Xavier tightened his grip around the feather blade. The cold bit into his fingers, but he refused to let go.
"You don't get to decide that."
The giant raised an eyebrow, sparks crawling lazily across his forearm.
"You don't get to decide who's weak… and who's strong."
Xavier's voice steadied, cutting through the frozen silence.
"You don't get to decide whose life has value and whose doesn't." His gaze flicked toward Xylo, lying helplessly in the snow, chest barely rising with shallow breaths. "Every life is precious. You're no god to decide who lives or dies."
The clearing fell quiet. Even the wind seemed to pause. The giant's smile vanished. For the first time since they had met, his expression darkened. A deep frown carved itself across his weathered face.
"…You!" His voice carried a weight that made the forest itself seem quieter, as though the trees leaned in to listen. "YOU… HAVE NO RIGHT TO UTTER THOSE WORDS! SINNER!"
Xavier's brow furrowed. The giant's eyes burned with quiet hatred.
"You humans. And those insufferably bastard self‑righteous elves! You've bathed this world in more blood than every other race combined. You dare preach mercy with mouths still stained red. You speak of the value of life… yet your kingdoms have stolen more of it than plague, famine, and war ever could!"
He shook his head slowly, snowflakes catching in his beard.
"So do not stand before me pretending righteousness. You've inherited no such privilege."
Xavier stared at him, breath misting in the cold. "I…"
The giant turned away with a dismissive wave, feet crunching against the frost. "I've neither the patience nor the inclination to educate a child."
He began walking back toward his companions. "I shall grant you five minutes. Disappear. If, when those five minutes have passed, you remain before my eyes…" He looked back over one shoulder, sparks flickering faintly at his fingertips. "…I shall assume you've chosen death."
The giant returned to his men. One scratched the back of his head nervously, another shifted his weight, snow creaking beneath his boots.
"So, Captain… how are we splitting the points?"
The giant smiled faintly, as though the question amused him. "Leave that concern to me. I've already made arrangements."
"…Wait." Xavier's voice rang out, sharp against the silence.
The giant stopped. "What now?"
Xavier's eyes narrowed, looking past him at the men gathered behind. "You talk about the strong ruling the weak… but aren't they just living off your strength? They follow you because you're powerful. Doesn't that make them prey too?"
For a moment, the giant simply stared. The men shifted uneasily, exchanging glances. Then he laughed—a slow, rolling laugh that thundered through the clearing.
"My boy… you truly are interesting." He looked over his shoulder. "Men, come here, all of you."
The men exchanged puzzled glances. "…Captain?"
"You heard me. Come, trust me."
Without suspicion, they gathered before him, shoulder to shoulder. One still carried Xylo, unconscious, over his shoulder.
The giant reached over, seized Xylo by the leg, and tossed him carelessly aside. His limp body rolled through the snow before coming to a stop.
The men frowned, unease creeping into their faces. "…Captain?"
The giant ignored them. Instead, he looked back at Xavier. "You wished to see how I treat those who follow me. Very well. I shall indulge your curiosity."
Blue sparks began dancing across his fingertips, snapping in the frozen air.
The men finally noticed. "…Captain?… What are you doing?"
The giant smiled. "You've all served your purpose. These weeks in this hell with you all have been great, but I hate your kind."
His hand rose. A heartbeat later—
CRAAACK!
Lightning erupted from his palm. The bolt tore through the line of men. Their screams split the forest, raw and piercing. Bodies convulsed violently as blue‑white electricity coursed through flesh and bone. The smell of scorched hair and burning skin spread quickly, sharp and nauseating.
Snow drifted steadily, indifferent. The smell of burning skin thickened the air, acrid and suffocating. One man collapsed to his knees—only to be struck again, his body jerking violently as another surge ripped through him. Another tried to crawl away, dragging himself across the snow, but the lightning chained itself to his flesh, dragging him back into the current like a predator refusing to release its prey.
"You're right, boy," the giant spoke out loudly, "they are Prey"
Through the chaos, a voice broke—raw, desperate, trembling with tears. "Captain, please! I beg you… STOPPP!"
The giant's gaze lowered, settling on the man who cried out. His expression did not soften, but for a fleeting moment, there was something monstrous in his gaze until it faded.
"Ah yes… Glade," he murmured, voice calm against the storm. "I am truly sorry it must come to this. I wish your family well. I hope they survive after your passing."
Then his fingers curled tighter. The voltage surged. Glade's scream tore through the clearing, shrill and unbearable, before dissolving into silence as the current consumed him.
The giant never changed expression. He merely watched. Calmly. Patiently. As though observing rain fall upon the earth.
"You see, boy…" His voice remained perfectly level beneath the chorus of agony. "Weak. I simply find them useful," he said so casually.
