A Father's Secret

Ren swayed on his feet, his body heavy with exhaustion as his eyes locked onto Rendrax. The creature's chainsaw hummed menacingly, but something else gnawed at Ren's mind. The clothes—Rendrax was wearing the exact same shirt his father had on that morning.

What the hell...? Ren's heart pounded, his thoughts racing. Did this thing... kill my father and take his clothes?

He wanted to scream, to demand answers, but Rendrax spoke first, his voice a guttural rasp. "You've served your purpose, Ren."

Ren's eyes widened. Served my purpose? His confusion only deepened. What does that even mean?

Before he could make sense of it, Sophie burst from the trees, launching a surprise attack. Her wooden stick flashed as she aimed for Rendrax's back, but with terrifying speed, Rendrax dodged. He spun around, his massive chainsaw arm deflecting her strike with a sharp metallic clang. A brutal kick followed, sending Sophie crashing into a tree.

"Sophie!" Ren shouted, his heart sinking. He instinctively tried to rush forward, but his body wouldn't respond. He could barely stand, let alone fight. The earlier battle had drained every ounce of strength from him.

No time to think... Ren's fists clenched as he forced himself to focus. I have to fight... but how?

His legs buckled under the weight of exhaustion, his vision swimming. He could feel Rendrax's mocking gaze upon him, the creature relishing his weakness.

"You think you can fight me in that state?" Rendrax's voice dripped with contempt. "Pathetic."

Ren gritted his teeth, forcing his exhausted body to move. He staggered forward, raising his legs in a desperate attempt to strike Rendrax. His kick barely connected before Rendrax, with a casual flick of his chainsaw arm, kicked him back. The impact knocked the wind out of Ren, sending him crashing to the ground.

"You can't fight me," Rendrax sneered, towering over him.

Ren groaned, struggling to rise. "Who are you?" he gasped, his voice cracking. "What did you do to my father? Did you... kill him?"

Rendrax's red eyes gleamed with a twisted amusement. "Kill him?" The creature let out a low, guttural chuckle. "I am your father."

Ren's heart skipped a beat, his mind reeling. No... that can't be true... His father, the man who raised him, couldn't be this... thing. His breaths came in ragged gasps, disbelief tearing through him.

"Now step aside, Ren," Rendrax said coldly, turning his attention toward Zara.

As the metallic hum of the chainsaw filled the air, Ren's thoughts spiraled. If my father is a monster, then what does that make me? What's happening? His head pounded with questions, none of them making sense.

How could my father become this? What the hell is going on?

Ren's body throbbed with pain as he lay on the ground, struggling to rise. His gaze shifted to Zara—she was sitting on the forest floor, her back pressed against a tree, paralyzed by fear. Her wide eyes stared at Rendrax, her chest rising and falling rapidly, but she didn't move. She couldn't.

"You have a lot of potential," Rendrax said, his voice cold and mocking, "but it seems I'll have to kill you now."

Zara's lips trembled, but no words came out. She was rooted to the spot, her entire body tense with dread. Ren's heart pounded in his chest as he tried to push himself up. I have to do something... but I can't move.

"Stop!" Ren shouted, his voice hoarse. "Leave her alone!"

Rendrax barely glanced at him. "Shut up, Ren. You're too weak to do anything."

Ren's fists clenched, his mind spinning. My father... this creature... it's really him? How? Why? His thoughts were a chaotic mess. If my father is a monster... then what am I?

Zara's fear-filled eyes met Ren's, silently pleading for help. But he couldn't move. He couldn't stop Rendrax. His mind screamed for him to rise, to protect her, but his body was too exhausted, too broken.

What's happening?

Just as Rendrax's chainsaw blade was about to descend upon Zara, a surge of spiritual energy erupted from above, illuminating the dark forest. Ren instinctively looked up, his heart pounding in his chest. The sky was tearing apart, a jagged crack spilling forth a cascade of ethereal spirits, their forms swirling and wailing as they escaped into the night.

Rendrax staggered back, his expression shifting from arrogance to alarm. "How?" he growled, scanning the ominous sight. "Did the cursed gate get broken? Who broke it? Seraphyx? That bastard!"

Ren seized the moment, quickly picking up Zara, her wide eyes reflecting both fear and hope. "We need to get out of here!" he urged, adrenaline pumping through him. But before they could move, Rendrax lunged forward, intercepting them with a brutal kick that sent them both crashing to the ground once more.

"You both are not going anywhere!" Rendrax snarled, towering over them, the glow of the spirits contrasting sharply with his grotesque figure.

Just then, the ground trembled as a massive creature made its entrance. Goliath, the father of Torrath, emerged from the shadows, his granite-like skin shimmering in the moonlight. He could sense Torrath's spirit energy nearby, but as his gaze fell upon the scene before him, his expression shifted from determination to sheer horror.

There, lying lifeless on the forest floor, was Torrath's body, battered and still. Goliath's heart sank as the truth washed over him like a cold wave.

"No!" he bellowed, his voice a heart-wrenching roar, a sound that reverberated through the trees. "Torrath!"

Goliath's massive frame shook as he stood over Torrath's lifeless body, his eyes flickering with an unbearable mixture of rage and grief. His gaze fell upon the deep, jagged chainsaw marks that crisscrossed his son's flesh, and then his eyes moved to Rendrax—the creature whose right arm ended in a still-whirring chainsaw, bloodstained and menacing.

"You... killed my son," Goliath growled, his voice a thunderous rumble that seemed to make the very earth tremble.

Rendrax stepped back, raising his hands slightly, his voice steady yet calculating. "Wait... I can explain—"

"Explain?" Goliath's voice erupted into a furious roar, his eyes blazing with fury. "You dare to ask for mercy after this?" His gaze swept over Ren and Zara, still struggling on the ground, then back to Rendrax. His hands clenched into fists, cracking the stone beneath him. "I don't know who did this... but someone among you is responsible."

Rendrax's expression tensed, calculating his next move. "It's not what you think, Goliath. There's more at play—"

"I don't care!" Goliath's rage surged, shaking the air around him. "It has to be one of you!" His voice was like a mountain crumbling, unstoppable. "And if I don't know which of you killed my son, then I'll just kill all of you!"