章節 2: Tragedy
"Arghh!"
Lami was thrown against the wall of the nearest building.
He crawled for dozens of meters, trying to shake off the dizziness, and forced himself to stand up.
"Come on, move!"
Lami staggered, his legs disobedient.
"Fuck, move," he muttered under his breath, pushing himself forward while assessing the situation.
Many buildings were destroyed, but there were no screams, no cries.
The whole area was drowned in silence.
But then…
BOOM!
An explosion shook the entire neighborhood.
BOOM!
BOOOOOM!
Another explosion followed, and then another.
The sound of multiple explosions reverberated through the area, shattering the glass windows of the nearby buildings.
The neighborhood was engulfed in smoke and fire, and Lami's vision was restricted.
As he took another step forward, his ears ringing and his body disoriented, he heard a voice in his head.
A voice he was too familiar with.
"Lami, stop! Don't come any closer!"
The voice was alarmed, panic-stricken—probably because of him.
"Mom, what is happening?" Lami asked, his mind reeling.
"Lami, listen! Whatever you do, don't get any closer."
A sense of despair washed over him.
Lami's mother…
Her voice was haggard, but her words were certain.
He knew that nothing good awaited him ahead.
He knew that he couldn't help her by any means.
Lami had to turn back and do what he was told. He wasn't someone dense that couldn't see how dire the situation was.
Lami took a step back, then another, and turned around. Before he even realized it, he was running back the way he came.
Fear crossed his face.
"...Please be safe."
As he ran, despair was the only thing he could feel. His body moved on autopilot, his emotions in turmoil.
"..."
Thud!
His eyes not focused, Lami crashed into something and almost fell on his back. Looking up, he saw a tall man with long jet-black hair.
"...!"
Gulp!
Lami gulped anxiously, terror overtaking his features.
The man stared at him for a few seconds, and a disturbing smile crept across his face.
"Oh, hello," the man said, his melodic voice full of nonchalance as if he didn't care about the destruction around them.
Lami was at a loss for words; all he could sense from the man was... death.
"You?" The man's hand gripped Lami's head. "Who are you supposed to be?"
The man took a long look at Lami, from head to toe.
"We blocked off the whole neighborhood, you know."
His grip on Lami's head tightened.
"Only those who aren't humans can enter here."
His smile widened, turning into something grotesque. His handsome face became hard to look at.
"Those who aren't human!"
'Fuck,'
Lami struggled to free himself but it was futile. The man was leagues above him.
"An elf?" No way. Even if you could hide your ears, you can't hide your mana. You're a demon spawn, aren't you?"
The man paused for a moment, his gaze shifting toward Lami's torso.
"Hahahahaha, look at you. You haven't even awakened yet. Obviously, you can't be an elf."
Lami recognized the man's words.
There was no such thing as an awakened elf. They didn't even awaken, as they were intertwined with mana and nature.
As for his eye color; not all demons had the crimson-eye color, but most of the high demons did unless some outer factor caused a change.
Scratch, scratch.
With his free hand, the man scratched his chin, as if deep in thought.
"It's weird. We only have information about a single demon residing here, a high demon at that. But you don't have horns, so you're a demon spawn. Looking at the food you got, it seems to be for two people."
Scratch, scratch.
He scratched his chin further.
"It's your mom, isn't it? The one we're fighting?" The man chuckled. "...I guess I'm a good detective."
This guy, whoever he was, was dangerous. Lami's palm started to sweat in fear.
"Let… me… go. I don't know… anything," Lami grunted, the man's hand causing him heavy pain.
THUD!
The man threw Lami to the ground.
"Sorry, can't do."
He crouched in front of Lami and placed his right hand on Lami's collarbone.
Crack!
"Aah! AHHH!" Lami screamed. It hurt like hell.
"We weren't told anything about you, so that means I don't have to play with you."
"...We? Who… who the fuck are you?" Lami hissed, trying his best to not scream further.
The man removed his hand from Lami's shattered collarbone, scornfully scanning him.
"Hmm, I guess since you're dying, I can answer that for you."
He stood up, and a spear materialized in his hand.
At that moment, Lami tried to stand up and get away, thinking it was his chance. He needed to get away from him.
THUMP!
He was kicked right in the abdomen. As a strange sensation crept through him, he crawled on all fours.
"...!"
He felt something rising to his mouth, but the pain was so intense he couldn't even make a sound. Lami spat out a mouthful of blood.
He could have called for his mother telepathically, but he didn't want to. He didn't know how strong this guy was.
Even though his mother was extraordinarily strong, it wasn't worth risking her life for his.
'What is the worth in saving someone like me.'
Lami had no expectations from life.
He had no ambitions, no goals.
He just wanted to see his mother happy.
That was all.
'Was it so hard? Did I ask for too much?'
Lami questioned his decisions. But no, it wasn't his fault, or at least he tried to convince himself of that.
His pathetic life deserved a pathetic end.
As the sounds of battle echoed across the neighborhood, Lami saw multiple figures rushing in the direction of their house, flying under the cloudless sky.
'Good luck, Mom.'
