Talon's dad rushed outside after his son. When he saw him standing alone in the rain he halted as he stared at him. His face was a total mess of tears and snot. His naturally soft looks were turned into a dark, gloominess that loomed over him.
Seeing his son in that state pained his heart greatly. If there was someone who knew Talon the best, it was him. He knew how much his son loved his mother. Even when he was still a toddler, he looked up to her way more than he did for him. She was his hero and his best friend.
Losing her, in such a manner... How could he handle that loss? Especially when he couldn't even say goodbye.
The more he thought about it, the more suffocated he felt. At this point, he couldn't even look at himself the same anymore. He had failed, as a father, as a husband, and as a human being. He failed to protect the sole thing he cherished in this world... Again.
"I failed you..." He murmured.
His words made Talon turn around as he stared at him silently. His face was completely unreadable.
"If I was a little stronger... If I was better. If I could fight those monsters... She would've not died!" Holding his face, the man fell to the ground. "But, I ended up being the one to be saved by her. She threw her life away just so that I could live. I failed you and I failed your mother!!" Speaking through his sobs, Talon's dad put his hand on the ground as he dug into the dirt with all his strength.
He wanted to feel anything that could release all the frustration, anger, hatred, and negative thoughts. But, that was nowhere near enough. All it did was simply give him more pain on top of the pain he was feeling at that moment.
Staring at his crying father, Talon didn't respond immediately as he pursed his lips. The corners of his mouth wavered for a split before he returned to how he was before.
"... What happened exactly? How did it happen?" He eventually opened his mouth and asked.
Talon's dad lifted his head up as he let the rain wash his face. Just recalling the memory of that day gave him the urge to vomit right there and then. He didn't have a wink of sleep in the past two weeks as his guilt and sorrows refused to leave him.
It became his curse that he carried every single day and night that he spent after that... Alone, in a desolate town where nobody survived except for him. He lived every day with the notion that he had lost his dear wife and son and he couldn't do anything about it.
The only thing that stopped him from ending it all at that moment was the small chance... That very small possibility that his son was still out there, alive. He didn't want to cowardly kill himself and leave his son like that.
"*Sniff*... After what happened... Me and your mother... We escaped the house and took refuge in the small library north of here. Things quickly got out of hand in the town and we saw people dying everywhere. We tried to help anyone, but, we were powerless. So, all we could do was to take that place as a shelter.
We couldn't fight them so all we could do was sneak out and get any supplies we could find." He said in a quiet tone.
"..."
'It's you... I know it's you!! You have done this. For what twisted reason are you targeting him? What is your goal?' As she spoke to that gate through her mind, she could almost see it pulse in response, mocking her. 'You will regret it. I take an oath on my bloodline that you will regret it.
I will make sure you do.'
Meanwhile, Talon, unaware of the horrifying oath Acrypha took on herself, he started walking slowly back toward the house.
"S-Son?" His father noticed his odd behavior as he tried to call his name. But, the young man ignored him and continued marching inside the house in a steady yet oddly slow manner.
In Talon's mind, only one thing existed. A single door at the other side of the house was left unopened.
His cold heart was now even colder as an almost numb sensation took over his body. A part of him didn't want to approach that door and another was urging him to do that.
"Son!" His father rushed after him. "You don't have to do this... Please, just stop for a second."
However, he was completely ignored. Talon didn't even hear him as he got closer to the door. Then, when he stopped in front of it, he stared at the doorknob.
*BADUM* *BADUM*
His eyes intently focused on it, to a terrifying degree. The sound of his heart was loud in his ears.
Unbeknownst to him, at that moment, his usually blue eyes were shining with a mysterious light.
That light was brighter than ever and yet he didn't notice its presence at all.
Then, he put his hand on the knob and twisted it.
*CLICK*
The sound of the screeching door echoed in the house as it parted open.
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