Chapter 42
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It was around ten at night the next day when shit seemed to hit the fan.
The first herald that something was wrong was when the loud sound of something exploding reached his ears.
Instantly, Alec stopped the discussion he was having with his mother regarding runes. Similarly, Bunbun's ears were perked up and twitching.
The carefree expression on Annalise's face dropped immediately, switching to a look of utter seriousness.
"Stay here," Annalise said.
"Mother -"
"Stay. Here. Understand?"
Alec frowned, but reluctantly backed down. "Yes."
Annalise nodded, quickly heading to her room to change and grab some weapons. "Kill the lights!"
The lights flickered off by themselves.
Within a minute, she was dressed and out. Sporting an attire that he had never seen before, she cut a dashing figure unlike her normally composed and calm self. Instead of her usual clan clothes, which was what he and the rest of the clan wore as well, white and black long wide-sleeved clothing, she was sporting leather armour and tightfitting black clothes.
Alec caught sight of her eyes as she brushed past him, leaving. They were electrifying, full of determination and purpose. Alec felt like he had seen another side of the woman he knew for the past eight years of his life.
Seeing her like this, he supposed he could understand how she had been part of the advanced course that few others of their clan boasted as well.
His heartbeat was drumming a steady staccato within, blood was thundering in his ears.
There was a strange, lingering anticipation and excitement that coursed through his veins.
The sounds of explosions amped up shortly, and the thundering sounds gave him the illusion that the ground was trembling under his feet.
Alec left the slightest crack open in their front door, and he could hear the crescendos of screams that filtered into his ears. There were sometimes a few wet gurgles that he could hear, which made something within him shudder.
The sounds of death and destruction echoed all around him.
Alec suddenly felt like the clan compound that he knew so well was something so utterly foreign and unfamiliar to him.
He had no idea how long passed, but during this time he was not idle. He geared himself up with various small but sharp daggers that he had worked on together with his mother. They were deadly if applied right, and he would not be going anywhere tonight without them.
He hesitated briefly but, in the end, left the pack that he got ready near the door.
He entered his mother's rooms and left an envelope in a visible place.
Bunbun never strayed far from his side. It seemed like he felt that his owner was currently in danger and was thus unwilling to part from him. Alec patted him on the head.
He reckoned it was about two hours in when he heard the sounds of plodding footsteps near the door. There were soft, almost inaudible sounds of something wet dripping to the ground. His heartbeat accelerated.
Was this friend or foe? Was it his mother? Or someone else?
The door opened silently without any prompt from him, and as he connected with the bond from the Awakened door, he could tell that it was indeed his mother beyond the sanctuary of their home.
She was staggering, and there was a trail of blood in the outside hallway that showed how she moved to get here.
Alec quickly gestured for the door to open, catching his mother's body as she slumped in. He felt a spike of panic. She was clutching her side, as blood continuously gushed out from inside. The front of her leather armour was soaked through with blood. The deep gash in her side told him what happened.
"Mother!"
"-lec," she breathed out, her voice had a wet quality that made him have the illusion that she was choking on blood.
Alec's hand found itself on her side, where she flinched as he put pressure on it to try and stem the blood flow.
"Go!" she gasped. "Leave me!"
"You can forget about it," Alec said tightly.
"Go! I'll be fine. Vincent will come for me in a few minutes. Take your things and leave! You have to make it out of the compound. Don't let them find you!"
Alec grit his teeth, ignoring her.
Alec swore, grabbing his pack next to the door. He ignored her angry thumps as he tightly bound her wound, trying to buy as much time as possible. Though he didn't know if it would help, at least he had some peace of mind.
Annalise seemed to regain some of her strength, pushing him away from her. She put her own hand on her wound, pressing hard. "Go!" He could already see that her eyes were blurring.
He cast a resolute look at his mother, who angrily gestured for him to leave. "Go! There's still other people who need your help."
No!
"Go," she gasped weakly. "Always remember that I love yo-" her hand slumped as her eyes lost what little light they had left.
At this moment, it felt like all the sound in the world had drowned out, leaving him in a blanket of silence. He couldn't even hear the pumping of his blood that had seemed so loud earlier on.
Alec silently brushed her eyes, closing them.
Alec ran out the door at full speed, Bunbun hot on his heels.
The only thing that greeted him along the way was the various dead bodies lying around. The blood was rushing through his ears, their sound drowning everything else out.
There was no one left alive.
There were various scattered body parts that could be found along the way, and the pungent smell of blood was overpowering.
He never met anyone he knew along the way, but there were a few faces that looked familiar to him.
He turned away, ignoring everything.
Though he knew… the sight still burned itself into his memory.
Everything happened so quickly. At first, it had been peaceful and life as usual, but it escalated from zero hundred without a warning. He could scarcely believe it.
