Right then, our mother came out of the room. She was covered in blood, her skin ripped open, her eyes filled with madness.
"MOM!" — I managed to shout. At that moment she lunged forward, her nails sharper than any blade.
A swing.
Father dodged and plunged his sword straight into her stomach. But she didn't even scream — instead, she struck his neck, cutting his carotid artery. He fell to the ground.
My brother and I screamed, but no one heard us.
Mother, coming to her senses for a moment, rushed toward us. I wanted to jump forward and take the hit, but fear was stronger than me.
Unlike my younger brother — he jumped without hesitation and took the strike himself.
Blood splashed onto my face. Wiping my eyes, I saw my mother's hand piercing my brother's stomach.
Tears streamed from his eyes. And the last thing he managed to whisper before dying was:
"Alaric… fulfill your… dream…"
I was supposed to die next. But Father, with his last strength, lifted the sword and threw it at Mother. The blade pierced her chest, and she flew straight into the fireplace, burning before my eyes.
Everyone died.
Only I remained. But those red eyes and that horrifying smile stretched to the ears, seen in that dark kitchen, still haunt me.
Then I blacked out. Near dawn, I felt someone touching me — it was the police. They beat me, demanding I confess to killing my family, and then sentenced me to death.
During the day, before the execution, a short man with magnificent mustache came to me. He offered me his hand — and since then I have been with the "White Siren" organization.
That man was the head of the organization — Volbus Duskrend.
After Alaric's words, silence hung in the air.
"Alright, let's not be sad. We've all lost someone. The most important thing now is to spend this day off so that we remember it for a long time," Ruby said.
"Agreed!" — Lucien supported her.
"How about we go to some café or diner?" — Elijah suggested.
"Great idea. I know a place," Alaric replied.
[Headmaster's Office]
"Good evening, Mister Duskrend. I wanted to inform you that the boy with the power of light has awakened, and his power grows every day," said the shadowy figure resembling a man.
Volbus smirked — his smile could be noticed even behind his luxurious mustache.
"Excellent. Continue watching him, and when the time comes — we will take him for ourselves," he added.
[Diner near the cemetery]
"These are the most delicious pancakes I've ever eaten," Ruby mumbled through a full mouth.
The others didn't even speak — too busy devouring pancakes with chocolate.
"Eat carefully and don't rush. If needed — I'll order more. I told you I know this place. Almost every time I visit my family, I come to this diner," Alaric added.
A couple of minutes — and everyone was full.
"Phew… I'm stuffed," Lucien exhaled.
Elijah leaned back in his chair and let out a loud burp — so loud that every visitor turned toward him.
He, in turn, only apologized with a hand gesture, lowering his head to the table.
"You're such an uncultured pig," Ruby said and burst into laughter.
Alaric and Lucien also laughed quietly.
"I didn't expect two portions to be enough, though even one portion here is very solid. And for that price, it's a treasure. I hope we'll meet here many more times," Alaric said.
"Well, I guess it's time to go back," Elijah suggested.
"Yes, get ready. I'll go pay, and we'll head home," Alaric said, getting up.
A few more minutes — and they were back at the organization.
Before going to their rooms, Alaric stepped forward and said:
"Try to rest so you have strength for new missions."
"Yeah. Uh-huh," the three replied. They didn't want anything — they had only one goal: reach the bed.
Thus their day off passed. The next morning they woke up closer to nine. After getting dressed, they stepped into the corridor, where Alaric and Ruby were already waiting.
"You sleep too long, sleeping beauties," Ruby said.
"Oh really? I'm sure if not for the teacher, you'd sleep till noon," Elijah replied.
"Listen carefully, this is important. Today we have three calls at once. There aren't enough exorcists, so we'll have to split up," Alaric said and took out a small map of the city.
"Here, look: I'll go to this mansion — it has the biggest energy spike. You two will go to the abandoned house.
Ruby will go alone, since she controls her abilities the best," he added.
"Why are we going together? I can control my abilities too," Lucien asked.
Alaric folded his arms and replied:
"You are too impulsive, and you need to be held back.
And Elijah used all his strength on that big cat to scare us. So you're going together."
"Got it. Then let's not waste time," Lucien said and rushed toward the exit.
Elijah followed him. Without turning around, he shouted:
"Good luck to you!"
The entire way they talked about how someday more young exorcists would join, and how one day they themselves would become teachers like Alaric.
Approaching the target, Elijah said:
"Listen, Lucien, we're lucky to have a teacher like him. He's the best."
"Mhm. Now be quiet — we're on target territory," Lucien replied.
Coming closer to the door, they didn't sense even the slightest demonic energy.
"Probably empty," Elijah said and opened the door.
Stepping one foot over the threshold, Lucien stopped him and entered first. For a couple of minutes they wandered through the two-story abandoned house, finding nothing.
Until they stumbled upon a large room on the second floor — in the center stood a woman in a wedding dress. She held her head in her hands.
Her face was stunningly beautiful — not a single scratch, and her skin perfectly pale.
"Did you find my husband?… Believe me, I didn't kill him," she said. Her voice was very gentle, yet chilling to the bone.
"What are you mumbling? Just shut up and go to hell!" Lucien shouted.
"Wait. Why didn't we sense her energy?.. Strange. We should've felt it before even entering…„ Elijah thought.
He took out a vial identical to Alaric's and threw it at the woman.
Holding his breath, Lucien rushed forward as well — jumping, he pulled his flame-covered arms back, ready to strike.
A swing. Miss.
He passed right through her, just like the vial of holy water.
Exhaling, he thought:
"What? How did I miss? I was aiming right at her…„
The woman turned toward Lucien. Opening her glassy eyes, tinted red, she growled:
"SEE YOU IN HELL, LUCIEN GRAVES!"
And vanished instantly.
"Hey, are you okay?" Elijah asked, offering him a hand.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Lucien replied, quickly getting up.
"It's a trap, Lucien. We were separated on purpose," Elijah said and hurried toward the exit.
Lucien burst forward, jumping down three steps at a time.
"We need to hurry and help the others!" he shouted.
Running out of the house, they sprinted toward Ruby since she was the closest.
"Do you know where to go? I didn't bring the map," Elijah said while running.
"Don't worry. I have a good memory," Lucien replied.
After some time, they arrived at the location, never stopping to rest even once. Bending down, hands on their knees, they gasped for air.
Turning their heads to the side, they suddenly spotted…
Thank you for reading the chapter. I'll be glad for every comment and will gladly answer your questions. You can learn more on the Discord server. I'm really looking forward to seeing each of you there.