"I'm so excited—tomorrow's your birthday!" Yusuf said eagerly.
Bastin rolled his eyes. "Birthday is mine, so why are you the one excited?"
Saliz chuckled at their banter. "Alright, enough chit-chat. It's late. If you don't sleep now, you'll wake up looking like a dull, dark-eyed ghost on your birthday. Do you want to look like that?"
"Okay, okay!" Bastin relented.
They lay down on their mattresses, and Saliz carefully covered them with a woven blanket. As he stood up, Yusuf leaned toward Bastin and whispered, "Will you go to the Well of Luck tomorrow?"
Bastin nodded. "Yes!"
Saliz blew out the candle. "Good night!" he said before heading to the study room, where he would finally sleep.
A few moments later, Yusuf whispered again, "Tomorrow, we'll go to the beach too!"
"Okay!" Bastin murmured back.
Yusuf scooted a little closer. "What present do you want?"
Bastin paused, then smiled. "Uhm, no need for a present... You're already here. That's the biggest gift for me."
A tear welled up in Yusuf's eye. He smiled, then pulled Bastin into a hug. Just as he was about to say something, Saliz's voice cut through the darkness.
"No more murmuring! Spirits can hear you!"
Startled, Yusuf quickly hid under the blanket. From that moment on, silence settled over the room. Perhaps they had finally fallen asleep.
As Saliz was about to step into the study room, he suddenly remembered—he still had work left. The kitchen needed cleaning, the bathroom was covered in mud, and the leftover food had to be thrown into the compost. He let out a sigh and turned back to finish the chores.
First, he cleared the kitchen. He wiped down the wooden counters, scrubbed the pots, and stacked the utensils neatly. The faint scent of spices still lingered in the air as he swept the floor, gathering crumbs and dust into the bin.
Next was the bathroom, which was a complete mess. Mud was smeared all over the floor, likely tracked in from their training. Saliz fetched a bucket of water and a rag, scrubbing the dirt away. It took effort, but soon, the stone floor was clean again.
Lastly, he carried the food scraps to the compost pit outside. The cool night air brushed against his face as he tossed the leftovers into the soil, stirring them in with dry leaves to aid decomposition.
Finally, wiping the sweat from his forehead, he moved towards his room, exhausted. As he passed by, he noticed Bastin had kicked off his blanket in his sleep. Saliz walked over and gently pulled the blanket over him, tucking him in carefully. But just as he was about to step away, something caught his eye.
The Syroche.
A flickering light reflected off its polished surface, sending a strange unease through him. Instinctively, his hand reached for his own Syroche—the green stone hooked against his clothing. It glowed eerily, a dark greenish-red hue pulsating from within.
And then—pain.
A sharp, unbearable ache shot through his skull. His vision blurred, and he staggered, barely stopping himself from falling. Biting down hard, he covered his mouth with his palm, trying not to make a sound. He couldn't wake the children.
Sluggishly, he crawled out of the room, gasping as he made his way to the yard. He needed the anti-headache herbs he had planted last week. His trembling hands reached for the plants, but his legs refused to cooperate.
"What the hell is happening to me?!"
His thoughts raced as he moaned in pain. Desperately, he grabbed a stick from the ground, using it to push himself up. His knees wobbled, but he forced himself to stand.
And then—
WOOSH!
A dark red light shot down from the sky, striking his Syroche directly. The air shifted. Clouds swirled into a vortex above him, thunder crackled violently, and the wind howled as if responding to the summon.
Saliz's heart pounded.
"No... this storm... it's just like when I called Nyxath for charge yesterday!"
Before he could react, another boom—lightning flashed, tearing through the sky. A powerful surge of energy erupted from his Syroche, and in an instant, the storm intensified.
Then—
CRACK!
A bolt of lightning struck him directly.
"AAAAHHHH!"
Saliz collapsed, writhing as the energy coursed through his body.
The sound jolted Bastin awake.
His ears caught the raging storm, the eerie, inhuman screams from the yard. His heart thumped wildly. Something was wrong. Very wrong.
Without hesitation, he sneaked to the window and peeked outside. His eyes widened in horror.
There, in the storm's fury, was Saliz—his body illuminated by a menacing red glow, his figure shaking from the impact of the lightning.
"What's happening!?" Bastin's mind raced. That light— He had seen it before.
"It's the same light that charged his brooch or maybe what, Syroche is it...?"
Suddenly, a voice—deep, guttural, and filled with authority—echoed from the heavens.
"Do not forget your real goal. I have not granted you these powers for foolish things. But I must say, I am surprised… You survived the Thunder of Destruction."
The air grew heavier. Bastin shivered.
"For this achievement, I yield you extra power. This is your final chance. Fail, and you will win nothing but death."
The voice faded into the storm.
Bastin's breath hitched. I recognize that voice... it's the same one I heard during his Syroche recharge spell!
Meanwhile, Yusuf remained deep in sleep, completely unaware of the chaos outside.
With one final roar, the storm began to settle. The red light faded.
