Kael, Myra and Michael are 3 siblings.
Kael was distracted, busy formulating a date plan with Saphira in his head, a small, unconscious smile on his lips. It was a fragile, normal happiness, utterly oblivious to the nightmare that awaited them.
They arrived at the rusted iron gate of their secluded house. This time, the voices from within were clear. They heard the sounds of about three strangers speaking, plus the distinct, strained voice of their mother. That made four.
Mira paused, her brow furrowed in confusion. "Whose voices are those? We rarely have any visitors. Who could it be?"
Michael, the man of few words, glanced at her. "What do you mean, rarely? Since I was born, I haven't seen a single soul come to visit."
Kael nodded, the thought pulling him from his pleasant daydream. "Now that you mention it, that's true. I haven't once seen anyone visit our home."
Before they could speculate further, a raw, agonized scream—unmistakably their father's—ripped through the air. Their blood ran cold. Without a second thought, they broke into a sprint. Kael reached the door first, his heart hammering against his ribs, and yanked it open.
The scene that greeted them was a slaughterhouse.
Their mother lay collapsed on the floor, unconscious… or worse. A horrific hole, as wide as a water bottle, was torn into her chest. A vast, glistening lake of blood, stretching more than ten meters, surrounded her still form. And there, at the feet of eight strangers, was their father, clutching a dead body to his chest and weeping uncontrollably.
The three siblings froze, their minds refusing to process the horrific tableau. The world seemed to slow to a crawl and sharpen with terrible clarity at the same time. Suddenly, Mira's eyes rolled back into her head. She collapsed in a dead faint against Kael, who barely caught her and lowered her to the floor, his own tears beginning to fall.
Mira's collapse drew the attention of the eight intruders. A woman from the group stepped forward, a cruel smirk on her lips. She approached the children, her movements predatory. She slowly raised a hand to touch Michael's head.
"And who owns these cute lost lambs?" she cooed.
Just as her fingers were about to make contact, the roof above them exploded. The air in the room superheated instantly, becoming so intense it felt like it was peeling the skin from their bones.
The woman, Yelena, pulled her hand back and looked over her shoulder, her smirk widening. "So these are your children? Who would have thought that the great Flame Sovereign, who vanished twenty years ago, would be here playing the role of a good father and husband." Her voice suddenly sharpened into a scream. "Where did those fairy flames go? What happened to those eyes that killed without a second thought? Huh? Answer me, Malric!"
Malric, their father, looked up, his voice a low, dangerous thunder. "Yelena. Touch any of my kids, and you will see the eyes and the flames you have been longing to see." As he spoke, he looked directly at her. His eyes now glowed with an unearthly, fairy-like light, and tears of blood streamed down his cheeks. Yelena shrieked, collapsing to the ground in a terrified heap.
He then turned his bloody gaze away from her. "Dalen. It seems you guys have come for me, huh?"
The man standing at the head of the group responded calmly. "You are absolutely right, Malric. We have been sent to take care of you by 'HIM'."
Malric took a shuddering breath. "I'll let you finish me off, on the condition that you let my children go."
Dalen chuckled, moving casually towards a table of fruits. "Look at the state you're in. You haven't used your flames in twenty long years. It's eight against one. What makes you think you have the upper hand to negotiate?"
Malric didn't flinch. "You and I both know that even now, if we fight, four or five of you would lose your lives and the rest would be wounded beyond recovery."
Dalen smiled, picking up a knife and an orange. He began to peel it slowly. "I guess you are right. But if you knew that, why didn't you attack us? Why sacrifice yourself?"
Malric gently laid his wife's body down against the wall and walked back. "If we fight here and now, I can't guarantee the city will be safe. Or the lives of my children."
Dalen popped a slice of orange into his mouth. "I will take you up on your offer."
Yelena, scrambling to her feet, shouted, "What the hell are you doing, Dalen? Why are you taking such a cowardly method? You haven't consulted the rest of us!"
Dalen faced her, his voice dripping with mockery. "Oh, poor Yelena. We know you're the dumbest among us, but must you be so utterly stupid? You oppose this offer? Don't make me laugh. This is rich, coming from someone who just pissed herself out of fear." The other six chuckled darkly.
Yelena's face flushed with rage. "You will all regret making fun of me today!" She spat before storming off to a corner.
Dalen's gaze swept over the others. "Who opposes my decision? Fighting him costs us half our number. The survivors would be easy prey on the road back." He ate another slice. "If you still oppose me, speak your reasons now."
One by one, the six replied.
Lucian, lounging on a couch and clipping his nails, didn't look up. "Combat would most likely ruin my beautiful face." He produced a mirror to admire his reflection. "Oh, how beautiful I am today as well."
Zephyr, arms crossed, said simply, "I'd likely die. I'd rather not fight."
Liora, staring out the window, shrugged. "Do what you want. It doesn't concern me."
Jorik, dressed like a monk, clutched his beads. "Buddha would not forgive me for being stained with the blood of the young. Amitabha."
Freya nodded. "Just leave the kids alone."
Lysander, however, looked at Malric with excited eyes. "Forget the children! Let's fight, Flame Sovereign! I've heard so much about you!"
Dalen ignored him. "Since it is decided, we will let the children go."
Malric looked up at the sky through the shattered roof, tears welling in his fiery eyes. "I guess this is how I end."
Dalen stepped forward. "Do you have any last words, Malric?"
Malric's gaze found his children, his voice breaking. "Michael, take care of your younger siblings. That is your duty as the eldest." He looked at Kael. "Kael, always listen to your brother. And when your sister wakes up… tell her that we love you all."
It was at that moment that Kael's brain finally processed what was happening. But before a single word could leave his lips, a blur of motion.
Thud.
His father's head hit the floor. His body remained standing for a horrifying second before collapsing.
A scream, raw and shattered, tore from Kael's throat. "FATHER!" He lunged forward,letting Mira's unconscious form slump to the ground, and threw his arms around his father's legs, weeping uncontrollably.
Yelena, emboldened now, stepped forward again. "How pathetic. So this is the end for the Flame Sovereign." She glared at the children. "You better get moving before I decide to kill you myself."
Michael, crying silently, blood trickling from where he'd bitten his lip, grabbed Kael's arm. "Kael, let's go! Now!" When Kael didn't respond, lost in his grief, Michael hauled him up, slung Mira over his back, and began dragging them toward the door.
Dalen's voice stopped them cold. "Make sure you keep what happened here a secret. Anyone you tell will end up dead." He then looked at Zephyr. "Bring me the heads of those two."
Zephyr sighed. "Why is it always me?"
He walked to Malric's body, picked up the severed head, and then moved to Thalia's. A sword materialized in his hand from thin air. With a single, brutal swing, he severed her head as well. A shimmering portal tore open in the air. Zephyr casually tossed both heads into the void before it snapped shut.
All of it happened while Kael, staring back over Michael's shoulder, watched, etching the horrific image into his memory forever.
And then, they were gone.