Hafen, Matteo, and Stark were worried. Their father was in trouble.
Stark muttered that Henry was losing.
Matteo wondered if they should help him.
Hafen refused to believe that their dad was going to lose.
The trio knew that their father was not weak. He was the strongest man of the forest. They were certain that he would win.
Even so, there was a strange uncertainty. They had to help. The brothers jumped out the window and landed on the grass.
Adelia and Ana were behind them. Adelia begged her sons not to go.
The brothers sprinted towards the fight. Stark yelled at them to stay away from their dad.
However, more cloaked figures appeared before them.
A cloaked figure, in the back, ordered them to dispose of the pests.
Stark, infuriated, ordered the group to move out of his way, and a battle ensued. Stark threw a punch at one of the cloaked figures.
The cloaked figure, however, grabbed his fist and retaliated with a kick. As Stark was knocked down, the cloaked figure uprooted a tree nearby. The cloaked figure threw the tree at him.
Stark was surprised, and he was slammed into the ground.
Hafen lunged towards the cloaked figure and attacked.
As the cloaked figure was sent rolling on the ground, another cloaked figure came and defended him. He wielded a sword. He slashed at Hafen.
Hafen was able to dodge. He threw a punch, but the cloaked figure deflected.
The cloaked figure kicked him and sent him rolling on the ground.
Matteo ran past the fight.
The cloaked figure, angered, rushed towards him. He swung his sword and left a cut on Matteo's arm.
Matteo gasped and fell.
The cloaked figure aimed his sword towards him.
However, Matteo rolled away and dodged the attack. He kicked him in the head and staggered him.
Another cloaked figure flew towards Matteo. He had feathered wings on his back.
Matteo was surprised.
The cloaked figure's claws grasped Matteo's arms, and he flew into the air.
Matteo was startled, and he wondered what was going on. He was in a panic.
As he struggled, the cloaked figure threw him towards the ground.
Matteo fell and landed on his head.
Hafen yelled at them. He ran towards his brother and asked if he was alright.
Just then, the flying cloaked figure swung his wings. He unleashed slashes of wind that were infused with energy.
Matteo and Hafen were sent flying.
Simultaneously, Stark, with the tree on top of him, struggled to push the giant tree off.
In the meantime, Henry watched as they fought the cloaked figures. He reminisced of the last time he felt like this.
A few days prior, he was with his wife in their bedroom, crying on her shoulders. Henry cried that eventually, he won't be able to keep his kids safe. He continued that they would leave, and that the outside world would destroy them. He looked into Adelia's eyes and expressed that he was a failure of a father.
Adelia pushed him off her shoulders and looked back at him in the eyes. She urged Henry to not say that. She asserted that their kids would not have had a dad if it wasn't for him. She continued that he gave them a dad. She smiled and expressed that to their kids, Henry was someone to look up to and get guidance from. She remarked that he had done well.
Henry muttered that they would not be ready for the outside world.
Adelia reassured him that it would be fine. She continued that it may not be the perfect path for them to tread on, but that the obstacles they may encounter will only make them grow more than before.
That moment felt surreal to Henry as if the moment for the kids to explore the outside world was looming closer than ever before.
Henry, for once, felt happy at the thought. He wanted to be there when they were all grown up and living out their desires. However, his current situation was grim. A puddle of blood formed under him.
Henry, determined, was ready to protect his family and fulfill his role as their dad. He, full of hope, was not going to die until then.
Henry closed his fist and stood tall. He roared. A strong wind blew and made the group of cloaked figures step back.
As he glared at the group, the group was astonished.
The Exalted One laughed. He questioned why Henry was so persistent.
Henry stood up and asserted that his family meant everything to him.
Sabre smirked and stated that his family was doomed.
Henry gritted his teeth. He rushed towards him.
Sabre smiled and prepared his energy. In a flash, the two men clashed.
The Exalted One commended that he may be the strongest human.
The cloaked figure, wielding a staff, commented that Henry resembled a king of a conquered kingdom, Henry's Kingdom.
The Exalted One chuckled that it may be him and wondered why Henry had hidden himself from the world.
Henry stated that his purpose in battle was not to kill but to protect.
The Exalted One sneered and revealed that their true goal was to create a utopia. Not genocide. He commented that their goal was not something that a mere human could comprehend.
Just then, a powerful wave of energy blew Sabre away. The huge wave of energy expanded.
The cloaked figures were taken by surprise.
Henry was panting. His energy was depleted, but he had one last trick up his sleeve. He declared that he was going to protect his family if it was the last thing he did. He was ready to die for that.
As the cloaked figures were confused, Henry closed his eyes and concentrated. He used a secret technique, which was a transformation that he had learned and mastered a long time ago.
A technique that could only be taught and learned by those who have experienced death. A technique that allows the user to unleash immense power...
Sabre was pushed back and angered.
On the other hand, The Exalted One was intrigued. He smiled and asserted that Henry had been hiding his true power.
...A forgotten technique from long ago.