Phantom knight 2

Logan helped Mary by cleaning the table. After thanking Mary for the meal, Mary told him to rest. Logan nodded and headed to the bedroom. He lay down on the bed, staring at the ceiling. After a while, he got up from the bed and headed to the mirror located in the corner of the bedroom. He stripped his shirt and looked at the patched wound on his shoulder. It had a little blood stain on it. He unwrapped the patches and stitches, looking at the wound. The wound was healing. Unlike the first time, this time the wound looked less gruesome. There was a scratch on his body, but it wasn't much.

After that, he put both of his hands in the sink and looked towards the mirror. A man with spiky, silver-blue hair that was swept back and piercing blue eyes with a serious and slightly brooding facial expression looked at himself. His defined jawline and prominent cheekbones added to his intense appearance. After staring at himself for quite a while, he said to himself, _Huff, I guess this will be my new life now._

Before he could think again, the bedroom shook as if something had fallen from the air. The shake made Logan drop to the floor. After a while, the shaking stopped. Logan said, "What the fuck was that?"

Mary opened the door and looked at Logan, who was on the floor. Mary said, "Are you okay?"

Logan answered by getting up and said, "I'm fine, but what was that?"

Mary answered, "I don't know either."

The bedroom shook again, but this time the ceiling got busted, and something fell from it. Logan and Mary got down, covering their faces from the dust and crashing ceiling. They coughed and blew away the dust.

After the dust cleared, Mary got up, but something clawed through her chest, making her cough blood. She was swung away like a toy. Logan witnessed this, and his mind froze. No rational thought went through his mind. In the dust, something emerged that made Logan huff and puff loudly. His heartbeat began to drum like it was running a marathon. The pain in his shoulder stung him as if it was reacting.

As the dust began to fade, the one that attacked Mary became vividly clear. It was the same creature that attacked him in the woods, but this time it looked like it had grown taller—about a meter taller. Logan tried to run, but just like the last time, his legs froze as if they were stuck in glue. The monster let out a loud screech and slowly began walking towards Logan, drooling like it was hungry to eat him whole. Logan, still frozen, said to himself, _Shit, shit, shit. Move, Logan. Move, or you will die on the spot!_ The monster swung its claw at Logan.

*Bang*

A loud explosion threw the monster further away also threw Logan back against the wall with tremendous force. He collapsed to the ground, dazed and struggling to see through swirling dust.

Rufus turned around and walked to Mary, who was lying on the floor. She lay motionless, a pool of blood forming around her. Rufus's expression shifted to one of deep sadness. "Oh, my dear wife," he murmured, his voice breaking.

Rufus gently picked Mary up, holding her in his arms. He walked towards Logan, who was still in shock, and handed Mary's lifeless body to him. "Get her out of here, far from here," Rufus said, his voice filled with a mixture of sorrow and determination. "I'll handle this monster. You need to get her to safety."

Logan, trembling, took Mary's body, cradling her gently. Tears welled up in his eyes as he looked at Rufus. "I'm so sorry," Logan whispered, his voice choked with emotion.

Rufus placed a hand on Logan's shoulder, his expression softening. "It's not your fault. Just go. Now"

Logan run towards outside with Mary in his arms, Rufus turned to face the creature. His eyes, once filled with sorrow, now burned with a fierce determination. The monster, recovering from the explosion, growled menacingly at Rufus. Its eyes glowed with a feral hunger, and its claws dripped with Mary's blood.

"Now let's have a massacre shall we," Rufus said, his voice low and filled with a deadly calm. He spread his arms wide, and dark flames began to flicker around his fingertips. The flames grew, enveloping his hands in an eerie, black light that seemed to absorb the very air around it.

The monster lunged at Rufus, but he was ready. With a swift motion, he hurled a ball of black fire at the creature. The flames hit the monster, causing it to screech in pain as the dark fire clung to its flesh, burning it with an intensity that normal fire could never achieve. The creature writhed in agony, but it did not back down.

Rufus summoned more of the black flames, his face a mask of concentration and rage. He moved with a speed and agility that belied his age, dodging the monster's attacks with ease. The creature swung its massive claws at him, but Rufus ducked and rolled, coming up behind it and unleashing another wave of dark fire.

The flames consumed the monster's back, and it roared in fury, spinning around to face Rufus. Its eyes glowed brighter, and it let out a deafening screech, lunging at him with renewed ferocity. Rufus stood his ground, his hands glowing with the black fire. He waited until the last possible moment, then thrust his hands forward, releasing a torrent of flames that engulfed the monster entirely.

The creature screamed, its voice a horrifying mix of rage and pain, as the dark flames consumed it. It thrashed and flailed, but Rufus's fire was relentless. Slowly, the monster's movements became weaker, its screeches fainter. Finally, it let out a desperate roar, swinging its massive claw at Rufus, who narrowly dodged the attack. The monster, though heavily burned and weakened, still stood, its hatred for Rufus burning as fiercely as the dark flames that had scorched its body.

"Now it's time to send you from where you came from" Breathing heavily, Rufus prepared for another attack.

The monster screeched once more, but this time it was so loud that Rufus had to cover his ears. The creature's skin began to change from a grayish color to a dark orange hue. Rufus's expression remained furious. "So, you finally decided to go all out," he muttered.

The monster started running towards Rufus, its speed suddenly much faster. Rufus dodged the attack, but the creature's claws grazed him, drawing blood. Rufus chuckled slightly. "Huh, would you look at that? It seems only black flame isn't going to cut it anymore."

The creature roared and lunged again, its movements now a blur. Rufus barely managed to dodge, rolling to the side as the monster's claws smashed into the ground where he had just been standing. The force of the blow sent shockwaves through the floor, cracking the wood and sending splinters flying.

Rufus retaliated with a quick burst of black flame, but the creature seemed to anticipate the attack this time, dodging to the side and slashing at Rufus with its claws. Rufus blocked the attack with a shield of dark fire, but the impact sent him stumbling backward.

The monster pressed its advantage, swiping at Rufus with relentless fury. Rufus dodged and blocked as best as he could, but the creature's speed and power were overwhelming. It landed a solid hit, sending Rufus crashing into the wall.

Rufus struggled to his feet, breathing heavily. The monster roared and charged again. Rufus's eyes narrowed, and he summoned every ounce of his power. With a roar of his own, he unleashed a massive wave of black flames, engulfing the creature.

For a moment, it seemed as if the tide had turned. The creature howled in pain, thrashing wildly as the flames consumed it. But then, with a sudden burst of energy, it broke free of the flames and lunged at Rufus, knocking him to the ground.

Rufus grunted in pain as the creature's claws raked across his chest. He managed to roll away, but the creature was on him again in an instant, its claws slashing and tearing. Rufus fought back with all his strength, but the monster was too powerful. _back in my day I could at least take five of you at once but now I'm struggling even to fight one of them_

With a final, desperate effort, Rufus managed to summon a burst of black flames, knocking the creature back. He staggered to his feet, blood dripping from his wounds. The monster roared, its eyes blazing with fury. It lunged at Rufus again, and this time, Rufus knew he couldn't dodge in time.