Syanic Earth 2: Cubic Arc

Chapter 6: Herald's Hand

"Now, little human. You're the oldest one here," Tastidios, the Vulpi leader of the Waxing Sickle grinned at the ten-year-old Fanghui. "Your parents are quite wealthy slime. Did they tell you where they store their most precious things?"

Tastidios' skull mask terrified Fanghui and his four little siblings. He shot one of his three hostage younger brothers in the knee with his shotgun. Fanghui's sister and the other brothers huddled in fear in their family mansion's burned dining hall.

"Please, stop!" Fanghui stood until Jilek, a thin bony Vulpi snapped his finger to send him flying via telekinesis.

"Stop? Then bring us some treasure unless you want me to give your little brothers and sister the same fate as your parents."

"Find us some good ol' money and gold, yah?" Jilek giggled.

"I-I don't know where..."

Jilek flicked his finger to command a drinking glass to crash into the sister's face. She cried in pain when the glass cut her delicate skin.

"Leave Kifen alone! I'll do whatever you ask!" Fanghui begged.

"Good boy. Now go quickly. You only have one minute until I ask Mogris to fry your family into a barbecue!"

Tastidios pointed at a buff Vulpi with fire tattoos on his muscles. His fists smashed together to form a giant fireball that exploded.

The kids shuddered at the demonstration while Tastidios laughed. "It's cute how humans obey when we show them our magic!"

I need to be quick, but if I don't, Kifen and my brothers will die! Fanghui scrambled into each room. Where do Mom and Dad hide their treasure?

He only had 30 seconds left, and Fanghui still struggled to find what the Waxing Sickle wanted.

"This looks valuable!" Fanghui found a giant Jade urn in his mother's closet and carried it. "I hope this will save everyone!"

Gunshots sounded as the Chinese police fired at the Waxing Sickle.

"Kill those petty humans! They should never exist with us divine beings anyway!" Fanghui heard Tastidios order Mogris.

Fanghui tripped on the stairs when the dining hall exploded, dropping the jade urn that shattered into pieces.

"I screwed up!" Fanghui cried, staring at the broken artifact. "What time is it?"

In dire realization, he scampered to the ruined dining hall to look for his siblings.

"No!" Fanghui wept as the Waxing Sickle and Chinese police fought in a gunfight outside. "Jein! Hongmi! Limian!"

Three dead brothers with charred bodies piled in a pool of blood and fire. Fanghui bawled, helpless to save them.

"This can't be happening! Kifen? Xiao mei? Are you there?"

"W-Wongshi..." He heard a weak voice calling his first name from the living room. "D-da ge..."

Fanghui ran towards the voice in tears, hoping that Kifen was still alive.

"Kifen!" He held her burnt hand.

He sniffed, looking at Kifen's tattered school uniform and skirt. Her skin swelled with hot burn marks as her cut belly bled. She was dying.

"No! Stay with me, Kifen. Please! I can't lose you too!" Fanghui hugged his dear sister, ignoring the searing pain of the burn marks.

Soon, the Chinese police tended to the two survivors. Fanghui wasn't hurt as much but Kifen's body suffered too much. Thus, Fanghui built Kifen a droid apparatus that provided her with total parenteral nutrition. Kifen's droid form was Fanghui's bodyguard known as Jin Feilong.