Chapter 20 - The quiet one
His name wasn't in any records. No birth certificate, no census entry, no public trail.
That's how the Thornvale operatives liked it.
He crouched in the eaves of a stone rooftop in Reverb's outer district, his cloak wrapped tight, his breathing so controlled he didn't even stir the dust. His eyes glowed faintly in the moonlight—not from magic, but from sheer, evolved precision. Every heartbeat was calculated. Every movement was exact.
His name was Veyne.
Born with Revon Syndrome, a rare condition that left him with zero magical energy. In most kingdoms, that would've marked him as broken. But in Thornvale, it made him the perfect asset.
No magic meant no signature. No way to track him, sense him, or detect him through magical barriers. And to compensate, his body over-developed in all the right ways: strength, speed, awareness, intellect.
He was a ghost among gods.
Tonight, his mission was simple: observe the team known as Danger Squad.
Fifteen gold coins each.
Dead or alive.
Kazuki.
Kaze.
Atlas.
Lyra.
Thornvale had been watching them quietly for weeks.
Tonight was the first real step.
⸻
Inside the upper floor of the dojo, Kazuki's hand suddenly shot to his blade.
Kaze opened his eyes next.
Something was wrong.
Kazuki stood, quietly wrapping the bandages tighter over his mouth. "We're being watched," he said, tone low.
Atlas shifted in his bunk. "Another student?"
"No."
Lyra didn't ask questions. She just grabbed her blade.
Before anyone could move, the wall shattered in an instant. A shadow crashed through, landing in a blur—Veyne, already mid-swing.
Kazuki blocked the first strike, barely. The shockwave sent him flying back into the wall.
Fast. Too fast.
Kaze fired a blast of wind, but Veyne ducked under it and swept his leg. Atlas moved to counter, but Veyne caught his shoulder with a hard chop that sent him sprawling.
Two down. In four seconds.
Lyra stepped forward, blade raised. She didn't hesitate.
But Veyne didn't even face her—he tossed a thin dart. She deflected it, but the moment she blinked, he vanished.
Appeared behind her. Elbow to the ribs. Hard.
She gasped, dropping to one knee.
Kaze struck again, this time with more control, wind forming around his blade like a cyclone. Veyne clashed once—just once—then twisted and kicked Kaze in the ribs.
CRACK.
Kaze hit the ground hard, coughing. Blood on his lip.
Kazuki surged forward again, but Veyne was already gone.
A silent step to the window.
And just before vanishing into the dark, he turned back and said, coldly:
"Your names are written in gold now. That's all that matters."
Then he disappeared into the windless night.
⸻
Blood stained the wooden floor.
Kaze sat up slowly, wincing. "What the hell was that?"
Kazuki leaned against the wall, pressing a cloth to his side. "Whoever he was… he didn't use magic."
Atlas grunted, still dazed. "He didn't need to."
Lyra's voice was tight. "I couldn't track him. I couldn't even see him."
Kaze stood, wobbling slightly. "We've been too loud. That's why they found us."
Kazuki didn't answer. He picked up a small knife left on the ground—a clean, balanced blade etched with Thornvale's seal.
They weren't guessing anymore.
Someone wanted them dead.
And worse?
They were worth gold now.
⸻
End of Chapter 20