Chapter 12 – Eyes in the Dark
I – The Spectator with the Bone Staff
Name: Koro the Grin
Level: 17
Camp: Ashen Vale
Power: Necromancer – Bone & Plague Magic
Koro sat cross-legged in a nest of bones, eyes glowing faintly green.
He licked his fingers clean of blood and chuckled to himself. "So that's the shadow boy. The little reaper."
The spirits around him whispered, tormented voices clawing for release. He grinned wider.
"I like the way he kills."
---
II – The Bloodstained Commander
Name: Bex "Red Widow" Malorne
Level: 15
Camp: Crimson Coil
Power: Blood Infusion – Melee Berserker
She leaned back in her high-backed chair made from monster chitin, watching the flame-devoured settlement through binoculars.
"Controlled fury," she murmured, tongue tracing her lips. "That girl's got raw magic, but him? He's a storm without a leash."
She cracked her knuckles. "I want to fight him."
---
III – The Boy Prophet
Name: Elias
Level: 14
Camp: Children of Radiance
Power: Light & Holy Constructs
His fists trembled, eyes wet with fury.
"They burned a place of order," he whispered. "A sanctuary. Monsters like them… shouldn't be allowed to walk free."
Around him, his followers bowed in silence, cloaks of gold draped over malnourished shoulders.
"They will be judged by light."
---
IV – The Silent Watcher
Name: Mira
Level: 16
Camp: Sable Whispers
Power: Invisibility, Sensory Disruption, Assassination
She said nothing.
Just stood atop a broken spire, observing.
Her mouth curled upward slightly—not in anger. Not in lust.
Curiosity.
"I wonder… what broke him," she whispered.
Then vanished.
---
V – The Observer with the Old Scars
Name: Felix Hound
Level: 17
Camp: Iron Hands
Power: Weapon Mastery, Earth Fortification
Felix stood leaning on his axe, staring at the crater Andrew left behind.
"…He's not just a killer," he muttered. "He's someone who lost everything. That kind of rage—dangerous. But maybe…"
He looked west.
"…Maybe useful."
---
Scene Shift – A Fragile Moment
A small, crumbling house just outside the city limits. Half-roofed. Walls cracked. A lonely survivor of too many storms.
Inside, Clara stirred a pot of stew over a low fire. The scent of rabbit meat and dried herbs filled the space.
Andrew sat by the wall, arms resting on his knees, shadows quietly dancing around his legs.
The silence between them… was different now.
Not cold.
Not awkward.
Just real.
He broke it first.
"…I didn't cry even when my parents left," he said quietly.
Clara blinked, slowly turning.
"Not even when my brother was taken," he added. "I just… stopped talking. Everyone said I was weird. Quiet. A freak."
She didn't interrupt.
"They kept calling me a ghost. I guess… I just got used to being alone."
He looked at her then—really looked.
"But now… I don't feel alone."
Clara's heart tensed. He wasn't smiling. But his eyes had changed.
He added, voice steady, "You're the closest thing I have to a friend."
She blinked rapidly. "Andrew…"
Before she could say anything more—a knock.
No—a crash.
The door, half-hanging from its hinges, was kicked open.
Figures entered. Five of them. Players. All armed. All grinning.
"Yo," the one in front said, dragging a massive cleaver. "Hope we're not interrupting something romantic."
Andrew stood slowly.
His sword materialized.
And for the first time in a long while… he smiled.
But there was no warmth in it.
Chapter 12 – Eyes in the Dark
I – The Spectator with the Bone Staff
Name: Koro the Grin
Level: 17
Camp: Ashen Vale
Power: Necromancer – Bone & Plague Magic
Koro sat cross-legged in a nest of bones, eyes glowing faintly green.
He licked his fingers clean of blood and chuckled to himself. "So that's the shadow boy. The little reaper."
The spirits around him whispered, tormented voices clawing for release. He grinned wider.
"I like the way he kills."
---
II – The Bloodstained Commander
Name: Bex "Red Widow" Malorne
Level: 15
Camp: Crimson Coil
Power: Blood Infusion – Melee Berserker
She leaned back in her high-backed chair made from monster chitin, watching the flame-devoured settlement through binoculars.
"Controlled fury," she murmured, tongue tracing her lips. "That girl's got raw magic, but him? He's a storm without a leash."
She cracked her knuckles. "I want to fight him."
