Eclipse gritted his teeth and instinctively stepped forward in front of Chael, “You bastards…”

  Dragos stood in front of them like a mountain, and Thorn circled them as sadism dripped off his face. Their mere presence caused Eclipse to feel nauseous, and before he knew it, his breathing became erratic.

  “Just what the hell… do you want?” Chael growled through gritted teeth.

  “Eclipse, grandchild of Duozian.” Dragos simply stated. There wasn’t the slightest shred of emotion on his face.

  Eclipse eye’s widened slowly, but he scrunched his brows and growled, “Don’t you fucking dare say his name with your dirty-”

  Before he could finish his sentence, Thorn lifted Eclipse off his feet with a single hand and smashed his entire person against a large tree. Pain shot from Eclipse’s back, and he coughed out bodily fluids. He fell to the earth, the sudden shock rendering his body immobile. Despite this, the hate and sheer aggression in his eyes didn’t falter.

  Thorn’s iron-like fingers dug into Eclipse’s neck. His nonchalant aura had turned into one of murderous seriousness. “What did you just say?”

  Chael mustered all of his energy and shot off his feet towards Thorn with eyes filled with desperation and fury. He forcibly pulled out the large needle that was embedded in his shoulder and charged at Thorn with it. Meanwhile, Shadow had acted just as quickly and growled menacingly as he sank his fangs into Thorn’s feet.

  Thorn’s eyes turned bloodshot, and he let Eclipse go and used his hand to slam a full-powered punch straight towards Chael, who was a matter of seconds away from him, “You fucking cockroaches”

  Chael adapted to the situation just as quickly and immediately brought his guard up with both arms crossed against each other. As the blow landed, Chael winced in pain as she shot back into a tree.

  Eclipse coughed hard, trying to catch his breath. He wanted to call out to Chael, but the only thing that came out of his mouth was saliva.

  He wanted to tell those two to run as fast as they could and never come back.

  His bloodshot pupils reflected Shadow being stomped into the ground over and over again by Thorn, even after he had lost consciousness.

  “Sh… Sha… dow…!” Eclipse panted and coughed hard as he writhed in pain and despair. He could only watch pitifully while his most trusty companions fell one after the other at the hands of the men who had a role to play in his old man’s demise.

  “Die! Die! Die!” Thorn laughed gleefully as he continued to stomp Shadow, “Die, you vile beast!”

  Eclipse finally regained his breath enough to say two sentences, which came from the deepest pit of hatred and fury within his mind. It was a hatred sharpened by grief until it felt like it could split the world in half. “I’ll fucking kill you! I’ll kill every last one of you, Dracoferus motherfuckers!”

  Eclipse’s pupils were constricted into murderous slits, every vein in his neck bulging as his trembling hands dug into the dirt.

  This was enough for Thorn to halt. He lifted his feet off Shadow and turned to Eclipse grimly.

  “I’m going to level your shitty tribe down to the ground you fuckers!” Eclipse roared sinisterly, “I’ll make sure I leave with my shoes soaked in your fucking blood!”

  Dragos slowly walked up to Eclipse and squatted down in front of him. Despite all the threats and insults Eclipse had thrown at them, Dragos wasn’t phased in the slightest. He uttered one sentence, “Where is it?”

  Eclipse got taken aback for a second, but he responded by spitting on Dragos’ eyes. “Go rot in hell.”

  There was silence for a brief instant, but in the next, Eclipse perceived movement towards him but could barely react, and in the blink of an eye, a meteoric impact exploded against his core.

  Eclipse’s mind flashed with pain as he tasted iron in his mouth. In the next instant, his perception of the world became completely disoriented as he went flying several metres away to where Chael was.

  Chael groaned painfully and tried to get up while coughing out what seemed like a combination of blood and saliva. He panted heavily as he gripped the dirt underneath him and forced himself to look over at Eclipse, who didn’t move and was simply lying there, embracing the pain.

  Dragos and Thorn then walked towards them, their posture towering, Dragos’ eyes flared with an eerie light, and he looked at them with disgust, as if they were beings on par with that of a flea.

  “Where is it?” Dragos iterated as he stopped in front of Eclipse and towered over him like a mountain, “Where’s the Nine Lamentations of Conquered Worlds’?”

  “I’ll… break every fucking bone in your body…!” Eclipse gnashed through gritted teeth as he glared up at Dragos.

  Thorn shook his head, and a menacing shadow cast over Dragos’ face, and he slowly stepped on Eclipse’s right hand, “Speaking of bones...”

  The instant he pushed his feet down, an extremely sickening sound creaked out, which caused a shiver to run down even Thorn’s spine.

  It was the sound of bones getting crushed to splinters!

  Eclipse let out a loud roar of pain as saliva dribbled down his mouth. His vision went completely red as agony engulfed every fibre of his being.

  Chael looked in horror and forced his muscles to spring up, “Eclipse!”

  He charged at Dragos with the intent to land a full-powered punch to his mountainous frame with whatever strength he had left.

  Dragos, however, didn’t even look at him. He only uttered one word, “Thorn.”

