The cloaked figures menacingly loomed closer to Henry.
Some of them separated and continued their chant around the house.
In the messy bedrooms, Stark gritted his teeth. "This isn't a fair fight," he muttered with anger.
"Father is not going to lose. He's not weak. He's going to win," Hafen repeated and refused to believe with his eyes.
"He's got them under control," Matteo insisted.
Stark tightly clenched his fists and agreed.
Stark, Hafen, and Matteo knew their father was the strongest of The Sacred Forest. Certainly, he would win. Even so, there was a strange uncertainty. A little doubt clouded their minds.
Matteo teared up. "Should we help him," he queried.
"Stay here for now," Adelia urged and attempted to soothe them.
In the next moment, Stark groaned in fury, "We have to help!" He jumped over the broken wall and landed on the grass.
Matteo and Hafen followed suit and charged towards the cloaked figures with their brother.
Adelia leaned forward and stared out the house. In a panic, she yelled, "Don't go!" She fell to her knees and begged in a whisper, "Come back, my sons." In realization, she covered her mouth with a hand and wept in silence. "It's happening again," she murmured in disbelief.
The Exalted One and Sabre noticed the boys and grinned.
"They've finally come out," Sabre pointed out and laughed.
"Yes, brother. Now, our fun begins," The Exalted One declared.
Matteo, Hafen, and Stark sprinted towards the fight.
"Stay away from my dad," Stark shouted and raised his fists at a chanting cloaked figure.
However, the chanting cloaked figure jumped away.
More cloaked figures appeared between them.
The chanting cloaked figure, in the back, ordered in a raspy voice, "Don't let them interfere! Dispose of the pests if necessary!"
Infuriated, Stark halted and demanded, "Move out of my way!"
Hafen and Matteo stood next to him with a fierce gaze. They prepared their fighting stances.
A battle ensued.
Stark rushed and threw a punch at one of the cloaked figures.
The cloaked figure, however, grabbed his fist and retaliated with a kick. "Weak punch," he snickered.
Stark tumbled far. He groaned in pain and gradually stood back up.
The cloaked figure reached into his back, underneath his cloak. He pulled a claymore with a massive blade. As a spectacle, it absorbed the energy of the forest. He laughed maniacally, "Let's fight! To the death!" He leaped and swung his great sword down at his foe.
Stark's eyes widened, and he quickly rolled out of the way.
The cloaked figure crashed against the ground with a large explosion, creating a crater.
Stark flew through the air due to the shockwave. He crashed on the ground and next to a tree. He groveled and used the tree's roots as a support. His face was bruised badly, and he barely stood back up with one eye open. He admitted, "They're a lot stronger than I thought they would be."
The cloaked figure dropped his sword and uprooted a tree, nearby. A chuckle escaped under his mask, and he tossed the tree at him.
The tree slammed Stark to the ground.
Stark screamed in pain.
Just then, Hafen lunged towards the cloaked figure and punched his back.
A clank echoed.
Wearing a suit of armor, the cloaked figure did not budge. He simply turned around and looked down at Hafen with contempt.
Hafen stepped back with his eyes wide. He clenched his teeth and reached towards one of the large rocks in the training grounds.
In a flash, a large rock smashed against the cloaked figure and crumbled.
Embracing the force of the attack, the cloaked figure rolled on the ground.
Hafen rushed towards him.
In an instant, another cloaked figure came and defended him. He was slimmer, and he wielded a saber. Agile, he slashed at Hafen.
Hafen's eyes darted around, and he skillfully dodged. He threw a punch in an opening.
The cloaked figure baited it, and he deflected. He kicked him and sent him bouncing on the ground.
Matteo ran past the fight. He headed straight for Henry and his adversaries.
The cloaked figure, angered, lunged towards him. Energy radiated out of his saber. He swung it a few times, unleashing slashes of pure energy. With consecutive strikes, he left cuts on Matteo's arm and legs.
Matteo gasped and fell headfirst. He rolled over, and his chest heaved.
The cloaked figure stabbed his shoulder and pinned him to the ground.
