[Disclaimer: This chapter contains some… well, disturbing stuff. Still read it, though.]
Zephyr was stuck.
As he now stared at Legris, hearing him spill his identity devoid of meaning, more confusion set in.
There was no way he could reason with th man who had just killed his friends, but he still found himself lacking the resolve to move.
Why?
Could it be because he had seen what happened to those who defied this man? All his other friends were now dead, and the only reason he was alive was because of his divine protection.
But… what if that couldn't protect him next time?
What if his next move ushered in the end of his life?
'No… I don't want to die! I don't want to die!'
He had lived nearly thirty years in this world, experiencing so much that life had to offer that he couldn't let go.
Not now… not yet!
Gritting his teeth, Zephyr decided on the only reasonable option he could think of at the moment. He wasn't condident in his ability to beat this man, so he simply had to choose the alternative.
… RUN!
~WHOOOOSH!~
Zephyr became a bright blur, instantly leaving his position in the expanse of the sky. His focus shifted from his opponent, and only one thing occupied his senses.
'Marceline! Everyone, I'm coming for you!'
All he had to do was leave with his family. If he vanished from the town, the madman would have no reason to hurt the people residing in the town.
'I'll take all of us to a safe place! He'll never find us!' Even if it meant hiding out for the rest of his life and never again appearing in public, Zephyr didn't care.
He was ready to throw away his status as a Hero at any time as long as he could protect his family.
No… in the end, wasn't this just all about protecting his life? The life he had as a loving husband and caring father… the one where he could wake up beside his wife and see his two kids every morning.
That was the life he was protecting!
'Almost there!' Zephyr gritted his teeth as he descended into the shattered remains of his home, already prepared to grab his family and vanish from their position.
However, the next thing he saw stopped him in his tracks.
"Haha… you're quite slow, Mr. Hero."
Zephyr felt his entire body trembling, his bloodshot eyes twitching, as he witnessed the most despairing sight he could ever imagine.
… At least, for the moment.
Right in front of him, trapped in a barrier of his own making, was Legris Damien… and his family!
The monster currently held his wife by the throat, and his two children were currently kneeling, unable to fight back or resist.
Pure fear and chaos took complete control, and even Zephyr found himself unable to speak, or even properly breathe as he took in all the information at once.
"It seems you thought you could escape with them. However…" Legris whispered, tightening his grip on Marceline's throat.
That was more than enough for Zephyr to finally reach his limits.
He couldn't take it any longer.
From his very depths, he screamed out like a madman, rushing to crush the barrier and destroy the man before him.
… Or so one would think.
"P-please… don't hurt them." Rather than rush out in rage, Zephyr fell on his knees and drooped his broad shoulders in defeat.
He already recognized the difference in strength between him and his foe, so any further conflict would be pointless.
Especially when his enemy could destroy his family.
All of Zephyr's armor dissipated instantly, leaving him in a casual outfit. His pale face was reminiscent of terror, and his submissive state made him appear so small that he seemed fragile.
It was at this point that the Hero realized the truth.
'I… I don't care what happens to me… as long as those I love are safe.'
His world. His hometown. His family.
As long as they were safe, he didn't care about anything else—not even his new and perfect life.
Zephyr's bowed head was enough to show his resolve.
"You want me, don't you? Please just take me and leave my fami—"
~SQUELCH!~
Zephyr thought he heard the sound of squishing flesh. He knew that sound well since he had killed thousands upon thousands, if not more, of Demons in the past.
He reconized that sound from recently too, when he watched his friends die.
And this time too… he could hear it.
But why?
Zephyr slowly raised his head and found out the reason.
The severed head of his wife… the mutilated body of his daughter…. the butchered state of his son…
… The corpse of his family…
… All of it slowly sank into his mind.
Zephyr's vision blurred. He could feel vomit building up within him, but was forced to swallow it back almost instinctively.
The bitter taste of bile stung his throat, but he couldn't stop staring at the gory sight that was before him.
"M-Marceline…" He whispered, watching as her face told him the last expression she made before death.
It was sheer terror.
"M-Mager…et…"
The rotting flesh and dissolving bones of his daughter was bare for him to see. She was only six years old, and yet… YET…!
But, there was still one more he was yet to see.
Zephyr was frightened to look, but he found himself doing so anyway.
"M-M-Ma…ark…"
His body was butchered in a thousand pieces, stacked together like a bloody meal of dlesh, blood and bones.
Zephyr could see his three-year old son's pointy ears standing atop the mound, right beside one of his eyeballs.
"H-haaa… ahhhh…"
At this point, Zephyr was too tired to rage… too broken to scream.
He could barely form any other reaction besides his gaping eyes as uncontrollable tears streamed from his face.
"Ahhh…"
As steam proceeded from his mouth, his vision slowly shifted from his dead family to the only one living within the barrier.
He had the same expression as before.
A haughty look of absolutely no compasion, desire, or fear—nothing at all.
And that served as the last straw to break within Zephyr's soul.
"You…"
At this point, Zephyr forgot everything.
The fact that he had loved every single moment of his new life in this world.
The fact that his wife was pregnant with their third child.
… The fact that he would be celebrating his thirtieth birthday the next day.
All of those were lost to memory.
Right now, there was only one thing Zephyr thought.
One thing he craved.
It burned him from the inside out, threatening to devour him whole until he opened his lips to release the words.
"I'LL KILL YOU!"
… And from that point on, he wasn't stuck anymore.
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[A/N]
Thanks for reading!
Well, that definitely took a sharp turn, didn't it?
Zephyr's family is dead, and Legris is being an absolute menace once again.
Shows how little regard he has for human life.
Now then… let's see what our Hero does.
What are your thoughts? Do you think he wins or loses?
Let's hear it!
