Chapter 28: The Breakout

Adrian, Dan, and the old man hurried through the stone corridor, leaving the battlefield behind them. Blood still covered the floor, and the bodies of Nerathion soldiers lay scattered along the walls. Adrian didn't slow down. Whenever another soldier appeared in their path, he stepped forward and took him down with a single strike before moving on.

The old man looked around warily. "We need to get out of this mountain before more soldiers arrive."

Adrian didn't answer. He kept walking.

A few minutes later, a soldier suddenly stepped out from behind a pillar and raised his sword. Adrian reacted immediately. One of the Flagerum's seven whips shot forward, wrapped around the soldier, and slammed him into the ground before snapping back to Adrian's arm.

They kept moving.

Two more soldiers appeared ahead. Both were dressed in heavy black armor and carried long swords. One charged straight at Adrian while the other moved around him, trying to attack from behind.

Adrian turned.

All seven whips of the Flagerum moved at once. One knocked the first soldier's sword aside, another wrapped around his arm, and a third struck him hard in the chest. As he fell, Adrian rushed toward the second soldier and took him down before he could attack.

Dan glanced behind them, his face tense.

"How many soldiers are there in this place?"

"I don't know," the old man replied. "But they must have already sent word outside."

A few moments later, daylight appeared at the end of the corridor. The three of them hurried toward the exit, but the moment they stepped outside, they stopped.

An entire army was waiting for them.

Hundreds of Nerathion soldiers stood in tight formations across the area. They wore heavy black armor and carried swords, spears, and shields. Several commanders stood at the front, each armed with a much larger weapon.

Dan swallowed hard.

"...Oh my God."

The old man stared at the army.

"They're already here."

Adrian remained silent for a moment. Then he spoke without looking back.

"Stay back."

Dan looked at him. "What?"

"Move away. And don't come any closer, no matter what happens."

Dan and the old man stepped back several meters.

Adrian walked forward alone.

Across the battlefield, one of the commanders stepped forward and raised his sword.

"Capture him!"

The soldiers charged.

Hundreds of footsteps thundered across the ground as swords and spears rose toward Adrian.

At the same moment, the Flagerum burst from his arm. Its seven whips lashed through the air, striking the soldiers at the front of the formation.

Several soldiers were thrown to the ground, but those behind them immediately raised their shields and pushed forward without hesitation.

A Nerathion soldier charged straight at Adrian, swinging his sword with all his strength. Adrian blocked the blade with one of the Flagerum's whips, then sent two more forward. One struck the soldier in the chest while the other caught his arm and forced him back several steps. He barely kept his balance, but before he could raise his sword again, Adrian closed in and knocked him down.

Three more soldiers rushed at him from both sides. One tried to strike from behind, but Adrian spun around and thrust out his hand. A wave of black energy exploded forward, sending the soldiers crashing into the rocks. They hit the stone hard, yet moments later, some of them began dragging themselves back to their feet.

Another group charged in, surrounding Adrian from every direction. He moved through them at incredible speed as the seven whips of the Flagerum lashed out around him. One knocked a sword away, another struck a soldier to the ground, while a third wrapped around a soldier's leg and pulled him down. Another soldier saw an opening and rushed toward Adrian from behind, but Adrian turned just in time and released another blast of black energy, sending him flying.

The soldiers backed away for only a moment before another line rushed forward to take their place.

Adrian tore through them without slowing down. Every soldier who came within his reach was knocked down, while black energy swirled around him and the Flagerum struck from every direction. One soldier fell. Then another. Then another. But for every soldier that went down, more immediately rushed forward.

Dan stared at Adrian from a distance.

"He... doesn't stop."

At the front of the army, a commander raised his sword.

"Surround him!"

The soldiers spread out and closed in from all sides, cutting off every possible escape. Adrian stopped and slowly raised his arm. The seven whips of the Flagerum curled around him as black energy gathered in his hand.

The soldiers charged again.

Then the battlefield erupted.

A dark aura burst from Adrian's body. It rose behind him, twisting and growing until it formed the shape of a gigantic beast made entirely of black smoke.

The soldiers instinctively stepped back.

Adrian didn't.

His attacks became more brutal with every strike. Every soldier that fell seemed to feed the darkness around him, making the black aura grow thicker until it covered half of his body.

Dan and the old man could only stand behind him and watch.

The battlefield was now covered in blood and bodies.

The old man lowered his head and whispered,

"...What happened to you, my boy?"

Dan wasn't looking at the bodies. His eyes stayed on Adrian.

Something was wrong.

With every soldier that fell, Adrian's expression became colder. The black glow in his eyes grew stronger, and the rage inside him showed no sign of fading. It was only getting worse, as if the blood covering the battlefield was feeding it.

A chill ran down Dan's spine.

