The night was cold and silence enveloped the whole village along with a weird mist. The sound of owls hoote echoed as they were singing melancholy.
The clouds covered the moon with little moonlight falling on snow.
Everything around Maria cried in songs of agony, Maria looked around, her head moved like a dancing leaf in the wind in search of Violet.
He breaths were rushing, slowly getting faster and deeper, her boots still had the blood from the bedroom, blood that can't be told whether it was of the mother or child.
"Violet! Violet! Where are you? Baby!" Maria cried out, even the air from the bottom of her lungs came out, it was so loud it felt every next cry would bring out the blood.
Garrett heard the cry and grabbed his wooden crutch and walked towards and rushed in the direction of the voice.
His hands got sweaty and heart was beating out of his chest, this was the fear.
Even facing the death against that monster there wasn't any, but a simple cry made Garrett beg gods for the safety of his family.
"Maria!" Garrett tried to get there as fast as he could, his leg where he had lost the moments and there was only pain, but at that movement the pain was nothing in front of the fear of losing his family.
Garrett reached Maria and saw her running around like a mad dog, she was crying and telling Violet's name again and again.
She saw Garrett and rushed at him, her eyes were red with tears and her voice broke with every next word.
"Garrett, Violet- Violet- she isn't here, I left her outside, I- I- went to- check- check...inside but- they-" Maria tried forming words but most of the time it was hoarse voice.
Garrett hugged her tightly, comforting her, telling her in his way that he'll make everything right.
But a strange realisation made his heart stop for a second.
He slowly moved Maria away and looked around.
His eyes gaped with his mouth slowly opening.
"Maria..." Garrett spoke, Maria looked at him and the horror on his face drowned her in terror furthermore.
"What? What happened to Garrett?" Maria shook uncontrollably.
"How long are you screaming for?" Garrett looked around the village, empty as the city of ghosts.
Maria looked around and then the words of Garrett slowly sunk in.
"Oh high ones..." Her throat dried up, they rushed to the closest cottage and broke the door...the family of 5 that used to do leather work in the village lived there, laid on the floor lifeless.
Garrett went to the cottage opposite to it, a small house of an old woman who lost his son at night of monster raid, dead.
The cottage next to it, a family of 3...dead,
Next home...the resident...dead,
Next...dead,
Next... dead,
It was like pillaging graved, whomever door they opened they only found dead bodies, everyone...children, women, men, elders.
Everyone was dead.
They reached the cottage of the chief and rushed in, they saw him sitting on his chair with his eyes fixed on the door.
"Cheif? Are you okay? Where is your family?" Garrett rushed at him but the moment his touched him, the chief torso dropped on the table with a stab wound on the back of his neck.
Maria went inside and found the whole family of the chief was dead.
"Garrett, Garrett... What is happening here? Why? The kids, the innocent children... Who would do this? Is our Violet?" Maria's knees gave out, she picked up the child that lay dead in the arms of her mother...
Her name was Tani, a friend of Violet, Maria hugged her and touched her cold cheeks.
"No, it's all planned, they are purging the village, purging the history, words... evidence." Garrett whispered, something clicked into his mind.
Maria looked at him and threads unraveled for her too, but before the words came out an echo clenched their heart.
"Papa!" It was Violet's voice, in there there was fear and desperation,
the moment Garrett heard her voice, something possessed him.
Garrett threw the crutches and ran towards the voice, his bones crunched but that didn't stop him, his legs moved like limbs of doll tightened for only one purpose.
He ran inside the forest with Maria following him, he ran and if a tree appeared in front of him, one swing from the back of hand pulled it out clean from its root.
He rushed and Maria's eyes were searching around for Violet.
And then his feet stopped, his hands turned into fist as they shook in rage, he saw Violet tied to a tree and her legs tied with rope.
She looked at Garrett and called her papa as of a child's first words.
