Against The Eternity Chapter 31: [30] Chapter - 14: Whirlpool Spear (Part - 1/2)

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[30] Chapter - 14: Whirlpool Spear (Part - 1/2) Both men came to a halt before them. Their boots pressed into the narrow woodland path as they blocked the way forward. Their expressions wavered between urgency and suspicion, sharpened by the strain of prolonged searching. One of them leaned forward slightly. His eyes were narrowing just enough to betray that he was studying their masked faces more closely than his otherwise casual tone implied. “Did you see a boy, he was around sixteen, and a girl, perhaps twenty?” he asked, his voice was firm, though the faint roughness beneath it revealed fatigue. Eklavya realised that the person who had just spoken was one of the five men from the previous night. Eklavya and Anshvi exchanged a brief glance. Nothing more than that. No tension surfaced on their face, or stiffness crept into their posture. Not even the slightest flicker of recognition betrayed them. To any outsider, they were nothing more than two passing travellers halted by an inconvenient inquiry. Yet within that calm, Eklavya felt a quiet amusement rise. The irony was almost absurd—the very people being hunted stood directly before their pursuers. They were not hidden by distance, but by composure. ‘So they still know nothing,’ he thought, restraining the faint urge to smile. ‘I think because of the darkness that night, they weren’t able to see us clearly.’ Allowing a trace of polite concern to settle across his features. Eklavya lifted his hand and gestured subtly toward the path behind them. “No,” he replied evenly. “We haven’t seen anyone pass through here. Did something happen?” The second disciple exhaled sharply through his nose, irritation cutting cleanly through his voice. “That damned boy cut off the hand of our Young Master of the Falling Leaf Sect. We’ve been searching for them since last night without rest.” For a fraction of a second, something flickered behind Eklavya’s eyes—then vanished beneath a perfectly crafted expression of shock. He drew in a sharp breath. He pressed a hand dramatically to his chest as his gaze widened in apparent disbelief. “What?!” he exclaimed, his tone laced with outrage so convincing it bordered on theatrical. “Who would dare commit such madness? To raise a hand against the noble young master of the Falling Leaf Sect—whose unparalleled talent and rare humility are said to be gifts bestowed by the heavens themselves?” He shook his head slowly, as if struggling to comprehend such an act. “Whoever this culprit is,” he continued with rising disdain, “must be utterly deranged. A shameless, contemptible imbecile. A dull-witted fool with no sense of consequence. A buffoon who believes he can challenge someone far beyond his station.” His voice sharpened, each word delivered with precise conviction. “Truly, such a person must possess a death wish. An incompetent wretch. A vile reprobate. A snivelling cur unworthy of even speaking that name.” The two disciples nodded vigorously. Their earlier suspicion was now dissolving into shared indignation as they found themselves agreeing with every word. Not a trace of doubt crossed their faces. Beside him, Anshvi stood perfectly composed. Her posture was elegant and still, but her fingers curled ever so slightly at her side, and her shoulders trembled faintly. Inside, she was on the verge of laughter. “You two may go,” the first disciple said at last, flicking his hand in dismissal. “But if you come across them, report it immediately.” Eklavya and Anshvi inclined their heads in perfect unison, hands coming together in a respectful gesture—just enough courtesy to appear polite without drawing attention. Then they moved past the men. Their steps were measured and unhurried, betraying nothing. They did not glance back, not a flicker of tension. Only when they had put several paces between themselves. The two men did the change come. The corners of Eklavya and Anshvi's lips curved upward ever so slightly—identical smirks forming beneath their masks, sh