Blood Oath of the Shadow

Chapter 5

"Open your eyes, Hunter. The thing you worship is made of the very rot you hate," Rena hissed.

Axel froze. His gaze locked on the silver badge resting in his palm. The black blood clinging to it would not wipe away. It seeped slow into the metal’s surface, as if injected on purpose from within. He watched dark veins spread beneath the silver, twisting into a grotesque pattern like rotting blood vessels. The badge he had worn on his chest with pride for years, the thing he had held sacred, now looked like something foreign, something he had never truly known.

"What do you mean?" Axel’s voice came out rough. "Made of rot?"

Rena let out a slow breath. For a moment, Axel caught a flicker of softness in her usually sharp eyes. "This is not pure silver. The Order mixed it with ash from the demons they executed. They used that dark essence to bind your oaths. Every time you touch or wear this, you take in a little of that darkness without ever knowing it."

Rage exploded in Axel’s chest. He grabbed Rena by the collar and slammed her back against the damp red brick wall. The dull thud echoed down the narrow alley.

"Where did you hear such lies? Do not dare slander the Order!" he snapped.

His breath came fast. Anger drowned out the doubt gnawing at the edge of his mind, but a small voice would not stay quiet. Why did the badge feel so heavy lately? Why did that cold chill run up his arm every time he touched it, a feeling he had always thought was normal?

Rena stared straight into his gray eyes. There was no fear there, only pity, and that pity stoked his fury higher. "The Order brought this design here. They wove demon essence into every badge to keep you leashed. To make you obey, and never ask questions."

"Lies!" Axel shouted. "This is illusion magic. You shadow witch, you only want to twist my mind. That is what you do, is it not? Turn truth inside out and plant doubt in your enemies!"

His grip tightened. Every logical part of him screamed that he should end this now. Killing her was the fastest way to silence the words that felt too real against his skin. One strike, and the doubt would vanish.

But a memory flashed bright. He saw Rena’s blood purifying the demon spawn that night, how those tiny parasites had dissolved into white ash the moment they touched it. That blood was pure. It did not lie. And in his hand, the badge grew colder, heavier, as if the dead thing had suddenly woken up.

Trembling, Axel let go. He stepped back, chest heaving. His eyes darted from the badge to her face, then back again. The air between them felt thick, suffocating.

"Prove it," he said low and sharp. "Give me real proof, or I will make sure you never speak those words again." He lifted his silver spear from his back, the sharp tip aimed straight at her heart. "I am not playing games. I have killed more demons than you have years of life. One more will not weigh on me."

Rena smiled bitterly. She drew a long breath and closed her eyes for a heartbeat. When she opened them, her gaze sharpened until it made Axel’s skin prickle.

"You want to see what they hide beneath your holy uniform?" Rena held out her open palm. Right in the center sat a perfect circle burn, throbbing slow like a second heart beating under her skin. "This came from the same badge. I got it when I tried to take mine off. They do not let hunters leave. The oath is carved into your blood, and the only way to break it is to die."

Axel stared at the mark. The circle matched the carving on his badge exactly. His chest grew tight. For years he had blamed the dull ache in his chest every time he wore the badge on old battle wounds. Seeing the same mark on her hand, he could no longer pretend.

Before Rena could say more, a sharp whine split the alley air.

𝘊𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘬! 

A silver round slammed into the wall right between their heads. Chunks of concrete sprayed out, nicking Axel’s cheek. He felt the warm trickle of blood at once. His reflexes moved faster than thought. He spun, drew his silver blade, and stepped in front of Rena without even thinking, shielding her with his body.

Shadows in black gear emerged from the dark end of the alley. Three figures, maybe four, hard to tell in the flicker of a dying neon sign. Gun barrels glinted cold. They moved with perfect, deadly rhythm, stepping in unison as their weapons locked on target. On every chest, the silver badge glowed faint—the exact same mark he still held tight in his fist.

The Order’s cleanup unit had arrived.

Axel glanced at Rena then back at the advancing hunters. Something shifted deep inside him. It was not that he suddenly trusted her, but the way they moved told him everything. No shouted warning, no order to stand aside. They had fired first, as if they would not care if they struck one of their own.

He understood now. They had not come to capture a shadow witch. They had come to bury the badge’s secret forever. And if that meant cutting down a senior hunter too, they would not hesitate.

"Axel," Rena whispered behind him, her voice almost lost under the steady thud of boots. He felt her hand rest light on his back. "Still sure these are your friends?"

Axel did not answer. He only gripped his blade harder. In his other hand, the badge burned hot against his skin, as if screaming its long-hidden sin. Ahead of him, the hunters kept coming, their sights never wavering for a second.

To be continued