Chapter 13: Insanity

Content Warning: mentions of blood, trauma, mental abuse, human trafficking, death, brutal killings, mass murder, intense violence.

The god of fire has awoken.

"I won't allow you have your way with Jian Li. If you want new collection to this sickening nightmare, then I'll pluck your eyeballs out myself."

With Lev's bone shaking presence, that it was so gigantic that everything turned into an explosion of flames. The heat shattering the glass jars, violet and blue big flames rose up so high and each second, Lev's eyes were burning brighter and brighter, staring down at the sweating Raius Svarozich, so weak at the floor, trembling in fear.

Like his black hair floated around the air because of the intense flow of heat, Lev's dagger at his hand turned red and melted away, feeling as if he was seated infront of a huge bonfire, Svarozich's skin was so hot it felt like it was getting teared away and sweat formed at his forehead and back. Then Lev, in too much anger and hatred inside him, had resulted to laugh so hysterically loud and yet his eyes we're so lifeless, so hot it was piercing Svarozich's own eyes.

Lev growled. "That's right. Kneel before me and plead for my mercy. Im itching to kill you."

"L-lev!!!" "What- what's happening?!"

"The time is ticking.. apologize and beg for your life in front of them." Lev pointed at the broken jars, their contents spilt out open on the floor.

"Lev— !!!"

"What commotion!- huh- Lev? What is this?!" Lev snapped his head to Hugo and snarled.

Then suddenly, loud screams and panicked runs, tumbling noises and a large blaze of fire filled the large room.

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!!!! ITS SO HOT!!! IT HURTS!!! IT HURTS!!! AAAAAA!! HELP!!—" Lev's desire of seeking justice towards the killed children were so strong that all it took was to look at Hugo for Lev to set him on fire and burn him to black crisp laying at the floor.

"Burn in my wrath." Said Lev, raising his finger to dissolve Hugo's large body into flat and light black ashes at the floor, not a trace of bone seen.

Everything happened so fast Svarozich couldn't even register what happened. "Wha— what did you just do?!!!" Said him, with his eyes wide filled with terror.

"Lucky him he went off such a nice death." Laughed off Lev, picking up a piece of glass that turned black from the fire engulfing Lev's entire body that almost burned off all of his clothes revealing slight of his skin that was also in flames, slightly smelling like burnt flesh.

Lev's vision was still red, so full of red that it suffocated him and everywhere he put his sights on were overwhelming his very heart, like it was being gripped so hard he couldn't breath. Lev bursted in flames, his anger exploding at the person in front of him. "Oh!!! I want to kill you!! Kill you!! I want to burn you away! You disgusting fuck! Die! Die!! I want to rip of your skin and tore it in front of you! Die! die! DIE!!!"

Everything fell down and the ceiling were covered in black burnt marks, the air blew harder and Lev's skin were also were being destroyed away by his own fire.

With the upcoming lost insanity Lev is drowning himself in, he grabbed Svarozich's head by the hair and dragged him away from the secret facility room, the nobleman shrieking so loud it was annoyingly piercing Lev's ear, so then he gripped harder, the hair melting at his own very hand and Svarozich's scalp burnt to his skull, his loud screams coming out of the passageway to the painting.

With every step Lev made, had caught fire and started to spread, dragging the screaming man and bringing his burning monster-like figure up the auction stage with Raius Svarozich getting dragged painfully behind him. The noblemen and women gasping in fear at the sight.

"Hell is empty, and all the devils are here." Said Lev to everyone in front of him, his palm stained with a bit of blood from Svarozich's head.

The fire circling the whole venue, blocking the exits. Then the nobles yelled and screamed in panic, stomping their little expensive feet around, trying to do something to get out of the circle that was binding them all together. Lev looked at Svarozich with lifeless eyes, "Watch me burn your corruptive world crawling with demons wearing humanity's skin itself. I'll incinerate each and one of your kind with the fire that you started in me, Lord Svarozich."

With every vein in his body running his hot blood, Lev had raised inferno itself. "I'll be the one to end this madness." Said he when the fire suddenly began to explode several feet up the air, trapping everyone together. Now the fire started to spread in every direction, and every noble caught fire with their clothes that quickly spread away around their body and neck as if choking and gripping them.

Lev then raised both of his arms, the fire changing from orange to red, then the white blue. "Now, dance for me." He said, looking both mental and relaxed. With their shrieking screams as their music, they shouted in pain and fell down at their knees, the fire totally incinerating their skin to flesh, to their bones, and to burn off even their last hair and blood, leaving nothing left.

