That was the only question running through Douglas’s mind as he attacked like a madman.
Why did he allow Alex to go out that night?
Why didn’t he protect Emily better?
Why couldn’t he live a normal life with his family?
Why did he have to watch his family leave him, not once but twice?
Was the world trying to tell him that he was destined to be alone?
Douglas couldn’t find the answers to the questions that drove him to the edge of the cliff.
From a boy forced to run away with his baby brother after his mother charged him with an important task to a man faced with the unrelenting attacks of a powerful force, Douglas had experienced so much that it was hard to see him as the clumsy man he portrayed himself to be for Alex and Emily to lead normal lives.
Then he began to wonder about the point of having powers if he couldn’t make use of it to protect those closest to him.
He had experienced hell yet, he was still powerless to prevent the death of his brother.
When he saw Alex come down from the carriage earlier today, he had wanted to believe that maybe, just maybe... that deep down, somewhere under all that... his brother was still alive.
But the connection was gone, replacing it was a power so sinister, Douglas never thought for even a second that he might be his brother.
And so, filled with grief at losing his brother and anger at a disgusting evil god taking his brother’s identity, Douglas fell over the cliff and quickly turned feral.
His muscles bulged and his skin radiated a powerful green energy that killed everything it came in contact with.
As his eyes glazed over, Douglas allowed the madness to consume him.
Alex frowned as he noticed the change of aura from Douglas.
If before, Douglas was trying his best to suppress his deathly aura from killing everything, now he didn’t even bother to try.
Torrents of green energy rushed out of his body and threatened to dominate the entire region, killing everything within.
"Is this the power of a werewolf?" Alex thought aloud as he realized the situation had devolved into a terrible state.
He could understand Douglas’s condition but allowing it to go any further could potentially lead to a great disaster.
’Damn it, we should be saving Emily right now, not engaging in brotherly arguments!’
Just then, he froze before quickly snapping his fingers.
A moment later, terrifying green energy surged toward him and collided with the white barrier that appeared about Alex.
The energy got absorbed and shot back with an even greater force but instead of causing any damage to Douglas, it merely aggravated him more.
Roaring, Douglas bent over and placed his hands on the ground, mimicking a four-legged beast as his fingers grew sharper and his hair grew longer.
Sighing helplessly, Alex could no longer avoid a head-on collision as he prepared to go on the offensive.
Breaking past the speed of sound, Douglas approached Alex swiftly and leaped above him while swiping down with his claws.
"Enough!" Alex bellowed as his authority burst forth like a ferocious river and struck Douglas, sending the latter flying.
Crashing into the ground, Douglas was unperturbed as he rose to his feet and prepared to attack again.
However, Alex was having none of it as he snapped his fingers.
A wave of black and white rushed out from underneath his feet and enveloped the area about them, creating a scene reminiscent of the night sky on Earth.
Douglas tried to move but found that Alex was nowhere to be found.
As he looked left and right for his prey, Douglas soon felt a powerful force descend upon him.
The cacophony of a thousand voices caused him to rapidly lose consciousness.
Swaying lightly, Douglas attempted to run away but before he could take any more steps forward, he dropped to the ground and closed his eyes, entering a deep slumber.
"So what do you want to be when you grow up?" A beautiful woman with white hair and big blue eyes asked while cooking at a fireplace.
A young boy, no more than 8, stood beside her with a big smile and replied excitedly. "I want to be like Papa and hunt down big bad monsters!"
"Oh really, so you don’t want to be like mama?" The woman laughed.
The boy scratched his head, revealing a confused expression. "Well... can’t I be like you both?"
"Of course, you can." The woman said as she reached out and stroked his cheek. "You can be whatever you want to be. Mama and Papa will always support you."
"Douglas, you have to run. Take Alex and leave through the forest, no matter what you hear, you have to go."
"Mama, no!... I want to stay and fight."
"Douglas!... Don’t be stubborn right now." The once beautiful woman had a bloody scar on her face and her attire was a mess but she remained worried about her boys.
Taking a deep breath, she added. "Please, my son. You have to go. For Alex’s sake... you need to leave."
"Mama." Douglas teared up as he found himself torn between his love for his baby brother and that for his mother.
Was it fair for an 8-year-old boy to have to make such a decision?... Of course not!
Unfortunately... life wasn’t fair, to begin with.
Gritting his teeth and clenching his tiny fists, Douglas turned and picked up the basket Alex was in, he followed the back door and fled his home.
Taking one last look behind.... That was the last time he would see his home.
Douglas opened his eyes to find himself somewhere in the forest.
It was still nighttime with the Nighteye illuminating the world with its brilliance.
Taking a deep breath, he massaged his temples while trying to recall how he got there.
However, he pulled up blanks repeatedly.
Letting out a sigh, he tried to get up only to fall back down as a terrifying pain shot through his body.
"You shouldn’t move for now. Your body is still recovering."
Glancing to the side, he saw a familiar face that reminded him of how much he had lost.