Chapter 17 - 17: The Hand That I Will Never Let Go Of.

17 – 1

(Grey's POV)

"Everybody stay close, we will follow this route until we are out to safe distance." Said Kain.

Everyone was instructed to travel through the Forest without making any sound, so everyone is navigating through the forest without making any sounds.

I was getting the feeling that I was forgetting something for a while, now I just remembered what I was forgetting.

The sword that was given to me by my dad and the crystal that grandma gave me. Dad will kill me if he got to know that I forgot the sword he gave me, it was precious belonging after all.

I heard a voice behind me "Young master are you all right." it was Aunt Sofia.

"Yes, I am fine."

From the moment we set off for the escape, I have this lingering uneasy feeling.

"Aunt Sofia, will mom be alright?"

"Yes she will be, after all, she is insanely strong. There are only a few opponents who can give her actual threat." Said Aunt Sofia with a reassuring smile. She was wearing light armor.

"That's reassuring."

"Don't worry Grey, we will join your mom after we make sure the escape route is safe." It was Till, I am not sure what I should call her, Aunt Till? No that doesn't feel right, Mrs. Till? No that doesn't feel right too.

She suddenly stopped in her tracks. She looked towards her husband Kain, who standing on the top of one of the trees, to scout the area better. They nodded at each other simultaneously.

"Everyone, don't move and stay together, Mrs. Sofia you handle the right side, Till you stay in position and handle that side, and ill handle the right side. Do not let anyone in." Said Kain.

They formed a triangle-like formation and the villagers in the center. I think their objective is to protect any incoming threat from all sides.

"We are surrounded." Said Till.

From inside the forest from all directions many people appeared, they were suited by armor, it looks like we are surrounded by soldiers.

One of the soldiers rushed forward to attack but was instantly cut down by Sofia. She didn't hesitate to cut him down.

The soldier's gut was slashed from between revealing his intestines. His body was draining out of the blood and his body was getting paler and paler.

Why there is so much blood?

That man is dead?

A person got killed just now, A person. I felt nauseous, I held my mouth but couldn't hold the vomit in. My body feels weaker, my head is dizzy.

"Young master, you can close your eyes. You don't have to look at it." Said Sofia, while slashing another soldier.

"No, I am fine." I can't look away. I have to get used to blood, I wanted to get used to blood and gore. I have this feeling this is not the last time I will have to witness bloodshed.

One after another corpses were piling up, The three were doing a good job of defending the villager. The field around me was getting more and more bloody, the smell in the air was making me nauseous.

But I can't look away.

I can't look away.

"You don't have to force yourself, Grey." Said Rai, she held my hands interlocking her finger with mine.

She is strong, she is not shaken up by this bloodshed. I admire her for that.

But, as I saw her hands were also are shaking. She is trying her best too, just like me. I guess I admire her more now.

17- 2

The escape route was getting more and more secure. The trio of Tess, Sofia, and Kain were doing a great job of defending the villagers.

"I thought you would get rusty, Kain." Said Tess teasingly

"I train every day but are you sure you aren't getting rusty." Replied Kain while Parrying the sword of the opponent and countering with a punch.

"Yes, I am planning on getting rusty, because my husband will protect me." Replied Tess.

"Gwah!" Kain was taken on by surprise. The sword slashed through his arms, his limb went flying away detaching from his body. The blood started pouring out of his arms, He tried to hold back his scream for pain.

Kain stepped back to regain his posture.

Tess quickly noticed the arms of the Kain that flew off. Before she could react, Kain stopped her "Don't..... stay at your position. I am fine."

Kain Made a fireball in his hand and tried to burn off his bleeding to stop the bleeding. He bit his lips to stop himself from screaming.

The soldier slashed that his hand was standing in front of Kain, he was wearing armor different from the rest of the soldiers. He was General Werner.

"I will handle him, go after rest two." Ordered general Werner to his remaining soldiers.

Kain took a good look at his new opponent. He instantly knew this guy was strong, it was going to be even more of a trouble to fight this man with one hand for Kain.

Kain focused on his opponents' swordplay and parried it with his sword step by step. But this process was getting more and more exhausting for him.

He was out of breath, to create some distance between them. He shot out fireball and took a step back. Werner had no option but to counter the fireball spell with his water magic.

