We are faced with the first real confrontation with Snow's inner demons.
Also a teaser at the end
Chapter is fairly short.
H.F.
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Snow was waking up. He was currently lying on a patch of tall grass by the pond.
He blinked his eyes from the rays of sunlight shining in on his head. He was gradually becoming conscious.
Snow didn’t know what had happened at all. He had so many questions; Why did his grandfather try and murder him, How did he get up from the water? Why was he currently by the pond?
Snow looked around searching for answers.
His eyes fell on a silhouette of a man leaning on the big oak tree.
He was very familiar with the one leaning on the tree. Though it was a body figure and a face nobody would ever forget.
The one leaning on the big tree was of course Grim.
Grim had decided to protect Snow, as it was slightly worried about Xavir, and why Xavir wanted to kill Snow. He saw that Snow was changing slightly while in the water, but didn’t think of it as enough reason to kill him.
Grim called out to Snow “Awake now? you should probably try and talk to Xavir, I could feel something was wrong in his decision making!”
Snow was a little scared, not because of Grim, but because of the fact that he had to confront his grandfather. Not something a 4 year old should have to do.
Snow looked at the pond in confusion, his nerves in shambles. His grandfather had been his greatest support, even if he was a little hard and direct in his approaches.
Snow always felt that his grandfather was a good guy, even if nobody truly knew what he was thinking.
Snow knew that he would have to do something. He turned his face and looked pleading at Grim.
Grim of course notice the looks in Snow’s eyes “Snow… You have to salvage your relationship with Xavir, after which I can try and talk with him about the future.”
Snow had a delighted look on his face, but he was still troubled. He still felt anger and restlessness. With his sword practice he had finally found a way to relieve his boredom.
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Snow was walking towards his grandfather's room he had made up his mind about talking things out. He felt scared and angry.
He also thought it was weird that he had to approach his grandfather instead of the other way around.
Grim followed just behind Snow as if he was a kind of bodyguard.
And what better bodyguard that a skeleton wearing menacing black leather cloths and with a cold blue flame burning in the skeletal eye sockets.
Snow stood just outside his grandfather’s room, he trembled slightly. He looked back at grim, before making a resolute face and walking in.
Inside was Xavir he was sitting by his large wooden desk as usual. He barely noticed that Snow and Grim had entered. Of course he knew, but he didn’t show it.
Snow in front of the desk with a big question mark on his face, he expected his grandfather to try and explain his case.
But that didn’t happen.
Snow was angry and nervous. Should he talk or wait for his grandfather.
He made a choice as he looked back at Grim.
“Grandfather why did you try and kill me? And was it you that rescued me?” said Snow with streaming tears rolling from his eyes.
“Oh, that. It was nothing...” Xavir spoke back with a cold voice, not showing any emotions.
Xavir couldn’t explain his situation and he didn’t even answer the last question. What was he gonna say ‘I was about to, but Grim was faster?’ he could say that, but he knew Grim would intervene, and what picture would that show Snow - that his grandfather was slower to save him than an a mere acquaintance.
Xavir had always been cold. Being confronted by Snow was a very hard thing on him. Would he say that when he saw the frenzied eyes of Snow in the water, he just wanted to rid this world of his presence?
Xavir had chosen to eliminate the bond with Snow. He could see that Grim liked the small boy. He had chosen to let Grim carry on where he had left of. Grim was after all very capable.
Just the mere thought of Grim’s abilities made Xavir sweat and sent a shiver down his spine.
Snow just stood there in silence, he was shocked. He may have expected his grandfather to be cold, but acting like nothing had happened, no way.
Snow could feel the anger bursting!
Much worse than he had when he was in the pool the night before.
Snow felt himself fall down towards the floor. He hit the floors with his knees and went into a kind of kneeling position.
His face was sour and tears dropped down from his face onto the well made wooden floor.
Snow felt his heart burning, and his eyes went black. It was as if he could see a large golden gate. The gate sprang open and out came a tiny golden line. He felt the line fuse with his mind.
His vision came back but now he could see that he had his face against the floor.
He looked towards his arms and could see the bracelets and belt glowing with blue runes.
He looked at Xavir who stood staring at him with his right hand raised.
Something had happened that he couldn’t comprehend, his mind went back to the night before where the exact same events had happened. The only thing different this time was that he was on a solid surface.
Snow felt that his mind and eyes going red. He tried to keep his anger down, but it was futile.
He suddenly felt a sudden urge to feast. Feast on meat that is. He could feel himself drooling, which revealed enlarged and sharpened teeth - teeth of a carnivore.
He felt like he gained a bit of experience from the newly connected link in his brain, and his body just moved on it’s own. He had nearly become completely lost in his thirst for blood.
---
The view was a little different for Grim and Xavir.
They saw that Snow had knelt in a strange position on the floor while clenching his fists against his heart.
Grim and Xavir were overwhelmed when they felt the glance of an otherworldly looking straight at them from the direction of Snow.
They then saw the changes to Snow’s body. the strange tattoos on Snow’s body had turned red at the borders, and the same happened to all the fur on his body. Even his hair.
They could see that his eyes now had a mixture of black and gold being thrown about by the waves of blood.
The strangest thing were that the body structure of Snow seemed to change. His hands were becoming like a hybrid between a cat’s and a human’s - gaining claws while retaining the fingers.
A bushy tail of pure white and red fur sprouted from his tailbone, burning it’s way through his cloths.
