The Death Lord Is Back

Chapter three

Kael arrived at the bustling airport, his coat slung over one shoulder and his hands stuffed casually into his pockets.

He scanned the terminal, a faint smirk tugging at his lips when he spotted Selene and her two towering bodyguards ahead.

She hadn’t noticed him yet, which gave him the luxury of bracing himself for what he knew was coming.

“Kael!” Selene’s sharp voice cut through the crowd as she turned and locked eyes with him.

Her expression shifted from confusion to barely concealed annoyance.

“Are you following me now? Can’t stand being stuck in your dirt pile?”

Kael strode closer, his demeanor unbothered.

“Good to see you too, Selene. And here I thought airports were for public use.”

“Public use doesn’t mean stalking me,” she snapped, her hands clenched into fists.

“What are you doing here? Looking to play the role of a hero again?”

Kael tilted his head, a ghost of a smile on his face.

“Heroes chase glory. I chase results. You wouldn’t understand.”

One of her bodyguards leaned down to whisper something in her ear, but Selene waved him off.

“Whatever. Just stay out of my way, Kael.”

Kael gave her a mock salute.

“Your wish is my command, oh mighty war hero.”

Before Selene could retort, a commotion erupted at the far end of the terminal.

Armed attackers stormed in, their faces obscured by masks.

Panicked screams filled the air as they fired warning shots into the ceiling.

“Everyone on the ground!” one of the attackers barked, waving his gun wildly.

“Nobody moves, or we start shooting!”

Kael dropped into a chair, legs crossed, and pulled out a deck of cards from his coat pocket.

As chaos unfolded around him, he shuffled lazily, his expression unreadable.

Selene, already on her feet, gestured for her bodyguards to shield her.

“Stay sharp,” she ordered, her voice low.

“They’re after me. Keep the hostages safe.”

Another attacker, this one wearing a vest laden with explosives, stepped forward.

“Selene!” he bellowed.

“You killed my brother and left my family in ruins! Now you’ll pay the price.”

Selene’s fists tightened, but her body remained still.

Her eyes flicked to the bombs strapped to the attackers’ chests.

She cursed under her breath.

Kael continued shuffling his cards, seemingly oblivious to the unfolding chaos.

Selene glared at him.

“Are you seriously just going to sit there? Do something!”

Kael didn’t look up. “Why would I? You’re the goddess of war. Surely you don’t need my help.”

“Coward,” she hissed.

The situation escalated as another attacker revealed a similar bomb strapped to his chest.

“No one leaves until she’s dead! And if anyone tries anything, we blow this whole place sky-high!”

The crowd whimpered and sobbed, terror gripping the hostages.

A young child’s cries rose above the noise, drawing Kael’s attention.

He flicked his eyes toward the boy, then to the attackers, and sighed quietly.

“Always the loud ones,” he muttered, slipping two cards from the deck.

With a flick of his wrist, they soared through the air, slicing through the thin wires connecting the bombs to their triggers.

The bomber’s thumb slammed down on the detonator with a furious yell.

“Die, Selene! You’ll burn with the rest of them!”

Nothing happened.

The silence that followed was deafening, broken only by the muffled whimpers of the hostages.

The bomber’s triumphant expression quickly morphed into one of confusion and then frustration as he pressed the button again and again.

“No! No, no, no! This isn’t right! It should’ve—”

“Should’ve what?” a mocking voice cut in.

Selene’s lead guard smirked, his weapon trained on the now-panicked attacker.

“Blown us all to pieces? Too bad your little fireworks show fizzled out.”

Another guard laughed, stepping closer.

“You really thought you could stand up to the goddess of war? Pathetic.”

The bomber growled, his face red with fury.

“This can’t be happening! The bomb—!”

Before he could finish, the guards moved with swift precision, tackling him and disarming him with brutal efficiency.

Selene stepped forward, her presence commanding.

Her gaze swept over the subdued bombers, and a faint smirk tugged at her lips.

“You thought you’d bring me down? Next time, bring a plan that works.”

One of the guards yanked the leader to his feet, shaking his head in mock pity.

“Standing against the goddess of war? That’s a mistake you won’t live to regret.”

Selene’s voice was calm but sharp.

“Take them away. And find out how they got through airport security with all this gear.”

Selene turned her gaze to Kael, and scrunched her nose in disgust.

“You didn’t do anything! You just sat there playing cards while we risked our lives.”

Kael raised an eyebrow.

“You seemed to have everything under control. Why interfere?”

Selene’s frustration boiled over.

“Useless as always, Kael. Go back to your quarry and leave the real work to people like me.”

He shrugged, rising to his feet.

“Will do. Glad I could enjoy the show.”

As he walked past Selene’s entourage, one of her guards sneered, “You’re lucky she was here, dirt-digger. You’d have pissed yourself if it were up to you.”

Kael stopped, his voice cold.

He turned to Selene. “Maybe instead of enjoying the applause, you should question how a group of armed attackers waltzed into an international airport.”

Selene’s brow furrowed, suspicion flickering across her face, but she shook it off. “Leave the thinking to us, Kael. Go back to your quarry.”

Kael didn’t respond, striding away from the terminal as a young girl tugged at her mother’s sleeve.

“Mommy, I saw him throw something! The man with the cards—he saved us!”

“Hush, dear. The nice lady saved us,” her mother replied dismissively, ushering her along.

Selene glanced at the departing Kael, doubt gnawing at her. But she pushed the thought away. “No way,” she muttered. “Just a dirt-digger.

As he turned to leave, a young girl tugged on Selene’s sleeve.

“Miss Selene, he did help! I saw him throw the cards! They’re magic or something!”

Selene glanced down at the girl, her lips pressing into a thin line.

“Go back to your parents, sweetheart. You’ve been through enough today.”

The girl frowned but obeyed, casting one last look at Kael as he walked away.

Selene shook her head, addressing her bodyguards.

“Let’s go. This day’s been long enough.”

But as she started to leave, her gaze fell on two playing cards lying on the floor near the attackers—a king and a joker.

Her brow furrowed as a flicker of doubt crossed her mind.

Outside the terminal, Kael strode toward a waiting cab, oblivious to Selene’s growing suspicion.

In the shadows of the parking lot, a figure watched him intently, a phone pressed to his ear.

“He’s moving toward Cresmont,” the figure whispered.

“Everything is in place.”