*ding!* [You have opened an achievement reward (F) x1! You have received a 'Steel Short Sword (F)!]
{ Steel Short Sword (F) - A short sword made out of quality steel.
Attack +8
durability: 45/45 }
"Does the system give something you're in need of? Or did you tamper with it again?" Leon narrowed his eyes as a quality weapon was something he was in need of.
[I didn't touch it! Its how the system works geezer! Be grateful!]
Leon swatted away the brat and looked at the short sword. It was sharp, well made, and had a high durability. This sword would last him a while, but now that he had his weapon smithing skill, it would be better to put those weaker weapons to use to kill the wolves for now.
He would save the short sword for when he needed it against stronger monsters with its boost in attack.
With night quickly approaching, he ate some more meat and went to sleep. With the system's intervention, he no longer had to worry much about his food getting old since the inventory basically froze everything in time and space.
He wasn't sure of the actual inner workings of the inventory, but thanks to his new knowledge, he knew a lot of things most people wouldn't find out for a while.
- - -
A small spark quickly grew into a blazing inferno.
The house engulfed by the flames quickly turned into fuel for the fiery beast's flames, spreading far and wide around Leon as he stood outside watching his home burn to the ground.
"Sarah! Daniel!" He called out but his voice was drowned out by the loud crackling of the fire.
The heat was intense, causing him to sweat profusely but also dry his skin the next second. He grew anxious, unsure what to do as he heard no reply but then...
"AAAHHHHHH!!!!"
A scream echoed through the area, originating from inside the house.
"SARAH HOLD ON!!!" Leon jumped into action, running straight into the pits of hell.
The hair on his arms singed off in seconds while the heat began to give him burns that only got worse with time. He ran all around the house as the fire watched him, following him. Despite the outside of the house crumbling apart, the inside was perfect, like there was no fire to begin with.
The fire concentrated around him unnaturally but that was the least of his worries as he heard another scream, only weaker.
"I'm coming hang on!!!" He panicked as he raced up the stairs to the second story.
As he came to the top of the stairs, a wall of fire suddenly shot down from the roof, blocking his path. Even with sudden death in front of him, Leon didn't hesitate to rush through the roaring flames.
"GAAAHH!!!" He screamed in pain as his entire body was suddenly racked with 3rd degree burns.
It was a miracle to be standing, but even though he looked like a walking piece of charcoal, he didn't stop. He trudged his way down the hall to the furthest room, his son's. As he moved, pieces of his charred flesh fell off, melting into the floor below him.
The once pristine house suddenly melted away, threatening to fall apart with his every step. The creaking of the floorboards constantly reminded him that time was of the essence and he picked up his pace.
By the time he reached the door to his son's room, he was missing half his torso and face, while his right foot had burned away and holes appeared all over his body. Despite this, he still pushed on like these flesh wounds had no power over him.
His heart thumped violently in his chest as he hesitated to open the door. He was right there, yet he couldn't take that final step to see his family and save them. It felt like he was in a cold sweat despite the sweltering heat.
"Leon dear." A voice echoed through the door.
The sweet, melodic voice of his wife brought 'tears' to his burnt face and gave him the courage to open the door. He needed to see them, he had to save them.
He firmly grasped the door handle and turned it. As he opened the door, the surrounding house quickly crumbled to the ground in a sweltering blaze. All that was left of their home by the time the door was open completely, was his son's room delicately balanced on a single metal pipe that ran through the house.
Leon's char-ness disappeared as his body magically healed to perfect condition. Tears came down his eyes for real as his loved ones stood in front of him, perfectly fine.
His wife held his 6 year old son in her hands lovingly, rocking him gently as he sucked on his thumb. She hummed a gentle tune, one that Leon instantly recognized but only made his heart hurt more.
"Sarah... Daniel... I'm here.." Leon quietly said.
His words caused his wife to stop moving, almost as if they were frozen in time, before both her and their son's head shot in his direction at an unnatural speed.
"Why didn't you save us daddy?" His son spoke gently as the thumb he sucked slowly burned and became charred.
"I tried..." Leon squeaked out but did he really?
"Yes dear, where were you when our house burned down?" His wife also asked with a smile despite her lips and eyes burning up and charring.
Leon's reunion quickly became his worst nightmare, as he backed up to leave, only to slip on the edge of the room.
"Gah!" He fell, barely getting a hold of the door frame as he was left dangling over the burning remains of his home. The pieces of burning wood seemed to become a pit of spikes, waiting for his death.
"I'm sorry Sarah! I wasn't there to save you! I'm so sorry!" Leon choked up, gritting his teeth at his own faults.
"Why did you let us die Leon." Sarah's voice echoed in his mind again, only it was much more demonic sounding.
Above him, his wife and son stood side by side looking down on him as he struggled to hold himself up. Their entire bodies were completely charred as the skin and muscle that held onto their bones melted away, revealing their damaged remains.
Leon's mind began to swirl in chaos as he saw images of his loved ones he never hoped to see again.
"No! I didn't let you die! I-I I wasn't even in the country! How could I have saved you!!! Please!!!" He screamed out but his voice was soon cut off by a burning hand grasping his throat.
The door frame was gone and all that was left was a tiny platform where his wife's remains lovingly stroked the skull of his son's. His 'son' held his arm out, holding his own father's neck in its grasp without care for their size difference.
All of a sudden, his son burst into tears through his vacant eye sockets.
"Daddy... I'm scared... Where are you..."
Leon's heart broke and despite it feeling like his consciousness was fading, he held on, burning this vision of his wife and son into his mind.
"I'm right here kiddo. I'm right here." Leon tried to lovingly say as his airways were blocked.
Despite that, he reached one of his hands out in an attempt to caress his son's face. He stretched his fingers as far as he could, desperate to reach his son but he always seemed to be just short.
"I-I'm right here son." He cried.
"No your not." A demonic voice came out of his son's remains, as his neck was let go.
"My daddy didn't save me. You're not him." The words echoed in Leon's mind as he began falling for eternity it felt like as he watched his charred loved ones looking at him fall to his death.
"I am Daniel!! You're dad is right here!!! I'm sorry I couldn't save you!!!" Leon called out but it fell on deaf ears as the two silently watched him.
His mind was in turmoil at his failure to save the ones he loved, but was abruptly cut off as his body was skewered by burning wood and red hot metal rods.
"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!"
Leon screamed, waking up in a cold sweat. His body shook violently and felt like it was on fire. Despite that, all he could think about was his dead wife and son. The normally calm and silent old man burst into tears like a child.
He held his face in his hands for a while, letting it all out. His body was perfectly fine after the nightmare he went through but it still had remnants of a past life.
His old age didn't hinder his muscular body in any way, especially now that the Universal Law System was helping him transcend time through leveling up. He had numerous scars of various sizes, most of them being gunshot wounds. Not all of them could be covered up by his traditional Nordic tattoos, not that that was his intention anyway.
The larger wounds were mostly from shrapnel that might have hit him in the line of duty but there was one wound different from the rest.
On his left ring finger, was the remnants of a metal band that had now been burned and melted directly onto his skin like a scar. It no longer held the same uniform shape, having a loose outline rather than a straight ring shape, but the thought was there, burned directly into him.
"I'm so sorry..." Leon choked up one more time before calming down and getting his day started much earlier than normal.
[...]