"My brother did everything that he did in order to protect me!" Clara gave an angry shout. "And you... You cut him down"
I was at a loss for words. I still didn't know who Clara's brother was but from what I could deduce he had been a member of the Tiger gang and one who had a tattoo as well. The memory of that day sent a chill down my heart.
The memory of that day coming as clear as day even in my exhausted mind.
~
I remembered standing infront of those dull grey gates that led to the apartment complex the Tiger Gang had commandeered. I remembered the small talk I had with Candice just before I attacked
'Have you recovered your mana?' I had said
'I have recovered about 80%. Will that be enough?'
'That's more than enough'
Then I burst through those doors breaking them from their hinges and sending them flying from the brick wall and pulverizing six guards into bloody paste before the door broke through the wall of the building's lobby.
Candice later used Blinding Light to momentary disrupt the eyesight of the seventeen men who had been waiting with semi-automatic weapons.
Back then I had choked out a tattoo-less member who had clearly joined after the apocalypse for the sake of survival. I clearly remembered what I said to him before he passed out.
'Your not an original gang member. Lucky you'
And then I remembered thinking that the rest of the members with Tiger head tattoos were nothing but scum of the Earth who did vile deeds and deserved nothing more than death. That day, I had been judge, jury and executioner.
My sword cut down every single member with that tattoo without discrimination and without a second thought. Screams had echoed in the lobby, blood had splayed on the walls, floors and the ceiling.
Bloodied corpses with severed limbs and decapitated heads blanketed the blood soaked floor and I remember standing amidst all that with utter indifference. I didn't even feel anything towards the lives I had taken. Had they been worth more than Billy's life?
They were nowhere near as loyal and kind as my friend, they had been scum. How could they roam the Earth while such a kind soul had met unfortunate end as a ravid... A ravid I had to end with my own two hands.
~
And yet in the midst of all that, the body of a man who had clearly done the deeds that he did to protect his sister will forever lay among those corpses and forever remain faceless in my memories
And now the faceless man's sister who I thought was a reliable ally and a friend nocked another arrow to her bowstring and sent out another arrow.
Pain exploded from my right shoulder now. The arrow had pierced through the ligament that connected it to my arm making my right arm essentially useless now. With both arms immobilized and my mind dilapidated by pain and exhaustion, I couldn't stop my body from staggering back so far up the cliff that the sound of rushing water down intensified.
I came to stop just a foot before the cliff edge. A piece of stone rolling off and plunging into the grey waters that reflected the grey clouds above. I could barely lift up my head and looked up only to see Clara aiming another arrow at me.
For a moment my vision cleared to the point that I could see Clara's eyes clearly. The whites of her eyes were gone replaced fully by an eerie red haze while her pupils and iris reflected with a dark murky color. Clara didn't look like a human. She didn't look like herself at all in fact at this moment she resembled a demon more than anything else.
...
A few minutes ago...
While Huey and most of his party were facing off against the Lurker in battle to the death, a different kind of battle was happening in a place that was far away from the eyes of others in a realm that few mortals could ever see.
"You have forgotten haven't you?" a voice echoed in the darkness that surrounded her. Clara abruptly turned around only to come face to face with the person she missed the most. Her brother.
He frame still loomed over her own, his face just as stoic as it had been.
"No..." Clara whispered. Her emotions taking over. "How could I forget?"
"Then why do you follow him?" Erick's voice was cold and sent shivers down her spine.
"H-He didn't mean to. He didn't know who you were, how could he know who you were" Clara said in a trembling voice. She tightly closed her eyes and looked away from him.
"What does that matter? Is that really more important that what he did to me your brother?"
"N-no" Clara timidly shook her head, tears spilling down her cheeks in large streaks. Gone was the young and cheery maiden that the rest of the party that came from the Tiger gang base knew. If someone were to look at her they would be able to tell that Clara was far from being okay... In fact she was on the verge of being broken.
"Look at me" Erick whispered.
Clara shook her head.
"Look at me" he said again. She didn't. "I SAID LOOK AT ME!"
The entire void shook and Clara was forced to look up by an unknown force. Her gaze landed on Erick, except he wasn't alone. Standing right in front of him with his back to her was a figure clad in a dark coat that ended just behind his knees a few inches off the floor. She could only see the back of the figure but she could make out his short dark hair and the sword he held in his hand. A sword with a blade as black and night, somehow Clara could see it just fine in this dark space.
'Huey...'
The figure standing in between her and her brother was Huey.
"You don't deserve to live you scum" Huey said to Erick who was backing off from him with an expression she had never seen on his face before- terror.
"Huey?" Clara called out.
Huey didn't seem to hear her instead he slowing raised his sword into the air.
"Huey stop!" she cried out again. "Please don't do this!" she ran after him wanting to stop him from killing her brother. Tears spilled from her eyes as they slowly turned red. She was going to stop him from killing her brother this time. She got close enough that she could almost touch his coat.
Alas, it was too late
"Die" Huey's sword came down faster than she could blink. It tore through Ericks chest, all the way down to his navel spilling blood and organs to the floor.
Erick laid on the dark floor with his chest ripped open. His breath was rough and raspy.
"L-lil C... I'm...sorry..." the light disappeared from his eyes and his breathing stilled.
Clara stood and stared motionlessly. Then she saw red.
"I'LL KILL YOU!"
The darkness was ripped apart and Clara rose from the mat she laid. She looked around noticed other rows of beds with people laying in them. Some were sleeping and some were groaning with agony.
She was in the medical tent.
Clara just spared them an indifferent glance. She didn't care about them at all. She turned to her side and picked up her bow and quiver of arrows. Someone had carried her all the way here and even placed her tools beside her.
'Good'
She equipped herself in fluid motion and then walked out the tent.
The sky was still swallowed up by the grey clouds and the sounds coming from the battlefield were calming down now. The battle for Camp White was slowly coming to an end. Everyone would be exhausted, this would be the perfect time to strike.
She walked towards the gates that led away from the medical tents and right to the calming battlefield.
She barely took ten steps from the tent when a familiar voice called out to her.
"Hey shouldn't you be resting?" Rina appeared behind her, a pile of white linen in her hands.
"Don't need it" Clara replied curtly. She didn't have the time or the patience to deal with this.
"Oh no you don't" Rina made a move to step towards her when Clara snapped her gaze at her. The movement so sharp, the echo of bones resounded around the area.
Rina froze. A feeling of pure primal terror taking over her bones as she stared at Clara's eyes. They were completely red with the only exception being her dark irises and pupils.
"Don't get in my way" Clara said and continued walking forward.
Rina watched her back disappear some distance away. Her face pace and her body still trembling. She didn't understand what was going on with Clara at all but if she saw a part of Clara stat records maybe she would because right now it appeared as follows
[Name: Clara Piers
Race: Corrupted human
...Passive skill: [Heart Demon(-)- You have been consumed by your heart demon born of your corrupted emotions and descended into madness
]