Kaelen's warning sent a jolt of adrenaline through Anya. "Who are they?" she whispered, her hand instinctively going to the small, concealed dagger she had fashioned from a piece of sharpened metal found in the greenhouse.
"Hunters," Kaelen replied, his voice a low growl. "Not the Volkovs' usual thugs. These are… different. More professional. They've been tracking us for a while." His eyes, now glowing faintly with an inner light, scanned the treeline. "Stay close. And be ready."
They moved deeper into the forest, Kaelen leading the way with an almost preternatural awareness of their surroundings. Anya, utilizing her 'Basic Stealth' and newly refined 'Basic Telekinesis' to muffle her footsteps, followed closely. The forest, once a place of quiet solitude, now felt alive with unseen eyes.
They managed to evade their pursuers for a time, but the hunters were relentless. Anya could feel their presence, a cold, predatory aura that sent shivers down her spine. It was a familiar feeling, one she had encountered many times in her past life when facing highly trained assassins.
Suddenly, Kaelen stopped, his hand raised. "They've split up. Trying to flank us." He pointed to a faint glow in the distance. "That's the edge of the estate. We can't go back there. Not now."
Anya's mind raced. Trapped. But not helpless. She had learned from Kaelen, and she had the System. "What's their objective?" she asked.
"You," Kaelen replied, his gaze fixed on her. "They're after you. Or rather, what you represent."
Before she could question him further, a figure emerged from the shadows, a tall, lean man clad in dark, form-fitting armor. He moved with a silent efficiency that spoke of years of training. In his hand, he held a strange, glowing device that pulsed with a faint, rhythmic hum.
"Anya Volkov," the man's voice was a flat monotone, devoid of emotion. "You are to come with us. Resistance is… ill-advised."
Kaelen stepped forward, placing himself between Anya and the hunter. "She's not going anywhere with you."
The hunter's eyes, cold and unblinking, fixed on Kaelen. "Kaelen Thorne. Always interfering. This does not concern you."
"Anything that threatens the balance concerns me," Kaelen retorted, a subtle energy beginning to crackle around his hands. "Especially when it involves… a reborn Empress."
The hunter's expression remained impassive, but a flicker of surprise, almost imperceptible, crossed his face. "You know."
"I know enough," Kaelen said, his voice hardening. "Now, leave. Or face the consequences."
The hunter merely raised his glowing device. "We have our orders."
Before he could activate it, Kaelen moved. It was a blur of motion, too fast for Anya to follow with her eyes. A flash of amethyst light, a guttural cry, and the hunter was sent sprawling, his device clattering to the ground. Kaelen stood over him, his foot pressed against the man's chest, his eyes blazing with an inner fury.
"I warned you," Kaelen growled, his voice low and dangerous. "Now, tell me. Who sent you?"
The hunter, gasping for breath, merely sneered. "You'll never know. They are everywhere."
Suddenly, a piercing shriek echoed through the forest. Another hunter, unseen until now, had activated a sonic device. Anya clutched her head, the sound a physical assault on her senses. Kaelen, momentarily distracted, recoiled.
"Run!" Kaelen roared, pushing Anya away. "Get out of here!"
But Anya wouldn't leave him. She saw another hunter emerging from the trees, aiming a strange, energy-based weapon at Kaelen. Without thinking, she unleashed her 'Basic Telekinesis,' a surge of raw mental power that sent a shower of rocks and debris flying towards the hunter, momentarily disrupting his aim.
Kaelen, recovering quickly, engaged the second hunter, a whirlwind of precise strikes and energy blasts. Anya, despite the ringing in her ears, watched in awe. Kaelen Thorne was not just powerful; he was a force of nature.
But more hunters were coming. She could feel their presence, a growing tide of cold, predatory energy. They were surrounded. This was not a fight they could win by brute force. They needed a strategy.
"Kaelen!" she shouted, her voice barely audible above the sonic shriek. "The estate! The family will be out looking for me! We can use them!"
Kaelen glanced at her, a flicker of understanding in his eyes. He nodded, a grim smile touching his lips. "A calculated risk, indeed, Empress."
He unleashed a powerful burst of energy, creating a momentary diversion, then grabbed Anya's hand. "Follow me!"
They sprinted towards the estate, the sounds of the hunters' pursuit close behind. Anya's ankle protested, but she pushed through the pain, her mind focused on the plan. The Volkov family. They were a nuisance, a source of irritation. But tonight, they would be her unwitting shield.
As they burst from the treeline, the mansion lights blazed into view. And just as Anya had predicted, a contingent of Volkov guards, alerted by the commotion, were already fanning out across the grounds, their energy rifles at the ready. They were looking for Anya, but they were about to find something far more dangerous.
The hunters, seeing their prey heading towards the mansion, hesitated for a moment. It was a fatal mistake. The Volkov guards, seeing armed strangers on their property, immediately opened fire. The night erupted into a chaotic symphony of energy blasts, shouts, and the metallic clang of weapons.
Anya and Kaelen, using the confusion as cover, slipped past the skirmish, heading towards a less-guarded section of the mansion. The Volkov family, unknowingly, had just become embroiled in a battle far beyond their comprehension. And Anya, the weak, ostracized noble daughter, was at the heart of it all.
[End of Chapter 14]