The Magician of Miracles

It didn't take me long to recognize their faces. The man standing in the middle was the Claw's leader, Grivus. And beside him… wasn't that Morc, his second in command?As for the third one, I couldn't recognize him. No one inside the restaurant moved. Everyone froze in place Grivus stepped forward until he stood before the cook.

"I didn't imagine we'd meet again like this, Roland."

The cook shook his head and replied with a bitter smirk:

"Did you come here to say hello? Just like you did with Garrod?"

Grivus kept his expression cold.

"Garrod got what he deserved."

The cook smiled sarcastically.

"And did you come to make sure I get what I deserve too?"

Grivus shook his head.

"I came to eliminate everyone here… except you."

The mocking smile vanished from the cook's face, replaced by a grim expression; even his voice grew sharper.

"What did you just say?"

"I won't repeat myself. You already heard me. Step aside, and I won't harm you. You have nothing to do with this."

The cook raised his hand, a small blue flame appearing in his palm.

"If you were serious about that, you wouldn't have come here yourself."

Grivus didn't blink.

"Consider it a precaution, in case someone tries to interfere."

Grivus turned his head, giving a brief glance over everyone in the tavern before his eyes returned to the cook, filled with disdain.

"That's exactly why I came. I knew you'd try to protect these insects."

"What do they have to do with your feud with Garrod? Didn't you already get your revenge on him?"

"This isn't revenge. This is justice. For old David… and for the Bloody Dagger. I have to erase every last insect Garrod brought with him everyone who tainted the Bloody Fang."

"Listen… I've tried to explain this to you many times, but you're too stubborn. I'll say it for the last time everything that's happening is because of a demonic being that's been toying with us like puppets. I'm certain Garrod didn't kill old David."

The moment the cook said that, everyone myself included stared at him in disbelief. He had said plenty of insane things before, that was true, but this? Even for him, it was madness.Except for one person. Diana. She was staring at him with pity on her face.

While everyone was caught up in the confrontation between the cook and Grivus, I caught sight of a small group trying to escape through the door. But before they could get out, Morc raised his hand instantly, they vanished from the doorway and reappeared right in front of Grivus. He raised his hand in a quick motion, and their bodies began to compress, then burst into mangled pieces that splattered across the floor. Morc lifted his hand again, and the remains disappeared completely.

The third man turned to us and said:

"Anyone who moves will end up like them."

No one dared move after that. As for me I didn't care much about what happened to them. I had expected something like this ever since I saw them heading for the door. My focus was entirely on Diana. I wasn't going to leave her alone.

I merged into the shadow of the wall and moved through the darkness until I reappeared beside a table close to her, unseen by anyone.

Grivus said:

"Will you step aside and let me finish cleaning up these pests in peace?"

The cook hurled a wave of fire toward Grivus, but before it could reach him, Morc raised his hand and the flame vanished. In that same instant, everyone in the restaurant stood up, raised their weapons, and charged together at Grivus and his men. Grivus didn't move. Before they could reach him, every single one of them was flung backward and smashed into the walls.

The cook kept throwing waves of fire toward Grivus, Morc, and the third man. When Morc tried to raise his hand again, the cook launched a stronger blast aimed directly at him, forcing him to leap aside to avoid it. The third man, though his skin looked tougher, harder. He didn't even move. He took the full blast head on, the fire disappearing the instant it hit his bare body, leaving behind only faint burns.

Grivus jumped back slightly to avoid another fire wave, then dropped slowly to one knee. He raised his hand and the cook was suddenly lifted into the air. The cook surrounded himself with blue fire, crashed back down, and released a massive torrent of flames toward Grivus and his men. Morc raised his hand again, and the flames vanished before they could hit. This time, Morc was panting, sweat dripping down his forehead, though the smile never left his face.