  Chael’s survival instincts caused his blood to run cold as Thorn appeared behind him like a grim reaper. He grabbed Chael by the back of his neck and slammed his body onto the earth. Chael felt iron in his mouth, and his face grimaced in pain.

  “Hmph, I know you have it.” Dragos grunted and pressed down his feet harder, “Tell me. Where is it?”

  “Argh…” Eclipse once again let out a cry, but this was a lot quieter and more suppressed than his previous wails. He was adapting to this pain very quickly. His murky eyes were wide open as he stared straight into Dragos’ very soul. It would’ve been a lie to say that Dragos wasn’t the least bit disturbed by this.

  “I’ll… kill you. Every last fucking one of you…!” Eclipse gnashed these words through bloodied teeth.

  Dragos stared hard at him. Though his exterior visage was as unmoving as a statue, he was shocked beyond words internally. It was very rare to come across a man with a mental fortitude that was this powerful, much less a mere child. Though he was confident in his abilities to make his victims unseal their lips, he had realised that Eclipse would tire him out before he started talking.

  The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

  “Ugh… argh!” Chael groaned under Thorn’s large frame as he squirmed, trying desperately to free himself. This was the only instance thus far that he truly felt helpless. These guys were neither thugs nor hoodlums; they were true warriors to the core.

  Soon, Chael's consciousness drifted, and he fell asleep.

  Dragos’ eyes slowly drifted to Chael, and for the first time, an eerie and disturbing smile crept across his face. “So, that kid’s a friend, huh?”

  Eclipse’s expression flinched as premonition stirred in his heart. Noticing his change in expression, Dragos’ smile grew wider, and he got up and walked towards the helpless Chael.

  “You son of a bitch…!” Eclipse inched forward miserably, “I'm right here! He's a nobody!”

  Dragos didn’t reply. Thorn got off Chael and gave way to Dragos, who promptly squatted down and grabbed a fistful of Chael’s hair and forced him to make eye contact.

  “I’m the one you’re looking for. He knows nothing!” Eclipse shouted at him at the top of his lungs, his heart thumping now louder than ever.

  Without saying anything, Thorn pulled his blade out. Eclipse’s pupils contracted, “You bastard! Stop it right now!"

  He then turned around and flashed a twisted smile at Eclipse before plunging the dagger right into Chael’s shoulder.

  “Auughhh!” Chael roared in pain as he woke up, his eyes completely bloodshot and his body spasming. Blood instantly stained his clothes and dripped down his arm.

  “STOP IT!” Eclipse shouted.

  As the pain evened out through his body, Chael forced himself to concentrate once again, and he growled in pain and glared up at Dragos through his blurry vision.

  “You still haven’t started talking?” Dragos looked back at Eclipse then pushed the knife in further, causing Chael to howl in pain once more, “Guess you really don’t care about your friend here.".

  “Stop it! I’ll talk!” Eclipse shouted, completely desperate, “I-”

  “AHAHAHA! ”

  Just then, Chael burst into hysterical laughter. It was a laugh with no emotion behind it, just a crazy outburst. Dragos and Thorn looked at him in confusion, and even Eclipse had no idea what he was getting at.

  “Eclipse! You’re too cold-hearted to give a fuck about me, aren’t you? Stop acting like you care, AHAHA!”

  “Would you look at that…” Thorn smiled furiously, and he clenched his fists to strike Chael down.

  Chael didn’t care about the impending danger one bit and carried on his frenzied rant like a madman. “AHAHA! You should see the look on-”

  Before he could finish his sentence, Thorn’s large fists struck his face with force enough to dent a tree. Chael gritted his teeth so hard, they almost ground to dust. Blood seeped through his teeth, but Chael still had a conceited grin.

  “I SAID FUCKING STOP!!!!” Eclipse roared once again.

  “AH…HA…HAHAHA!” Despite his straits, Chael’s hysteria didn’t seem to cease. “Don’t you dare fucking worry about me! These fuckers hit like a bitch! This is the most fun I've had in a damn while, ahahahahahahah!”

  “You runt…!” Thorn’s face darkened with rage, and he stomped towards Chael. Except this time, he didn’t have the intention of simply beating Chael up. “We can kill this brat, right? After all, it’s that other one we’re after.”

  Dragos didn’t respond, and Thorn took that as a cue to proceed. A twisted grin expanded across his face, and he spun his dagger. The gleam on it reflected Chael’s arrogant grin as Thorn knelt down and met his steadfast gaze, “You’re the only fucker to disrespect the mighty Dracoferus Tribe and stay alive as long as you have.”

  Eclipse struggled to both of his feet and hurried towards them one step at a time, “Stop… STOP!

  He didn't know why, but the thought of Chael getting killed because of him filled him with dread.

  “I’ll tell you!”

  The dagger, which was inches away from Chael’s throat, slowed down. Thorn’s gaze drifted over to Eclipse.

  Eclipse panted as he staggered towards Chael, his dark eyes gleaming with unimaginable rage but also a miserly helplessness, “I don’t fucking know where that thing is. I’ve only ever seen it once!”

