Page 106 of The Wishing Game

Ze is unbothered as he simply watches him with an emotionless expression. He smoothly rotates the hilt of the sword in his hand, the effortless display of strength intimidating even to my eyes—and I'm on his team!

But just as my focus is on the red fox and his incoming attack, I note movement from the corner of my eye.

I turn my head, following the motions.

To the side, Thea is still fighting the girl—or, better said, she's playing with her, baiting her here and there. Next to her, Cer is sporting a bored expression as he evades all the useless attempts of his opponent. He's clearly superior in strength and skill, but he doesn't seem to have the same thirst for blood that Ze does. He's just toying with the other man, dodging every attack and wearing him out.

But as I move my gaze even farther right, my eyes flare open in shock as I recognize the other male, now fully shifted into his fox form too. He's running at full speed toward Ze, readying himself for attack just as the red fox opens his mouth to release his energy blast.

"Ze, watch out," I call out to him, running to his side. In the moment, all my coherent thoughts vanish. It never even crosses my mind that I'm powerless and I could never possibly help him. There's only this unnatural impetus to save him as I push my battered body forward. I only cover a short distance before it becomes clear that the fox isn't running toward Ze.

He's runningat me.

Ze's head whips to me, something flaring in his gaze. He moves with frightening alacrity, his sword up in the air to absorb the blast of energy. One leg slips backward as the power of the blast strains his equilibrium. He holds on to his sword as the wave of energy washes through him, his body bent forward. His entire body shakes as currents of electricity travel from the sword through him, his expression pained. Still, his attention is fully on me. Yet the distance between us is a wide gulf that he can't possibly cross in time.

I come to a complete halt, my eyes wide, my heartbeat erratic. There's no time to retreat. Not with how unresponsive my body suddenly is and certainly not with how fast the fox is moving toward me.

Everything happens in slow motion as I squeeze my eyes shut, bracing myself for the impact.

But it never comes.

A loud bang erupts in the air, sowing panic in my chest. I crack my eyes open to find myself staring at Ze's back. He's breathing hard as he holds his ground, keeping the fox away from me. His fingers are wrapped around his opponent's throat, squeezing the life out of him. His hold tightens until a snap permeates the air, the neck of the fox bending at an awkward angle. His beady eyes are wide open, unblinking, his mouth parted—in regret or shock, who knows. Ze releases him and the unmoving body drops to the ground, morphing back into its humanoid form.

"Ze..." I whisper, reaching out to touch his sleeve.

It's the first time I see himkillsomeone. Before, when he'd dispatched that demon, I hadn't once had second thoughts about it because it was evil, no? He was saving the souls. But this... I'm not sure how I feel about it even though the fox was going to attack me. If it weren't for him, I'd be dead, or at the very least gravely injured. It's quite obvious that the foursome had started the conflict as a way to show off and take care of a weaker contestant. The flimsy pretext they had used to attack me had been a mere front.

Ze doesn't answer. He shrugs my hand off as he stalks toward the red fox, his steps heavy and measured. By now, the man must have realized that Ze is not someone to mess with because he tries to run away. But Ze will not allow him that mercy. He vanishes from his current spot, reappearing in front of the fox. With unnatural speed, he withdraws his sword, decapitating the red fox with one smooth slide of his blade.

The head falls to the ground, rolling on the grass until it's only a few steps away from me. I stare in shock at the blood gushing from the neck, the sight of the severed spine and tendons an anatomy lesson I did not particularly need.

But Ze doesn't stop there.

It's almost as if he's no longer in control of himself as he flashes out of sight once more, appearing between Cer and his opponent. Cer's eyes widen, but he doesn't seem overly surprised, taking a step back to give Ze more room. I detect a small bow of reverence coupled with a sharp gaze as he surveys the situation in case his superior might need help. Despite their apparent friendship or friendly countenance, there's no denying that Cer is always behaving in a subtle deferential manner toward Ze—one that isn't necessarily borne out of their positions, but because he truly respects the man. That tells me everything I need to know about Ze and what type of person he is. He might be rude and arrogant and sometimes downright tyrannical. But he's someone who inspires trust and loyalty—both traits I happen to admire.

Ze doesn't hesitate. He strikes again with his sword, the head of the man flying a few meters away, rolling on the grass. I barely blink before he disappears again, only to show up in front of the girl—the last one.

He has a chilling expression on his face. Splatters of blood are on his cheeks and forehead, some droplets dripping from his chin. He looks utterly terrifying, yet it's his eyes that trigger a deep fear within me.

They're empty. Soulless.

They're a pool of nothingness as he stares at his last victim, his sword raised high.

"Ze!" I call out. He doesn't hear me.

One second the female fox is watching him with trepidation, the next she's split in half by his sword, her lifeless body parts falling to the ground, her organs spilling onto the grass and staining it with blood and various other liquids. The urge to gag is overpowering, as is the shock that claims my body and renders it immobile.

All around us, there's only destruction and bloodshed. The lush garden in which I'd hugged my husband for the first time in weeks has turned into a hellish scenery. The grass is a muddy brown. The flowers have been stained by death.

I stand there, frozen to the spot as I stare around me. My emotions are high, my morality caught in a loop, churning until it ripens, then rots.

At one point in my life, I would have regretted this, but now I can't.

Four fewer people to compete against. Four fewer people contending for the prize. It's selfish, I know. But in the grand scheme of things, it's them or Nikki.

Slowly lifting my gaze, I meet Ze's absent one. We stare at each other for moments on end, the buzz of adrenaline the only sound as everything fades away.

There's a glint in his eyes, the swirling darkness giving way to a hint of color. Yet as he blinks, it's gone, as is his murderous rage. He slowly puts his sword away, his features clearing up. He's covered from head to toe in fox blood, but as I take a step forward to go to his side, I catch sight of something on the ground.

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