PASSAGE 28: THE LEADER FALLS
The scene hung frozen for a heartbeat. Selena, her eyes wide with disbelief, stared at the weapon in Alaric's hand. They'd been through so much together, and she knew him better than anyone. He was an Untouched, a being unable to manipulate anima – the very essence that fueled magic and weapon creation. This… this curved blade that materialized from thin air defied everything she knew.
"What on earth?!" Barrera spluttered, his voice cracking with disbelief. "I thought you were an Untouched!"
Locust was just as stunned. The impossible blade, the unnatural energy swirling around Alaric's eye – it didn't fit the profile of an Untouched. Yet, the boy's speed and strength were undeniable. He couldn't sense a single flicker of anima energy from him, another hallmark of being Untouched. Confusion warred with a simmering dread in Locust's gut.
"Tell me, kid," Locust growled, his voice laced with a dangerous edge, "What… what really are you?!"
"Enough talk," Alaric countered, his voice deeper, more chilling than they'd ever heard it. The playful facade from before was completely gone, replaced by a cold, steely resolve.
In a blink, Alaric vanished. One moment he was standing there, the next he was a blur of motion. His speed seemed to have doubled, leaving a trail of afterimages in his wake.
"Wha-?!" Barrera's voice choked with a strangled cry.
Alaric reappeared in an impossible instant, right behind one of Barrera's guards who was holding Selena captive. Before anyone could react, a sickeningly swift arc of the Crescent Reaver severed the guard's head from his body.
A collective gasp rippled through the air. Blood spurted from the severed neck, painting a macabre picture on the night sky. Selena, her eyes wide with horror, stumbled back, the metallic tang of blood suddenly filling her nostrils. The other two guards recoiled in terror, their bravado shattered by the brutal display.
"CRISIS CALL."
**EMERGENCY QUEST UNLOCKED**
**KILL OR BE KILLED**
**KILL THOSE WHO HAVE THE INTENT TO KILL YOU (1/5)**
**PENALTY FOR FAILURE: DEATH**
**TIME REMAINING: 7 MINUTES 55 SECONDS**
The air hung thick with the metallic tang of blood and the echo of the guard's choked gurgle. Locust and Barrera stood rooted to the spot, jaws agape, their bravado crumbling faster than sandcastles under a tidal wave. A cold sweat prickled their skin, chilling them despite the heat of the crackling flames.
"Wha- what are you two idiots doing?!" Barrera finally roared, his voice cracking with a desperate urgency. Fear had finally usurped his rage, turning his booming voice into a high-pitched screech. "Attack him! Now!"
His remaining two guards flinched, their bravado shattered by the horrifying display of violence. Their eyes darted between the blood-soaked monstrosity that was Alaric and their enraged leader. Terror warred with obedience in their trembling limbs.
But obedience, however reluctant, won the battle. With a shared gulp, they raised their weapons and charged at Alaric, a desperate last stand against the impossible.
Their charge was valiant, if futile. Alaric didn't even flinch. He moved with a blur-like speed that defied human limitations. The Crescent Reaver in his hand became a whirlwind of death, a scythe severing wheat.
In a single, horrifying slash, Alaric cleaved one guard in two from shoulder to hip. Before the other guard could even scream, a backhand swing met him squarely across the chest, splitting him open like a rotten melon.
The silence that descended afterwards was heavier than the stench of blood. Barrera and Locust stumbled back, their faces drained of all color.
"CRISIS CALL."
**EMERGENCY QUEST UNLOCKED**
**KILL OR BE KILLED**
**KILL THOSE WHO HAVE THE INTENT TO KILL YOU (3/5)**
**PENALTY FOR FAILURE: DEATH**
**TIME REMAINING: 7 MINUTES 31 SECONDS**
Blood splattered like grotesque crimson rain, staining the ground and the air itself with a heavy, metallic tang. The tide of the battle had turned with a horrifying swiftness, the playful dance of violence morphing into a desperate struggle for survival. Even Locust and Barrera, their initial bravado shattered, exchanged a panicked glance. This wasn't a fight they could win.