He wished her luck one last time, staring at the man whose eyes were locked onto his, an ugly smile spreading across his face.
The man stared at Lami as if he were an insect to be stepped on. His aura grew colder and colder, just like his eyes.
Spin- Spin-
The man spun his red-bladed spear twice, his long jet-black hair flowing in the breeze from his movements. He didn't seem to care about Lami's desperate attempt to escape.
"Apostles. That's all I know. I am a foot soldier, you know."
'Apostles, huh? Maybe in another life…'
Seeing the man getting ready to swing his spear, Lami closed his eyes. It was the end for him.
'Mom, I'm sorry. I couldn't make your dream work.'
Whooosh!
Or so he thought.
CLANG!
Lami opened his eyes at the sound of metal clashing with metal. He was alive and…
In front of him stood a woman who looked to be in her mid-20s. Her long, pitch-black hair cascaded down her back, and two onyx-black horns peeked through her hair.
The horns didn't reflect any light; in fact, it was the very opposite—they seemed to absorb the light around, creating an eerie aura around her.
Her flawless porcelain skin created a striking contrast with her hair and horns, making her all even more alluring and beautiful.
Her usually lovely crimson eyes were now filled with hatred.
"Mom! I am sorry I- I—"
"Lami, please listen to me," she said, grabbing his left arm as she pressed her fingers on his inner forearm.
It tingled a little, but he didn't mind.
"...I'm sorry that I couldn't give you the life you deserved. But, please let me fulfill my most important mission," she paused, lingering a little. A bitter smile played on her lips.
"The mission of protecting you. Killing me conflicts with their ideals but you… I'll erase your trace."
Lami's eyes started to well up with tears; his mother smiled at him with eyes full of melancholy.
"You didn't deserve this lifestyle. All I want is for you to be happy. Make friends, have fun, and get stronger with them."
She hugged him tightly and then kissed him on his forehead.
"I won't be able to be there for you, but I'm certain you will be someone others look up to."
Unwrapping her arms, she ruffled Lami's hair once and stood up.
"Your life was full of hardships, but it will be even harder now. You will cry, you will laugh, you will feel powerless, you will gain power, you will make friends, and you will lose some of them."
She wiped the side of her eyes.
"But please don't forget; whatever happens, life somehow continues. Don't you ever forget who you truly are… Don't lose yourself."
She turned her back to Lami, and at that moment, the world around them shook.
Drip- Drip-
Bawling his eyes out, Lami looked at his mother for one last time.
No.
"Mom, I will save you. Just stay alive, please," Lami said, still crying.
His mother looked at him and smiled.
"I will be waiting for you then, my little knight."
The tips of her horns began to turn crimson. The same happened to her hair, as it started to gain highlights of the same color.
She was unleashing her full power while staring at the newcomers with fury.
Lami hadn't realized it before, but the man with the spear was already dead, his body missing a head.
He turned his back to the scene and started to run in the opposite direction.
'This is the least I can do for her.'
Due to his teary eyes, everything Lami saw was blurry. He was feeling terrible. But the truth was that even if he was stronger, he still couldn't help her.
He stopped for a second and looked back.
"I love you, Mom," he shouted.
The battle had started once again. Lami had no way to gauge the strength of the attackers; all he knew was that his mother was a Ruler.
She was strong, but the attackers held the advantage in numbers.
"..I love you too, my baby. ...Please stay safe and get as far away as you can."
The tired voice resonated inside his head.
'Don't die, Mom. I swear I will save you.'
Trying to suppress his tears, Lami dashed forward.
Five minutes…
Ten minutes…
Twenty minutes passed, and slowly but surely, the noises from the battlefield diminished.
He jogged his way into the forest. It was when the silence fell that a feeling of emptiness seeped into his heart.
He didn't feel anything for a while; it was as if he didn't even exist.
Lami didn't know how much time had passed, but recalling the events washed away the other emotions, flooding his whole being with a new one.
An emotion he truly hadn't experienced in a long time.
Rage.
"Why? Why?"
"WHY!?"
"Why can't we be happy?"
Punching the tree, his knuckles started to bleed.
"What sin did we commit?"
"Mom…"
Sadness started to find its way into his heart.
"Why?"
"Why, God, tell me why we can't be happy."
Drip- Drip-
His tears started to fall again.
"Why can't we be together like a normal family?"
Their situation had never been normal. His father never publicly announced their marriage, and they never made public appearances.
His mother anonymously helped his father with work. Although it was hard, they were happy.
Then, his father died abruptly while trying to hold back a dimensional rupture.
That's when their world turned upside down. A headhunt had started for a reason Lami wasn't aware of.
In the end, they went into seclusion, and Lami was home-schooled by his mother.
He would go outside to work, not bothering to conceal his eye color since people didn't really care about random, weak demon spawns.
He wasn't awakened, so they couldn't connect the dots. If he had been, they could have sensed the quality of demonic energy residing in his core.
It was a blessing in disguise, but those days were over.
Tired of crying, Lami's heavy eyelids shut, and he fell into a deep sleep.
With various thoughts still lingering around.
If only he had his family by his side...
If only he were happy...
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Zah13
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