Chapter 25: Escape!

Chapter 25: Escape

"Are we being attacked?" Kendrick could only think of one possibility as to why they were in this situation. It was definitely his family chasing after him. There was no other explanation now other than that.

Kendrick's pupils stared deep into the bleeding wound of the old man. The old man's shoulder seemed to be bleeding without pause. Kendrick shuddered in horror, his mind in pure chaos.

The old man handled it like a professional and immediately ordered the young man to run once more.

"Listen to me! Leave this old man and run for your life!"

Though it was more of a pointless struggle at this point, the old man wanted the stranger he had met to survive. The moment he was shot by the arrow was the time his fate was already sealed. The poison from the arrow would soon weaken him, so the least he could do was buy time for the young man to escape.

Kendrick, however, chose to be selfish once more.

"No! I won't leave without you! We'll escape this together. I'm tired of running away from everything!"

Hearing those words from the young man, the old man seemed to be fully satisfied with his resolve. However, that was it. Mere resolve wouldn't give them a chance to escape this situation.

The old man smiled and took something out of his pocket before handing it to the young man.

Kendrick received the gift from the old man before being pushed away by the old man himself to save himself.

"I appreciate your concern, young man, but I won't die here. I may look like this, but I'm actually pretty strong. That's why... Run, never stop running. I'll follow you later once I'm done with them."

Kendrick stared into the old man's eyes. Their gazes met, intertwined, before guilt started taking over his mind.

"I'm sorry..."

And with that final apology, Kendrick exited through the doors at the back. Of course, the enemies wouldn't just let him run off that easily. An assassin prepared his bow from miles away once again, and with accurate aim, he released an arrow, aiming to cripple Kendrick's legs and stop him.

The old man sprinted behind Kendrick. He pulled a dagger from nowhere mysteriously and deflected the arrow. The old man took a deep breath and exhaled. With sharp eyes, he located the assassin from miles away and threw the dagger from his hand. The dagger flew at the speed of an arrow and impaled the assassin straight through the neck.

The assassin struggled to remove the dagger impaled in his throat but eventually died.

"I won't fall for the same trick. Your enemy is me. Take your eyes off me for a second, and I'll kill all of you."

The old man was caught by surprise earlier, thinking that nothing so bad would happen. However, that carelessness led to his fate being sealed that day.

The assassins seemed to be more careful now. They stopped going after the fleeing young man and focused on their main target. The old man welcomed them with a large grin on his face. If the devil truly existed, it would be him. The old man appeared to be a terrifying devil as he took out two daggers from nowhere once more.

Despite being in a very bad spot right now, the old man embarked on the fight with a large grin on his face. He knew it wouldn't be long until the poison took effect, and soon he would meet his demise. And yet...

"Why..."

The old man continued to grin like a devil as he looked far ahead. The assassins seemed to be hidden carefully, the darkness expanding around them. It was like looking into an endless abyss. The old man could only rely on his instincts to defeat them.

But, he seemed happier than ever before. The young man continued to run deeper into the forest, and soon enough, his figure disappeared into the darkness. The young man reminded him so much of one person: the man who had lost everything and walked the path of destruction.

"He really is like you, teacher... From kindness to other parts, he resembles you so much."

A bitter smile appeared beneath his devilish grin, and the old man hoped the young man wouldn't walk the same fate as his teacher as he looked ahead.

"Although it might be hell for you, young man, I hope you won't fall victim to despair."

If only he could go with the young man and guide him onto the path of greatness... However, his days were now numbered.

The old man giggled one last time, and soon he leaped out of the house and disappeared into the darkness.

Kendrick stared at the pendant in his palm that the old man had given to him before sending him off. He had no idea why the old man gave it to him, but since it seemed to be very treasured by the old man, Kendrick wore it and swore he'd protect it until the old man returned.

Even right now, he was running endlessly, panting heavily under his breath, into the unknown. He had no idea where he was going; all that mattered to him was being able to escape. From time to time, he worried about the old man as he ran deeper into the darkness up ahead. However, he didn't have the privilege to go back and help the old man. At worst, he might end up causing the old man even more problems.

In the first place, everything that had happened was his fault. He had even brought his troubles to the old man... Kendrick felt an undying guilt deep inside his heart.

"Please... Return soon..."

Kendrick prayed for the safety of the old man as he continued running into the unending darkness.