Free Web NovelChapter 250: The art of subtlety
"Hellooo, little lady."
The playful voice whispered directly beside her ear.
Emily nearly screamed. Rather, she couldn’t.
Her entire body refused to obey her brain. It was a strange feeling.
Her entire body felt like a single block of lead.
Then, out of the corner of her eye, she saw it.
A dark figure was crouched casually atop the windowsill behind her, balancing there effortlessly despite the violent storm raging outside.
Emily craned her neck but found she couldn’t move it, so she painstakingly turned her gaze to him.
Her eyes widened in surprise.
The youth in question looked young. Far too young, in fact.
Messy silver hair framed a sharp, deceptively handsome face while his bright amber eyes sparkled with a hint of amusement.
He wore an oversized dark coat several sizes too large for him, its sleeves hanging loosely past his wrists, and a lazy grin stretched across his face.
At a glance, it seemed as though the world itself existed purely for his entertainment.
And yet beneath that playful appearance, there was something deeply unsettling.
And Emily quickly realized what it was.
She hadn’t sensed him enter.
Even her heightened senses and battle-tried instincts had failed. Which made the boy beside her all the more dangerous.
"Is he an assassin?"
From that perspective, it made sense. Only the Brotherhood could be so insanely adept at stealth.
The young man tilted his head curiously.
"Wow," he murmured, staring at the battle raging outside the mansion windows. "The old monster’s really angry today."
He turned back to her.
"I’ll allow you to speak. Scream, and it’ll be the last thing you do. At least for the time being. It’s the least I can do since you can’t use your ability. At least not while I’m here. "
Emily’s breathing quickened.
A moment later, she regained control of her mouth.
"W-Who are you?" She stuttered.
The boy pressed a finger dramatically against his lips.
"Now that hurts," he sighed. " But it makes sense. After all, I’ve worked very hard staying hidden this whole time."
He sighed then drew closer to her, peering into her eyes.
"I’m your friend," He whispered.
"You could even say we’re the best of friends, you and I. I’ve been beside you this entire time."
He got so close Emily squirmed, wishing she could draw back.
She felt his breath tickle her ear as he spoke.
"I’m your shadow."
The boy drew back, staring at her with a small smile, then frowned.
"You don’t look so pleased." He scoffed, shaking his head slightly. freewёbn૦νeɭ.com
"Well, that’s just sad."
He hopped lightly off the windowsill, tucking his hands into his pockets as he wandered around the room with casual ease.
"Do you know how difficult it is sneaking into Merlin Hale Crest’s home?" he complained lightly.
" That Victor dude is scary. The man notices everything."
" And after all that, what do I get? Disappointment! Disappointed by the person you’re risking your neck for."
He turned, throwing her a questioning glance.
"Do you know how much that sucks?"
Emily’s stomach tightened.
Even Merlin and Victor hadn’t noticed him?
If that was the case, then the kid was even more terrifying than she’d imagined.
The silver-haired youth grinned brightly at her realization.
"Mhm." He nodded almost as though he could read her mind.
"Took me three whole days to bypass the mansion formations. Klein and Clara are loud distractions, but me?" He pointed at himself proudly. "I’m subtle. Very, very subtle." He said enunciating each word carefully.
Something about the way he said subtle made Emily even more nervous.
"You know, Merlin was right about one thing," the youth murmured.
"There are all sorts of dangerous people in the world apart from himself. Other old monsters." He winked at her.
"So you had better watch your back, Emily. Plus, luckily enough, I’m here to do just that for you."
The young man finally stopped directly in front of her. His amber eyes gleamed mischievously.
"Anyway," he chirped, " Orders are orders. Lady Clara says you’re coming with us. And that’s what will happen."
The frost binding Emily’s legs exploded upward instantly. Before she could even react, the youth grabbed her arm—and the space around them distorted violently.
BOOOOOOM!
The bedroom doors exploded inward, and a split second later, Victor appeared instantly.
The elegant butler’s usually calm expression had vanished completely, replaced by something cold and dangerous.
"You," Victor said quietly, staring at the youth.
Her self-proclaimed shadow stared at him in puzzlement, then pointed a finger at himself.
"Me?"
Victor’s gaze turned darker, a faint hum of barely restrained power emanating throughout the room.
The silver-haired youth clicked his tongue.
"Aww. And here I thought I finally got away clean."
After that, everything happened fast.
Victor became a blur. Emily failed to see him even after he’d moved.
The distance between them vanished instantly.
But the young man reacted with frightening speed, dragging Emily backward while twisting unnaturally sideways.
Victor’s strike narrowly missed his head before obliterating the wall behind him.
Emily gasped, her eyes widening in a mixture of surprise and shock.
She inwardly screamed, finding that she could no longer use her mouth at will once more.
BOOOOOOOOM!
A mixture of stone and wood exploded outward.
The silver-haired youth whistled nervously.
"Okay! Wow! That was scary. Definitely scary. Can we talk about this?"
Victor’s eyes narrowed in irritation.
"Release the young miss."
"Hmm..." the youth mused. " How about a counteroffer?" He smiled brightly, offering the butler a hopeful smile.
"I guess not." He shrugged nonchalantly. "Well, at least I tried."
A moment later, the room distorted violently.
Dozens of spatial fractures suddenly erupted around the youth like shattered mirrors, each one leading into swirling darkness.
Victor’s expression changed instantly.
"A spatial Talented... an exotic..."
The youth grinned maniacally.
"Bingo. And you got it on the first try. I’d say you deserve a treat, no?"
The youth snapped his fingers.
The dark fractures lunged toward Victor simultaneously. The butler dodged the first several effortlessly before appearing directly before the youth once more. His gloved hand lashed forward with terrifying precision.
"Aaaaaah!"
Emily inwardly screamed while the youth shifted her around, moving her at the last second like a living marionette. Despite that, she could feel the violent t aftermath of each blow that harmlessly flew past her.
For a moment, time seemed to slow, then a jagged blade of ice suddenly burst through Victor’s side.
Crimson blood splattered across the room in a violent arc. Victor staggered slightly, staring at his side with a mixture of disbelief and annoyance.
"I knew you deserved a treat," the hot grinned.
"There we go!"
Outside the mansion—Merlin stopped moving.
Far above the battlefield, the silver-eyed man slowly turned his head toward the mansion below.
Then, for a few moments, the world fell silent.
Clara’s expression shifted immediately, her azure eyes widening.
"...No."
A horrifying pressure erupted outward from Merlin’s body.
The sky split apart.
BOOOOOOOOOOM.
Silver lightning consumed the sky instantly as the world itself trembled beneath the catastrophic force the man was exuding.
The clouds above the mountain range disintegrated completely while the frozen plains below cracked apart.
In that chaotic moment, even Klein’s molten flames flickered violently.
And for the first time, fear appeared in his glowing, fiery eyes.
Inside the mansion, the silver-haired youth froze, turning to the distant sky, his attention leaving the injured man before him.
"...Oh."
The playful grin immediately vanished from his face.
"That’s bad. Very bad."