Svarozich watched with his jaw dropped so low it almost came off, with horror at his face, his throat felt so dry he coughed and tears formed at his eyes while his disheveled self sat in terror at the floor, forgetting the pain behind his head.

While Lev scanned his red eyes around, he spotted three boys at one of the cages, gripping each other at one corner and looking at Lev.

Meeting their eyes had put him out of his endless insanity, suddenly remembering a certain voice inside his head.

The Prince smiled at him, the image of dancing at the Nether City reminded him of his one and only friend. "Thank you for bringing me here."

'It's Jian Li.' thought Lev. 'Right, i still have him.'

Like seeing light in a pitch dark hell, Lev's vision turned back to normal, and as he walked towards the three shaking boys in their chains, the terrifying fire faded at his face, at his body, and palms, his entire being looking like a ragged dressed and yet still a very beautiful man.

Lev forcefully opened the cage, "I'm sorry. Im sorry for scaring you." Lev crouched down, and closed his eyes, his heart breaking down and tears dripped down evidently at his cheeks, retracing the tear marks that was already at his face.

The three looked at each other and recognized that it was the man who picked them up just three days ago from the slums. The red haired boy spoke carefully, trying to look at Lev's face. "B-big brother...?"

Lev looked up, "It's me, it's brother Lev." The three somehow felt pity instead of fear, to see a grown up man crying in front of them. As strange as things can get, the three wiped Lev's tears and innocently smiled, as if speaking, "its okay, dont cry, you look embarrassing."

Yet it all backfired even more, Lev cried so much he felt like he didn't have anymore fluid inside his body. "Im sorry for everything. I regret doing this to all of you. Im very very sorry, im so sorry." Chanted Lev, and moved away from them, scared of what will happen next.

He then spoke again after realizing the situation. "For now, i need you three to trust me one more time, and come with me. I need to bring you three outside." The three boys looked at each other and rather got back from being scared, with absolutely no choice, they slowly stood up and cautiously walked nearer at Lev.

Lev reached out, "Come, hold brother Lev's hand, lets get you out of here." The red haired boy initiating contact, the boys two held hands and followed Lev and their red haired brother.

Getting off the stage, the fire faded where Lev was heading, having total control of going in and out of the hall. Having so near to go outside, Svarozich suddenly yells loudly;

"HEY!!! HEY LEV!!! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! HELP ME GET OUT OF HERE?!"

Lev glaring back, he looked at the three boys and caressed their heads. "You three can make it outside now right? You three are very intelligent, so you can definitely go by your own now. Leave brother Lev here, i will take care of some business for the sake of your sisters."

"Brother Lev?" The red haired boy tugged his torn clothes.

Lev blew fire at his hand forming a creature made with flames. "Go now, this place will collapse if you dont go now. Just follow this salamander fire and you'll make it outside."

Lev smiled and gave the three a little push. "Go on." The three nodded, now running quickly away from the falling debris and rubbles.

Lev's eyes went full red again, but this time, he was clearly conscious of everything. "Don't get impatient, of course i wasn't done with you." Said him while the fire slowly went up to Svarozich's clothes, so slow it was so unnerving and hot.

"STOP!!! STOP THIS!!" Screamed Svarozich, patting his clothes.

"I bet those kids also said those words to you right?" Svarozich's eyes bulged, Lev added, "But did you stop? Did you?"

"After all of this misery, you dont even ask for forgiveness of everyone's pained souls." Lev raised the fire around Svarozich, the man nearly fainting because of smoke and close fire.

"AHHH!!! Im sorry!! Im sorry! IM SO SORRY! PLEASE FORGIVE ME!!"

"Svarozich." Called out Lev.

"Even if i asked you to beg for forgiveness now, it will be far too late. There's no such thing as forgiveness. Its just yourself trying to forget the past and moving on, but you're not forgiven, your sins were only forced away, locked in a room to be forgotten."

"No one will ever forgive you. Even the nicest and kindest people walking on this earth will look at you with the eyes of disgust. Even the highest of gods in the heavens would run out of their mercy for you. To torment you for eternity is the rightful divine punishment for you. If you want, I'll especially be your god."

"N-no! No! Wait! Lev? Lev!! Please forgive me!! Let me live! No! Please i beg you! I'll give you money! Is that what you want?! Then- then everything i own will be yours now! Please let me off! Don't kill me! Don't kill me!"

"And the killed children you murdered?"

"It!- they were- it was your fault! You did this! You lured them and put them at the orphanage! You're the one who got turned them to me! You're the one who lied to them! You murderer!"

"Oh please, don't even try making me take the blame here."

"If- if you kill me! If you kill me you'll be forever be a murderer!"

