Chapter 64: Body Swapped: Part - VI

In a dark void, with no form of life init. A sound echoed through the darkness.

"Maybe now I can start a new life…""Living an ordinary, carefree life…""And maybe, complete her wishes…""Well, at least that's what I imaged sofar."The voids space starts to crack, as theoutside world is seen. The two moons shines in the sky, casting elongatedshadows across the hallway. Kai, still inhabiting Ray's body, stood there, hissenses on high alert. The clawed assailant, wounded but undeterred, glared backat him. Blood dripped from the man's injured hand, staining the marble floor.Kai's mind raced. The negative energyemanating from the assassin was unmistakable. It pulsed like a malevolentheartbeat, intertwining with the air itself. The assassin's eyes bore into him,calculating and cold. Kai observed the assassin's details, from his stance tohis breathing. "Strange… Even with his hand injured, he seems fine." As he wascalculating his own observation, Eva spoke in.{Sir, I got some information on him. Heappears to be around the same age as you, with his physical build of anaverage. It can only mean that he relies on the negative energy he is emittingright now.}After Eva's explanation, Kai's gazeshifted to the clawed hand glowing in dark and red—the source of the negativeenergy. The wounds from the bullet were healing, but the energy remained. "Self-healing,huh. I shouldn't underestimate him…," Kai thought internally, as he finallyasked."Who are you?" Kai's voice was steady, keepinghis eyes fixed on the assassin. "What business do you have here?"The assassin's expression remained calm."You don't need to know that," he murmured. "So, its best you get out of myway."Kai's mind raced. He had to stall, tobuy time. "Sorry, but I don't think I ca—"Before he could finish, the assassinlunged. His clawed hand slashed through the air, leaving trails of negativeenergy in its wake. Kai dodged, barely avoiding the lethal strike, as theassassin landed by the window.Kai's boots scraped against the marblefloor as he dodged the clawed strike. The assassin's malevolent energy pulsed,threatening to overwhelm him. As he jumped for another attack, an air bullethit him, piercing through his right shoulder, together shattering the windowglass. The assassin staggered back, momentarily off balance. He held to hisshoulder, as he looked ahead.The assassin was surprised, as he sawKai. He had pulled out Ray's compact arquebus, its barrel glowing with innerlight. Twirling it around his finger, he pointed it directly at the woundedassassin. The weapon's presence seemed to freeze the air around them.The assassin's eyes widened, momentarilydistracted by the unexpected firearm. His clawed hand twitched, but he didn'tstrike. Kai's smirk was both confident and mocking. "Why the rush? Don't evenwant to talk, huh?" The moonlight cascaded through theshattered window, casting an ethereal glow upon the chaos that unfolded in thepalace hallway. Kai kept his eyes focused—the assassin, standing silentand enigmatic, seemingly unfazed."It's been 15.007 seconds. Normally, onewould try to escape the scene. So, why is he still standing there…" Kai startedto wonder. He's eyes narrowed, as he started formulating a plan internally. "Iwill play along…"Kai started to walk forward, his gunstill pointed at the assassin. As he slowly closed the distance, he started tonotice few changes on the assassin. His shoulder, once wounded, now bore notrace of injury. "The wound is healed? When did it-" As Kai slowly closed hisdistance, he noticed a form dark hole forming below the assassin's feet. "Crap…"

Suddenly, an explosion reverberated throughthe opulent hallway. The once pristine marble walls crumbled, their grandeurreduced to rubble. Shards of glass from shattered windows littered the floor,and the entire palace quaked as if protesting the intrusion. Panic rippledamong the guards stationed nearby.

At the same time:

Maximus, seated in his study room reading abook. Beside him, by the sofa was sitting Celestina. "You should get somesleep, Celestina. It will be morning soon." Maximus said, but Celestina shookher, stating that she wants to stay up. They had been waiting for Lucrus, inhis study when chaos erupted. "Wha-!!" They stood up, as a knight rushed in,reporting about the explosion in the second-floor hallway. Now, their instinctskicked in, urging them toward the source of the explosion.

On the third floor, Niatina in her chamber—fastasleep in her canopy bed—jolted awake. Her room, adorned with many stuff toysand moonlight, was thrown into disarray. The crystalchandelier, with a slight hint of magic shook. She slipped out of herbed, the hem of her nightdress brushing against the cold floor. Rushing to the balconyas she opened her window, she peered outside. To her right, the once-solid wallnow lay in ruins, smoke billowing from the second-floor hallway.

Meanwhile, Montina was sprinting towards thechaos. Her expression determined as she took her steps forward, and her eyesblazed with finding the source of the explosion. The guards, kept trying tostop her, asking her to go back inside her room. But she didn't listen to any

Back at the scene:

Moonlight cascaded through thejagged shards of broken windows, painting the assassin's figure in etherealsilver. The acrid smoke, a remnant of the explosion he caused, dissipated,revealing him cloaked in shadows. His eyes, once cold and calculating, now helda flicker of regret.

"I didn't intend to do this…"His thoughts raced as he stepped over debris, boots crunching on marblefragments. As he poised to leap from the crumbling ledge, a voice slicedthrough the chaos, freezing him mid-stride.

