Chapter CXXIII - Fear

Blood hit the floor.

It was the first time Arthur truly felt fear. Not because Moon’s brother or his men were scary– No, he faced unimaginable monsters in his lifetime, and even they never truly frightened him. It was because now he had a reason to return home for the first time in his many lives. He had a little sister he needed to care for, to protect against the cruel world, and a girlfriend to whom he promised to return, the one he loved and one who loved him back.

Although both knew they loved one another, and no words were needed to reassure them, Arthur still regretted not confessing his feelings upon realizing that perhaps sheer luck saved him from being killed right then and there. He wondered if it was a moment of hesitation or if Moon’s brother was a fool in thinking he could afford to miss the shot that grazed one of his men. Had he just aimed for Arthur’s chest, maybe he would have hit, taking his life.

Absurd, Arthur thought, imagining an asshole like him stealing his chance of waking up next to the woman he loved every morning. Knowing there was so much unsaid, so much he hadn’t done yet– he couldn’t let himself die.

They never stopped, even after their own got injured by friendly fire, but none of it mattered. Arthur was focused, determined to survive. He moved like a blur, his movement unpredictable yet graceful. Exhausted on Outer Qi and heavily depleted on Inner as he healed Ryung, Arthur understood that a single mistake could cost him his life. Using what leftover Inner Qi he had, he sharpened his senses, empowered his strikes, and suppressed his fatigue, dodging attacks with perfection, constantly getting someone in between him and Kyung.

It didn’t take long before someone took a knife out, approaching Arthur from behind while he was busy dodging incoming attacks. But before the man could stab him in the back, Arthur spun around, kicking his leg and breaking the bone in one hit before skillfully disarming him of the knife.

Bang.

Another bullet fired, but unlike before, Arthur was more than aware, giving him enough time to see the bullet, deflecting it with the knife in which he infused a small amount of Qi to prevent it from breaking. The ricochet fired upward, avoiding hitting anybody else, and by the time Kyung aimed again, Arthur had thrown the knife at the man holding Yeona, scratching his arm.

Violent Qi surged through the man’s body as it transferred over from the knife, causing vibrations that made his body panic and shut down, rendering him paralyzed until it dispersed. Noticing his grip becoming loose, Yeona quickly stepped on his foot and shoved him back, running to hide while everyone kept their attention on Arthur.

Moon held her own fairly well, taking down quite a few before they knocked her off her feet, grabbing hold of her, but Arthur was different. It was hard to believe that a high schooler was making a fool of them as if he were the adult. Cracked ribs, dislocated shoulders, and twisted ankles were just some of the injuries they suffered before common sense kicked in, forcing their relentless assault to a halt as fear to engage took over.

Blood stained his uniform, yet none of it was his. His cold gaze swept the club before locking on Kyung like a monster, surrounded by over a dozen adults, all groveling at his feet.

“What are you waiting for?!” Kyung yelled, but no one listened. “Fine, I’ll do it myself.”

Arthur was about ten meters away from him as he aimed his gun again. The men behind quickly moved out of the way, fearing they’d get hit.

“You’re strong. . .” Kyung said, holding him at gunpoint. “Really fucking strong– I’ll admit.” His breathing became heavy. “But it’s over!” The look on his face showed arrogance slowly breaking apart, turning to fear as he gazed into Arthur’s cold gaze. “Why are you staring at me?” he yelled, beginning to panic despite being at an advantage. “Get on your knees and beg–”

Arthur took a step forward, resulting in Kyung firing again and again, missing every shot as Arthur dodged with relative ease. Though it made sense for his ability as a martial artist to be what enabled him to be so skilled at predicting and reacting to the bullet paths, it was actually his talent as a mage helping him do what was humanly impossible.

“What the–” Kyung ran out of bullets by the time Arthur had gotten within reach. However, with his limited knowledge of modern weapons, Arthur didn’t hesitate to kick the gun out of Kyung’s hand before trying to take him out. But when Arthur tried hitting Kyung’s jaw, his fist got caught, and a malicious grin appeared on Kyung’s face. “Did you think–”

Before he even finished his sentence, Arthur grabbed his shirt and drove a knee into his stomach, knocking the wind out of him. Had he not used Qi to defend himself, his inner organs would have suffered severe damage, but Arthur wasn’t done just yet.

Following up with a flurry of blows, Kyung’s lackluster defense did little to protect him. Each hit was heavier than the last, causing fractures across his body. Soon Moon’s brother lost his balance, falling to one knee, feeling battered.

“Stop–” he said before Arthur slapped him to the ground, standing over him menacingly.

Everyone went silent, and nobody dared approach the high schooler that got on top of Kyung and began mercilessly punching him. He did his best to block but soon started losing consciousness– fear finally starting to settle in as there was no sign of him stopping.

The man who seemed so untouchable was found to be at Arthur’s mercy.

“S– stop. . .” he pleaded, face completely covered in blood as the last punch knocked a tooth out and the one before broke his nose. “. . .please–”

Arthur threw one last punch, dislocating Kyung’s jaw, before leaning closer, coldly staring him dead in the eye with no sign of sympathy.

“I warned you,” Arthur finally spoke, his voice calm which made it all the more frightening. “And now I should kill you.” Kyung’s eyes filled with panic, tears forming in the corner of his bloodshot eyes. Arthur sighed, raising his fist again before hitting the ground next to his head, causing it to crack under his bloody knuckles. “But I won’t. I’ll give you one last chance. Pack your things and disappear from this city. Don’t let me see you again, or swear I’ll make your death excruciating.”

Without saying another word, he got up and turned to the others, each one taking a step back as Arthur showed no signs of fatigue. The way they looked at him as some sort of monster made him start laughing, a laugh so haunting that none dared say anything.

Hearing things settle down, Yeona dared take a look after having hidden behind the bar. She was still shaken and hesitant to approach, but Arthur’s gesture of hand encouraged her to do so. However, before she reached him, he took a step closer to Moon, who was still being held but was let go without a word being said.

“You okay?” He asked, offering her a helping hand.

“Yeah. . .” She mumbled, taking it and getting back on her feet before her eyes wandered toward her beaten-up brother.

“He–” Arthur mumbled.

“No, I get it,” Moon cut him off, averting her saddened gaze. “He’s not my brother anymore.”

“Then let’s go home,” he said as Yeona approached his side, taking a step toward the exit. The only noise they could hear was the beaten-up men groaning in pain.

Sunlight struck Arthur’s face upon opening the door, and a feeling of relief swept through him as a cold breeze cooled him off before stepping outside.

The girls were quiet, following silently behind him, watching as blood dripped from his knuckles.

“Art. . .” Yeona whispered, hesitantly reaching for his hand while sounding a bit wheezy.

He couldn’t even begin to imagine how terrified she must’ve been and was thankful that once again she showed spite, not allowing herself to be held captive, just like back at the mountain, during their school trip.

“I’ll be–” Before he could finish what he had to say, the fatigue he forced back had finally caught up to him, making him lose balance.

Luckily, Moon was quick to react, catching him before he hit the ground. She kept talking to him, asking questions he couldn’t understand. His head was a mess, with blurred vision and uncontrollable dizziness that made his head feel like it’d explode.

He could feel his strength abandon him, and in a desperate attempt to hold on, he grabbed hold of Moon’s shirt, whispering Irene’s name before losing consciousness for good, listening to the sound of his name being yelled.

. . .

‘You promised. . .’ Irene’s heartbroken voice echoed within the dark abyss. ‘-you promised everything would be alright.’

Chapter End.

Thank you for reading.