Third Person's POV
"I love you so much."
*BOOM!*
The explosion tore through the air, a shockwave shaking the ground beneath them. The force was greater this time—angrier, more violent.
The figures cloaked in black stood motionless, their triumph turning cold in their chests. There was no way—no way—Xironia or the child could have withstood that hellfire. The silence after the blast only confirmed what they dared not say aloud.
The attacker's gaze lingered on the aftermath, his hands still raised mid-motion, disbelief flickering across his face, as if the carnage had erupted from someone else's hand.
The intruders shared uneasy glances. Even the maids behind them clutched at their hearts, their breath coming in ragged gasps as prayers slipped from trembling lips. Each soul in the clearing, intruder and ally alike, silently begged for survival—though their reasons hung heavy in the air, unspoken, and worlds apart.
The thick black smoke engulfed the area, swallowing everything in a dense, impenetrable fog. Silence fell, broken only by the crackling of flames.
Seconds ticked like an hour as everyone waited for the smoke to clear.
But.
The waiting didn't last long. An unnatural wind stirred, as though summoned by unseen hands, tugging at the rising smoke and pulling it away in slow, deliberate swirls. The scene began to reveal itself, agonizingly, piece by piece.
Every gaze locked forward, hearts hammering in sync with the wind's whisper, desperate for a glimpse of what lay beyond. One look would decide everything—their fates, their lives—now so close they could feel it, as the smoke thinned to wisps.
Suddenly an outburst happened far from the scene, one maid collapsed to the ground, her legs giving way as her sobs tore through the air, the other covering her mouth with her hand sobbing uncontrollably.
The figures in black turned as one, their eyes darting at the one who attacked. The death of their subordinate would save all of them from the wraith this failure would ensue upon them which was caused by none other than this subordinate himself. That is what everyone thought, most of them even prepared their sword until...
"L-Look!" a voice cracked through the chaos, trembling with something that wasn't quite fear, but not quite belief either. His finger pointed, shaking, drawing every gaze to the impossible sight unfolding before them.
The smoke had thinned to a mere veil, and through it, they saw what could only be described as a miracle—a sight that made their breath catch in their throats.
"When?" The attacker's voice broke the silence, low and uncertain, his confidence faltering.
Only then did the men cloaked in black understand the maids' reactions. They were relieved.
And relief meant only one thing...
"Don't be so hasty," a sweet, calm voice drifted from the smoke, the stillness amplifying her words. The silence that followed was unnerving, as if the world had paused.
An earthen wall stood tall before Xironia and Alaric, its surface scorched but unbroken, the force of the blast reduced to nothing more than a charred smear.
Dust began to trickle from the wall's peak, the edges crumbling away as the barrier dissolved bit by bit.
As the wall dissolved into dust, the earth beneath smoothing back into place, a figure emerged. Those watching from the roof were frozen in disbelief—shocked at what they saw, and yet strangely, inexplicably, relieved. Relieved because it was not who they were expecting.
A woman sat calmly, cross-legged, untouched by the chaos around her. Her honey-brown hair cascaded down her shoulders, and her sharp hazel eyes swept across the intruders, scrutinizing each one with cold precision.
"M-Mother..." Her tone questioning, but Xironia seemed to have enough strength to turn her head.
"You held on well." The woman's sharp gaze softened as she turned to Xironia, a gentle smile replacing the cold edge. Her hand brushed Xironia's as she shifted her focus to Alaric. The child's tear-streaked face, his eyes trembled with fear—but as her eyes met his, the sobs that shook him began to subside.
"I was hurrying here, but then I saw those two" The lady said glancing at Aurelia and gesturing with her chin towards the two bodies on the ground near Eirlys, "Averin, tend to them. It is over now."
'Over.' It echoed in everyone's mind.
"Is he..."
"Obviously." The lady spoke returning her gaze to the intruders, her eyes returning to the scrutinizing ones again.
"Over? You may not think much of us, old hag, but even you can't face us all alone. There are eleven of us, and soon, the rest will join. You're outnumbered." The man speaking jumped down to the ground, everyone else following his cue and landing behind him, "Isn't that arrogance, Elowen?" The mention of her name made her smile. "Arrogance? Perhaps. But in front of my grandson, I'd say it's fitting." The woman tried to jest in a situation like this.
Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
Aurelia, as asked, went to one of the bodies, it was a butler and he was barely hanging on, Xironia and the other butler were in a very nice condition compared to him but as she moved closer one of the figures extended a finger and a stream of water was shot out.
The speed was too much for Aurelia to dodge but she never needed to.
Elowen created another wall covering for her.
"Don't be impatient now," she smiled but her smile was anything but happy.
"Let's review, shall we?" Elowen rose to her feet, her earlier casual posture giving way to an elegance that belied the danger in her eyes. "You attacked my son's home. You killed his men." Her hands lifted, glowing yellow. "You injured my daughter-in-law." Her gaze hardened. "And worst of all, you made my grandson cry. Do you really expect mercy?"
One of them, emboldened, stepped forward, his weapon drawn. "We don't fear you, old woman. You may have some power, but alone, you're no match for us all."
The woman, unfazed, tilted her head. "Perhaps. But shall we test that theory?" The glow in her hand pulsing, preparing an attack. All of the figures waited for a cue, the one moment before they can attack. Their target was still alive and one person couldn't hold them back.
Or that is what they thought.