  Dragos, who was hoping he could get this task over and done with as soon as possible, clenched his fists. He was a man of minimal yet efficient work, and he preferred to do this in a way that cost him the least amount of time and trouble. Never did he think that he’d spend this much time making a kid who hadn’t even reached puberty talk.

  “There! I’ve said it. Let him go now!” Eclipse ground his teeth as he glared daggers at Thorn.

  A gentle yet very unsettling smile forced across Thorn’s face, and he plunged the dagger straight into Chael’s abdomen.

  “ARRGH!” Chael’s bloodcurdling howl shook the vicinity, and he clutched his abdomen in pain and agony and subconsciously tried to stop the flow of blood which was leaking from him like a broken dam.

  “You really think I’m that stupid, kid?!” Dragos sneered before he turned to look at Shadow, who was lying unconsciously on the earth, “Your bullshit’s cost your dear friend’s life. If you don’t talk soon, that pup will be next.”

  In that moment, a strand inside of Eclipse's mind snapped, and he let out a vicious roar. The world around him was tainted in red once again - just like the day he had reaped the life of his very parents. Just like the day he had escaped the woman known as Rosaria’s clutches, and just like the day he had lost his grandfather.

  He ran towards Dragos at full throttle, ignoring the limitations which his body had set on him. Sweat, blood and grime trickled down the veins bulging around his face, and he reached out towards Dragos with a hate which seemed to sear from the very depths of his bones.

  Dragos merely sneered at Eclipse’s crazed rampage and simply lifted up a foot and kicked Eclipse in the chest. Eclipse gagged as he felt his lungs empty themselves of precious air, and his vision went out for a split second. When it came back, Eclipse was lying on the floor back where he had started. Every inch of his body burned with agony, but it didn’t quell the pain in his heart in the least.

  Eclipse lay there as he writhed in his own misery and self-loathing. The hate for himself, his enemies and the world itself echoed loudly in his consciousness. Darkness seeped into his world like a sponge soaking water.

  Dragos walked towards Eclipse with slow steps intentionally. To make him well aware of how much of a distance there is between the two of them, both in status and in strength.

  Each of his steps echoed loudly in Eclipse’s mind as he desperately clawed at the mud, trying to get himself up. However, fate was simply too cruel. His body no longer had what it took to even move a muscle. Simply trying to breathe took all he had in him.

  The last thing Eclipse felt before his consciousness faded away was Dragos’ thick boots crushing his head into the mud.

  Thorn raised his eyebrows at the sight of Dragos stomping on Eclipse’s head. “You trying to kill him? Bastard hasn’t spoken yet, and you know Chief Khali…”

  Dragos remained silent for a whole minute before he finally lifted the boot off Eclipse’s head, “I know.”

  Dragos let out a long sigh and turned to Thorn, “Watch over these fuckers. I’ll go hunt. I’m starving.”

  Thorn didn’t say anything and simply nodded. He observed Dragos as he made his way out of the opening and into the forest. It was impossible to tell what he had in mind.

  Eclipse’s face twitched in agony despite clearly being unconscious at the moment, and his eyes slowly fluttered open. However, he was surprised to see nothing around him.

  Neither the Dracoferus warriors nor Chael and Shadow were to be seen. Strangely, he felt no pain at all. In fact, it felt like nothing had happened to him in the first place - as if it was a normal day at Grapefruit Village.

  Despite this, his body was paralysed. He couldn’t even move a finger, as if he were bound to the earth by a strange entity.

  “Ch… chael…!” Eclipse tried his best to speak out these words, “Shadow…?”

  Suddenly, the silhouette of a woman congealed in the mist in front of him. Her face was concealed by a veil of light.

  “Do you want me to save you?” She asked gently. Her voice wasn’t loud, and it sounded almost like she was whispering, yet it somehow managed to echo throughout the region. It was an incredibly bizarre feeling.

  Eclipse couldn’t make out the features of this woman. She almost felt like a dream.

  “Who are… you?” Eclipse made out these syllables with great effort.

  The silhouette of the woman waited for a moment, but repeated the same words in the same tone, “Do you want me to save you?”

  Eclipse gritted his teeth. He was well aware that this interaction may very well be a dream, or perhaps it may be an afterlife if such a thing existed, but his heart ached at the thought of what had happened to Chael and Shadow.

  “Save… them!” He said, his tone shaky with melancholy and hopelessness. If there was even the slightest chance that he could make things back to how they were, he’d take it without hesitation.

  Although the woman’s face was covered by the mist, Eclipse faintly made out a slight curve in her lips.

  The atmosphere went dark again…

  When he regained consciousness, the first thing he felt was a slight pain permeating through his body. His entire being felt incomparably numb, especially his arms, as if he were still in the process of recovering.

  Colour finally filled his blurry vision, and the atmosphere came into light. He was on a bed, and the window next to it let through rays of gloomy, winter sunlight, which caused him to squint slightly.

  The strong fragrance of medicines came from his body, which was covered in a blanket. He forced himself to sit up, but the moment he did, pain shot through his body, which caused him to grimace.

  “Where… am I?”

  “So you’re finally awake, you reckless brat?”

  When he heard the voice, his pupils dilated.

  This voice… belonged to the woman who had spoken to him in his dream.