Avatar of the Frozen Behemoth: Volume 1

Chapter 36: A Brother's Despair

Yukio stepped out the door, his heart pounding as the sound of chaos rumbled in the distance. The air was thick with smoke and fear, and the streets were still engulfed in sporadic fighting.

He scanned the area quickly, his eyes darting to every corner, every shadow, waiting for the moment the intensity of the battle would subside. He needed the violence to die down, even if just for a minute.

His chest felt tight, and sweat dripped from his brow despite the cold air. The world around him felt like it was crumbling, and his mind was barely keeping up.

"Think, Yukio, think", he muttered to himself, gripping the doorframe until his knuckles turned white. The world was unraveling around him, and yet, a piercing thought cut through his mind. Mizuki. He hadn't seen him since yesterday. His memory shot back to the announcement when he stood with Rome. Mizuki... missing.

How did he not notice then? The king had mentioned something about people missing, and in all the panic and rush, Yukio had brushed it aside. Now, the thought struck him like a blow to the chest.

Is Mizuki... dead?

The reality of that thought weighed heavily on him, but he shoved it aside, shaking his head violently as if he could rid himself of the creeping despair. It wasn't the time. It wasn't the place. He couldn't think about Mizuki now, not while his little sister's life was hanging by a thread.

"It doesn't matter now... Mizuki's fate doesn't matter... at least for not right now. I can't help him even if I wanted to. I need to focus. I need to focus on Amara and Mom."

Yukio peeked out again, noticing that the battles on the streets seemed to die down slightly. It had been at least five minutes since the worst of it, and things were somewhat quieter. This might be his only chance.

He turned, ready to go back inside and get Amara. He was halfway through the motion when a deep, earth-shaking crash thundered to his left. The ground quivered beneath his feet. Yukio whipped his head around, and his blood ran cold.

Just as he reached the entrance, a deafening BOOM shook the ground.

Yukio whipped around, eyes wide, as a ball of chaotic fire tore through the sky, crashing into the building where Amara was hiding. The impact was violent, sending chunks of debris flying.

His ears rang, and before he could react, the blast knocked him back, slamming his body hard against the ground.

"Amara...! No... NO!" Yukio's mind screamed as he struggled to his feet, his body shaking with adrenaline and fear. The building was collapsing, debris raining down in fiery chunks, the heat unbearable. He could hear her, his little sister, crying out for help, trapped beneath the wreckage.

Every fiber of his being screamed at him to move, to run to her, but before he could take a step, his eyes locked onto something far more terrifying.

Three Janoan soldiers, their armor dented but still menacing, were climbing over the smoldering ruins of the building. They moved with purpose, with cruelty in their eyes, their faces twisted with malevolent delight.

Yukio's heart clenched. "No... they can't... they can't..."

One of the soldiers grabbed something. Yukio froze, his blood turning to ice. "No. No, it can't be..."! But it was. They had grabbed her hand. Amara's small, fragile hand. She was still alive, still fighting, her tiny legs kicking out in desperation, but the soldiers just laughed, their twisted grins making Yukio's stomach turn.

One of them, the leader it seemed, sneered as he tightened his grip on Amara. "Look at this little rat," the soldier said, his voice dripping with malice. "Came out from the wreckage like a little mouse. I wonder how she'll squeal when we roast her."