Soulbound: Dual Cultivation

Chapter 382: Capturing the scout

They closed in from every direction until escape was no longer a possibility, horses skidding and stamping as the squad formed a tight ring around the lone figure, weapons lowered but ready, qi humming through the air with restrained violence. The young man stood his ground at the center on his horse, his cultivation unmistakable now that they were close, Ascendant rank and already refined enough to be dangerous, yet his expression was unnervingly calm as though he had been expecting this moment all along.

Lucas dismounted slowly, the silver mask catching the light as he stepped forward, his presence alone pressing down on the space between them. He studied the young man carefully, noting the steady breathing, the relaxed shoulders, the eyes that did not flicker even once as they met his gaze. There was no fear there, no surprise either, only a quiet defiance that unsettled him more than panic ever could.

"You were riding hard for someone who did not want to be seen," Lucas said evenly, his voice measured and controlled. "Who sent you, and where were you going to report."

The young man said nothing, his stare unbroken, lips pressed together in a thin line that carried more contempt than silence ever could.

Jennifer shifted beside Lucas, her hand hovering near her blade. "He is trained," she murmured. "This kind of silence is taught."

Lucas nodded slightly, never taking his eyes off the captive. "You do not need to speak out of loyalty," Lucas continued, his tone calm but carrying weight. "You only need to speak to stay alive, and I am offering you that chance now."

Still nothing.

The ice belle’s aura stirred faintly, frost curling along the ground at her feet as she looked at the young man with open disdain. "He has already decided," she said coldly. "His resolve is not courage, it is conditioning."

Lucas felt it then, a tight knot of something buried deep within the young man’s core, a faint pulse that did not belong entirely to him, and his eyes narrowed behind the mask. "Step back," Lucas said quietly to the squad. "He may be bound by something more than fear."

Bartho scoffed under his breath as he stepped forward anyway, cracking his neck. "Bindings or not, he is still flesh and bone," he said, rolling his shoulders. "Let us see how long that silence lasts."

The moment Bartho reached for him, the young man exploded into motion with shocking speed, qi surging violently as he twisted low and drove an elbow toward Bartho’s ribs, following with a palm strike aimed at his throat. Bartho barely managed to block, grunting as the force sent him skidding backward through the dirt.

"Careful," Lucas snapped sharply. "He is not holding back."

Another squad member moved in from the side, attempting to lock the young man’s arms, but the scout spun with ruthless precision, driving a knee upward and sending the man crashing down with a cry of pain. His movements were clean, efficient, and honed for escape rather than victory, and Lucas felt a flicker of grim respect even as irritation burned beneath it.

"So you will fight but not speak," Lucas muttered under his breath, watching carefully, already mapping every movement. "That tells me enough."

The ice belle took a step forward, her presence alone freezing the young man’s footing for a split second, and that hesitation was all Bartho needed. He lunged back in, slamming his shoulder into the scout’s chest while the other squad member recovered and locked his arms from behind, qi restraints snapping into place with a dull hum.

The young man thrashed violently, veins standing out along his neck as he tried to force his way free, his teeth clenched hard enough that blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, but the restraints held firm and his strength ebbed against the combined pressure.

Lucas approached again, crouching slightly so they were eye to eye, his voice dropping to a low, dangerous calm. "You fought well," he said quietly. "But understand this, silence will not protect you from what comes next, and whatever oath binds you, it does not outweigh your life."

For the first time, something flickered in the young man’s eyes, he understood exactly who he was dealing with now.

Lucas straightened slowly, turning to the squad. "Bind him properly and search him for seals or hidden triggers," he ordered. "Do not let your guard down for a single breath."

As they obeyed, Lucas’s gaze lingered on the captive, his thoughts already racing ahead to what this encounter meant. A lone Ascendant scout this far out meant preparation, coordination, and an enemy that was already watching, and the war they were marching toward had just grown teeth.

Jennifer had been watching him more closely than the others, not his strength or his restraints but the small details that most people missed when adrenaline was still high. Her eyes narrowed as she stepped closer, noticing the way his jaw moved in a slow, deliberate rhythm that had nothing to do with pain or fear, and then she saw it, a single tear slipping from the corner of his eye and cutting a clean line through the dust on his cheek.

"Wait," Jennifer said sharply, her healer’s instincts screaming. "His mouth, look at his mouth."

Lucas reacted instantly, already turning back toward the captive. "What is it," he demanded, his tone snapping from calm to lethal awareness in a heartbeat.

"He is chewing something," Jennifer said, already moving. "It is not food, it is a capsule or a pellet, I have seen this before."

The young man’s jaw worked faster now, panic flickering through his eyes for the first time as he realized he had been noticed, and Lucas felt a cold surge of anger spike through him.

"Poison," Jennifer said, stepping forward. "He is trying to kill himself."

"Not happening," Lucas said flatly.

He crossed the distance in a blink, qi flaring as he grabbed the scout’s jaw with one hand and forced his mouth open with brutal precision. The young man struggled violently, muffled sounds tearing from his throat as he tried to bite down, but Lucas’s grip was iron, his fingers pressing on exact pressure points that made resistance nearly impossible.

Jennifer was already there, dropping to her knees beside them. "Hold him steady," she said urgently. "If he swallows it fully, I will not be able to neutralize it in time."

Bartho tightened his hold from behind, his voice tense. "You picked the wrong day to die, boy."

The scout thrashed harder, desperation flooding his face now, tears streaking freely as he tried to twist away, and Lucas leaned in close enough that his masked face was all the young man could see.

"Listen to me," Lucas said, his voice low and fierce. "You do not get to choose silence through death, not after everything we have lost to get here."

With a sharp motion, Lucas forced the scout’s mouth wider, and Jennifer acted without hesitation, sliding her fingers in and hooking the edge of a small dark pellet lodged near the back of his tongue. The young man gagged violently, his body convulsing as Jennifer pulled the capsule free and crushed it instantly between her fingers, a sharp, acrid scent filling the air.

"Too close," she muttered, breathing hard. "Another second and it would have dissolved."

The scout collapsed against the restraints, sobbing now, his strength finally gone as the weight of failure settled on him. He gasped for air, coughing violently, saliva and tears mixing as his head lolled forward.

Lucas released his jaw slowly and straightened, his hands clenched at his sides. "You see," he said coldly, looking down at him. "Even death has refused you today."

Jennifer wiped her hands on a cloth, her expression tight but focused as she leaned closer to the captive again. "There may be residue," she said quietly. "If it was a delayed poison, I will need time to cleanse his system fully."

"You will have it," Lucas replied without hesitation. He crouched again, meeting the scout’s broken gaze. "You are alive because we need answers, and because somewhere beneath all that conditioning, you still hesitated, and that tear told me everything I needed to know."

The young man shook his head weakly, voice hoarse when he finally spoke, barely above a whisper. "You do not understand what they will do if I talk."

Lucas’s eyes hardened, but his voice remained steady. "Then start talking anyway," he said. "Because whatever you fear, it is no longer worse than what is coming."