---
III – The Boy Prophet
Name: Elias
Level: 14
Camp: Children of Radiance
Power: Light & Holy Constructs
His fists trembled, eyes wet with fury.
"They burned a place of order," he whispered. "A sanctuary. Monsters like them… shouldn't be allowed to walk free."
Around him, his followers bowed in silence, cloaks of gold draped over malnourished shoulders.
"They will be judged by light."
---
IV – The Silent Watcher
Name: Mira
Level: 16
Camp: Sable Whispers
Power: Invisibility, Sensory Disruption, Assassination
She said nothing.
Just stood atop a broken spire, observing.
Her mouth curled upward slightly—not in anger. Not in lust.
Curiosity.
"I wonder… what broke him," she whispered.
Then vanished.
---
V – The Observer with the Old Scars
Name: Felix Hound
Level: 17
Camp: Iron Hands
Power: Weapon Mastery, Earth Fortification
Felix stood leaning on his axe, staring at the crater Andrew left behind.
"…He's not just a killer," he muttered. "He's someone who lost everything. That kind of rage—dangerous. But maybe…"
He looked west.
"…Maybe useful."
---
Scene Shift – A Fragile Moment
A small, crumbling house just outside the city limits. Half-roofed. Walls cracked. A lonely survivor of too many storms.
Inside, Clara stirred a pot of stew over a low fire. The scent of rabbit meat and dried herbs filled the space.
Andrew sat by the wall, arms resting on his knees, shadows quietly dancing around his legs.
The silence between them… was different now.
Not cold.
Not awkward.
Just real.
He broke it first.
"…I didn't cry even when my parents left," he said quietly.
Clara blinked, slowly turning.
"Not even when my brother was taken," he added. "I just… stopped talking. Everyone said I was weird. Quiet. A freak."
She didn't interrupt.
"They kept calling me a ghost. I guess… I just got used to being alone."
He looked at her then—really looked.
"But now… I don't feel alone."
Clara's heart tensed. He wasn't smiling. But his eyes had changed.
He added, voice steady, "You're the closest thing I have to a friend."
She blinked rapidly. "Andrew…"
Before she could say anything more—a knock.
No—a crash.
The door, half-hanging from its hinges, was kicked open.
Figures entered. Five of them. Players. All armed. All grinning.
"Yo," the one in front said, dragging a massive cleaver. "Hope we're not interrupting something romantic."
Andrew stood slowly.
His sword materialized.
And for the first time in a long while… he smiled.
But there was no warmth in it.
...
The cleaver-wielding man stepped forward, armor gleaming faintly with holy runes. Behind him, four more Players—each radiating that same unnatural "purity." Gold embroidery. White coats. Eyes like knives.
Crusaders of the Children of Radiance.
"By order of the Prophet Elias," the leader said, voice loud and theatrical, "you, Shadow-Walker, are hereby judged to be tainted."
He raised his cleaver toward Clara.
"And your witch."
Clara's eyes narrowed, flames dancing behind them.
Andrew tilted his head slightly. Calm. Still.
But inside—
He was already watching everything.
From above, through the eyes of a minion perched in a crow's nest nearby.
From below, where shadows slid across cobblestone and under boots.
From trees, windows, cracks in the brick.
Each of the five camp leaders, including Elias, had been tracked since the first moment they noticed him.
> [Seeker – LV 2]
Dark Minions synced – 5 active
Targets: Koro, Bex, Elias, Mira, Felix – all marked
Andrew knew where they stood.
Knew how many guards each camp had.
Knew what they feared.
And now, Elias's holy fools had stepped right into his home.
He met the cleaver man's gaze. "You're here to kill me?"
"Purge you," the man corrected. "For your sins. For what you did back there."
Andrew stepped forward slowly, drawing his blade—shadow-wreathed, fire smoldering at its edge.
"You think righteousness justifies torture?" he asked, voice low.
The man scoffed. "They were sinners."
"They were survivors," Andrew said flatly. "And you? You're just another monster in pretty armor."
He stopped a breath away from the leader.
"No different from the ones I burned."
A moment of silence.
Then Andrew's eyes flickered—his command rippled through the shadows—
And Seeker whispered:
> Target "Elias" – still outside
Currently observing. Unaware he is also being watched.
Andrew's sword rose.
And so did Clara's flame.
The leader sneered. "You dare—!"
He didn't finish the sentence.
Because the shadows exploded.