Chapter 65- Death Comes in The Form of a Phantom (Part 2)

Chapter 65: Chapter 65- Death Comes in The Form of a Phantom (Part 2)

Chapter 65- Death Comes in The Form of a Phantom (Part 2)

Vigil was a seasoned warrior. Someone who had fought in the war against the Sagardians for years and years, ever since he was a boy. He had killed many Sagardians and witnessed many Zatharis die, people he knew and loved.

He led the kind of life that would numb someone to the horrors of the world and give them an impenetrable will and a strong heart. Vigil rarely feels scared, and the things that do make him feel fear were simply things that were from another world completely. People who could reshape the world as they willed, clans and organizations that controlled the entire planet as if it were their playground.

These were powers nobody could truly fathom, and it was a blessing that they didn’t move unless they needed to move or everyone was completely in ruin.

Yet, the fear Vigil felt at that moment was unlike anything he had ever experienced before. A crippling, mind-numbing fear that took over his body.

He stared left and right frantically, his face covered in sweat as he held his sword tightly. He couldn’t hear a thing; the place was quiet.

"SHOW YOURSELF, BASTARD!!" Vigil yelled loudly. However, nobody replied. It felt as if there was no one in the first place.

But his instincts and the damage he suffered told him otherwise. This was a life-threatening situation.

’Dammit, I need to get the hell out of here!’ Just as Vigil turned around to start running, his body leaned forward to accelerate. Something moved in his peripheral vision. It had happened so fast, he couldn’t even see it.

All he felt at that moment was a cold, horrid sensation in his left arm. He stopped and slowly looked down with wide eyes. All he saw there was nothingness... His arm was gone. It dropped to the ground.

He blinked a moment, then two, before blood gushed out like a fountain and a shriek escaped his mouth. He felt a pain so deep, he dropped to the ground. His cries sounded like that of a dying animal, so distorted and painful.

"MY ARM!!! MY ARM!!!!" Vigil screamed as he rolled around, holding his nonexistent arm. Blood pooled underneath him rapidly.

Then, he saw them: a person emerged from seemingly thin air. They walked toward him slowly; he stared up, his eyes filled with primal fear. Like a prey waiting to be slaughtered. He stared up and finally saw it.

The face of a woman. Her raven-black hair and equally black eyes that appeared like two black holes made his heart leap out of his chest. He knew who she was, or he had heard of her before but never met her in person.

"The... Royal... Phantom..." He muttered. Those words escaped his mouth as if he were witnessing a demon. A true monster that had no emotions.

The Royal Phantom, the woman responsible for massacring hundreds and hundreds of Zatharis. She was so terrifying on the battlefield that tales akin to nightmares were told about her. She would slaughter them, and nobody would be able to even see her, and even those who did never lived to tell the tale.

Yelena stared down coldly at the man, her eyes lacking any human emotions. As if she were staring at something completely beneath her.

She didn’t move, simply scrutinizing him before she looked up and sighed. "What a pain."

***

"Rize!! Rize!!"

At the same time, back where Rize was, a person emerged from the bushes as she rushed toward him in a hurry, her voice panicked and her eyes filled with worry. She crouched down as she checked his condition, and her face turned so grim.

"No, no, no, hold on, Rize. You’re going to be fine." She said as she touched his neck, feeling for his pulse. ’He barely has any heartbeat. He will die if he doesn’t get proper treatment.’ She thought to herself as she pulled out a vial from her pocket.

It was a Tier 4 Healing Potion. A very expensive and considerably High-Grade potion that she brought with her. Then, she opened it and poured the liquid into his mouth. However, all of it spilled out.

"No, no, you need to drink, please." She said as she held his face. The boy wasn’t responsive. So, Venera looked at the bottle and then at him before she chugged it into her mouth without hesitation and leaned down, pressing her lips against his.

Then, she slowly pushed the liquid into his mouth, bit by bit, guiding it with her tongue. Whether it was an instinctive reaction or a conscious one, Rize swallowed the liquid slowly.

Almost instantly, his entire body shifted. All the injuries on his body, inside and outside, started healing rapidly as the healing potion worked its magic.

His body pushed the bullets out before it started closing the holes while also fixing all the broken bones and lacerations he suffered. In a matter of seconds, most of the major injuries healed, while some remained due to the severity of Rize’s condition.

Seeing that, Venera quickly touched his neck to feel his pulse. His heart regained a slightly better rhythm, which gave her a sigh of relief as she looked down; all strength had seeped out of her body.

"If I was just... a few seconds too late..." She muttered as she grabbed his hand. "I’m sorry... for being late... I’m truly sorry."

She felt guilt and pain. Just seeing Rize’s condition told her the hell he went through in the past three days. He had suffered unimaginable pain, and the fact he survived was a miracle in and of itself.

"I’m sorry, Rize." She held his hand to her face tightly as she closed her eyes. "I’m truly sorry..."

She kept repeating the same words like a mantra. Nobody knew what was going through her mind at that point.

"Your Highness."

At that moment, Venera heard Yelena calling for her. Looking up, she saw the woman walking back while dragging a man with her. Then, she threw him like a rag doll in front of her.

"He seems to be the leader of the people who attacked the city," Yelena said.

Venera’s emotional eyes instantly lost all color the moment she saw him. Her sadness turned into cold, ruthless anger and hatred. She then put Rize’s hand down gently and stood up.

"He did this?" She asked as she pointed at Rize. "Was he the one who hurt Rize?"

"..." Yelena didn’t reply, but Venera understood the message as she approached Vigil. The man was struggling to move, but he was conscious, and he saw Venera.

"The... princess..."

"I don’t know you," Venera said coldly. "And I only recently came to know about your people and the cause you’re fighting for. I must say, I feel for all of you, and I believe that you have every right to fight for that cause. However."

She pulled her sword out. "You came to the city, to the most innocent place of all. A place where people go to enjoy themselves. Innocent people that know nothing about what was happening, and you murdered them in cold blood."

"..."

"And yet, you still did something that I would never forgive." She said as she clenched her fist. "You hurt my people. People I care about."

Vigil felt a chill run down his spine as the girl lifted her sword. "Die."