New Eden: Live to Play, Play to Live

The kid fell to the ground, Alex catching the knife before it could hit the floor. Then, looking over Randall's shoulder, he saw a shadow move strangely on the wall.

Alex didn't hesitate, throwing the knife, which nicked Randall's cheek as it flew past his face, and stabbed into the shadow's shoulder, as a groan echoed from it.

Melting out of the shadow, dragging with it the knife, came a man dressed in all-black clothes, practically looking like a hipster.

The man was young, maybe around Alexander's age, and he glared at Alex. But his glare quickly changed into a look of disgust.

"I thought I was creepy, crawling through the shadows. At least I don't look like that…" he said, pointing at Alex.

And it wasn't without reason.

Everyone else in the house had now noticed Alex's appearance, and fear was growing in them.

Alex looked at them and grinned.

"What? Never seen a demon before? Better get used to it," he mocked.

He had turned into his demonized form, his skin red and horns jutting out of his head to maximize his physical abilities.

That's when Randall realized the resemblance with the man he had wrapped up in his backyard; turning to look at the backyard, all he could see were pieces of vines like his cocoon had exploded from within.

He then realized Alex had attacked another man in his house, which he hadn't known was even in there. His mind slowly caught up with the situation.

Alex pulled back on Randall, putting him behind himself, knowing full well the man was here for him.

This surprised Randall, as he almost jumped out of his skin instinctively, when the demonic being pulled on him.

"I told you I wasn't your enemy. But I can't say the same for him. I'll handle him. Stand back," Alex ordered, taking a step toward the young man who had pulled out the dagger from his shoulder.

Seeing he was at a disadvantage, the young assassin tried turning to grab the teenage girl who was closest to him, hoping to get out of this situation. However, as he stepped toward her, she disappeared from his sight.

'Huh?' he wondered, looking back toward the mother.

Then, she disappeared, too.

'What the fuck is going on?' the young man wondered.

"You should keep your eyes on me," a voice whispered in his ear.

He never even realized the man before him had slipped next to him, let alone saw him move to get the people to safety, when he started flying toward the open door.

Alex had to move extremely fast, so the teen and wife wouldn't try to get away from him, just to keep them away from the assassin. But he did so with ease, given his body's capabilities.

When he was done removing them from immediate threat, he stepped next to the young man, who was still wreathed in shadows, and whispered a warning in his ear.

Then he shoved him toward the open door so hard, the young man flew off like a cannonball.

But before he could even crash into the street's pavement, Alex was already over him, flipping in the air and striking down with an axe kick.

The fight was over before it started, as the young assassin smacked into the asphalt and dug into the ground several inches, his back broken, and his mind fading to nothing.

The fight was done before it even began.

Alex made sure not to kill him, but that didn't mean he went easy on him. By the angle of his spine when he kicked him, Alex knew this young man would never walk again.

And that was if he survived the next few days.

Jack would want to get his hands on him, given he had tried to kill another awakened player.

Thinking about how he would be away from Montreal soon enough, Alex realized the urgency of gathering the awakened people around Jack, who could at least try to organize them and protect them.

But, at this moment, he needed to focus on the prying eyes of the neighbours, who suddenly saw a man with red skin kick another man with a wriggling shadow many inches into the solid pavement.

He rushed back into Randall's house, turning back into a human, and grabbed him by the shoulders.

"Listen to me. I know you don't trust me. But we can't stay here. Grab the essentials, and your family, and come with me. I'll arrange transportation."

Randall just looked at him, eyes wide at what he had just seen, and nodded.

'He could have killed me instantly if he wanted to…' was the only thought bouncing around in Randall's head, right now.

"Hey! Snap out of it, man!" Alex barked, shaking him a little.

"Huh… Ah, yes… I'll pack a bag…" he muttered.

Alex clicked his tongue, realizing the man was out of it.

He turned toward his wife.

"Cynthia, was it?"

She nodded, keeping her lips sealed.

"Please get bags for you and your children. We are leaving as soon as my transport gets here. There won't be any dawdling. And get your husband back in control of his mind. He's useless if he can't even think for himself."

Cynthia nodded curtly, jumping to her feet.

"Come on, Daniel. Let's go pack you a bag. Annie, you go pack yours."

The teenage girl sat there momentarily, shocked at what she had witnessed. One moment, a stunningly beautiful man lands in their backyard, and the next, intruders barge into their home.

Then, the gorgeous young man turns into this abominable red-skinned demon that she would most likely never forget, and now he is back to normal.

Her mind was still reeling.

"Hey! Snap out of it, girl!" Alex barked, snapping his fingers in front of her face.

Being called girl brought her back to normal, as she frowned at him.

"Uh, rude… I have a name…" she complained.

Alex shrugged.

"I don't give a shit. Pack a bag. When the transport gets here, we are leaving with what you have on you," Alex said, his face stoic.

The girl huffed before leaving for her room. She was offended by the man's words, and suddenly, his previous lustre was gone.

Alex quickly texted Mr. Gu, who he knew would be the quickest to respond.

'SOS my position. Been made. Need transport for four adults, one gravely injured, and two kids ASAP.'

And as he had expected, the reply came in moments.

'I'll make arrangements. Do you need muscle?'

Alex snickered to himself as he responded.

'I need cleaners for a dead body, but not muscle. It's been dealt with.'

'On it.'

After this exchange, Alex stood still, in the middle of the house, and closed his eyes.

He needed to do a full sweep of his surroundings, in case another threat was nearby.

He extended his mana senses in a bubble around him and soon covered the entire neighbourhood with them. This time, he was less focused on one signature, and took time to include every living being in his search.

It caught even birds, rodents, and insects, but he would rather see everything than miss something.

Once he saw every living thing in a mile radius around him, he honed into anything that had mana traces, and two more traces appeared. They were slowly driving away, about a quarter of a mile north.

His eyes snapped open, and his face became icy.

Cynthia was just passing through the kitchen, trying to grab something from the fridge, when she saw his face, and a shiver ran up her spine.

He looked at her and said, "There are two more not too far away. I'm going after them. I'll be right back. Don't leave the house."

She nodded, her mind flashing to images of him with red skin, and she shivered again.

But when he ran out the door, enormous white wings unfolded on his back, and he jumped into the sky, disappearing from her sight.

"What on earth is he?" she mumbled, her mind unable to comprehend what she was seeing.

But she snapped herself out of it as she remembered the young man's words. She needed to pack a bag and quickly.

In the meantime, Alex flew over the neighbourhood, uncaring that people were seeing him, as he tracked down the vehicle with the two presences he had felt.

He quickly spotted a black sedan about to embark on the highway, which looked out of place, given its make and model for a neighbourhood like this one, and he grinned.

"Found you."

Now that it was surrounded by other vehicles and people, he couldn't go after it, but he still wasn't giving up finding out who they were.

Focusing, Alex stopped his flight, and pulled his hands together, like he was drawing a bow.

As he looked at the car, a condensed form of mana appeared in his hands.

"I may not be able to take care of you now, but you'll never escape me," Alex said, grinning, as he released an arrow of condensed mana and wind.

The arrow zipped through the air, hitting the trunk of the car and disappearing. But Alex could see the car like a beacon in his senses now.

He had marked it with his mana. There was no escaping him, indeed.

But it was a matter for later. For now, he still needed to get that family to safety.

"I'll come for you, whoever you are," he smirked.