Chapter 93: All Caught Up.

Ezra and Kaelis pushed their horses forward.

Fast.

Very fast.

’Ah, I missed this.’

Ezra closed his eyes for a brief moment as the wind rushed past his face.

Butterfly thundered across the field, her hooves striking the earth in a steady, powerful rhythm. Grass bent beneath the force of the charge, and the dark sky ahead seemed to swallow the horizon.

Ezra glanced over his shoulder.

Behind them, the rest were coming.

Helios and Aurien rode side by side, their horses cutting through the field with practiced ease. Behind them followed the other two captains, Razor and Zaide, along with the three frontline teams.

Team A.

Team F.

Team K.

They were closing the distance quickly.

From afar, the line of riders looked like a storm rolling across the land.

Ezra faced forward again.

But he couldn’t focus.

His mind kept circling back to the same thing.

Kaelis.

’He’s acting strange.’

Ezra narrowed his eyes slightly as he rode beside the prince.

’It feels like he’s hiding something.’

But what?

Ezra had known Kaelis long enough to recognize his usual attitude. The teasing tone. The smug expressions. The effortless arrogance.

Only yesterday, Kaelis had been irritating him the same way he always did.

But today?

None of that was there.

No mockery.

No smirks.

Just seriousness.

’What are you planning?’

The question lingered in Ezra’s mind as they continued riding.

Then he saw them.

The horde.

Dark shapes moving across the open field like a spreading shadow.

They were fast.

Far too fast for something that had once been human.

Their bodies twisted unnaturally as they ran, their skin blackened like charred flesh. Around them clung something darker still. A thin haze of smoke that clung to their limbs and drifted behind them as they moved.

“Raaah… agh… graaa…”

The familiar, broken growls reached Ezra’s ears.

Dark Ones.

Creatures that had once been human.

Now nothing but hollow shells.

Ezra’s grip tightened around the reins.

The distance between them closed rapidly.

Kaelis turned his head slightly.

Ezra met his gaze.

For a moment, neither of them spoke.

Then Kaelis pulled sharply on his reins.

His horse came to a sudden stop.

Ezra did the same.

Both men moved at the same time.

They leapt from their horses.

Boots struck the ground.

Steel flashed.

Both swords were drawn in one smooth motion.

The Dark Ones were already rushing toward them.

Their hollow eyes reflected nothing.

Only hunger.

Kaelis didn’t hesitate.

“Start killing.”

Ezra scoffed.

’As if I needed permission.’

The first Dark One reached them.

Ezra stepped forward.

His sword moved once.

Clean.

Precise.

The creature’s head separated from its body before it even realized what had happened.

The body collapsed into the grass, twitching.

Another rushed forward.

Then another.

Ezra moved again.

Steel cut through dark flesh as if it were nothing.

Limbs fell.

Blackened bodies dropped into the grass.

Behind him, the thunder of approaching horses grew louder.

The frontline was arriving.

Ezra didn’t look back.

He didn’t need to.

The purpose of him and Kaelis was simple. Clear the path.

Anything that slipped past them would be handled by the frontline squads charging behind.

So Ezra kept moving.

His attention stayed fixed on the creatures rushing toward them.

And on the prince fighting beside him.

Then something made Ezra pause.

’Wait.’

His eyes widened slightly.

For a split second, he nearly missed the Dark One lunging at him.

“Damn it—”

Ezra reacted instinctively.

His blade flashed upward and cut the creature down before its claws could reach him.

Another Dark One rushed him.

Ezra cut it down as well.

But his focus had shifted.

His eyes flicked toward Kaelis again.

He looked once.

Then he looked again.

’Why isn’t he…?’

That was when it truly hit him.

Kaelis was fighting.

He was killing Dark Ones.

Ezra had seen it clearly.

But at the same time—

He wasn’t killing all of them.

Some of the creatures lunged at the prince.

Those ones Kaelis cut down immediately.

But others ran past him. Some just stood idle.

And Kaelis let them.

He was choosing.

Choosing which ones to kill.

And which ones to ignore.

Ezra’s confusion grew.

“Y-Your Highness, what—”

“Rah!”

Ezra’s words were cut off as another Dark One lunged at him.

He reacted at the last possible second, driving his blade straight through the creature’s chest.

The impact jolted his arm.

The Dark One collapsed against him before sliding off the sword and falling to the ground.

Ezra’s heart pounded loudly in his chest.

’What in Aurethys is he doing?’

He turned his head again.

Watching.

Trying to understand.

Kaelis moved through the horde with frightening precision.

And every movement looked intentional.

Kaelis then turns to him. “You’re all caught up now.” He says as he kicked back a Dark One that was going to attack him.

“All…caught up–”

“Watch out!” Kaelis exclaims as he swiftly heads over to Ezra’s side and beheads a Dark One coming to attack him. “I know you’re surprised but focus!”

Ezra stepped back slightly as another Dark One lunged toward him.

Kaelis moved behind him without hesitation.

Steel clashed.

Kaelis cut the creature down before it could reach Ezra’s back.

Ezra glanced over his shoulder.

“What is going on?” he demanded. “Why aren’t you attacking the others? And why aren’t they attacking you?”

Kaelis didn’t stop moving.

Another Dark One rushed them.

Both men struck at the same time.

Two bodies dropped to the ground.

“Some of those Dark Ones…” Kaelis began as he twisted his blade free from one creature’s chest.

Another came running.

Kaelis stepped aside and cut it down in one smooth motion.

“The ones that don’t fight back,” he continued calmly, “are humans who turned into Dark Ones without dying first.”

Ezra blinked.

“How…” Ezra sliced through another attacker before looking at the docile figures wandering nearby. “…how do you know that?”

A few of the Dark Ones staggered through the field without attacking anyone.

They moved slowly.

Almost aimlessly.

And none of them had tried to strike Kaelis.

Ezra turned his head toward the battlefield behind them.

Aurien.

Helios.

The other knights.

They were cutting down everything that moved.

No hesitation.

No questions.

Just steel and blood.

’They’re killing all of them.’

Kaelis struck down another attacker beside him.

“Based on multiple eyewitness accounts,” he said. “And something I’ve seen personally.”

He stepped forward and kicked a Dark One away before it could grab him.

“Those who were alive when they turned didn’t attack anyone.”

Ezra’s grip tightened around his sword.

’Alive when they turned…’

A memory surfaced in his mind.

Guy.

The village.

That woman.

The one who had screamed at the Sunward Sentinels.

The one who claimed her husband wasn’t dangerous.

Guy had said the husband had turned into a Dark One.

But the Sunward Sentinels had killed him anyway.

Then the woman turned.

Guy said she attacked the village.

And more people turned because of it.

’But if she turned while alive…’

Wouldn’t she have been like these?

Docile.

Ezra glanced again at the Dark Ones wandering nearby.

Now that he looked closely, he could see it.

The difference.

The ones attacking were twisted with rage. Their movements were violent and erratic.

But the others…

They looked almost lost.

Their faces were slack.

Their eyes unfocused.

They looked…

Human.

Ezra’s chest tightened slightly.

’Was Guy lying?’

Or—

’Is Kaelis wrong?’

Ezra frowned.

Kaelis being wrong was unlikely.

Annoyingly unlikely. It was unfortunate for Ezra to admit that Kaelis can’t be wrong.

And the evidence was right in front of him.

Kaelis stepped forward and cut down another charging Dark One.

Then he spoke again.

“Let’s move forward, Ezra.”

Ezra looked at him.

“The others are getting close to us,” Kaelis said. “We’ve stayed in this spot long enough.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep