The room burned in black light. His hands trembled as the spell left his lips.
A crimson blaze erupted, swallowing the darkness as if the night itself screamed.
Then — silence.
Tears streamed down his face. "It can't be… it can't be. Why?" Lucen's voice cracked, each word shattering in his throat.
He fell to his knees, motionless, staring at the pile of ash. Reaching out, he lifted a handful with shaking fingers.
"Father…" he whispered, the word breaking into a cry.
10 hours ago...
"Lucen, calm down! Why are you in such a hurry?"
"Mom, Aelric's flight takes off tomorrow. I should at least spend some time with him"
Lucen said this while running out the door. After walking for fifteen minutes, he spotted a tall figure ahead and broke into a smile.
"Hey, Aelric!"
"Hi, Lucen. Only one day left, after all," Aelric replied, his tone carrying a hint of sadness.
"Hey, man, why so gloomy? Your life's about to start a new chapter. Think positive — you'll definitely win that tournament," Lucen said, grinning.
"Maybe I can win, after all — the best magic caster in the city just said it. Thanks, brother," Aelric laughed.
"How about a final practice battle before your tournament?" Lucen asked.
"Yeah, let's fight!"
"Then let's go to the open grounds."
As Lucen said those words, the earth suddenly trembled. A deep rumble echoed beneath their feet.
The sky darkened — black clouds swallowing the sun until day turned to night.
A chill wind cut through the air.
"What's happening?" Lucen whispered, his eyes wide in shock.
Both of them ran toward the city. Buildings were collapsing, dust filling the streets — but something felt even worse.
There were no people. Not a single soul.
"What is happening!?" Lucen shouted. "We should go home — make sure our families are safe!"
"Take care, my friend," Aelric said. "Once I check on them, I'll try to reach you. We can figure this out together!"
Aelric ran toward his home. Lucen clenched his fists.
"Mother... Father... please be okay," he muttered , before sprinting toward his house.
His throat was dry. His legs ached as he reached home.
The house stood half-destroyed, cracks running across the walls. A cold wind brushed against his long black hair as he lifted his gaze — the sky above was drowned in black clouds. Two-headed crows circled endlessly in the sky.
He snapped back to focus and rushed inside.
Darkness swallowed the interior. Whispering an old spell, he conjured a faint flame in his palm — its glow flickered weakly, casting trembling shadows on the walls.
"Mother? Father?"
His voice trembled, breaking the silence that felt heavier than death.
He took a step forward. Then another.
And opened the kitchen door.
The smell hit him first — thick, metallic, suffocating. His body froze.
His mother lay on the floor, her body torn open like someone had ripped her apart from the inside. Her chest cavity was empty, ribs bent outward. The ground was wet, painted in red.
Lucen's breath started breaking apart. He stepped closer, hands trembling.
"Mother…?"
As he turned his gaze, his mind snapped for a moment.
Her head was in the corner. Her hair soaked in blood. Both her eyes were gone — only thick streams of red ran down her face and onto the floor.
He fell to his knees, his heart screaming through his chest. Tears fell one after another.
Then — a faint, broken sound escaped from her mouth.
It grew louder. Louder. Until the severed head screamed, a distorted voice echoing through the house.
Lucen stumbled back, heart pounding in his ears.
He turned toward the hallway — and stopped breathing.
His breath shattered. Panic took over as he saw a figure standing at the end of the hall.
"Father…?"
His voice was barely a whisper.
He raised his hand, letting the faint flame light the figure's face — and horror consumed him again.
The thing was no longer his father. Its head was twisted unnaturally, eyes missing, purple veins bursting through its skin.
Lucen froze.
The creature lunged forward with an inhuman shriek.
Instinct took over. His hand ignited in crimson light and in a flash, his father's body turned to ash.
Present
As he was sitting on floor seeing his father's ash his whole body become Hollow
In the vast ocean of sadness, a small light flickered — crimson in color.
Inside Lucen's mind, that light wasn't sorrow anymore.
It was rage.
A rage so deep it could devour the entire world if given form.
He sat motionless on the floor, eyes hollow, body trembling. The ground began to shake again.
The half of his house that had somehow survived was now reduced to dust.
Still, he didn't move.
But the sky did.
From above, something massive tore through the clouds — a three-headed dragon, black as night, its scales glinting with fire. Its roar shattered windows across the ruins as it released streams of black flame, consuming everything in sight.
"Lucen!"
He turned around.
Aelric was there — barely standing, his arm bleeding, his clothes torn.
"Lucen, we need to leave now! There's no time left!"
Lucen stared for a moment, his crimson eyes still glowing faintly from what he had done.
Then, without a word, he stood up and followed Aelric