The Assassin's Enemy Lover

“Don’t make trouble. I am exhausted and I need to catch up with my sleep,” said Zi Han. He was indeed exhausted. After not sleeping well for so long because he was worried about this man, he could finally rest.

He pulled the quilt and closed his eyes only for Yi Chen to embrace him tightly and ask in a low whisper, “Are you mad at me?” Zi Han didn’t respond. He simply drifted off to sleep while internally cussing Yi Chen.

Yi Chen could sense his exhaustion thus he didn’t bother him but he still cuddled him tightly like the handcuffs weren’t enough to reassure him. He was extremely afraid that this person would leave him.

The feeling was extremely intense that he couldn’t think straight. He just wanted to glue himself to the person so they wouldn’t be separated from each other for the rest of their lives. For more than half the night Yi Chen’s eyes remained open as he stroked Zi Han’s hair lovingly.

While the pair of lovers had reunited, a small village was burnt to the ground and all its occupants were dragged to the center of the village. They were all kneeling in a line on the dusty ground as armed men paced slowly guarding them.

A woman clad in a maroon priestess attire stood in front of them in an intimidating stance with a look of disdain in her eyes. With her hands crossed behind her back, she asked, “So you aren’t going to answer?... Your pathetic village got raided a few weeks ago and they robbed you of everything you had. A couple of weeks later and the ravagers suddenly turned up dead or missing. Is it a coincidence... I don’t think so.”

After saying this everyone remained silent like they really didn’t know anything but she wasn’t discouraged at all. Her fiery gaze schemed through the crowd before stopping on a kneeling man who was shivering like he had been dunked in a tank of icy cold water.

She smiled slyly and picked the nearest woman as claws emerged from the knuckles of the golden glove she was wearing.

.....

With a sqwelp, she stabbed the claws through her chest making everyone cower in fear.

The sharp claws protruded through her back before slowly retracting. She placed her hand on the woman’s neck keeping her from falling forward as blood splattered everywhere. She wiped the claws on the dying woman’s clothes before pushing her back.

The entire time she maintained eye contact with the man who was shivering the most. She had found the weakest link. She took a step back and a young man rushed over and wiped the tip of her boot that had been stained with a drop of blood.

She then walked over to the shivering man and crouched down before him. “Whoever speaks first won’t get to die,” she said and the man’s lips trembled.

“We we don’t know any anything. We only know of the siblings. Nathan and Na, Nayeli. They came back with their mother and a child. They were taken by by the ravagers but somehow they made it out. Yesterday, they suddenly gathered their things and left,” said the man but he hadn’t told the entire story.

The truth was that when the family of mother and children came back the people more especially him weren’t too happy about it. He knew that the ravagers wouldn’t let go of anyone easily.

The fact that they had found their way back meant they had escaped and the ravagers would soon come back for them. After riling everyone up they drove them out of the village cursing and throwing rocks at them.

They would have stoned them if need be but who would have thought someone worse would come after that wretched trio? Karma was indeed a mean bastard.

“Interesting,” said the priestess before raising the man’s chin and continuing, “which direction were they headed.”

The man who couldn’t answer that question shook his head his entire body shaking like a sieve. The priestess’ lips before letting him go and saying, “You are useless to me then.”

She stood up and commanded, “By the order of stor fr?niks, kill them all.”

The men and women began to grumble and complain followed by screams but she didn’t care.

But within the sound of wails and cries was a familiar sound of a mech descending from the night skies.

The mech bowed in a half kneel with its head lowered before the cockpit opened and a man clad in white priest robes came out. If Zi Han was here he would have recognised him immediately.

The man swaggered out of the mech and the priestess fell to her knees with a loud bam. She kowtowed all the way to the ground with her forehead pressing the dusty soil. The smile on her face was that of pure joy.

“My lord,” she said and the man’s steps slowed down before halting. She gazed at his golden brocade boots and resisted the urge to kiss them. This was her saviour, their saviour... their high priest, and their king... the one who will bring back the stor fr?niks to them and usher them into a prosperous age. She raised her head slightly but she didn’t dare look him in the eye.

“There is definitely something off. Three people kidnapped by the ravagers suddenly reappeared. Someone much more powerful than the ravagers saved them,” she said and the man finally glanced at her.

“Rise,” he spoke softly with a slight smile.

She got up on her feet and the young man from earlier rushed over and wiped the dust off her maroon robe.

The man stretched out his hand towards her and she hesitantly held out her hand to touch his. The man smiled while nodding her head in acknowledgment and she held his hand. Their joined hands fit together like a glove. She felt an inexplicable warmth from where they were joined together and the heat travelled to her ears making them hot.