My father had been killed. I could sense his life had slipped away unknowingly. Gritting my teeth, I activated my skill and ran. Even though I wanted to confront those knights for taking my father’s life, I knew there was nothing I could do. Those knights were experts at neutralizing skills and magic. They were the anti-skill and anti-magic unit.
My skill only allowed me to temporarily evade their sight, but I knew they would capture me soon enough. I wasn’t going down without a fight, though. I wanted to survive, to seek vengeance against those who took my parents’ lives. With my father gone, it fell to me to avenge my mother’s suffering at the hands of the those who abused her. I also swore to avenge my father’s killer. To achieve that, I needed to flee for now.
“You think you can slip away using your skill, huh? Too bad we’ve got someone who can see right through it.”
Suddenly, a chill ran down my spine as I felt eyes fixated on me. It was unsettling because once I activated my skill, I should have been completely undetectable. I was like a ghost in the shadows. But those knights had clearly done their homework. The damn traitor must have spilled every detail about us, including our unique skill, allowing them to prepare for every eventuality.
The person staring at me now likely possessed a skill that pierced through illusions and detected invisible beings. It was the perfect foil to my skill.
Suddenly, a projectile hurtled towards me with deadly intent. I twisted desperately to evade it, but my movement was too slow, too delayed. The projectile slammed into my side, tearing through flesh and causing searing pain to ripple through me.
“Kuh…!”
Despite the agony, I didn’t dare to halt. Stopping meant certain death, and I wasn’t ready to meet my end just yet. There were countless unfinished tasks weighing on my mind, things that still needed to be done in this world. So, with gritted teeth and adrenaline pumping, I pushed forward, racing away as swiftly as my legs could carry me.
***
I managed to hide myself somehow, but the knights were still hot on my tail. Blood was gushing from my wounds, and I could feel a lot of it draining away. My consciousness was fading fast. I wanted to heal myself with magic, but using mana would give away my position to the knights. All I could do was apply pressure to the wound and hope to stop the bleeding.
“She can’t have gotten far with that injury. Search every corner. Shoot on sight!”
The alley was dark, lit only by sporadic flickers of firelight as the knights continued their relentless search. Whenever I sensed a lull in their presence, I’d swiftly move to a new hiding spot. Staying put would mean certain capture, especially with the trail of blood betraying my every move. I had to keep on the move, always one step ahead.
Eventually, exhaustion caught up with me. I stumbled into an alleyway and collapsed face-first onto the ground. My consciousness slipped away, slipping beyond my grasp.
“Damn it…” I muttered to myself, attempting to rise but failing miserably, crashing back down to the cold pavement. My blood flowed freely, draining me of both strength and consciousness.
***
Rose’s POV
“Thank you all for joining us tonight and listening to our songs!” exclaimed Erica, leader of the Starry Knights, her energy infectious as she beamed with a radiant smile. “I hope you’ll keep enjoying our music and supporting us. We love you all!”
It was a shame that I had spent most of the concert on high alert for potential attacks from the Eclipse, unable to fully immerse myself in the experience. Still, I suppose the fact that no attacks occurred was a stroke of luck as well.
Now that the concert is over, people are starting to leave the venue, buzzing with residual excitement. Many are still grinning ear to ear, thrilled to have finally seen the girls they admired on their smartphones perform live. Fanboys and fangirls are everywhere, reveling in the afterglow of the show.
Unlike them, though, no matter how much I liked their songs, I couldn’t enjoy it as much because of this job. If it weren’t for my parents forcing me to work for the Administrators to earn my freedom, I wouldn’t even be doing this. No matter how thrilling being an agent might seem, there are no perks to it. It’s just a fancy way of being a slave to the Administrators.
“The performance was pretty good. I’m not usually into music, but even I enjoyed it,” Irene remarked.
“Yeah, I liked it too,” I replied.
“Is something bothering you? I’ve noticed you keep looking around, like you’re on guard. Is your intuition acting up again?”
“Nah, I’m not sensing anything now,” I assured her. “But did you enjoy the show?”
“Well, I didn’t expect to enjoy it as much as I did,” Irene admitted.
“That’s good,” I said, grinning widely. Even though I didn’t get to enjoy the concert as much as I wanted, at least Irene did. Finally, I had someone to chat about these things with. No one at our workplace seemed to care about music, or even romance for that matter. I was itching to have someone to discuss these topics with.
“Oh, I completely forgot,” Irene chimed in abruptly. “I have some urgent tasks related to the materials needed for next semester, so I won’t be joining you for drinks. I know you’re planning to hit the bar, but I’ll have to pass this time. I have more pressing matters to attend to. You should probably start preparing for the upcoming semester too, instead of just goofing off.”
“Nah, I’d rather enjoy myself. My students don’t need textbooks to learn. They thrive on hands-on training,” I asserted.
“You really should take it more seriously. Even in martial arts, understanding the basics is crucial. Remember Professor Hericks? He skipped teaching sword fundamentals, and it led to a serious incident,” Irene warned
How could she still remember something so ancient? But well, I remember it vividly too. That incident happened when we were in our first year at the academy. The fourth year students got into a brawl that escalated into a bloody battle royal, resulting in the deaths of four students. The Professor got fired because of it.
“Don’t worry about that. I make sure my students never even think about that. Not with my fists around.”
“Your discipline is pretty strict sometimes.”
“If I don’t emphasize how serious and potentially dangerous studying martial arts can be, they won’t grasp the gravity of it. It’s important for them to understand that martial arts isn’t just a game you can play anywhere with anyone.”
“Well, that was profound,” Irene remarked. “I never knew you could think like that.”
“I wouldn’t be a professor if I couldn’t,” I replied.
After a while, we finally made it to the venue exit.
“Alright then, I’m heading out now. See you tomorrow. Oh, and try not to drink too much.”
“I won’t,” I assured her.
With that, we parted ways.
***
The clattering of tankards echoed through the pub, accompanied by the lively music of the band playing upfront. Seated alone in a dim corner, I immersed myself in gulping down drinks and devouring chunks of meat whenever they came my way.
This was my only escape from the stress of my job. During this brief respite, there was no pressure. All I felt was pure bliss.
However, that bliss was about to be shattered.
“Hey, lady, mind if I join you for a drink?” a man with a sly grin said. From his rugged appearance, he looked like an adventurer or possibly a mercenary. “I hate to see a lady like you drinking all alone.”
Just my luck—a guy ready to spoil my evening. Glancing around, I noticed several men ogling me with hungry eyes. It was clear I’d become their target.
I sighed audibly. “I prefer my own company, so no,” I replied firmly.
“Aw, come on now, no need to be so uptight. I ain’t looking for trouble, just some good company. What do you say?”
I could hear the sinister chuckles of the men eyeing me.
“Look, do you not understand the word ‘no’? Or are you too dumb to get it?”
“You’re really something else. Can’t believe someone like you ended up in this dive. What luck,” he sneered. “Makes me want to wipe that scowl off your face and replace it with pure pleasure.”
That did it. I snapped. My right foot shot out, connecting squarely with his face. He went flying towards the band, crashing through the wall with a loud smash.
“Fuck! That crazy woman just kicked our leader! You think we’re gonna let you get away with that?!”
I launched the tankard right at that asshole’s face. It smashed into him with a satisfying crash, the shards scattering as he staggered back.
Before anyone could react, I was already springing towards the next target. My fist struck his face with a solid thud, sending him reeling, and then a swift kick to his gut doubled him over.
“You assholes ruined my day. Now I’m gonna make damn sure I ruin all of yours,” I snarled, cracking my knuckles menacingly.
