Chapter 22: Tanaka
"Oi, raise your head!" a deep voice barked, sharp and commanding. Just as loud as the thunder around them as a storm brewed across the midnight sky.
A group of Aelvarians stood in a circle, their faces covered in masks, replacing their expressions with the cold stone faces of the demons and ogres of this world, the dispute hidden amongst the forest.
The rain poured mercilessly on a certain boy, his fingers digging into the sopping mud that encased his bruised body. His body struggled to stand, with a brown gaze that carries a deep seated hatred despite his fear.
"You’re not dead yet are you—" Despite his words his eyes were filled with bloodlust, if he wasn’t dead yet, he was sure to make sure of it soon.
At his words the boy stood his ground, his foot slightly off on the sloshing mud below him. His breathing was slowed, sweat hidden among the many dewdrops that dripped down his dark blue skin.
"Raise your hands..." The man ordered, his features hardly visible in the night, though his massive stature was hard to miss.
The boy’s body trembled in fatigue and terror, His eyes glanced back at the hunters that surrounded them, they didn’t move, they didn’t speak, like statues just staring into the storm.
It was clear they weren’t going to help him.
"I said raise your hands!" The man’s roar sent a jolt through the boy’s body like a physical blow. His knees nearly buckled as he staggered back, arms halfway raised but uselessly weak. His vision blurred with a mixture of rain and tears.