Chapter 28
For the second time since leaving77Please respect copyright.PENANAsRYkthQRlX
the Orange Fox, Vander cursed himself for not bringing a weapon with him. With77Please respect copyright.PENANAoNAc3xH5cT
the guards walking towards him along with the crowd at his back he knew there77Please respect copyright.PENANAuVrDK167bJ
was no chance of escape. He was too scared to come up with an excuse to not be77Please respect copyright.PENANAQ9O5TuiMo0
him, but fear glued his tongue to the roof of his mouth. He didn’t want to die77Please respect copyright.PENANAP6fSykPn5N
here, there was too much that he needed to do.
“Stop!” Alex shouted over the77Please respect copyright.PENANAwBFEf0PAnU
crowd. He, along with the rest of his squad, pushed their way through and took77Please respect copyright.PENANAEp1Z8xoWcV
up positions around Vander. Their weapons were drawn, held out in front of77Please respect copyright.PENANACGSFsNYU3E
them, but they made no move to start fighting. “What are you doing?” Alex77Please respect copyright.PENANANq9gcOfewf
demanded the guards to answer.
“We heard the commotion, Blade.” A77Please respect copyright.PENANAJSbbmDaU9l
guard sneered. “That punk behind you is Vander, the king slayer. Hand him over77Please respect copyright.PENANA60Sq9ufIWp
or we will kill you too.”
“Even if that was true ganging up77Please respect copyright.PENANA5fatLGcYVI
on an unarmed man isn’t very chivalrous of you.” Alex snorted. “Also, I heard77Please respect copyright.PENANAzSD8tTebJl
what you said about killing him for the Jilena’s bounty. From what I understand77Please respect copyright.PENANAskYHC94wQT
that was supposed to be pulled by Cuvera, so they are still trying to kill him?77Please respect copyright.PENANAKUwVf0HwJS
That’s useful information.” The guard paled as he realized his mistake.
“But that’s definitely Vander and77Please respect copyright.PENANA1lZJ5tWopJ
we kept him from fleeing.” The second guard looked a little smug. Alex looked77Please respect copyright.PENANAZZ1BrxFH3N
back at Vander, but feigned ignorance.
“That’s not him.” He responded.77Please respect copyright.PENANAl3ETPRfFYk
Both the guards and mob muttered amongst themselves looking confused. Someone77Please respect copyright.PENANAqocUzU4wbJ
shouted, asking how he could be sure. Alex’s response stunned him: “Look at77Please respect copyright.PENANAT6T6iBMthq
him. He doesn’t have the same hair or eye color.” Alex grabbed Vander by the77Please respect copyright.PENANAQbYSIuNxaQ
back of his shirt, lifting him up for all to see. “This man is not him; you77Please respect copyright.PENANAprTup3oiAr
were ready to kill an innocent man because of what you thought.” Alex dropped77Please respect copyright.PENANAmqSy3EfODi
him onto his feet. “On behalf of the King, I apologize.” Alex leaned in close77Please respect copyright.PENANAi1F4mEkTyB
enough to whisper into his ear: “I’ll find you later, now go.”
Vander nodded his head. He didn’t77Please respect copyright.PENANA2keohQdXor
have to hide his fear as he walked through the guards towards the southern77Please respect copyright.PENANAeK2ru0O8pY
district. The guards eyed him warily, not quite convinced of Alex’s claim, but77Please respect copyright.PENANAOkRyabNmD6
they wouldn’t do anything about it with all these witnesses around. They would77Please respect copyright.PENANABe9jfe3kHe
bide their time before coming back around. Though, he did notice one of the77Please respect copyright.PENANAUiRegA2KHy
guards slipping away from the group. If he hadn’t been Vander, he never would77Please respect copyright.PENANAcLFbvcW12Q
have noticed, but people weren’t as sneaky as they thought.
He quickly slipped down a corner77Please respect copyright.PENANAQGx1f9txhQ
once they were out of sight of the guard post. The one following him followed77Please respect copyright.PENANAMtbeERroYR
him a couple of minutes later, but Vander was waiting for him. He grabbed the77Please respect copyright.PENANAL8ijKX28Ub
man around his neck then dragged him kicking and screaming deeper into the dark77Please respect copyright.PENANApbYdzxQDdq
alley. Luckily for him, unluckily for the guard, people screaming was77Please respect copyright.PENANAgSLt540sxe
commonplace around here and others knew better than to interfere which made77Please respect copyright.PENANADVwDZG7j3e
things a lot easier.
