"Captain, no!!" Tavora’s voice tore through the clearing, snapping Sagiri to his senses immediately.

Yoka had been hit, and he lay unmoving. Tavora was now trying to hold his ground against the six. He was good, but he was still no match. Yoka was still trying to crawl but fell for the third time. N’varu was surprisingly holding his own. The southern style he was using was fast and lethal. Even so, Sagiri could smell his tiredness, and soon, he was going to wear off, and then the veil blades were going to kill him.

Sagiri could feel a presence of the approaching in a rush. They were still far out to make it in time. Something was wrong on their end, too, and Sagiri could feel it.

The battlefield was at a very critical moment. Sagiri tried to move, but his energy was almost gone. He could move within the archive because it had retracted back to try to heal him or keep him alive. He retched another mouthful of blood.

This was not the time!!

Time seemed to stand still and move in slow motion. N’varu was growing tired. His movements became sluggish, and soon he was getting cornered. Sagiri watched in slow motion as Tavora tried to protect Yoka and failed. He could not move as he watched for a moment as an attack aimed at Tavora’s throat. Sagiri could not blink even as the poison ate at him, eating away the remaining strength he had.

Tavora was going to die. The boy had gotten on Sagiri’s nerves again and again, yet as he stood seconds from death, Sagiri did not wish him death. In the last moment, however, a blur of shadow moved.

Yoka.

He used the last of his strength to move and pushed Tavora out of the way. The hand- attached blade tore into his midsection in a moment, but in that moment, Yoka drove his blade into the assassin. He spat blood from his lips as he choked away his last sign of life.

A moment of silence.

A scream tore through the place.

"Captain!! No!!"

Sagiri did not know if that was Tavora’s scream or his, but just like always, when he was at the edge, a darkness took root inside of him. It did not care whether he was poisoned. His heart turned to ice, and his pupils darkened.

"Sagiri nooo!!" N’varu had never felt such cold killing intent. It was so cold that there was no warmth in it. Sagiri did not have the strength to fight the ice and darkness in his heart.

He rose to his feet, his consciousness slipping away. The veil blades could not believe what they were seeing, and they could instantly feel the change in the air.

This was bad.

A moment as sagiri’s gates of consciousness slipped away, and he would be just a moving destruction. Suddenly, however, just moments from the impending tragedy, blurs dressed in white flowy attire, blending into daylight, broke into the clearing. They did not have blades, but carried killing intent.

Their aura, however, was almost too peaceful. So peaceful that Sagiri regained some of his control.

White ropes moved into the clearing, just a squad of 25 broke through the clearing. They did not know who the enemy was, but as they watched the white string circle and cage the enemy and take them prisoner, they paused.

Even Sagiri, who was ready to unleash destruction, paused to watch the majestic arrival. Their attacks looked like a graceful dance, but their palms crippled whoever they touched and rendered them unable to fight. They were not killing the veil blades, but within minutes, the ten still alive were bound.

When they finally stopped moving, is when Sagiri could see them clearly. They wore white pants that looked so delicate with every touch of the wind. A shawl covered their heads, neck, and rested on their shoulders. The remainder flowed all the way down to their feet. Their upper bodies were covered, still in the same shawl, making them look even more delicate. ten in total. Three maidens and seven men.

The man standing at the head of the group. Stood looking around the clearing until he saw Sagiri.

"Our apologies for being the keeper and chief of the N’folu. The veiled speaker, one of the thirteen in the council of the south, tasked us with finding you and ensuring your safe passage south!" He announced before he sank to one knee, and the other followed. "I, Siyia, leader of the sixth troop of Masters of Whispers, greet you."

Sagiri did not know whether to laugh or cry.

"The south sends assassins to kill me, and then sends you to give me safe passage?" Sagiri sneered. "Do the South perhaps think I don’t deserve to go home, or do they deem me stupid.

"We only answer to the veiled speaker. We are the masters of whispers. That is the only way we knew assassins had been sent after we were given the order to search for you."

"I greet Siyia, leader of the sixth troupe." N’varu sank to his knees to return the bow.

"Where are the other sand shades? Did you come alone to protect the keeper?" Siyia said. The sentence was not accusative in manner of speaking, but N’varu knew better.

"We dare not kill a chief of the south." Siyia did not wait for N’varu to answer.

Sagiri looked like he wanted to answer, but he fell back in the last second, and N’varu gasped in horror.

"He is poisoned by the freezing tongue. I can smell it from here. It will swell his tongue in a minute and kill him." Siyia said, rising to his feet and starting walking towards Sagiri. Just like everything the masters whispered, it was graceful and unhurried. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

"Sagiri noo!!" N’varu cried, closing the distance to Sagiri.

"Stay back!!" Siyia stopped N’varu.

"Kia, give him the antidote and tend his wounds," Siyia said to one of the females on the team, and she moved quickly.

"What is that? What are you going to give him?!" N’varu was as protective as ever.

"If anyone wants to kill him at this moment, they surely can. If we don’t give him this antidote, he will be dead in seconds anyway." Siyia said unhurried but with command. N’varu trembled before he stepped back. Kia stepped forward.

"Captain!!" Tavora screamed, holding Yoka’s lifeless body close to his chest. "Save my captain, please!!" he cried. Siyia crossed over to him and laid his fingers on Yoka’s neck.

"He is dead," Siyia said, standing to his feet. Tavora wailed and hugged Yoka even closer.

"Squad 25 tore into the clearing, too. Kiuga’s unmoving body rested on Kaka’s hands, and Lira lay in Maita’s.

"They are still alive but poisoned..." Kaka said in a small voice. Siyia nodded to his juniors to go help them out, but he made his way to the now bound assassins.

"The veil blades. I have been looking for your hideout for a while. If you tell me where it is, I will let you go." His voice was calm but chilling.

"The veil blades won’t tell you anything even if you torture us," one of them said before he bit his tongue. The others followed in unison. Siyia watched it all happen, but he did not seem fazed.

"As expected of the veil blades. We have what they want now. They will be sure to come out of hiding now." Siyia said with a chilling smile, a sharp contrast to his calm demeanor.