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They could see the bottom of his pants ripping as the leg structure changed slightly to a more cat like structure. the feet changed like a cats though unlike the hands which were like hybrids.
Grim and Xavir looked at each other before Xavir raised his right hand while performing hand seals.
Snow still wore the bracelets and belt, and Xavir had just activated the Gravity rune.
Snow's body was now locked against the floor.
Snow had seemed to calm down from his mindless state. However, it was only until he looked up at Xavir who still had his hand raised.
Xavir could see fur bursting out of Snow’s body around the changed parts. Also the slits in his eyes became tiny.
The view was truly frightening.
---
Snow had been consumed by the anger and bloodlust. he hadn’t even noticed that he had transformed.
He gathered all the strength he could muster from his tiny body. However, he could only slightly lift his body.
He pushed his hands trying to lift himself up. Suddenly he felt an overwhelming strength bursting from his muscles it was like he flew up from the ground with his body.
Snow suddenly gained awareness about his body, it was like he could feel all the changes.
He had gotten up from the ground, but standing on his newly transformed legs while having a massive weight strapped to certain parts of his body did not make it easier.
Snow felt a strange power moving in his veins and tried to move it.
Snow didn’t know what it was but he felt it was usefull. He still couldn’t move, so he brought his small but heavy arms up before making slashing motions in mid air trying to hit his grandfather.
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Everyone were surprised when crimson lightning burst from Snow’s body in a rip like pattern.
10 crimson lightning slashes moved at great speeds towards his grandfather.
None of the three could stop these slashes as they were pretty shocked about it. Snow of course didn’t want to stop his frenzied attack, but tried to move his transformed body to continue his attempt at reaching his grandfather.
4 of the slashes connected to Xavir, these slashes caused nothing but small cuts, but it still made Xavir extremely surprised. A being of his rank to be hurt by a 4 year old’s attack was truly something.
A maddening laughter came from Xavir which contested against the hisses and growls from Snow.
Clearly Snow wasn’t truly conscious and more like a maddening beast.
Grim stood at the side doing nothing, it was as if he was observing. But he was fascinated by the effort of Snow, to be able to move against a Tier 7 Gravity rune was an effort worth praising, not to mention the ‘victim’ was only 4 years old.
Strangely Snow only moved towards Xavir as if he was the only target he cared about.
Grim could see that Xavir wasn’t in trouble at all so he didn’t mind standing on the sidelines.
---
Snow felt a prickling sensation in his limbs, but he didn’t care he was finally reaching his grandfather. He just wanted to shred him.
The bloodlust was overwhelming, he could feel the drool falling from his lips.
Suddenly he fell towards the grounds, which was strange, as he had just been moving forward.
Snow suddenly felt tired.
Snow tried to combat the drowsiness. But it was futile even if he was berserking.
Snow made a last roar before falling asleep.
---
Xavir made a surprised face, he had used some needles which were enchanted with rune causing drowsiness to the victim, to pacify Snow.
But even when he had done that, Snow didn’t change back.
He glanced at Grim before deciding to cage Snow.
Apparently Grim knew what he had on his mind, and tried to convince him to place the cage by the pond.
Xavir happily agreed, he wanted someone to monitor Snow when he woke up and what better place than the residence of Grim.
Grim was a master of the occult magic for some reason but Xavir guessed that it might be because it could further his powers. Even Xavir didn’t know Grim’s rank.
Ranks in this world went from F - A and then the leap to the S class.
When jumping to the S class someone achieved a whole new set of challenges and benefits. But as Xavir was only A class and hadn’t achieved S class yet he didn’t know what kind of challenges awaited.
Xavir suspected that Grim was B class but he couldn’t be sure, as Grim always killed with unorthodox methods or simply killed in a single strike.
Xavir wanted Grim and Snow to form a connection, as he had not lost his with Snow. He of course wanted Snow to stay at the orphanage, but also didn’t want to limit his growth.
The reason Xavir hadn’t wanted to kill Snow this time was because he wasn’t as shocked as last time and that he had time to prepare. Last time it was as if he gained an urge to kill Snow when he looked at him in the eyes.
He shivered at his own inhumane actions, but done was done. There was nothing to do about it.
---
Xavir asked Grim to handle Snow. And he did, Grim brought the unconscious Snow to the pond. He made a few chants and hand signs in the air.
Four pieces of stone extruded from the sides of the pond reaching into the middle. When they reached the middle they formed a circle with a hole in the middle.
It looked like the four ‘bridges’ split the pond in four except that they reached about 1 meter over the pond.
Grim made a few hand signs again and a glass bottom was added to the Stone circle. It now had a solid bottom and Snow was placed on that solid block of glass.
Grim moved to the side of the pond after which he made a few other hand signs and chants.
A ring of glass was added to the platform where Snow lay. At last Grim added a Solid layer on the top of the cage. He even included adding a few holes so that fresh air could enter the cage.
Grim had not added a way to get food in because he thought that the bloodlust had to be sated before Snow would regain his original form. He didn’t think Snow’s form was permanent.
It felt as if something otherworldly was providing that power.
Grim made a grin, or just slightly opening his jaw before speaking as he walked away “hah, I guess you will be know as Red Snow now!”
Grim looked absolutely terrifying as he grinned by his words.
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The world would come to fear the monster called Red Snow!
Legends told that he drank the blood of his victims!
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