A pained whimper escaped Alixandre's lips as he fell to his knees, gripping his right arm in pain. There was no visible wound present, but he felt the pain the red-haired man felt times two. Tears stained the ground below him as gritted his teeth and stood wobbly.
The red-haired man's eyes grew wide at the pained boy before him. He rushed to his aid to help him get on his feet.
" I don't know what happen to you." he said, looking into the teary eyes of the boy in pain, " but thank you very much for healing me.
Alixandre weighed down on his shoulders heavily as he dragged him back to the group.
" You ok kid, you look like shit," Radahn said.
" It's the drawback of my ability. I can heal almost all wounds, and regenerate limbs. The con is that I receive the pain from the wounds, but worse. It was my first time using it. I'm sure it gets better at higher levels."
" Alright. Go back to the back and recover. Man up because we both know we're going to need you."
Hours passed as the group recovered. Alixandre hadn't spoken to Athena since then.
The group of four approached him, curious about the episode he had.
" So what was that about? You looked like you were dying after healing that man, "said Ella.
" Don't worry about it. I'm fine."
Alexander grabbed her by the hips, looking Alixandre in the eye while smirking.
" How are you supposed to be a healer, when you can't even heal without acting crazy."
Alixandre's gaze was enough to make him take a few steps back. He released a little bloodlust.
" Hold on here. Alexander, apologize to this man. He may be the one who ends up saving your life," said James, " And you. Lighten up a bit dude. I'm not sure what has happened to you for you to have bloodlust, but you shouldn't want to kill someone over words."
" I'm sorry man. I didn't mean it," Alexander said with an outstretched hand.
Alixandre turned his face away from Alexander and stared at the forest in front of him. He held his breath and gritted his teeth before walking toward the other healers without uttering a single word.
' All this blood around me is making me crazy. I can't believe that I wanted to kill him over that conversation,' he thought.
Athena's gaze was filled with interest as she felt the slight bloodlust from his body.
" Others may not know this, but bloodlust isn't something people just obtain. It's the sign of a psychopath. Is the new wolf in town a killer?" she said sarcastically.
"...."
" Playing hard to get huh? I like a catch. Especially one that's part demon."
" What do you want from me? I don't know who you are, and you have harassed me ever since we've been here. I'm sure you have a powerful family behind you, but what do you want from me? I'm nobody."
" You can't fool me wearing that contraption that makes your divine aura feel like a mortal magic aura. I know your true history and background. Let's just say I think that you're going to be an important figure in the future, and I want to be on the right side of history. Accept my kindness. Even though I can't kill you, I can cause you pain that would make you wish you were dead."
The atmosphere between the two became standoffish. He sensed her energy and felt a slight migraine, followed by a dripping nose bleed.
" This world is vast Alixandre. Strong people are lurking everywhere."
Their conversation was interrupted by the sudden commotion in the forest.
The next wave of demi-humans had come. Alixandre looked into the forest, reading the magic signatures of the beast in the woods.
" Radahn! These demi-humans wield wind magic."
Radahn's face turned grim.
" How do you know?!"
"It's my ability. Just trust me."
" You heard the man! They use wind magic. Stay on guard and prepare to block!"
The rumbling began. Thousands of dem-humans emerged from the forest, screeching loudly.
" I'm no longer sitting this out. I need to blow off some steam. I'm sure you two can handle the healing," Alixandre said while drawing his two odachi swords from his back.
" Are these your weapons of choice? Edgy," Athena said.
Ignoring her words, he walked to the front of the group.
Radahn heard footsteps slowly approaching him from behind.
" Hey, kid. Where are you going? Go back to your position!"
Alixandre stared at the mass of monsters ahead of him unwaveringly.
He turned his head back slowly, exposing the dark black veins under his red eyes.
Radahn's eyes trembled. His heart pounded quickly.
" I have the front. These Demi-humans pose no threat to me. I only need someone to kill the few I can't get. The rest of you should help the others," Alixandre said firmly.
He slowly walked toward the horde of enemies ahead as an inhuman growl escaped his lips followed by a deafening wolf's howl.
The adventurers attention was drawn toward the man who dove headfirst into thousands of demi-humans. With each wild swing of his swords, tens of demi-human heads flew off. Everywhere he went, black blood gushed into the air.
" Does he not feel pain? He's getting scratched all over!?"
" Look closer! He's absorbing the Demi human blood, and healing!"
The group of the awakened watched the massacre of the Demi humans ahead. Alixandre didn't dodge or back down when surrounded. His sword swung mercilessly, sparing no one around him. The wounds he received didn't stop his attack. He fended off all fatal wounds with his magic arm. His blade swung non-stop with no signs of slowing down.
" Was he always like this?" said Ella
" I don't know, but he can't be human. He howls and growls like a wolf. He even fights like a beast," said Alexander.
Melissa and James watched in silence.
" Don't just stand there. Follow his lead!"
With that, the battle had begun.
Thunder rained from the skies, attacking the monsters around them. The Earth was scorched with the flames of the awakened, incinerating the body's of their enemies. The awakened had the upper hand due to Alixandre's battle prowess.
All the bloodshed had caused him to go into his frenzy state. He became more and more reckless. Not caring if he struck those around him.
" Hey, stay away from him! He isn't in control!" said Radahn.
As the wave came to an end. Alixandre stood tall in the middle of thousands of demi-human bodies, growling.
"I probably shouldn't ask him to heal me again huh?" said the red-haired man.
" No, you should not," said radahn.
A portal opened in front of them.
" Looks like it was only two waves of enemies. It's time to leave," said Radahn.
As the group headed toward the portal, they were stopped by Alixandre.
" Ms. Athena, is this the Lockwood boy the kingdom was talking about?' said her bodyguard. He got no answer. He looked down at Athena, seeing her flushed face, and heard her ragged breaths.
" Ms.Athena!" he said as he nudged her arm.
" I'm sorry. Yes, that's him. The future King of Pondwell," she said with a smile, " But I think you guys should restrain him before he does something regrettable. If he turns into a wolf here, I'm not sure how many of us are walking out of this alive."
" Yes, Ms. Athena," they said in unison before turning into shadows.
Alixandre slowly approached the group. His swords dug into the moist ground. The blood spilled from the battle gathered around his body, and formed a thick dark red aura.
" Is he going to attack us?" said Melissa.
" Yes, he is. He's in a bloodlust trance. He wants to kill everyone here," said Radahn
Alixandre dashed forward fearlessly, aiming to take off Radahn's head first.
He was stopped in his tracks by the shadows at his feet. The bodyguards materialized behind him. With a swift chop to his neck, he lay unconscious in their arms.