Her voice broke slightly, and she took another deep breath to steady herself. “My father roared at them, warning them to leave. But the man… he just raised his hand, and the humans attacked. They came with strange weapons that gave off this strange black aura, mages possessing black Grimoires that summoned chains to bind us. They didn’t fight fair.”
Her fists trembled, and Alister noticed a faint flicker of flames dancing at the edges of her fingertips. “We fought back as best as we could. My father, my mother… they were so strong. My siblings… my brothers, sister, and I tried to help, but we were still young, not nearly as powerful.”
“‘Hide, Cinder,’ my mother said, dropping me into a small pit in the midst of the chaos. ‘Is everything going to be alright… Mother?’ I asked… foolishly believing it would.”
Cinder let out a dark, forced chuckle as she continued, “She simply smiled… saying I had nothing to worry about, saying everything would be alright and she would be back for me. I just needed to wait for a while.”
Cinder began to tear up, her tears dripping onto her hands, which were clenched on her thighs. “So I waited… hoping against hope things would be alright.”
“I could hear my father forcing the humans out of the cave… most likely to prevent them from discovering me.” She used her right hand to wipe her tears, then continued.
“The commotion began to calm down.” Cinder let out a forced chuckle again. “I began to think they were winning. I was getting excited—I couldn’t wait to play with my sister again. We were in the middle of a little game before the humans arrived.”
Her voice grew quieter, her gaze dropping to the floor. “One by one, their roars went silent. My parents… my siblings… I thought maybe it was a sign they were winning.”
“Soon, everything went completely quiet… I waited for a while… thinking my mother would come pick me up any time.” She looked out the window of the room as she added, “I waited so long I lost track of time… so I decided to come out myself. I found some traces of blood around our cave… I panicked at first but thought the blood belonged to the humans… That was… until I stepped out of the cave.”
She gritted her teeth, her tears streaming. Alister leaned in, rubbing her back as he said, “It’s okay… Breathe.”
Cinder sighed as she said, “What I saw next was a scene that was forever burned into my memory.”
“The body of my father lay motionless in the snow… his body impaled with multiple spears… his eyes lifeless.”
“He was dead… but that was something I only realized after persistently trying to wake him up.”
She wiped her eyes again. “For a long time, I questioned why the humans did such a thing. Why would they kill Father… take away Mother, my brothers, and sister!” she yelled.
“I couldn’t forgive them.”
Cinder’s voice cracked, and she clenched her fists tighter. “That man… he didn’t just take my family. He took everything. My home, my peace… my trust. I hated humans after that. All I could think about was how cruel they were, how they destroyed without reason.”
She looked up at Alister, her amber eyes glistening with unshed tears. “That’s why I hated them for so long. As I grew, I hunted down humans, burning down cities, reducing them to ash to make them suffer for what they did that day. City after city, family after family, it was never enough.”
“It was the only thing I had in my life—screams of pain and suffering. I felt they all deserved it.”
Alister reached out, gently placing a hand on her shoulder. “Cinder…” he called softly, his voice low and full of empathy.
She shook her head, giving him a small, sad smile. “It’s alright, my lord… it happened a long time ago.”
“Though the pain gasent really… Gone away.”
Alister’s gaze softened as he watched the tears stream down her face. Without a word, he leaned forward and gently pulled Cinder into a firm, comforting hug. For a moment, she stiffened, surprised, but then she let herself relax in his embrace.
“It’s alright,” he said, his voice low and filled with warmth. “If the pain hasn’t gotten easier, it just shows how much you loved them. That love, that bond—it’s something that time or even death can’t take away.”
Cinder’s breath hitched, and her trembling hands clutched the fabric of his clothing.
“I’m sorry,” Alister continued softly, his tone full of genuine regret. “I’m sorry for making you relive such a painful memory. You didn’t deserve any of that, and neither did your family.”
For a few moments, they stayed like that, the warmth of the hug doing what words couldn’t. Slowly, Cinder pulled back, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand as she gave him a small, wavering smile.
