Inside Umbra's Ruins ✓ [Umbra's Fate #2]

ᴛʜɪʀᴛʏ ꜰᴏᴜʀ: ꜱᴛᴇꜰᴀɴ

It was back. Like a ghost from the past that reappeared to hunt him, the searing pain in his arm attacked him once more.

A part of him held the false hope that he would never again feel the suffering of the members he left behind. Stefan had convinced himself that without his presence everything would be better, that Momotaro would do a better job than him.

He was beginning to understand that it wasn't a matter of who was in charge, the Protectors would always be in danger as long as the demons remained in the village.

And would that be enough? The inhabitants already saw each other as enemies, returning to the peace that used to reign in the village could take a lot more work, if they could find common ground.

"How bad is it?" Genevieve asked, offering him a glass of water.

Stefan stood up from his spot on the porch of his house and approached his wife. His legs were numb from so much time that he had spent sitting on the ground, looking at the sky and asking whoever could hear him that his family wasn't in serious danger.

"It's just like that time, too much pain at the same time," he said before taking a sip of the drink. "And no one answers my messages or my calls."

"If it's like that time, do you think they're attacking the headquarters again?"

"I hope not, but that's all I can think of."

"Then it's time to go." Genevieve didn't ask him what he wanted to do, she always knew what was going on in Stefan's heart.

"Could you take care of locking the house? I'm going to try to call—"

The sound of a call interrupted him. He reached for his cell phone with a shaky hand and almost rejected the call by accident.

"What's happening?" He asked without even saying hello.

"I imagine you already felt it with your power." Momotaro's voice came from the other end of the phone. "Headquarters is under attack."

"How do they know its location?"

"The mayor betrayed us. I'm going there as fast as possible but I'm quite far away. I'm afraid I'll have to give you your position back for a while."

"Of course, Genevieve and I are on our way."

What he feared the most was confirmed. The misfortunes that plagued the Protectors were repeated regardless of the hard work they did to defend the town. Stefan couldn't understand how those who tried to do the right thing ended up being punished, they didn't deserve to receive so much hate for just fighting to keep the inhabitants alive.

His thoughts were so noisy that he didn't notice that Geneveive had disappeared to lock up the house and had already returned with the car keys in hand.

"Come on," she said, placing her hand on her husband's back.

He had never seen Genevieve drive so fast, probably over the speed limit, but who cared when the entire village was nothing more than ruins.

The closer they were to the headquarters, the greater the destruction. What Stefan imagined was too far from reality. He had convinced himself that danger only lurked in the Protectors' home, but death was spreading throughout the village.

The streets were filled with screams and cries. Homes were no longer a safe haven. A pile of doors lay on the ground as attackers entered the homes of unsuspecting residents.

Stefan watched as they fought to prevent the invaders from taking their loved ones.

The chaos forced Genevieve to slow down the march, otherwise she'll be driving over the villagers that ran through the streets.