---
The battlefield was quiet. The crackling echoes of gravitational distortion still lingered in the air, and the shattered terrain whispered the tale of a fight too great for mere mortals. Dust floated like ghostly spirits between the broken rocks and scorched trees.
Asher lay on the ground, his chest rising and falling with each labored breath. Opposite him, Korrin stirred—blood trickling from his lips, yet his expression was calm, even relieved.
Silence.
Then, Korrin chuckled softly. "You've grown, Asher."
Asher gritted his teeth, forcing himself upright, despite the pain ringing through his body like shattered glass. "You didn't go easy on me."
"I didn't," Korrin admitted, sitting up with one arm bracing himself. "But still... you stood your ground. You fought with everything. For them."
His gaze drifted toward the direction of the mansion, where the Queen and Princess were still hidden—safe, for now.
Korrin smiled. Not his usual smirk or smug grin, but something genuine, though weighed by sorrow. "I won't go after them. Or the egg. You've earned it."
Asher blinked. "Why? After everything... why stop now?"
A faint wind passed between them, stirring the grass like whispers of the dead.
Korrin leaned back and closed his eyes. "Because I finally understand. You're not just fighting to win. You're fighting to protect. And that kind of resolve… it's rare. Priceless."
Asher frowned, still cautious. "Who sent you, Korrin? Who's been behind this the whole time?"
The assassin's expression darkened. "The Prince."
Asher's eyes widened.
Korrin continued, his voice bitter. "It was all him. Every death. Every drop of blood. He gave the orders. I was just the blade. He made me kill every queen that stood beside the King. I had to be a shadow that devoured the entire royal court. I only did it to increase the legacy of the assassin guild and to experience the world of the top ten in the kingdom."
He clenched his fists, trembling.
" I told him I wouldn't attack you unless you where involved "
"But I can't believe he… manipulated the King. Convinced him the best place for the Queen and Princess to be safe is in your care. And say In your mansion. That's why they were sent here. Not to protect them—but to isolate them. So I could kill them. So you would be lured here. So we would fight."
A sick realization settled in Asher's gut.
"So all this... all the pain... was so the Prince could get rid of everyone who stood in his way."
Korrin nodded. "Including you."
Asher's jaw tightened. "And you obeyed him."
"I didn't obey him," Korrin admitted. "I just didn't know you got closer to the royal family or even cared about them."
He stood. "I've done enough. More than enough. Honestly I was never going to kill you. I only attacked you seriously because I was angry with you for killing talon who followed his own dreams"
Asher looked at him, trying to find the words. There was none. Only silence again.
"But now is see that you don't just care about this territory but you also cared about the kingdom;If you ever need me," Korrin said quietly, "you know how to find me."
"Why are you telling me this?" Asher asked.
"Because someone like you might still fix this broken kingdom. And maybe… maybe I still want to believe there's a way to make up for what I've done."
Asher stared at him. For the first time, he saw not an assassin. Not a shadow. But a man—with love, respect and honest.
Korrin turned his back and began to walk. But Asher called out one last time.
"What about the Prince?"
Korrin paused.
"The Prince," he said slowly, "is your business now. He won't touch me. Not after all I've done for him. He thinks I'm still his pawn."
He glanced over his shoulder, eyes narrowed.
"But that's his mistake."
Then, with a shimmer of shadow, he was gone.
---
Back at the mansion, the aftermath of the battle still echoed in everyone's hearts. The halls were dim and filled with tension.
Darian's body lay still.
Talon blamed himself as he fought som assassins; blood on his hands, his breath shallow. His rage had led to Darian's death—there was no denying it. Whisper's arrow had been meant for him.
And Darian had taken the shot.
"I… I was the one she wanted," Talon whispered, his hands shaking. "It should've been me."
"Focus on the battle talon" Lyria growled behind him. "Now's not the time to mourn."
"But—"
"You'll dishonor him if you let this break you," Garek added. "He did that to save you. Fight like you're worth dying for."
Whisper smirked as she aimed her next arrow at the trio.
But before she could release, Cassandra sliced through the air, deflecting her aim with a clang..
And tried to finally eliminate whisper but....
Korrin walked Inside the mansion, the aftermath still pulsed through the walls like a lingering storm. Blood was drying on the tiles, some soldiers groaning as they were tended to, others unmoving—fallen in duty and honor. While other in fought in the intense battle
And then, amidst the chaos, Korrin's energy overshadowed everyone.
He walked through the battlefield inside the mansion with silent authority, the weight of death and command trailing behind him like a second shadow. The assassins, still standing, immediately stiffened upon his arrival. Even those in mid-strike froze at the sight of him.
The remaining royal soldiers, wounded but defiant, raised their weapons hesitantly.
But then… Korrin spoke.
One word.
A single command, like thunder in a whisper:
"Stop the attack."
The effect was immediate.
Assassins lowered their weapons.
Soldiers paused.
Even Cassandra, who was mid-stride toward another attacker, halted. Her breathing was ragged, blood staining her clothes, but her eyes were sharp and locked onto Korrin.
For a moment, she feared the worst.
Did Asher lose?
She tightened her grip on her sword calculating how many she could take down if she had to. She had already fought through hell; what was one more round?
Even though she can see the future she can't see every possibilities of every future with any slight altering, she was also low on energy so she could not use her foresight again which frightened her.
But then Korrin turned to his own—his assassins, cloaked in shadow, silent as death—and spoke clearly.
"We will now retreat and will never attack the princess or queen again"
Murmurs spread like fire. One of the assassins stepped forward, confused. "What about the egg? Didn't you—?"
Korrin raised a hand, and the assassin fell silent.
"Forget the egg." His voice cut through the air like steel. "We no longer need it. "
Stunned silence followed.
