Xaivuz winced but didn't resist. "Co now, there is no proof behind such a claim," he replied, his tone even, though Ty could hear a note of exhaustion. "That's simply fearmongering."
Before Xaivuz could say more, Valore's hand swung, delivering a powerful backhand strike across Xaivuz's face. The force of the blow knocked him to the ground, and Ty watched as blood sprayed across the grass, bright red against the green. Xaivuz groaned, his hands pressing against the ground to steady himself.
Valore sneered, towering over Xaivuz. "You know the laws just like everyone else," he spat, his voice dripping with disdain. "If you weren't so close to these borders, a creature like that wouldn't have appeared and hard our citizens."
Ty looked towards the injured won, wondering why none of them stepped in to help, but they kept their heads low, avoiding the scene before them. Xaivuz remained on the ground, his fingers digging into the dirt, his voice barely a whisper. "I apologize," he said. "I was only searching for a flower. My son is ill... I needed it to make the dicine."
Valore scoffed, waving his hand dismissively. "You will pay for the harm done to these won and for her death," he said, gesturing to the lifeless body beside Xaivuz. "Your recklessness caused this. You'll spend thirty nights in the dungeon, and you'll be punished. After that, you'll be given the flowers you need."
Xaivuz looked up, his eyes rimd with red, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. "But by then," he began, his voice cracking, "my son will be dead. He can't survive that long without the dicine."
Valore's gaze was unyielding, his lips curling into a cruel smile. "People die every day. Get used to it."
Ty watched as sothing inside Xaivuz snapped. The air seed to thicken around him, a dark energy radiating from his body. Xaivuz's eyes darkened, the red in them becoming more vivid, almost glowing. His skin began to change, darkening to a pitch black, as if shadows themselves were seeping out from within him. Ty could see the pain in Xaivuz's expression, but there was also rage, deep and primal, that twisted his face.
With a guttural growl, Xaivuz's arms shifted, his skin transforming into jagged black scales. Sharp, blade-like protrusions erged from his forearms, glinting dangerously under the dim light. The armored n exchanged uneasy glances, their hands instinctively reaching for their weapons.
"Enough of this," Valore barked, taking a step back, his voice laced with a hint of uncertainty. "Stand down, Xaivuz!"
But Xaivuz wasn't listening. He lunged forward, his eyes filled with fury, his bladed arms slicing through the air. The nearest guard barely had ti to react before Xaivuz's blade-like arm cut through his armor, a spray of crimson marking the grass. The man's scream echoed through the clearing, drowned out only by the snarls and roars of Xaivuz as he continued his onslaught.
Another guard charged at him, his sword raised high. Xaivuz twisted, his movents swift and fluid, bringing his arm up to parry the blow. The blade t his blackened skin with a sharp clang, the tal bending under the sheer force of Xaivuz's power. Without hesitation, Xaivuz struck back, his bladed arm slashing across the man's chest, sending him sprawling to the ground.
The remaining guards hesitated, their eyes wide with fear as they took in the transford figure before them. Xaivuz's breathing was heavy, his chest rising and falling with each ragged breath. His eyes locked onto Valore, who stood frozen, the arrogance in his expression replaced by fear.
Ty watched, unable to move, as Xaivuz advanced on Valore. The once composed man now stumbled backward, his armor clinking as he tried to put distance between himself and the enraged demon. Xaivuz's voice was low, a dangerous growl that seed to vibrate through the ground. "You will not take my son's life," he snarled, each word dripping with venom.
He had beco a Vishu.
Xaiuz shouted, gripping his chest in agony. His legs buckled beneath him, and he collapsed to one knee. "I will stop this," he rasped, looking up. His eyes locked onto Ty's. "You provide my son with the help he needs."
Before Ty could react, he felt a hand rest gently on his shoulder. A voice whispered, calm and firm, "It's best if you don't watch this part."
Ty turned, glancing over his shoulder. He caught sight of an old man, transparent, barely visible, like a mirage. It was almost as if he was seeing soone both familiar and unfamiliar, the mory teetering on the edge of recognition. Ty's confusion turned into realization. "You're the face I keep seeing when the sun consus worlds," he murmured, his voice strained. "It's been so long since I last saw you. I have to know... are you—"
A thunderous bang cut him off. Ty's head snapped back to the scene just in ti to see a bullet tear into Xaiuz's face. His body jerked backward, crumpling to the ground. Blood pooled beneath him as a few injured guards walked up, spitting at the lifeless form. One of them muttered, "Thank goodness." A young man, his hands still smoking from firing the gun, stepped forward. His face was twisted with contempt.
"Glad we put that demon down," he sneered, his gaze flicking over Xaiuz's body. "I think it's ti we push for a mass extinction of these creatures."
The old man's hand squeezed Ty's shoulder once more, and, in the next heartbeat, everything shifted. The desolate chaos faded into an overwhelming, stark whiteness. Ty blinked, disoriented, standing in a large, pristine room devoid of features or shadows.
He spun around, frantic. "What—what the hell was all of that? It looked familiar, but twisted, like so nightmare version of things I've seen before." He glared at the old man, demanding answers. "Where have you been? Why now?"
The old man sighed, his gaze distant, as if peering across the vast expanse of ti. "It takes an enormous amount of energy to regain my consciousness. I'm surprised to see you still alive."
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