Werner created a small shield out of the water to absorb the fireball. Kain took the chance and dashed forward to end the fight, he was aiming for the abdomen that was unguarded. But Werner quickly regained his posture and parried Kain's slash. They kept crossing swords for few moments and there was a new cut each time in Kain's body, the cuts kept getting more deeper and deeper. Losing one hand meant most of his body was left unguarded, he focused on guarding his vital parts.

It was getting difficult for only Tess and Sofia to stop the soldiers and defend the villagers at once and so it happened, A polearm was thrown aiming at Grey. Grey dodged the polearm, but it went through the old lady behind the Grey. The old lady lost her life in an instant.

"Young master, get behind me." Shouted Sofia.

Grey didn't know what to do, there were villagers getting killed around him. Grey grabbed Rai's hand and got behind Sofia.

Kain heard the voice of Tess, "Just hang on, I am done with the soldiers here. I will join you."

But it was getting bad for Kain.

'This is bad, I can keep on much longer. I have to finish this now, or it will get worse for me.'

Kain threw his sword away and said "I am gonna end this right here and right now, I can't keep this going on.... Try to stop this." . he stretched his palm and gathered mana in his hand to perform a spell. The fire in his hand grew bigger and denser. He shot this fireball towards General. General made one more water shield thicker than the last one, to defend himself. But before fireball could come in contact with General shield, it started shining brightly. It was a blinding spell, the ball kept shining, blocking the general's visual of the surrounding.

It was a fake spell, Kain rushed forward to end it. Kain thrust his sword aiming for General's heart. He successfully thrust his sword inside general....but.

"Gwah!" Kain felt the pressure of something penetrating inside his stomach. He felt extreme heat from his guts. Kain fell to the ground, he was stabbed in the stomach. He looked towards the general, he missed his heart. There was a sword inside the shoulder of the general, but Kain missed the heart. General was truly blinded, but General instincts told him to attack even after being blind.

Kain lied on the ground struggling for breath, there was blood coming out his mouth.

Tess finished the last soldier and turned around to look towards Kain, who was stabbed in the guts by the general. Looking at this Rage shot through her veins.

She rushed forward with her Swords, "How dare you!" she shouted, Her eyes had furious look in them.

She slashed General's arms, cutting off his limb. General didn't step back even after his arm was cut off, He was fighting like he was prepared to die. She continued her attack and aimed for his abdomen but before she could react General penetrated his sword inside Tess's heart.

Tess fell to the ground in an instant. Blood was pouring out of her mouth, but she wasn't conscious. She was no longer alive....

Kain, saw her wife falling down. There was blood coming out her mouth.

"Tess?"

"Hey! Tess"

"Tess reply to me!!"

Kain shouted at Tess's body but he got no reply.

"Tess!? Wake up, Tess!!? I know you love to tease me. Wake up and say this is a joke, right?." Kain dragged his body towards Tess.

He felt his consciousness fading away. He dragged his body to grab and stretched his hands to reach out to Tess. He held on to Tess's hand.

"I guess this is it for us." Said Kain. The remaining bit of consciousness faded away from his body. Kain was dead.

Their lifeless body was lying on the ground but their hand was held together tightly.

General was bleeding from his guts, Tess was successful in slashing his guts. His condition was bad. There was a sword sticking out of his shoulder, he was bleeding from the guts and he lost his hand. He forced out the sword from his shoulder and sat under the tree, leaning his shoulder on the tree. He waited under the tree with a sword in one hand for his death.

Under the tree, he saw the angel of death. At least that's what general thought. Upon closer look it wasn't an angel, it was a kid. The kid had furious look on his face. The kid didn't emit any kind of dark aura, so the general didn't feel any need to harm the kid. General Werner's mission was to kill everyone with a dark aura, it was a mission that tainted his soul. He didn't intend to harm anyone who doesn't have a dark aura around them.

Rage was fuming through the kid's eyes.

"Why did you kill them both?" asked the kid, the kid was Grey. Grey didn't raise his voice, but his voice had a chilling sensation to it.

"I asked why did you kill them both?" Shouted Grey, pointing his sword towards General.

"It was my mission." Said General in a lower voice.

