Jinn BLADE
Chapter 51 | Ominous Meeting

Chapter 51: Chapter 51 | Ominous Meeting

"Do you want to join our team?" Jinn’s voice cut through the chaos swirling endlessly in the background.

Screams, shouts—and hurried footsteps filled the air, but his words reached the man clearly as Jinn stood still, his eyes locked on him.

At that moment, Jinn had made up his mind. Whether the man agreed or not, Jinn knew this was the only chance to keep him close. If the second trial truly led them into Gravemarch—a planet covered in endless forest, stalked by beasts that thrived in every shadow—then finding someone again after this moment would be nearly impossible.

Especially if the man had Orin’s necklace—it would be hard if the man were to die in an unknown location deep inside a forest.

That small object meant everything to Orin. It wasn’t just a keepsake—it was a piece of her soul.

And the man in front of Jinn, a stranger with no ties to their group, had gone out of his way to keep it.

But Why? Jinn didn’t know.

But the mystery clung to him like a voice in the back of his mind. Whether it was guilt, sentiment, or something else entirely, he had to understand it.

And the only way to do that... was to keep this man within arm’s reach.

And if things didn’t go his way—if the man proved to be a threat or showed signs of betrayal—then Jinn would do what needed to be done.

Eliminate him, get the necklace, and move on.

Yet Jinn wasn’t someone who spilled blood without reason. Jinn was a selfish child, yes—his world began and ended with the people he cared for, they were his everything.

But he wasn’t cruel. He didn’t kill the innocent.

He moved with purpose.

Always.

The man narrowed his eyes at Jinn, then briefly glanced toward the hovering timer atop,

three minutesleft.

Without a word, he reached into the inner pocket of his coat.

His posture straightened, and his voice shifted—calm, but with an unsettling weight behind it—almost ominous, as if the man from before had left.

"Very well," he said, locking eyes with Jinn. "I was waiting for you to say that."

With a sudden flick of his wrist, he snapped his hand forward and tossed something through the air.

Jinn caught it instinctively.

It was Orin’s necklace.

Still confused, Jinn stared at it in his palm for a moment, before slipping it into his pocket. He looked back at the man, his brows drawn low in confusion.

"Why did you steal it in the first place?" he asked, voice low and cautious. "Or... do you have something against me and my friends? Is that why you want to get close?"

The man let out a small chuckle, the sound light and unreadable.

"Maybe," he said as he shrugged playfully. "But we’ll know soon enough."

He stepped closer, extending his hand. "Team?"

Jinn scoffed.

"Why would I?" he said sharply as he began turning away. "I already got what I wanted. You’re useless to me now."

Jinn began to walk off—but only managed a single step before something gripped his ankle.

A strange, black mist curled around his feet like living smoke.

It pulsed faintly with energy, locking his movement in place.

Jinn’s eyes widened in surprise. He immediately reached for his eidra, focusing it to break free—but the bindings refused to snap. The mist clung tighter the more he struggled, like it was feeding off his resistance.

Footsteps approached from behind.

"Are you sure about that?" the man said, now right beside him.

He crouched slightly, leaning in until they were face to face. His eyes were calm, but far from ordinary—no, it was void, something otherworldly—at least that’s what Jinn thought.

"Just like you said earlier," he whispered, "I mean no harm. And besides... I happen to be quite adept at using eidra."

"Tch." Jinn clicked his tongue in irritation as he glanced up

two minutesleft.

He looked back at the man, eyes narrowed.

Time was slipping away, and they still needed one more. There was no space left for pride or suspicion—they need to form teams, now.

"Fine," Jinn muttered. The moment the word left his mouth, the dark bindings dissolved, the black eidra vanishing like smoke on the air.

He stretched his legs once, testing them—then stood up without hesitation.

"I need to find one more," he said, his gaze sweeping across the panicked field.

"If you don’t mind me recommending," the man said smoothly, "I can lead you to someone who will benefit us the most."

Jinn shifted his eyes back toward him. The man was calm, composed—as if he’d already known the answer before Jinn asked the question.

"Then lead the way," Jinn replied, his tone cautious.

Together, they moved swiftly through the thinning crowd. Most of the slaves had already formed groups, desperate not to be left behind. Jinn and the man weaved through them, the last seconds bleeding away.

Finally, they stopped.

"So it’s this guy?" Jinn asked, narrowing his eyes at the figure in front of him. No—not a person. A beast.

The creature towered over him, muscles like boulders packed beneath thick, scarred fur. Most striking of all was his head—clearly inhuman.

An animal’s head, fanged and snarling, sat where a man’s head should’ve been. The beast’s yellow eyes locked onto Jinn, and it let out a low, threatening growl.

"Watch it, small meat," the creature snarled, turning left and right as if still searching the crowd. "I’m tryin’ to find a teammate here."

But it was clear no one wanted him.

He stood out too much. Too wild. Too dangerous.

Too scary.

"Bah!" the beast spat,

*THUD!

pounding a closed fist against his chest.

"I don’t need no team! I alone can tear beasts limb from limb!"

Jinn raised a brow, clearly unimpressed. The man beside him, however, let out a quiet chuckle before speaking.

"It’s truly unfortunate," he said with a sly tone, "that a warrior as mighty as you, oh great beast of Drakkar, still stands alone."

At the sound of that name, the creature froze.

He turned his head slowly to face the man, sniffing once.

"You know about my war tribe?" he growled. "You don’t look like someone who should."

Then it happened—the low, thunderous blare of the warning horn echoed across the camp.

One minute left.

Jinn stepped forward. "We don’t have time," he said plainly. "We’re already nine. Join us, and we’ll make ten."

The Drakkar beast let out another snarl. "I don’t need no team," he repeated. "Teams are for the brittle, the weak and the prey. A true apex predator... hunts alone."

The man’s tone darkened as he stepped beside Jinn again.

"It would be a shame," he said, "if a Drakkar warrior were to die before the second trial even begins."

The beast turned sharply toward him again.

"You may not know," the man continued, "but those without a team when the timer hits zero—your chokers will detonate."

There was a pause.

A heavy silence came.

"Are you willing," the man added, voice sharp in an ominous way "to bring shame to your tribe?"

The Drakkar snarled low, his voice rough with resentment. "I already brought shame the moment I was chained."

He paused, then lifted his head—defiance burning in his eyes.

"But I refuse to die in a meaningless ritual like this—I’m joining."

"Excellent!" the man clapped once, satisfied. He then turned to Jinn with a faint smile. "You shall lead the way—to your friends."

"You don’t even need to ask," Jinn replied without hesitation. He turned sharply and began weaving through the crowd, moving fast.

Behind him, the two followed.

And just like that, the team was formed—ten individuals bound together by circumstance and the looming trial ahead.

There was Jinn and his closest friends.

Biyo, the gruff yet reliable warrior.

The calm, calculating stranger shrouded in mystery.

And now, the fierce Drakkar beast—towering, snarling and unpredictable.

This group—strangers, allies, friends—would be thrust into the deadly world of Gravemarch, a planet where survival would demand more than strength. It would test their instincts, their trust, and their will to live.

Together, they would face the Second Slave Ritual.

But Jinn remained wary. His gaze occasionally flicked to the stranger—the one who controlled black eidra that even he couldn’t break.

There was power in that man. Dangerous power.

And while they fought on the same side for now... Jinn knew better than to let his guard down around him.