Orphans

When Zmey and Spark had almost taken down the lynx, the creature jumped high into the air without warning. Their weapons had missed the target. Now the mistarget dragged their weights towards the ground...As Zmey noticed he was falling, also looking at the lynx, it seemed to him as though time had held its breath. He could see Spark's weight moving down as well. And the lynx seemed to suspend itself in the air, as if an invisible force supported it.'Sneaky rat...'At that moment, Zmey realised he was moving downwards faster. He rolled while in motion. His sword now faced upwards towards the lynx, his back facing the ground. Then he pushed himself upwards to stabilise his weight as the lynx's body gave up to gravity. Before he could sprawl on the dry floor, his sword had almost cut off one of the lynx's legs. It scraped its paws instead.Bump!Zmey's back hit the ground. And he immediately rolled to the other side. He turned up to his knees. Spark's crashed on its side...A sharp pain shot through Zmey's abdomen.He shut his eyes as the pain spread, gripping his abdomen, then sighed out. Where did that sudden pain come from?A pounding sound neared him. He opened his eyes....The lynx's paw sliced before his eyes, then dragged four clean marks into his cheek skin. Zmey's weight dropped leftwards, rolling to pick up his sword.He jumped to his feet, straightening his back. He felt stings on his cheeks, knowing what had happened just now. At that moment, he saw Spark struggling to rise, having fallen on its side. That gauged his thoughts straight away.The lynx lunged forward.'Do we share pain right after bonding?'He thought. Then charged forward as well. He drove his sword at the lynx. It retracted by slashing the metal with its sharp paws. Zmey's body jerked backwards, and the pressure brought him to his knees.'Damn...'He raised his stare. He heard a painful growl from Spark.But before he could process things...The lynx pounced over him, its legs dropping right at him. Its weight settled downwards, forcing him to lie on his back without knowing it. The beast's fangs flexed towards him. He clenched his jaw and held his sword against the sharp-ended fangs.His muscles flexed. The lynx was so persistent in getting its fang into him. Its aggression seemed likely to break the sword soon.Zmey growled, a soft chuckle coming out of his mouth at first: "So, we are similar. The scent of my blood is driving you to insanity, isn't it? Same as I! Imagine my face getting adorned by the unsettling sprinkling of your blood... haha!"The lynx growled louder. Its pressure on the sword increased, pressing Zmey's arm down. Even though Zmey was on the tight end, he didn't let his pestering grin fade.'Get more aggressive! Become more aggressive!'Stab!The lynx gasped. A sharp end of something curvy and brown pointed out through its neck. Thick blood pasted Zmey's face as it trickled down."Uh?" He swallowed.He felt the lynx's fangs loosening away from his sword. He creased his brows in confusion. Not only did the pressure loosen, but the lynx itself felt weightless. Its weight seemed to drop down on him. To Zmey's dismay, as he shifted its body aside, it fell flat on the floor.He glanced up...His brows creased."Spark?"Spark loomed over him, balancing one of its legs right at that moment. The end was curvy and brown, painted red. It actually was the one that stabbed the lynx's neck from behind.Zmey didn't know why. He found himself getting somehow stunned or shaken off or something. He didn't quite understand his own feelings right now.***In another part of the wastelands, on a dark field, monsters lay dead around Nero, who was on his knees. To the right, a looming ash mountain with jagged spikes towered above.Blood covered his face, neck, and hand. The slingshot trickled with the same liquid, save for falling by a loose, unnoticed grip that Nero had on it.Tears were streaking down his face. He sobbed louder and louder, as though mourning the death of the pumas around him. Their bodies had different holes. They were from perfect but persistent shots. The pink rubber of the slingshot pinched as if someone had put it around a fire beforehand.Annie walked gently from Nero's posterior. That battle had painted her yellow shield with blood. Even she was limping.Her face carried a hint of concern as she looked at Nero. She crouched by his side, placing a gentle pat on his shoulder.She looked at him for a few more moments, though he didn't stop sobbing.Tears streaked down her face as well. She sniffed. Hearing that, Nero glanced left at her face...Annie cried. "Could you please stop crying? Doing that won't help anything... not even my heart...!""Uh... Annie," Nero intoned, eyes wide, unshed tears lining his eyebags, "... why will you be crying as well? Wait..." he shifted his weight, "... I'm the one in pain. No need for you to..."Annie slapped his back. She sniffed, sobbing louder.She cried, "You have been like this since you heard about someone having died, from the guy recently. That..." she sobbed louder, "... that only brings back the memory of my dead parents. I'm crying because you remind me of them!"Nero looked at her for a split second. Then he wiped tears away from his face. His countenance grew somewhat emotionless as he stared blankly at the dark soil surface. Insects buzzed around them."Sorry," he said in a gentle tone.Annie sniffed. She didn't want to roll her eyes. "Why are you apologising? You didn't kill them..." She turned, holding onto his shoulder to sit beside him.Nero spread his palms as he placed them downwards. He then mumbled, "I don't have parents either. The woman who died was everything to me. She took in a homeless teenager and raised him like family. I was everything to her... but ... I was afraid of having similar thoughts..."Annie glanced at him with curiosity. "Why?""People have always called me a small boy even until I turned twenty-two. Not that I am one, but because I always act as one," Nero said, though Annie didn't feel satisfied. He continued, "I get on well with people and wish to make a lot of friends. But still, I am scared. Scared of hurting anyone."Annie blinked. She sighed. "Come on, you're getting me confused. Why did you hurt anyone?"Nero clenched his jaw. "Just now, I got the boldness to confront these beasts because of the agony of Lady Nadia's death. It seems like I am avenging her death, but I don't understand why. Why was I that way when I don't have the right to proclaim responsibility?"....He raised his hand to his eye level. Annie held her stare at him."I was born a human, but only I know who I really am. I'm a monster deep down. And... I was the one that killed my parents that day.... when we were sailing to Eldengrove.""Ey!?" Annie exclaimed.In the room comprising the Magi Lords and Magnus, at the Magic Sanctuary, words glowed on the board:[...Skyler Kingsley, second position...][....Nero Norman, fourth position... ][... Annie Armstrong, fifth position...][...Zmey Ashbane, sixth position...]Back on the wasteland...Annie screamed out, "You... you killed your parents!?"Nero replied with a gentle nod, "Yes, I did."