Bang!
Ansel, having securely locked the door, collapsed, trembling as he clutched his head, murmuring to himself in a barely coherent frenzy:
"There must be a way... there must be a solution... Ansel... think quickly... think!"
"Think, damn it! Damn it!"
The boy's voice, youthful and raw, escalated into a scream. He collapsed to the ground, curling up as his fingers dug into his cheeks, the stark, crimson trails of blood evoking sympathy. Yet, paired with his eyes, brimming with madness, it sended shivers down one's spine.
"Mother... mother..."
"There must be another way, I must be able to protect you... I must..."
"I cannot flee, seek refuge, or wait for my father, and she is not their match... Ha... Ha..."
His breathing grew labored, his youthful voice distorting into something... overlapped, as if emanating from the throat of some bizarrely structured beast.
Power.
This word surfaced in the boy's mind.