Elowen lowered her hand, her shoulders shaking with laughter. "Thank you for your patience. Hehehe~" Her laugh was soft, almost playful, but the contempt was unmistakable. The man who had drawn his weapon rushed forward with a furious scream, ready to strike.
"Haa!" His sword moving in an arc aimed to strike Elowen but she walked unbothered by it, her back vulnerable as she approached the mother and son.
“B-Behind!!” Alaric’s cry was of no use, by the time he could even see the attack, it was way too late for anyone to react.
Elowen smiled softly, her gaze never leaving Alaric, as if the chaos behind her were nothing more than a passing breeze. The step she took forward was slow, deliberate—as though death itself would hesitate before touching her.
And she was right.
The sword came to a halt.
Without a whisper or flicker, a figure appeared—his presence unnoticed until the deadly blade halted mid-swing, caught effortlessly between two fingers. The steel quivered, but the man’s expression was colder than the wind whipping through the battlefield.
The person who was attacking groaned, struggling to free his sword but the figure had an expressionless face, he wasn’t even putting effort. All his eyes saw were his enemy, dead people.
With a blinding speed, his hand moved and the attacker disappeared. Alaric stared up, his lips trembling as he saw the attacker disappear and a loud crash happen.
The attacker was dead, Alaric didn’t know when or how but the attacker had his own sword piercing through his neck and his chest caved in as if someone had hit that spot with a huge hammer with enough force to break his ribs.
Long raven black hair moved as if they had a life of their own because of the wind making Novius look something beyond human.
Novius dropped something down on the ground, "Mother, put an Arabane cuff on him." Elowen looked at the figure on the ground, her eyes full of disgust and also slight pity, "Is that even needed?" she muttered to herself while looking at the state of the man Novius had thrown on the ground. He was horrendously beaten, to the point where running away was the last thing he could do.
Hand twisted in an unnatural way, one leg ripped off, there was no need of something like an 'Arabane handcuffs' but Elowen did so.
Novius' gaze swept over the intruders, and their knees buckled beneath the weight of it, as though the mere act of being seen by him was enough to crush them. One by one, they staggered, their courage draining like water from a broken dam.
Not only had they waited for many days or months to find this opportunity they had even gathered some of their strongest men just to end it before he returns.
Now that he had returned, it was a definite failure of mission. The worst part— they will die here if they don't run.
That one thought made them all try to move. Try, because before they could move Novius spoke.
"Stand still." The words were barely more than a murmur, yet they carried the weight of an unbreakable command. It wasn't some sort of magic that froze the men in place—they felt a heavy force pressing them down, stopping all their movement.
Novius turned around, unbothered.
He looked at his son, his little hands still grasping on her dress, trembling eyes quivering lips. Novius knelt down and kept a hand on Alaric's head, his smile reassuring, his eyes went to Xironia, she had passed out but she would be fine he was sure of it.
"Father's sorry he's late." The moment Novius spoke, the tight knot inside Alaric unraveled. His tiny hands, once clutching at the edge of his mother's dress, released as he reached forward for Novius. Sobbing, he threw himself into his father's arms, his cries wild and unrestrained—each tear carrying the weight of fear he had held inside for too long.
Novius caressed his son, a painful smile on his face. "An explosion... Aurelia and Eirlys took me... we were attacked... Mama saved us... we fled" Alaric's sobs and sharp gasps of air while he cried from all his emotions coming out as tears.
Novius smiled, "You can speak 'l' now" Novius chuckled, rocking his son. Alaric rubbed his face, his eyes gleamed like blue pearls as he looked at Novius trying to calm down and explain everything, Novius patiently heard everything with a smile.
"We took the exit... but Mama was attacked..." His cries gaining back their intensity as he remembered the scene, "And Mama asked you to flee alone?" Novius finished the sentence with absolute certainty, his brows flattening, he expected his wife to say something like that and he really didn't blame her but it was still stupid.
Alaric nodded, his gasps hadn't stopped yet, "And you didn't run away? Why?" Novius wondered why a child didn’t flee a situation like this, "Won't leave Mama..." Alaric's voice cracked as he forced the words out between sharp gasps of air. His tiny fists gripped Novius' robe as if afraid to let go. "Not... alone..." The defiance in his eyes, despite the trembling, spoke volumes. He had stayed, even when everything had told him to run. He wouldn't leave his mother. Not then. Not ever.
Novius smiled, his hand running on Alaric's head, "Al," Novius' voice was soft, almost tender, though it carried the edge of a blade. "Can you point out which of these men hurt your mother?" The gentle calm in his tone was for Alaric, but the unspoken threat crackled in the air, sending a chill down the spines of every figure who still dared to stand.
"One of them died... he also attacked me and Mama" Alaric pointed at one of the men, his hand trembling but Alaric was confident.
Novius' gaze fell upon the man Alaric pointed out, cold as a blade pressed to flesh. The intruder's knees buckled, body seizing in terror as though invisible hands had squeezed the life from him. He collapsed, gasping for breath as if the very act of being noticed by Novius had stolen his will to stand.
"Mother," Elowen smiled understanding what Novius wanted and appeared before Alaric while Novius left his wife and son under her care.
"It's alright, sonny." Elowen's voice was warm, lulling Alaric into calm as she gently turned him away. Her hands cupped his ears, blocking out the world—though even through the muffled silence, he could feel the shift in the air, the rising tension. His heart raced, but Elowen's lap was a safe haven, for now.