37 Betrayal

Roan's heart pounded in his chest as he approached the once-familiar neighborhood, now marred by destruction and despair. The sight before him struck him with a wave of impatience and a tinge of despair. The houses of his friends, once vibrant and full of life, now stood as mere shells of their former selves. The air carried a heavy scent of smoke and death, an eerie reminder of the violence that had visited this place.

His footsteps quickened, his urgency pushing him forward, even as his mind grappled with the grim reality that unfolded before him. Each step he took brought him closer to the wreckage, and the weight of the devastation bore down upon him. The sight of partially collapsed roofs and shattered windows served as painful reminders of the lives that had been disrupted, if not lost entirely.

As Roan approached his childhood home, his heart sank at the sight that unfolded before his eyes. Flames danced wildly, devouring everything in their path, engulfing the once-beloved house in a chaotic inferno. The crackling of burning timber filled the air intermingled with the agonizing cries of the fire's destructive fury.

A knot formed in Roan's stomach, a mixture of fear and disbelief tightening its grip. His steps faltered, his legs threatening to give way beneath him as he absorbed the devastating scene. The flickering orange glow illuminated the surrounding darkness, casting eerie shadows that danced upon the charred remains of what was once a place of warmth and safety.

Smoke flew upwards, obscuring his vision and stinging his eyes, its acrid scent assaulting his senses. It mingled with the scent of burning wood. It filled his nostrils, choking him with a reminder of the devastation that had befallen his parents' house. Each breath was a struggle, a painful inhalation of despair.

"Shit… we need to…" Roan said after he recovered, but then he stopped when he saw some shadows in another dark alley, one of them waving at him to approach. "It is Hugo… it seems that he came to check on our parents as well. He must have a contingency plan in a situation like this."

Hugo was the eldest brother; they wouldn't get along in normal situations, but they had other things to consider right now.

Rain and his family began to cross the street and approach the dark alley, but soon some riders showed up and blocked their sides again. Roan stopped in the middle of the street since it would be even harder to fight in the dark alley; he didn't know if his brother was injured either, so that would only make things more difficult.

"Rain, can you stop both of them by targeting the horse's legs?" Roan asked while the riders were dashing.

"Yes, once they are around twenty meters away," Rain replied.

"Do it, then," Roan declared.

Rain pointed both hands toward the enemies, and they waited for the spells to come… they never expected that someone that small would actually control the ground beneath them to impale the horse's legs.

The animals shouted in pain, and then the riders began to fall. Roan dashed toward the one in front of him and split him in half even before he could land, but the other jumped from the horse and then spun in the air while approaching Rain. He pointed his hands toward the enemy to kill him, but much to Rain's surprise, a blade of energy crossed the sky and split the enemy in half.

Rain looked behind and saw that the attack had been fired from the dark alley. His uncle seemed to cover for him, even though that wasn't necessary.

Rain couldn't help but be taken aback by the astonishing abilities of the humans around him. It went far beyond what he had initially anticipated, leaving him in a state of both amazement and unease. What he witnessed surpassed his wildest imagination, not just in terms of magic but in every aspect of their being.

He couldn't help but be astounded by the sheer physical prowess of humans, he didn't think that one could become that stronger without. They possessed incredible strength, effortlessly leaping great distances and displaying unmatched agility. Their bodies seemed perfectly attuned, capable of performing extraordinary feats. Whether it was the nimble acrobatics of a skilled warrior or the sheer power behind a devastating blow, Rain couldn't help but be in awe of their physical abilities.

When they arrived in the dark alley, the smell of blood was really intense. Hugo had a deep wound on the side of his body. At the same time, he wasn't alone; Roswall and Melody were lying on the ground, unconscious.

"They were poisoned… when they fell ill, I went to check on them, but I was stabbed by one of the servants," Hugo explained. "Leo is probably the one behind this."

Roan and Rain expected as much, but instead of that, they had to worry about how to leave the city under those conditions with one wounded soldier and two unconscious people. Leiah couldn't fight, and the girls were too small. They were already doing enough not to make a fuss in the middle of the chaos and reveal their positions.

"He must have some sort of agreement with the magic people; we can't fight here; we need to regroup outside of the city," Hugo declared.

"What about Lorence and your children?" Roan asked.

"My girls are with him, and he lives on the eastern side of the city; he has the best chances of escaping," Hugo replied. "He is a soldier; we are soldiers. However, our parents represent the shield of the West; we can't let them fall here."