Leo stumbled through the smoke, boots squishing in things he didn't want to name.
"Please… anybody…"
The heat slapped his face. His house—what was left of it—leaned like a drunk. Door gone. Roof half-caved.
He stepped inside.
Selene on the floor. Clothes ripped. Eyes staring at nothing.
Two soldiers. Capital armor, greasy grins.
Caden slumped against the wall, sword through his gut, breathing wet.
The fat one turned. "Scram, kid. Grown-up time."
Leo was behind him before the words finished.
Sword up.
Down.
Head hit the floor with a wet *thunk*.
The second soldier pissed himself. "I—I got kids—"
Leo flickered. Blade at throat.
"Who."
"Nobles want the land. Your village chief said no. Hero Kael—he planned it. Said Caden was his friend, easy mark—"
Leo's ears rang.
*Kael.*
The guy who ruffled his hair. Who told war stories like bedtime tales.
Blade flashed.
Second body dropped.
Caden gurgled. Selene's lips moved.
"…Leo…"
He fell to his knees, hands shaking, tearing a cloak to cover her.
"Mom, I'm here—"
Her fingers brushed his cheek. Cold.
"…proud…"
Then nothing.
He sat in the blood and ash, holding her, tears dripping off his chin.
One tear hit the floor.
In it, a flash.
Alley. Rain. Fifteen-year-old him—skinny, hollow-eyed—curled against a dumpster.
Old man in a brown coat. "Hey, kid. You got a place?"
"…They threw me out."
"Come on. I got a spare room and bad tea."
Name: Watanabe Akira.
The tear dried.
Leo blinked back to the burning room.
Same eyes. Same pain.
He pressed his forehead to Selene's.
"Not again," he whispered.
Then stood.
Sword in hand.
The village screamed behind him.
He walked into the fire.
Leo choked on smoke, coughing hard as he pushed through the doorframe. The house smelled like charred wood and something metallic—blood, too much blood.
Selene on the floor. Clothes torn. Eyes glassy, staring at the cracked wall.
Two soldiers. One fat, sweat-soaked uniform sticking to his gut. The other skinny, fidgeting like a rat.
Caden against the wall, sword sticking out of his belly like a bad joke, breathing in wet gasps.
The fat one turned, wiping his mouth. "Beat it, kid. Or join the party."
Leo didn't think. He moved—fast, too fast. Behind the guy in a blink.
Sword up. Down.
Head rolled with a squishy thump, body folding like wet laundry.
The skinny one pissed himself, hands up. "I got a wife—kids—orders, man!"
Leo's blade at his throat. "Who."
"Nobles want the land. Chief said no. Hero Kael—he set it up. Said Caden was his buddy, easy hit—"
Leo's world tilted.
*Kael.* The guy who brought candy once, told dumb jokes.
Blade flashed. Throat opened. Body slumped.
Selene whispered. "…Leo…"
He dropped the sword, skidded to her side, yanked a cloak to cover her—shaking hands fumbling the cloth.
"Mom—hold on—"
Her fingers brushed his cheek, cold as the floor. "…My boy…"
Tears blurred everything. He rocked her, snot mixing with ash on his face.
Caden coughed. "Take our mana—too late…"
"No—use mine!"
Caden's laugh turned to blood. "Don't know how, kid."
Selene: "Lay me by him…"
Leo shifted her gently, their hands linking like always.
"Nobles took Lia. Castle."
"Kill that hero bastard," Caden rasped.
Selene: "Witches… maybe not evil. Talk to them."
Leo nodded, throat tight. "I will. Save her. Avenge you."
They coughed blood, smiled.
"We love you."
Eyes closed.
Leo howled—raw, ugly, chest-heaving.
Then quiet.
He sat in the mess, staring at nothing.
*Weak. They're gone because I'm weak.*
Black threads from his fingers—Void Reclaim. No chant, just *want*.
Healing. Ice. Fire. Strength.
Felt like echoes in his veins.
*Mom said dead bodies leak mana. Easy pickings.*
He stood, palms out. Ice bloomed—crackly, uneven—freezing them in a lumpy block.
Looked like a bad snow globe.
"You deserve better."
Snapped his fingers. Shards everywhere, glittering then gone.
Wiped his nose on his sleeve.
Eyes hard now. No more kid stuff.
Walked out, fire popping behind him like forgotten popcorn.
Wind hit his face—ashy, carrying screams from somewhere.
Lyra's house. Door hanging off one hinge.
He froze.