"I've been a murderer ever since i was a boy. I've accepted the fact that I've been killing off innocent nobles and robbing from civilians who didn't even do anything just for so i could follow your orders, the ghosts still stand behind me even today, and killing you now makes no difference so don't even try to shake me off."

"W-when i die!!! If i die you'll take the suspicions! You'll go to prison and every murder you've committed will go out in public!"

"Going to prison and to repent for my sins we're better than to be attending disgusting fancy balls and dinners filled with walking demons in greed of money and power that steps on people just to get what they want, either that may be a treasure or a stupid ranking crown. But the events of me proving to be guilty and to be imprisoned are impossible."

"Huh?! What- what are you talking about?!"

"Lord Svarozich, have you even realized? What you've been organizing is a business filled with utter privacy for your partners. Nobles are using different names for this underground deals you've been hosting for the past years, they are to attend anonymously and to wear a mask to hide their face in order to protect their image and not to tarnish their family names, for smuggling and buying human slaves are illegal at this kingdom. And so, to erase every evidence possible, i will commit a perfect crime. 'A building that some of the upper class nobles gathered in was caught in a huge fire and no survivors, a thorough destruction of properties by fire causing holocaust that made none of them recognizable, unable to identify the corpses and the business of their attendance at this gathering, this tradgedy remained unsolved. Unknown if it was an accidental fire, or an attempt to assassinate nobles.'

"News will come out that nobles such as the head of Svarozich mansion had died because of the tradgedy of the burning down of the auction house. Poor Raius Svarozich and his friends died, and so Lev Svarozich will take over and run the entire estate of the Svarozich mansion and everything the head of the family possesses will automatically be passed down to the adopted heir of the family. I will untie every knot that you did, and i will make things right this time, not only for me and the children's sake, but also for him that i want to stand with side by side as a better person."

"With my fire, every evidence will be burned down, and nothing of your purpose to this auction will be leaked. The Svarozich name will not be tarnished by your affairs of human smuggling. The new Svarozich name that i carry will continue as one of the top three contributors of Jian kingdom. I will keep existing after you and do what anyone should do."

Lev finally decided to end the suffering. Slowly advancing to his master, the fire spread forth around Svarozich, the smoke filling the entire hall now.

"No..... What?! Don't come near me!"

"Stop!! Stop it!! AAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!—"

"Go back to your original hell."

Lev closed his palm into a fist and the fire engulfed the entire body of Svarozich, burning his skin, flesh, and bones to dust.

"Lord Svarozich, you're no more. I'm free and now i serve no one."

Lev stood outside the building, watching its structure crumbling away burying the ashes of the people inside it. Staring in fascination, Lev set it again on flames, once and twice, making sure everything crumbles down and the sinful people goes back where they belong.

"Brother Lev?" Called out the red haired boy from behind.

Lev crouched down and patted their heads. "You three.. Miriam?" Seeing another white dressed girl who were sold in the auction just earlier.

"We saw her outside too." Explained one of the boys.

"I escaped when the fire started. You saved me brother Lev." The girl explained then bowed.

He looked pained again, saying; "I didn't, i put all of you here, everything here is my fault, please raise your head."

"Why didn't you four left?" Asked Lev.

"We don't have anywhere to go again. And going back.... If I'll just go back to being a thief again, i will just take my own life." The red haired boy said.

After a long while Lev suddenly talks; "What would you say.. if.. you serve under me." Then Lev snapped, panicking; "Oh- i- no! Its not-"

Then the four knelt down in front of Lev, smiling a bit at the offer.

"Huh?" Blinked Lev.

"Despite everything brother Lev, you're the only nobleman who said multiple sorrys to lowly thieves like us. My heart feels incredibly close to you at the point that I want to follow you. And I'm sure that these three also feels the same way."

The three behind him nodded im agreement. Lev completely lost and confused.

Then he seriously said, "Starting from this very night, you will serve under me. Given by the name Dub, Duther, and Dian, you will now be in protection under Lev Svarozich's name, and i will make sure no harm will fall upon the four of you.

"This time for sure, I oath to protect and keep all of you safe."

*

A boy dressed in black held his hand out, catching a strange small floating gray part brought by the wind to him.

"Hm? Ash?" Spoke him lowly, his amethyst colored eyes blinked wonderingly under the black hood.

"Oi Shu! What are you doing?! Lets go! Jirobu said we still have another gig at the underground city for busking!"

"How strange."

"OI SHU! ARE YOU LISTENING YOU BASTARD?!"

"The breeze sings such sad melodies.... hmm a fire huh?"

"CAN YOU STOP ACTING COOL FOR ONCE?"