The others tried to stand and attack again, but Grivus lifted his hand, and half of them were torn apart into bloody chunks in an instant. The rest panicked and tried to flee, but the third man stepped into their path. One punch from him was enough to shatter their skulls into fragments. The cook tried to intervene to stop them but Grivus raised his hand again, sending the cook flying through the air and crashing down on a table so hard that it splintered beneath his weight.

Amid the chaos, the third man had already finished off almost everyone. In the end, only Diana and I were left. When I turned and saw her standing there alone, I realized I had to act.The problem was, I wasn't a skilled fighter like Quil or even Corvin. I didn't have the skill or power to face a monster like this. And yet what choice did I have? How could I leave her there alone?

I merged into the shadowed wall behind me, slipped through the darkness, and emerged from her shadow. I appeared behind Diana and placed my hand on her shoulder. She flinched, spinning toward me, but I brought a finger to my lips, signaling her to stay quiet.

I leaned closer and whispered in her ear:

"I can move and hide within shadows. I can't take another person very far or for long, but I can get us both out of here. Then we can run while they're busy fighting."

I expected her to thank me or at least show some excitement at the idea of escape. In my head, I pictured it like a hero's rescue scene me riding in on a white horse. Reality, though, was nothing like that. She looked forward, eyes locked on the battle raging in front of us, watching as flames and broken tables flew through the air.

She spoke in a calm, steady voice:

"You want me to run away and leave Roland to fight alone?"

"If you stay here, you won't be helping him. It's better if we run now before..."

She cut me off sharply.

"And why do you want to help me escape?"

I stammered before answering:

"Because I..."

She interrupted again, her gaze piercing into me:

"Because you've had strange feelings toward me since the first time you saw me, right?"

"That…"

But she didn't let me finish. She interrupted a third time:

"Did you hear what Roland said earlier? About a demonic being manipulating everyone?"

Her eyes returned to the fight.

"That wasn't his delusion. It's true. That being speaks to me… whispers in my ear. It ordered me to deceive you, get close to you, then kill you in the chaos and afterward, join the Claw. The feelings you have for me aren't real. You're just under its influence."

Her words felt like a massive stone crashing down on my head. I couldn't respond. Not because I didn't want to but because an intense pressure slammed into my skull. I grabbed my head, trying to ease the pain, but the headache only grew stronger instead of fading.

As I struggled to focus through the dizziness, I saw from the corner of my eye the third man the monster who had crushed everyone's skulls walking toward us. His hands and face were drenched in blood. He wasn't running; he was walking slowly, confidently, like someone who knew we had no chance to escape.

Diana stood up. She didn't look at me; she just said:

"You can run if you want. You're no longer under its control."

She stepped forward toward the beast of a man advancing toward us. I tried to raise my hand or say something, anything to stop her, but my body wouldn't move. The pounding in my head was unbearable. It felt like thousands of ants were crawling inside my skull. Diana stood before the towering brute, who stopped when he saw her blocking his way. He lifted his head to look down at her, his voice rough and dry like gravel:

"Get out of my way."

She answered firmly:

"What are you waiting for? I'm one of the Bloody Fang."

He frowned slightly before replying:

"I don't fight women."

Diana laughed mockingly.

"You've got some fascinating principles. You slaughter everyone here brutally, yet hesitate just because I'm a woman?"

"If you don't move, your end will be the same as theirs."

She didn't reply. Instead, she bent down, drew a small dagger from the leather strap on her ankle, and lunged at him, stabbing toward his stomach. But when the blade struck his body, it shattered into shards as if it had been made of glass.

His expression didn't change.

"As I told you before move aside. I have work to do."

She answered in a defiant tone:

"And what will your leader say when he finds out you refused to fight a member of the Bloody Fang?"

His face hardened.

"You asked for this. Bear the consequences."

Then he charged at her. His fist swung low, aiming for her leg, but at the last moment Diana leaped into the air, twisting her body as his blow struck the wall behind her, shattering it and leaving a massive crack. She landed lightly on her feet. The brute didn't wait he lunged again, this time faster. She dodged his second strike with a sharp sidestep.