Saquin: Death To My Enemies

On the execution stage, a young pale man knelt, his head covered.

"Is that him?"

"Yes, that's the boy."

"He massacred his whole village in cold blood."

"Is he a witch?"

"That's impossible—witches are female."

"I heard she turned into a man so the villagers wouldn't suspect anything."

"Hmm, that explains his strange, long blue hair."

The commoners murmured among themselves, casting wary glances at the kneeling figure.

"Silence!" a guard shouted, as Captain Jacob strode onto the stage, followed by the hardened executioner, who carried a massive sword at his side.

"We gather here today to witness not the end of a criminal, but of a monster. Let this remind all who might choose evil that justice will prevail in our county. Rest assured, peace will always be maintained as long as we guards stand against darkness," Jacob declared, his voice echoing across the square. He turned to the kneeling young man. "This is evil incarnate. Using dark magic, he destroyed an entire village and left no survivor. Now, let us bid farewell to this villain and restore peace."

With a nod to the executioner, Jacob stepped aside, feeling the first gusts of an unsettling wind. The weather is turning, he thought.

The young man was brought forward, his neck placed against the wooden block. His long hair blew wildly in the rising wind, prompting one guard to tie it back.

The executioner unsheathed his blade, placing it against the young man's neck to prepare his stance. He raised it high.

"Careful!"

Just as the blade was about to swing down, Captain Jacob rushed forward, shoving the executioner aside. A split second later, a wooden cart was seen crashing into the spot where the executioner had just been standing. Jacob drew his sword, slicing the cart in two as it hurled toward him. If he hadn't acted, the executioner would have been crushed.

"Damn it! The wind's gotten worse; a storm is coming," Jacob said, eyeing the darkening sky.

The commoners, stunned at the sight of a flying cart, panicked at the mention of a storm, and scattered like startled animals. The last storm, just a week ago, had left many homeless and had claimed lives.

"Take the criminal back to his cell! We'll delay the execution until the storm passes. I need to help direct the citizens to safety," Jacob shouted to his men as he left the stage.

"Yes, sir," one guard replied, signaling to the others.

"Make sure to secure the chain at his waist and switch the ropes for cuffs," Jacob reminded them as he disappeared into the crowd.

Two guards approached the young man. One held silver cuffs, while the other began loosening the ropes binding the prisoner's hands. As soon as the ropes were removed, the guard with the cuffs stepped forward, reaching to bind his wrists.

Flash!

A lightning strike hit a nearby building, blinding everyone momentarily—everyone except the young man, who kept his head down and had his face hidden. Seizing the moment, he slipped his neck off the stand, shifting his weight and, in one fluid motion, flipped forward. He pushed off with his head and, using the superhuman strength in his legs, propelled himself upward, trapping both guards' necks between his ankles mid-somersault. 

In a superhuman feat, he threw both guards off the stage and twisted mid-air, landing on his feet. Damn, that was awesome, he thought, activating his heightened senses to track the movements and positions of the surrounding guards.

I'd already accepted death, with that monster Jacob around and those enchanted ropes binding me. Dark magic? They're the ones using it—the evidence is right there in that strange rope, he thought as he began moving.

First, the executioner, who just tried to kill me. Though his face was covered, the fabric barely hindered his sight. In an instant, he was in front of the executioner, his hands slipping free from the loosened ropes.

The executioner, recovering from the initial shock, saw the two guards hit the ground some distance from the stage. How is he this strong, with the rope still on him? Tightening his grip on his sword, he started to raise it, attempting to get into a defensive stance.

But the young man was faster. Reaching out with his right hand, he seized the executioner's throat, crushing his Adam's apple in a single, swift movement. With his left hand, he grabbed the sword from the executioner's hand.

Fast, was the executioner's last thought as the young man overpowered him before he could even fully raise his sword.

The young man shook off the last of the ropes and turned toward the remaining guards, now armed with the executioner's sword. With a quick, assessing glance, he lifted the blade, its tip aimed forward.

There were five guards left on the stage. Seeing how quickly the criminal had taken down the executioner, they braced themselves, each tensing as if awaiting the blade's deadly aim.

The young man arched his back, every muscle in his body coiled for a powerful throw. But instead of targeting the guards, he hurled the sword with all his might toward Captain Jacob, who was in mid-air, leaping toward the stage.

Jacob who noticed that the criminal had escaped almost immediately, had turned back and ran towards the stage but he was too late to save the executioner as the criminal had moved too fast.

I have to safe the others and completely kill this evil being now, was his train of thought as he leaped towards the stage, reaching a height impossible for a normal human.

In that split second, Jacob saw the criminal's arm draw back, preparing to throw the sword. I won't make it in time. One of them is going to— But to his shock, the criminal turned and threw the blade directly at him.

Clang

Jacob deflected the sword mid-air, swinging his own blade to meet it. The unexpected force of the throw, however, staggered him, driving his own sword back. Jacob twisted sharply to dodge, narrowly avoiding being impaled.

Thrown off balance, he landed heavily at the stage's edge. I have to regain control, he thought, gathering his strength to steady himself. But then he heard the criminal's voice as he was closing in on him: "Time Brief."

In an instant, Jacob felt the world around him slow to a crawl. No—not just the world. He had also slowed. He struggled, his thoughts racing, but his body unresponsive, weighted down by an invisible force. He could only watch as the criminal stepped beside him.

"I am not an evil incarnate. But to my enemies, I am far worse," the criminal said.

"I am Saquin." his whisper and the sound of his neck breaking was the last thing Jacob heard.