Matteo yelled in pain. He kicked him in the head and staggered him. He pulled out the saber and flipped back up as his wounds healed. Then, he hit the cloaked figure with a rapid flying kick.
The cloaked figure stumbled back.
Another cloaked figure flew towards Matteo with feathered wings on his back. Instead of toes, he had claws. He cawed loudly.
A cold chill ran down Matteo's spine. He turned around and sprinted away in a frenzy. "It's a monster," he alerted.
The cloaked figure's claws grasped his shoulders, and he soared into the air with him. He sneered under his mask and divulged, "You're going to be my tasty breakfast in the morning."
"Ah! No! I don't want to be food," Matteo screamed and cried. He flailed his limbs and struggled.
The cloaked figure growled and flapped his wings. He moved in a vertical loop. He dove down and threw him towards the ground.
Matteo fell and landed on his head. Smoke covered the area. With his upper body stuck underground, his legs shook around.
"Matteo," Hafen called out and approached him. He pulled him out and asked, "Are you alright?"
Matteo spat out dirt and coughed. "Disgusting," he whined with a grimace.
Just then, the feathered cloaked figure swung his wings and screeched out. He unleashed slashes of wind, infused with energy.
Matteo and Hafen braced themselves.
An explosion occurred, and smoke rose to the sky.
Matteo and Hafen were sent flying near Stark. They groaned in pain,
Stark, with the giant tree on top of him, struggled to push it off.
The cloaked figures loomed closer to them and sneered maliciously.
All of a sudden, the girl of the depths appeared behind them and kicked one of them in the back of the head.
The cloaked figure fell forward and rubbed the back of his head.
Pepe stood by his legs. He lifted and held them close to his torso. He swung him around and around.
The cloaked figure got dizzy, and his mind was in a swirl.
Pepe let him go and launched him into a distant tree.
The other cloaked figures stared at the young duo in shock. Their eyes were wide.
"There are more of them," one of them pointed out. He growled and lunged.
Pepe and the girl clenched their teeth and braced themselves.
In the meantime, Henry jumped away from the house and created some distance with his own adversaries. He had observed his adopted sons fighting the cloaked figures. Thinking about their future, an endless pit of despair emerged inside him. He reminisced of the last time he felt like this.
Earlier in the day...
After dinner, Henry cried on his wife's shoulders in the dining room.
Adelia embraced and patted his back, trying to comfort him.
"Eventually, I won't be able to keep our sons safe. I will leave this world, and the outside world will absolutely destroy them," he sobbed. His voice cracked. He nodded and expressed, "I'm a failure of a father."
Adelia furrowed her brows. Her mouth downturned into a frown, and her lips tightened. She pushed her husband off her shoulders and looked into his eyes with a stern expression. "Don't you dare say that! Our sons wouldn't have had a dad if it wasn't for you. You gave them a dad," she refuted. She kindly smiled and reassured, "To our sons, you are someone they look up to and get guidance from. As their foster mother, I think that's good enough. You've done well."
"But they won't be ready for the outside world," Henry muttered and inquired, "Did something change your mind?"
Adelia nodded and divulged, "Hearing their excitement always leaves me with a lingering thought."
"What is it," Henry asked inquisitively.
Adelia's mouth parted open and hesitated to move. "I," she stuttered and continued, "After today, I don't want to keep them caged up with persisting hopes of adventure. Like a baby bird, they must be let free to fly away, one day. I don't care anymore if they aren't ready. It'll be fine. It may not be the perfect path for them to tread on, but the obstacles they encounter will only make them grow more than before."
Henry sniffed and swallowed hard. His mouth remained open due to the surprise of what he heard. "Who knows? Maybe their experiences won't be the same as ours," he managed to murmur, accepting her proclamation.
Adelia kissed his forehead and closed her eyes. A lonely tear streamed down her cheek. It dripped down.
Henry caught it and stared at it.
The lonely tear splashed and flowed around on his palm.
Now, that moment felt surreal to Henry as if the moment for his boys to explore the outside world was looming closer than ever before. He, for once, felt happy and relieved at the thought. He wanted to be there when they were all grown up and living out their desires. However, his current situation was grim. Simply standing around for a short while, a puddle of blood formed under him.