Bastin, still glued to the window, swallowed hard. His eyes searched for any movement. Is he alive?
Then he saw it—Saliz was still standing, his chest rising and falling with labored breaths.
Relief almost washed over Bastin—until Saliz turned around.
Bastin froze.
Saliz's gaze locked onto his.
A wave of dread crashed over him as his stomach twisted into knots.
Saliz's eyes... his eyeballs were gone.
In their place was an ominous, pulsating red glow.
Step by step, Saliz began approaching Bastin.
Never breaking eye contact.
Bastin's body refused to move.
The nightmare had just begun.
Bastin's heart pounded in his chest, his mind spinning with fear. What happened to him? What was that voice? What was that storm? And most importantly—what does he want from me?
His frantic thoughts only worsened as Saliz continued to approach, step by step, slowly, deliberately. Each movement sent a shiver of terror through Bastin's body.
"Is he coming for the Syroche?"
Bastin's breathing grew uneven. His instincts screamed at him to run, to hide, to do something—but what? His eyes darted to Yusuf's bed. Should I wake him up? But would that even help?
Saliz moved closer, his red glowing eyes locked onto him. The energy around him felt suffocating.
Panic surged through Bastin. He scrambled away, running aimlessly around the room, knocking into furniture, tripping over the rug.
"What should I do? What should I do?!" He chanted under his breath, his voice trembling with dread.
Then—his foot caught on the edge of the carpet.
He fell.
Hard.
The air rushed from his lungs as he hit the floor, dazed. His hands fumbled to push himself up, but then—he felt something beneath him.
A foot.
His body stiffened.
Slowly, he looked up.
Saliz loomed over him.
The red glow of his eyes flickered, his face contorted in an expression of pure rage, his presence utterly terrifying.
Bastin swallowed hard. His lips trembled as he stammered, "U-Uncle...?"
His voice barely came out.
Saliz didn't answer. Instead, he raised his foot and stomped the ground beside Bastin's head.
"Give me that Syroche."
The words sent ice down Bastin's spine.
It was not Saliz's voice.
This voice was deeper. Harsher. Angry.
Bastin's breath was ragged, his heart hammering in his chest.
From the way he spoke, Bastin knew—this was not Saliz.
"Who are you? And where's Uncle Saliz?" he demanded, his voice shaking but firm.
Again, the same voice echoed from Saliz's lips, devoid of warmth or familiarity.
"Hand me that Syroche."
Bastin clenched his fists. He wasn't going to surrender.
"I will not," he shot back, standing his ground.
The moment the words left his mouth, the thing inside Saliz snapped.
His red-glowing eyes burned with fury. His voice thundered across the house—
"XEROPHYTUS SPINIOLA!"
The green brooch against his chest pulsed, now shining an ominous red.
The earth beneath them rumbled.
With a sudden, violent force, massive spines erupted from the ground, shooting toward Bastin like jagged spears.
Bastin's body froze in sheer terror. He couldn't move. He couldn't even scream.
This was it.
I'm going to die.
His instincts took over. He squeezed his eyes shut, raising his trembling hands in front of him as if that could somehow shield him from the attack.
And then—
A voice.
A voice he knew.
A voice he thought he'd never hear again.
"You have your Syroche! Use it! Say 'Sheemi Tectonisia!'"
Bastin's eyes shot open in shock.
"Daddy…?"
There was no time to think. The spines were inches away from piercing through him.
Desperate, he shouted with all his might—
"SHEEMI TECTONISIA!"
The brooch pinned to his chest blazed with golden light.
The ground beneath them trembled violently. Then—
CRACK.
A deafening sound tore through the air as a massive rift split the earth apart.
The very land beneath their feet fractured.
The tectonic plates shifted—
And within seconds, the entire landscape collapsed.
The house—gone.
The room—gone.
Nothing but destruction stretched out in every direction.
Bastin stood at the edge of the chaos, gasping for breath, his mind unable to process what had just happened.
And then—
"Yusuf!"
Panic surged through him.
His head snapped to the spot where Yusuf had been sleeping—he wasn't there.
Horror gripped Bastin's heart.
His gaze darted upward—
Yusuf was falling.
Tossed high into the air by the violent quake, he was plummeting toward the shattered earth.
Still sleeping.
Still unaware.
Bastin's throat tightened.
"I can't get him—"
"How can I save him?!"
Tears burned his eyes. He screamed in helplessness.
And then—
A golden-yellow light descended from the sky.
It wrapped around Yusuf's body, slowing his fall, cradling him gently like unseen hands.
Bastin could only watch, stunned, as the light carried Yusuf down and placed him safely on the ground.
Still sleeping. Untouched by the chaos.
Bastin's legs nearly gave out beneath him.
He was still shaking when he turned his gaze back to Saliz.
The dust settled.
Saliz stood there—unmoved, unharmed—
His glowing red eyes still locked on Bastin.
His attack had failed.
Bastin knew this was his chance.
Without wasting a second
He ran towards Yusuf!