Chapter 33- Snow Fight

Chapter 33: Chapter 33- Snow Fight

Eventually, professionals arrived, and the city was worse than they could’ve expected. The roads were covered in sleek ice, the buildings had frozen over and threatened to collapse. The Alien was nowhere in slight, but the constant freezing air made it clear it wasn’t defeated.

"Come on!" One of the responders called out before everyone rushed further into the frozen city. Among the crowd was Garnok, Alaric’s father. His eyes searched the mostly empty city, left for a few civilians still trying to escape with the police. They were mostly on the outskirts, meaning they were pretty safe from all the danger. Of course, there were probably still civilians elsewhere, luckily they had people for that...

As they rushed further into the city, they noticed some damage having been done, as if people were here before them. Buildings had large holes in them, the ground had multiple caters and were caved in certain areas. What happened before they got here? Had some professionals nearby responded before they did? It makes you wonder why they were now...

Garnok frowned and looked around, before noticing a trail of blood along the ground. He pointed, "I think I see someone over there."

Everyone turned, "A civilian?" One questioned as they rushed over in that direction.

"Hey! You can’t be here!" One called out as they got closer, "The evacuation is that way-" once they were there, it was a boy, no older than twenty. His snowy white hair hung over his eyes as he sat kneeled over a body, in front of them both was a large mountain of ice crystals, almost shrine-like...

They were silent. It was clear they lost someone, but now wasn’t the time to be grieving in the middle of a battlefield.

Garnok looked past the crowd and towards the boy. He stared for only a second before pushing past them towards the front. He didn’t need to look at his face. He knew that hair from anywhere, even if he wasn’t supposed to be here right now.

"...Alaric?" He called out softly. The boy lifted his head, and slowly turned. Once he faced Garnok, the man’s eyes widened. Alaric’s wide gray eyes peeked from behind his bangs, red and swollen. Tears spilled down his cheeks and he was impossibly still, the only sign of movement being his faint breathing. Garnok looked past the boy towards the body on the ground. The familiar auburn hair and blue eyes of his best friend, Arthur. With the giant hole in his chest... it was clear what had happened. He looked back towards Alaric.

This boy didn’t look like that man that wanted to live a life full of excitement. No... in this moment, he looked like a child who just realized that life could take away the person most important to you in only a matter of seconds. Garnok stepped closer and knelt beside him, "...What happened?" He asked softly.

Alaric stared aimlessly, his gaze unfocused. His lips trembled and his shoulders shook. His breathing picked up, his chest heaving.

"Son." Alaric looked up, and opened his mouth. At first, nothing dared come out. Because if he said it outloud, he’d have to acknowledge it. That... he failed. Garnok placed a hand on his son’s shoulder, and pulled him into a hug, letting the boy’s head fall into his chest.

"I..." he finally managed to whimper out. "I...I couldn’t..." fresh tears spilled from his eyes, his body shaking.

Everyone behind was silent. The freezing cold seeped into Alaric’s palms, but he didn’t care. "I... I thought we could..." he spat, his voice breaking on the last word. His throat bobbed as he stared wide-eyed. All he could do... was cry into his father’s chest. Tears spilled out and soaked into Garnok’s shirt, and everyone surrounding them remained still and silent.

But, suddenly the cold air began to pick up, chills running through everyone’s body. One of them looked up, with black hair and blue eyes, frowning. "I figured it wasn’t down for the count." He opened his hand, a portal opening behind him, "Hey, kid." He called out as Alaric didn’t respond, but kept his cries silent. "You shouldn’t be here. Why haven’t you left yet...?"

Alaric finally lifted his head, his wide eyes staring back at the man, "..." There was no point in lying... not after everything that happened. "W-We..." his voice was soft and trembling, "We left campus to come and fight the alien..."

Everyone there froze, especially Garnok. He grabbed his son’s shoulders gently but firmly, "What were you thinking?!"

The black haired man shook his head and reached into the portal behind him, his hand closing around a weapon. He pulled back and a black scythe came out, a streak of black being left behind. "That doesn’t look good for you kid... you’ll be in big trouble for that."

Alaric looked away, pressing his lips tight and thin. He already knew the risk, but it didn’t matter at the time, it was just a small setback at most.

The black haired man spun his scythe, "I hope this is a lesson." He turned and looked off, "Now go ahead and run along home. Let us handle the-"

"No." He said firmly. The man blinked and turned, peeking at him from the side. Alaric rose to his feet, his fists clenched. "I can go home, and take whatever punishment you want to give me. But I am not going anywhere until I see that alien taken down..." He said as he opened his hand, the staff on the ground teleporting into his hand. He lowered his shoulders, "I don’t care what I have to do. But, I’m not going anywhere."

Garnok stood up as well, "Absolutely not! There’s no way I’ll let you get hurt anymore." He said as Alaric looked towards him, his eyes dark. "Besides, I know you. You’re grieving, aren’t in the right state of-"

"I’m fine." He said, his voice shaking at the end. "I’m not going to take his death lying down." He stood up straight and tightened the grip on his staff, "I refuse to be useless. I’ve fought against it already, I know how it battles. I won’t get in the way."

"Even so, you know what would happen if you got hurt because I let you stay here?"

The black haired man laughed and nodded his head, "No no, I think he should stay."

Garnok spun around, "What?!" The man held up a hand, "Relax, he’s with us, we won’t let him get hurt or killed. Besides, he already said we can give him a punishment after the battle’s won. Trust me, nothing bad will happen to him."

Alaric’s father clenched his fist and turned towards his son, who stood there, his eyes low and dark. He knew this feeling... he had the same experience when he was his age... he knows what it could do. It makes you reckless, irrational... Someone like that can be dangerous on the battlefield. But, there was something else about him... Alaric has never been one to act out just on emotion alone, he’s known that since he’s grown up... he was always an unusual kid, he never cried, not really. He didn’t know why, but... could he be capable? Is he a terrible father for even considering letting his own flesh and blood stay in a fight he shouldn’t even be in right now?

He looked down and sighed, "Fine..." He walked up and grabbed his son by the shoulder, "But you be careful, you hear me? Don’t. Be. Stupid."

He lifted his eyes and stared back at him with a barely noticeable nod.

"But..." he turned towards the body laying behind him, his eyes vacant as he quickly turned away, "Can you please make sure... he’s safe?" He asked softly as the black haired man turned towards the other two professionals. "Sure, you two, make sure this kid’s body makes it to the authorities." They nodded and moved to grab Arthur’s corpse.

Garnok lowered his hand and turned towards the black haired man, "If he gets hurt Osamu..." he whispered, as the man waved him off, "Relax... we won’t." He turned towards Alaric, "So kid, where did the alien go?"

Alaric turned towards the area it left and pointed, "It went that way... follow me." He crouched down, activated [Dash] and launched off as the professionals followed after, Osamu chuckling, "Already trying to take the lead huh?"

Alaric dashed through the city, his eyes narrowed as he searched around for the alien. He was laser focused on it, it gave him a great distraction... He didn’t know what the Alien’s goal was, as after... everything, he left without even trying to finish Alaric off. What could it be after? To the point it would ignore two very clear threats to its existence? Alaric’s eyes shot ahead and there in the sky, was the Ice Alien. He tightened his fists and shouted, "There it is!!"

He skittered to a stop, spinning his staff as he waited for the rest of the officials. Once they caught up, everyone was in a battle ready position.

Alaric’s body began to glow red, it was here... as if nothing had happened. As if it didn’t ruin everything... as if... he was nothing more than an annoying housefly.

His fingers twitched and his teeth clenched. But no more. No matter what it took, he WILL be the one to take it down, here and now!!