Silas let out a small sigh and irritably shook his head. "Now, now, settle down, Marcus; there's no need. My little brother's not in the same league as us; at nineteen, he's far too young and naive to understand how the world works yet."

"We, on the other hand, have six years over him. Now, put that thing away. You're going to stab someone by accident if you're not careful. We wouldn't want that, now would we?" Silas said as he pushed against the flat part of Marcus's dagger with his index finger, signaling Marcus to put it away.

The man of few words, who went by the name of Klive, had an icy calm and collected demeanor. Klive stood on Silas's right and then chimed in, "Forgive me, my lord, if you find that I'm speaking out of turn, but I can't say I'm not surprised. I knew it wouldn't be long before your brother finally snapped and betrayed you like this, which I warned you about before."

Like Marcus and Silas, Klive was quite an eye-catching man. His silver hair was tied into a small, messy ponytail that reached the end of his neck. Captivating gray eyes complemented his hair.

Marcus continued to hesitate while still clutching the dagger in his hand, his eyes pleading with Silas to punish Tristan more harshly. "But my lord, you can't be serious. Tristan needs to be taught a lesson; he doesn't deserve leniency."

Marcus's voice grew angrier and more vehement. "That was some tantrum your brother had. I could only imagine what crazed thoughts were racing through his mind at the moment he attacked you."

Marcus pointed at Silas's wound. "Just look at how deeply he drove a knife into your shoulder and the amount of blood that's oozing from the gaping hole that was left behind when it was ripped out. What if he had plunged the knife into your heart rather than your shoulder, huh?! You and I probably wouldn't even be talking right now."

Marcus's voice began to tremble with rage at that moment while clenching his fist tightly, "I can't even stomach such a thought. If that would have happened, I swear I would have killed him on the spot."

A colossal smirk consumed Silas's face as his demeanor shifted into one that was more sinister. Silas let out a wicked laugh and placed his right hand on top of Marcus's right shoulder. "Relax, Marcus, no need to get all worked up; I'm alive and well."

Silas looked into Marcus's eyes. "You give my brother way too much credit. He could never kill me; I wouldn't allow that. Also, you know my dear little brother might be onto something. Why would I wait when I should act now? Thank you, little brother, for making things clearer to me now; that deserves a reward. Fetch a physician for my brother and I. I don't need him dying on me now, do I? I need him alive to witness what's about to take place."

At that moment, Klive and Marcus exchanged confused glances before Marcus asked, "But my lord?! Reward him; you want to tend to his wounds?"

Silas smiled and spoke in a low and mischievous tone, "Silly Marcus, why are you wasting your breath on my little brother? He's not the target we're after. I could care less about him right now; we have much bigger matters to attend to. He's as good as harmless now; what can he possibly do now that he's behind bars? Contain yourself, save all your energy for the hunt tonight."

After Silas finished his sentence, Klive and Marcus knew precisely what Silas meant, and devilish smiles formed on their faces. The hunt involved ambushing a specific god, one that was the weakest of them all, and it would be the downfall of this god known as Kalias that would put Silas's wicked plan into motion like he wanted.

Marcus then asked in a hushed tone, "We're at your disposal, my lord, but what are we going to do about that damned barrier of light that god surrounds himself with for protection, making himself impervious to weapons."

Silas then shot Marcus a sly glance. "Marcus, you should know me better than anyone; I'm always one step ahead. I'll show you how it's rather simple."

Silas laughed arrogantly before stating, "Even though the gods and monsters that roam this land may possess powers and abilities that surpass those of an average human, they are not invincible. Just like any ordinary human, they have their weaknesses.

"Now, off we go, shall we? Tonight will be Kalias's last, but remember, I want to be the one to deal the final blow." Silas said.

The horses galloped through the dead of night. Not a single star nor the moon was in sight since they were engulfed by clouds, creating an endless sea of darkness serving as cover to hide the hunters from prying eyes.

