SINNER
[Scene: The Cave Entrance – Midnight]
(The air is thick with tension as Lucian and Elara stand in the shadows of the cave, listening to the approaching voices. The flickering torchlight outside casts eerie shapes against the stone walls.)
UNKNOWN VOICE: (mocking) "Come out, Sinner. We only want to talk."
LUCIAN: (smirking) "Strange. I don't usually get visitors who talk before they try to kill me."
ELARA: (whispering) "Who are they?"
LUCIAN: (quietly) "Bounty hunters. Mercenaries. Cowards."
ELARA: (gripping her dagger) "They know we're here."
LUCIAN: (grinning) "Then let's not disappoint them."
(Without warning, Lucian steps out of the cave. Elara sucks in a breath but follows, keeping to the shadows. Outside, five men stand in a loose formation, their armor dull but their weapons sharp. The leader, a tall man with a scarred face, grins as he sees Lucian.)
SCARRED MAN: "Draven. It's been a while."
LUCIAN: (mocking) "Forgive me if I don't remember. I don't usually waste time on the dead."
SCARRED MAN: (chuckling) "Still as arrogant as ever. You've got a price on your head, and we plan to collect."
LUCIAN: (glancing at Elara) "I assume the girl is included in the bounty?"
SCARRED MAN: "Oh, she's worth more than you."
ELARA: (muttering) "Well, that's insulting."
LUCIAN: (smirking) "See? Now I have to kill you just to restore my pride."
SCARRED MAN: (snarling) "Get them!"
(The mercenaries charge. Lucian moves like a shadow, unsheathing his sword in one fluid motion. Elara steps back, heart pounding, gripping her dagger. The first attacker swings at Lucian, but he dodges effortlessly, striking back with deadly precision. A second man lunges for Elara—she barely ducks in time, slicing at his arm.)
ELARA: (panting) "Lucian!"
LUCIAN: (blocking a blow) "You're doing fine, little witch."
ELARA: (gritted teeth) "Easy for you to say!"
(Lucian dispatches one opponent with a swift kick to the chest before driving his blade into another's side. Elara's attacker lunges again—she sidesteps, then drives her dagger into his thigh. He howls in pain, collapsing. Scarred Man watches with narrowed eyes.)
SCARRED MAN: (growling) "You're more trouble than you're worth."
LUCIAN: (grinning) "I get that a lot."
(With a flick of his wrist, Lucian throws a dagger. It buries itself in Scarred Man's shoulder. He stumbles, cursing, before turning and fleeing into the trees.)
ELARA: (breathing heavily) "Shouldn't we go after him?"
LUCIAN: (wiping his blade) "No need. He'll spread the word—no one collects a bounty on me and lives."
ELARA: "That's… comforting."
(Lucian steps closer, tilting his head as he studies her.)
LUCIAN: "You held your own."
ELARA: (rolling her eyes) "Barely."
LUCIAN: (grinning) "That's better than most."
(Elara exhales, glancing at the fallen mercenaries. Some are still breathing, groaning in pain. She hesitates.)
ELARA: "We should help them."
LUCIAN: (raising an eyebrow) "Why?"
ELARA: (quietly) "Because I'm not like you."
(Lucian watches her for a moment, then sighs and gestures toward the wounded men.)
LUCIAN: "Do what you must. But be quick."
(Elara kneels, pressing her hands to one man's wound. A faint golden glow pulses from her fingertips as she mends the worst of the damage. The mercenary groans, his breathing easing.)
LUCIAN: (softly) "You're going to get yourself killed with that kindness."
ELARA: (glancing up) "And you're going to get yourself killed without it."
(Lucian stares at her for a beat before shaking his head with a smirk.)
LUCIAN: "Come on, healer. We need to move."
[Scene: A Forest Path – Near Dawn]
(Lucian and Elara walk in silence, the tension of battle still lingering. The sky lightens, painting the treetops in gold.)
ELARA: "Where are we going now?"
LUCIAN: "The temple ruins. That's where your proof is, isn't it?"
ELARA: (nodding) "Yes. But it won't be easy."
LUCIAN: (grinning) "I prefer it that way."
(Elara shakes her head, but a small smile tugs at her lips. She studies him for a moment before speaking again.)
ELARA: "Why did you help me back there?"
LUCIAN: (shrugging) "Because dead witches can't reveal secrets."
ELARA: (teasing) "So you do care."
LUCIAN: (mocking) "Let's not get ahead of ourselves, little dove."
(Elara laughs, a rare sound in the darkness. Lucian glances at her, something unreadable in his eyes. She is different from anyone he has met—stubborn, reckless, kind. He should be annoyed. Instead, he feels something else entirely.)
ELARA: (softly) "Thank you, Lucian."
(Lucian exhales, looking away as he mutters.)
LUCIAN: "Don't make me regret it."
(As they continue their journey, neither of them realizes how much their fates have already begun to change.)
[To Be Continued…]