Free Web NovelChapter 229: The Mayor (2)
The alarms blared through the city of Haven’s Refuge, slicing through the silence of the night like a blade. Shinon’s heart raced as he moved swiftly through the shadows, finding a way out of the mess.
He thought he had triggered the alarms while trying to uncover secrets hidden in the admin building, and now his planned escape route was blocked as more and more guards poured inside the building.
The guards he had knocked out on his way inside were soon found, and soon, everyone was hot on his trail. Lights flooded the darkness, making it difficult for Shinon to hide using his shadow as bait.
"For fuck’s sake, how could I be so careless!" he cursed under his breath as he rushed to hide in a pillar’s shadow. "The strangest thing is, I’m sure I didn’t trigger any alarms that were visible to me... maybe one of the files was rigged and triggered the alarms when I touched it."
As he mumbled to himself, Shinon heard footsteps coming his way and got comfortable inside the pillar’s shadow.
Watching the area from the shadows, Shinon saw the guards rushing towards him. They were shouting about catching an assassin who had infiltrated the city.
"Catch the assassin! We can’t let that bitch get away!" one of the guards yelled as the others followed him.
’They are looking for someone else?’
Initially, Shinon thought luck was on his side, but something about the commotion intrigued him.
Earlier in the day, Miro had warned him about the Mayor, describing him as a loving leader who could turn into a ruthless dictator in the blink of an eye.
That said, if someone was trying to assassinate the Mayor, they were either very weak or exceptionally strong.
’It sounds weird, but it makes sense.’
One could say that trying to assassinate the Mayor was a suicide mission. Hence, the intruder could be executing a plan made by others and, therefore, was ’weak’, a mere sacrificial pawn.
On the other hand, it could be someone strong, like him. Someone confident in their ability to escape after their assassination attempt. Regardless of the situation, Shinon was intrigued by the case.
’Since only a few had ever seen the Mayor, I should use this opportunity to get familiar with his face. Just in case I need that information later on.’
Curiosity gnawed at Shinon as he followed the guards to the courtyard. There, he expected to see someone strong enough to challenge the Eclipse. Instead, he saw a scene that sent chills down his spine.
At the centre of the courtyard was a young girl, no more than fifteen years old, bound in heavy chains. Her clothes were torn, and her face bore the marks of rough treatment. The guards had clearly not shown her any mercy.
"Such innocent face, who could have believed she was an assassin?" one guard commented.
"What should we do to her?" another one asked.
"Kill her, of course!"
Slowly, the guards agreed to end the girl’s life then and there. But then someone, probably their senior, stepped up and instructed the guards to step back. fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm
"The Mayor will dictate the fate of this girl, no one else!" he barked at the guards, who followed his orders without delay.
Even though they retreated, the guards continued to berate and threaten the girl when a tall figure approached. Due to his position, Shinon couldn’t see the man’s face, but the change in the demeanour of the guards told him that the man had to be the Mayor.
With everyone focused on the unfolding drama, Shinon saw an opportunity to slip away unnoticed. After all, all of them were focused on the Mayor and the girl, and it was the best time to leave unnoticed.
He began to retreat into the shadows, but just as he was about to escape, he heard a voice that sent a shiver down his spine. It was a voice he hadn’t heard in years—one he thought he might never hear again.
"Enough," the voice commanded, resonating with authority.
Shinon’s heart pounded in his chest as he hesitated. He couldn’t believe his ears, but the voice was unmistakable.
’Is it him? No, It can’t be...’ fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com
Shinon tried to leave, but his heart didn’t let him. Slowly, he crept closer to the crowd, peering through the shadows to get a better view of the Mayor. And there, standing before him, was his father.
Memories of his childhood flooded back. Every emotion he had buried underneath came gushing to the surface. His father had vanished from his life without a trace, leaving Shinon with more questions than answers.
Yet there he was, standing in the middle of the crowd. Shinon could see his old man had aged a bit, with wrinkles covering his cheek and forehead. But there was no mistaking that it was Caleb Flintlock, his father.
Shinon watched in silence as his father addressed the guards. His gaze was stern, his words laced with authority. It was evident that he held the city in his iron grip.
"Darling, is everything alright?" A woman appeared from the nearby corridor, joining his father’s side.
"Of course it is," Caleb replied with a smile. "Just got a rat to deal with. Nothing you need to be concerned about."
"Don’t be silly," the woman flirtatiously replied. "You know how much I love these sights."
But what struck Shinon like a hammer blow to the chest was seeing a woman by his father’s side, her hand delicately intertwined with his.
She had to be his father’s wife—a woman Shinon had never seen before. But she wasn’t alone as next to them was a young child, a boy of about six or seven, who bore a striking resemblance to Caleb.
’So that’s why he never bothered returning to our world,’ Shinon shook his head.
For years, he was worried sick about his father. Wondering where he could have gone. Thinking if someone kidnapped him or worse. He had gone through the absolute worst, and seeing his father playing the role of a happy family man infuriated Shinon.
How could he move on so quickly while leaving his son in the dark? The anger and frustration that had been building up within Shinon over the years finally erupted.
Without thinking, he made a decision that would change the course of events in the courtyard.
But his father’s happy family didn’t trigger Shinon’s reaction. It was the orders he gave to the guards.
"Through the girl along with the slaves and have them work her to death," Caleb said nonchalantly. "She thought killing me would solve the city’s problems, so let her repent as hunger devours her."
It was a cruel order that Shinon couldn’t believe came from his father’s mouth. That was the moment Shinon snapped. He dumped all the domination points he had to upgrade the [Shadow Mimic] skill, and it gained a new effect.
Anyone unfortunate enough to come in contact with Shinon’s shadow constructs could now have their strength and vitality entirely drained. It was just the thing Shinon needed at that moment.
Suddenly, shadowy tendrils erupted from the ground, wrapping around the unsuspecting guards. Shinon’s shadowmancy was unleashed in all its dark glory. His [Shadow Mimic] ability drained their vitality and strength, making him more powerful with each passing moment.
"What the hell?" the chief was shocked as his soldiers fell one after another. "Mr. Mayor, please head inside the bunker! It seemed the girl was just bait to get you out in the open."
As Caleb and his family were ushered back inside their room, Shinon walked out of the darkness, breaking the chains binding the girl.
"T-Thank you!" the girl exclaimed, but Shinon was too angry to focus on her thanks.
"Leave."
That’s all Shinon told the girl before as his attention was focused on the guards who came charging his way.
The girl nodded, and amidst the chaos, she seized her chance for freedom and sprinted away from the mayhem, disappearing in the alleys out of the Admin building.
The courtyard descended into chaos as the guards struggled in vain against the relentless grip of the shadows.
More guards rushed in to confront the unknown assailant, but they, too, fell victim to [Shadow Mimic]. Their shouts soon turned into gasps of weakness as Shinon drained their stats.
Shinon’s focus remained unwavering. He continued draining the guards, ensuring they were incapacitated but not killed. Why he didn’t kill them, you ask? Who knows?
It could be because he thought killing them was an act of mercy, and by not killing them and draining their stats, he was essentially crippling them.
As the last guard succumbed to his [Shadow Mimic], Shinon withdrew the tendrils and allowed them to dissipate into the darkness.
His heart pounded, not just from the exertion of his power but from the realisation that in the heat of the moment, he had just revealed himself in a city where he was supposed to be a stranger.
"Fuck... I’ll think about everything," Shinon mumbled after destroying the Mayor’s famed army.
