The hunters fought as one, barely keeping the monsters at bay. Each demon seemed more cunning than the last, attacking in coordinated bursts, driving the hunters toward the cliff's edge. Draco's focus narrowed to survival—until a scent hit him, icy and sharp, slicing through the chaos. His heart plunged. He knew that scent- the demon who murdered his mother was here.
A snarl ripped from Draco's throat. "He's here. He's actually here," he growled, eyes burning with a vengeful light. All else faded—the battle, the danger, even his allies—as the past crashed into the present. Draco's world narrowed to a single, monstrous target—and he was willing to risk everything for revenge.A monstrous wolf tackled Draco, but this time, Draco didn't hold back. The scientists went pale as Draco let his fangs sink into the wolf's neck, the demon falling to the ground with a lifeless thud. For a second, no one moved, and even the demons felt a shift in the battle as they stared at Draco, his eyes glowing with a crimson light. All of a sudden, Draco charged at the largest wolf, knocking them away from the battle and into a clearing. "Show yourself. A wolf didn't kill my mother," Draco growled, his sword drawn and crackling with lightning as the demon slowly morphed into an abominable creature towering over Draco. A long scar blinded its left eye, but its right one glowed with an eerie darkness. This demon died here and now; there was no room for failure. Draco dashed in with sheer force, pushing the demon back. He wasn't that weak boy anymore; ten years had forged him into a warrior, a hunter capable of avenging his mother. But his desire for revenge blinded him: by leaving the battle to fight his past, the tides shifted in the demons' favour, and the hunters were overwhelmed. But he didn't care; he was pushing the demon to the edge, he could finally have his revenge- nothing else mattered. Suddenly, the demon grinned and kicked Draco away, before turning on its heels. Draco gave chase when a voice snapped him back to reality. "Draco, behind you." Draco turned to a horrible scene- the smell of blood hung in the air as one of the scientists bled freely from his side, life fading from his eyes. The other two were white, huddling up against a tree, their fear filling the demons with an evil glee. Zoe's body was littered with slashes, her breath shaky as the blood painted the snow red, while Hector trembled as two wolves circled him and the scientists, while the strongest one remained fixed on Zoe, ready to pounce - what had he done? The demon who killed his mother was just there- this was his chance! "Draco, help!" Zoe muttered, her body groaning in agony as she took another assault. Draco was torn- kill the demon that had killed his mother, or save the lives of those he had vowed to protect? Draco hesitated, and with a roar of frustration, stopped his assault and hurled his sword towards Zoe, nailing the demon attacking her in the eye, and giving her room to finish it off.
Draco charged forward, and let all his hate, all his rage, all his regret, burst out in one powerful thrust as he sent his blade through the last demon's skull. But the victory was hollow- the research was gone, they had failed their mission. "What happened?" Zoe asked, her voice small, almost inaudible as the winds howled through the mountains, her gaze focused on the scientist she struggled to heal. "I jumped in without thinking. I'm sorry." Draco whispered, his eyes not meeting hers. "You're sorry? We lost the research, our mission was a complete failure, people almost died, and you're sorry? What in the world made you do something so stupid?!" "He killed my mother, Zoe- He was the one!" Draco snapped, his voice a mixture of anger and grief." Zoe was shaken; she had heard about Draco's mom- but there was nothing she could do. "I'm sorry," Zoe whispered. But before he could respond, Hector grabbed Draco by the collar, his face a picture of pure rage. " What in the world is wrong with you?! Thanks to you, the research is gone- I know you're stupid, but the least you can do is stop dragging us back," Hector spat, his words dripping with venom. "Dragging you back? If not for me, you wil be dead by now. And besides, I saved the scientists," Draco growled- Hector wasn't talking like the pathetic coward he was minutes ago.
"You saved the scientists? Nobody cares about the bloody scientists! That research was invaluable, and you let it go so what- you could play hero for a bunch of weaklings who couldn't save their own skin?" "Their lives come first." "No Draco, information that could eliminate the demons comes first. Weaklings like your mom don't matter at all ." "Don't," Draco growled, his fist growing tighter with each word. " The truth is clear- your mom was weak, but the poison that sent her to her grave was having to protect a useless son like yo-" Draco lost it, landing a punch that forced Hector to eat snow. Draco's eyes glowed crimson as he stared at Hector, his rage stirring something deep within him. Before Zoe could stop him, Draco flashed forward: Zoe had always been by his side, keeping him in check,but this time, he was playing byhis own rules. Draco landed blow after blow, each strike breaking Hector a bit more. In a attempt to escape, Hector summoned a dagger and stabbed desperately, but Draco grabbed his hand, and with a sickening snap, broke his hand in two. Hector could remember screaming - but his body was no longer responding- in a few moments, he would be dead. But before Draco could land the decisive, Zoe's voice finally snapped through."Stop, you're killing him.Please," she sobbed. Draco looked around- His bloodied hands, Hector's broken body, the snow he had dyed red in his rage, Zoe broken down in tears. But before he could react, something fast struck his neck, and everythihng went blurry. In his last moments of conciousness, Draco noticed a hazy figure, and the words-"You're under arrest," before everything went dark.