Chapter 12: Witness

“GLANCE IN THE FUTURE.”

The words echo in his brain, looking around panicking.

Where…. Where the hell are you going to attack? I need to find it soon before someone kills me.

“Kael, what happened…!” Cassadra raised her voice.

“Someone…. will kill me, before that I can at least search whatever you find suspicious,” he replied as Cassadra looks confused.

“What the hell are you talking about, who will…” She presses.

Stab!

Cassadra hears a stabbing noise from behind her, as in front of her Kael's eyes widen in horror as words slip from Kael's mouth in a shaken voice, “Mi…lian?”

Cassadra slowly turns as she sees a black shadow blade pierce through Rudoff's chest while his heart is outside his body. As the blade pulls back, Rudoff's body falls to the ground, Milian behind him as the blade vanishes, leaving her hands dripping blood.

She licks her lips, “That was tasty… So now…. Haha.” Her eyes focus now on Kael as she dashes.

“Not on my watch!” Cassadra takes a flash step but fails; the handcuffs break her momentum as she looks at the handcuffs, “Damn it!” She grinds her teeth.

“Here comes another meal!” She jumps as her hands become shadow blades again, about to slash Cassadra in half.

Cassandra's eyes widen as Kael pushes her aside and saves her, but the blade deeply slashes Kael's chest. As Milian was about to end his life, Cassadra spun and kicked her, sending Milian into the wall.

Kael dropped to his knees covering his wounded chest as blood leaks heavily. Cassadra cuts the handcuffs using her ice magic.

Cough!

He coughed blood as his vision starts darkening. Cassadra supported his body and tried to calm him down, but his hearing stops. He can only see Cassadra panic and her lips moving. Soon she turned to where she kicked Milian, where she appears as dust flies off her body due to the wall impact. Full of blood, yet she still walks at us.

Cassadra dashes to Milian as ice swords appear around her to attack Milian.

This is the last thing that Kael sees as he falls on his face, his voice starting to slow down and soon losing too much blood becomes the reason for his death.

Everything plays back as someone rewinds the video, and with a hard throbbing in Kael's mind, he comes back to reality, his hands on his knees panting heavily as sweat falls to the ground.

“Hey, are you alright...?” Cassadra asked.

Without wasting a moment he pulls out the knife from his waist and slashes it at the handcuffs, cutting them down, and he dashes to Milian.

“Stop!” Cassadra tried to stop him as Rudoff, who was guarding Milian, stomps the ground, making the ground nearby shake, which makes Kael lose balance. He slams onto his right hand as the knife releases from his grip and slides towards Milian's foot.

Before he can stand back up, Cassadra uses her magic and his feet freeze to the ground.

“Let me go! If not, she will kill all of us!” he screamed, trying to free himself as Cassadra and Rudoff walk to him.

Cassadra bows to Rudoff, “Sorry, Rudoff, for his behavior. I will make sure to punish him better this time.”

“Don’t worry, but what happens now? I think we should call off the expedition for now. Things are already dangerous and if we take him further inside, it will become more dangerous.” He looks down on Kael.

“You!!! Why are you all not trusting me, she is going to change then…” As he was about to say it, Cassadra hits Kael's nerves, making him fall unconscious.

“Let's go. Sir Rudoff, if you may?” She looks at him as he nods and lifts Kael up on his shoulder and turns to Milian. “Let's go, Milian. We need to make another plan…. Huh?”

He looks at her as Milian is on her knees, her head lifted up, mouth open, and eyes rolled over, her one hand holding the very knife.

“Millian! Hey, Milian, are you….” They rush as Cassadra shakes her, and soon she comes back to consciousness.

“Huh…. Where…” Confused, Milian looks around.

“You were behaving weird lately. I think I did not give you enough rest, sorry Milian,” Rudoff says, bowing.

“No… You already gave me enough rest, Sir Rudoff. It was just…” She glances at Kael on his shoulder.

Rudoff says, “Don’t worry, he is unconscious, and I have decided that whether Cassadra works with us after this decision or not, I will not use help from this boy.”

“No… It's not because of…” She was saying as Cassadra interrupts.

“Sorry, Milian. I will make sure nothing like this happens again. If I can do anything to help you, please let me know.” She bows to her.

“No!! Please, Lady Cassadra, this is my mistake as Brother Kael is not so fond of me… but I have a request. Can I talk to him alone after we reach our camp?”

“Sure? But why? Do you personally want to punish him?” Cassadra asked, tilting her head.

Being against it, Rudoff raised his voice, “Milian, I respect your decision, but being with this guy may be dangerous for you.”

“Don’t worry, you can tie him to a chair or something,” she replied.

“Okay then, for now let's leave,” Cassadra says as they leave the cave.

Later that day, after everyone had dinner, Kael was in a small wooden room where he struggles to free himself as he is tied to a chair with his eyes blindfolded.

“Hey! What the hell are you doing! Why do you all tie me like this! I was just trying to save you! Open these ropes, hey!” As he shook the chair harder, the chair falls.

“Ow… That hurts.”

Soon he feels someone's footsteps as the blindfold is removed. His eyes squeeze at first, but after that, it creates an image—it is Milian.

She stood back, averting her eyes, her lips shaking.

“You! Why do you bind me like this! I swear! I was….”

As he was saying this, she finally broke the silence as her voices breaks hesitated, she asked averting her eyes.

“Brother Kael, sorry, but how many times did you see your death?”