The whisper faded into the quiet.

Gabriel lowered his hand, the medallion settling against his chest as the pulse in his eyes slowed to a steady beat. The river moved on as it always had, reeds swaying gently along the bend the villagers had pointed out.

He stepped toward the waterline.

The mud near the bank was soft, churned in patches where something heavy had hauled itself in and out.

He crouched and pressed his fingers into the earth.

It had been recently disturbed.

Why are they hunting in the middle of the day?

Gabriel rose and drew one blade, keeping the other sheathed. Steel clinked softly as it cleared its holder. He moved without haste, placing each step carefully as he followed the river's curve, keeping the reeds to his left and open ground to his right.

The smell was stronger here. A mixture of rot and old waste left to sour in the mud.

The water ahead rippled. Not from the current.

Gabriel stopped.

He waited. The surface broke with a quiet splash.

Something pale slid back beneath the water, too quick for a full glimpse, but enough for him to see the shape, long limbs, thin shoulders, a hunched spine vanishing into the murk.

Four of them, the report had said.

Gabriel exhaled slowly.

"So, you're watching me too," he murmured.

He stepped forward.

The reeds shifted as he moved, parting just enough to let him through without a sound. The mud clung to his boots, thick and slow, forcing him to place each step with care as the river narrowed ahead.

He stopped again.

The water was still now, its surface flat and unbroken, but the stench was stronger here. Whatever had slipped beneath the riverbank hadn't gone far.

Gabriel adjusted his grip on the blade, letting his breath fall into a steady rhythm as he advanced another few steps, eyes fixed on the dark waterline where the reeds grew densest.

A ripple spread outward.

He didn't move.

The surface bulged slightly, just enough to betray the outline beneath it.

A pale hand broke the water for a heartbeat before disappearing again.

Gabriel tilted his head.

"Come on," he said quietly. "I know you're-."

The water erupted before he finished his sentence.

A pale shape burst from the river, limbs flailing as it launched itself toward him, mouth opening wide to reveal rows of jagged teeth.

Gabriel stepped forward instead of back, blade already moving. One clean motion, steel cutting across its throat before it could fully clear the water.

Not given the creature a chance to make a sound.

The body hit the mud hard, thrashing once, before falling still.

Dark blood spilled into the river, quickly carried away by the current.

Gabriel didn't look down for long.

"One down," he whispered to himself.

He continued along the bend.

Keeping at a steady pace.

One of them was waiting in the treeline up ahead.

He couldn't see it. He couldn't hear it. But a faint surge rolled through his body all the same, gathering in his chest before fading away. With every step closer, the sensation returned stronger than before, a quiet pressure warning him he was no longer alone.

He stopped.

Gabriel lowered the blade slightly, his eyes never leaving the treeline. With his free hand, he drew his thumb carefully along the edge of the steel.

Just enough.

The blade kissed skin. A thin line opened across his thumb, bright red welling instantly.

He clenched his fist and let a few drops fall into the mud.

A gentle hiss drifted through the air, followed instantly by a ravenous growl.

A creature burst from behind the tree, drool stringing from its fang-lined mouth as it lunged, claws tearing through bark in its rush to reach him.

Gabriel didn't retreat.

He raised his free hand.

Red fog poured from his palm in a sudden surge, thick and heavy, snapping forward like a living thing. It slammed into the creature mid-leap, crushing it back against the tree it had emerged from with a dull impact.

The trunk groaned under the pressure of the red fog.

The Brinekin thrashed, limbs straining uselessly as the crimson haze pinned it in place, wrapping around its arms and shoulders like iron bands. It couldn't move.

Its jaw snapped wildly instead, head jerking left and right as it tried to bite at him, teeth clamping shut on nothing but air, drool splattering the bark.

Gabriel stepped forward and slashed his blade parallel along its neck. Decapitating the beast in one quick motion.

The red haze dissipated.

Its head twisted in the air as its body crashed to the ground.

I'm getting more control.

A branch snapped deeper in the treeline. Gabriel jerked his head toward the sound.

Wet feet pounded against the forest floor, fast and reckless. He turned just in time to see two pale shapes burst from the undergrowth, eyes wide, mouths stretched open as they rushed him without hesitation.

He didn't flinch.

Gabriel raised both hands.

Crimson fog poured from his palms, heavier than before, surging forward in thick coils that wrapped around the creature's mid-charge. It wound tightly around their torsos, locking them in place, then climbed higher, snaking around their necks.

The Brinekin shrieked, clawing at the air as their feet lifted from the ground.

Gabriel closed his hand into a fist.

A sharp, tearing sound ripped through the air.

Both heads separated at once, spinning free as dark blood sprayed from their severed necks.

The fog recoiled, flowing back toward Gabriel as it released its grip.

The two lifeless bodies dropped into the mud in a tangled heap.

Gabriel stood still for a moment, watching the fog finish its retreat as it sank back into his hands and faded from sight.

Four bodies lay scattered across the mud and broken reeds.

He glanced down at his palm, flexing his fingers slowly. There was no trembling this time. No resistance. The power had obeyed him.

It wasn't just faster, it was stronger and more controlled.

A slight curl formed on his lip.

He stood for a moment, taking it all in. He didn't bother checking the bodies again.

He turned away from the riverbank and started back the way he'd come, boots sinking briefly into the mud before finding firmer ground. The trees closed in behind him, swallowing the scent of blood and rot that he left behind.

By the time he reached the village, the noise of the river was already fading.

The hunt had been completed.

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