BANG!
The sharp, piercing sound of the gunshot breaks the stillness of the night. From the treetops, dozens of birds perched among the branches suddenly take flight, scattering into the darkness, while small woodland creatures flee through the undergrowth.
By instinct, Aoshi could do nothing but shut his eyes tight the instant he saw the man aim the gun and fire, bracing for the worst. He expected a sharp, searing pain to shoot through his body — or for Eliss's body to collapse in his arms, accompanied by a heartbreaking scream of agony.
Yet none of that happens.
When he opens his eyes a second later, someone is standing between them and the attackers. A tall and striking young man, his sculpted build clearly visible even beneath the layers of his refined, almost nineteenth-century outfit — a gray waistcoat and trousers, white shirt, black tie, and polished black shoes. His long, sleek obsidian-colored hair falls neatly over his shoulders.