“It’s alright,” she said, her voice soft but steady now. “I needed to say it. Keeping it all inside… it doesn’t make it any less real. Thank you, my lord.”
Alister nodded, his hand lingering on her shoulder for a moment before letting it fall. “If you ever need to talk again, I’m here. You don’t have to carry this inside.”
Cinder looked down, a faint flicker of a smile crossing her lips. “I won’t forget that… thank you.”
A sudden BEEP echoed through the room, followed by the soft sound of the doors sliding open.
Anzo stepped inside with a wide grin plastered across his face, his eyes locking onto Alister.
“Well, would you look at that,” Anzo said, crossing his arms with a smirk. “He really lives. I knew you couldn’t die before I defeated you in a spar. That much is to be expected from my rival.”
Alister rolled his eyes, his lips curling into a faint scowl. “You’re just basically saying I didn’t mean anything to you,” he replied with a touch of annoyance. “As long as your sparring dummy returned, you couldn’t care less what happened to me.”
Anzo froze for a moment, his smile disappearing. “That’s not it—”
Before he could finish, a bunch of voices interrupted from the door. Axel and Blitz rushed in, grinning ear to ear.
“Yay! Boss didn’t die! Looks like I win my bet with Leon.” Axel said with a playful look.
Blitz clapped her hands. “We were worried for a second, but of course, you can’t be taken down that easily! You are gonna make us rich boss.”
Beatrice and Lila stepped in as well. Lila, walking to Alister’s bedside, coughed softly before speaking up with a touch of uncertainty.
“I—I was really worried too,” she said quietly, looking at him with a sincere expression. “I didn’t know what I would do if—”
Alister smiled faintly at the outpouring of care from his friends. It was a little overwhelming, but somehow comforting.
The air in the room suddenly shifted when the doors slid open once more, and Yuuto, with Lady Aiko at his side, stepped inside.
Yuuto then spoke, addressing the group with a polite request.
“I know you all are eager to have a talk with Alister, I must ask that you leave us,” he said, gazing at Anzo and the others. “I have matters to descuss with Alister and Cinder, and I would appreciate some privacy.”
Anzo, usually the first to argue, raised an eyebrow in confusion. “What? Wait, hold on. We just got here!” he exclaimed. “I was planning on having a word with Alister. We need to know what happened, why his ass got beat like this.”
Axel grinned mischievously. “Yeah, it’s not every day you get a chance to hear the full story from the man himself. You sure we can’t stick around for a bit guildmaster?”
Blitz added, crossing her arms. “We’ve been through a lot together with boss. We can at least talk for a minute.”
But Lady Aiko interrupted the murmurs by clearing her throat calmly. She adjusted her glasses, her eyes narrowing slightly, before she spoke. “Enough,” she said, her tone making it clear that she wasn’t in the mood for idle chatter.
“The guildmaster has made it clear he has more important matters to descuss, and I am sure you all do as well. If you would kindly excuse us, your presence is required elsewhere.”
Without another word, she gestured to the door, her presence as commanding as ever.
One by one, the others reluctantly filed out, leaving the room quieter, though still filled with the weight of unspoken curiosity. The door clicked shut behind them, and the room fell into an almost unnerving silence.
As the final echo of footsteps faded, Yuuto stepped forward, his usual reserved demeanor returning. He turned to Alister who gave a polite bow of his head.
“Greetings, Guild Master,” Alister said calmly. “To what do I owe the honor of your visit?”
Suddenly Yuuti spoke up saying, “Forgive me for keeping this from you for so long.”
Alister, still recovering from the barrage of emotions he’d experienced earlier, raised an eyebrow in confusion. “What?”
There was a long pause, one that felt almost deliberate. Then, with a smooth motion, both Yuuto and Lady Aiko dropped to one knee simultaneously.
Yuuto then spoke calmly, yet with a touch of reverence.
“We pay our respects to the Overlord,” he declared.
Alister blinked, stunned. His mind raced as the implications of the words began to sink in.
“Guildmaster… what is this all about?”