"Leave," Korrin commanded. "Now. And hear this—none of you are to ever raise a hand against anyone under Asher's protection again."
"But, Commander—!"
"I said we leave."
There was no room for argument. His words were no longer requests. They were judgment.
One by one, the assassins vanished—like winds fading into smoke, their auras dissipating, the darkness in the room lifting with each disappearance.
Within seconds, the shadows that had once blanketed the mansion were gone.
Peace, fragile and wounded, began to settle in.
Cassandra dropped to one knee, exhaustion overcoming her as adrenaline wore off. She looked around at the survivors—Garek helping Lyria limp to a chair, Talon crouched beside the bodies of their fallen comrades, whispering silent prayers.
One of the medics Cassandra had called finally arrived, rushing into the hall with a few clerics and healers.
"We need stretchers!" someone shouted. "Two down over here!"
Cassandra moved immediately to check on Elias and Darian, dread knotting in her stomach.
She knelt beside Elias and gently pressed her fingers to his neck. Cold.
"No pulse…" she whispered.
Her chest tightened. Another life lost in this nightmare.
She moved to Darian, hand trembling.
There was a pulse—weak, thready.
"Darian's alive!" she shouted to the medics. "But he needs attention now. Major internal bleeding. His spine—might be fractured."
One of the healers nodded grimly. "He won't be walking again, not without magic beyond our reach."
As the medics carefully lifted Darian onto a stretcher, Talon stood beside Cassandra, face pale, hands still stained with blood.
"He saved me," Talon whispered. "It should've been me…"
Cassandra placed a hand on his shoulder. "Then honor him by surviving. Fight for the future he died protecting."
Talon nodded, his throat tight.
---
Outside the mansion, Asher stood alone, his gaze fixed on the sky. Clouds were beginning to part, moonlight shining gently through.
Inside his mind, the demon stirred once more.
" I CAN'T BELIEVE HE LET US LIVE...LIKE WE LOST" it hissed, amused. "AND THEN HE LET YOU KEEP THE EGG. CURIOUS .... WHAT A STRANGE BROTHER YOU HAVE."
Asher didn't respond. His thoughts were heavy—on the deaths, on Korrin's change of heart, on the Prince who was manipulating everything from the shadows and even the new power and memories that flooded in his head.
"What was all that about" he asked the demon.
" THAT IS THE DISADVANTAGES OF USING MY POWERS YOU NOT ONLY CONSUME SOMEONE'S POWER BUT ALSO A FRACTION OF HIS MEMORIES...'
" IF YOU HAD CONSUME MORE THAN A DROP OF BLOOD OR A STRAND OF HAIR YOU WILL SUFFER FROM IDENTITY CRISIS"
" As long as I don't get to kill Korrin am satisfied but am unease about the prince next move.
"HE SAID YOU CAN CALL ON HIM.... IF YOU NEED HIM AGAIN"
"Would you trust him?" Asher asked quietly.
"HE'S A KILLER. BUT HE'S ALSO A MAN BOUND BY GUILT AND MIGHT JUST BE MISJUDGED.... JUST LIKE ME .
I WAS THE SON OF THE DEMON GOD OF GLUTTONY AND PEOPLE ALWAYS JUDGED ME AS A HEARTLESS..."
Just then, a portal shimmered nearby, soft and rippling like water.
From it stepped Selena, regal and fierce, yet her expression was overwhelmed with emotion.
Behind her, the Princess stepped through—her face pale, lips trembling.
"Asher!" she cried.
Before he could speak, the Princess ran forward and threw her arms around him.
"I thought you were dead," she fake sobbed. "I thought Korrin… I thought he…"
Asher gently held her. "I'm here. It's over—for now."
Selena approached slower, her gaze scanning him from head to toe. "You're injured badly are you sure you are okay."
"I'll live."
"I saw the final burst of energy from the tower," Selena said, almost in awe. "I thought it was your last stand."
"It almost was," Asher admitted. "But Korrin changed his mind."
The Queen's eyes narrowed slightly. "Why?"
"He told me the truth. About the Prince. About how he's been pulling strings, killing anyone related to the King. Including you both. "
Selena looked away, her jaw clenched.
"I suspected it," the Queen whispered. "But to think that that boy could be so heartless to wipe out the entire people related to him…"
The Princess, still clinging to Asher's arm, looked up at him. "Will… will he come back? The Prince?"
Asher looked toward the stars, his mind already racing.
"Yes," he said simply. "Not now. But eventually."
---
Hours passed.
The survivors were treated, the dead honored. The Queen and Princess were moved to a more secure location. Guards were posted. The egg, now glowing faintly, was placed in an enchanted containment chamber under lyria's watch.
Inside the war room, maps were laid out. The generals—what few remained—gathered. Plans were being drawn.
But Asher stood outside the chamber, looking in at the egg.
It pulsed with life. A symbol of power. Of destiny.
Selena walked up behind him. "You really plan to keep protecting us?"
He didn't turn. "I don't know what I'm doing yet. But I know I have to keep going."
She paused. "You're stronger than I remember."
"I've had no choice."
A faint smile touched her lips. "Then maybe there's still hope."
He finally turned to her. "Do you believe in Korrin's word. ?"
"No," she said honestly. "But I believe in you. And if you believe he is saying the truth, then that's enough for me."
Asher nodded.
The storm had passed—but the war was far from over.
The Prince whose location was unknown was now a treat.
And Asher was coming for him.
--
---
Meanwhile, Asher stood outside the mansion, watching the horizon burn with the fading energy of the battle. The egg glowed faintly inside his cloak—still dormant, but warm.
The demon in his mind stirred again.
> "You saw what Korrin became. And yet he still bowed out."
Asher didn't reply. He was thinking.
> "Don't mistake kindness for weakness," the demon warned. "The Prince… will not fight fair."
-