, like she was an insect he’d found while walking and hadn’t decided whether to crush yet.

"This isn’t... can’t be real..."

She tried to speak, stuttering through tears and despair.

Before she could finish–

Her body lifted off the ground.

Invisible force wrapped around her, yanking her forward, pulling her through the air until she hung suspended directly in front of the masked man.

Her feet dangled uselessly as Telekinesis held her in place like a puppet.

The two surviving males, limbless and bleeding out on the ground, tried to speak as well.

"Help... Princess... run..."

Thalas’s voice came out wet and broken.

Ralen just whimpered, hands still trying uselessly to stop the bleeding.

The masked man’s head turned slowly toward them.

"This is the human world." His voice came out quiet and cold. "Speak human."

Thalas managed to lift his head despite the blood loss, despite the shock.

His survival instincts kicked in even as consciousness slipped away.

"Forgive the intrusion, honored warrior, but your actions are most unwarranted!" Each word took effort, blood bubbling at the corners of his mouth. "We have been granted passage into these lands by your own military authorities, with proper documentation and escort. The attack upon our persons constitutes a violation of diplomatic protocols and–"

The elf stopped talking because his face was grabbed.

The masked man had moved faster than Thalas could track, crossing the distance in an instant, his hand closing around the elf’s face with enough force to crack bone.

’What–’

Then he pulled.

Thalas’s face came apart as it was torn.

The masked man’s fingers ripped through flesh and muscle and bone, tearing the elf’s head into pieces with raw physical strength.

Blood sprayed across the clearing.

Splash Splat

The body spasmed once and went still.

"..."

Silence fell around them.

Ralen stared at Thalas’s corpse as his mouth opened and closed but no sound came out.

’Not human!’

The thought screamed through his mind.

’This can’t be human! This much power at B rank, the cruelty, the way he moves... this is a demon! A demon disguised as a human! Demons can do that! They infiltrate, they wear our faces, they–’

Serath’ana had gone completely rigid, her breathing coming in short, panicked gasps.

’Is he... is he a demon?’

Her thoughts were fractured by fear and despair.

The masked man turned toward Ralen as his head tilted slightly.

"Why did you target the... raven?"

Ralen’s mouth opened and closed several times, his vocal cords struggling to form words through shock and blood loss.

But survival instinct won out over pride and he started talking.

****

The story came out in fragments, disjointed by pain and fear.

His voice shook as words tumbled out in heavily accented English, each sentence a desperate attempt to buy more seconds of life.

"We– we came for treasures! This world’s Aura is surging! Our seers predicted many treasures would form across this world! Including ones that affect talent!"

He gasped for air, blood pooling beneath him, consciousness fading at the edges.

’Say everything! Tell him everything! Maybe he’ll spare the Princess! Maybe–’

"Our military made it a condition during peace negotiations! That we’d be allowed to claim treasures that form in human territory during the surge! Your military agreed as a... as a complimentary gift! Part of the treaty!"

The words came faster now, desperation overriding pain.

"This forest... our artifact detected a talent growth treasure forming here! S rank to SS rank! The Princess–" He glanced at Serath’ana hanging in the air. "She has S rank talent! Her father, General Vel’tharis, he commands three legions! He wanted her to have SS rank!"

He coughed, blood spraying from his mouth.

"The raven... it found the treasure first! Was going to take it before it matured! Major General Kethran ordered us to kill it! But the Princess... she saw its power... wanted to capture it... keep it as a pet... so we tracked it... we followed..."

His voice grew weaker.

"There’s an S rank beast guarding the treasure site... your human General is fighting it now... General Broddy... he’s keeping it occupied... while Major General Kethran and his forces wait at the formation site..."

Ralen’s eyes were desperate, pleading.

"Your military knows! They approved this! It’s part of the peace treaty! The human military facilitated everything!"

He took a shuddering breath.

"The Princess... she’s vital to diplomatic relations... Her father commands three legions... If anything happens to her... if she dies... you would become an enemy of both human and elvish military forces..."

His voice gained a note of hysteria.

"They would hunt you! Across worlds! Your family, your friends, everyone you’ve ever known would be interrogated, tortured, killed! They would–"

"...How long will it take for the treasure to be born?"

The masked man’s question cut through Ralen’s speech like a blade.

Ralen paused, his mouth still open, the threat dying on his lips.

"I... the formation requires time to fully mature... Hours, perhaps... It should be complete before–"

The masked man waved his hand.

BAM

Ralen’s head exploded.

Telekinesis compressed inward from all directions simultaneously, generating enough pressure to rupture skull and brain matter in an instant.

Thud

The body collapsed, finally dead, joining his companions in the blood-soaked clearing.

Serath’ana was the only one left.

She hung suspended in the air, trembling so violently her teeth chattered.

’Dead! They’re all dead! Kaleth, Thalas, Ralen... all dead... in seconds...’

Her mind couldn’t process it.

These were elite warriors, veterans of dozens of campaigns, each one capable of fighting multiple enemies simultaneously.

And they’d been butchered like animals.

’I’m going to die.’

The thought crystallized with absolute certainty.

’I’m going to die here! Killed by... by whatever this thing is! Father will never know what happened! Will never find my body! I’ll just... disappear...’

Tears streamed down her face as her bow lay forgotten on the ground below.

The masked man turned toward her slowly.

Step Step Step

He came closer, each step deliberate, until he stood directly before her floating form.

His hand reached up.

Serath’ana flinched violently, entire body going rigid, expecting pain and expecting death.

But his hand simply caught her chin, tilting her face up.

His fingers traced along her jawline, her cheekbones, the elegant curve of her ear.

He touched the pointed tip gently, almost curiously, like someone examining an interesting specimen.

Serath’ana was shaking so hard her teeth chattered.

"It’s my first time seeing elves." His voice came out quiet and thoughtful. "You lot are indeed beautiful."

His head tilted slightly as his crimson eyes studied her face.

"...I wonder how you will taste though."