"So.... what is it we do now?".
The ten survivors gathered around a small fire, burning brightly on the roof of the former Lecture Hall. The faint crimson embers were a welcome sight, especially in comparison to all of the green flames still flickering off in the distance.
The expressions on the faces of quite a few of these young men and women, where one of despair, confusion and an enormous amount of rage and anger that didn't have anywhere else to go.
Just this morning everything seemed alright. The sun was shining, the air was warm, and their was no signs of rain or clouds over the Village like it had been for the last few months. It was supposed to be a good day today, and yet it had suddenly transformed itself into this monstrosity of a fuckup....
Parvan let out a deep sigh, feeling a wave of anxiety and depression wash over him.
"What's the fucking point anyway. We're all that's left of the Kovacs Clan. 10 Fae Masters and 3 babies.... Even if we wanted to resist, trying to rebuild would be a pointless struggle....".
Henrik and Milena wanted to open their mouths to speak, but felt the words get caught in their throat. They too didn't have anything else to respond to Parvan's words....
In the corner, Helga and Eric stifled their tears, remembering the proud expressions on their parents faces just this morning. In the blink of an eye, everything had just vanished. Nothing, but the image of their parents corpses, being devoured by those corrupted with the Hatred Imperfection Powder remained.
Iryna just sat their, holding onto the baby in her arms for dear life. Ophelia, the youngest out of the three, just sucked on her own thumb quietly as Iryna cradled the sleeping baby in her arms.
Nyssa just sat their quietly, gazing down at Titania in her own arms. Obviously, the two girls had formed a slight connection to the now motherless children. They were the daughters of the man they loved, so even though they felt slightly envious, they still adored that part of them.
Arthur just sat their in the corner, gently patting Grigori's stomach, as he gazed into the blazing fire. His eyes seemed.... different than before.
"I....".
Just his voice alone perked up the other nine Fae Masters. They all considered Arthur both their Leader and friend, so if he suggested something, the vast majority of them would instantly side with him.
Even though they all felt angry, they all knew that out of everyone present, Arthur had probably lost the most.
First there was Andrea.... and now, his entire Clan and Family.....
They wanted to be angry at him, just to have someone to blame, anyone to blame, but they were all smarter than that.... Just seeing the tears that rolled down his face, after he saw his three children still alive, caused them all to sigh and shake their heads.
Arthur licked his cracked lips slightly, bit his bottom lip as well.
"This.... may be wrong.... or perhaps this might seem crazy but.... given out present situation, I do believe that this is the best possible option".
Even Parvan, who was just a minute ago laying down on his back, smoking a cigarette that he had seen his Father and Uncle do countless times before, spat it out, throwing the small stimulant into the fire.
Arthur let out a deep breath.
"We shouldn't leave Parachenko Village just yet. With our current fighting force we would find it hard to move around the Winter Rain Mountains freely, especially without knowing where we should go. We'd just wander around, waiting for our deaths.....".
The others moved their gazes downwards, letting out sighs.
"There is also the matter about what we should do with all the Fae and Fae materials within the Clan. Now that everyone else has been.... killed the Clan Reserves, and all of the resources within the Village are technically now all ours. Not to mention, that the secret knowledge and all of the Clan Records are now free for any of us to view.....".
Out of everyone present, only Dagen, Henrik, Iryna and Nyssa all perked their heads up. Parvan appeared slightly interested, while the other four still drowned in their own sorrow.
Arthur had told them all that one of the Elders in the Clan had placed these poisonous bombs all over the Clan, and that they had detonated them in order to distract the other Elders so that they could get close to the Clan Leader.
Arthur walked into the Clan Leaders residence, only to see his Father dead, poisoned and his Mother gasping for life as she watched Dominic and Leon die right before her eyes. Elder Vova and Elder Anatol managed to kill the opposing Elder, but not without overexerting their life force and exposing themselves to the harsh, unforgiving venom.
The main culprit in the destruction of Parachenko Village was....
Milena gritted her teeth, clenching her fists tightly.
"Elder Stas....".
The runaway Elder who had escaped the Clan after taking two Rank 3 Fae from the Clan Reserves. During the fight Arthur stated that he had found some sort of ancient Poison specialist Fae Master tomb and inherited everything that he previously owned.
After becoming a solid topaz origin essence Fae Master, he had returned, and used the Poison Attributed Control Skills he had inherited to plunder everything he could from the Kovacs Clan....
Elder Stas, while not a high priority originally, was the perfect scapegoat to push all of the blame onto. He was a Rank 3 Fae Master who "betrayed" the Clan and before the beast tides, was the subject of investigation by the Fae Masters who patrolled the territory around the Village.
Arthur did kill him, but for all intents and purposes, he was still alive in the minds of everyone else. And that.... was perfect for the current Arthur.
Arthur clenched his hands together, his voice regaining a hint of the sternness it possessed once before.
"If any of you want to back out now, I can understand why. Everyone we've ever known since childhood is either dead, or currently sitting around you right now. Sadness and passing are never easy things to progress, but....".
Arthur tried to mimic the same tone and demeanour that his Father gave off. It would be better than just coldly telling the others what to do.
"We are all Fae Masters! Kovacs Clan Fae Masters! Despite the fact that Parachenko Village and the Kovacs Clan have been destroyed, our bloodline has not been eliminated from this world! The huge number of Fae and Fae materials, alongside all of the knowledge within our Clan are all ours to now carry!".
"If we were dead right now, then would you want our relatives and friends who might've survived to continue to regress, devolving in terms of strength and knowledge to the point where the Kovacs Clan would've been destroyed?".
Parvan and the others shook their heads, their emotions in turmoil due to Arthur's words.
The seventeen year old just let out a deep breath, nodding his head slightly.
Even if they all didn't agree, he still had time to influence them so long as they remained within Parachenko Village. They would only have a few months at best before they had to leave, so Arthur needed to make the most of everything before they started their journey.
Arthur glanced at Nyssa beside him, who just shared a gentle look, nodding slightly, trying to affirm Arthur's words.
Arthur nearly had to stop himself from smiling, feeling these Fae Masters dance in the palms of his hands.
Everything.... was just perfect.