"Father!" An elf shouted
"I’m okay, brat! Just focus on killing that bastard!" Lefyr shouted, clutching his side, blood staining his clothes. He applied healing magic to his wound, soothing the pain, but he immediately went back into action.
"Who are these people?!" Aethon asked, casting [Wind Cutters] at the three cloaked figures that were trying to kill them.
"I don’t know, son, but they’re after our lives, so we have to kill them!" Orris, Aethon’s father, shouted.
One of the cloaked figures, a swordsman, lunged, demonic energy crackling around his blade like a living storm, warping the air. Orris reacted instantly, slamming his staff down as three spirits—fire, wind, and wood—spiraled out around him, casting spirit incantations. Shields of magic formed, but the moment the sword struck, they shattered.
The demonic blade tore through the barrier and sent Orris flying. He crashed hard, coughing blood, barely rolling aside as a crimson arc split the ground.
"Father!" Aethon shouted, rushing to his father’s side, but he was stopped by one of the cloaked men who used Demonic spells to block his path.
Orris’s wind spirit howled, sending gales to slow the swordsman. Vines erupted around him, holding his feet in place. Fire rained down from above.
The swordsman snarled—and with one burst of demonic power, the flames were eviscerated
Orris rose into the air, battered but furious. His spirit’s power merged into a tri-elemental rune. Wind, fire, and wood combined into a single devastating beam. He screamed and let it loose.
The swordsman walked straight into it. With one swing, he cut the spell in half.
Before Orris could react, the blade was upon him, too fast to dodge. In a desperate attempt, he put up another barrier, hoping it would give him time to plan his next move, but just as before, the sword tore right through it, cutting his arm off in the process.
"Arghhhhhhh!!!!" Orris screamed, blood pooling onto the ground
"Orris!" Lefyr used all his power to push the three cloaked figures back with a massive burst of Arcane and Spirit magic.
It gave him, his son, and grandson enough time to make a temporary escape, fleeing through one of the many secret passageways that were installed in his house in case of a situation such as this.
"F-Father, I’m sorry." Orris groaned.
"Shut it! I don’t want you to spend any more energy than needed. We’ll get you patched up. Aethon, heal your father’s arm. We need to apply first aid quickly."
"Y-Yes, grandfather." Aethor healed his father’s wound, his hands shaking as he did.
He wasn’t able to completely regrow the arm, but he was able to close the wound, stopping the bleeding and pain.
"Thank you, son." Orris smiled.
Then, a loud boom interrupted the silence, and they could hear the sound of three people running, chasing after them.
"They found us already?! That’s impossible!" Aethon grumbled, his heart pounding like crazy.
Lefyr looked at his son and grandson. He had watched his family thrive for generations, and he wasn’t going to let his descendants fall when he was still alive.
"Aethon, go, take your father and get out of here. There should be a secret door only accessible by our bloodline that will lead you to a safe house. Go there and wait for reinforcements."
"Father!" Orris shouted. "I won’t leave you here to die! I’ll fight with you!"
"Quiet, you brat! You want me to watch my family die right in front of my eyes?! Listen to your father and leave with your son! Now!" He ordered, not looking them in the eyes.
"Don’t die," Orris said, walking off with his son.
"Heh, you brat. Do you really think your old man will fall that easily?!" He channeled all his strength, powering up to the maximum. "Belo, answer my call."
A large purple bird made out of lightning crackled into existence. "Finally going all out?" Belo asked, channeling his power into Lefyr.
"Yeah, for one last time."
Lefyr’s hair stood up, crackling with lightning. Then his entire body exploded with purple lightning as his body transformed into that of a spirit-elf hybrid. He entered Spirit Resonance, the form one takes when they merge with their spirit.
By the time he channeled all of his power, the three cloaked figures arrived. The swordsman, the mage, and the martial artist.
"This won’t be an easy battle." Belo reminded him.
"I know, but if I can save my family, then it would be worth it."
"Hahaha! This is why I like you!" Belo shouted, eyes crackling with wild energy. "Come on, old friend, let’s have some fun!"
He unleashed all his power, and the air split with a deafening crack. Lightning surged from his body in jagged arcs, vaporizing stone and tearing through the ground. Walls crumbled, scorched black by the sheer force of his magic, as raw lightning danced like wrathful spirits around him.
"You’ll pay for what you did to my family and my home!" Lefyr shouted.
The three figures didn’t say anything. They too powered up and charged at Lefyr, ready to cut down the man on their list to kill.
"This is horrible. Who would do such a thing?!" Syrune asked, looking at the state of the Inchel family Estate.
Bodies were everywhere, blood stained the ground, and people were still engaged in combat. Demonic Elves were fighting their way into the house, cutting down anyone in their path. Maids, butlers, women, and children, no one was spared. The sight was horrific.
"We have to help the family head!"
"Don’t let them enter the house!"
"Zion, you go and help the family head, I’ll help the guards fight off those traitors!"
"Yeah, go. I’ll be fine."
"Alright." He nodded, entering the house. But before he did, he healed everyone there, allowing them to have a fighting chance. ’Send a team to the Inchel house just in case.’ He ordered.
Inside, the house looked worse than outside. Blood on the walls, furniture destroyed, broken glass all over the floors, and dead bodies everywhere.
Zion paid none of that any mind and searched for the house head alongside his family. His search led him to a secret passageway where he proceeded to enter, following a blood trail left on the ground.
"Arghhhhh!!" A scream came down the hall, making Zion move with swiftness.