Chapter 58 Cheating Death - Consequences (Part 2)

No wait time in-between chapters, you can truly call this a double release!

Enjoy.

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Startled and confused Kaden and Ava stared at this stranger unsure of who he was, but as they were about to speak, they heard his words as their blood turned cold and they mouths went dry.

Hannah and Ava instantly understood the meaning of his words and started connecting the pieces together.

This was the creature that the shorter mare had been so frightened by that she ran away, all but basically abandoning them in the process. This creature must be much more than what he looked, because if those seemingly divine bulls were really his “pets” as he’d just stated…

Their thoughts made them gulp in realization of what that would mean…

Kaden’s thoughts slowly churned as he caught up to them as he realized what was going on. Thinking for a moment this guy could be lying like Jeremy had. He put his hands on his daggers as the mysterious young man’s eyes turned to gaze at him and his entire body went still.

Kaden’s eyes widened as he suddenly felt unable to breathe and unable to move. It was if every bit of him had been frozen, unable to twitch including his lungs. Kaden stared back in shock and fear as his face started changing colors getting more and more red before the mysterious young man’s gaze looked away.

Suddenly able to breathe again, Kaden almost fell forward but caught himself in time as he began taking huge gulps of air as every strand of hair on his body had straightened up in fear.

That one look at nearly killed him, an overwhelming fear washed over Kaden as he realized that there was likely absolutely nothing that he could to this guy even if he wanted too.

“Running is likely out of the question, fighting him is definitely out of the question” Kaden thought.

Hannah spoke up as she mustered her courage and felt less burdened while the tall young man had looked away from her, “W-Why? I-I mean, what makes… You think it was one of..us?” she managed to stammer out.

Closing his eyes as he nonchalantly walked forward to stand before her, the young man opened his eyes slowly “Just a hunch.” he said.

Seeing the glimpse of an opportunity, Hannah fumbled as she spoke in a hurry “I don’t know who your pets us are but it definitely wasn’t us! Definitely not us!”

The young man tilted his head as if wondering whether to believe her, “Then why hide your presence so diligently from me? Speaking of, who was it that managed to do that?”

He looked at each of them, as if he already knew it wasn’t or couldn’t have been any of them.

Hannah tried to think of an excuse as her mind was drawing an absolute blank.

Much to her chagrin, Ava was able to speak up to answer the question with a quick retort “This is a very dangerous forest… We got lost in here and we heard some very terrifying creatures. Hiding our presence was the only thing we could do!”

Ava was staring right at the young man as she said it, trying her absolute best not to flinch.

Placing his right hand under his elbow, and his left hand on his chin, the young man questioned their story “Then who was it… And why were you keeping a tab on the pets you claim to know nothing about? Hmm?”

Ava’s mind blanked out but Hannah took the opportunity to answer for her this time “We met a creature and she helped us for a while, she was the one who kept the tabs on what were apparently your pets… She just told us that there were two very powerful creatures and that we should avoid them.”

The young man’s eyes brightened “Aha! That makes sense! Okay then, have a good day!” as he turned around and started to walk away.

He took a few steps before turning around giving them a suspicious look, “Your friend wouldn’t happen to be a mare would she? About yay’ tall *gesturing to around his shoulders*?” the young man asked, one eye slightly wider with eyebrow raised.

Ava and Hannah were tongue tied, torn between lying and telling the truth. They could both tell this was a crucial question and that depending on how they answered they could be spared but the alternative was almost certainly death…

Ava and Hannah glanced at each other and that sudden look between the two of them made the young man’s eyes glaze over to his original nonchalant look as he gazed at them suddenly more relaxed.

Hannah and Ava gulped as they realized the mistake they had both involuntarily just made.

Hannah spoke up knowing anything but the truth would be questioned from this point forward “Yes, that sounds about right…”

“I see. So you were lying. It was you.” the young man said the surrounding air suddenly feeling a bit thicker and heavier for all three of the group.

“I-It wasn’t-“ Hannah spoke but was cut off mid sentence as she lost the ability to speak as the young man’s eyes narrowed in her direction.

Feeling a sudden twinge of despair as the idea of what he might to do them, to Ava… to Hannah…!

Kaden clenched his teeth and fists as he came to a conclusion. He’d all but realized that they were not likely to get out of this unscathed. He didn’t have a reason for it, he just felt it. Like instinct…

That if they told the truth, this man, if he was a man, was going to kill them. If they lied and he believed them, then he would likely just kill them - just because.

