The winds were forcing through the forest, the snow was slowly melting not from decreasing cold, but from the heat of flowing blood.
There two clocks with different hands moved in the same direction.
David glared at the winterbeast, his grip on the hilt was tight and sweat made it loose.
**
David's PoV
I can't think of a way to take it down, even if we wear swords on our body, it still might kill us.
Even after many battles in my life, I've never met such a monster.
From what I have heard from the veterans and the old folks.
These monsters are the beings that are corruption in both worlds,
The Realm of Light and The Realm of Night.
While we humans in Realm of Light, The Realm of Night is where evil lurks.
The Living or Awakened Winterbeasts are creatures who have died and lost their souls in different realms, if the body is one realm and soul in another, their body shall be possessed by wandering souls who suffered the same fate.
It is still unclear how it happens but the outcomes still feel like horror beyond words.
The dead are the ones who don't even have a soul...
What is this abomination! Why do creatures like this exist in this world!
Is this curse of goddess why they tore her apart?
I fought so many lesser monster races, orcs, goblins and kobolds.
The death was a rare instance when we fought them but tonight, we might even not have last words.
Garrett where are you?
**
Garrett and Maria were in the middle of the revelations that were about to change the shapes of every reality they lived in...
All before the arrival of night.
Maria's PoV
I sat in my armchair, my heart was twisting inside my chest.
I didn't want to believe Garrett,
how can I?
A mother poisoning her own child? Making her living in pain, despair, broken?
Even animals aren't this cruel? Was this all an act?
If I believe in Garrett now, everything will change, how will face Calla without letting my anger out for everything she did to Violet.
"These woods, bloom when they come in contact with mana.
We call it Glimmering Blossoms, when you pour in mana in wood the color of petals depends on the nature of mana.
Red for fiery type, blue for calm, green for rejuvenating, pink for dense.
Then there is blessed mana, purple, yellow, orange, these special mana that are unique in the bloodline." Garrett spoke.
He doesn't speak without a reason but when he does, something always changes, he doesn't say but he watches.
"Look at these blossoms..." He extended the toy in his hands, the blossoms were small petals with black spots on it.
My heart dropped those colors, same as her hair...
Those spots are the same as the dye, I felt complict, I felt like I sharpened the blade that dug into Violet's chest.
"Garrett, Garrett it can't be- please tell me it's not true..." I held his arms, hoping that it's all misunderstanding, if not.
What will happen to Violet? How will she feel when she finds out that the mother she always looks forward to meet, is actually putting chains on her neck.
The way she looks at the door, leering awaiting her. How will it break her... I can't imagine, I can't do this to her.
"That medicine, it is something that maybe has become like an addiction to her body.
We need to find a cure, we need to take her somewhere away from Calla.
Maria I know this is hard, but I am sure...
Calla doesn't hold affection for Violet, she is using her in some way that we don't know yet." Garrett held my hand.
I kept silent, in the whirlpool of thoughts, every question that came up in my head was answered by memories, memories of Calla holding Violet on her nails.
Her pulling and pushing made Violet desperate for her love.
Maybe I knew it all along, but now I found a reason to believe...
I wiped my tears with a toy tight in my fist "we'll move" I looked at Garrett.
He caressed my cheek and nodded "I promise that I'll protect you no matter what-"
Then suddenly a loud cry echoed through the village.
"DANGER! DANGER! GO INSIDE! WOMAN AND CHILDREN HIDE YOURSELF! MEN COME OUT! IT'S HERE! ITS—"
I jumped in place and Garrett held me tight.
"Hurry up, take Violet to the cellar! Take the flash scrolls and the dagger! Don't open the hatch until I come! If anything happens take the tunnel, I dug it making sure that you'll be out of the village!"
"Garrett! What about you!" I held his arms tightly,
"I'll do what I can at least..."
**
Garrett picked up his battleaxe, far bigger than what he used sparring.
He wore his armour and shoved his axe head in the fireplace, then he poured his aura on the axe.
( OH THE LORD OF FLAMES, I ASK THEE FOR YOUR FLAMES.
BURN THE STEEL WITH YOUR RAGE AND TURN THOSE YOU AGAINST THEM TO ASHES! )
The axe turned red and the aura became fuel-creating bright intense fire with bright pink flames.
He rested his axe on his shoulder and rushed towards the voice.
While he went out, the two guards that were sent by Calla especially for Maria and her family, were on the roof.
"Send the letter, don't use the bird, use Sakeli." He whispered.
The other man pulled out a metal coiled snake, with one of its heads with red eyes out and another one with blue eyes in the coil.
The guard wrote a letter and cut his finger, he poured the drops on the red eyed snake's mouth and slowly the snake started slithering, the mouth slowly opened wide.
The second head was buried deep inside the coil and then the man put the letter in the red eyed snake's mouth.
And the next moment a few hundred miles away, in a dark chamber decorated with gold and silk curtains, Calla was sitting on a desk, with papers and scrolls.
A snake crawled up to the desk and coiled in front of her, the blue eyed mouth opened and a letter came out.
She unfolded the letter slowly, she tapped the quill like a rattle until it broke.
She crushed the paper and sighed, she removed her glasses and leaned back her cushioned chair.
"Why are you all like this? All of this I am doing for my daughter and her only, you dare question my love?
This is why I don't like lowborns, they don't understand how complicated the world is..." Calla closed her eyes and looked at the lamps.
"You forced my hands Maria, think of it as my mercy..." Calla wrote a letter and shoved it into the Sakeli's mouth.
The window of her chamber rattled with loud winds and far away from her on the talles on the watch tower, there sat a black raven.
"The fate brings them closer, fate asks her anguish.
So shall it be..."
**
Back in the village, David and the men strategically attacked the winterbeast, they managed to put some scratches but that cost a life of more lives than it bled.
David was at his wits end, he knew something no one else in the village did.
The desperation was not just out of their weakness, but the truth about their party.
Those guards that were sent from the capital are just off-duty men, some suspended for crimes some that were too useless to put in troops.
It felt like a set up, David clenched his teeth...
His only hope was Garrett, alone he can wound it mortally but can't kill it...
He took a step ahead-
( SLICING WIND! )
He swung his sword and the monster dodged it, it rushed it at David with its horn at front, it moved it like an arrow digging it deep in snow.
Suddenly the men flocked together and made an attack in unison,
A strong wave of flames and wind moved the monster but it didn't dodge it this time.
It took the attack head on, it clashed and then it pushed the attack towards the men, the men stood glaring, what they were a will sighed by them.
"Sir help us!" They cried but it was impossible then in a flash, something striked the attack in the air.
When they raised their eyes, they saw a broad back with axe burning with bright pink flames.
"Garrett!" David yelled, it wasn't out of desperation but a cry filled with hope.
"All the men, spread covering each other back, stand close enough to defend but are far away to avoid getting swept away in a single attack." Garrett grumbled.
He looked at David, "I'll create an opening you make sure to immobilze it, then I'll land a final attack." Garrett readied his axe.
The monster looked at him and its instincts made it take a few steps back.
"Let's end this now!" Flames on David's burned furiously.
With the hope burning bright the despair crawled in shadows.
The two guards got a letter, their eyes filled with emotionless bloodlust, burned the letter and then pulled out a dart.
They laced it with a liquid and then vanished in fog...
What does this fog will bring?
On the side there is death in flesh on other intentions laced with affliction...