Chapter 45
'Why is my heart beating so loudly and hard? It feels so suffocating!' Grey screamed in his mind as his thoughts spiraled—until a voice snapped him out of it.
"What is it, son? What are you thinking abou—" Clara's voice caught mid-sentence as she saw her son's wide, dilated eyes—his face pale with terror, as though he had just seen the devil himself.
"Mum! Look out!" Grey shouted, thrusting his hand forward instinctively.
Clara turned in confusion. "What is going on—?"
But before she could finish, a swirling vortex tore open the space in front of her. From within its ominous core, a jagged, beastly claw reached for her face.
Clara's scream pierced the air. "Arghhhhhh!"
"Wind Magic! Aerius!" Grey roared, thrusting his palm out.
A powerful gust of wind burst forth from his spell, slamming into Clara and hurling her away from the monstrous claw just in time. The beast's strike sliced through empty air, the space distorting in its wake with a ripple of power.
Clara tumbled to the ground, her body crashing down from the force. But before she could hit the earth hard, Grey manipulated the terrain beneath his feet with Earth Magic, launching himself forward and catching her in his arms.
"Are you okay, Mum?" he asked frantically, scanning her from head to toe.
"I… I'm fine. Don't worry," Clara whispered, her voice trembling as she clutched her pounding chest.
Grey let out a breath of relief and pulled her into a tight embrace. "I'm so glad you're alright… I thought I was going to lose you the same way I lost Dad."
"I'm going nowhere, son," she whispered back, hugging him tightly.
But their reunion was cut short by a thunderous uproar. Screams echoed from every corner as townspeople ran in blind panic, their faces twisted in horror.
The portal was now wide open—and from its depths, three grotesque beasts emerged.
Their bodies were covered in shaggy brown fur, thick and wild. Two long, curved horns protruded from their skulls, and massive fangs jutted from snarling maws. Each beast's arms ended in two terrifyingly sharp claws, twitching with bloodlust.
One of the beasts stood slightly shorter at around 5 feet, but the other two towered at over 6 feet tall, radiating raw, primal power.
"GRHHHHHH!" All three monsters roared in unison, their voices shaking the very ground.
Without wasting a second, Grey channeled mana into his left eye.
Appraisal.
The two larger beasts were Level 4. The smaller one—a Level 3. Grey's eyes nearly popped from his skull.
"Damn it… No one in this town can handle them. We need to run, Mum!" he shouted, scooping Clara into his arms before she could protest.
They turned and ran, zigzagging through the chaotic town square as the Talonus beasts split up, unleashing pure carnage. Buildings were torn apart as though made of paper. People screamed, fell, bled. Those who dared fight back were ripped to shreds—men, women, even children.
Grey and Clara ran side by side, weaving through the madness. The air reeked of blood and smoke. Bodies littered the streets like discarded dolls. The once peaceful town was now a graveyard.
'Damn it! I'm not strong enough to fight Level 4 beasts. We have to escape now! I can't let anything happen to Mum!' Grey's mind screamed in desperation.
He raised his arm, casting another wind spell to push a crowd aside. People stumbled and fell, some glaring at him, but Grey didn't care. Not now.
'I'm sorry, everyone. But I have to put Mum first.'
They were nearly at a narrow alleyway that led to the outskirts of town where their home was—safety was just within reach.
But then, a monstrous figure stepped into their path.
A Talonus.
Grey froze, pulling Clara behind him. Thankfully, the beast hadn't noticed them yet—its focus was on another group of screaming civilians. In one devastating swing, the monster cut them down.
'How can they move this fast?' Grey's heart pounded as he turned sharply, yanking Clara by the hand as they fled through another path.
But somehow, they found themselves back in the main square—the heart of the massacre. Blood stained the cobblestones. The two Level 4 Talonus stood amid heaps of corpses, still hunting.
Then Clara's eyes locked on something—her breath caught in her throat.
A mother knelt in front of her five-year-old child, shielding her with trembling arms as one of the beasts loomed over them.
The beast struck. The mother collapsed in a spray of blood.
"Mother!!!" the little girl screamed, throwing herself over her mother's lifeless body, sobbing uncontrollably.
She didn't even register the danger—the heavy, ragged breathing right above her.
She looked up—and froze.
The Talonus's soulless yellow eyes stared into hers as it reached for her tiny neck, claws wrapping around it with cruel intent.
"Grey! We have to save that girl!" Clara cried, yanking on his sleeve.
Grey turned his gaze to the girl—and his stomach twisted. But he gritted his teeth and shook his head.
"No offense, Mum, but are you crazy? That's a Level 4 beast. We'll both die trying to save her!" he snapped, still scanning for a route to escape.
"She's going to die!" Clara pleaded.
"Mum, I know you have a good heart—but right now, I have to be the mature one. We need to get the hell out of here while we still can!"
Clara stared at him for a second—then her eyes hardened.
"Fine. If you won't help her… I'll do it myself."
Before Grey could stop her, she tore herself from his grip, grabbed a long metal pole from the rubble nearby, and sprinted toward the beast.
"Mum!! What are you doing?!" Grey's voice cracked as dread flooded every fiber of his being.
His eyes locked on her as she charged at the towering monster with nothing but sheer courage.
And in that moment—he realized just how terrifying it was to watch the person you love the most run straight toward death.