Chapter 15: Aden’s Change

Kaelthorn’s eyes watched the bloody trail mix with the rain water before turning his head in another direction.

He had truly fallen asleep before he was stirred awake by an almost imperceptible change in the traps he laid across the jungle.

Who could’ve predicted he would bump into one of the intruders that dared cross his territory?

His body disappeared from the spot and appeared thousands of miles with a blank expression.

At the trap site, Amir suddenly halted his cautious approach ahead and faced backwards.

“He’s coming.”

Vryn’s eyes widened, but his hands had already manifested two Sais gleaming with bloodlust.

Amir took his fighting stance, his feet shifting the loose mud as he entered a half crouching position.

Kaelthorn spotted the two figures in the distance and vaguely made out their battle stances.

His speed increased to a blur, and within minutes, he had already appeared In front of the assassins.

His hands extended to grab both of their faces, but they acted timely and dodged by the skin of their teeth.

Before they could figure what they would do next, Vryn’s head was burst open.

Amir’s fist shook but he didn’t let his focus waver as he tried to spot the phantom that took out his partner.

“I didn’t even see him—”

A cold wind blew past his neck, but he ducked just in time.

Before he could jump into a standing position, Kaelthorn pressed his feet on the back of his legs.

Amir felt a cold chill run up his spine as he sensed the pressure.

And then…

Crack

Amir bit his lips till they bled. Blood trickled out of his mask and dripped on the ground.

Kaelthorn picked his head like a rag doll and forced him to stare at his eyes.

Darkness.

Endless darkness was all he was met with. Even the thunderstrike didn’t illuminate Kaelthorn’s irises.

No matter what he tried, he couldn’t free himself from Kaelthorn’s tightening grip.

Slowly, Kaelthorn opened his lips.

“You will tell me who sent you and what plans he has.”

His eyes flitted to his dead comrades and magnetically back to Kaelthorn’s.

He finally managed to open his mouth, ignoring his rapidly beating heart, he muttered:

“Just kill me instead.”

“So be it.”

A dull snap came next. Amir’s headless body dropped beneath Kaelthorn’s feet.

Kaelthorn’s eyes glowed as he stared at the deceased head.

A few minutes passed in silence before he dropped it coldly.

“The memories were completely destroyed, but I managed to glimpse one thing—”

Kaelthorn’s hair fluttered wildly, the trees swayed wildly as the winds grew even more intense with his rage.

“Baldric. I see the peace I’ve given you was a mistake.”

His finger traced the scar on his face.

“Every breath you take is mercy from me. I shall remind of you that soon.”

The thunderstrikes that followed were capable of destroying a normal man’s eardrums.

After disposing the corpses to the beasts, he made his way back to the cabin and found Aden sitting on a chair outside his room.

A small stick was placed between his lips as he welcomed his master.

Kaelthorn’s eyes narrowed.

“Welcome back, Master. I heard you leave, so I figured I’d welcome you.”

That smile again.

’I have to fix this somehow,’ Kaelthorn promised himself.

“It’s cold and late. Go inside. We’ll talk tomorrow.”

Kaelthorn walked past his sitting figure, his eyes monitoring every change in his body.

Just as Kaelthorn was about to open the door to his room, he was stopped halfway by Aden’s words.

“I just have one question though,” he mumbled, his face still facing forward. “Why do you reek of blood?”

Kaelthorn’s breath hitched. The cleanup was rushed, but sufficient to avoid detection by anyone with sharpened senses.

Then how?

Despite the creeping sense of suspicion, Kaelthorn responded calmly, “I handled some intruders.”

“You could’ve asked me to join you, y’know?”

Kaelthorn turned his head just in time to see the carefree expression on Aden’s face.

’Just how many of my traits did I imprint?’ Kaelthorn’s mind reeled.

“You’re not ready. Focus on understanding your powers first.”

“But live targets would make for good practice, no?”

Kaelthorn’s eyes turned cold. “I said focus on your training first. You’re not ready to handle blood”

“And what makes you think that, Master?”

Kaelthorn couldn’t hide his shock this time. Aden had never challenged his orders before.

Aden took to his feet, and faced Kaelthorn with fearlessness etched into his eyes.

“A little bit of bloodshed would help attune my Resonance state a bit. Don’t you think—”

A massive pressure cut Aden’s words short, his feet buckled immediately and crashed into the cabin floor, the splinters scattering in all directions.

“Ghhk!”

Blood sprayed through his clenched teeth as he tried resisting.

For a fleeting moment, he caught his Master’s eyes looking condescendingly upon him, the coldness in the blue aura that spilled from his eyes caused chills to run up his spine.

“I take responsibility for this. But this shall be the last time you shall speak of death in such manner”

The pressure reduced considerably, but Aden didn’t stand up yet.

“Am I understood?”

Aden struggled a bit before replying, “Yes…Master”

The aura dissapeared immediately as soon as Kaelthorn retired to his room with his departing words:

“Tomorrow you handle the reconstruction of this cabin alone.”

Aden nodded despite his inability to see him.

A few moments later, he stood up and wiped the blood from his lips with a terrified yet intrigued expression.

Watching his hands constantly shake, he realized he might’ve lost his life had he taken it too far.

“This is true power….” Aden mumbled, his eyes a bit unfocused.

Kaelthorn’s senses were still spread across the jungle and every action Aden took was monitored even more closely by him.

“First, I cause a significant emotional change in my disciple. Now my old friend has decided to visit,” Kaelthorn sighed, his hands covering his face. “There are a lot of preparations to be made”

His fingers brushed against the scar once more.

Watching the rain cease their downpour with a cold expression, he muttered:

“This time…I shall take more than your eyes.”

Aden finally stabilized himself and returned to his seat, a glint in his iris.

He didn’t know what happened after he went into a coma, but there was one thing he couldn’t ignore:

He had changed.

Now, how this happened, he had no clue and he couldn’t pin exactly what changed about him, but there was one thing he was sure of:

“Master knows something.”

It would be difficult to dismiss his actions and everything that had happened since he’d awoken.

The blood he was met with, his master’s strange actions, and now the direct confrontation he’d had with him.

Even a fool would know something was amiss.

Aden leaned against the chair, his eyes reflecting the stars as his long hair swayed slightly.

“I guess tomorrow would be quite interesting…”

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