35 Exhaust

"WE REALLY DON'T KNOW WHERE HE IS, PLEASE FORG-" a familiar woman screamed as her eyes began turning red as blood spilled out from her eye sockets.

Children were running away from huge figures that adorned red velvet coats. The huge figures could be seen pummeling children into the ground with their spears and swords. Blood splattered against the wood walls as the children scream in horror.

Allen could be seen on a staircase looking down at the mess as his whole body halt to a stop. He knew whatever he was seeing right now wasn't real, but it felt so.. realistic.

Even without him realizing, he slowly reached out his hand towards a familiar person that was on the floor. However, as soon as he did the person got obliberated by magic into chunks of flesh and meat.

He stepped back in shock as he started breathing heavily, his head felt like it was being spilt apart. He held his head in between his hands as he tried to stop the unbearable pain. "Make.. It stop, dammit" he said as he slammed the railings of the staircase with his fist.

His mind went through a series of short memories as they flickered rapidly like a raging fire. Images of a orphanage with the front banner that wrote 'OAKSWELTHS ORPHANAGE'

Images of familiar people starting flashing in his mind, one moment they wore happy and joyful looks on their faces. But soon after, it changed to faces of terror and fear as blood splattered in his field of vision.

'How..could I ever forget? It's..my family.' he thought as he blamed his forgetfullness.

Once Allen had realized who these people were and where he was, the vision immediately returned to the current hellish nightmare.

Now knowing who these people were, Allen's heart ached,but he didn't rush to help as he knew this was all an illusion to terrorize him. Even if he had wanted to help, no one acknowledged his presence in this nightmare.

After a while, Allen felt uncomfortable looking at his beloved family getting.. terribly wrecked. So he looked down as he sat on the stairs, trying to convince his mind to focus on something else.

If what he saw right now was real? how would he be acting right now? He thought.

Eventually the screams came to a halt, the mysterious people that wore the cloaks, immediately withdrew their weapon and left the gory scene behind without even looking behind once.

A woman with white hair could still be seen still alive as she struggled to crawl with her crushed legs towards one of the children that was terribly distorted from the her head to her toes, laying dead and unmoving on the ground like everyone else.

"Ms Oakswelths?" Allen said in suprise after he had caught a glimpse of the old woman's face, who was the orphanage director that he had loved so much. He could see her crawling towards her own grandchild that wad left in her care.

"My child, wait for me." she said, her voice full of pain and sorrow. She gently placed her hand over her grandchildren face as tears dripped down her wrinkled face.

Allen bit his lips and looked away as he held back tears. He was about to leave this vicinity to hopefully find the end to this hellish nightmare. However, he stopped when he had heard his name from the woman.

"I regretted taking you in.. Allen." she whispered as she bawled her eyes out.

"You are the source of our pride and joy." even though she was saying such praises, her voice was overflowing with bloodlust and hatred.

"But you are undeniably our downfall and demise. I shall never forgive you in my next life and after, Allen Throndsen." with that, she took her last breath and laid lifelessly on the bloodstained wood tiles.

"What..do you mean? Ms Oa-" his trains of thoughts were distrupted when he saw an item rolling over to his feet and coming to a stop. His face immediately turned to one of hatred as he stomped on the brooch beneath his leg, with the intent of breaking the expensive item. It was the symbol he had despised and hated most, wanting them not to relate to him in any way.

"It's fine.. It's just an illusion." he convinced himself before dropping onto his knees. "What if this illusion is prophetic?" when he realized how stupid it sounded, he laughed.

Just then, a silhouette appeared, walking towards Allen who sat in between the bloodshed of his family members. His laughter ould be heard as it echoed eerily throughout the small cottage.

"It's all real, Allen Throndsen." the silhouette said, his dark and deep voice piercing through the air, breaking Allen's insane laughter.

"Is that so?" Allen asked with a flat tone as if he had already known that whatever he witnessed was real. As if he knew that he was indeed deluding himself, making up theories.

"Imprint this in your mind. Crave for revenge, blood and the destruction of the Throndsens. For they are the bringer of your despair." the silhouette grabbed Allen's face as he forced him to look at the disturbing sight that laid beneath them.

"Don't you want to avenge them? Bring the downfall of the Throndsens along with me, Allen." he said, not hiding his true intent. This man evidently despised the Throndsens with every hair of his body as when he had said their name. His voice turned cold in an instant, sending chills down Allen's spine.

Allen, without the need to even ask the mysterious figure he couldn't see the face of. He knew that they both held the same type of anger towards the Throndsen.

All they wished was to see the castle falling apart as it crashed to pieces of worthless debris.

The people they loathed, to suffer a life full of endless torture and curses.

"You might have to wait for a while." Allen said, hinting the disadvantages of working with him.

"I've been waiting my whole life, waiting for you to come back." he patted Allen's back gently unlike when he had grabbed his face earlier.

Allen didn't understand what the man meant, but ke kept quiet and nodded as he knew his questions were proabably not going to get answered. And he wasn't intrested in the answer anyway.

Afterall, he had just recieved news that whatever he had just witnessed, was not an illusion, but a vision from something that had already happened. The news just came so sudden that Allen didn't had time to react.

"I'll take my leave. Once you get back on track, don't be too rash. Come to me when you're strong and capable, unlike you are right now. You look exhausted." the silhouette stood up and his shadow flickered before disappearing.

"exhausted?" Allen questioned to himself. "I may have exhaust myself of my tears. Since they don't seem to be dripping down my face at this moment, even when my heart aches this much."