Shadow Sword of Vengeance

Morning had arrived, yet the young man had barely slept. The biting cold and an ever present sense of danger had kept him awake through the night. 

Now, as daylight broke, heavy rain poured down, mixing with the icy winds that howled 

through the valley. Towering mountains surrounded him, their peaks buried under thick layers of snow. No sunlight pierced through the heavy clouds; the world was cloaked in a gray, misty haze. Despite the unforgiving cold, the view was mesmerizing—an untouched, frozen wilderness stretching as far as the eye could see. It was the kind of beauty that could make a man stop, forget his troubles, and simply gaze in awe. 

But he had no such luxury.

Even with multiple layers of clothing, the chill was relentless, that could lead to numbing his limbs severely. A fight in this condition would be risky, something he had to avoid at all costs. 

Yet, reaching the nearest town was very important. The journey itself was difficult and dangerous filled with hurdles, not only the dangers of men be a threat but natural disasters were also a possibility, and avoiding conflict might not be an option. If trouble found him, he would have no choice but to fight—whether he was ready or not. 

With everything in mind, He started his journey to the town near him and through the pouring rain and snowy roads of mountains, slowly closed the distance towards the town.

It was beautiful when seen from above but what actually happened there remained a 

mystery, despite knowing possible dangers and that the soldiers were against him, he 

didn't stop and kept walking. 

After hours of travel, the young man finally stood before the town gate—a massive 

structure decorated with two lion heads carved from stone on either side.

As he stepped inside, he was met with the sight of stunning stone houses, each crafted with remarkable skill. Some even looked like palaces, while even the simpler ones seemed comfortable and well-built. Every house had a nameplate with its owner's name, each with a slightly different design but similar aesthetics.

The town was surrounded by mountains from all sides and created a beautiful view of pleasing nature, pretty much distracted from the outside world, this town although in solitude seemed prosperous and happy.

As he admired the scenery, a commotion caught his attention near the town center. A large crowd had gathered around the center of the town.

The young man moved closer. At the center of the gathering, a man was being publicly 

executed. Soldiers stood around him, ordering the crowd to remain silent, but the people refused. They booed the guards and even threw stones at them.

"What a pathetic sight… Is this what our great kingdom has come to?" said a man standing beside the young man.

Neither young nor old, the man looked wealthy and well-fed, yet his face carried deep disappointment.

"This man stood up to the mercenaries looting our town, and now he's being executed for it... Where is the king? Didn't he promise to protect us? Why are the soldiers siding with the criminals?" Voices from the crowd echoed similar frustrations.

One of the soldiers muttered to his comrade, "This is too much. We didn't expect this 

many people to oppose us. Ignoring them could be dangerous."

"You're right, but we have orders to assist the mercenaries. What can we do?" replied a shorter soldier.

"Let's just issue a warning and leave them for now."

Suddenly, a tall soldier shouted, "Silence!"

The crowd fell quiet instantly.

"This man is spared—this time. But if anyone else dares to oppose them, the 

consequences will be severe," he declared in an angry tone.

The people murmured their discontent but eventually dispersed, returning to their daily 

lives.

The young man, too, turned away and headed toward the nearest inn. He hadn't eaten in two days, and his body was in dire need of nourishment.

The inn was as impressive as the rest of the town—warm lights glowing inside, creating a contrast to the cold world outside. He requested a room and lunch before settling at a table in the main hall.

As he finished his drink, a group of soldiers entered, their loud voices and laughter

disturbed everyone in the inn. They were obnoxious, but to the young man, they were a valuable source of information.

Even before they sat down, all three of them looked at him. Their intrigue quickly turned to irritation. One of them walked over, slamming his hands on the table. He lowered his head and tilted it slightly, staring directly into the young man's eyes.

Before the soldier could even speak, a dagger pierced his head. The young man's hand remained on the soldier's face that was forced to slam into the dagger held by the young man in the other hand.

The entire inn fell into stunned silence.

The remaining two soldiers sprang into action, lunging at him in a combined attack. But before they could strike, the young man kicked the table, sliding it into their path and 

disrupting their attack.

In a swift motion, he reached down, grabbed two daggers from his boots, and shot them into their throats. Eyes wide and mouths open, both the soldiers fell instantly.

A rather easy fight.

"It seems I won't be getting any information from them," he whispered.

The silence in the inn was deafening. Every eye was fixed on him, expressions frozen in 

shock and disbelief.

Suddenly, two men leaped at him from their seats—but in the next second, both of them had clean cuts on their arms and legs that could separate their limbs if moved freely.

Despite their hatred for the soldiers, the townspeople couldn't allow such an act to go unpunished. Killing guards was a serious crime, no matter how corrupt they had become.

Anger swelled among the people, and soon, a crowd gathered outside the inn, demanding that he leave instantly.

The young man complied. He had gotten what he needed—a meal to regain his strength, and the normal people weren't his enemies.

As the young man stepped out of the inn, everyone looked at him, some filled with anger and some with envy and disbelief, among all these, a mysterious figure gazed at him from the far corner.

He noticed the figure but chose to focus on leaving the town first.

Hiding from the others, the mysterious figure slipped into the shadows and began following him, carefully avoiding attention. He moved with caution, believing himself unseen.

But the young man was fully aware of his presence.