C4 Chapter 4 : I am Back (Part 4)

What Mother said slashed through the scrap of hope I still held. My vision slowly faded along with the carriage stretcher as it continued down the road.

Afternoon turned into night. Mother and I shared a simple meal at a dining table made of rotting wood. Even the tablecloth was far from luxurious. A chill crept up the back of my neck. My stomach lurched, as if a stone were shifting inside it.

SRAAAKK.

Less than a centimeter from my head, a sword shot down at lightning speed, nearly piercing me before embedding itself squarely in the dining table.

“Cassian!” Mother screamed.

Shadows streaked through the air as several figures dressed head to toe in black moved swiftly, surrounding us. I sucked in a sharp breath, glancing toward a blunt voice among them.

“You should’ve lived like rats!”

With a sweeping motion, I hooked the kettle of boiling water and flung it at them in a wide arc.

“AAAGHHH!”

The assassins’ screams echoed as the scalding heat struck, burning into their bodies.

I grabbed Mother’s hand and bolted through the back door, heading toward a dark, brush-covered path leading to the forest behind the imperial palace. It looked like a dead end, but that was the point—to ensure no one would know.

“Mother, go that way and ask for help!” I said, sweat pouring down.

My role now was to wait as bait for the assassins. Mother didn’t agree right away; she demanded, “What about you?!” as she forcibly grabbed my arm.

“I have my own plan! Hurry, Mother—we don’t have much time!”

If luck favored us, Mother would find the secret base of the imperial elite forces.

I pried her fingers from the strip of tattered cloth wrapped around my body. She still looked at me with sorrowful eyes, but what had to happen would happen.

I took a step back, then ran in the opposite direction. Thankfully, Mother followed my request and rushed the way I had indicated.

SRAKKK.

The assassins slashed through the trees, closing in. I ran at full speed into a narrow thicket-lined alley, then stopped at an old building not far from the dense trees.

“Where did that brat go?!”

There had been five of them—now only four remained. Where was the other one?

I watched them, my heart pounding violently. My breath hitched, threatening to burst out. Silence fell, yet my heart only raged harder under the pressure.

I shifted my body quietly, intending to turn back and hide elsewhere, when suddenly my breath escaped in a startled gasp.

GASP!

A black shadow loomed behind me, its sharp gaze fixed as a hand easily clamped around my neck.

“Found you, rat!”

My body dangled in the air, legs kicking at nothing without a sound. A silent scream howled within me as salty tears gathered at the corners of my eyes. The assassin’s fingers tightened on my throat, pressing the vulnerable points. My hands flailed uselessly.

“I didn’t think catching a rat like you would be this troublesome,” he said, his grip growing stronger.

“Don’t waste time! Finish him, then we’ll find the woman,” another said, already reaching for his sword.

“KEUGHH!—SPIT!”

My saliva flew straight onto the man’s cheek. I grinned. His arm tensed, then with full force he slammed my body into a wooden wall.

BRUAAKKK.

“KEUKKG!—COUGH!”

The wall splintered, sharp cracks racing through the wood. After the heavy impact, my body collapsed to the floor below. My head spun, breath trapped as blood streamed from the corner of my mouth—then that thick red liquid burst forth.

The man’s temple throbbed, his jaw clenched tight. In one motion, a sword was drawn. He lunged, ready to stab. The blade neared my throat when suddenly—

KLANG!

A sword shot in from an unexpected direction, knocking his blade away and sending it flying.

“Protect the prince and capture the assassins!” a voice rang out, followed by the thunder of heavy footsteps.

The royal guard? I whispered as my eyes finally sank closed.

“Cassian!”

A gentle, loving voice landed with a soft sob. Casandra collapsed beside her son, who lay bloodied and covered in wounds.

She had managed to track Cassian’s whereabouts with the help of the imperial elite forces she encountered, following Cassian’s directions.

With equal force, the assassins were wiped out completely, without a trace. Mother and son were then escorted back to where they truly belonged.

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Night: Imperial Palace

The imperial gates were opened—an access long serving as the boundary between the Palace and the outer districts. The gates were made of iron layered with zinc, massive in scale: 20 meters wide and 30 meters tall, rectangular in shape.

The iron surface was studded with small metal protrusions, serving as both decoration and reinforcement.

Rows of lamps shone brightly in their positions, illuminating anyone who passed through. Amid the shrill neighing of horses, a guard’s voice boomed loudly:

“HIS MAJESTY THE EMPEROR HAS ARRIVED!”