"Screw off... I''m not doing you any more favors."
The elf smiled weakly at his words, blood staining his pale lips.
"You know... I used to pray you wouldn''t turn out to be a killer... Goddess knows you had the disposition." His voice was hoarse, barely above a whisper. "So... how did it feel? When you took someone''s life?"
Damon''s fingers trembled. For a moment, he hesitated.
Then, he answered.
"Nothing." He exhaled. "It felt satisfying."
That was the truth.
The first person he had actually killed with his own hands wasn''t Lark. Lark had died by his shadow. Carmen Vale, too.
No, the first life he had willingly taken was Isaac. And when he did it, he had felt vindicated.
There was no guilt—like when his shadow killed Carmen Vale.
There was no doubt—like when his shadow killed Lark.
Only certainty.
Back to Back chuckled, even as his body failed him.
"Final advice... from someone who''s lived their life in blood..." He took a slow, rattling breath. "Never forget the face of someone you kill. They aren''t nameless. They''re people, just like you."@@@@
Blood trickled down his chest as he reached for the pendant around his neck.
"War... war is a horrible thing..." he rasped. "You gotta remember, kiddo—there''s no such thing as honor on the battlefield. There''s no honor in killing."
He coughed, red splattering his lips.
"That''s just a lie they tell us... so we keep killing each other."
His shaking hand extended forward.
"Take this... My final wish—take it to the Silver Glades. Return it to the Halls of Steel for me, okay? Just tell them..."
He smirked faintly.
"Tell them you got it from a friend."
Damon lowered his head.
"No."
Back to Back smiled anyway.
"Thanks... I''d appreciate that..."
His eyes glazed over, distant, unfocused.
But he was still breathing.
"Huh... looks like I can hold on a bit longer... Mind finishing the job?"
Damon bit his lip, gripping his dagger tightly.
Then, without hesitation, he slashed the elf''s throat.
The moment he did, a red line appeared before him, marking the exact trajectory his dagger would take. Where it would land. Experience new stories on My Virtual Library Empire
A powerful skill.
''Was this the same one Back to Back had when he reached his first class advancement?''
It didn''t matter now.
It was over.
He slung the quiver over his back, picked up the bow, and started walking.
He would find a place to bury it.
A grave for the archer who lived with no honor... and taught him to do the same.
Lilith Astranova teleported next to him, her gaze immediately falling on him.
Damon stood motionless. Silent.
There was something in the way he just stood there—a quiet, hollow grief that made her hesitate.
She was about to speak when he beat her to it. His voice was calm.
"Where is the Silver Glades?"
She paused, thinking for a moment before recalling what she knew of the place.
"It''s in the Verdant Continent," she said. "A land by the sea, facing Centros. As you can imagine, it''s faced many battles—with demons, with invaders... who wished to attack Iorvas."
Her eyes drifted to the spot where Back to Back had been, now nothing more than a pool of darkness as Damon''s shadows had devoured the last traces of him.
"He must have been from there..."
Damon gave a small nod.
"I see."
Taking a deep breath, he straightened. The moment was over.
"Let''s gather our spoils and go." His tone shifted, more businesslike now.
"A new group rotates in at fixed intervals with the ones here. We need to clear out anything they could use to trace us. As for the loot..."
His gaze swept over the crates stacked nearby—filled with wealth, resources, everything their enemies had stockpiled.
Then, he looked at Lilith.
"Let''s hope you can store all of this."
She smirked.
"I can. But it''ll consume a lot of mana."
Damon''s lips curled into a thin smile.
"Should I be worried?"
Lilith raised her hand, magic flooding the air around them, thick with power.
"Not with me here," she said smoothly. "I have more than enough to spare."