bookpower Chapter 84 A Blade's First Kill
Chapter 84 A Blade's First Kill
The moment the branches fell apart, Ed moved.
His body didn't wait.
His mind didn't think.
It just acted.
SHING—!
Steel flashed in the moonlight.
A clean cut.
The village head didn't even have time to react.
His beady eyes widened, his mouth barely parting—
Then—
His head rolled off his shoulders.
A dull thump followed as his lifeless body collapsed onto the dirt.
Silence.
For a moment, there was only the sound of the wind whistling through the trees. The faint rustling of leaves.
Then—
A shriek.
"AAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!"
The village head's wife screamed.
Loud. Piercing. Horrified.
Her wrinkled hands clutched her chest as she staggered backward, pointing at Ed with a trembling finger.
Zareth and Vynesaa snapped awake.
Their eyes, once clouded and distant, cleared instantly.
Zareth blinked, still dazed.
"W-what's going on?" His voice was hoarse. "Ed...?"
Ed barely heard him.
His breathing was uneven.
His chest was tight.
His hands—his hands.
His sword was still raised, streaked with fresh, glistening blood.
The headless corpse at his feet seemed unreal.
His first kill.
His mind blanked out for a second, like he had just disconnected from reality itself.
Had he...
Had he just—
Killed someone?
His heartbeat roared in his ears.
Not a monster.
Not a beast.
A person.
His body felt cold.
Like ice had seeped into his bones, freezing his limbs in place.
His fingers twitched against the hilt of his sword.
He had never killed before.
He knew he would have to one day.
But... like this?
So easily?
Like his body had moved on its own?
Like it was natural?
A deep unease curled in his stomach.
Something in him had changed.
"Ed... Did You Kill Him?" Vynesaa asked.
"You... You killed my husband!"
The old woman's voice snapped him back to the moment.
Ed's gaze lifted.
The village head's wife was still shrieking, pointing at the corpse with wide, furious eyes.
"Ed," Vynesaa whispered. "Did you...?"
Her voice shook.
She stared at the body, at the pool of blood spreading beneath it.
Zareth's expression darkened.
Ed swallowed. His mouth was dry.
Then, finally—he spoke.
"Yes."
The word felt heavy on his tongue.
Zareth's gaze hardened.
"Why?"
Ed inhaled.
"They were the ones who put us under mind control." His voice steadied.
"I heard them. They were talking about our life force. About exchanging it."
"What bullshit are you spouting?!" Old woman shouted.
She took a step forward, eyes flashing with something wild.
"We came here to check on you! You all collapsed in the forest! You poor children—"
Lies.
Ed could hear it in her voice.
Feel it in his bones.
They would never know the truth.
"We don't have proof," Zareth continued. "We don't have the right to execute someone on a feeling."
Ed's fingers clenched.
Zareth was a prince.
Raised in a palace. Surrounded by laws. By order.
His world was built on structure. On the belief that things would work if you just followed the rules.
But Ed—
Ed knew better.
He had seen what happened when monsters were left alone.
"I don't need proof." Ed's voice was quiet. Cold. "I know."
Zareth's jaw tightened.
"You have to follow the law."
Ed scoffed. "The law doesn't work on people like her."
"Then we make it work."
"She'll be dead before they even decide what to do with her."
"Then at least we won't be murderers."
The words hit.
Ed felt something twist in his chest.
A murderer?
No.
This wasn't murder.
This was justice.
"She'll kill again," Ed warned.
"Then let the authorities stop her."
"She's not normal. She's—"
"That doesn't make us her executioners."
Ed's breath was heavy.
This wasn't working.
Zareth wouldn't bend.
He wouldn't see it.
He was too good.
Too honorable.
Ed wasn't.
So he had to end this. Now.
His grip on his sword shifted.
His stance relaxed.
A small sigh left his lips.
"Fine," he muttered.
Zareth hesitated. "Ed—"
And in that instant—
Ed moved.
It was a faint.
A flicker of weakness to lower his guard.
Ed spun, stepping past Zareth's blade.
His sword raced toward the woman's heart—
CLANK!
Sparks exploded.
Ed's attack was stopped.
By Vynesaa.
His eyes snapped up.
Vynesaa's blade was locked against his. Her hands trembled slightly, but her stance was firm.
Her expression was unreadable.
But her eyes—
They were searching.
"...Vynesaa?" Ed breathed.
She stared at him.
Then—
"Stop," she whispered.
Her voice was gentle.
But behind it, there was something deep.
Something pleading.
Ed gritted his teeth.
His mind was racing.
His instincts were screaming.
Kill her.
But now—
Two swords stood in his way.
Zareth.
And Vynesaa.
Ed's heartbeat was wild.
His breath was shaky.
And for the first time—
A new thought entered his mind.
Was he really doing the right thing?