The Rise Of A Shadowsmith

Chapter 47: It’s Complicated

A few moments ago.

Selena and her team had been on a mission to clear out the zombie infestation in the forest as Marcus had ordered them to do it. While they were at it, they were also supposed to find clues about who killed their Raiders. But so far, they had no luck finding who was responsible for killing them.

Other than that, they had been making steady progress, taking out the undead creatures one by one. But as they approached the forest’s edge, they saw something that made them stop in their tracks.

There, in the clearing, was Shinon, battling a vast zombified tree all by himself. Selena watched in awe as he dodged the tree’s attacks and delivered precise strikes with his sword.

She couldn’t believe what she was seeing. She had always known Shinon was skilled, but she had never expected him to get so experienced in such a short period.

After all, she would not dare to go against a creature like the tree, even with her team. Yet Shinon was soloing it with ease. But seeing Shinon again did something to her.

She felt a mix of emotions - admiration for Shinon’s strength and skill, but also a pang of guilt and regret for what had happened between them in the past. She wanted to talk to him, explain herself, and make amends, but she didn’t know how to approach him.

As the tree finally fell, Selena and her team stepped forward to greet Shinon. She could see that he was wounded but seemed in good spirits. She approached him tentatively, unsure of how he would react. However, unlike her expectations, he was extremely cold towards her.

***

Back to the present.

"Shinon," she said softly, "I didn’t expect to see you here."

Shinon turned to face her, and for a moment, Selena was struck by the intensity in his eyes. She could see the pain and anger and a sense of determination she had never seen before.

"I could say the same to you," he replied coldly.

There was an awkward silence between them, and Selena realised she didn’t know what to say next. She had always hoped Shinon would make it through his injuries and they’ll meet again, but now that he was standing in front of her, she didn’t know where to begin.

Shinon, for his part, had his guard up. He didn’t trust Selena or her men, not after what had happened in the past.

But he stood his ground, his sword still in hand, his eyes fixed on them. As much as he didn’t want to engage with them, there was something he wanted to confirm.

"Remember the kids we saved that day from the factory?" He asked her, "Are they... doing okay?" free𝑤ebnovel.com

"Y-Yes, they are being taken care of... they also wanted to meet-"

"Hm... that’s good. At least you people know not to kick out defenceless kids on the road." Shinon interrupted her, intending to walk away from them. But Selena had other ideas.

"I... I saw what you did here," Selena continued, her voice growing more confident.

Shinon said nothing. He simply watched her, his expression unreadable.

"Don’t try to flatter me, Selena," he finally said, his voice cold. "It won’t work on me again."

Selena winced at the sharpness of his words. She took a step closer to him, her face filled with regret.

"Shinon, please," she said, her voice shaking. "I know I messed up. I shouldn’t have let them kick you out of the settlement. But I was... I was scared, and I didn’t know what to do. I thought I was doing the right thing, but I was wrong."

"No, you were right. Those people were your family, and you decided to stick with them," Shinon calmly replied. "I, on the other hand, was a fool to expect you’d show the same courtesy to me...

And now you came back, guns blazing. What? You’re going to force your apology on me or something? You’re welcome to try, but I’ll tell you now, it won’t end well for your men."

Selena’s eyes flickered to her men, who had their weapons trained on Shinon. "I told you to stand down!"

"I’m sorry, but that man doesn’t appear to be in any mood to talk, ma’am," The man with the beard spoke. "It’s best to-"

"Marco, enough. Put the damn rifle down!" Selena yelled through gritted teeth.

She knew they were loyal to her, and she couldn’t blame them for feeling protective.

"Look," Shinon sighed. "I don’t know about you, but I don’t have time to waste. So why don’t we go our separate ways and forget we ever met each other?"

Selena watched as Shinon brushed off her request for a talk, his expression unreadable. She took a step closer to him, hoping to get through to him. But before she could speak again, one of her men stepped forward, his hand on his rifle.

"Hey, don’t you dare ignore Selena like that," he growled, pointing his weapon at Shinon’s face.

Shinon’s eyes flicked towards the man, and a cold smile crossed his lips. "I suggest you put that down before I decide to put you down."

But the man didn’t back down. Instead, he tightened his grip on the rifle, and his companions followed suit, drawing their weapons and aiming them at Shinon.

In a blur of motion, Shinon drew his sword, the blade gleaming in the sunlight. He moved with lightning speed, darting around the men, his movements graceful and precise. He made quick work of the first man, disarming him with a swift strike to the wrist, sending the rifle flying.

The other men hesitated for a moment, their fear showing in their eyes, but they quickly regained their composure and rushed at Shinon, their rifles at the ready.

Shinon blocked their bullets with ease while using the shadow around him to disappear and reappear behind the men, his body moving in fluid motion as he danced around them.

His sword sang through the air, slicing through their rifles with ease. He moved with deadly grace, his strikes precise and deadly. But none aimed at the men themselves as he didn’t want to kill them... yet.

As the last of her men fell to the ground, Selena felt a pang of fear wash over her. She had never seen Shinon like this, and it scared her. She wanted to run, to get away from him, but something held her back. She felt drawn to him, despite the fear she felt from him.

Shinon turned towards her, his sword still in hand. He took a step forward, his eyes locked on hers. Selena felt her heart race as she looked at him, her body trembling with fear and desire. freeweɓnovel.cѳm

"Stay away from me, Selena," he said, his voice cold and distant. "It’ll be good for your health."

"I understand," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "But one of these days... I’ll make you forgive me. Even if it took all my life!"

Shinon lowered his sword, and the Necrotoxin element faded away. He looked at Selena, and for a moment, she thought she saw a glimmer of compassion in his eyes. But it was gone as quickly as it had appeared, and he turned away, disappearing into the forest.