The Crimson Legacy (In Progress)

Chapter 26: Mastery of Thyself

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The tale of the Kobayashi's end echoed through Clara's mind, each image searing into her heart. She barely heard the voices of Kuro and Seraphine, barely registered Zoe's innocent gaze as she stumbled out of Seraphine's home, seeking air and space, desperate to silence the rage roaring within her chest.

But as Clara stepped into the open, her eyes narrowed. Eldrid's guards were advancing, clad in steel and leather, eyes fixed on her. The sight triggered something deep, something old. Her heart beat faster, her vision narrowed, and without a thought, she sprang forward.

One of the guards raised his spear, but he was too slow. Clara ducked, grabbing his wrist and snapping it with brutal precision. His scream was cut short as her dagger slashed his throat. Another guard lunged, but she sidestepped and swept her blade through his neck, her eyes wide and unseeing. Every guard that approached met the same swift, merciless fate.

As each body hit the ground, Clara's fury only grew, her every strike driven by the legacy of her ancestors, by their honor tarnished, by the haunting screams of the Kobayashi. The guards lay strewn around her, yet her rage remained unsated. She could see the image of her family's village in ruins, the faces of her parents and their warriors, their blood staining the earth.

The bodies lay still, lifeless. But it wasn't enough. Clara fell to her knees, clutching her dagger with trembling hands, and began to plunge it again and again into the lifeless forms, the sound of tearing flesh and cracking bone filling the air as she screamed, a raw, guttural sound that ripped through the silence.

Kuro and Seraphine rushed out, horror flashing across their faces as they saw Clara's bloodstained figure amid the carnage, her movements erratic and frenzied.

"Clara!" Kuro shouted, his voice tight with shock. "Stop! It's over!"

Seraphine reached out, taking a step forward, her voice calm yet desperate. "Clara, please, don't do this. This isn't who you are—"

But Clara didn't hear them. Her scarlet eyes blazed, her grip on the dagger tightening until her knuckles went white. She kept plunging the blade, ripping through armor and flesh, lost in a haze of rage and pain. The memories of her family's suffering blinded her to everything around her.

Then, her body began to glow. Kuro staggered back as a fierce, dark aura wrapped around Clara, lifting her off the ground, her eyes bright with a violent red light. Her face twisted, her features almost unrecognizable as the anger pulsed, amplifying her powers.

Kuro's voice wavered, his eyes widening. "What is she doing?"

Seraphine's expression turned grave. "Her magic... It's feeding on her rage. She's losing control of it. If she keeps going like this, her mind—"

They watched, frozen in horror, as Clara's telekinetic power took on a life of its own. The bodies around her lifted into the air, their limbs twisted, bones snapping under invisible force as she manipulated them like lifeless puppets. Flinging them against trees, cracking skulls against stone, grinding armor into the earth, she was a storm of unbridled power.

"Clara!" Seraphine shouted, her voice cracking. She took a cautious step forward, raising her hands. "Stop, please! You're going to destroy yourself!"

But Clara's gaze shifted to her, eyes alight with an almost feral intensity. Without a word, she extended her hand, and Seraphine's body lurched, her feet lifting off the ground. An invisible force wrapped around her throat, squeezing tighter, cutting off her breath.