The Blue Flame in the Shadows
"In this world, the flames are red. But I was never meant to burn blue."
Kieran's blue eyes reflected the inferno he'd unleashed. Crimson flames devoured the bandits who had dared block the mountain pass but around him, blue fire danced like living spirits, swallowing their screams, leaving only silence and ash.
He sheathed one of his twin swords, the steel still sizzling. Kurohane, his white-furred hound, emerged from the darkness, tail low, blue eyes gleaming. Silent as a ghost, the dog stepped around the corpses, checking for any signs of movement.
"Don't leave any alive," Kieran ordered. His voice was cold, precise.
Kurohane nodded, a gesture that looked too human for any beast, then dissolved into shadows, becoming a phantom in the night. Moments later, the final gurgled cries ended in the gloom.
Above them, Azuralis his phoenix circled. Brilliant blue flames trailed from its feathers, burning away the stench of blood. Its cry was sharp, cutting through the night air.
Kieran closed his eyes for just a moment. Reborn once. Reborn twice. Noble. Outcast. Monster. Hero. How many names do I need before I can rest?
He sighed, about to move on, when the world went silent.
Too silent.
The hairs on his neck rose. Kieran stepped back, just in time for a dagger to whistle through where his throat had been a heartbeat before. Steel clanged as he raised one blade to block, sparks exploding into the night.
His attacker was fast almost impossibly fast. A figure in a black cloak, silver hair spilling from beneath a hood, eyes cold and merciless. The assassin's stance was perfect, every line of muscle taut, balanced, lethal.
"Who sent you?" Kieran demanded, blue fire igniting around the edge of his sword.
The assassin did not answer. She only shifted her weight, calculating, blade poised like a viper's fang.
Skilled, he thought, almost too skilled.
Azuralis shrieked again, a burst of blue flame lighting the assassin's face. In that flash, Kieran saw something a flicker of hesitation in her eyes. Not fear. Recognition?
Why does she look at me like that?
The assassin lunged, no more questions, only a deadly arc of steel. Kieran parried, sliding his sword down hers, pushing her aside but she twisted, using his momentum to flip over him, striking from above.
Sharp, Kieran noted. Refined.
He caught her second strike on his other sword, crossing the blades to trap her. For an instant, their faces were inches apart. He could smell something faint wildflowers?
"You don't smell like poison," he murmured.
She didn't answer, only pushed away, spinning to land softly.
Kurohane burst from the shadows, teeth bared, eyes gleaming with killing intent. The assassin didn't flinch, but a tiny smile so slight Kieran almost missed it crossed her lips.
She threw a black pellet to the ground, a cloud of white smoke rising.
When the haze cleared, she was gone.
Kieran lowered his swords, scanning the night. That was no ordinary contract killer.
Azuralis landed on a scorched tree nearby, blue flames dripping harmlessly onto the charred wood.
Another player joins the board, Kieran thought. I barely returned to this world, and they're already hunting me.
He looked at the flames, felt their heat on his face. Earth had taught him many things patience, strategy, the cost of mercy.
But this world had never changed. This world was cruel.
He raised his sword, blue fire dancing across its length, and whispered:
"Come for me if you wish. But I will burn you before you burn me."
The wind picked up, scattering the ashes of the fallen.
In the distance, the silver-haired assassin watched from the trees, fingers touching the dagger at her hip. A strange tightness gripped her heart.
Why… do his eyes look so familiar?
And in the dark beyond, other hunters stirred drawn by the blue fire that should not
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