CHAPTER 3
Yet the monster kept advancing. Its breath was heavy, like the roar of infernal flames, its teeth grinding, saliva dripping onto the still-smoking ruins. The stench of blood and charred flesh spread through the air, stabbing into their nostrils.
Elena stood before her younger siblings, her body trembling violently, yet she spread her arms wide, trying to become a living shield. Her face was pale, cold sweat trailing down her temple, but her eyes remained locked on the beast.
"What should I do… God…" her voice cracked, like a prayer hurled into emptiness.
The monster raised its claw high, the shadow of death looming over them. The air itself grew heavy, as though the world was holding its breath, awaiting their end.
And as the claw came down—
SRASSHHH!!!
The strike shattered the ruins, great stones exploding into dust. Elena reacted on instinct, yanking Ryu and Evelyn's hands, rolling them away. Their hearts nearly leapt from their chests, death just a heartbeat away.
But the monster did not relent. It growled, its eyes glowing crimson, and once again it swung its claw. Elena broke into a cold sweat, forcing her body to move again.
"Run!!! We have to run!!" she screamed, her voice breaking as she dragged Ryu and Evelyn, both crying in terror.
But before their feet could truly take flight, a massive shadow leapt from atop the ruins. The monster soared, jaws wide, its fangs ready to crush them.
The three of them froze.
But suddenly—
CLANNGG!!!
The monster's fangs were stopped! A massive gleaming sword held its dreadful bite at bay. A burly man clad in a black cloak stood before them, the veins on his arms bulging as he pressed the blade against the beast's maw.
"Run, now! Save yourselves!! Leave this damned beast to me!" he roared, his voice fierce yet commanding.
Ryu, Evelyn, and Elena turned wide-eyed. They recognized the figure.
"Uncle…!" they cried in unison, tears falling, torn between relief and horror.
The man glanced at them briefly, still holding the jaws with all his might, his eyes glistening.
"Hurry… go!! Think of this… as my debt to the Celestia family."
His voice cracked, his hands trembling yet refusing to give way against the crushing bite.
"If not for your family… I would not be here today… But I failed to protect your mother and father… so I cannot fail this time… Go! Don't look back!!" Tears streamed down his face, mixing with blood and dust.
Elena, Ryu, and Evelyn wept, holding each other's hands.
"Thank you, Uncle…" they whispered in broken voices, choked by sobs.
The man forced a faint smile. But in the very next instant—
KRAKKK!!!
The great sword snapped. The monster lunged, biting into his neck and ripping him apart with brutal force.
"GYAAAAHHHHHHH!!!"
His scream of agony echoed through the ruins. Blood gushed violently, spraying across Ryu's face as he glanced back.
Ryu's eyes widened, his heart pounding uncontrollably. Heat, pain, rage, all burning in his chest.
"No…" he screamed in silence, his voice caught in his throat.
The monster tore his uncle's body to pieces, chewing the flesh with sickening crunches.
Ryu ran with Elena and Evelyn, yet his eyes kept darting back. Every bite shredded his heart, leaving a wound that would never heal.
As they fled through the ruins, more monsters emerged. Huge, red-eyed shadows leapt across the collapsed rooftops, watching hungrily. Elena panicked, pulling her siblings toward a narrow alley.
"Hurry! This way!" she whispered, crouching low as they crept.
Their breaths were ragged. Ahead, a monster tore a woman apart, her entrails spilling, her blood pooling. To the side, a child screamed, yanked away by another beast before vanishing in its jaws. Evelyn covered her mouth, choking back vomit, tears streaming down her face.
"What do we do, sister?" Ryu whispered hoarsely.
"If this keeps up… we'll be caught," Evelyn answered, trembling.
Elena peeked outside the alley, her eyes widening in horror at the streets crawling with monsters. "The only way… we have to get out of the city. The western gate. The Indosvara royal forces must be guarding it. They'll hold the monsters back."
"Ryu, Evelyn, you know which way is west, don't you?" Elena looked at them, needing certainty.
They both nodded quickly. Elena grabbed a broken piece of wood from the rubble, handing it to them.
"Take this. We need to protect ourselves… and each other."
Their hands trembled as they clutched the makeshift weapons tightly.
They crept along the narrow path. But suddenly, one monster stopped gnawing its prey. Its nose twitched, sniffing human scent. Its head turned slowly… directly toward them.
GROOOAARRRR!!!
The beast leapt atop the alley, lowering its head from the roof, eyes burning with hunger.
Elena froze. "Run!!!"
