With the roar of explosions tearing through the night's silence, Sami quickly got up from his spot. He summoned his sword [Moonblade] and stormed into his family's house. He opened doors, room after room, frantically searching for his mother and siblings.
The first room he entered belonged to his younger brother. As soon as he opened the door, he saw him barely awake. He rushed towards him, grabbing his hand to pull him out, but the child resisted, pulling his small body in the opposite direction. Sami had no time for explanations or calming down—he delivered a sharp blow to his head, rendering him unable to resist, then forcibly carried him.
The next room was for his little sister, who was hiding under her blanket, trembling in fear at the sounds of the explosions. Sami gently carried her in his arms, then ran with them outside the house, to the garden. He placed them under the large tree, the same tree he had spent most of his days under.
He knelt before his brother, looking him seriously in the eyes, saying:
"Protect your sister... Don't move from here no matter what. No one will come to take you except me... or Mom. Understood?"
His brother replied with an angry look, while his sister looked at him with suppressed fear. Sami had no time to feel anything. He gave them one last look, then turned and ran.
He nimbly jumped over the garden fence, easily climbed the wall, and leaped from its top. The house was excessively huge, like most houses in this upscale neighborhood, the neighborhood of the Clan's leaders. Luxury was evident in every corner, which added to the irony of the situation: despite all that security, the explosions were targeting this neighborhood alone.
Sami looked at the other neighborhoods. They were quiet, with no trace of destruction... as if hell had chosen only their corner. But since when were things logical?
He started running between the houses, heading towards the Clan's center. This was his duty, as a Bound, to protect the Clan. Especially now... absence could be interpreted in the worst ways.
The beautiful gardens were burning. Flames consumed the decorated walls. Windows shattered as if the air itself had become an enemy. The scene was hideous, nightmarish... it reminded him of his first ordeal, and he felt a sudden pain in his stomach. He ignored it and kept running.
And suddenly, he stopped.
Not by his own will.
In front of him, there was a violent clash between two figures. He recognized one immediately—it was one of the ten who had attended the new Bound ceremony: the leader of the "Wind Guard".
As for the other... it was completely unknown. It wore a crimson robe as if dipped in blood, and a black, hazy, blurry form, as if the shadows themselves had gained a body.
They exchanged blows with hands, with legs... then the environment around them began to crack and cry under the immense force emanating from the fight.
In a sudden moment, the leader transformed. A whirlwind of wind surrounded him, and soon he emerged from it with a metallic body, appearing like molten, impenetrable steel.
But that didn't prevent the catastrophe.
As soon as he emerged, the hazy entity attacked him, forming a massive, misty sword in its hand, and brought it down in a swift strike that made the leader's arm evaporate as if it had never existed. A huge crack formed in the ground behind him, a kilometer long, as if a giant sword had descended from the sky.
Then—without hesitation—the entity delivered another strike towards the leader's chest. The latter tried to block it and lost his other arm.
With the loss of his arms, the metallic form disappeared, and blood began to gush profusely.
The entity became clearer... and closer. It raised its sword, then swung it in a straight line towards the leader's neck. In one moment, the man's head flew into the air as if it were just a piece of meat.
Sami watched all of this, trembling.
He didn't move.
He didn't breathe.
His body froze.
And suddenly... the entity turned towards him.
Its eyes... its eyes pierced him as if they were the fires of hell itself. A feeling of burning, pressure, and collapse swept through his being. He fell to the ground violently. Blood flowed from his nose and eyes, his body shook, his breath came in gasps.
This is not a being that can be faced.
This... is something else entirely.
This entity was on a level surpassing anything Sami had ever seen before.
The entity began approaching with heavy steps.
The blood flow increased.
Sami's mind grew fuzzy.
He was on the verge of collapse.
"No... I can't die now. I won't accept that. I have to survive... I have to go back. I have to see them again."
He lifted his head despite the pain and looked directly at the hazy entity. He saw only red, fiery, enormous eyes.
He tried to summon [Viper Slayer]—but it was suppressed immediately.
He summoned [Moonblade]—but the sparks vanished before they could materialize.
All his abilities... failed him.
His tears began to fall, but he didn't surrender.
He lifted his body with difficulty, leaning on his knees. He looked at the hazy entity again, despite all the pain.
"I'll see... how I will die, but I won't look away."
And suddenly... the entity disappeared.
Then—after a fraction of a second—he felt a strong hand grabbing his neck from behind.
His body froze.
Then he heard a deep, sinister voice, resembling the hiss of a snake:
"Oh... it's you, that boy. I didn't expect you to grow this much."
The entity laughed a little, then whispered in his ear:
"I won't kill you now... that would be too sad."
And it disappeared.
Sami fell to his knees, began to vomit, then burst into tears.
"Aaaah... Damn it... damn you!"
He recognized the voice. It wasn't a strange voice to him.
It was a voice... he couldn't forget.
He hit the ground with his head, cried fiercely, his face covered in blood, his forehead bleeding, his hands wounded.
"Why am I this weak?
I finally found him... and after two years of searching, I couldn't do anything!
I let him disappear before my eyes...
How?... How?"
He screamed, cried, and struck the ground harshly.
Then... he lifted his head towards the smoke-filled sky, pierced by moonlight and colored by the glow of explosions. He looked at the moon with empty eyes, tears washing his face, his hand gripping the air with hatred.
"Nothing has changed...
I haven't changed at all...
I'm still helpless to achieve anything I want."
He remained like that for moments... then stood up, holding himself together with difficulty.
The buildings were still collapsing, and the battle was still raging on every side.
He smiled... a gloomy smile, and said in a trembling voice, wrapped in pure hatred:
"Do you think I'll let you escape just like that?"
---
To be continued...
---