Jerouch had seen many gut-wrenching murder scenes throughout his lifetime.
Some almost left him with PTSD, and even he himself wasn't excluded from committing such crimes. However, what he currently saw before him was without a doubt one of the cruellest and goriest sights he had ever witnessed.
Azel's moderate figure was obstructing his full view. However, tilting his head a bit to the right, everything became as clear as day.
The floor was plastered with dark red dried blood, and they also splattered across the wall.
What lay at the centre was the figure of a bloodied woman and a little girl.
The woman was lying on her stomach while holding the little girl whom Jerouch assumed to be her daughter in an embrace.
The woman's figure was cut in half from her head down to her pelvic region, dissecting her skull and torso into two parts.
That wasn't all, Jerouch could also see another little creature, which was the reason behind the nauseating feeling he was battling.
Blood covered the dissected woman and around her belly region, one could see a tiny figure of a baby whose half had been reduced to pulp.
The baby still had amniotic fluid and blood cloaking him. Yet, commensals had begun their work as the odious stench of decay filled the air.
As for the girl whom the woman was trying to protect. Her arm that was visible under the woman's figure was severed, and her mouth was covered in blood, and so was her pale body that was directly under her mother.
Bam!
Azel eventually lost it as he collapsed on the floor. His brain was still trying to process the whole scenario, but a default mechanism was attempting to reject this agonizing reality.
This at last sent him into a state of semiconsciousness as he struggled to get over the shock.
Phmm.
Azel sobbed quietly as his eyes fixed on the bodies, waiting for some miracle from the ninth heaven to happen.
His face was full of red spots as his tiny veins opened up, allowing blood to flow to everywhere.
'' A-ana…''
Phmm.
Phmm.
He called out again, but the mucus in his throat blocked most of his speech and his heart tightened, gripping his chest with pains, telling the body how much torture he was being subjected to.
His mind was in chaos, and he would occasionally experience sharp headaches as though he were being hit by thunder.
All of these happened in the span of a few minutes and Jerouch waited by the door side giving the only family member left the room to grief.
'W-why?' Azel choked on his saliva as he pondered about the whole dreadful situation.
'I just wanted to live a happy life as a merchant with my wife and kids.'
'Even when the guild members laughed at me for being over-caring for a man. Even when they laughed at me for being an ordinary merchant with a worthless magical talent…'
Azel crawled towards the corpses, grabbing his wife's palm in a tight grip.
''Only you stood by my side. ''
''Our daughter was going to become a great warlock one day and add brilliance to our family, b-but…''
Hot tears dripped from Azel's face and fell on the corpses.
'' Please tell me who did this to you.'' Azel's body was trembling as he glanced at the mutilated unborn child, his daughter who died of blood loss, and then his wife who was cut into two.
''TELL ME WHO DID THIS TO YOU Aa-naa…'' Azel finally yelled, letting out all his anguish, and his voice trailed off at the end as he lost the energy to support himself.
After a short while, Azel loosened his grip on her in defeat.
''She was a good person.'' Azel turned in Jerouch's direction, looking at him with eyes that had lost their shine.
'I guess.' Jerouch muttered inwardly.
He knew that Azel wasn't actually talking to him, rather, it was his coping mechanism that was pushing him to ramble out words, unconcerned about who was listening.
The others were here too, and they were all on their knees, as even they couldn't endure such horror.
A couple of them eventually passed out again, and those who were still up were in a dazed state.
''Who could be behind this?'' Jerouch frowned, turning his back as he headed out of the house.
''Sir.''
A weak voice entered Jerouch's ears which made him stop and turn.
''Please.'' Azel pointed to the lifeless bodies.
''P-please get rid of them and free their souls of this callous world torment,'' he muttered, half sobbingly.
Jerouch sighed, glancing at the dead bodies. He knew this really didn't concern him, as that was Azel's load to bear.
However, the sight of a pregnant woman being cut in half was something his moral standing couldn't withstand currently.
Stepping closer, he lifted his palms, facing the corpses, and activated his fire related skills.
The surrounding temperature warmed up instantly, and the smell of burnt flesh and smoke entered everyone's nostrils. And the raging flame wailed in their ears, relaying to the world its anger and sadness.
Azel etched this scene into his mind as he silently prayed for his family.
Even though his mind was in shambles, they were still sane enough to perform the final rite for the deceased.
The apprentices and guards who were up also joined him and prayed silently.
They all waited until the flame burned everything down to their bones, and the golden reflection of the flame could be seen on Azel's face as he muttered to himself.
''Even if it was a god that did this, you shall die by my hands.''
''The gentlest of souls can become a vengeful demon when pushed too far.''
Dark clouds gathered in the sky outside the house and a thick lightning fell from the sky, destroying everything in its wake.
—
''An oath that triggered the heavenly tribulations?'' Far in a distant place, a voice uttered, as the figure's eyes gazed at the far horizon with a look of half seriousness and curiosity.