[Mortis’ POV]

‘What do we do now?’

Was the only thought running in my head right now. I watched and glanced all over the place to find potential exits but there was no way around. We were covered by guards. They were heavily armoured with their helmets, breastplates, wrist-covers.

“You….”

Silvester agonized at his friend, who wasn’t at the fault actually, but it was scene of betrayal in his sights.

“We need to get out.”

“They don’t know about her…..just run inside the forest.”

Silvester whispered as the guards approached to capture us, with their ropes and swords in their hands. They looked plenty serious for us to consider our escape as a dusty fairy tale.

One of the guards charged roughly towards Maria, he tried pinning her down, but in that moment Mikhail who was watching everything from over sidelines, swooped in and blocked the attack. The guard in response brought his sword in air and tried striking it on him, but he managed to stop it with his bare hands.

“Whoa!” Mikhail said mockingly, “Easy there, mate.”

“Mikhail?”

Maria let out his name as she breathed heftily. She was surprised that he came in between to save her or rather she was surprised that he was wearing a complete set of clothes and overcoat. It looked like he was going somewhere.

“What’s happening?”

Asked Avon who got through the front door and saw us surrounded by guards.

“We are trying to enforce the law. Any malicious stuff should remain in the vicinity of others.”

The commander of the guards responded with a bold face. He looked straight into our eyes when he said that, which showed his absolute determination to capture us.

This was a nice distraction. I was thankful for what Mikhail did, because as I gazed one more time, I saw an opening where we could breakthrough we used a little force, but..

“It’s been a long time,Mortis..”

A familiar voice reached my ears. I turned over to look at him. The one who had made our life a hell.

“How are you?”

“Chin?” I said in an outrageous way.

He could clearly see my hate and recognize my odious tone. He smiled at my angry face. Meanwhile, Wong pulled Silvester towards him to make it seem like Silvester wasn’t the part of the group.

“Hmph! It seems you are little too angry or maybe afraid.” He responded with his arms behind his back and with a sharp look in his eyes, he gazed all of us.

“Give yourself in and I’ll make sure that you die like a normal person….and also I’ll reconsider what I should do with Ish--”

“Hold up! It seems like you don’t understand, I won’t allow you to take him away. And what is the about killing and dying. You guys are what……bandits?”

Mikhail stepped in.

He didn’t know what the situation was and neither he knew what we were. It was evident that he would react this way, but for him to be so carefree was unexpected.

Also, Bandits?

Really?

“We are the Royal Guards of Vivet.”

Said the commander who seemed genuinely annoyed by Mikhail’s reckless comments.

“Oh! The guards I know are a little different. Sorry.”Mikhail apologized and bowed to guards.

“I know your kind.”

Chin put his hand inside his pocket pulled a packet which chimed every time it moved. It was obvious that it was filled with money. He threw to towards Mikhail, who caught it with precision.

“I’ll be out of your way,”

Mikhail replied and tried going on the sidelines.

‘What?’

We all were really shocked and Maria seemed angry for most of the part and said, “You helped us.”

“Well, that was an act of kindness, and furthermore….”

Mikhail replied with his goofy yet annoying smug face. He believed he was not at an wrong, but I understood what Maria was doing.

“He is a Darkel.”

Words reached Mikhail’s ears which turned his face from a joyous one to a really terrified one. He walked towards Chin and asked him again.

“He is ‘what’?”

“A Darkel.”

Mikhail remained stunned for few seconds and then started nervously laughed at his inexcusably wronged decisions. He moved two steps back and then put the packet of coins received in his overcoat.

“When I say run, then run.” He whispered as he walked towards a log on the roadside.

‘What are you doing?’

I was being prepared for the worst outcome, which was that he would hit us with that.

“Well, it seems like this doesn’t concern me…then I’ll be going insi--”

Avon tried to get inside the house as that was what naturally anyone would’ve done, but Mikhail pulled the back of his collar as picked the log in his right hand.

“You are coming with us.”

He said to Avon as he mercilessly smiled at him and threw the log at one of the guards in front of him and said,

“RUN!”

Or rather screamed.

But anyways, it created an opening for us. We saw the chance and we took it. I caught Maria’s hand and started running towards the front gate which wasn’t the best choice, but the only option left for us.

“Towards the gate,” I said and as soon as I said that, someone blocked our way. It was the same guy we had met yesterday in the tavern.

With chubby face and body he stood in front of us laughing,

“Where are you guys going?”

“Towards the exit….mind giving us the way?” Mikhail replied in a wacky way.

“You…” The man stepped in front and completely ignored Mikhail and stared at me, “You…..I don’t know why….but I just don’t like your eyes.” He said as he vigoursly kept swinging a sword in his right hand.

‘My eyes? What’s wrong with them?’

Maria looked at me to confirm whether there was something different on my face and disappointingly again looked straight.

“I need a weapon.” Mikhail requested as glanced over us. It was statement made in the fashion of anxiety and fear as he saw the man getting ready for his attack.

“You have one.” said Maria as she pointed towards a sword which carried on his side.

“No, this….I cannot use it.” Mikhail replied in the same sappy way he has been doing things.

‘A sword? Did I not notice it yesterday?’

I recalled my meeting with him and quickly analyzed that he did always carry a sword, but then couldn’t figure out of why he is refusing to use it now.

“What? Why?” We fired our questions towards him, but at that same moment, the man who stood ahead of us charged with immense power with his sword pointed in the direction of my eyes. I was ready for that, but Mikhail butted in and caught his hand midway in the air, swirled it and,

“Hey, big guy. It is really bad to butt in to a conversation”

As he completed the statement, he punched him with a straight-out immense power. The man’s chubby stomach created spirals and was kind of pushed inside. He flew across the land and hit the wall behind him.

We were really surprised with Mikhail being so powerful. I looked at him with complete shock.

“Did I hit him too hard?”

“I-I think you killed him,”

“Huh? Did I?”

We all watched an prayed for the man to move a little and he did, which put our minds at rest.

“Why am I here?” Avon who stood impaitently beside us asked it out of nowhere.

It was completely out of context. So, I looked at him only for him to throw knives at me through his eyes. He definitely was angry…..very angry.

“You know, Birds of feather, Flock together!”

Mikhail responded with an innocent smile.

‘Is he actually this dumb or is just trying to annoy us?’

“What makes you…..anyways, I don’t think I can go back.” Avon sighed as he said it in a crestfallen way. “How are suppose to get outside?”

“Through there,” Mikhail pointed the way out. It was the gate of ‘Kayo’ and in fornt of it lied a stretch of forest where we can hide.

I nodded and others did. There wasn’t really anyone who was willing to stop us as after seeing Mikhail punch….half of them were disheartened and stood quietly. Although, we were followed by the guards for a certain period of time, but we kept running and eventually they lost us too.

“I think they stopped following us…”

I said as I was panting.

“Yeah, it’s obvious they will..”

“Why?”

“Because we are in the ‘Forest of Emptiness’ now.”