The Cloaked Man

"You want me to follow him?" Ironna asks.

Silvana nods. "Yes, please."

Ironna looks surprised, not even slightly phased. She stares at her as though trying to take everything in but only seems to come away with nothing. A long moment passes where neither speaks a word.

Ironna nods. "Well, I'm worried about Hector too. I'll do my best."

"Thank you." Silvana smiles gratefully at her. If there was one thing Silvana loved about Ironna, it was her kindness and willingness to help others when they needed it most. It would have been nice if she could do something to help the villagers too.

She didn't know how and wasn't willing to ask, fearing the answer might disappoint her. That's one of the many things she loved about Ironna. She would never judge or belittle her for things she can't change. Not anymore, at least.

Silvana still sometimes feels terrible for having to rely on her for everything. They're both women and share the same world and lives; she should be able to make decisions for herself. Still, there's no way to deny that she likes having her around. Besides, Ironna knows what to say to make her feel better after an emotional day. She always gives her a genuine smile without any trace of amusement, triumph, or teasing. She knows she can count on her to help and protect the people.

"Are you okay?" Ironna says concernedly after taking a deep breath, "you look spaced out."

"What? Oh..." Silvana shakes her head to try and clear it, "sorry. I must've zoned out thinking about something. But I'm fine." She forces a small smile to cover her embarrassment.

"Thank you again, Ironna."

"I'd gladly help you in any way I could." "It's the least I can do, you know," Ironna assures her.

"I know." Silvana replies softly, "but it means more than you realize."

***

"Sword, manifest..."

Ironna leaps from the tree, slashing her sword at the cloaked man. He dodges, and she spins gracefully, lowering her sword in front of him.

"There is more..." The cloaked man grunts as he summons weapons, using his magical ability to summon a series of daggers to surround him, including a curve blade in his right hand.

"It'll take more than that to defeat me," Ironna tells him, keeping a wary eye on his weapons.

The man smiles maliciously, "Oh? Then, perhaps we'll see about that."

He attacks.

He's fast. Faster than Ironna.

She blocks a few strikes and tries to disarm him, but to no avail. She dodges his attacks and tries again to strike, but he's faster. He dodges every blow, moving in quick and precise motions like lightning, weaving through the trees, leaving a trail of destruction behind him. He doesn't need to rest, and his body may be more resilient than hers. Either way, he's relentless.

"W-What the hell is this...? Why is Ironna here?!" Hector asks in shock, trying to hold back panic while watching them fight.

His hands tremble as he fights to keep his sword steady. He keeps his eyes focused on Ironna as he tries to focus his thoughts on the situation. The problem was that he couldn't find an opening to help her. He tried to figure out what to do next as fast as possible. His mind raced as he considered ways to attack his opponent without losing his advantage, to find an opportunity.

The cloaked man kept dodging and twisting, evading Ironna's blows and giving nothing away except that he was good. He moved so smoothly that it almost reminded him of a dancer. And yet each time he caught him off guard, he seemed prepared for his moves and countered accordingly. He was swift, so fast that it was hard for Hector to catch up to his movements.

Then, Ironna came crashing through the forest in a flash of light.

"Ironna!" Hector cried out as soon as he saw her.

"Idiot! Don't come here! He's right behind you!" Ironna snaps, pointing toward the cloaked stranger with her sword.

Hector whirls around quickly to see that the cloaked man is now behind him. A dagger appears in his hands as he prepares to pierce through Hector. Without a second thought, he throws himself forward and tackles him, forcing him to drop his weapon and fall to the ground. Once he lands, he springs up, ready to dodge whatever attacks.

Instead, the cloaked man spin and leaps to kick Hector in the chest. Hector cries out in pain, falling backwards.

"Fool, your strength is nothing, human." The cloaked stranger states, landing on his feet.

Ironna stands up, lifting her sword. "Hector! That's it! You're going down." Her tone is cold.

Hector gasps and scrambles to his feet.

"Ironna! I'll help you!"

"What are you saying?! Stay there!" She declares angrily. Her face flushes red as she lunges forward, slashing with her sword.

The cloaked man leaps forward, deflecting her sword with ease. His movements are fluid and smooth, like water flows. Even as he swings his weapon at Ironna, it barely misses her.

With each step he takes, his boots leave tracks on the ground. In an instant, his movements change so that every step he takes is mirrored by the next.