"What mission? What is that supposed to be? The people of this village never did anything wrong to you guys. They lived here peacefully. You demons killed them, based on assumption that their dark aura might turn them into monsters..... Who are the monsters here? You guys or them?" Roared Grey loudly. He didn't get any reply from the General.

"Coward answer me!!!!" shouted Grey.

Being met with General's silence, Grey dashed forward to stab the sword in General's heart. General Raised his sword, Grey didn't care if he died in the process. He wanted to kill the general.

The sword penetrated through General, but the hand General raised wasn't to attack Grey, General let go of his sword. General kept his hand on Grey's head and muttered " I am sorry, kid." With his last breath. Blood poured out of General's mouth and he died in an instant leaving Grey stunned.

"I am sorry?" repeated Grey.

"Sorry? What do you mean by sorry? Aren't you supposed to be a bad guy? Why did you make such a face while dying? You didn't hesitate two kill Kain and Tess, your people killed so many people. What do you mean by sorry? Answer me!? Answer me! Answer me! Answer me!!!!!."

Grey grabbed the dead General's collar " Why did you look like that while dying, what are you a good guy or bad guy?" asked Grey, and of course he got no answer.

Sofia stood there stunned, " Young master, I couldn't protect you. I couldn't protect your innocence." Said Sofia to herself. There were no soldiers left.

The only people who were left were Rai, Grey, and Few villagers. Most of them being kids. Others were dead, including Tess, Kain, and General Werner.

None of them wanted this, but fate had a different plan for them.

17-3

Sofia stood there watched Grey, she felt helpless. As she took a step forward to approach Grey. She felt an immense aura, she have never felt in her life. She looked back to find a little girl standing on the top of the tree.

The aura she released sent a chill in the spine of everyone present there. Grey looked at the vampire girl's eyes, Grey didn't feel fear. He looked at those red glowing eyes of the vampire, the vampire girl looked back at him.

She pointed her finger towards Grey "You are divine, come with me...alive.". her words had no emotions, it was just like she was relaying the order.

Sofia stood in front of Grey "You won't-" before she could finish her sentence. The vampire girl jumped from the tree and landed on the ground.

She started walking towards Grey, as she was walking she raised her hand and stretched her palm. The atmosphere around her began to change. In her palm dark aura materialized and took a shape of a sphere and it began to get bigger and bigger.

"Grandma!?" shouted one of the kids.

Grey turned his head to check the source of the sound. It was an old lady who got collapsed. More villagers began to collapse and most of them felt weak.

"What are you doing?" shouted Sofia. But she was met with silence in return.

"Grey get behind m-" Sofia felt a heavy pressure on the back of her head. Sofia collapsed, above her body was a standing vampire girl who knocked her off.

The vampire girl pointed her hand towards Sofia, two giant hands made of flames formed behind her appeared. The vampire attacked with both of her Hands of flames, but before it could reach Sofia. She heard a voice.

"Stop, I will go with you. Leave her alone." Said Grey, his voice was calm.

"Understood." The girl stopped her attack and drew back her hand of flames.

"And stop taking the dark aura, from this people. They will die if it's taken from them." Said Grey.

"I can't do that, it's an order." The vampire girl's voice had a monotone.

Grey pulled out his knife and pointed at his own throat. Forcing a little bit of knife in his skin, to let out a drop of blood "Apparently your order is to bring me alive, if you don't stop now. I will stab this knife in my throat.". The look that Grey's eyes had said he was serious.

The vampire girl paused for a moment, she stood there silently without saying anything. After a brief moment of silence, she spoke "Understood, I will stop drawing out the aura from this people."

Grey walked towards the vampire girl, as he walked he turned around to face Rai "Rai, take care of Aunt Sofia. She is fine just knocked out. Take care of her, till she wakes up."

"Gre-" Rai stopped, she was struggling with putting it into words, but she finally formed the right words in her mind, and spoke, "Grey, take care and don't die….. come back alive."

"I will," replied Grey.

They both headed inside the forest. The vampire girl offered a grey piggyback ride but he refused, as they were traveling through the forest "Vampire, where are you taking me?" asked Grey.

The vampire's eyebrows squinted together to form a frown on her face "Name…..my name is Aetna.".

'It was the first time I saw an expression on her face, maybe she didn't like me calling her vampire'

Aetna had silver-colored long hair with a set of silver eyes and pale skin.