The Warmth of the Hearth

Hot, everything burns. Thora lies on the floor, dizzy from the sudden explosion that threw her a few feet away from where she was. She looks around, scanning the area for what the cause was. A sharp pain on the back of her head arrives as the concussion starts to fade away. Her hands travel to the area and she feels something wet. She pulls her hand to see red, a faint metallic smell hits her. Thora was bleeding, but she knew that she was alright.

She attempts to stand, nearly fumbling as she does. “M-mother? Where are you?” There was no response, instead a hand covers her from behind as Thora panics from the sudden encounter. The culprit whispers, her voice barely audible. “It’s me Thora, keep it down.” Thora turns around and sees Tiana, a worried look in her eyes. Her tunic was messy, black smudges all over it. She points towards the bunker, gesturing Thora to follow her.

Tiana ducks through the flaming debris as she pulls Thora along with her. The bunker’s entrance was greatly camouflaged behind the shack, using illusionary spells to ensure it remains hidden to those who do not know about it. She enters and closes the trapdoor behind her.

Thora’s breathing becomes heavy, struggling to remain conscious. She leans on Tiana as she struggles to maintain her balance. Her mother puts her on the small bed that was present in the room. “Mother, Kein and father... where are they?”

As if to answer her question, two dark smokes emerge inside the bunker as the mark of the Bond acts up on Thora’s skin. From the mist, the forms of Thorin and Kein appear. Thora feels a rush of relief seeing the both of them, her eyes brimming with tears. She rushes to hug both her father and Kein, nearly stumbling as she does so. Thora pulls away and her smile fades as she sees Kein with a serious look on his face.

He approaches Thora, aiding her towards the bed. Kein speaks, his voice in the same calm tone it has always been. “Thora, I need you to break the seal of the Bond.” He sees Thora’s eyes widen, a fear visible in her eyes. “Do not be afraid, I just need you to temporarily disable it so I can deal with those above.”

Thora speaks, her voice quivering as she tries not to cry. “B-but we don’t know if you’ll be able to come back. We can just hide here and they’ll go away, right?” She looks at Thorin and Tiana, both who’s heads were now hung low, unable to look at the both of them. A tear is seen trickling down Tiana’s cheek, as if she had no choice but to accept Kein’s decision.

Kein drops down on one knee to face the sitting Thora. He puts a hand on her face, a gesture she always did to him throughout the years they have been together. Smoke comes out of his hand as he imbues his manna with hers, healing her wounds and getting rid of her fatigue. “Now, I will always be a part of you.”

Thora could no longer help but cry as a cold overwhelms her, yet she was comfortable. In the heat of the moment, she grabs Kein and kisses him, her eyes closed as she puts into memory this feeling of him. “I love you.” She whispers. “Come back to me.” She sees Kein nod as he stands up to face Tiana and Thorin.

He looks at the two people who along with Thora, accepted him as family. “Mother, father, I thank you for your kindness.” Kein bows, a pain in his chest that he cannot explain. Is this sadness? He feels water trickle down his cheek and he puts his hand on his face to see what it was. Tears. They fall down one after the other as the reality of possibly leaving the only family he has ever known hits him.

Tiana embraces him, her hand caressing the back of Kein’s head. She whispers to him. “I am so proud of you, my son.” She lets go as she watches Thorin embrace Kein as well, her husband swelling with emotion.

Kein looks at Thora, knowing that their time is running out. She nods at him, and he knows that the real endeavor was about to begin. He sees her extend her hand to him, black marks appearing all over her body. A faint voice can be heard from her as the marks on her skin glow brightly. “Come back to me, I’ll be waiting.” He nods, as he teleports himself to the shack.

An inferno greets him, flames swerving as two men in red robes stand in front of him. One of them speaks, a deep intimidating voice bellowing from him. “Who are you? What are you doing here?” Kein sees him moving to pull out his flames but before he could, Kein moves in at blinding speed.

An intense sense of bloodlust overwhelms Kein as he pulls the man’s hair, black smoke all over his body. He pulls, tearing his head from his neck as a gush of blood pours all over him and the remaining mage. Kein laughs, his voice now broken and scratched. He senses fear as the mage runs screaming for his colleagues. “H-help!!!!”

“Awwww, we were just starting to have fun! Little bunny, don’t hop away. Mad hatter still wants to play!” A dark mist engulfs the mage and he falls on the ground, writhing as the dark smoke seeps into his skin. A scream is heard, along with Kein’s manic laughing.

Raylof Blaise, the captain of the party sent to subdue Thorin Loft, rushes towards the origin of the screams. There, he sees the bloody scene in front of him, a figure standing in the middle of his subordinates’ corpses. “My God, who are you?” The figure responds, black smoke emerging from it. “Oh me? Your kind calls me the Ripper, cause I like ripping people apart!”

Kein dashes towards the captain, who sets up a flame wall in an instant. As he dashes through the air, a heavy weight falls upon him and he is pinned to the ground. His smoke dissipates as an enormous glowing sword pierces him, causing him agonizing pain. Binding magic? The ethereal blade thrusts deeper as he screams, seeping Kein’s magic and rendering him unable to move.

Raylof looks at the spectacle, confused. He looks at his remaining subordinate behind him, her eyes glowing a bright yellow. She speaks, her identity was unknown to Raylof, knowing her as nothing but a private looking to gain field experience. “Begone demon.” The female mage extends her arm and the blade twists. She clenches her fist and in an instant, the demon on the ground disappears as the blade erupts into nothing but sparkles in the air. She faces Raylof, her white hair glistening in the flames. “The mission is complete captain, the anomaly has been subdued.” She turns around and heads towards their horses, forcing Raylof to follow confused. He hops onto his horse, and with her leading the way, they make their way to the capital, the night sky glowing above them.