Determined To Perish

With a perturbed heart, he was with his betrothed all this time, holding her hand with dismay surging in his veins.

Seeing her burned back was serving as an endless source of regret in him. He considered himself at fault for being unable to shelter her.

One of the main reasons he didn't want her to come. 

"Azura," 

He swallowed hard.

Gritting his teeth, a tense voice released from his lips, failing to look at her anymore.

"I am sorry that you received scars in my presence, I failed to protect you, My Lady," 

At the warmth and soft whispering, Azura barely opened her weak eyes. 

A remorse of disobeying evoked but giving his hand a gentle squeeze, she gained his attention by calling him.

"Z-Zephyr…"

"Yes?" He shivered, turning to her hastily.

His hands came to cup her cheeks but realizing it might hurt her, he paused, curling them and shifted to incline his ears to her lips.

"He said Lady Red…" She groaned.

Losing her breaths and consciousness gradually.

He averted his gaze out of dejection. 

"Yes, she is." 

The sensation of being in a ruse all this time was agonizing and he confirmed her questions. 

"She was the upper two all this time, living among us normally so no one suspects her," 

"I-I…"

"Shh, don't say anything, you need to rest." 

He forced a mellow smile, placing his hand over her head and caressed her, allowing her to sleep and not be vexed needlessly. 

Sighing, he looked at the sky from where a circle was emerging rapidly.

Giving him a frightening presage that something destructive would happen as he exhaled and questioned himself in a disturbed voice.

"How many lives are going to die tonight?"

When Zephyr was with Azura, immersed in his thoughts, on the other side, Delvin was rushing after Janessa who was sprinting with endless tears streaming down her face.

"Father!!"

"Janessa, Stop!"

Delvin called, attempting to hold her but she was swift and almost reached her home.

He knew she might greet a sight unbearable for her. He wanted to prevent that.

On the way, they stumbled upon the burned corpses lying around, horrifying her to no extent.

"W.. What is this?" Her horrified resonance came.

Moving back when human ashes were scattered along with a man with a stabbed heart.

Witnessing such a horrific sight made her throw up. 

Being in the village since birth, she failed to withstand blood on the walls, burning houses and many corpses lying here and there.

"Janessa!"

"No, no, no, this can't be," 

Hitting her chest, she pressed her teeth to gather her composure and forced herself to stand. 

Losing her breaths with tears blurring her vision, she desperately searched around, losing her composure by each passing second.

But her eyes fell on a familiar burned body lying on the ground, stealing her breaths, agonizing her in an irrecoverable way.

"No, not you too…" 

Instantly recognizing this as her father's, she broke into a heartbreaking sob, clutching the blazed figure with her trembling hands.

"You can't leave me like this, Father!!" 

Tears blurry her vision, pain collected when she lowered her head and placed it over Andy's body, gripping it with all her might.

But, to no avail, her wails nor whimpering couldn't bring her father back.

"No!!"

Narrowing his eyes in compassion, for a heartbreak, Delvin found himself in the same position as hers.

He cried, he begged, he was miserable like this too and there was no one to hold him so to eradicate the sting for himself, he wrapped his arms around her. 

"Janessa, hold yourself,"

Murmuring on her neck, he embraced her from behind, getting to one knee, allowing her to have at least some support.

"Why?! I only had him as my family, what the heck am I supposed to do now that he is gone!?" She cried, lifting her desolated gaze and meeting his overflowing pitiful ones.

Her lips quivered, gripping onto his sleeves desperately before shifting and sobbing in his chest. 

 "No…"

"Hey, hey, it's alright, this too shall pass," He whispered, tightening his grip on her.

Running his finger down her hair while the sound of her wails echoed in the air agonizingly. Clinging onto Delvin as her last support.

"Why do you have to leave me too? Where will I go now…?" Her muffled sound came, tears refusing to have a halt. 

"How am I supposed to live without him?" 

She found her purpose to live lost, her reason to move forward vanished while Delvin kept her pressed against him, allowing her to share her mourning.

"Father…"

"It's alright, empty your heart," 

"Everything will be alright,"

He smiled faintly as they remained like this where she held him as if her life depended on it.

"I am here for you,"

Breathless, sinking into grief while wide eyes there were clouded with trauma, sniffling continuously to force her cries down.

Her head rested against his shoulder, fingers clenched around him while he stroked her gently as they remained in the comfortable position for some moments.

But soon, the air around them changed, alarming Delvin who scanned followed by a scowling in the air.

"So… you…" 

A cough filled with blood came as Quint, who was on the ground, gradually rose.

"… Are with that.. Damn.. brat.. Huh?"

Standing while wiping the blood from his lips, extremely outraged for losing. Glaring at them but Delvin hastily grabbed his sword and got up. 

"What the-" 

"How is this possible? Wasn't his heart stabbed?" Janessa whispered.

Terrified of her bloody man before that it seemed unnatural to breathe after the damage he gained.

"No, he extends his life source, more likely a spell is doing this. He is going to die," Delvin enunciated, ready to deliver the final blow if he must.

Holding his hands out, Quint started laughing wickedly, hysterically to unveil the malicious intentions he had kept for the final option.

"Haha! Did you truly think I would lose this easily!?" 

Showing disgust, Delvin was about to attack him but air abruptly stopped. 

"What?" 

Quint's hair scattered over his forehead, becoming utterly dire along with a scorching pattern that started to emerge from the ground.

"In the next sixty seconds, everything in the 500m area will turn into ashes!"

Cursing, Delvin jumped back, knowing if he wanted to run from that position, he must use magic to enhance his sprinting capability.

"Shit, shit. Get up, Janessa,"

"No, I won't leave my father like this, I can't."

"Your father would never want you to die! Come with me!" Growling, Delvin grabbed her.

"Just kill him-"

"I kill him, he will erupt right now so come." Delvin growled.

Grabbing her wrist roughly as in split seconds the whole village was covered in his patterns.

"I won't die like this! I will take you along!" 

"W-What?" 

"Dammit, a normal human can't make it," 

To which he started laughing wickedly, knowing no matter how, he would definitely carry out his orders. 

 And one thing was for sure, none of them were going to get out alive. Neither Aldina nor Quint would allow this, they will take all lives.

They were determined to perish this village along with the night.

"Let's get burned together!!"