Alec ran as hard as he could, almost as if he was trying to leave it all behind. As if he was trying to run away from the fact that his clan was completely butchered behind him.
Without realizing, he was standing in front of the Edelles Tree, and he only calmed down when Bunbun brushed against his knee.
His caution increased as he heard a faint whisper on the grass.
Elias faded out from the shadow of the tree; his expression spooked.
He looked haunted by what he had seen along the way.
"Elias," Alec said, studying his friend. His friend had a hand on the tree, looking as if he was about to use his magic any time. His hand was trembling ever so slightly.
"…Alec," Elias said, looking both relieved and cautious.
Alec gave him a soft, faint smile, tugging the other into a hug. From the feel of his magic, it really was Elias.
Then, he hardened himself. "Come on, let's go. There's no time to waste!"
Alec set off first, Elias and Bunbun following. There were no more words exchanged between the both of them.
The atmosphere was heavy and depressing. Alec had a feeling that he had also seen his parents –
Though they tried to move quickly, they used all their training to keep as silent as possible without leaving any traces behind for people to track them down.
Elias was shaking. He didn't even have any recollection of how he made it to the Edelles Tree in the first place. He must have moved by pure instinct alone, having somehow realized that if his friend was still alive, he would eventually head there.
Thankfully for him, it paid off. He felt like he was wading deep within a swamp, without any light or direction to guide him.
It was all he could do to latch onto Alec's firm and familiar presence as a guiding light. Never had he felt so relieved to see his friend.
"Stop thinking so much," he heard from faintly before him. "Rely on the muscle memory that's been hammered into us. We can think about it once we're out of here."
Right.
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It was around ten at night the next day when shit seemed to hit the fan.
The first herald that something was wrong was when the loud sound of something exploding reached his ears.
Instantly, Alec stopped the discussion he was having with his mother regarding runes. Similarly, Bunbun's ears were perked up and twitching.
The carefree expression on Annalise's face dropped immediately, switching to a look of utter seriousness.
"Stay here," Annalise said.
"Mother -"
"Stay. Here. Understand?"
Alec frowned, but reluctantly backed down. "Yes."
Annalise nodded, quickly heading to her room to change and grab some weapons. "Kill the lights!"
The lights flickered off by themselves.
Within a minute, she was dressed and out. Sporting an attire that he had never seen before, she cut a dashing figure unlike her normally composed and calm self. Instead of her usual clan clothes, which was what he and the rest of the clan wore as well, white and black long wide-sleeved clothing, she was sporting leather armour and tightfitting black clothes.
Alec caught sight of her eyes as she brushed past him, leaving. They were electrifying, full of determination and purpose. Alec felt like he had seen another side of the woman he knew for the past eight years of his life.
Seeing her like this, he supposed he could understand how she had been part of the advanced course that few others of their clan boasted as well.
His heartbeat was drumming a steady staccato within, blood was thundering in his ears.
There was a strange, lingering anticipation and excitement that coursed through his veins.
The sounds of explosions amped up shortly, and the thundering sounds gave him the illusion that the ground was trembling under his feet.
Alec left the slightest crack open in their front door, and he could hear the crescendos of screams that filtered into his ears. There were sometimes a few wet gurgles that he could hear, which made something within him shudder.
The sounds of death and destruction echoed all around him.
Alec suddenly felt like the clan compound that he knew so well was something so utterly foreign and unfamiliar to him.
He had no idea how long passed, but during this time he was not idle. He geared himself up with various small but sharp daggers that he had worked on together with his mother. They were deadly if applied right, and he would not be going anywhere tonight without them.
He hesitated briefly but, in the end, left the pack that he got ready near the door.
He entered his mother's rooms and left an envelope in a visible place.
Bunbun never strayed far from his side. It seemed like he felt that his owner was currently in danger and was thus unwilling to part from him. Alec patted him on the head.
He reckoned it was about two hours in when he heard the sounds of plodding footsteps near the door. There were soft, almost inaudible sounds of something wet dripping to the ground. His heartbeat accelerated.
Was this friend or foe? Was it his mother? Or someone else?
The door opened silently without any prompt from him, and as he connected with the bond from the Awakened door, he could tell that it was indeed his mother beyond the sanctuary of their home.
She was staggering, and there was a trail of blood in the outside hallway that showed how she moved to get here.
Alec quickly gestured for the door to open, catching his mother's body as she slumped in. He felt a spike of panic. She was clutching her side, as blood continuously gushed out from inside. The front of her leather armour was soaked through with blood. The deep gash in her side told him what happened.
"Mother!"
"-lec," she breathed out, her voice had a wet quality that made him have the illusion that she was choking on blood.