The screams rose again, echoing through the forest until even the trees seemed to shudder. "They gathered beneath me because they believed I would lead them to strength. They were mistaken. I'd never help a human. They were merely convenient."
The lightning intensified. Skin blackened. Muscles split. Cracks opened across charred flesh as blood hissed against the searing heat.
"I only kept them close because, should I sadly fail to find Xylo, I would kill them instead and farm them for points. But lo and behold, I found Xylo… so I get to do both."
One by one, their screams faltered. Their bodies toppled into the snow like burnt timber, collapsing into silence. Only smoke drifted upward from the blackened corpses, curling into the frozen air.
Xavier stood frozen, the feather blade trembling in his grip. His breath came shallow, misting in the cold. Horror clawed at his chest. His gaze flicked toward Xylo, still lying where he had been thrown.
Now.
Without a second thought, he exploded into motion. His feet tore through the snow as he sprinted across the clearing, heart hammering in his chest. He dropped to one knee, scooped Xylo onto his back, and vanished into the trees, branches whipping against him as he disappeared into the shadows.
The giant lowered his hand, sparks fading into the cold night. He turned, expecting to see the boy frozen in fear—only to find the clearing empty. The corpses of his men smoked in silence, but Xavier and Xylo were gone.
A slow grin spread across his face. "…Where exactly does the boy imagine he's going?"
He glanced toward the distant pillar of light piercing the sky, its glow shimmering faintly against the falling snow.
"Ah yes… home."
******
The forest trembled beneath the relentless rhythm of footsteps. Snow burst apart with every stride as Xavier tore through the frozen woods, weaving between towering pines with Xylo clinging weakly across his back. His lungs burned, each breath sharp in the icy air.
A faint groan stirred against his shoulder.
"X… Xavier?"
Relief washed over him like a tide. He turned his head just enough to glimpse the pale face behind him.
"Xylo!" A grin flickered across his exhausted features, fragile but real. "You're awake… thank goodness."
Xylo blinked several times, his vision swimming, the blur of snow‑covered trees rushing past before settling on Xavier's determined profile.
"…What happened?"
"We were attacked." Xavier ducked beneath a low branch, never breaking stride. His voice was tight, clipped, but steady. "A giant. He ambushed us. Knocked us both down with lightning. I managed to grab you while he was… occupied. I think we got away."
Silence followed. Xylo's brows knitted together, his breathing uneven. Then his eyes widened, panic flooding his expression.
"No… no, no, no…"
Xavier frowned, his pace never faltering. "What?"
Xylo's trembling hand clutched the cloth on Xavier's shoulder. "The giant… was he covered in scars? White beard, gentleman in speech but devil in character? Massive build?"
Xavier nodded, snow whipping past his face. "…Yeah."
The color drained from Xylo's cheeks. His voice fell to a whisper, heavy with dread. "…He's the one. The one I've been running from." His gaze darted wildly through the trees. "Where is he? Did he follow us?"
Xavier shook his head, forcing calm into his words. "I don't think so. He was dealing with the others when I escaped. I don't think he knows where we—"
BOOM!
A blinding streak of blue lightning tore through the forest. It flashed past Xavier so close the heat grazed his skin, searing the air. The bolt smashed into a pine ahead, splitting the massive trunk clean down the middle before erupting into flames. The burning tree collapsed with a deafening crash, sparks scattering across the snow.
Xavier's heart nearly stopped. Xylo turned slowly, eyes wide, staring over Xavier's shoulder. The forest behind them stood silent. Nothing moved. Nothing stirred. Only drifting snow… and burning trees.
Then—
THUD. THUD. THUD.
Heavy footsteps. Each impact shook the ground, closer, faster, closing the distance. The hairs on Xylo's neck rose. His voice trembled. "…No. No…"
The trees exploded apart. A colossal figure burst through the forest like a charging beast, snow scattering in every direction. His eyes locked onto Xylo, a savage grin spreading across his scarred face.
"XYLO!!"
The roar thundered through the woods, echoing like a war cry. Pure terror flooded Xylo's expression.
"Xavier!" His voice cracked. "Run! Run faster!"
"What do you think I'm trying to do?!" Xavier shouted back, forcing every ounce of strength into his legs. His pace exploded, snow bursting beneath his feet as he sprinted with everything he had left.
Yet the giant kept gaining. For someone of that size… he was impossibly fast.
Another flash. The giant thrust out his arm, lightning spearing forth instantly.
Xylo's eyes widened. "LEFT! Sharp left!"
Without hesitation, Xavier hurled his body sideways. A bolt ripped past where he had been an instant earlier, vaporizing the snow beneath his feet before carving through three towering pines in a single line.
Xavier didn't dare look back.