"Cursed energy, huh. No wonderI was having a hard time sensing it." The words hung in the air like a curse,and the assassin's spine prickled with unease.

He glanced upward, eyeswidening. There, suspended against the moonlit backdrop, was Kai. His hair,currently blonde, danced in the wind, as he levitated in the air, with his eyesfilled with pride. Besides him, levitated Lucrus cradled like a fragile relic,as Kai slowly motions his arm, putting Lucrus down on the ground.

The moonlight bathed them both, castingan otherworldly glow. "Ray's wind magicsure is awesome," Kai mused, his mind replaying thechaotic scene. The explosion had threatened to engulf them all, but Kai's quickthinking had saved lives. He had directed the explosive force away from reachingfurther inside the palace, using the wind as a protective shield. The aircurrents danced around him, forming a barrier that narrowed toward theepicenter of destruction."If Ihadn't diverted the explosion towards the outside," Kai reflected, "I might have sustained serious injuries." Hiswind barrier had absorbed the impact, minimizing damage within the palace whilesafeguarding Lucrus.

Now in the after match, theassassin's breath hitched; he had never witnessed such raw mastery. Kai's gazelocked onto the assassin, and the world narrowed to that singular point ofconfrontation. "That was risky, and I did prepare for it. Redirecting the explosionis not simple. Even if I had calculated its structure and the flow of magic init, it still could have damaged me. so, how come Ray's wind withstand suchforce?" He had many questions going through his mind, but he still had to facethe main threat. His voice cut through the chaos, each syllable etched withunwavering determination. "This isn't over."

The assassin stood in disbelief. Hisheart pounding, as he took in the sight in front. "How…? How did he survivethat?" Just as the assassin was trying to figure out what to do, Eva voice upto Kai. {Reporting, sir. The assassin is growingtense. No casualties from the explosion, but the entire palace is alerted.Guards, the Princesses, Emperor, Empress—all are making their way to here.}As Kai heard her report, his mind raced."I didn't want to cause a scene in Ray's body, but this guy is going to betrouble if he masters his power. I can't let him escape," he mused. His gazebore into the assassin, who remained eerily still.Just then, the palace guards arrived,armor clanking, weapons drawn. "Stand still! Don't make any move!" The knightcommander's voice echoed off the marble walls. Maximus and Celestina made theirway to front, meeting with the intruder in the palace. The assassin's eyesdarted, assessing his options. "It really came to this…," he mused, holdingonto something inside his cloak.Slowly, both Niatina and Montina reachedthe scene as well. Niatina froze in her step, while Montina, desperate to reachthe scene, pushed past the guards. But their iron-clad forms held her back.Frustration etched her face as she glimpsed over Niatina, standing near thewindow, looking outside at Ray, currently Kai, levitating in air. Niatina'sbreaths grew ragged, her trembling hands pressed against the glass. Memoriesflooded her mind: Ray, bloodied and broken, their childhood laughter echoing instark contrast.Montina noticing Niatina's heavybreathing and the haunted look in her eyes, tried to approach her. "…Nino?" shemurmured, torn between concern for her sister and the unfolding crisis. Panicstarted to flicker across Niatina's face, as her voice rang out. "RAY!!"

As Niatina's desperate cryechoed through the chaos, all eyes turned toward her, including Kai's. His mindraced, noticing the tears and panic etched on her face. "Niatina?" he wondered,torn between her and facing the imminent threat.

But fate had other plans. Asurge of energy erupted from the assassin, a tempest that swept the guards offtheir feet. Montina, her resolve unyielding, managed to maintain her stance,clutching Niatina protectively.

Maximus stood firm, Celestinashielded behind him. His eyes widened as the raw power enveloped the assassin.An unclear image flashed in his mind—a person, shrouded in darkness. "Thispower…" Maximus mused, the scene too familiar for him.

Kai, inhabiting Ray's body,pivoted to face the assassin. The air crackled with tension. The assassinleaped, claws extended, aiming for Kai. Kai shifted into a defensive stance. Butthe assassin defied reason. His speed increased, as the claws sliced throughfabric and flesh, leaving a searing trail of pain on Kai's right shoulder. Hegritted his teeth, quickly holding onto his shoulder.

"Ray!" Everyone called out tohim, as Kai, in Ray's body looked back, expecting to see the assassin still poised for battle. Instead,to everyone's surprise, the assassin had vanished. His malevolence dissipatedlike smoke in the wind.

Like a wisp of darkness, hedissolved into nothingness, leaving behind only the memory of his threat. Themarble floor bore no trace of his presence, and the moonlight danced upon theshards of broken glass.

"He's gone?" Kai wonderedaloud, disbelief coloring his voice. At the same time, Eva spoke up. {Sir, thecursed energy signature is gone. No trace remains.}

Kai's gaze lingered on theempty space where the assassin had stood. The Sun began its ascent, castingwarm rays over the palace—a stark contrast to the cold malevolence that hadinfiltrated their world. The night had ended abruptly.

"Someone capable of usingcursed energy, huh…" Kai mused, still levitating in the air.

-To be Continued