Pell

"What should we do?" whispered Levi.

In a swift vertical movement, Lydia threw a pouch upward.

The ambushers all turned their weapons toward her, looking up as the pouch entered the sky.

After it peaked, it exploded with lightning emerging on all sides.

Their weapons still pointed at them, they looked around for anything to happen. After a moment, nothing did.

"Huh? Alright," laughed the leader.

Levi turned to Lydia again.

"Was that a signal for Thunder?" he whispered.

"Yeah, it didn't work..."

Levi took a few steps forward until Lydia stopped him.

"Why are you attacking us? I'm a noble now, I'm sure the church is aware."

"The church doesn't recognize your legitimacy," replied the leader.

"And those kids? They obviously can't fight back."

"They're criminals and they are to be captured, executed if they resist," he replied with a creepy smile. 

Levi twitched.

"Resist? You're just murderers who found an excuse."

"Alright! Alright! We're not resisting, just don't hurt him, he's already bleeding," pleaded the boy holding his brother.

"Pft. Take him," signaled the leader to a lackey.

As he reached the boy, the man walked forward and grabbed him by the hair, taking him from his brother's arms.

He turned around and dragged him toward the leader, his body scraping the floor while the firm grip on his hair remained.

As he reached him, he lifted the boy who tried to hold on the hand, to relieve pressure from his hair.

The leader planted his staff in the ground, and took a knife out of his belt, under his robe.

"What are you doing? We're surrendering-"

Without listening, he impaled the poor boy's throat, the knife cleanly making it all the way through.

"PELL!" screamed the brother.

"Good," simply said the leader, as he signaled to the lackey to let go of the boy.

His body hit the floor, as he held his throat with the knife still in it, blood pouring out.

He was making sounds, but words couldn't come out.

Pell's brother started running, rushing to his side. He ignored everyone else and kneeled beside his brother, holding his head.

"It'll be fine Pell," he said as he started crying. "I'm with you; it's fine. Together forever. Remember?"

The brother's face was above Pell's. He held his hand as tight as he could, while his other hand held his face.

Pell stopped trying to talk, his tearful eyes simply locked on his brother as he slowly stopped moving.

Until no more sound came from him, his eyes perfectly still.

The brother screamed.

He looked up, he was fidgeting. His tearful and red eyes looked up at the murderer whose provoking smile only grew larger.

The boy's death stare committed to memory the killer's face, imprinting every detail. 

Above him, he noticed the embers frantically moving.

As everyone started looking around, the ember moved faster than they ever had before, without shape or pattern.

They all looked at Levi.

The grin on the leader's face vanished. He turned to his allies, "Deal with him."

They looked at each other, frowning, but the leader's face only got angrier.

As they took their first step, their feet slowly sunk into the ground. As they looked down, the grass was gone, everyone was in what felt like quicksand.

All around sprouted tentacles that came from the ground which looked like a viscous black liquid. 

"Levi! Breathe! This won't do us any good," said Lydia who got in front of Levi, trying to stop him.

"I've breathed enough, I've been patient enough, and now they've killed him," he frowned.

Lydia's face wasn't confrontational or angry. Her expression was rather sad as she looked straight into his eyes.

"Please, don't rely on your Goddess, rely on me here," she pleaded.

Levi looked at her a moment but diverted his attention to the others. With a movement of his hand, the tentacles became agitated when it was fully raised. 

His hand started going down but Lydia rushed forward, quickly holding his wrist with surprising force.

"Let. Me. Go."

Levi's eyes fixated on Lydia. 

"No."

Lydia's determination hadn't wavered. Her tearful eyes were still tenaciously locked on Levi.

As they both had a stare-down, the closest tentacle moved.

In one sweep, Lydia was struck horizontally.

She was propelled sideways, rolling and tumbling on the ground until she reached a full stop.

Levi's shadow became agitated, moving erratically with the same rhythm the embers had.

"You can't let her out," pleaded Lydia on the ground, raising her head.

She tried putting a knee on the ground, as she held her side that was hit.

Imbalance overcame her as she fell flat.

"Don't," she said.

But Levi ignored her.

As he turned his attention back to his assailants, a low hum started to rise, and pressure was building up.

They were scared, desperately trying to get themselves out of the ground, but they were now ankle-deep in it.

The leader was pointing his staff at Levi, his grin gone. 

Before any of them moved, the sound of thunder resounded.

Before his eyes, golden lightning going down from the sky hit the ground behind the guys in white robes, deflecting and reaching out in all directions.

"Thunder..." whispered Levi to himself.

As the lightning scattered, Thunder appeared.

He looked around to assess the situation, his usual smile absent.

He looked at everyone, and then at Levi.

"You need to-" started Levi.

Before he could finish his sentence, thunder resounded again. 

Before he could even realize it, Thunder punched him as he appeared in front of him.

Levi's body plunged to the ground, rolling a few meters before coming to a stop.

Levi's cheek was already blue, turning black. 

He used his elbows to lift himself up.

"What-" he started, as his expression hardened.

Before he could finish, Thunder reappeared next to him before he even heard it happen. 

He kicked Levi, sending his body like a rag ball down a hill meters away.

When his body stopped rolling, Levi stayed down, holding his side.

Facing the ambushers, he noticed all of them equally on the ground. 

Turning on his other side, Thunder was walking toward him.

With every step he took, lightning scattered from his feet, dispersing in the air, and making crackling noises.

Levi's frown only grew fiercer, with every step Thunder took, while his shadow remained wavering.

"What? You're getting your Goddess out now?" Said Thunder while frowning for the first time.

A shadow covered Levi's face.

Lydia was on all fours over Levi.

"That's enough, Thunder," she said dryly.

"I don't think so," he replied.

Lydia was hunched over Levi. He could see as she lifted her skirt, revealing her thigh belts and grabbing a knife from it.

She lifted the knife toward Thunder with a solemn look.

Thunder halted.

The lightning stopped emerging from his feet as his expression softened back to neutral, while they stared at each other for a moment.

Lydia's arm was shaking as she held the knife toward him, slowly going down despite all her efforts.

Thunder crossed his arms and sighed deeply.

Lydia's knife soon touched the ground, while her shaking body finally dropped on top of Levi.