Ironna begins to advance on him as well, swinging her sword furiously, cutting through the air with all the force of a hurricane, each slash causing a loud crackling noise to ring throughout the area. But, he easily avoids each move, leaping in the air to avoid the sword, then spinning in a circle to land in front of her. Another dagger materializes from nowhere, stabbing straight through the air between them.

Ironna jumps backwards out of its path and pulls back her arm with a burst of speed, sending a bolt of energy flying from her sword across the space between them, striking the dagger and shattering it into pieces.

She turns her sword to fire another bolt. The cloaked man, however, grabs her sword and twists it away from her grasp, causing her to drop her sword. The cloaked man then kicks her with all his might, sending her flying onto the ground a few yards away.

"Ironna!" Hector yells as he rushes to her aid, watching in horror as the cloaked man approaches, his face dark and filled with murderous intent.

As Ironna crashes through the forest canopy, her surroundings begin to blur. Her vision blurs for a brief second and then comes rushing back, forcing her to blink several times to refocus.

"Hector! Stay back..." Ironna orders as she rises unsteadily to her feet, stumbling as she looks around.

"He's stronger than he appears, and..." her eyes widen in terror, "something is draining my energy and weakening my magic." Her voice trails off as her eyes slightly glaze over.

"I knew something was going on in this forest," Hector mutters, clenching his fists in frustration.

"You're strong. It'll be a waste if I kill you right now." The cloaked man speaks up in a cold, arrogant tone. He pauses for a moment and then continues. "Hmm... I think this is enough." He turns around and walks away.

"Don't run from a fight!" Ironna shouts desperately.

"Stop it, Ironna!" Hector warns her.

She looks over her shoulder to see that the cloaked man is already far away from where they are. With a sigh, she slowly falls to the ground. The world is spinning around her, and she feels dizzy and like drowning. Suddenly, everything goes dark, and she can't even hear or see anything anymore as she falls unconscious beside him.

"Ironna? Hey, wake up!" Hector exclaims while shaking her, his voice echoing around the quiet forest.

Then, he notices a huge smoke coming from their camp.

"Ironna? Ironna?!" He screams frantically.

"Shit!" He curses as he runs towards the site while carrying her on his back, hoping it's not too late to reach the camp.

"Come on, Ironna, wake up!" He yells as he reaches the site, looking around anxiously. His heart racing wildly.

When they reach the camp, Hector is disturbed by the scene. Blood all over and dead bodies everywhere. His breath hitches in his throat. There is so much blood. It's covering the ground and pools beneath the campfire. It stains the dirt and leaves in vibrant shades of red. The smell makes his stomach turn violently, but he forces himself to walk further into the camp, placing Ironna down gently on the fallen log.

"Sorry, Ironna. I'll leave you here for a while."

Hector looks around as he stares in horror at the dead bodies scattered around the area, his gaze settling upon a large mass lying in the middle of the clearing, its blood pooling under it. He takes a tentative step forward, his entire body tense and rigid as he approaches.

He couldn't believe that this had happened while he was out in the forest.

How can these people die so quickly? Who did this? Was it the same person who attacked him and Ironna? All these thoughts were running through Hector's mind, but he pushed them aside and focused solely on finding survivors. Some bodies had been torn open and burned. Some of the wounds were still leaking, the flesh and muscle charred black and unrecognizable. Others were empty, leaving the skeleton exposed.

He shakes his head and forces himself to look away. He can't afford to be distracted now, especially not when there might be people still alive in the surrounding woods. They may have lost a lot of people in a short period, but that doesn't mean others aren't still alive. He doesn't dare let himself relax until he is sure that no one else has survived.

Suddenly, daggers start flying through the air toward him. Before he could react, Ironna stood next to him, holding her sword, deflecting the weapons flying at him. She raises her sword again, slicing at the incoming daggers.

"T-Thanks..."

"Are you alright?" She asks as she drops her sword back to her side.

"Yeah. You?" He asks hesitatingly, his eyes glued to Ironna's face.

She nods, though the look on her face is grim.

"I'm good. Whatever barrier was recently present seems to have faded away. Now I have more control of my magic." She admits, staring at the lifeless bodies on the ground in front of her.

"What the hell."

"That's what I thought when I saw this," Hector replies.