The cloaked figures rushed at him with intensity.
"I'm going to protect my family and fulfill my role as the dad! I'm not going to die until then," Henry, determined and full of hope, announced and stood tall. He closed his fists and bent his arms with his elbows touching his waist. With his teeth gritting, he groaned, and his face wrinkled with a strained expression. Energy covered his body again. His mouth opened wide, and he roared.
A strong gale of wind and energy blew and pushed back the group of cloaked figures.
The Exalted One laughed and questioned, "Why are you so persistent?"
Henry stepped forward and asserted, "My family means everything to me. As long as I'm alive, I'll devote myself to their safety."
"Your family is doomed. Just like your last one," Sabre mocked and smirked.
Henry clenched his teeth. He rushed towards him.
Sabre smiled and prepared his energy. "Bring it on," he exclaimed and laughed loudly.
In a flash, the two men clashed.
Sabre punched the side of Henry's head with a wide grin.
Henry quickly recovered and retaliated with a kick to his kidney. Then, he unleashed a flurry of jabs to his abdomen.
Sabre yelled in pain. His mouth opened wide, and his eyes almost popped out of his skull.
"You might be the strongest human," The Exalted One praised and crossed his arms. "What a shame," he murmured and questioned, "Why did you hide himself from the world? You could have fought back for your old land like the others, and you would win."
Sabre's mouth formed a circle, and he coughed out blood. He growled in anger and raised his arms. He swung them down and smacked Henry to the ground.
Henry got on his knee and rolled away.
Sabre's stomp missed, and the ground cracked apart. He groaned in anger.
Henry rolled back to his feet. He connected a punch to Sabre's jaw.
Sabre toughened it out and grasped his neck.
Henry rapidly grappled his hand and loosened his hold. He spun around Sabre's large frame and slammed him to the ground. He held him in an arm bar. He had heard The Exalted One and answered, "My purpose in battle is not to kill but to protect. After that final battle against Stribora, there was nothing left of me to protect. I didn't let myself be controlled by dark thoughts. I simply felt lonely and sad. Unlike you and your organization. You lost your old world, so now, you seek genocide of an entire species!" He pulled on Sabre's arm and exclaimed, "That's wrong!"
Sabre groaned in agony. His shoulder tore.
The Exalted One sneered and revealed, "Our true goal is to create a utopia like before. Not genocide. It's not something a mere human could comprehend."
Sabre smirked and chuckled. Just then, his face contorted with fury. His eyes opened wide, and his muscles bulged.
"What the," Henry stammered and loosened his hold slightly.
Sabre laughed and raised his locked arm, lifting Henry off the ground. He slammed him back down.
Henry gasped and kept his hold tight as possible.
Sabre managed to stand up with him. Slobber fell from his mouth, and his eyes glowed. He breathed out an icy breath.
Seeing his arm bar not very effective, Henry let go of him and backed away. With the last of his energy to fight, he held his palms close and charged a condensed ball of it in its purest form.
Sabre leaned back and maniacally laughed. He glanced at Henry.
Henry yelled and launched a beam of pure energy.
The beam of pure energy expanded and hit Sabre directly.
An explosion and a cloud of smoke emerged.
Sabre flew out and slid on the ground. His body twitched.
"Darn it! He's still moving," Henry remarked. He panted, and his energy subsided. He was depleted, but he had one last trick up his sleeve. "I'm ready to die for my family. I'll protect them to the end," he declared.
"There's nothing you can do! You've exhausted yourself beyond repair," a cloaked figure claimed.
Angered, Sabre stood back up and wiped blood off his cheek.
On the other hand, The Exalted One was intrigued. He smiled and noted, "Henry has been hiding his true power."
Henry closed his eyes and concentrated. He will use his secret technique, which was a transformation that he learned and mastered, a long time ago.
A technique only taught by those who have previously experienced death. A technique allowing the user to unleash immense power...
... A forgotten technique taught by his old master.