Feeling angry at this injustice, and defeated almost immediately after. Kaden used the time while Ava and Hannah spoke to calm down.

He released a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding.

The defeat washing over him, Kaden felt a calm settle through him as he gazed back at the young man making unflinching eye contact as he spoke, “It was me. I was the one that did it. Not them, they weren’t even in the area. The mare is my friend, she was with me when it happened. I attacked what are apparently your pets. The girls here just arrived in time to see me doing what I did before running away as well they should have.”

Struggling to maintain eye contact with the young man, Kaden found it harder to breathe with every word he spoke.

The young man’s eyes flashed a look incredulity before his nonchalant expression turned into one of amusement as the air settled down for all of them again.

A smile started forming on the young man’s face, as chills began to run through Kaden as he stared at him. His limbs growing numb from fear as the smile seemed completely and utterly unfriendly.

Finally speaking, “I applaud you for your courage. That was very noble of you. I mean silly, after all it’s not as if my cute little pets didn’t tell me exactly what happened, how many creatures there were and what they seemed to be, what they looked like and what they did…. I assumed you would take the opportunity to tell me where the other three were… But now that I’ve confirmed that one of them was a mare… Then… Obviously the one that looked like her twin was likely a mare as well… I can only assume that since I didn’t head in their direction that she is still with your other friend.” summing up almost exactly what had happened.

Sweat was forming on Kaden’s forehead and neck as he felt that everything up until now had been pointless.

The young man clapped his hands together “From the looks on your faces it seems I’ve hit the nail with the hammer on this one eh?” as he continued to smile at them.

“Okay then, since you volunteered. You can be the puppet my noble little friend!” the young man said as he spread his palm in the direction pointed at Kaden.

A strong suction force suddenly enveloped that palm as Kaden’s whole body was drawn towards that palm almost instantly. His body moving forward pulled by his chest as his limbs just dangled behind him as his torso was drawn to that palm. Kaden felt a terror welling up inside of him as he lost control of his entire body and could do nothing to stop himself from being pulled towards this smiling young man.

Feeling dread bubbling up inside of Kaden, he mentally prepared as he readied himself to do whatever he could to buy time for the others to escape the second he got close enough and his body became his own again!

His body was pulled those tens of meters within a few seconds. As Kaden’s body was about to make contact with the palm, it seemed to suddenly slow down to the point that when his body reached the palm, the palm merely gently reached out to grab him. Tapping his chest gently Kaden looked down confused and unsure what the young man was up to.

Then feeling red wash over him, Kaden looked up at the young man’s eyes wide a wide stare before his mind went blank.

…

Hannah and Ava stared wide eyed as the young man attacked Kaden, from the moment he lifted his hand to the moment Kaden reached him. They expected a large boom or some huge attack. Instead the young man merely patted Kaden on the chest.

Kaden feet hit the ground gently, walking of his own will again as he slowly turned around.

Kaden’s eyes were were dark red, the sclera which was normally white was now all black, and his irises and pupils all red.

Hannah’s whole body trembled for a moment as she realized something terrible had just happened. Looking at the brother that she’d loved her entire life, her last remaining family member and the one person she had to protect.

Hannah could only hold her breath as he leaped forward unsheathing his daggers towards Ava.

Ava noticed the eerie changes to Kaden’s eyes immediately. She wanted to warn Hannah but before she could do so Kaden moved towards her with a speed he’d never shown before.

Instinctually Ava tried to move to defend herself only to have eyes widen even further as she realized her whole body was frozen in place. Unable to so much as twitch. Ava could only watch as Kaden moved forward and reached her. With an X motion he slashed at her jugular with both daggers as she felt a slight pain and nothing more.

Feeling everything go dark, Ava’s neck spluttered out blood in a spray all over Kaden’s chest and face from her neck before toppling over onto the floor.

On the floor Ava tried to speak for a few moments as her mouth gurgled up blood, unable to form words as she drowned in her own blood. Her vocal cords had already been slashed with that first strike.

Kaden unflinchingly turned around and gazed at Hannah as if awaiting a command.

Hannah watched everything in abstract horror with lips trembling.

This isn’t Kaden. This is definitely not my brother!

What the hell did he do to him! What did you do to him you asshole! You turned him into a murderer!