Red Hawk

Chapter Twenty: Awakening of Ragnarok

Kai stood outside his home, hesitant to go in or not. He wanted to tell his family everything. About Hibiki, about the other world. His fist trembled as he imagined telling them about Ragnarok. What would they think? Knowing his father, he'd likely agree with his choice. But his mother? She'd be likely to almost kill him just for considering it. And with another life ready to enter the world, one who shared his blood. Could he do it? Could Kai even admit he planned to reset the world.

Feeling disgraced, he turned from his home. Walking off with the hope no one would notice him. Hoping this would all be over before he needed to confront them. It was too late. As he tried to leave, he heard his father call to him, "Kai, I didn't know you were coming by today."

Kai turned back to him, "I wanted to surprise mom, but I have to go now."

"Nonsense, I'm sure she'd love to see you now."

"No, I-I just need to go. Sorry to leave so suddenly."

Leon made his way to Kai, "I might be a bad father but I'm not stupid Kai. Something is bothering you isn't it? Please, come inside and talk to us about it."

Kai hesitated, "...Ok." He knew he shouldn't follow him inside, but he had no choice. The guilt was eating at him. He couldn't do this without telling them. Kai sat at the kitchen table while Leon went to get Joy. The ticking of the clock filled Kai's head. Each second that passed felt like a dagger to his heart.

In only a short time he would need to tell them, tell them how he planned to erase the world that they knew. All because of one person. Kai felt a sickening bubble in his gut. Suddenly feeling like this was the wrong choice. But it was too late now right? He had already lost everyone and everything he knew.

All because of the choice he was going to make. Regret brought tears to his eyes. Tears that kept him from seeing that his parents had entered the room already. "Something wrong?" Joy asked him suddenly. She wrapped arms around Kai, pulling him close to her, "Even your father knows something's wrong." Leon gave her a cold look, but she ignored it, "You can tell us anything."

And so, Kai did. He told them about the other world, the other him, and about Ragnarok. Not only about how it exist, but how he possessed that power. How he planned to use it like the other him. Most importantly, how he wasn't sure anymore that he should use it. They took it better than he expected. They didn't kill him. Leon did however throw him into the wall, followed with slamming his face back into it.

"You stupid bastard!" Leon yelled as he slammed Kai's face in again. "You can't be serious?!"

"Dear!" Joy tried to interject, but Leon was too angry to pay attention to her. Over and over he bashed Kai into the wall, but stopped before it went too far. Joy went to Kai's side as he fell to the ground.

"Don't worry mom," he grunted through the pain. "I deserve that after what I've done. No, I deserve much worse."

"Damn right," Leon agreed. "You're talking about genocide, the extinction of an entire planet because of a couple hundred deaths. Yet you have the power to kill him, without the rest of the world going with him."

"It's about more than that," Kai firmly disagreed. "There's a demon involved. The other Kai showed me visions of it. If he dies, it'll just corrupt someone else just as far. Plus, as long as Ragnarok exist, no one is ever safe. If I die, I don't even know what will happen to that power."

"Then your plan is to erase that demon and this Ragnarok from the new world?" Joy questioned. Kai nodded, standing back to his feet. "But why not just wipe them from this world? Why would you need to create a whole new world?"