Screams

The three men were frozen, paralyzed by the presence before them.

None of them knew what to do. Aziz could feel his internal energy pulsing through him, barely contained, his skin stretched tight as if it might burst.

Fury coursed through his veins.

He had arrived just in time to hear Delilah's screams. When he tried to touch her, she shuddered, covering her face and whimpering.

She was in shock.

Seeing her like that—broken, trembling in the dirt—something inside Aziz snapped. A red mist clouded his vision, blood pounding in his ears. He didn't understand why.

The pit was supposed to have stripped him of these human emotions. But there was something about seeing Delilah like this, writhing in pain, that reminded him of someone else.

A small boy, not so long ago, left alone in the pit. In pain. Broken and scarred.

As Aziz advanced, the largest of the group—the one who had called the lanky man "boss"—stumbled backward, tripping over Marcus's unconscious body and landing hard on his rear. He mumbled a prayer under his breath.

Aziz had no idea what he looked like to them, but frankly, he didn't care. He'd lost all sense of reasoning. It wasn't just that Delilah's suffering echoed his own; he hated to admit it, but he had grown attached to the little chubby girl.

The thought that someone had dared to hurt her filled him with an uncontainable rage.

He wasn't weak like then. He could protect someone now.

"What are you all standing around for?! There's only one of him! We can take him!" shouted the lanky one, his voice wavering despite his bravado.

Aziz kept moving forward, each step drawing the shadows closer around him like a shroud.

"But isn't that the G-Ghost? Look! Those unholy eyes and that mad look! Just like Roof said!" stammered the wide-eyed one, taking several steps back in fear.

"Shut up, Prick! Ghost this, Ghost that! Who cares? Think about what the new Star King will give us if we take him down! We just need to—"

Annoying.

The lanky one's words were cut off.

Blood sprayed onto Prick's face, warm droplets splattering like a crimson rain. A fountain of scarlet erupted into the air, and both Do-Jo and Prick stood in stunned silence, eyes wide, unblinking.

They stared at the headless corpse of their leader, still standing for a heartbeat before it crumpled to the ground with a dull thud.

The head rolled a few meters away, coming to a stop in the dirt.

Silence.

Aziz had grown impatient.

He had severed the head from the body with a mere flick of his hand, using Shadow Grasp as effortlessly as breathing.

Screams.

"Curses! Oh Gaia! Save me!" Prick screamed, tripping over himself as he bolted toward the treeline, his spear clattering to the ground behind him.

Do-Jo stood frozen, his eyes wide with terror.

He could barely comprehend the scene unfolding before him—the demon with purple flames burning in his eyes stepping forward, slow and deliberate.

"P-Pl-Please… I had no choice! They mad—" Do-Jo stammered, his words catching in his throat.

Aziz closed the distance in a heartbeat, stepping over Marcus's unconscious body. He crouched down, meeting Do-Jo's wide, terrified eyes.

The stench of urine filled the air as Do-Jo trembled uncontrollably, his pants soaked. Aziz twitched his nostrils in disgust but remained calm, eerily so.

"It's a shame," Aziz said, his voice almost conversational, as though they were discussing something trivial.

His expression was serene, a stark contrast to the chaos in Do-Jo's mind.

Do-Jo's breath hitched as he flinched, but Aziz didn't blink, his purple eyes locked on the man's trembling form.

"If you had run first," Aziz said softly, "you might have survived. Your friend had the right idea."

Do-Jo swallowed hard, his mouth too dry to respond.

Aziz's voice dropped, cold and deliberate. "Someone needs to remind them. No one in this forest touches what's mine."

Do-Jo's breath hitched, his trembling gaze darting to the ground as if unable to withstand the weight of Aziz's eyes.

"Do you want to live?" Aziz asked, his tone deceptively soft now, almost conversational.

Do-Jo managed a shaky nod, his entire body trembling, sweat dripping down his face.

Aziz tilted his head slightly, watching him with that calm, deadly intensity.

"Then run." He paused, letting the words sink in before continuing, his voice quiet but razor-sharp. "Go back to your Star King and tell him this: I take back what's mine, piece by piece, drop by drop. Touch me again, and I will burn everything he holds dear to the ground."

Do-Jo's mouth opened in disbelief, his lips quivering, but no sound came out. The weight of Aziz's words crushed him, leaving no room for argument.

Aziz leaned in, his voice dropping to a lethal whisper, his breath cold against the other boy's ear.

"Do not mistake this for mercy. Fail me, and I will hunt you down myself."

Mal, the sleek black serpent coiled in Aziz's shadow, stirred at his master's signal.

Without a sound, the snake slithered out, its onyx body moving with terrifying grace. Aziz's eyes remained locked on Do-Jo, unflinching.

"Go, Mal," Aziz murmured.

The serpent darted toward the trees, disappearing into the darkness. Aziz knew exactly what he was doing—Mal would find the runaway and kill him.

No survivors today.

He didn't need to chase Do-Jo now. Time, patience, and vengeance were on his side.

Do-Jo's fear turned to terror as he stumbled backward, his gaze flicking to the spot where the serpent vanished.

The sheer inevitability of what Aziz had unleashed crushed what little courage he had left. He scrambled to his feet, nearly tripping over Marcus's still body as he bolted into the forest, disappearing into the shadows.

Aziz watched him flee, his face expressionless.

He let the silence settle over the clearing, broken only by the distant rustle of the forest, and then, almost as if nothing had happened, he turned his gaze back to Delilah and Marcus.