Twilight Of The Echo Bearer

The room had become a butcher's den at this point. Blood pooled beneath the mangled form of the Vampire woman, her dismembered limbs scattered like discarded meat.

Lux – the man with shoulder-length hair – stood over her, his breath steady despite the carnage. Her face, or what was left of it, was barely recognizable. A few more minutes of torture, a few more silenced screams, and he finally got what he came for.

"Arthuros..." he repeated softly, rolling the name over his tongue like a curse. That was the name he needed. The one behind this city's Supernatural organization and pulling the strings. The one he had been hunting.

He crouched down again, the woman's body still twitching, barely alive but not for long. Her eyes that once defiant, now pleaded for mercy, but Lux had none to give.

He unsheathed his silver dagger, its blade catching the dim candlelight. He hadn't used it until now because he didn't want to end her too soon. No, she needed to suffer first and he needs answer. He had enjoyed that part, more than he'd admit to anyone, especially himself.

Without a word, he drove the dagger straight into her chest. A muffled gasp escaped her lips before the silver did its work. Her body seized, the metal power coursing through her veins too fast for any kind of regeneration. And then, in mere seconds, she was nothing more than ash, scattered across the blood-soaked floor.

Lux then stood and wiping his hands clean on the bed sheets. The stink of death lingered in the room but to him, it was the smell of a job done. He calmly stepped over the pile of ashes that had once been the Vampire woman and moving to where his gear lay.

He wear his black shirt and trouser, then pulled on his black leather coat, sliding his arms into the worn sleeves with the ease.

The coat, tattered and scarred from battles long past, settled over his shoulders. He strapped his twin guns to his hips, and slid his daggers into their sheaths. His boots crunched against the broken floorboards as he finished gearing up.

Without a second glance at the room or the mess he'd made, he moved to the window. The faint glow of the Ashenveil city, a place where law and order were as rare as sunlight, lit the streets with a dim light.

Dusty roads, saloons, brothels, and an air of constant danger of both men and Supernatural hung thick in the air. The perfect place for a hunter like him.

Lux glanced down, his brown eyes briefly catching the reflection of the street lanterns. Then, with one swift motion, he leapt out of the window. His boots hitting the dark cobblestone street below without a sound. He straightened up, his coat billowing behind him as he disappeared into the shadows of Ashenveil's underbelly.

Lux moved through the dark streets, his boots echoing softly against the cobblestone as he made his way to a tavern. The night clung to him and masking his presence as he passed by figures hidden in the shadows.

What he needed now was information, Arthuros's real name. Though he was sure that he was some short of big deal inside the criminal organization inside this city, he must know for sure. Without it, finding and killing the Vampire Lord would be near impossible.

As he walked, his eyes flicked up to the massive stone structure dominating the center of the city, the Church of Solara, the Goddess of Radiant Dawn. Its towering spires reached toward the sky and at the highest point, the golden symbol of the sun gleamed faintly, though now covered in shadow and cloud.

Lux scoffed under his breath.

The church's presence was a joke, at least here in Ashenveil. What did they expect, building something meant to represent warmth and light in a place as rotten as this? The city was anything but radiant.

The influence of the Supernatural factions that ruled here was far stronger than the so-called 'light' of Solara. They controlled everything, the law, the streets, the people.

The humans who lived here? They barely survived, clinging to whatever scraps of peace they could find, all while living in constant fear of what lurked in the dark.

"Radiant warmth, peace, health..." Lux muttered to himself with a mocking smile. "Not in this place."

The irony stung, like a bad joke told too often. Solara's priests might preach about hope but hope didn't last long in Ashenveil. Not with Vampires, and all manner of other monsters they created running the show.

The church stood like a relic, something to make the citizens feel like there was still a chance to save their souls. But Lux knew better.

As he passed the church, his gaze drifted beyond it, toward the massive metal wall that encircled the city. The wall stood tall and foreboding with surface that glinting faintly under the small moonlight.

Runes and sigils of magic were etched into the metal, humming with a protective barrier. It kept the feral Supernatural — the ones too stupid or animalistic to pass as human — from entering the city. But the ones who already walked inside the city? The Vampires like the one he just killed, the dark sorcerers and warlock? They lived freely, thriving in the rot of Ashenveil.

"The wall keeps the dumb ones out, but lets the real monsters run wild inside." Lux thought to himself.

With a final glance at the church and the wall, he turned his attention back to the road ahead. The tavern wasn't far now and inside, there would be someone willing to sell him what he needed for the right price, or for the right amount of pain.

Lux finally spotted the tavern — The Hollow Shade. A fitting name for a place like this.

He pushed the door open and stepped inside, the stench of cheap liquor and sweat immediately assaulting his senses. The room fell quiet as eyes turned to him. They knew he wasn't from around here.

He didn't care.

Without a glance at anyone, Lux strode straight to the bar where the tavern owner, a burly man with a graying beard and suspicious eyes, was wiping down a glass. The man looked up as Lux approached, sizing him up quickly.

"Drink?" the owner grunted, his tone casual.

Lux didn't answer at first. Instead, he reached into his coat and put a single gold coin onto the counter. The owner's eyes flicked to it, and his expression changed, understanding immediately. The price of a drink in this place was far less than a gold coin. Lux wasn't here for the booze.

"I'll take a whiskey," Lux said.

The man gave a curt nod and poured him a glass. He set it down in front of Lux but didn't move away. Instead, he leaned in slightly and whisper. "What do you really want?"

Lux took a slow sip of the whiskey, letting the burn travel down his throat before setting the glass down. He met the owner's eyes, his expression unreadable.

"Arthuros."

The owner froze, his face going pale. His eyes widened with fear, and for a moment, he looked like he might bolt.

"I don't know anything about that," the owner stammered, shaking his head.

Lux didn't react. He placed his purse on the counter and opened it just enough to reveal the small fortune inside, thirty gold coins, more than enough to make any man reconsider his words.

The tavern owner's gaze flicked to the coins, his mouth tightening as he hesitated.

Greed and fear battled on his face. After a tense moment, greed won.

The owner swallowed hard and glanced around nervously before leaning closer. "Come with me. We'll talk in the back."

Lux downed the rest of his whiskey in one smooth motion, the glass clinking softly as he set it down. He stood, not saying a word, and followed the man around the counter toward a door that led to the back of the tavern.

As they passed, the room full of eyes stayed on them, and one in particular is looking at Lux.

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