Arthur and Morgan's mind raced with conflicting thoughts.
"I can't give Hades any leverage over me. If I kill him or his friends, things will spiral out of control. Worse, if I make him disappear, the family would grieve for him, turning him into a martyr. No, I want him to suffer—for the rest of his miserable life!"
Lightning crackled in their palm, streaks of electricity dancing ominously. Arthur and Morgan stared at their attackers, now reduced to a pitiful sight. The five boys lay in puddles of their own shame, trembling with fear and pain. Whenever the shocks subsided, they dared hope it was over, only for another bolt to rip through their bodies.
The pauses were deliberate. Arthur and Morgan wanted their torment to be etched into their souls. Each surge of lightning was spaced out just long enough to prevent their bodies from adjusting to the pain, keeping the torture fresh and agonizing.
"Punishing them isn't enough. I need to break them!" Arthur and Morgan thought grimly, suppressing any flicker of mercy.
When the boys were too weak to move, Arthur and Morgan arranged their unconscious forms using spirit magic. The staging was precise—a believable setup that ensured anyone investigating would believe this victory was won with ordinary magic. The stick used to strike them was placed back in its owner's hand, its bloodied surface a testament to their crime.
As Arthur and Morgan finalized their work, a voice rang out from the distance.
"Arthur! Arthur, where are you?"
"Damn! I've spent too much time here," they cursed, recognizing their mother's voice. "At least it's Mom. I can work with this."
Arthur and Morgan moaned weakly, dragging themselves to the door to greet Elina. When she arrived, the sight that greeted her turned her blood cold.
Arthur and Morgan's face was a grotesque mask of bruises and cuts. Blood seeped from wounds across their body, their left arm cradled as if broken. The ground was littered with blood, teeth, and battered youths.
"Mom! Mom!" Arthur and Morgan gasped, their voice garbled and strained. "They tried to kill me… I don't have the strength to fight them anymore."
Elina froze, horrified. She rushed to them, carefully cradling their battered body, her tears falling freely.
"My baby! My poor baby. Who did this to you?" she sobbed, her hands trembling as they brushed against their injuries.
"Hades… It's all Hades' fault," Arthur and Morgan wheezed. "These are his friends. They planned this together—they told me before they thought I'd die!"
Elina's heart sank. The names and faces of Hades' closest friends flashed through her mind. One of them, Rizel, still clutched his grandfather's blood-stained wooden stick. Arthur and Morgan's bruises bore the unmistakable imprint of its strikes.
"But why? Why would they do this? And how could they know you'd be alone here today?" she muttered, her mind piecing the puzzle together.
Arthur and Morgan clung to her, their sobs genuine yet masking their satisfaction. They let her draw her own conclusions—it was far more effective than feeding her the facts outright.
"Can't you heal yourself, even a little bit?" Elina asked desperately.
Arthur and Morgan shook their head. "I could… but I won't."
"Why?" Her voice was full of worry, her son's response baffling her.
"Because I want you and Dad to see exactly what he did to me. I want you to remember this when you decide what to do with him!" Arthur and Morgan coughed, spitting blood purposefully to emphasize their words.
Elina's anguish turned to fury. "I'll make him pay for this," she whispered, her tone ice cold. She scooped Arthur and Morgan into her arms and hurried home, calling for Raaz and the rest of the family to join her at Selia's house.
When Raaz entered the blood-stained room and saw Arthur and Morgan's injuries, his face turned ashen. But when his eyes fell on the five unconscious boys, his heart broke. He recognized them instantly—Hades' closest friends.
"Hades…" Raaz murmured, his voice cracking. "How could you?"
Hades stood frozen, pale as a ghost. "Dad, wait! It's not what it looks like!"
Raaz cut him off, his voice trembling with restrained fury. "Isn't it? These are your friends. Isn't that your grandfather's stick, stained with your brother's blood? Tell me, what part of this am I misunderstanding?"
"It wasn't supposed to go this far!" Hades shouted, desperation creeping into his voice. "They didn't listen to me! I just wanted to teach him respect, but they—"
"Respect?" Raaz's voice boomed, silencing the room. "You call this respect? Ambushing your brother, nearly killing him? You've gone too far this time, Hades. You've destroyed this family."
Hades opened his mouth to argue, but Elina's glare silenced him. Her eyes were filled with icy disdain, her decision already made.
"There's no saving him, Raaz," she said quietly. "He doesn't regret his actions—he never has. If we allow this to continue, who's next? Tista? I won't let him tear this family apart any longer."
Raaz nodded solemnly, his tears spent. "You're right. Hades, from this day forward, you are no son of mine. We will report this to the village militia. You and your accomplices will answer for your crimes."
As Raaz spoke the final words, Hades' world shattered. His parents' decision was absolute. There would be no forgiveness, no redemption. And as they turned their backs on him, he realized too late that he'd lost everything.