But the monster was faster. It lunged at Ryu and Evelyn. Elena screamed, raising the wooden stick and smashing it against its head.
BRAKK!
The stick snapped. The monster didn't even flinch, only turned with a dreadful snarl. Elena went pale, frozen.
It leapt, slamming her to the ground. Its sharp claws pinned her chest, its jaws opening wide, ready to devour.
"Leave my sister alone!!!" Ryu and Evelyn screamed, beating its body with sticks, fists, anything they could.
The monster did not budge, as if its hide was steel. Drool dripped onto Elena's face.
Elena looked at the beast, then at her siblings desperately fighting. A faint smile crossed her lips—bitter, broken, full of sorrow.
"Ryu… Evelyn… This monster is invulnerable…" her voice cracked, yet gentle.
Ryu and Evelyn froze, blood running cold at her words.
Elena's tears welled, her voice breaking. "Ryu, Evelyn… forgive me. I can't stay with you any longer."
"What are you saying…?" Ryu's voice was flat, his eyes hollow. He knew. It was farewell.
"Ryu… you're still annoying as ever. Hahaha…" Elena forced a laugh, but her tears streamed endlessly. "I said… forgive me, because I can't be by your side anymore…"
Her hand trembled as she clutched the broken stick.
"Ryu, Evelyn… forgive me for scolding you so often. Believe me… I love you both dearly, just like Mother. I just… never knew how to love gently. Since we were young… Mother and Father taught me to survive. So… the only way I knew how to love was through scolding you… and protecting you stubbornly."
Her tears fell, mixing with the blood on her face.
"Go now! Run west… live on for me, for Mother, for Father, and for everyone who's fallen today. Forgive me, Ryu… Evelyn…"
"No… NOOO!!!" Ryu screamed, pounding the monster with bloody fists. Evelyn sobbed uncontrollably, her body shaking.
The next moment, the beast's jaws clamped down.
"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!"
Elena's scream tore through the alley, a cry of agony so raw it shattered Ryu and Evelyn's souls.
"SISTEEEEERRR!!!" they both screamed.
The monster ripped her apart, blood spraying across Ryu and Evelyn's faces. Their world collapsed before their eyes. Evelyn nearly fainted, gagging, while Ryu's heart blazed with wrath and despair.
"Damn you!!! Damn you monsters!!! I'll destroy you all! None of you deserve to live!!!" Ryu roared, his voice raw, echoing like an oath born of hell.
The monsters began to close in, surrounding the alley. Ryu gasped for breath, Evelyn on the verge of collapse.
But suddenly—
SWUSHHH!!!
A massive sword cloaked in blue aura pierced the monster devouring Elena. The beast shrieked, its body splitting apart.
From the shadows stepped another man in a black cloak, his face stern, his eyes sharp. He raised his glowing sword.
"Children… I'll save you."
He threw back his hood. Evelyn sobbed, her voice trembling. "Who… who are you…?"
"My name… is Jake Hill."
Without delay, he scooped Ryu and Evelyn into his arms, leaping to the rooftops with lightning speed.
"LEON!!!" Ryu suddenly cried, remembering his friend.
Jake Hill glanced back, catching the name. "Leon? Your friend? Don't worry… he's safe in the city of Sena."
But that answer only enraged Ryu. He pounded Jake's chest with his fists.
"Why didn't you come sooner?! Why did you let my sister die?! WHYYYY?!" he screamed, tears streaming.
Jake fell silent, lowering his head. "Forgive me, child… there were too many to save… I… failed."
Ryu's cry tore from his throat, images of his mother, father, sister, and uncle flashing. All gone. Only he and Evelyn remained.
"I swear… I'll kill every last one of these damn monsters! Not a single one will live!!!" His voice thundered, piercing the sky, as monsters continued their slaughter below.
Jake lowered his head, his face grim. But in his heart he thought: This boy… is consumed by vengeance. If he truly wishes to annihilate the monsters… then I must train him.
From the ruins, cloaked in shadows, a slender woman in a black robe stood. Her glowing violet eyes gleamed, half her face hidden by a mask. She gazed at Jake, Ryu, and Evelyn soaring away.
"Jake… Ryu… Evelyn…" she murmured with a faint smile.
"Isn't this… the start of something interesting?"
She chuckled softly, then vanished into the smoke.
Ryu and Evelyn, in Jake's arms, caught a glimpse of her. "Jake! Someone—"
Jake turned, but the figure was gone. He dismissed it as a hallucination.
Ryu and Evelyn exchanged glances, breath still ragged.
"What… what did we just see…?" Ryu whispered hoarsely.
To be continued…