It was usually cold on Wednesday during the evening hours, it was cold actually in the street of Cremsburg, but not for Derek.
From the light stand across the streets to the children that had turned parts of the road into a small basketball playground, none of it came into Derek's view.
He was still recovering from the terrible event he had witnessed a day ago. The road home looked like he was never reaching it.
He hadn't realized he was walking at an incredibly slow pace. Hunger didn't visit him this time, what fed him was the terror he still hallucinated about. The face of the creature still appeared almost in every corner.
He had bumped into people several times and had been thrown off as well. Even in the face of slight insanity he still remembered Dave, he saved his life, but that didn't quite help the state he was in at the moment.
"Crems Street."
A little green poster read.
He was nearly home, just a few more steps, but that small smite of excitement vanished the moment he remembered what his home really was.
His dad, the ex-kickboxer who turned him and his mother into his punching bags. Derek didn't know how else to describe him except as a living monster.
He paused for a moment, then remembered his mom would also be taking all manner of beating just because of him.
He had been absent for a day. He would have rather suggested his father join the Peacemakers than him. He ran towards his home just a few blocks ahead and went straight for the door.
It was close to the evening, the light from the street didn't shine so well on it. He had forgotten where the knob was. He held on for a few seconds before slowly pushing it open.
He walked in. Goosebumps crawled his skin and tension sent shivers down his spine. It looked like he had walked into a death zone, but it was his home.
Broken plates on the floor, pictures of their wedding saying Happy Marriage Life, words that belonged in another house, not this one.
He followed a trail of blood that led to the sitting room. He saw his mom sitting on the floor with her head rested on the couch, crying.
Derek pulled her up only to see the state she was in. Her eyes saggy, body weak, face red with bruises all over.
"Derek, you are back, I was worried."
She said, holding Derek's cheek with tears rolling down her eyes. Tears also rolled down his, seeing his mom in so much pain.
"Mom, I'm sorry, please I'm sorry."
Derek said with a broken tone, tears running down his cheek as he held her. Derek moved his hand to wipe his face, only to smear blood across it. He looked at his right hand and saw it was covered in blood.
"Where's this from, Mom?"
He panicked, eyes wide. He looked down at where his hands had rested and his heart missed a beat, vision blurring. A knife was stuck deep in her left lower stomach, blood still pooling slowly beneath her.
He froze on the spot, unable to move. His mom was gone. Derek tapped her again and again, but she didn't respond. A faint pink light flickered from her hand and a tiny glowing stick fell to the ground.
Derek picked it up, but it faded away. In an instant, he dropped to the floor as excruciating pain surged through his body. He tore open his shirt, screaming.
Black lines snaked across his skin, following a red glow that pulsed out of him. Izigan markings carved themselves into his body, burning as they appeared.
Derek was originally born Izigan, like his mother. When his mom married Ben, his father, a man who hated the Izigans, she sealed her powers away.
She was Scarlet Izigan, a clan known for their profound sealing ability. She sealed Derek's powers at birth too. But now, with her gone, the seal was broken. His powers surged uncontrollably, burning through him like fire let loose.
He rolled on the floor, screaming, until Ben woke up from his sleep.
"What now? Is that brat still alive?"
The lights in the house flickered, threatening to burst. Ben, tall, muscular, a titan of a man, came down the stairs. He reached the sitting room and found Derek kneeling on the ground, body bent forward, steam rising from his skin like a smothered flame.
His breathing was heavy, his body trembling.
"Fuck shit… who are you?" Ben said, stepping closer and tapping Derek with his foot.
Derek's irises glowed red for a moment before fading back to normal. He straightened his back, still on his knees, and stared at his father with a look of pure defiance.
Ben paused, confused, seeing the glowing Izigan markings crawling across his son's body.
"You're going nowhere, boy."
Ben swung his left hand, a dagger aimed straight for Derek's face. But before it landed, Derek raised his right hand.
Red lightning crawled across his skin. He caught his father's strike mid-air, and the lightning spread into Ben's arm. His muscles twisted violently, bones cracking with the force of the surge.
Ben screamed, clutching his arm, but it was too late. His left arm was shattered beyond repair. He staggered, trying to hold himself.
Both of Derek's arms were now wrapped in burning red lightning. He rushed forward and struck his father's chest.
The lightning tore through him, leaving a gaping hole. Ben collapsed, lifeless. Derek staggered, his body giving out, before he finally dropped unconscious to the ground.