The Fire Within. (Pt. 3)
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All six arrows struck true, each one finding the exact point between the brows of its mark. In an instant, six heads fell still, their strength vanishing as if dead, while neck muscles tightened before going limp.
The Fenrir screamed in an agonising howl, its cry tearing the air so violently that blood seeped from his ears and trailed down to his chin, forcing his hands to clamp over them in desperation.
The world fractured under the sound. His posture faltered, vision blurring as the ground seemed to come closer beneath him. Then they came, tendrils snapping forward in a relentless storm, carving through the air with brutal precision. He moved on instinct alone, twisting, ducking, forcing his body to respond faster than his mind could follow. Each near miss struck like a phantom blow, the pressure ripping at his clothes and grazing his skin, leaving burning lines in their wake.
Time stretched thin as he stumbled on the ground, footing uncertain, the air itself feeling hostile, every motion around him was too fast, too sharp. The barrage never relented, closing the space, narrowing his options, until escape became nothing more than a fading hope.
Then one struck true.
A vine pierced his neck, driving straight through his Adam's apple, and everything went still.
"DAAAAAAAD." My voice tore free, raw and breaking as I dropped to my knees, dirt smudged my pants, staining them beige.
"IRI!" Mayim cried out simultaneously, voice breaking with an almost childlike fear.
He looked back at me with a smile. His clothes were torn, white fabric turning pink, then subsequently becoming a darker scarlet. The shirt he was wearing was slashed off his torso. His back was exposed, facing towards us, painted by a thick coat of blood running down his neck.
Then we saw it, glimmering in the moonlight.
A "1" was tattooed on the left of his back, stark against the skin. Just above it, a "2" followed in the same silvery font. And on his right calf, half hidden between the torn strands of his pants, a "3" marked him, as if counting something we didn't understand.
The Number "4" sat dead centre on his left shoulder blade, as if it was an immovable, imperturbable representation of Him. It stood proud and enduring during the dire moment.
His Tattoos dimly lit up, accelerating in luminosity.
The number 4 shone brightly as if planets revolved around its presence, radiant in an iridescent molten gold.
Warmth emanated in rings around his body. A surge of raw power on display.
I sat up on my knees, my palms were imprinted by grass blades, bits of dirt and weeds that hung onto my hands as I brushed the wetness off my face. My eyes were drawn to him.
A spark of hope ignited in my heart, appearing as a burning flame of emotion. My cheeks felt hot as new tears pushed the old ones away.
There were tears of joy. Awe. Amaze. Bewilderment.
Hope.
One instant, there's noise, a battle of animosity ongoing.
The next, sound cuts off, the world holds still, encompassing in silence.
Sharp awareness evokes my body, a faint thud in my heart, a subtle tension in my muscles, the air tight on my skin.
Noise has died, stillness stretches.
My dad's mouth shapes out the words "I, love, you."
A final tear down his face as time reforms itself.
BOOOOM*
Shock. I was feeling Shock. Shock.
Embers blew past my face, a gust of wind running through my long hair. The warm air breathes on my watery eyes, fighting to parch the reflection of the scene in front of my eyes, but it doesn't, it can't, the water doesn't stop.
The scene in front of me. The ground was caved out by a wide crater, no longer snowy white, but now an earthy brown painted by poppies. Fire lit the area ablaze.
My dad wasn't there.
The monster's corpse sat still at the bottom of the crater. Its muscles started to relax while its fur lay flat on its skin. Charred bodies of people hanging from its underside were finally released, like anchors. The skeletal arms no longer showed any signs of support to the body, lying numb on the floor. Its head was blown off clean, exposing a thick, ridged bone jutting from its torso.
All that was left was silence.
A buried ache slowly claws its way to the surface. Deep. Suffocating. Inescapable. Grief I thought I had hidden begins to fracture something within me. Memories I tried to forget drift back like ghosts I can't outrun, resurfacing without mercy. Uninvited.
My grandfather…
And now, they're both gone.
My throat is burning, I gag, but nothing comes out, only saliva to mix in with the bleached grass. Distraught fills my heart, though it still felt like it was empty, like it was hollow.
Perplexed, I felt the guidance I'd relied on my entire life, the pillar I leaned on, beginning to fade. The one who taught me to walk, to read, to write… was no longer with me.
My heart cries out, "WHY... Why... why. Just why, did you have to go?"
Olivia runs to me, her arm around my back, helping me up, while her other arm is used to cover her face, tears still slipping past.
"Wwe-e have to go, it'll be mh-morning soon, and mom will... mom will be waiting for us." Her voice was barely coherent, muffled by held back tears.
Caster tried to maintain his calm expression, pulling his collar up to his face, but his body couldn't hide his distress. His heart ached, a fissure rippled in his reality.
Sean and Uncle Mayim are stuck, unable to look away from the scene, still processing what happened.
With that, Dad's fire within, was forever gone.
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Yoooo, this was my favourite chapter so far.
(I mean The fire within, cause it was originally one chapter, now split into 2 now 3.)
I also didn't want to mention the dad's name too early in case it was a spoiler, this felt kinda right.
Well, anyway, most kids call their dad, dad, so I guess it's fine.
Also, one of my keys is falling out of my keyboard :/
Also, my card declined today :/