“You’ll never get away with this.”77Please respect copyright.PENANAZP8YfBgxd6
That guard grunted. Vander threw him into the wall. When the man bounced off,77Please respect copyright.PENANAyUKb3p2LGu
he was met with a left hook sending him spinning onto the ground. He walked77Please respect copyright.PENANAUt4GtaDN7O
around, taunting the guard to stand up. He could hear the demon whispering in77Please respect copyright.PENANA34YOtJLD3E
his ear to make this as painful as possible, something Vander himself wanted.77Please respect copyright.PENANA6M6tosaDUE
This man tried to kill him, no questions asked, and he would be damned if he77Please respect copyright.PENANAQYSWh7iW6l
would play nice with someone like this.
The guard stood up, drawing his77Please respect copyright.PENANAeYaJnkSGTP
sword as he did so. With a cry he slashed at Vander who neatly side stepped77Please respect copyright.PENANAPx9mKry9Ai
away. While the guard was regaining his footing he was hit several times in the77Please respect copyright.PENANAhJTa4usUQQ
face. A wad of blood hit the ground as the guard tried again, but this time he77Please respect copyright.PENANAycZH0vmqm5
lunged at Vander knocking him over then straddled him. Vander grabbed the man’s77Please respect copyright.PENANAbTvTP6V2wc
elbow which made it difficult for him to use the sword. With his other hand,77Please respect copyright.PENANAWqXgNucs6O
Vander grabbed the man’s shirt under the armor then drove both their heads77Please respect copyright.PENANAkiwwuhZMMM
together with a crack. The guard fell from Vander unconscious.
His head was splitting, but he was77Please respect copyright.PENANA1wzlqOO0F1
alive. He shoved the guard off him before shakily getting to his feet. Perhaps77Please respect copyright.PENANA6l5Gy8rFWP
it was a bad idea to leave the comforts of the Orange Fox to investigate since77Please respect copyright.PENANAzZLuYdG5Ny
now he may have been compromised. He would be worse off if he allowed this man77Please respect copyright.PENANAoraIkMxj3x
to live. If he did there was no way that he would be left alone. Once Cuvera or77Please respect copyright.PENANAH2GrxAxAtC
the Jilena’s knew he was in the slums they would waste no time in trying to77Please respect copyright.PENANABxntWsLbm6
pull him out. But could he go through with killing a guard who was just doing77Please respect copyright.PENANAXiOUHDcT0G
his job?
The demon inside certainly thought77Please respect copyright.PENANAz565kBfMPu
so. He taunted Vander saying everything he had worked to accomplish would come77Please respect copyright.PENANAaEewHPeUz8
crumbling down if the man lived. The slums were a perfect place to hide a body,77Please respect copyright.PENANAsXJNXndlEw
no one would ever notice him. Soon enough he would be stripped of his armor,77Please respect copyright.PENANAsIjGyXJAvs
weapon and money than likely torn apart by those hungry enough to eat human77Please respect copyright.PENANAupZ8NPKObM
meat. The cleanup would take care of itself, there was nothing more that could77Please respect copyright.PENANAW5TwVG44vL
be done. It would be a mercy killing for this man, a safety killing for Vander.77Please respect copyright.PENANATJyQrHU5RP
A win-win.
The demon’s reasoning was solid.77Please respect copyright.PENANAXZFamUHbO3
For a few moments Vander was really tempted to do as his inner self had said,77Please respect copyright.PENANAc5MVrRpenk
but that would only validate everything everyone thought about him. Then he77Please respect copyright.PENANAbiIiVv2Tgv
truly would be a murderer, which was something he hadn’t wanted. So, he did the77Please respect copyright.PENANAyvZaLyaFbW
only thing he could. He dragged the unconscious man to a corner where he would77Please respect copyright.PENANAxbsSqHPdGA
be invisible from the street. Then he placed some trash over him in case anyone77Please respect copyright.PENANAidOvEI90qK
looked down here they would just see a pile of garbage. However, he did take77Please respect copyright.PENANA38CtLtHesl
the sword so the guard wouldn’t feel tempted to kill someone once he woke up77Please respect copyright.PENANA1bTtd5gpqg
and realized Vander was gone.
With that done, he wasted no time77Please respect copyright.PENANAq5SL4mVsqB
heading back towards the Fox. Right and Left gave him an odd glance, but a77Please respect copyright.PENANAoja481r8KM
quick glare made them keep their mouths shut. He slipped inside his room where77Please respect copyright.PENANAsyyPeybmZJ
Shea was sleeping comfortably on the bed. She didn’t even awaken when he came77Please respect copyright.PENANATqxbtzmwJW
inside so he decided to clean himself up so she wouldn’t get worried upon77Please respect copyright.PENANAMK7hwgjvet
seeing his face. He placed the sword inside of the closet before stepping into77Please respect copyright.PENANAH1nIsFsBuX
the bathroom.