"This is sick... Hector, be careful. I can sense that our enemy is still here somewhere," Ironna says, cautiously looking around.

Then, the cloaked man appears directly before them. But another person is trailing behind him, and Hector immediately recognizes him and it's Damien.

"Damien? What are you doing here?! Why are you with that guy?!" Hector questions angrily, feeling his blood boil at the sight of him standing close to the cloaked stranger.

"Tch! Hey!" He glares at the cloaked man. "I thought I told you to take care of him."

The cloaked man smiles in response. "Don't worry. I have done what I promised or, at least, tried to."

"What the hell are you talking about?!"

He ignores Damien and turns to face Hector and Ironna. He adds. "But I'm afraid it's not nearly as easy as killing an innocent child, and that was not quite how it was supposed to happen."

"What is going on here?! Why are all of these people dead? Damien, answer me!" Hector demands, narrowing his eyes.

Damien glares at him and continues speaking, his face contorted with anger and annoyance. "Weak should die. If you seek revenge, I suggest you reconsider because you're not going to get it."

"What!? You, of all people!" Hector sneers. "How could you possibly betray everyone?!"

Damien glares at him harshly, and his jaw clenches tightly together. "Shut up! I'm doing this for the greater good!"

"You said you're against magic!" Hector protests, his voice rising. "Why the hell would you side with that guy?!"

"I only sided with the one who could give me a new beginning. Someone I could finally trust." Damien replies angrily.

"We're friends, Damien. Just because we don't share the same beliefs doesn't mean we're not allowed to help each other!"

"We're not friends," Damien responds sharply, stepping forward threateningly. "And you better hope your death is quick because if you try to interfere again, I will cut your arms off and shove them up your ass, understand?"

Hector growls. "You're going too far!"

Ironna got into her fighting stance, ready to charge them. But Hector stops her.

"Hector?" Ironna sighs and relaxes her body.

"I don't think we should waste our time with them. The witches await us at Erith." the cloaked man interrupts coldly. With that, he turns and walks away.

"What? Wait!" Damien calls out.

He runs after the cloaked stranger following him as he disappears into the forest.

Hector releases a shaky sigh. "This isn't right…" He mumbles.

"Who's that?" Ironna asks quietly.

"Damien... My friend," he answers.

Ironna winces at the mention of his name. "He sounds like a problem to me. I'm sorry your friend betrayed you in this manner." She frowns, watching Hector's worried expression.

"It wasn't always like that before. We used to be friends..."

"Well, he betrayed you now."

"Not everyone is evil like he is..."

"Hector, I never said he was evil. Rather, he was misguided. However, it is still a betrayal. And it's not your fault. So, stop it."

Hector doesn't reply. Instead, he stares off into space, lost in thought.

"What's the plan now?"

Hector snaps out of his trance, "I guess we should continue searching for survivors..." he states quietly.

"Hector, wait."

"What is it?"

"I doubt we'll find any more survivors." She points out.

Hector's eyes widen as he looks around the camp, realizing she is right. A cold chill crawls down his spine as images of corpses covered with fresh blood flash across his vision. He swallows hard as he looks around, taking note of all the bodies around him. He knows the situation is wrong but can't stop thinking about it.

"I need to check the others first." He murmurs and walks ahead of her, not waiting for an answer.

Hector scans the area, searching desperately for a sign of life in the surrounding forests. After searching for several hours, he finds nothing but dead bodies.

"I told you." Ironna murmurs.

"Shut up..." He grits through gritted teeth.

He starts walking again, this time slowly and deliberately. He keeps scanning the area carefully every few minutes, trying to stay calm and composed despite his uneasiness.

"Hector." a soft voice says from behind him.

He turns around and comes face to face with Ironna.

"There is no hope. There is nothing left here. Damien probably lured them into this trap for this reason. We have no reasons to fight. So, please. Let's go home."

Hector clenches his fists tight in frustration. Tears of anger start forming in his eyes, but he tries to hold them back.

"No, I am not leaving…"

"Hector-"

"I've already wasted enough time, and I can't afford to waste anymore!" He snaps.

"Fine!" Ironna snaps back. "Have it your way! I am going home…" With those words, she storms past him.

"Jerk!"

Hector stands there and silently lets her leave as his shoulders slump. When he hears Ironna's footsteps retreating further into the distance, he lets out an exasperated sigh.