Cygnus badly wanted to refute his mother's words but he could already hear the enemy coming their way. The guards must have died too. He raised his head and nodded at his mother who gave her a smile. Cygnus picked up his unconscious sister and carried her in his arms.
He gritted his teeth as he left. The urge to look back was eating at him but he steeled his heart and continued to walk forward. There was no time for him to be crying or wiping his tears. He needed to find a safe place for him and his sister. They needed to survive. They needed to live.
"Stop right there!" A man's voice shouted from behind them but Cygnus did not stop.
He continued to walk forward despite the pain in his side and on his legs that was injured from the explosion. He was limping with only one thought in his mind, to save his little sister and leave that place. The voice became harsher as something hit him on the back but he managed to maintain his balance.
Cygnus continued to walk with his sister in his arms. He held her tight and protected him from the attack that was being directed their way. His back started to feel hot and the pain was becoming unbearable. He hastened his steps until he came to a large tree in the middle of that forest.
He collapsed as he dragged his body towards the tree. His hold on his sister did not waver as he held him close. He leaned on the tree and looked up at the already dark sky. His gaze then went down to his sister's unconscious figure. He could still hear her breathing and it made him at ease.
He wanted to get up and leave but he did not have the strength to do it. From the distance, he could hear the rustling of the leaves and the murmurs from the people who were after them. Several men appeared behind the bushes. They were looking at the trail of blood that was left from Cygnus's several wounds.
"There they are!" One man shouted as he pointed at the direction where Cygnus was sitting.
Cygnus could hear them coming nearer. He at least wanted to let his sister live but he couldn't even do it. Now they were going to die but it was fine because they will meet their parents. Even though he thought of this, the desire to destroy them all was becoming more and more overwhelming.
The anger and the anguish of losing everything dear to him was eating his sanity. The pain in his body was disappearing as the blazing fire of revenge started to burn within him. He wanted them all dead, those people who did this to them. The people who betrayed them deserved to die.
At that moment, before the enemies could even get to them, a ring of fire suddenly appeared around Cygnus. He couldn't understand what was happening as his vision started to darken but before that he managed to look at the direction of their enemies. There he saw the same woman who was looking at them like they were not human beings.
With all the strength he could muster, he looked at the woman in the eye and muttered something that only the woman could understand. "All of this will be repaid with blood."
Elvira Khevan felt the chill from the child's gaze and words. She averted his gaze and ordered the soldiers to stop the fire. They did but no matter how they used magic, the fire did not die down. it was protecting the children from them. A rain of arrows flew to the sky as it targeted the children but those arrows burned down before they even reached their target.
On the other hand, Kieve was already at his limits when he felt the fire tree. He looked back and saw that the tree slowly lost its glow. He chuckled as he realized that this must be really the end for them.
"There's nowhere for you to go now. Hah, the strongest mage and yet you still couldn't destroy us all. Your magic is worthless and even that fire tree they claimed to have been protecting this household didn't do anything." A mocking voice came from one of the members of the Pillars, Aberleign.
"The tree had already served its purpose and I have no regrets over it. The House of Altair might have fallen but sooner or later your households and even your magic tower will suffer the same fate." Kieve laughed but he choked because of the blood that came out from his mouth.
"You still speak so arrogantly. Just so you know, your wife and children are already dead. I received a report that they were already killed." Aberleign laughed and even shook his head.
Kieve clenched his fists as the faces of his family flashed before his eyes. "If that's the case then there's no point in me staying alive." He looked up and grinned at the man before more blood came out from his mouth and he fell to the ground.
Aberleign wanted to see him suffer more but to think that he would take his own life, he was really a stubborn man. After that, he ordered the mages and the soldiers to burn everything and to not leave anything unburned behind. He looked at the dead body of the high mage and shook his head once again.
Cygnus, who had been holding out, couldn't stay awake any longer. He did not know how long the fire would stay to protect them so he desperately called out to anyone to save them or to save his little sister. He earnestly pleaded before he totally lost his consciousness.
Elvira and the mages under her command tried their best to bypass the fire but it wouldn't budge and no matter what magic they used, the fire still remained standing. She was still thinking of a way when the fire suddenly blazed upward and narrowed inside. They watched as the fire burned the ground and burned the tree where the children were.
The fire's strength burned the tree to ashes and so did the children. Even if they wanted to make sure, the ashes were proof enough that they died. Elvira looked at the remains and wondered what that fire was.
That night of massacre was then called the witch hunt where they claimed that the House of Altair used dark magic and thus was raided. They refused to surrender and even threatened the officials according to the report. The people were conflicted at the shocking news. They saw the fire and yet no one went to see what was going on.
Some were in mourning but they dare not show it in front of the warriors under the royal family. They did not believe that the House of Altair would plan a rebellion or even use dark magic. Even so, no one wanted to talk.
The demise of a hero was silently mourned as he was not given the respect that he deserved. The commoners were indignant and yet they couldn't do anything. The whole of the House of Altair was wiped out and was even made as an example to those who were thinking of staging a rebellion against the ruler of Lunaira.
Zandro stood by his window after he received the confirmation that Kieve and his entire family died. He did not know what to feel as Kieve was once his friend and adviser. The doubt in his mind started to nag at him and yet it disappeared at the thought that he could rule Lunair without the head of the House of Altair objecting at every decision he would make.
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