The Tower's Secret

9. Villain's Eyes

Hey guys. So you guys know how I said I would be finishing up this arc this chapter? I'm sorry, I kinda lied. I realized there was too much to write about to fit into one chapter, so I've split it up into two. On the bright side, my next update will be very soon, because I already have most of it scoped out. So be on the lookout for it :) thanks!

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Grey had almost arrived at the shelter when a thunderous clap echoed across the fields, enclosing the whole area in its suddenness. A gunshot.

An elongated period of nothingness followed, extending precarious silence throughout the land. Grey's neck tingled in apprehension. Something was terribly wrong. He sprinted forward silently, his hands shaking strangely.

Grey stopped at the scene within a few seconds. There, a hundred feet away from the shed, were characters. Strong characters. A similar aura surrounded them all—the way they held themselves, the way they moved. Grey frowned at his observation. What was so uncannily similar if they all were so different in appearance?

From afar, the group seemed to be gazing at one thing, but Grey could not discern what fixated their attention. He carefully scrutinized each person, and his breath hitched when he noticed the apparent leader standing amongst the others. A man carrying a broadsword, his rough features decorated with scars, especially one across his face.

"If you see anyone with those features, do not hesitate. Run away."

Grey backed away as quietly as possible, holding his breath as he calmed himself with rationale. The group was obstructing his way back to the shelter, but he could just wait it out for while. They were bound to leave soon.

But what were they all staring at? Grey's skin tingled, and his stomach felt strangely hollow, as if telling him he was missing something. The air was tense and swampy. Grey swallowed. Did it have to do with the gunshot from earlier? Something was happening.

And suddenly, the thick stagnant atmosphere was broken. A small figure darted forward from underneath the gold grass. Grey gasped.

Asis.

It was Asis.

What was going on? She was sprinting furiously towards the shelter, her expression both desperate and determined, galvanized by a petrifying fear of death. Grey had never seen her run so fast before. However, he watched in horror and dismay as the leader took off.

Grey blinked. The scarred-face man covered the land in one quick move, his muscles bulging from the power in his legs. The man landed in front of Asis in a huge sweep, and he seamlessly knocked her to the ground.

How was he so fast? How was he so powerful?

Grey's breathing quickened. He unwittingly tightened his grip on his knife until his knuckles whitened like pale chalk, until his circulation of blood was almost cut off. The man was speaking words, but Grey could not hear them. Heart hammering in his chest, Grey pulsed with anger and fear; the congruous yet opposing emotions mixed a strange boiling concoction within him.

"Run away. Run away as fast as you can."

Run away...

Grey ran forward.

Asis was his Light. If she died, he would die with her. She was the one thing he could not leave behind.

Grey kept his breathing low, still attempting to mask his presence from the characters. He needed to get close, as close as possible without being seen; he needed to be fast, fast enough to make it in time.