Rest

*BAM*

The cultist punched Zane, his fist and arms glowing in a tint of red. Zane blocked the punch with his hunting knife.

After the fist struck the knife, Zane was pushed back. The cultist didn't intend to give Zane any break and kept on throwing jabs at him.

Zane dodged some and blocked some, but they both knew that Zane was in a disadvantage. He was already tired and couldn't keep doing this further.

"Tired already? We're just getting started." The cultist sped up his punches.

Zane was dodging the punches barely. The one thing that the cultist found strange was Zane's movement. He was dodging his punches in a bizzare manner, moving like he was performing in a circus.

Also, Zane was not entirely focused on the fight. He kept looking at the ground. Then, he made a sound suddenly and went stiff. "Ah!"

Zane stabbed his hunting knife towards the cultist who grabbed his arm quite easily, stopping the knife on it's track.

"I don't know what you were trying to do, doing those funny moves. But it's over." The cultist smiled.

"Oh? Didn't you say we were just getting started?" Zane grinned.

The cultist widened his eyes and tried to let go of Zane's hand, but it was too late.

Zane's shadow shot up in it's liquidy form and pierced the cultist's arm.

"AAAAGH" he screamed while grabbing his wrist, which was dangling from his arm.

Zane took the opportunity and quickly stabbed both of the cultist's knees, making him fall down. Then he grabbed his long hair and pulled on it, making him face Zane.

"Now, tell me, where is your base?" Zane questioned him.

The cultist clenched his teeth and spat, "I don't know, I forgot." He gave Zane a spiteful grin.

"The east side of the forest?" Zane looked at his eyes, which trembled.

"Haha, looks like I'm right. Let's get this over with."

"That's no- "

Zane stabbed his knife through his neck, "Oh? Were you saying something?" He propped his ear towards him.

The cultist stared at Zane, his mouth gurgling with blood, and his body fell on the ground, his eyes lifeless.

"Yes, I agree!" Zane nodded his head and looked at the corpse. "Now for the fun part."

He moved around the corpse until his shadow was intwined with the shadow of the cultist.

Then, the mouth of Zane's shadow opened wide up, it's sharp teeth visible, and began gobbling up the corpse's shadow.

After it finished, Zane checked his growth. He could now move his shadow upto his chest. "Wow! You sure were strong!"

He could only use his shadow below the shoulders before this.

Zane approached the corpse and knelt down. Then he took his knife and carved it's chest. He put his hands in and took out his core, a red glowing heart.

---

Jannie was sitting next to the bed, looking after Edwin, who was lying on the bed.

*Creak*

Jannie turned her head towards the door.

"Zane!" She hurried towards him and hugged him. "You're fine!"

Zane smiled and broke out of her hug. "How's Edwin?"

"I'm alright kid." Edwin groaned from the bed.

Zane headed towards him and sat down on the side. "Edwin..."

"I won't ask any questions.. I just want to know, did you kill that bastard?" He asked, his teeth gritting against each other.

Zane said nothing, he put his hand inside his shirt and pulled out the red heart core.

Both Edwin and Jannie wore a shocked expression after seeing the heart.

After a moment, Edwin's mouth curved up into a faint smile, "Thank you..." he said with tears rolling down his eyes.

Zane stood up, "I'm going." He walked towards the door.

"Where?" Jannie stopped him.

"I found their base."

"Do you have to go right now?" Jannie looked at him with worried eyes.

"Let him go.." Edwin spoke up.

Jannie looked at him and moved aside, her eyes drooping down.

As Zane walked towards the door, Edwin spoke once more "Will you return?"

Zane looked back and him and gave him a smile, "Of course, where else would I go?"

---

After getting his bag and storing the heart core in it, he said his goodbyes and left for the forest.

He also consumed the essence of the three corpses outside the house but they were only normal people. They didn't have a heart core.

Zane already walked deep into the forest and the sun had already risen. He was walking pretty slow as he was exhausted from the fight and all the walking.

"I should've rested for the night..." He sighed.

Just as he was complaining, he saw a silhouette of a cabin through the trees.

"A cabin?" He approached it slowly and took a peek inside through the window.

He saw a round table in the middle of the cabin, a makeshift kitchen on one corner and a bed on the other. There was no one inside the cabin and it seemed like it hadn't been used for quite some time from the dust piling up.

"Looks like an abandoned cabin." Zane approached the door and turned the knob.

*Creak*

The door opened. "No lock?" Zane headed inside the cabin and looked around.

"Looks like this is just a normal cabin... Should I take a rest?" He headed towards the bed, threw his bag to the side and jumped on it.

*Cough cough*

The air was filled with dust from the bed.

"Dammit, Forgot to clean it..." Zane said, but he still laid on the bed and closed his eyes. He felt fast asleep due to his exhaustion.

"Ugh"

Zane woke up with his head ringing with low whispers.

"What now..." He grabbed his head and looked out the window.

The sun was already setting down.

The whispers stopped and Zane squinted his eyes towards the trees.

He saw a silhouette of a person approaching the cabin and widened his eyes.

'Is it a cultist?'

He quickly grabbed his bag and looked around the cabin to search for a place to hide.

When he looked towards the ceiling, he found there were wooden beams he could crouch on. He quickly headed towards the beam and climbed it, hiding on the beams.

Hidden by the shadows, he could see the whole cabin from up there. He saw the silhouette checking out the cabin through the window.

He put his hand inside his bag and pulled something out in a hurry.

'Dammit! Why is it this one?' he looked like he was about to cry seeing the greeting rock on his hand.

But he had no time to reach for another item as the person opened the door and came inside the cabin.

Now he could see that it was a woman with black ponytail, wearing a violet long coat with the symbol of Nox.

Zane's nerve popped from his forehead, 'I'm sure this fucker from the cult of Mayhem is disguising herself as a knight.'

'Is this their hideout or something? Why is she just standing there? Aah, I better do something when I have the element of surprise.'

Zane looked at the stone in his hand and clenched his teeth. Then he threw the stone towards the door.

"Hello." The stone spoke in a deep voice and the girl looked back at it, startled.

Using the opportunity, Zane jumped down from the beam and pinned the girl against the floor.

He was overjoyed that his plan was successful. He moved his head towards her ear and spoke. "Hello."