Alec's hand found itself on her side, where she flinched as he put pressure on it to try and stem the blood flow.
"Go!" she gasped. "Leave me!"
"You can forget about it," Alec said tightly.
"Go! I'll be fine. Vincent will come for me in a few minutes. Take your things and leave! You have to make it out of the compound. Don't let them find you!"
Alec grit his teeth, ignoring her.
Alec swore, grabbing his pack next to the door. He ignored her angry thumps as he tightly bound her wound, trying to buy as much time as possible. Though he didn't know if it would help, at least he had some peace of mind.
Annalise seemed to regain some of her strength, pushing him away from her. She put her own hand on her wound, pressing hard. "Go!" He could already see that her eyes were blurring.
He cast a resolute look at his mother, who angrily gestured for him to leave. "Go! There's still other people who need your help."
No!
"Go," she gasped weakly. "Always remember that I love yo-" her hand slumped as her eyes lost what little light they had left.
At this moment, it felt like all the sound in the world had drowned out, leaving him in a blanket of silence. He couldn't even hear the pumping of his blood that had seemed so loud earlier on.
Alec silently brushed her eyes, closing them.
Alec ran out the door at full speed, Bunbun hot on his heels.
The only thing that greeted him along the way was the various dead bodies lying around. The blood was rushing through his ears, their sound drowning everything else out.
There was no one left alive.
There were various scattered body parts that could be found along the way, and the pungent smell of blood was overpowering.
He never met anyone he knew along the way, but there were a few faces that looked familiar to him.
He turned away, ignoring everything.
Though he knew… the sight still burned itself into his memory.
Everything happened so quickly. At first, it had been peaceful and life as usual, but it escalated from zero hundred without a warning. He could scarcely believe it.
Alec ran as hard as he could, almost as if he was trying to leave it all behind. As if he was trying to run away from the fact that his clan was completely butchered behind him.
Without realizing, he was standing in front of the Edelles Tree, and he only calmed down when Bunbun brushed against his knee.
His caution increased as he heard a faint whisper on the grass.
Elias faded out from the shadow of the tree; his expression spooked.
He looked haunted by what he had seen along the way.
"Elias," Alec said, studying his friend. His friend had a hand on the tree, looking as if he was about to use his magic any time. His hand was trembling ever so slightly.
"…Alec," Elias said, looking both relieved and cautious.
Alec gave him a soft, faint smile, tugging the other into a hug. From the feel of his magic, it really was Elias.
Then, he hardened himself. "Come on, let's go. There's no time to waste!"
Alec set off first, Elias and Bunbun following. There were no more words exchanged between the both of them.
The atmosphere was heavy and depressing. Alec had a feeling that he had also seen his parents –
Though they tried to move quickly, they used all their training to keep as silent as possible without leaving any traces behind for people to track them down.
Elias was shaking. He didn't even have any recollection of how he made it to the Edelles Tree in the first place. He must have moved by pure instinct alone, having somehow realized that if his friend was still alive, he would eventually head there.
Thankfully for him, it paid off. He felt like he was wading deep within a swamp, without any light or direction to guide him.
It was all he could do to latch onto Alec's firm and familiar presence as a guiding light. Never had he felt so relieved to see his friend.
"Stop thinking so much," he heard from faintly before him. "Rely on the muscle memory that's been hammered into us. We can think about it once we're out of here."
Right.
It was around ten at night the next day when shit seemed to hit the fan.The first herald that something was wrong was when the loud sound of something exploding reached his ears.Instantly, Alec stopped the discussion he was having with his mother regarding runes. Similarly, Bunbun's ears were perked up and twitching.The carefree expression on Annalise's face dropped immediately, switching to a look of utter seriousness."Stay here," Annalise said."Mother -""Stay. Here. Understand?"Alec frowned, but reluctantly backed down. "Yes."Annalise nodded, quickly heading to her room to change and grab some weapons. "Kill the lights!"The lights flickered off by themselves.Within a minute, she was dressed and out. Sporting an attire that he had never seen before, she cut a dashing figure unlike her normally composed and calm self. Instead of her usual clan clothes, which was what he and the rest of the clan wore as well, white and black long wide-sleeved clothing, she was sporting leather armour and tightfitting black clothes.Alec caught sight of her eyes as she brushed past him, leaving. They were electrifying, full of determination and purpose. Alec felt like he had seen another side of the woman he knew for the past eight years of his life.Seeing her like this, he supposed he could understand how she had been part of the advanced course that few others of their clan boasted as well.His heartbeat was drumming a steady staccato within, blood was thundering in his ears.There was a strange, lingering anticipation and excitement that coursed through his veins.The sounds of explosions amped up shortly, and the thundering sounds gave him the illusion that the ground was trembling under his feet.Alec left the slightest crack open in their front door, and he could hear the crescendos of screams that filtered into his