"Someone, help!" A petite lychni man cried out. He ran through the forest, splashing mud and breaking branches. He frantically tried to get away, fearing for his life. Beads of sweat mixed in with blood that trailed down his blonde locks of hair.

"Trying to escape?!"

Rey shouted as he appeared next to the man. The lychni was so scared, he lost his balance and collapsed to the floor.

"P-please, sir! I have a family, two daughters!"

He stuttered uncontrollably as he stared at the ground, fearing to even look Rey in the eyes. Both of them were Evolved... so how could the disparity be so huge?!

"You have a family... and yet you sent them along this path of your own will?! Were you so selfish as to cause harm for your personal gain?! As of today, you have no family; you chose your path!"

Rey stared at him in hatred and suffocated the man with his aura. He collapsed and died within a moment. Still, Rey's bubbling anger seemed to only rise with each killing he did. With each movement, Rey would kill a lychni, and with another, he'd disappear. Like a ghost or messenger of death, he traveled over two kilometers and killed any patrolling groups of lychni. He found them all guilty in his eyes, and not one was spared.

Finally, he rose to the sky, past the lush trees, and saw a tightly enclosed castle made of bricks and mortar. Rey couldn't help but wonder at its grandiose size. Rey thought that there must be a few hundred lychni stationed in there.

"A human? It's despicable he found this place!" One of the guards muttered. But when they felt the violent aura crashing down on them, their faces paled. A gong resounded throughout the tall castle walls and alerted everyone. Its loud, high-pitched tune was heard by everyone around.

"Get everyone over here; we have an intruder!"

The guards shouted. When they turned around, however, Rey stood eye-to-eye with them. He punched the man's head, and it burst apart like a watermelon. Part of him got vaporized as the other guard trembled. He threw up and looked at Rey as if he was the devil incarnate.

His reaction surprised Rey, however. It didn't seem like he was trained to be a guard. After all, how many guards would puke at the sight of a dead comrade?

"Weak!"

Rey shouted and slap the man. His head turned and crashed into the wall. Blood was flung so fast that it aerosolized around the man. Rey's blonde hair tinged with a red hue as he looked forward. A huge group of lychni ran to kill Rey. Young men and women, elders, even some children looked at him vengefully.

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He found it ironic, the thing that they feel for him, that's exactly what Rey felt for his family; he desired vengeance. Blood needed to be spilled, and it was high time that the lychni under Sig'car had their culling. Whenever he saw them, he could only feel pain and cold wrath. He felt no sympathy or regret when he killed them.

All sorts of attacks were hurled towards Rey: balls of searing light, daggers, arrows, swords, fists, stones, and even illusions. Yet when they came close to Rey, their weapons and bodies vaporized. The energy around Rey was like a hungry beast. It consumed all things. The chain of energy around Rey's back dimmed as the attacks continued.

Rey looked around and realized most of them were adepts. There were a few Evolved and Scholars as well, but the majority of them were weaker than Rey.

Before, when Rey was attacking, he never consciously guided his energy; he relied on the gush of energy surging around him. But now, he made his mind up.

"Enough... Die for your crimes, for following Sig'car!"

Power surged into Rey's hands. The chain of energy broke apart and gather into his finger times. He grabbed out and grabbed one of his enemy's swords. The blade gleamed brightly, almost blinding them as energy transferred from Rey's fingertips into the sword.

"This... this is your punishment!"

Rey shouted and swung the sword in an arc at once. A wave of space energy concentrated into a thin arc and sliced through half of the castle. The walls, people, attacks... everything stopped and was silent.

When Rey blinked, all of the lychni collapsed and split in two. Even the castle walls crumbled in on itself and killed the ones who were still clinging on. The blade in his hands disintegrated into dust and carried by the wind.

Before Rey could think, he suddenly felt horrible, blood-curdling pain coming from his entire body. He threw up blood as it felt like thousands of daggers plunged into his body.

He had a strong will! And yet he couldn't help but scream out. The pain was too ferocious. Waves of anguish gushed and only seemed to increase as Rey's face turned whitish. His hair and pupils turned black again as the chain of energy broke behind him. Finally, the horrific suffering ceased. But when Rey tried to move his body, he felt powerless and drained. Rey gritted his teeth and struggled to get to his feet. He laid there for hours, still as pale as a dead man, and could not get up.

He didn't want to think... he couldn't think at that moment. Whenever his mind drifted, the shock of his parents dying would flare-up. Rey laid in thought, his face flat on the grass.

'Don't think. Don't think,' he told himself.

But he couldn't stop himself. When he had nothing, Liam and Serai gave him a family. When he felt like an outcast, they gave him hope. When he was hungry, they gave him food. Whenever he cried, they were there... When the anger and pain of separation are gone... what will remain?

Warm tears ran down his face. He wished that he never knew the answer. All he felt was an ocean of grief and sadness, one that wouldn't go when he woke up. Now that he lost his anchor, Rey felt empty, thrashing around in the endless ocean waves. He thought of Riza and realized internally... this is likely the way she's been feeling ever since having seen her parents.

Abruptly, a tree branch snapped, and the sound of many light steps circling him kept him alert. Howls and snarls echoed.