The moonlight shone brightly upon the vast peaks of snow covered mountains lighting up the dark night sky casting it slivery glow.
It was an utterly beautiful scene, a stark contrast to the bloody spectacle happening in the foot of the mountains.
Swish! Swish!
Through the snow laden trees, two shadows streaked past through them at blinding speed causing the snow on them shake loose and fall on the ground.
As, they raced through the land, several hooded men with their face covered and a black armour doned on their bodies appeared in front of them.
Their weapons gleamed with sharpness as their elemental auras covered the blades and daggers. The group of men radiated an intense suffocating killing intent towards the duo as they launched towards them.
However, the duo didn't even glanced at them much less stop from their advances. One of the duo, a man, simply waved his hand and the magic and the auras of the persuers vanished in an instant.
The group of the men, elite assasins trained and hardened through rigorous training halted for a millisecond shocked by the man's prowess, their co-ordination faltering.
However, just that a simple millisecond cost all of them their very lives, frozen spikes of ice erupted from the ground beneath them radiating an icy chill in the surroundings.
A blue coloured, magic circle with intricate geometrical patterns, shimmered in the man's hand. As the frozen spikes phased through the bodies of the assassins, sealing their fate in an instant.
Looking a bit closer, it was clear that the man was gravely injured. Several deep cuts marred his body, a gaping hole in his abdomen, his right chest boreing a piercing blow.
Blood flowed like a river from his body, as the man with his fatal wounds, ran at the top speed he could muster at the moment.
Yet, as they ran multiple immensely powerful auras descended in front of them, forcing the couple running to halt suddenly.
In front of them, a man with handsome features came forward. His blonde hair fluttered in the wind, as his emerald eyes filled with hatred looked at the couple. He smirked maliciously.
"Leaving without a proper farewell hah, Xavian? That's really not polite,you know " he sneered, his voice dripping with disdain and mockery.
The serene moonlight shifted, casting its silvery glow on the faces of the man and woman. The man, who even with his fatal wounds stood tall and imposing, had pure white hair that cascaded down to his shoulders, shining brightly like freshly fallen snow.
His face sharp, his chiseled features striking. His grey eyes glowed with an icy intensity. He was an utterly captivating figure.
Beside him, stood the woman as her breath came in ragged gasps. Despite her hard and obvious struggle to stay upright, her beauty remained striking. She was without a doubt the most beautiful one here.
Her golden locks cascaded like liquid sunlight, each strand glistening softly in the moonlight. High cheekbones framed her delicate features, her small nose adding to her graceful visage.
Her pink lips, even as she was in her weakened state, were enough to make any man heart skip a beat or two who looked upon her.
Her curvaceous figure and mesmerizing azure eyes held an enchanting allure that only a few could resist.
Despite all the precautions they had taken, the men before them couldn't help themselves as they steal lingering glances unable to resist her charm.
Xavian's gaze, though, remained fixed on the blonde man, his eyes were cold, brimming with anger and hatred.
If looks could kill, the man would have died a hundred times over by now. Yet, Xavian did not dignify him with a response to his taunt.
Instead, his focus shifted to another figure that stood among them. This man, shared the same snow-white hair as Xavian. He stood silently, his crimson eyes gleamed with a mysterious intensity.
Though his features were sharp and handsome, his presence paled in comparison to Xavian's commanding aura.
The blonde man's jaw tightened as he noticed the shift in the attention, his anger simmering beneath the surface.
His pride was bristled at being ignored, however he remained silent, as a malicious smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. After all, victory was already within his hand.
Though Xavian's boiling rage was directed at the crimson-eyed man, the anger in his voice speaking volumes.
"Why did you do it?" Xavian asked, his voice heavy with pain and betrayal. The question hung in the air, as the trust of years was shattered in a single moment.
He just couldn't fathom how or even why his own flesh and blood, his brother, who had been with him since the beginning of his journey could have done something like that.
His chest tightened as he looked at his brother, the only family member he had left before his wife came. They were supposed to be a united front, facing the world together. However..
To think that this man, who had been with him for all these years, could betray him like this—it was a wound that pierced deeper than any physical weapon, one that he couldn't accept. His mind was telling him he was betrayed by his brother however his heart.. it was telling him that there had to be something wrong here.
And their was something wrong.
In his rage and sorrow, he hadn't noticed the subtle time to time twitches of his brother's body, nor he noticed the brief tremor in the crimson eyes of his brother.
Xavian asked again, this time even more desperately, as his words cut through the tense silence, "Why?".
His eyes searching his brother's face, hoping for even a little of an explanation, any kind of reason for the betrayal before he would be forced to make this final and inevitable strike.
However in reality, the truth of this entire situation is already clear to him. He and his wife were trapped. Their strength had been drained to the very limits.
They are already weakened, standing on the thin line between life and death. They already know there was no way out of this.
Xavian had spent twenty-two days in non-stop battle against demons and dark mages. Though he had emerged victorious every time, hardly tired from the onslaught, the mental stress was still there.
Due to his mental stress and letting his guard down at home. He was now facing the cold reality of the situation as the poison rampaged in his body making the situation even more tragic.
He had returned to his pregnant wife, hoping to find her safe, protected by his brother and his wife. However, he found betrayal waiting for him at the doorstep.
And the weight of it crushed him. His once unshakable trust in his brother had been nothing but a lie. And now, standing here in the moonlit night in this bloody state , it seemed their fate was sealed.
They were going to die.
Breaking his racing thoughts, Xavian felt a gentle touch on his shoulder. He turned his head, his gaze landing on his wife.
Her face was as pale as freshly fallen snow, her strength visibly waning as if every ounce of vitality had been drained from her.
Yet, despite this fragile state, her eyes still held a spark of determination that refuse die without the safety of their sunshine.
"Don't lose yourself so much, my dear," she said softly, her voice almost a whisper but still firm. "That you fail to notice the signs of manipulation around him."