Chapter 3 Destruction

Atlas’s fierce gaze never wavered from zephyr’s, his mind with Filled with tension, how would he protect his family. The grandmother, still clutching the tablecloth, seemed paralyzed with fear, her eyes darting towards the door, hoping Akira would not come in yet. Zephyr’s cold, calculating demeanor sent shivers down everyone’s spines as he signaled one of his men to hold Atals. As they tried to touch him, he pushed one of them and three more gathered him and carried him from his chair to the ground, beating him to a pulp. Atal’s mother’s eyes closed tightly as she could not bear the pain of watching her son get beaten up, her body trembling with fear with tears streaming from her eyes. Meanwhile, zephyr walked to where Atals was sitting as he sat on the chair, his eyes observing the table. And he reached for a cup of wine, his gaze fixed on Atals as he drank the wine. Atals who was on the floor, looked at him fuming with anger, balling his fists. The grandmother noticed Akira was coming, her heart pounding in her chests, her gaze was on Akira, her eyes locked with Akira signaling her with pleading eyes not to come in. Akira stood in confusion, and immediately her eyes darted towards the room, father lying on the floor. Her eyes widened in horror, as tears rolled down her eyes. She immediately hid behind the door, looking at her grandmother and father being treated like trash. Atals noticed Akira behind the door, seeing his daughter crying made his heart sank. Tears streaming from her eyes, seeing her father in this state. Atals whispered “run.” His eyes filled with sorrow seeing his daughter cry. Akira’s hands clutching the door frame as she was crying silently, she shook her head telling her father no, but her father kept telling her to run, his eyes already red, his body shaking rapidly. Zephyr immediately stood up and changed into his wolf form, as he charged towards Atals, sinking his claws into his neck tearing it apart. Akira’s eyes popped out, widened in horror as she covered her mouth with her hand, looking at her father lying on the floor. Akira's body shook violently as she stood frozen behind the door, her eyes fixed on the horrific scene unfolding before her. Her father's battered form lay on the floor, his eyes pleading with her to escape. The sound of her grandmother's desperate cries and the thuds of her father's battered body seemed to echo through her mind, amplifying her fear. As she gazed at her father, Akira's face contorted in anguish, her eyes brimming with tears. Her lips trembled, and she bit down hard to stifle a scream, her body shaking with each ragged breath. The cold wall behind her seemed to be the only thing holding her upright, her legs trembling beneath her. Her father's eyes, filled with a mix of pain and desperation, locked onto hers, and he mouthed a single word "Run." Akira's heart wrenched at the sight, her body reacting instinctively to the terror unfolding before her. Despite her father's pleas, Akira's legs seemed rooted to the spot, her eyes fixed on the gruesome scene. The sound of her grandmother's cries grew louder, and Akira's gaze darted towards her, seeing the older woman's desperate attempts to protect her son. And immediately, Zephyr turned to the grandmother’s direction, as he slits her throat with his claws, blood smeared beneath Zephyr’s feet. Akira's body shook harder, her breath coming in short gasps as she struggled to process the chaos around her. As the reality of the situation sunk in, Akira's instincts finally took over, and she turned to flee, her body propelling her forward with a newfound sense of urgency. She ran as fast as her shaking legs could carry her, the sounds of violence and despair fading into the distance as she desperately sought safety. Akira's legs pumped furiously as she sprinted through the passage, her breath coming in ragged gasps. Tears streamed down her face, her eyes blurry with grief and fear. She ran with every ounce of strength she had, her heart pounding in her chest like a drum. As she burst through the gate, her some of the assassins caught sight of her, and one of them shouted, "Hey, stop!" Their faces twisted in cruel grins, their eyes gleaming with excitement as they gave chase. Akira darted between the village, because she knows different paths in the village, she tried to evade her pursuers, if only for a moment. The assassins' faces were set in determined lines, their eyes fixed intently on Akira as they chased her through the narrow lanes. One of the assassins shot an arrow towards Akira, and the arrow pierced through her shoulder. “Ahhh!” Akira shouts in pain, but still continued running, she removed the arrow from her shoulder as she was shaking in pain and continued running. The assassins were relentless, their footsteps pounding the earth as they gained on her. Akira's breath came in short gasps as she ran, her lungs burning with exertion. She zigzagged through the village, her feet pounding the dirt paths as she desperately tried to lose her pursuers. Her heart was racing, her senses on high alert as she navigated the familiar paths. Finally, she reached the forest, the trees looming above her like sentinels. She plunged into the dense underbrush, her feet pounding the earth as she ran for her life. The trees seemed to blur together, their branches whipping past her face as she ran. But Akira's strength was beginning to wane. Her legs trembled beneath her, her breath coming in ragged gasps. Blood was flowing down her shoulder. She stumbled, her foot catching on a hidden root, and she fell to the ground, her body weak and trembling. As she lay there, Akira's body convulsed with sobs, her tears streaming down her face like rain. Her heart pounded in her chest, her breath coming in short gasps as she struggled to process the trauma she had just endured. The forest around her was silent, the only sound the soft rustling of leaves and her own ragged breathing. Akira's eyes were closed, her face twisted in a mixture of pain and fear. Her body was wracked with sobs, her tears falling onto the dry earth like a benediction. She lay there, helpless and alone, her heart heavy with grief and her spirit crushed by the violence she had witnessed, she became so weak and eventually fainted.