The damage he took from hitting77Please respect copyright.PENANACNiHNU17IX
the guard wasn’t much, but he was getting quite a large headache. He grabbed a77Please respect copyright.PENANAhhy02FVBh4
glass of water, placing it on his head to cool down the swelling. With his77Please respect copyright.PENANA7u8A2NRMTG
quicker healing it should go away after about an hour, so he quickly washed his77Please respect copyright.PENANACMxjj2IrtP
face and changed his clothes before taking his spot next to Shea. Moments his77Please respect copyright.PENANARaIfmnCpTs
eyes were closed, and he was gently snoring away.
…
A cold breeze tickled his nose77Please respect copyright.PENANABQjFXyoHR2
causing him to sneeze himself awake. As his eyes focused, he soon realized that77Please respect copyright.PENANAn4vA08xgjj
he wasn’t in his room. He was lying on the grass which surrounded a large lake.77Please respect copyright.PENANAA1DNWocrmG
There were trees all over the place along with a random wooden table in the77Please respect copyright.PENANA5lZ9IqpKPG
middle of the clearing. Within the lake was a large wooden dock, but the water77Please respect copyright.PENANA44JguUy0Ar
was what intrigued him the most. It was crystal blue, but he couldn’t see more77Please respect copyright.PENANAJ7GPfHlDN8
than a few inches down before it was swallowed by black. He could feel77Please respect copyright.PENANAEt3ephOf90
something swimming below the surface, but he couldn’t tell what it was.77Please respect copyright.PENANAL6JTWOaHln
However, it was very large and hungry. The question was though, how did he get77Please respect copyright.PENANAW4XWjLfZvn
here and how did he know?
He got up from the ground feeling77Please respect copyright.PENANAMBiPw9VGd8
some sort of compulsion to head towards the table. As he grew closer, he saw77Please respect copyright.PENANA7I7VoMYzlZ
someone sitting there as if she has appeared from thin air. She had tanned77Please respect copyright.PENANANP6RoiUmo5
skin, long brown hair, and was wearing clothing that didn’t quite fit being77Please respect copyright.PENANA8HDQJIcKuf
inside of a forest. She wore a sun dress without shoes or sleeves. As he walked77Please respect copyright.PENANAlFNVgT7bmu
closer, he could feel the heat emanating from her body.
“Vander.” Her voice was soft, much77Please respect copyright.PENANAQWy4Ki72RY
like a whisper. Recognition flooded his body, but why would she be here? He77Please respect copyright.PENANAkxKkAe4q12
didn’t have any sort of connection with her.
“Why are you here?” he asked. He77Please respect copyright.PENANAChx3kIHAcu
looked around before he said something else. “Wherever here is.”
“You don’t recognize it?” Atza77Please respect copyright.PENANA3toJWfkXCV
smiled. “Though I guess not everyone can enter their hidden world, so I’m not77Please respect copyright.PENANAJGdyQDs6iA
sure why I’m surprised.” This wasn’t like the Atza he had grown up hearing77Please respect copyright.PENANA6LtNL2uvcz
about. She was kind and gentle, not the hot-headed firebird from the myths and77Please respect copyright.PENANA2UgfEMHQXq
stories.
“Hidden world?” She motioned for77Please respect copyright.PENANARmJFufX2Ro
him to sit at the table, so he did. “I guess this feels a little familiar to77Please respect copyright.PENANArCQ5MUPVVS
me, but I’ve never seen it.”
“Hidden worlds tend to reflect how77Please respect copyright.PENANAhwG6uKeNpO
people are as well as the things that matter to them.” She explained.77Please respect copyright.PENANA8JP61JXLR1
“According to this you prefer tranquility and relaxation, being surrounded by77Please respect copyright.PENANAjdTihfG7lS
the woods as well as the gentle lapping of water against the shore. It’s all77Please respect copyright.PENANATH5Hxi28i4
very soothing.”
“It’s been a long time since I’ve77Please respect copyright.PENANAzCG1JHnUHX
felt calm enough to relax.” He explained.
“And that’s why you and I are77Please respect copyright.PENANAfIavfx0GjB
here.” She beamed. “I wanted to talk to you when you are at your calmest, not77Please respect copyright.PENANA5l6AQ88B9f
when the demon my niece gave you is constantly whispering in your ear.”