They set out to find Kalias, who was lovingly called Kal by those close to him. The deity was beloved by humans and gods alike for his beauty and aura radiating compassion and wisdom.

Kalias loved to reside deep in the forest closest to the castle. Silas, Marcus, and Klive continued onward, their bloodlust guiding them through the darkness. The spell that Klive cast temporarily gave them night vision, causing their eyes to shift to gold in color to signify the use of the ability.

After a couple of hours passed, the hunters stumbled upon Kalias's striking figure. Kalias had his back turned toward them since he lowered his head to stare at his reflection in the pond he was sitting in front of. Silas motioned to the hunters to slowly raise their weapons and get ready to strike as they closed in like a leopard about to pounce upon their prey.

Kalias was caught off guard and could sense the hunters' presence, which caused him to look over his shoulder at them. His gentle eyes were like stained glass with a faint blue tint. His eyes had the same calming effect as that of a quiet steam at the break of dawn. His long white hair resembled strands of the finest silk.

Kalias asked calmly, "My dear king, what brings you and your soldiers here at this late hour? What is it that you want?"

"What do I want?!" Silas scoffed, his voice dripping with sarcasm. He twirled his sword before letting out an arrogant laugh. His eyes then became wild with madness.

Silas said in a low and menacing voice, "I want nothing more than for you to die by my very own two hands."

After hearing those words, Kalias tilted his head back to look up into Silas's dull blue eyes as if trying to distinguish if Silas had been joking. But the anxiety clawed at Kalias's stomach when he couldn't find a single ounce of a lie in what Silas had said.

Unfortunately for Kalias, Silas was serious about the threat. Kalias's stained glass eyes darted from the left and right as he noticed that Marcus and Klive had blocked any possible escape. As of right now, the god of peace was nothing more than a mouse enclosed within a cage with three predators on all sides of him.

"For a god, you're not very clever. Running would be a big mistake. Just give me the order already, Silas, and I'll make sure he won't be running," Marcus said with a devilish glint in his eyes. A grin plastered itself on his face as he clutched his daggers tightly.

"Marcus, you can't have all the fun. I'll take care of his left leg," Klive said, grinning since he and Marcus were on the same page. Then, Klive aimed his bow at Kalias without breaking his focus on his left leg while Marcus was getting ready to strike his right leg.

"You can't be serious; this is madness. What have I ever done to—?" Kalias started before his own gasp interrupted him when Marcus and Klive started attacking him. It was then that Kalias extended his hands forward to emit a light barrier that pushed back Klive's arrow, Marcus's daggers, and Klive and Marcus themselves.

Kalias's sense of security vanished when he heard an unsettling noise, causing him to look up. He saw what looked to be dark bits of electricity gliding across the round barrier of light he had around himself. The sheer presence of the darkness enveloping his barrier was enough to shake him to his very core.

With hesitation, Kalias looked back to where he had flung Klive and Marcus, only to find that Silas was standing just outside his barrier.

Silas's lips curved up into a crazed smile before he grabbed a dagger out of his pocket and jammed it right into the surface of the light barrier, causing a crack to form in the barrier that spread across the surface. The more Silas drove in the dagger, the stronger the darkness got, and it started to swallow up the light from the barrier.

"Wha-what have you done to yourself? No human should have that amount of dark power residing in themselves, even if they did use dark magic." Kalias said with his voice shaking in fear before he quickly shielded his face when the light barrier around him disappeared as it was absorbed into the darkness that had emitted from Silas's body.

"Does it really matter how in the end, especially in your current condition? What should be on your mind is what you'll do with the last little bit of time you have left." Silas said.

"You know you sound a lot like Tristan, always asking pointless questions that won't give any answer of value, but then again, my brother is just as clueless as you are. The main thing you should know about me is that if I have a goal I set for myself, I'll stop at nothing until I get what I want," Silas said in a low, menacing tone as his blue eyes solely focused on Kalias.