Alaric, the once playful boy who always hid behind her back during rifter attacks, the boy she'd sworn to protect, now walked towards her with a chilling purpose in his stride. This Alaric, stained with blood and radiating a cold, predatory aura, was a stranger. Yet, something familiar flickered in his lone visible eye, a spark of warmth that hadn't been completely extinguished.
"Ms. Selena, don't be afraid," he spoke, his voice deeper than she'd ever heard it, yet holding a thread of the familiar comforting tone. "I'm here to protect you. There are things I can't explain right now, but believe me… I'm still Alaric, your raid team's bagger."
Hesitantly, Selena fought back the terror that threatened to consume her. A flicker of trust, a memory of the boy she knew, ignited in her heart. With a shaky breath, she managed a gentle smile. "You owe me a lot of answers, Alaric."
Alaric smiled back, a small, sad thing that didn't quite reach his eyes. He offered her his hand, a silent request to rise.
But before Selena could reach for it, a dark shadow loomed behind Alaric. A guttural growl ripped from Barrera's throat, his eyes burning with a desperate, murderous rage. In a flash, Isaac's dagger materialized in his hand, aimed at Alaric's unsuspecting back.
Selena, fueled by a primal instinct to protect, reacted before she could even think. With a desperate cry, she lunged forward, throwing herself between Alaric and the dagger's deadly arc. The steel pierced through her chest in a sickeningly wet sound, stealing her breath away.
Alaric's world tilted on its axis. He whipped around, horror twisting his features, just in time to catch Selena's collapsing body. A guttural snarl escaped his lips as he saw the crimson stain blossoming on her tunic.
Barrera, blinded by fury, lunged forward for another attack, the dagger a glint of twisted vengeance. But Alaric, his rage a palpable force, casually deflected the blow with the Crescent Reaver.
The clang of deflected steel echoed through the night, a discordant note amidst the symphony of carnage. Alaric's blow sent Barrera flying backward, the force of the impact slamming him into a nearby rock wall with a sickening thud. A grunt of pain escaped from Barrera, but it was quickly drowned out by the raw, primal roar that erupted from Alaric's throat.
Ignoring Barrera's crumpled form, Alaric scrambled to Selena's side. He knelt beside her, his hands trembling as he pressed them against the gaping wound in her chest. A desperate plea tore from his lips, his voice ragged with a mixture of grief and fury. "Ms. Selena! Hang on, please! Just a little more!"
But even as he spoke, a faint smile played on Selena's lips, a testament to the strength of the human spirit in the face of oblivion. "Don't worry, Alaric," she rasped, each word punctuated by a cough that brought fresh crimson to her lips. "It's... alright. I'll be fine."
The statement was a lie, a brave facade for his benefit. Alaric knew it, the cold dread creeping into his heart a stark counterpoint to the heat radiating from Selena's wound. Yet, he clung to her words, a lifeline in the storm of despair threatening to consume him.
"Except... the things I did unconsciously inside the black rift... I don't regret anything," she continued, her voice growing fainter. "All the times we spent together... the raids, the laughter, the honor of being your leader... it means the world to me. And I thank you, Alaric. For all the efforts to save me."
A tear escaped Alaric's eye, tracing a warm path down his cheek. He squeezed her hand tighter, his voice thick with emotion. "Ms. Selena, please! Don't talk like that! I'll get you out of here and-"
His words were cut short as Selena gently placed her other hand on his cheek, silencing him. Her touch was surprisingly strong, imbued with a love that transcended even the fear of death. "Thank you, Alaric," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "Use your newfound abilities... to achieve your dream. To become the best hunter in the world."
A heartbreaking smile graced her lips one last time before her eyes fluttered closed, the spark of life extinguished. Her hand slipped from his face, leaving a lingering warmth that did little to chase away the growing coldness in his heart.
Alaric's world shattered. Grief, raw and unadulterated, surged through him, drowning him in a wave of despair. A guttural sob escaped his lips as he buried his face in Selena's still chest, the tears soaking her bloodied tunic. In that moment, the rage that had fueled him moments ago flickered and died, replaced by a bone-deep ache that threatened to consume him whole.