The air was too still.
Korir didn't notice at first—his mind was still spinning from the exhaustion of training—but something felt wrong. A weight in the atmosphere. A silent presence pressing down on his skin like invisible chains.
Then Zero moved.
Fast.
One moment he was leaning against the hideout's crumbling wall, the next he was standing in front of Korir—one hand tucked into his pocket, the other gripping the hilt of his dagger. His usual arrogance had been stripped away. His body was tense. Eyes sharp.
That's when Korir saw it.
A shadow.
Perched on the ruined rooftop like a bird of prey, watching. Unmoving. Unshaken. The night was dark, but Korir could feel him. The weight of his stare. The quiet confidence of a man who had no reason to fear them.
Then, finally, a voice—low and smooth, like a blade gliding over stone.
"You're alive. Interesting."
The figure dropped down.
Silent. Effortless.
His boots hit the ground with barely a sound, his long coat rippling in the night breeze. He was tall, his presence swallowing the space between them. His silver-threaded cloak bore the Mombasa Mabas insignia. But what Korir couldn't stop staring at…
Were his eyes.
Cold.Sharp.Yellow—like a lion's.
Zero exhaled slowly. "Troop 19… Beric."
Korir tensed. He had heard the name before. Leo's superior. The man who had been watching them.
Beric smiled. It was the kind of smile that meant nothing. A predator's amusement.
"Relax." He held up a single gloved hand. "I didn't come to fight."
Zero didn't lower his stance. "Then what do you want?"
Beric's gaze flicked toward Korir, then back to Zero. "I wanted to see if you were worth my time."
Korir clenched his fists. "And?"
Beric let out a short chuckle. "You killed Leo. That alone is interesting."
He took a slow step forward. Zero tensed.
Korir didn't move.
Beric tilted his head slightly. "But do you want to know why you won?"
Korir's stomach twisted. He already knew what was coming.
Beric smiled wider. "Because Leo hadn't awakened yet."
A single moment of silence.
Then—BOOM.
Beric moved.
In a blink, he was inches away from Korir. No sound. No warning. Just pure dominance.
Korir's breath hitched. He hadn't even seen him move.
Beric crouched slightly, golden eyes gleaming. "And you?" His voice was barely a whisper. "How long will it take before you awaken?"
Zero's dagger was already at Beric's throat.
Fast.
Beric didn't flinch. He smiled. Amused. "Not bad."
Then, in one fluid motion, he stepped back, completely unbothered by the blade at his neck. "I'll take my leave."
He turned, his coat sweeping behind him. But before he vanished into the night, he glanced over his shoulder.
"Survive, Korir. I'd rather kill you when you're worth something."
Then he was gone.
Just like that.
The weight in the air disappeared.
Korir let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. His body felt like it had just been through another fight, even though no one had thrown a punch.
Zero sighed, sheathing his dagger. "Well. That was terrifying."
Korir swallowed. He couldn't argue.
Beric had come and gone like a ghost.
And he'd made one thing painfully clear.
Korir wasn't strong enough. Not yet.