He swallowed hard and whispered,

"...He's losing control."

Then the battlefield fell silent.

Not a single soldier remained standing. Bodies covered the ground in every direction, while Adrian stood alone in the middle of it. Blood dripped from the Flagerum's tips as his chest rose and fell with heavy breaths.

Adrian suddenly turned.

His eyes met Dan's.

Dan froze.

That wasn't the Adrian he knew.

There was nothing familiar in his eyes. No trace of the friend he had known for years. Only a cold, empty stare remained, as if Adrian couldn't even recognize him.

Dan felt his chest tighten, but he still forced himself to take a careful step forward.

"Adrian..."

The Flagerum moved.

One of its whips shot toward Dan, wrapped around his body, and pulled him off the ground.

"Ahhh!"

Dan cried out as the whip tightened around his chest and arms. A moment later, he was hanging directly in front of Adrian, trapped by the leather coils. Every time he tried to move, the pressure around him increased.

Adrian slowly raised his head.

His eyes locked onto Dan.

He said nothing.

His eyes were completely black as he stared at him without any reaction.

Dan's lips trembled, but he didn't fight back.

"A... Adrian..."

Nothing.

Adrian kept staring at him, as if his mind was searching through something he could no longer remember.

Several seconds passed.

Dan took a shaky breath.

"It's me..."

His voice was barely audible.

"...Dan."

Adrian's fingers tightened around the Flagerum.

For the first time, the cold expression on his face changed.

The name echoed through his mind.

Dan...

A memory appeared.

Then another.

Memories came rushing back.

Adrian saw himself and Dan as children, running through the palace, laughing together, arguing over stupid things, then forgetting about the fight a few minutes later. One memory after another flashed through his mind until Dan's face appeared clearly—the friend who had risked his life countless times to protect him.

Adrian's eyes widened as the darkness clouding his mind began to fade.

"...Dan?"

His voice was barely audible.

Hope appeared in Dan's eyes.

"Yeah... I'm here. Calm down. It's over."

Adrian stared at him for a few seconds before slowly looking down at the Flagerum. His trembling fingers finally seemed to realize what they were holding.

The whips loosened.

Dan dropped to the ground and caught himself with both hands, gasping for breath.

Adrian stumbled back and grabbed his head with both hands. His breathing became heavier as voices filled his mind—the screams of his mother, the soldiers' laughter, and Valdrin's words. The voices mixed together and grew louder, pounding inside his head until he could barely think.

Then Adrian screamed.

His voice shook the entire battlefield.

At the same moment, the dark aura surrounding the Flagerum began to fade. The seven whips slowly shrank until only three remained, returning to their normal length. The sharp bones at their tips became smaller, while the heavy black spheres shrank and returned to their original color.

Within seconds, the monstrous weapon that had torn through dozens of soldiers was gone.

The Flagerum had returned to normal.

The dark aura around Adrian suddenly surged. It twisted violently around his body before slowly pulling back into him.

Dan forced himself to stand. His body was still aching, but he carefully moved toward Adrian.

"Adrian..."

Adrian didn't look up.

He remained where he was, both hands pressed against his head. His fingers trembled as he fought against the rage still trying to take control of him.

Slowly, his grip weakened.

The Flagerum slipped from his hand.

It hit the ground with a heavy thud.

Dan looked up at him.

"Adrian..."

There was no response.

Suddenly, Adrian dropped to one knee and let out a muffled scream. His entire body shook as black smoke poured from him, then slowly faded away.

The darkness in his eyes disappeared little by little.

After several silent moments, Adrian finally raised his head.

His eyes had returned to normal.

He looked around the battlefield.

Bodies covered the ground. Blood stained the earth, and not a single Nerathion soldier remained alive.

Then his eyes fell on the Flagerum.

Adrian slowly walked toward it, bent down, and picked it up.

He stared at the weapon in his hands for a long moment as blood continued dripping from its tips.

"I..." Adrian's voice was weak. He looked down at the Flagerum in his hands, then at the blood dripping from its tips.

"Who did this?"

Dan slowly walked over and placed a hand on his shoulder.

Adrian turned toward him. His face was pale, and the rage that had consumed him moments ago had completely disappeared, leaving only exhaustion behind.

He looked at Dan for a moment before asking in a hoarse voice,

"Did I... hurt you?"

Dan gave him a faint smile. The marks from the Flagerum were still visible across his body.

"But..."

He took a slow breath.

"...you came back."

Adrian lowered his gaze.

His eyes fell on the marks covering Dan's body. He stared at them silently for several seconds before closing his eyes tightly.

His hand slowly curled into a fist until blood began to run between his fingers.

His voice was filled with regret.

"...I'm sorry."

Silence fell over the battlefield.

Only the wind passed through the blood-stained ground.