Great-Grandfather

"Brother,"

a weak voice reached him from behind. Turning around, Alvin saw his little sister gazing at him with teary eyes. Alvin avoided her gaze, fearing he had instilled fear in the innocent girl's heart. He didn't want to be a butcher in her eyes.

Alvin didn't know why he had suddenly become a monster who wouldn't even bat an eye when taking a life, or why he, who once didn't even have the strength to kill a dog, had become so strong that he felt he could smash the sky open with his fists. 

Not caring about the complex feelings in Alvin's mind, Mia stood up from her mother's embrace and ran towards Alvin. "Brother, Mia is scared," she ran over and hugged Alvin's legs, sobbing like a weak kitten.

Alvin wanted to squat down and comfort her, but strangely he didn't seem to have any emotions. His eyes were ruby red, which shined with nothing but destruction. Deep down, he knew she was his precious little sister. He wanted to comfort her and hug her, but he couldn't feel any warmth of humanity from his heart. There was only pure thirst to destroy everything and vent his anger towards the heavens.

Seeing Alvin standing there in a trance, Elena slowly stood up. She was holding a rectangular crystal in her hand. After interacting with people from the market, Alvin was more or less familiar with the thing in her hand. "Communication crystal," he muttered.

Although his eyes remained emotionless, he was truly shocked in his heart. A communication crystal was not something ordinary people like them could have. It was something meant only for rich people who had enough money to spend on them.

Elena walked towards Alvin, her eyes filled with tears. Without saying a word, she hugged Alvin, who still had his hands dripping with blood, tightly. Alvin's appearance was enough to even intimidate the greatest of demons and gods, but neither Elena nor Mia seemed to be affected even a little by his appearance.

To them, he was the only light who stood in front of them when darkness threatened to consume them. He was a son who stood like a pillar in front of his mother to protect her. He was a brother who gave his little sister the feeling of having someone to keep her safe, even if the sky fell one day.

Feeling the warm touch of his mother and sister, Alvin's ruby red eyes flickered, and slowly they turned back to blue. The golden book that had been trembling with a red hue also returned to its original gold color. It was as though the warmth from the two slowly made his heart, which was frozen like a 1000-year-old ice, gain its human warmth once again.

"Mother, I..." Alvin wanted to say something, but his words choked from his own sobs. He also cried. The feeling of something happening to his mother and sister made his heart shatter like a broken mirror. He truly felt the powerlessness of his very being at this point.

Elena caressed her son's face and said with a faint smile, "You look exactly like him." She didn't ask him why he suddenly became powerful. She didn't even look at the few lifeless bodies lying on the ground. With teary eyes, she spoke again, "He looked exactly the same when I first met him."

Alvin knew she was talking about his father. Alvin's memories of his father were mostly blurry, but when he was around, they lived a decent life. It was after he disappeared that their lives, which were once filled with laughter, became dim.

Alvin's mind was filled with thoughts of his father. He felt bitter. "Father, if you were here, no one would have dared to bully us, right?" he muttered to himself.

"Boom!" Suddenly, Alvin heard a loud boom from outside.

Alvin hurriedly shielded his mother and sister behind him. The dark tattoos all over his body that were yet to fade away, as if responding to his heart, started to shine brightly once again.

"Swoosh!" At the next instant, an old man holding a one-meter-long hammer appeared in front of them.

Elena walked out from behind Alvin, her eyes wide with a mixture of shock and disbelief. The old man before her, holding a massive hammer, was none other than her great-grandfather, a figure from her distant childhood memories.

"Grandpa?" she whispered, almost afraid to believe her own eyes. "I... I thought you would not come." When the thugs barged into their house, Elena had contacted this old man in front of her through her communication crystal, as a last straw of hope.

The old man looked at her, his eyes filled with a mix of sadness and regret. "Elena," he sighed, dropping the hammer to the ground with a heavy thud. "I've been searching for you for so long."

Elena hesitated, unsure of how to react. The memories of her past, the pain, and the abandonment all flooded back to her.

Tears welled up in Elena's eyes as she struggled to find her voice. "I... I didn't know if you would ever forgive me," she admitted, her voice breaking.

The old man's expression hardened. "Forgive you? It is I who should ask for forgiveness," he said, his voice thick with regret. "I failed you, Elena. I failed to protect you when you needed me most."

Elena shook her head, tears streaming down her cheeks. "No, grandfather, it was not your fault," she insisted. "I made my choices, and I must bear the consequences."

The old man's shoulders sagged. "You are too kind, Elena," he said softly. "This village was where I met my master when I was little, so I often came here. Who would have thought that you would also be here?"

The old man's eyes softened. "You know I was here, right?" he said gently, his voice thick with emotion. "My dear, why did you not come to me sooner?"

Tears welled up in Elena's eyes as she struggled to find the words. "I was afraid," her voice trembling. "Afraid that you would turn me away, like everyone else."

The old man's heart tightened at her response. "You are still my beloved granddaughter, no matter what has happened," he said softly. With a trembling hand, he reached out and gently touched her cheek.

Suddenly, he noticed the slap mark on Elena's face. His gentle demeanor changed, and the temperature in the room dropped to a freezing point. "Which bastard did it?" the old man asked in a low voice. Although his voice was low, one could easily sense the boiling rage hidden within it.

Just when Elena was about to say something, a soft sound came from behind her. "Master."

The old man, fuming with anger, was stupefied when he heard the voice. Now, he saw two frail-looking figures standing behind Elena. A little girl was peeking at him from behind a young man who appeared to be covered in blood.

As his eyes landed on the young man's face with dark tattoos, which gave him an eternal charm, he subconsciously muttered, "Raven... Raven Everhart."

Hearing the old man say this, Elena smiled faintly. "I also felt it; now he looks exactly like his father," she said.

Hearing Elena's words, the old man came back to his senses. "Alvin," he called out.

This time, it was Elena's turn to be shocked. "How did you two know each other?"

Author's Note:

Grizzle was introduced earlier only for character development. Later, his presence will also be the reason why the MC will lose his family and fall into a helpless situation. There are a lot of twists to come. Wait for new surprises as the story goes on.