ears. There were sometimes a few wet gurgles that he could hear, which made something within him shudder.The sounds of death and destruction echoed all around him.Alec suddenly felt like the clan compound that he knew so well was something so utterly foreign and unfamiliar to him.He had no idea how long passed, but during this time he was not idle. He geared himself up with various small but sharp daggers that he had worked on together with his mother. They were deadly if applied right, and he would not be going anywhere tonight without them.He hesitated briefly but, in the end, left the pack that he got ready near the door.He entered his mother's rooms and left an envelope in a visible place.Bunbun never strayed far from his side. It seemed like he felt that his owner was currently in danger and was thus unwilling to part from him. Alec patted him on the head.He reckoned it was about two hours in when he heard the sounds of plodding footsteps near the door. There were soft, almost inaudible sounds of something wet dripping to the ground. His heartbeat accelerated.Was this friend or foe? Was it his mother? Or someone else?The door opened silently without any prompt from him, and as he connected with the bond from the Awakened door, he could tell that it was indeed his mother beyond the sanctuary of their home.She was staggering, and there was a trail of blood in the outside hallway that showed how she moved to get here.Alec quickly gestured for the door to open, catching his mother's body as she slumped in. He felt a spike of panic. She was clutching her side, as blood continuously gushed out from inside. The front of her leather armour was soaked through with blood. The deep gash in her side told him what happened."Mother!""-lec," she breathed out, her voice had a wet quality that made him have the illusion that she was choking on blood.Alec's hand found itself on her side, where she flinched as he put pressure on it to try and stem the blood flow."Go!" she gasped. "Leave me!""You can forget about it," Alec said tightly."Go! I'll be fine. Vincent will come for me in a few minutes. Take your things and leave! You have to make it out of the compound. Don't let them find you!"Alec grit his teeth, ignoring her.Alec swore, grabbing his pack next to the door. He ignored her angry thumps as he tightly bound her wound, trying to buy as much time as possible. Though he didn't know if it would help, at least he had some peace of mind.Annalise seemed to regain some of her strength, pushing him away from her. She put her own hand on her wound, pressing hard. "Go!" He could already see that her eyes were blurring.He cast a resolute look at his mother, who angrily gestured for him to leave. "Go! There's still other people who need your help."No!"Go," she gasped weakly. "Always remember that I love yo-" her hand slumped as her eyes lost what little light they had left.At this moment, it felt like all the sound in the world had drowned out, leaving him in a blanket of silence. He couldn't even hear the pumping of his blood that had seemed so loud earlier on.Alec silently brushed her eyes, closing them.Alec ran out the door at full speed, Bunbun hot on his heels.The only thing that greeted him along the way was the various dead bodies lying around. The blood was rushing through his ears, their sound drowning everything else out.There was no one left alive.There were various scattered body parts that could be found along the way, and the pungent smell of blood was overpowering.He never met anyone he knew along the way, but there were a few faces that looked familiar to him.He turned away, ignoring everything.Though he knew the sight still burned itself into his memory.Everything happened so quickly. At first, it had been peaceful and life as usual, but it escalated from zero hundred without a warning. He could scarcely believe it.Alec ran as hard as he could, almost as if he was trying to leave it all behind. As if he was trying to run away from the fact that his clan was completely butchered behind him.Without realizing, he was standing in front of the Edelles Tree, and he only calmed down when Bunbun brushed against his knee.His caution increased as he heard a faint whisper on the grass.Elias faded out from the shadow of the tree; his expression spooked.He looked haunted by what he had seen along the way."Elias," Alec said, studying his friend. His friend had a hand on the tree, looking as if he was about to use his magic any time. His hand was trembling ever so slightly."Alec," Elias said, looking both relieved and cautious.Alec gave him a soft, faint smile, tugging the other into a hug. From the feel of his magic, it really was Elias.Then, he hardened himself. "Come on, let's go. There's no time to waste!"Alec set off first, Elias and Bunbun following. There were no more words exchanged between the both of them.The atmosphere was heavy and depressing. Alec had a feeling that he had also seen his parents Though they tried to move quickly, they used all their training to keep as silent as possible without leaving any traces behind for people to track them down.Elias was shaking. He didn't even have any recollection of how he made it to the Edelles Tree in the first place. He must have moved by pure instinct alone, having somehow realized that if his friend was still alive, he would eventually head there.Thankfully for him, it paid off. He felt like he was wading deep within a swamp, without any light or direction to guide him.It was all he could do to latch onto Alec's firm and familiar presence as a guiding light. Never had he felt so relieved to see his friend."Stop thinking so much," he heard from faintly before him. "Rely on the muscle memory that's been hammered into us. We can think about it once we're out of here."Right.
