Alex and Claire quickly dispatched a pack of giant wolves together, surprising despite this being the first time the two had worked together; they had great chemistry in combat. Claire used her ice magic to block the beasts in a small area while Alex picked them all off with his lightning, quickly eliminating them.
Alex smiled. "That was easy."
"That is was." Claire said with a smirk. "I have to admit, I enjoyed myself."
"Did you know? Are you a little less reluctant with working for me now?" Alex asked.
"Let's just get back to Haven." Claire said while sighing.
"Haha, alright. I wonder what Sieg is up to." Alex said as they were walking.
Claire glanced at Alex. "You really care about the boy, don't you?"
"It's kind of like having the little brother I never had." Alex said. "He's a good kid."
"I see...what's your family like?" Claire asked.
"Well, I have a sister, a mother, an aunt, and a cousin. That's pretty much it." Alex said.
"You don't have a father?" Claire asked.
"He's nothing but a donor. I have his blood, but there's nothing more, and well...I killed my older brother who despised my very existence." Alex said casually.
"You've lived an eventful life, to say the least." Claire said.
"Oh, you have no idea." Alex said, smirking. "Anyway soon, I'll be back with my family."
Claire and Alex continued to walk until they both smelled something odd.
"Smoke?" Alex
The two followed the smell until they saw giant black smoke clouds rising in the distance.
"No..." Alex said with his eyes widening.
Alex sprinted off towards the village, and Claire followed. They ran as fast as they could, the smoke getting thicker and the smell of fire surrounding the entire area. The two had finally arrived in the village as they saw bandits killing, looting, and doing other unspeakable acts. The two looked at each other before they went to attack the bandits; they cut them down one by one with ease, allowing the surviving villagers to escape.
"Claire, help the survivors get out. I gotta look for Sieg." Alex said in worry.
"Alright, just stay alive." Claire said as she helped an elderly woman into the forest.
Alex kept going through the village, killing any bandit he came across before finally arriving at Sieg's house, and that was when he saw a bandit's body on the ground in front of the door.
"No..."
Alex walked inside and saw two more bandits in the kitchen dead, then another in the hallway leading to the bedroom with an open door. Alex quietly walked through the house before opening the door.
"AAAAHHH!"
A woman charged at Alex with a knife before Alex grabbed her wrist and knocked the knife out of her hand. Alex recognized the woman as Sieg's mom.
"Hey, it's me... I'm not going to hurt you." Alex said as he was trying to get her to calm down. Alex saw her face, tear-stained cheeks, and a look of utter desperation. "What happened?"
"T-They came and... they..."
She pointed at a pair of legs on the other side of the bed.
"No..."
Alex walked over to the corner of the bed and looked at the horrible sight. Sieg was motionless on the ground, his knife that Alex gave him in his hand covered in blood. His shirt was stained red with a wound to his chest.
"H-He...protected me... I...I...I'm a horrible mother!"
Alex closed his eyes before taking a deep breath. He walked over to Sieg's mother and put a hand on her shoulder. "It's not your fault; Sieg knew what would happen, and he kept fighting to protect you. He's a hero. You raised a great child."
Alex wrapped Sieg's body up in a bedsheet before handing him to his mother. "Go to the forest and find my friend Claire...and make sure he gets a proper burial."
"W-What about you?" she asked.
"Don't worry about me. Just go."
His mother nodded before kissing Sieg's forehead and running into the forest. Alex, however, showed no emotion; his eyes were completely cold and dark. He was holding the knife he had given Sieg in his hand.
"I'm sorry, Sieg..." Alex said before putting the knife in his pocket. "I'm sorry..."
Alex walked into the center of the town, his cold, dark eyes now a piercing, glowing purple. Time around him slowed down, but it was almost as if that didn't bother Alex.
"Are you ready?"
Alex turned his head and saw the goddess he hadn't seen in years, Iris.
"Ready?" Alex asked.
"To fully unleash your power." Iris said as she placed her hand on his cheek. "Release that anger of yours and show the world just how powerful you are."
Alex then raised a hand in the air. "I'm ready."
Iris smiled. "Then it's time for you to unlock your potential. Use your rage!"
Time sped back up to normal, and Alex knew exactly what he had to do.
*Claire POV*
Claire had escorted most of the survivors deep in the forest near an overlook of the town. Suddenly a loud bang was heard in the direction of the village. Storm clouds with a purple hue hovered above the town; purple lightning shot all around the village, causing even more fires to spread.
"What's going on?" Claire asked herself.
Just then she saw fires begin to circle in the center of the town; the red flames soon turned into the same color as the lightning as the spiral continued to rise.
"It's the end!" a villager yelled, watching in awe.
The purple flame spiral soon rose to the clouds and began expanding soon, covering over half the village.
"What...is...this?" the villagers said.
"This is an act of vengeance from the goddesses! WHAT HAVE WE DONE TO ANGER THEM?!"
The purple spiral continued to rampage around the village as soon as more spirals came down from the clouds. It was almost as if a tornado had created other tornadoes. This went on for hours as soon as the entire village had turned to ash, along with any of the bandits with it. The only things left in the village were ash, soot, the bones of the fallen, and a boy who's heart had shattered once more.
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