In the distance Ares could see that the Reptai had dropped, one by one, like dominos. Shadowy figures descended upon them, black like the void. There were only three of them, yet as they moved they left a trail of death behind.

Ares summoned a spear and then turned it to lightning, the crackle of which betrayed his position. The three beings stopped, frozen in their tracks, before they all shifted their attention to Ares.

"Well damn, aren't you guys those Silent fellows?" Ares asked as he then tossed the lightning to one of them, though he had missed. "What the hell are you guys doing?"

Then they flew towards him, like missiles through the air. Ares still felt quite heavy and slow from exerting himself, and he still hadn't rest properly since feeling such a way. He managed to catch a blade with his spear, but another sunk it's way deep into his stomach. He grunted in pain as he shifted to his phoenix form, yet his healing wasn't quite as quick as he wanted it to be.

He kicked one away as another stabbed him in the neck, though he had managed to turn into a phoenix just in time, the blade piercing through flame.

Ares pulled away, slamming them with his talons to give him some space before taking flight, not far above of them.

'Seriously, what the hell is this nonsense? What was it… wy do they appear?' Ares couldn't quite recall exactly why the Silent appeared.

The three silent each separated, forming a triangle so that if he were to attack them, he'd have to do so one by one.

'Damn it…'

They weren't too far from one another though, so if he did face one of them, the other two would be upon him soon enough.

He circled around in thought before the Silent then revealed throwing daggers of some kind, but they didn't aim for Ares. One turned to the tents, and with that Ares bolted down towards them.

The Silent easily dodged Ares and struck his sides with the daggers, though they only met flames. Ares turned and kicked them across the head, though narrowly missed as they dodged backwards, the other two had appeared from nowhere and struck him deep with their blades. Their swords were long and straight, only slightly longer than the human's swords.

So they probably weren't humans. They were humanoid, but covered head to toe in the cloth. Even Ares could barely see through the veil that they wore. The way their clothes moved was like a blur, making it hard for Ares to predict their attacks.

They stabbed Ares deeper and deeper, though the flames had managed to protect him as they pierced through harmlessly.

Then they retreated. One squat down and placed their hands down on to the floor, causing smoke to hiss and then flood the area. They disappeared within it as Ares shifted the smoke away, revealing no one.

'What?'

Then Ares felt something hot and wet inside his stomach, seeing a blade of pure black that oozed death. He coughed, even in his phoenix form he could do so, as the heat of shock gave way to the icey cold terror.

His legs shook out from underneath him. He turned back to see one Silent holding onto the blade, shoving it deeper into Ares' back. Ares shifted back into his human form, but not willingly as he had always done. He was unable to move as he tried to gasp for air, but no longer could.

The other Silent walked over to him, a pair of daggers in hand. They stepped forward, like the countdown to death.

'Hey now, isn't this too sudden?' Ares though, trying his best to say it aloud.

"Fuck!" Ares managed to exclaim as he tried to struggle, willing his body to move, to shift, to pull away, to do anything than remain shuddering and still. Yet no matter how much he willed himself, no matter how much he swung forward within his mind, he was unable to move.

His thoughts raced as he tried to summon his weapons, but even then he couldn't visualise the spears he was trying to summon, nor the manner in which he wanted to summon them.

He looked down to the black blade. It was the source of death. He looked back up to his impending doom and saw… no one.

No one was ahead of him.

He wasn't already dead was he?

Was he dreaming?

He looked down to see the black blade still in his gut, the pain was still there too though he was feeling a little empty.

No, no. There was definitely still a blade inside him. It twisted slightly, though that didn't hurt him at all, and he threw a look over his shoulder. As he did he saw the form of Saykerra tearing into a figure that was clad head to toe in a garb.

Her talons rend flesh and bone, guts flew up and showered the area. It was like she was rowing in a sea of blood and death.

Ares continued to look back but saw no one either, the blade's hilt open for anyone to grab it.

Huh. Where did the Silent go?

Ares then turned his head to look straight ahead, his gaze passing by as Saykerra leaned in to bite into the Silent's torso or so, he wasn't quite sure as her back was to him, then ahead of him. He looked to his right to see a Silent trying to stand up, dripping hot wet blood all over the place before a shadow flew passed from behind Ares and then pinned the Silent down.

Saykkera continued to tear and bite into the Silent, not that Ares could hear anything, all he could do was watch. Saykkera finally bit into the Silent's throat and then it grew still, falling to the ground. Ares looked to his left to see the dead body of the other Silent.

Then he was looking up at the sky, before it was taken up by the sideways face of Saykkera.

"Oh hey Saykkera," Ares said, or at least that's what he thought he said as he couldn't hear himself.

Saykkera opened her mouth and moved it, as though to speak, but that was wrong of course because Saykkera couldn't speak. She didn't speak. That's not a very Saykkera thing to do.

"I'm very sorry for interrupting but…" Ares remained deathly cold. "I think I have something I want to say." Ares stared up at Saykkera who held him for a little before then looking away as he was moved around and carried.

Deathly cold. Unable to hear or feel much of anything. His vision was going blurry. Yet all he could think about was one thing.

What did he want to say? Oh right.

"I'm quite sorry, but I think I'm dying."