“You know about that?” she nodded77Please respect copyright.PENANA7kB0muncX0
her head. She went on to explain that every single one of Unna’s chosen had a77Please respect copyright.PENANAPJEBGcNzDD
demon they had to fight against almost all the time. It was a special little77Please respect copyright.PENANAbY9ryGlS7i
gift she gave them to try to get them to use her powers all the time, to give77Please respect copyright.PENANAj2mWixuR2u
in to their inner thoughts and desires. It made it easier for her to control77Please respect copyright.PENANA7iRhxUtgXD
them that way. “Charming.” He muttered, but he already knew all that. She must77Please respect copyright.PENANA4wH573rCSq
have sensed his thoughts because she smiled, then said:
“Did you know your demon is inside77Please respect copyright.PENANAWZqI3lxeSP
that lake and that’s why you can’t see more than a few feet in?” Vander looked77Please respect copyright.PENANAmkZGoOGeQQ
at her then shook his head. Grinning, she snapped her fingers. Suddenly he was77Please respect copyright.PENANAl00Ze9KTSw
in the middle of the very cold water at the center of the lake. She waved at77Please respect copyright.PENANAb46Xkxb2dg
him from the shore. “You better start swimming before he gets you.”
As soon as the words touched his77Please respect copyright.PENANA8OmhoEPjwv
ears, he could feel a very strong presence coming towards him from under the77Please respect copyright.PENANAwjaOz8Wgn7
water. Fear filled his body as he started to swim as fast as he could. A wave77Please respect copyright.PENANANciV36HReE
of energy slammed into him propelling him forward but knocking him away from77Please respect copyright.PENANADJZgmNZz1L
the docks. The water ripped as large ridges appeared on the back of something77Please respect copyright.PENANAxYaGtFDMx0
truly monstrous. It was coming towards him, hunting him as if he were prey.77Please respect copyright.PENANAGGEeMsq5OB
Vander started swimming away from the fish, but the creature was quick. It77Please respect copyright.PENANAlZKNFOSCBz
quickly got ahead of Vander then turned around to collide head on. The head77Please respect copyright.PENANAs8lLdsQWVw
broke the water, revealing small eyes and a large mouth filled with rows upon77Please respect copyright.PENANA7iNSQwTanh
rows of teeth.
He did the only thing he could at77Please respect copyright.PENANAKCQAP5RVQA
that moment. He slapped a bunch of water into the demon’s eyes causing it to77Please respect copyright.PENANAoxLO6Jm3Tz
veer off course because it could no longer see. The large tail slammed into77Please respect copyright.PENANAtEQVVltOkZ
Vander’s stomach knocking him out of the water back onto the ground where Atza77Please respect copyright.PENANAN0jh1yYDJr
stood smiling down at him.
“That was close.” She grinned.
“You almost got me killed.” He77Please respect copyright.PENANAfHUziCUIzT
snapped. He got to his feet, but paused as he realized he wasn’t hurt. He77Please respect copyright.PENANA81ckCSxr6z
looked back at the lake to see that it was perfect still once again.
“As long as you fear the demon it77Please respect copyright.PENANAi3KhTYgXwW
will keep coming for you.” She explained. “You need to learn to control your77Please respect copyright.PENANAfTfxF2Rvvn
emotions and put aside your pride to learn to ask for help.” She cupped his77Please respect copyright.PENANAvVnbeFiK4V
head in her hands. “This world is relying on you Vander. We need you.” He77Please respect copyright.PENANAqmzzoT9RHn
carefully removed his head from her hands.
“The deities have told me that for77Please respect copyright.PENANAgKDmh4QtVX
several months now.” He snorted. “But now when I need them, they are nowhere to77Please respect copyright.PENANAu3N4sSRFCl
be seen.”
“My family is embroiled in a77Please respect copyright.PENANATrLexin9p6
struggle amongst themselves.” She explained. “I’m not part of this land so I77Please respect copyright.PENANAQHMYKVEYuS
don’t have the same restrictions, but I also cannot interfere with what they77Please respect copyright.PENANAqN8y2nP8Xy
do. I’m only here to help guide you.”
“Guide me how?”
“I can’t explain more than that at77Please respect copyright.PENANAIzmt9HcpV5
this time.” She smiled sadly. “But you will need the help of the demon before77Please respect copyright.PENANAxjtdh2kNTv
all this is over and if you can’t, we will all die.” He opened his mouth to ask77Please respect copyright.PENANAbfz0yKhjOo
more, but she placed her hand on his chest. Once again, he felt himself flying77Please respect copyright.PENANAFGGn144tfh
away, but this time it was up towards the sky.
He bolted away as he heard a knock77Please respect copyright.PENANAMF1veNsbmH
at the door.
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