Without hesitation, Asher grabbed Aiden's glowing hand, twisted it, spinning him around yanking him infront like a shield.
At the same time, time seemed to be at a stand still. As he unleashed a flurry of rapid punches, each strike sinking deep into Aiden's chest.
"Thud. Thud... THUD!"
With each blow, Aiden's body shuddered, the force of Asher's punches swelled his organs and rattled bones.
The moment, he stopped, Aiden stood there, wobbling… barely conscious.
Jackson's head jerked back in disbelief. His fists clenched, trembling with rage. "Aiden… what the hell are you doing?!"
Aiden, the boy they'd guarded, trusted, laughed with on cold nights…
He betrayed us? Just like that?
Jackson's fists shook, his palm dripped blood, slowly memories returned.
Not again. Not another one turning their back for some cursed artifact.
The betrayal hit harder than any blade. It was already chaos with the Silver Bandits, but now this?
Jackson's younger sister was betrayed and killed by a former ally, which is why he panics when he sees someone turning on their group again.
Liam's pupils shrank as he looked at Asher, stunned.
The young man… leader of the Silver Bandits eye narrowed at Asher. He scanned him it was the way Asher attacked intrigued him.
Those punches… they carried no magic, no energy. And yet… they hurt like hell. Rare. Very rare… moreover a mortal.
"Aiden!" The old man barked its only when he realized… Aiden heartbeat.
Without hesitation, he darted forward… his figure blurring between the stunned guards, as he headed straight for Asher.
The guards moved to block him, but froze.
Why?
Why did the Silver Bandit leader call Aiden's name?
Confusion spread like wildfire… Neither Asher nor Halcyon moved.
Asher watched Aiden, whose head hung low.
Suddenly, Aiden coughed up a mouthful of blood, covering the dirt below. His skin turned pale, his body shriveled, and the energy inside him drained away, vanishing into the air like smoke.
The old man was already mid-leap, reaching out to grab him…
In that moment, his expression twisted. He felt an invisible force slammed into him, tossing him to the side. As he flew, his eyes caught a final glimpse… At Aiden collapsing, he was lifeless, and his heartbeat…gone
The scene was bizarre, unsettling. Everyone stood frozen, unsure of what they had just witnessed.
The old man coughed… not from weakness, but from amusement.
His eyes didn't miss a thing. He saw the way Asher moved. No wasted steps. No chanting. No channeling. Just pure intent.
"You've been trained… but not here," the old man thought, brushing dirt from his sleeve. "You've danced with death before. Perhaps with those monks from the Null Isle… or something worse."
What happened during Asher's time with the monks of the Null Isle… or was it something even more brutal?
Asher ignored him cracking his knuckles slowly, his filled of excitement. He glanced once at Aiden's lifeless body, then looked up… his gaze sharp, piercing passed over everyone from the Silver Bandits Leader.
"You see what's happening to your bandits," he taunted coldly. "And yet you won't show yourself. Hiding behind your men like a coward, watching from the shadows."
At that moment, the leaves rustled, behind them… All eyes turned to the forest passed the young leader.
There was an invisible force around him, every step he took pushed the brown-clothed bandits aside like leaves in the wind.
Three silver blades, from then forest and started floating in the air returned to him, circling around his body like obedient wolves.
The brown-clothed men saw him and immediately bowed. "Please. Master kill him for Aiden!" they shouted in unison.
But the youth didn't spare them a glance.
He even ignored the old man coughing up blood nearby, his piercing gaze was fixed onto Asher.
"You managed to defeat Aiden so easily…" he said, his tone unreadable. "Who exactly are you?"
Asher didn't respond. He had no reason to nor that why waste time talking.
Instead, he reached into his cloak and pulled out his bloodlink compass, letting the light from it catch the youth's attention.
The moment the youth saw it, his expression shifted. His eyes narrowed as he took another step forward.
He didn't blink. Not even when Aiden died.
He didn't need to. He'd seen too many of his own fall before him. But something about Asher…
"That compass…"
That was no ordinary relic. The way it pulsed… it resonated. Like it had found what it was searching for. He took another step forward, silver circling tighter, his chest tightening ache.
"Friend, what exactly is this? And the crates… why not hand it over? It seems wasted on you to."
Asher smiled faintly. "Come take it from me."
Halcyon sighed deeply.
Ah, here comes Asher, charging in again like he's invincible… even with that flimsy body of his. Still… he does have a thing for relics. Who knows? Maybe he's packing more than just bravado.
Even if the youth seemed calm, the aura around him told another story. He was dangerous… and likely held more than one relic that could pose a real threat.
The youth's eyes darkened, his emotions caused his silver to swirl faster. He stared at Asher, a storm gathering in his chest.
Suddenly, a dark cloud swirled above the clearing. A sharp gust of wind blew through, forcing everyone in the escort back several steps.
The cloud descended rapidly, winds howling louder and louder.
In that moment, the silver light flashed as the youth attacked. His silver shot out like lightning, slashing through multiple courier members before anyone could react, already dead and collapsed.
Blood mist erupted into the air, then twisted unnaturally… gathering into a single shining drop of condensed drop into his palm.
Halcyon moved to stop the massacre… However, Asher had already dashed forward.
One of the silver rushed toward another guard, aiming to kill… Asher leapt forward.
"Let's test how sharp your pride is."
His palm raised, allowing the silver to slam into his palm.
Everyone thought he was done for… But the silver blade froze midair, against his palm, its energy pulsing violently before it shattered in Asher's grip like brittle glass.
One guard gritted his teeth.
"He just shattered a Silver. Barehanded. That's not possible…"
Another whispered, eyes wide. "The silver… he just stopped it with his palm! Is he even human?"
They backed up, involuntarily. They weren't just watching a fight anymore… They were watching a relic war in human form.
Are relic wars a known event in the world's history… or is this the first time mortals have become weapons for ancient power?
The youth leader eyes narrowed. He hadn't expected anyone brave nor strong enough stop his silver… especially sharp enough to cut stone and steel.
With a wave of his hand, he sent multiple silver blades at Asher.
Without hesitation, Asher was faster. He dashed, weaving between them with ease, the ones that missed crashed into trees and rocks, exploding on impact.
"You're dead!" the youth shouted, furious.
Asher was surrounded, it seemed like there was no were to escape. He planted his feet into the ground, his body low and tight like a coiled spring.
"Boom!"
The silver struck him sending burst of sparks…
But Asher didn't budge. His body stood firm relaxed, untouched.
The youth smirked at first… But then his expression shattered… He watched, stunned, as his strongest silver failed to even cut Asher's skin.
"What… what are you? Why is your body so strong?!"
Desperate, the youth summoned orbs of glowing brown energy. He fused them into his silver, strengthening the silver until they glowed with brown and silver light.
"You don't understand what you've stepped into."
"I don't need to understand it to break it."
Instead, of being worried Asher just smiled… He took in a deep breath…
"ROAR!"
With a thunderous shout, his energy exploded outward. A massive force erupted from his body.
Everyone felt dizzy from the trembling air.
In that moment, the silver blades were blasted back… completely severed from the youth's control. They spun wildly, crashing into the ground, trees, and rock.
The youth leader eyes widened, his teeth started grinding."You… you're not normal. What are you?!"
Asher had fire lightning behind his eyes, he said softly, as the dust settled. "The reason you'll remember this day… right before you forget how to breathe."