Passive Hatred

Panic Attack

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Grillby Pov

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Grillby was behind the bar, his flames flickering with a soft, steady glow. The warm, atmosphere of the tavern was a comfort, but tonight... tonight felt different. He had been watching the strange young boy, Alex, working his shift. There was something off about the boy, something that Grillby couldn't quite place. He hadn't said much since he'd arrived, keeping to himself, and the fire that usually burned in his eyes seemed dimmer than it had been when he first started.

Grillby had learned to watch, and to listen—after all, in a war filled with monsters and humans, it paid to be observant. But tonight, the unease grew. The air was thicker. The patrons were a little rowdier than usual, and the mood felt off-kilter. More than a few customers were already tipsy, but it was the bo—Alex—who was the center of it all, though no one could see it quite yet.

A loud laugh rang out, echoing off the walls, as a bunny monster—a regular—staggered toward Alex, her high-pitched voice slurring through the air. Grillby narrowed his eyes, the flames on his head flickering nervously. He'd seen her before—she was always too much, too persistent—but tonight, something was different. She was pushing him harder than usual.

The bunny girl was in his face now, tugging at his hood, her words muffled by the alcohol clouding her senses. "C'mon, let me see it!" she giggled, trying to pull the hood from Alex's face. The boy flinched, his movements jerking awkwardly, and Grillby's flames sparked hotter. He felt an instinctual urge to intervene, but Alex hadn't called for help. Not yet. And no one had ever hurt the kid.

But she wouldn't stop.

Grillby shifted his gaze back to the bar, his fire heating up slightly with concern. The other patrons seemed to be watching with growing interest, their eyes shifting from the bunny girl to Alex, waiting to see what would happen. It wasn't unusual for things to get rowdy in Grillby's, but this... this felt wrong.

Alex was shaking, his posture tense and stiff. His hand twitched, like he was trying to stop something, but what? Grillby could feel the tension in the air, an electric charge hanging over the human. The fire inside him flickered a bit more violently, dancing higher.

Suddenly, the bunny girl's persistent giggling grew louder, and her hand was fully on Alex's hood, yanking it roughly from his face. The room fell into a hushed silence.

Then, everything changed.

In the blink of an eye, Alex's body jerked forward, and tendrils of dark, twisted energy erupted from his form. The bar went from a quiet tension to pure chaos in an instant.

Grillby's flames flared bright, almost blinding, as the tendrils slammed into the walls. The wood splintered, the floor cracked beneath the force. Patrons screamed, ducking and diving for cover as the tendrils—coiling and thrashing like beasts—lashed out uncontrollably.

The bunny monster stumbled back, shrieking in surprise, her drunkenness forgotten in an instant. She bumped into a table, knocking over drinks as her body slammed into the floor. A few patrons started to yell, trying to flee as the tendrils twisted and writhed through the room like something from a nightmare.

Grillby couldn't help but watch, his form of heat in the chaos. He wanted to help, to do something—anything—but he knew that intervening might make things worse. His gut told him this was no ordinary magic.

The tendrils were getting worse, becoming stronger and larger with every passing second. His flames were already heating up to their max, so he couldnt feel the darkness that everyone else could feel that seemed to be emanating from Alex, the power that was spiraling out of control.

"Alex, stop!" someone shouted, but with his face hidden beneath his hood—wasn't responding. His eyes were shut tight, hands shaking as he tried to control what was happening.

But it was too late. The tendrils slammed into another table, breaking it in half, causing a chain reaction of destruction. It was as if the entire room was being torn apart by the raw energy that Alex couldn't manage.

Grillby, watching in horror, saw the panic in Alex's expression. He couldn't stop it, and now, the damage was spreading. A few of the patrons had begun to shout, their fear and confusion becoming a cacophony of noise.

What is this?

It wasn't until the tendrils collapsed against the walls with a final, deafening crash that the bar fell silent once more. The tendrils vanished, leaving only splintered wood, broken glass, and the echoes of what had just happened.

Alex, now on his knees, was panting heavily. His eyes were wide, and his entire body trembled from exhaustion and... something else. Grillby watched as the human's head fell forward, the weight of everything clearly too much for him to bear.

And then, without another word, Alex collapsed to the floor, completely unconscious.

"So do we call the royal gaurd or ....just leave...... Im just gonna call em and go, ya that sounds smart" The previosly drunken bunny monster said to noone in particular.