Lucien continued to fight for a whole five hours straight. His whole body was wacked in pain. Yet he did not stop. He continued to persevere. The wound on his back reopened. Because of the less strength exerted, the puppets gained their footing and bravely marched towards Lucien. One caught his whip. As Lucien pulled on his whip, two children attacked him and sank their teeth and claws into Lucien's back. The reopened wound was gnashed open. The two children ate chunks of his flesh until his body exposed some white fleshy parts of his bone. Yet the attack doesn't end there. After the two children, the others rush in to bite off Lucien's arms.
"Lucien!" Aiden dashed towards him. But because of the mob, he was ignored and pushed away.
Aiden struggled to stand up. His heart was beating in pain, eyes stared in complete horror at the sight of the puppets eating Lucien.
At this rate, that man will die.
What should he do?
No, he will not die. He won't let him die.
Without his permission, that man could not leave this world.
No one can take him away.
Lucien is his.
His possession alone.
Aiden's family background was not explained in detail at the 'Slaying the Demons'. But he was a protagonist for a reason.
Aiden's body is trembling in rage. He ran straight to where the puppets crowded Aiden and felt his body undergo changes. His blood is boiling and his temperature is rising. A black mass has formed on his arms and legs. It gathered around him like flies. It started out transparent and untouchable, then thickened and formed masses and physical form.
Aiden did not notice the changes around him. The only thought he had in mind was to get Lucien back. To kill these monsters and get out of here. The air inside the room becomes condensed and gripping with dark power. Vanessa noticed these changes and stood on her feet, face full of utter shock.
Has the Father come back from his ordeals? Was it time to make the sacrifice?
Vanessa searched outside the window, looking for the mighty figure of the two-horned demon who had been her master for years. Yet she sees no one. The town is as dark and desolate as she wanted it to be. No, it was much more gruesome and emitted a perilous death aura. An obvious sign that a demon had come to the town. Vanessa stared at the dark fog enclosing the church. She had seen these completely dense death signs before. It was back when her daughter foolishly gave in to her anger and humiliation suffered at the hands of the townspeople.
In her eagerness to sacrifice her body and soul to the demon in exchange for their destruction, the town turned into a spiritless town the very next day, while she herself had her existence erased. Vanessa lowered her head and seemed to be in deep thought. This abominable air is the same — no, it's much stronger and more oppressive than back then. She leisurely walked outside of the church, not bothering to notice that the perilous atmosphere she was admiring was coming from a single child inside.
At the feet of Aiden, the bodies of the puppets succumb to darkness. The black mist is like a parasite holding on to their rotten bodies. They struggled to escape, but their skin and flesh were devoured in seconds. The puppets don't have minds of their own. They only function out of instinct. When they detected danger, they tried to call on their master. Yet she wasn't there. Now they can only surrender to their fate of destruction.
In the middle of the black deathly mist, only one shadow was found standing. That was Aiden. The monstrous look in his eyes has completely gone beyond recognition. They are as red as blood and warped. It was impossible to see if the owner still held sanity in the midst of madness. He stretched his hand and removed the 'impurities' piling up, obstructing him from getting his man. Underneath them, Lucien had his body curled up. Blood soaked through him, and his back revealed numerous wounds and missing skin.
He was mangled beyond recognition.
Will he die?
No. He cannot.
He won't let him.
Just at this moment, Vanessa came in. Her eyes are lingering on the thick, horrendous atmosphere hovering in the church. She stared at them in bewilderment. How is it that it's denser here than outside? It couldn't be that Father was already inside? Vanessa dismissed that thought. Father hated the church. He would not go inside. When her eyes landed at the entrance, her breathing stopped.
She saw the little child. The black mist was so thick, she felt herself going mad just by staring at it. She can see many pairs of red eyes glaring at her behind the little child. Because of fear, she took a step back. Her body shivered from the sight.
"Who are you?" She asked weakly.
She was powerful. As a witch who lived for hundreds of years, she accumulated considerable power just from serving the two-horned demon. But at this time, she can feel the oppression of this child is killing her. It's like the very air she breathes is stabbing at her lungs and pounding at her ribs.
"Heal him." At the child's feet, Vanessa saw the remnants of her puppets. They all disintegrated into dust…
She covered her mouth in horror. How can that be? Who is this child? Is he a demon? No, that's impossible! She thoroughly checked the little child along with that rebellious, smart-ass teenager. She was certain they were both human.
So how…?
Vanessa's unresponsiveness irritated Aiden. He made a gesture with his hand, and in a single flick, Vanessa was dragged towards him at her knees. Before Vanessa can react, she felt his small icy cold hand pressing into her head. Forcing her to look at the teenager in his dying state.
"Heal him." The low and magnetic voice, full of commanderie and authority, made Vanessa's knees grow weaker.