"For the first time, he felt real fear."
That one sentence… it was the only way to describe what was happening in Rynan's perspective.
His hands trembled. His chest was tight. His thoughts were scrambled. His body wouldn't move. It wasn't the kind of fear that made you scream. It was the kind that left you frozen.
He stared up at the figure ahead, heart pounding, lips dry. He didn't know what this thing was. He didn't know what it wanted. But just standing there… it was enough to tear through him like a storm.
He felt exposed. Like his mind had been opened up and read like a page in a book.
And all it said was: fear.
The tall figure stepped forward, his dark cloak brushing the ground as he moved. His face was hidden in shadows. Only his voice broke the silence—low, slow, and smooth like dripping oil.
"Alexus DanFransci."
He crouched down, staring right into Rynan's soul, calm and steady, like none of this mattered.
"Thou art not from this world."
Rynan's breath caught in his throat.
,How… how does he know?, His thoughts raced, trying to keep up. His mind was still stuck in the moment before—when everything was fine. When they were laughing. When his father was alive and whole.
None of this made sense.
And then, everything moved at once.
"RAAHH!"
Forle's war cry tore through the air. His sword shot forward in a clean thrust—straight into the figure's gut. The sound was wet. Real. A squelch of metal piercing flesh.
Rynan blinked.
His father stood tall, gripping his sword with both hands, voice shaking with fury.
"I don't know who you are, or what you want from us," he growled. "But you will pay for hurting my family!"
His chest heaved. His face was twisted in rage. And for a moment—just one—Rynan felt hope. That maybe his dad had stopped it. Maybe it was over.
,If he had done more than this... if he killed even one of them... I would've lost it..., Forle thought to himself.
Then he stopped.
His words froze.
His eyes widened.
The sword slipped from his hands.
He looked down slowly, as if time itself had slowed to a crawl.
There, in the center of his stomach… was a gaping hole.
Clean.
Precise.
As if something had sliced straight through him—like paper.
Rynan's breath hitched. His voice cracked.
"D-DAD!!"
The cloaked figure straightened, unfazed. His voice was cold. Distant.
"Thou hast underestimated me. A common mistake. One thou shalt not make again."
Forle's body shivered—then collapsed. Limp. Like a doll that had its strings cut.
He crashed to the wooden floor of the wagon, motionless.
Rynan's heart stopped.
The wound Forle had made? It was gone, vanished, unfazed
The figure hadn't even flinched. He was still standing there. Alive, and healthy.
Rynan didn't think. He threw himself to the floor, grabbing his father's body, pulling him in close, desperate. Blood soaked into his sleeves. His voice broke.
"No... no no no no no!"
His hands shook as he held Forle tighter.
"DAD!"
"DAD!!!"
_____𖤍_____
"W-WHAT THE HELL DO YO—"
Before Rynan could even finish shouting, a dark, heavy leather boot slammed into his face with a sickening thud. The sound echoed through the air like a hammer striking meat. His head jerked back violently, and the world spun around him. Blood sprayed from his nose and lips, dotting the wooden floor of the wagon.
"Ghu…" Rynan groaned, collapsing hard onto the ground. His face was a mess of blood and dirt, and the ringing in his ears wouldn't stop.
He tried to push himself up, hands trembling beneath him, but before he could even sit upright—another brutal kick smashed into his jaw. This time, it was even stronger. His body flew across the wagon and hit the front wall with a painful thud.
"R-Rynan!" Andrea's voice broke through the chaos, raw and panicked. She rushed toward him, dropping to her knees as she gently lifted his head. Her hands were shaking. Her eyes darted between his bloodied face and the figure slowly approaching them.
"G-Get away from us!" she screamed, desperate and breathless. Her voice cracked as she tried to shield Rynan with her body. She wasn't a fighter—just a maid—but in that moment, she would've done anything to keep him safe. But the figure didn't stop. It kept walking.
"How dare thou," the figure growled, his deep voice now twisted with fury, "A mere human art thou… and still speaketh as if thou wert thy Heavenly Father? SHALL SO?"
The air itself felt heavier. His once calm, flat tone had turned into something monstrous. There was no mercy in his voice anymore—only pure resentment, like a storm that had finally broken.
Rynan's eyes shot open wide. ,No… Andrea will die!, He tried to scream it out loud, but the pain in his jaw choked his voice. He reached for her sleeve, clutching it weakly, pulling at it with everything he had. Andrea turned and looked at him.
His eyes were clouded with panic and innocence. He was terrified, and he didn't even try to hide it. Her chest tightened just looking at him. ,Rynan…, she thought. ,He's still just a boy…,
"You still have so much to live for," Andrea whispered. Her voice cracked but held firm. "You haven't even started."
'W-What is she saying!?' Rynan's heart dropped, confused and afraid. He looked at her, trembling, as the shadow loomed larger behind her. He wanted to speak, but his lips were trembling too much.
"So... YOU HAVE TO LIVE!"
Andrea stood up, gritted her teeth, and in one swift motion, she lifted Rynan into her arms. With a shout, she hurled him forward, far beyond the wagon—like he weighed nothing. His body soared through the air, crashing through the branches of trees before tumbling hard into the grass over a kilometer away.
She was far stronger than he had ever imagined.
But right now, none of that mattered.
"A-ANDREA!" Rynan cried, struggling to lift his bloodied arm toward her. His hand reached out to nothing. He was too far. Too late.
Andrea looked at him one last time, her lips forming a single word.
"Run."
And the next second—her head was gone.
Rynan didn't breathe. He couldn't. His lungs burned, but he didn't feel it. He dug his nails into his scalp, scratching hard, until red streaks covered his hands. Until skin peeled and blood ran down his forehead. ,They all died…,
,BECAUSE OF ME!,
,I COULDN'T SAVE ANYONE!,
,I HAD THE POWER TO—AND I STILL FAILED!,
Rynan sat up slowly, staring up at the sky like it might hold the answer. His vision blurred, the clouds spinning as tears streamed down his cheeks. ,A useless… pointless… sacrifice…,
His gaze dropped forward.
,You…,
The figure was still standing there. Watching him.
"I will kill you," Rynan whispered, his voice low, shaking, but deadly serious. Every word carried weight, like stone.
"And it will be painful."