Maria appeared out of his back and jumped at Violet, she pulled out her knife and slashed the rope on her body and legs.
Meanwhile Garrett stood still, he knew one wrong move and he might destroy something beyond repair.
Maria hugged her tightly and started kissing her face, Garrett said- "Who did this to you?"
Garrett said, the warmth he had whenever he spoke to Violet vanished.
Violet looked at Garrett and then she yelled out— "Papa!"
Garrett turned back and grabbed a masked man who was about to stab him from above.
His large hand completely covered the head of the masked man— "Cover her eyes..."
Garrett spoke and Maria shoved Violet's face in her breasts.
Garrett threw him at a tree like a ragdoll, and a loud crunch of broken spine echoed in the forest.
"Dogs always come in packs, the rest of you come out now." Garrett grumbled, his fist was covered in aura with raging pink flames.
Then a man's voice whistled through the darkness—
"Mr. Garrett, you are as impressive as the tales of your strength. A true monster of a man, if only you hadn't abandoned the battle troops, you would've reached the Knighthood of Aurum." The man spoke.
Garrett looked around until an arrow flew at him, he caught it and broke it as a twig.
Then a hail of arrows came piercing the fog, Maria closed her eyes and Garrett hit his chest creating a strong shockwave blowing the arrows away.
"Take Violet and go." Garrett whispered and Maria raised her face.
"Garrett, no- we'll go-" Maria was holding tears back, she knew her wish would cost more than reality.
"Maria, protect her...our happiness, our world... protect her." Garrett spoke without turning his gaze at them.
Maria bit her lips until blood came out, she picked Violet up and started running into the forest.
"Oh no you don't." The masked man spoke, and Garrett shoved his fist in thick snow.
( FLAME OF MIGHTY )
The steam from the sudden melted snow filled up the forest.
Garrett then pulled out a tree and swung it, the trees around fell like cards.
The masked came down they were around 30-40 masked men around Garrett, they surrounded him and in flashed attacked him.
They used spells and daggers perfect for assassins but Garrett was far more agile than they anticipated.
Even with one hand he was overpowering him.
Some aimed for his leg when they saw his legs weren't moving fixed as a stump, but still it wasn't enough.
Then the masked man who spoke to him rushed at him—
"Let's end this." He spoke and Garrett clenched his teeth.
"I agree." Garrett snapped his fingers at his face and the flames on fist bursted in an explosion.
The trees burned in bright flames and few of the men's corpses were spread around in their blood.
The masked man's head was blown to smithers and there Garrett stood in the middle with few burns.
Then he slowly turned to the direction Maria ran and slowly limped in that direction.
"Papa!" His steps stopped and he turned his back,
There he saw Maria crying while wiping her tears.
"Violet what are you doing here? Where is your mama?" Garrett dropped on his knees with his hands on Violet's shoulder.
"Mama- Mama!" She cried and cried which made Garrett's heart drop at the bottom of his gut.
"What happened to the child? Are you okay? Where is mama?" Garrett checked Violet and tried to find what was making her cry, praying that it be an injury.
His hand was rubbing on her arms in concern but suddenly they stopped, the blood dripped down slowly then started flowing out as a fountain.
He looked down and saw a rapier piercing his neck, then the rapier was slowly pulled out making blood gush out.
Garrett dropped on wet ground with Violet feets slowly vanishing, he realised it was an illusion.
Garrett tried to stop the blood but couldn't, he turned and layed on his back and his eyes moved finding the killer and there he saw a figure in long coat, the figure put the rapier on frog and chuckled...
"Love truly makes you blind doesn't it? Sometimes it's nectar but some times poison, how pathetic of you Wyvern slayer...killed because an illusion-"
The moment Garrett heard the voice, his fist tightened up in pure contempt, he tried scream but only blood came out...
"Sleep now little giant..." The words echoed and Garrett body was enguled in flames.
The figure turned his head glaring at the forest.
"Now where is my precious little bird..."