*****
'....I have to attract the monster's attention to me'
Alan moved forward towards the army of monsters, leaving others of the party behind. Even though the situation was very alarming. Alan was smiling ear to ear.
'So, the kid can do the rest of the work'
Never once in his life. Had he ever guessed that having someone to watch his back could give him this level of motivation.
After living a life akin to hell, with no real control over it. Alan had almost given up his whole life. It had always been dictated by someone else, for their own selfish purposes.
A tool in the eyes of every human he met. He really could never have guessed that having someone close, does not always bring pain and suffering.
Before, Alan felt like his whole life was nothing other than torture. Working for the organization, he hated the most. Doing the dirty work, he loathes the most. Living a life, he pitied the most.
He always hated his life, almost every second of it. What was there to love for him in his accursed life anyway?
Murdering other humans, to keep his family alive. Destroying others' families, so his parents can sleep peacefully. Killing kids the same age as her sister to protect the same sister.
He often wondered to himself. Was it all even worth it?...Or was it all in vain?
Alan was never truly trapped. He always had a choice to run away by abandoning everything. But…. He was never able to do so. Was it the familial bond or something else? He had already forgotten all about it.
….After struggling in that hellhole, for far too long. His hatred towards the churches started receding, slowly turning into self-loathing with time.
Alan hated himself for killing kids, who had bright futures ahead of them. Just because some guy had deemed them not worthy of living.
He hated himself for being so weak. For never being able to stand up to his oppressors. Always listening to their every command like a puppet.
Spending a long time in that tortured place. Alan started hating his family too..… Even after seeing the torture he was going through. They never stopped begging him to save their sorry life even at the expense of his.
Even though he hated himself for leaving his family alone there. He can never deny the solace it bringed.
The feeling of comfort and sadness, after losing everything that ever mattered to him, was almost euphoric and empty at the same time. As life had no meaning to it, after everything he went through.
Even after Alan gave up on his life completely. Living a life in complete isolation, away from every hunting eye.
But, he never truly was able to let go. At least the memories of his little sister, whom he abandoned. Haunted every day in the form of nightmares.
…..But, fate was a vile and cruel thing.
Alan again was greeted by a kid, washed away in the river, struggling for life. When he looked at him, it felt like looking at the projection of him from years ago….
When he was not broken. When he still contained that seething rage for his enemy...When he swore to himself, to never let the same thing happen to anyone else.
On impulse, he decided to save the kid. And after just spending some time together, the kid got too integrated into his life.
Training the kid became a routine for him. A precious part of his day. Seeing the wild reactions, and jabs from the kid-filled him with warmth….That he almost forgot existed within him.
Looking at the kid, Alan knew why he changed so drastically. From hoping to die every day, to wait for the next day, to see what life had in store for him.
It was due to Arsh, who he met at the lowest point of his life. He always told the kid exactly the same words, he himself wanted to hear, when he was in the darkest time of his life.
Alan didn't want to leave the kid alone, to suffer in this cruel world…. Like he had to years ago.
Reign of Shadow|
Alan's shadow rose up from the ground, surrounding his body in a black coating. Two horns grew out of his helmet, enticing perfectly with the menacing black cloak, covering his whole body from head to toe.
Alan cracked his fingers again, his sword juggling in the air. He smiled a dark smile, before hiding behind the mask of his shadow cloak.
"Time to slaughter some bugs"
Alan stepped forward cladded with black armor, holding a sword burning with black flames in his hand. Turning everything around him into complete and utter chaos.
The monsters began running away, witnessing the horror in front of them.
A man with black armor was swatting them like flies.
Alan was destroying everything in his sword's reach, not even leaving ashes behind. His black flames burned them out of existence, just by a mere touch.
Stealth|
He disappeared from his spot, leaving no traces behind. But, the battlefield changed drastically. The monsters now started getting killed so fast, without even getting a chance to see the shadow of their killer.
Alan moved between the army of monsters stealthily, hunting only for the stronger ones in them. Leaving the rest of the weaker ones, for the other members of the party.
Even in the midst of the utter chaos and destruction, the Millennials didn't move an inch away. They were just standing in the same spot, observing every single person at Arsh's party.
'I have to kill the Millenniums. If I want to give others a survival chance. But...'
However powerful Alan was. Facing and killing an army containing thousands of monsters was near to impossible….
Even though he had enough power to destroy the coyotes and primates monsters out of existence. He couldn't say the same about the millenniums and the Gargoyles.
'....I should take care of these flying shits first'
Alan dispelled his stealth spell, standing in the middle of the monsters. The monster's looked at him, their eyes weary with fear.
Alan chanted a spell silently, before lowering his body a little bit. Taking a deep breath, he grinned, looking at the hovering gargoyles in the air.
"Time's up, flying monsty"
Alan swung his tar black sword, in the crescent shape. Firing a burning arc of black flame, toward the flying monstrosities.
The gargoyles tried to dodge it, by dispersing away from the group. But, the arc of fire moving toward got only bigger with time. Until it hit and burned the gargoyles out of the sky.
"....That took a lot of my magic"
Alan sighed, staring at the monsters surrounding him.
The seed of fear Alan planted in monsters at the start of the whole conflict, now had completely changed into dread, dripping like liquid from the bodies of the monsters.
The monsters surrounding him back away, after seeing Alan, incinerate a whole group of gargoyles in mere seconds. Their instincts were kicking in, warning them about the man in front of them.
"Well…..That was certainly unexpected"
Alan looked at the monsters, who were slowly turning towards the adventures in hope of getting easy prey. They were not in any mood of giving up, just yet.
But, Alan was not too worried about them. They were just coyotes and primates anyway.
"Now that leaves the Millenniums. But, before that…"
Alan turned around sighing. He at least needed to check the condition of the others in the seemingly deadly battle, at least for them.
Leo and Ethan were holding out, fighting side by side in the frontline without hiding away. Adam and Joey stopped the other hordes of monsters from the sides and rear.
While Elsa and Amanda were at the center of their formation, as it was the safest place in the formation.
Even though they were struggling quite a bit, they were holding out against the whole barrage of the monsters, with a good formation and foothold in the forest. But...
'...Their formation is strong. But they won't be able to last against the more powerful beasts'
Alan looked around hurriedly in every direction, his eyes scanning through every part near the adventurers.
He was not anxious, he was mostly just curious. In the search for the last member of the group.
"Where did that damned kid go?"
Arsh was more powerful than any of the adventurers present. So, Alan had no reason to worry about him. At least not until the millenniums started moving.
'That kid will do everything in his power to protect them. So...Why did he leave them all alone in the middle of monsters?'
Alan was aware of Arsh's caring nature for others. He was the one who trained him, after all. He knew that kid would go to any lengths to end the fight for others' safety, even disregarding his safety.
Standing there, Alan was hit by an obvious sudden realization. His eyes squinted with annoyance. He now most likely knew where Arsh was right now.
He took a shallow breath, quickly moving in the direction of the Millenniums. Who was silently standing in the same spot, far away from all the Chaos.
"That damned kid will always attack the strongest opponent"