Shina's steps rang with purpose as she exited the guild building, her military coat billowing in the wind. Bruto, her loyal second-in-command, was already waiting with two horses. Without a word, Shina mounted hers, and together with Bruto, they rode off toward the imperial military headquarters.
Not long after their departure, Canis stepped outside. He paused at the door, taking a deep breath, as if to calm the fire within his chest. His right hand pulled a cigarette from the coat pocket, lighting it with a near-automatic motion. White smoke curled gently from his lips, blending into the cold air.
From the side, footsteps approached.
"Canis," came Grell's heavy voice. Beside him stood Aron, wearing a curious expression. "What were you two talking about? From outside, your aura felt... freezing."
Canis didn't respond right away. He lifted his face, letting the sunlight touch the parts not hidden by his tangled hair.
"Just a trivial matter," he said at last. "Nothing you need to worry about."
Grell narrowed his eyes but didn't press further. Aron also chose to stay silent, though his gaze still demanded an explanation that would never come.
---
Several days passed.
That morning was like any other. Canis sat on the guild's terrace, wrapped in his worn-out coat, cradling the warmth of a coffee cup. Smoke from his cigarette curled between his fingers, forming silhouettes that mingled with the city's thin mist.
Peace.
Or at least, that's how it seemed.
But deep in his heart, Canis knew: this peace was fragile. As thin as paper, ready to tear when the winds grew strong.
He sipped his coffee and gazed at the still-empty street. In silence, his thoughts drifted to a notion that had begun to grow since his encounter with the ice woman.
He had to move. Alone. In the shadows.
The Bloodminers weren't just a threat. They were a problem from the past. And he wouldn't let the Empire—one of the architects behind those lunatics—pretend to be a savior.
They created monsters. And now they wanted to kill them to look righteous.
Disgusting.
But his deepest reason... was more personal.
He didn't want to see that woman—the one whose name he refused to say—succeed. He despised the idealism Shina held dear. The perfect symbol of Absolute power.
"Idealism like yours," Canis muttered, "is nothing but poison to Humanity."
---
Far in the hills, two figures stood still, watching through the thin fog.
The first wore a familiar red cloak—the masked man who once attacked him in the Guild Hall. His eyes glowed coldly, full of calculation. He was Satgas, one of the Bloodminers' high-ranking officers.
Next to him stood a towering figure with coarse skin and eyes full of hatred—Gultor, another Bloodminer officer, known for his brutal strength and loyalty to destruction.
They said nothing. They simply watched.
Because they knew… the time to move was drawing near.
Satgas, the red-cloaked man with a mask covering half his face, kept his gaze locked on the figure below—Canis, sitting casually with a cup of coffee and a cigarette in hand. Beside him stood Gultor, known for his brute strength and blunt way of speaking.
Gultor snorted.
"So that's him?" he muttered. "Canis Majoris? He hasn't changed much since we last saw him years ago. But he's no teenager anymore."
He crossed his scarred arms over his chest. "All I see is a man without motivation, clinging to nicotine and nostalgia. I could crush his throat in one punch."
Satgas didn't answer immediately. His eyes remained fixed on Canis, watching every move—from the way he sipped his coffee to how he flicked the ash from his cigarette.
"Don't be fooled by that apathetic face," Satgas murmured. "Canis Majoris is still Canis Majoris."
Gultor turned, half-mocking. "Still afraid of him?"
"Not afraid," Satgas replied calmly. "Just… respecting a battlefield we don't yet understand. In fact, he's one of the few in this world who truly understands our power."
Gultor raised an eyebrow. "So? What's your plan to bring him down?"
A thin smile appeared behind Satgas's mask. He was just about to speak when—
A blinding flash shot from below. Gultor reflexively squinted—but it was too late.
BOOM!
The ground beneath them exploded, struck by a blast as fast as lightning. Stone and dust flew everywhere, and before they could fully react, a shadow launched upward—firing like a bullet.
Canis.
With one kick against the earth beneath them, he shattered the footing where the two Bloodminer officers stood. Satgas and Gultor were thrown backward, forced to retreat swiftly.
From the smoke and crumbling rock, Canis's voice rang out—cold and sharp:
"Don't run."
His gaze pierced the fog, locked straight onto them.
Gultor was stunned. "He saw us… from that far away?"
"His senses are still as sharp as ever," Satgas hissed. "Damn it."
Before Canis could strike again, the two figures moved fast. Shadows wrapped around their bodies, forming a dark vortex that twisted the air.
They vanished.
Canis halted. Dust slowly settled, leaving behind a massive crater where Satgas and Gultor once stood.
He exhaled smoke through his lips, now standing alone on the ruined cliff.
"No one stays hidden forever," he whispered.
{Chapter 12 end}