Chapter 97: An unexpected enemy

•Arius

"My gloves?" I held out my hand to one of the butlers and he handed me my bike gloves as I sat on my Ducati. I kept tapping my foot on my ground anxiously.

"Is something worrying you young master?" Huang-fei came walking towards me from the castle.

"I keep getting an ominous feeling." I put on my helmet, "I can't go unless I get the signal but I can't understand why I'm so anxious." I sighed.

"Don't worry too much young master. Miss Azalea is a strong woman."

I smiled, "She is." Then sighed, "But I've been getting this feeling there's more to this incident than we kn-" My phone started sounding. The alarm that was made to sound when Ayaan pressed the signal button began ringing. I immediately looked ahead and started the engine, then sped out of there towards the distillery.

It didn't take much time to reach to the place. I didn't have any light with me to take in but the moonlight seemed enough at that moment even though thick clouds were not far from it. Besides holding onto something would only give me a disadvantage. I took out my gun, loaded it and went it.

The place felt oddly quiet but as I went further in I heard the sound of someone running. I followed it, walking through the repeated areas of dim illumination and then complete darkness.

Across the rooms to the second floor but before entering the engine room I stopped. The shattered window let in some light and I saw Ayaan standing there under the bridge before the rusted control panel catching his breath. But of course he didn't notice the person ready to kill him on the bridge above.

The silhouette of a man emerging from the darkness that surrounded the bridge made me jump into action. I ran forward as I pointed my gun at him and fired.

The sound of gunfire echoed loudly and startled Ayaan but he calmed down a bit as he saw me approach him.

The man fell from the bridge which was about 8 foot higher than the second floor and I shot him again before he got the chance to do anything. The bullet went straight through his head and he blankly fell to the ground.

The room turned darker as clouds covered the moon.

I patted Ayaan's shoulder as I walked past him to inspect the body. It felt quiet all of the sudden.

The passing clouds went ahead and allowed the moon to shine again, "That's one." I whispered as I saw the body while the place was illuminated once again. But how many are there? Asking Ayaan will take time since he won't be able to read my lips properly in this place and I really don't think I should be screaming here.

The room turned black again as I began to turn.

The sound of gunshot froze me in my place. It didn't hit me but it had hit my gun, knocking it off my hand.

As light started seeping in again my sight made out a man approaching Ayaan fast with a pretty nice long knife in his hands.

In the state of confusion and panic that was running through my mind I leaped forward.

"Ayaan!! Look out!!" He barely caught the sound of my voice and creased his brows. My heartbeat accelerated as the man almost reached him, drawing his blade.

I didn't think I'd reach him in time and there was no way to stop the attack. All I could do was try to cover him from the attack.

I jumped forward pushing Ayaan out of the way as the cold blade pierced my back, ripping open the skin.

Trying to ignore the pain I back kicked the knife out of his grip making it fall down through the small atrium with a railing next to the window.

A sensation of jolting pain made me wince but he took advantage of that and grabbed my neck pushing me back and slamming me on the control panel.

The light became sharper as the moon was completely cleared of the clouds and I noticed the features of the man holding me down. A thin figure with prominent sharp features. Sharp big eyes and short dark hair.

As our eyes met in that split moment it hit me. I realized what this all was.

He balled his fist and struck a punch in my gut, but I dodged it sideways and elbowed his face. He managed to avoid it by ducking. As he crouched down he front sweeped, making me lose my standing but I somehow managed to stand up again as I cartwheeled backwards.

But it was becoming harder to ignore the pain now. I was losing blood.

The sound of another gunshot from the first floor echoed everywhere but neither him nor I took our eyes off of eachother.

He was a trained assassin, there was no doubt about that but I had been trained equally dangerously.

I just need a chance, just one, to put an end to him.

We both stared at each other, looking for an opportunity. Slowly moving in closer as our eyes searched for an answer.

I gulped. Just a slight diversion. My eyes were focused on his movements and his on mine. We both were giving each other all the attention.

Then, at that very moment came in a rock, it flew in and the pointed edge hit the side of his head.

That was all I needed. I jumped into action and landed a hard blow on his right rib, I even heard it crack but just like how I was ignoring my pain he ignored his and grabbed my throat, slamming me down on the ground.

He squeezed my neck to destroy the air pipes but I didn't stop him from doing that because he was right where I wanted him.

Putting aside the nasty pain I managed to grin internally then slipped out my folding knife from my hidden belt slide and slashed is against his neck.

Blood gushed out of his open wound dying my shirt and skin red.

I tossed him aside and tried getting up. It didn't take long before life left his body and I tried moving ahead but staggered.

"Arius!" I heard Azalea and looked ahead to see her and Ayaan running towards me. My vision was getting blurry and I was fully conscious of the pain now.

Azalea skid through to the ground and held my face in her hands, "Hey!" I felt her voice crack and tried focusing on her face. Tears were rolling down her cheeks, "Hang on huh! Please!" She begged me and searched my pockets for something.

"Why are you crying?" I asked her in a dim voice.

She sniffled, "How can I not?" She glanced at me, "You're hurt!" The droplet reflected the moonlight as it rolled across her cheeks. "I can't bear it…"

… Seeing her cry like this makes me want to live even stronger. It made me feel a slight bit better, knowing her tears were meant solely for me.

As her hands spotted something in my back pocket she took it out, my phone but it was cracked pretty bad.

...

Well, I hope that still works.