"You fought back?"

"Yes I did, I fought back, I didn't cower in this room, I fucking fought back!" Ava roared as the tears welling up in her eyes became heavier, blurring her vision completely. Her chest heaved with each sob, shoulders rising and falling violently as her entire body trembled from the intensity of her emotions.

"Then?" Jim asked, raising a brow as he stared at the teary-eyed female in front of him, clearly trying to process the storm of emotion she was letting out.

"I failed. I fought and failed!" Ava shouted, collapsing to her knees, tears streaming down her face in an unbroken torrent. "Despite my strength, despite my powers, I couldn't stop them from killing more people.

I lost half of my gang members in the fight, and the… the others decided not to get involved. Even with all that, I fought alone, completely alone without any help whatsoever. The leader was nowhere to be seen. I couldn't even spot him as he kept sending more and more demonic minions to keep me occupied."

'So there are a lot of demon vessels, huh?' Max thought, his eyes fixated on the broken woman's trembling form, absorbing every word of her sob story.

"I should have known, I should have known it was just a distraction. I should have found a way to leave those minions and search for the leader instead. I should have… if only I did… if only I did, he… he…" Ava muttered, her hands clenching tightly in her lap as she stared down at the ground, reliving the memory again and again as if it was happening all over.

"If only I fought harder, he wouldn't have come outside to try to help me."

"Huh? Help you? Who are you talking about?" Max asked, curiosity tightening its grip on him as he watched the woman freeze for a moment, her chest tightening as she recalled the scene.

"Who helped me, huh?" Ava murmured, finally lifting her gaze to Max, tears streaming in waves, her mouth trembling. "My… my… my younger brother. He was the one who decided to burst out from where he was hiding to come help me when two of the demon vessels ambushed me. He couldn't just stand by and watch, so he rushed in to help."

"Then what happened?" Max asked calmly, his eyes sharp and attentive as he watched her struggle to hold herself together while recounting the events.

"Th… that was when that demon leader appeared out of nowhere. My brother was so close to me while I was still in the midst of battle with the others.

It was his voice I heard calling my name that made me turn around to scold him, but then more demonic vessels got the jump on me. They hit me so hard that my vision blurred, and I fell to the ground. Instantly, they swarmed over me, pinning me down as I watched my brother desperately dash toward me." Ava paused, flashing back to the scene in her mind.

She could see herself on the ground, the remaining members of her gang watching helplessly from the sidelines. They were frozen, unable to intervene without risking their own lives.

Dozens of demonic vessels pinned her down as she panted, blood trickling from her head across her face. Her vision was still blurry from the earlier hits, but she could make out her brother screaming and sprinting toward her, determination blazing in his young eyes.

Unfortunately, he hadn't awakened his abilities yet, leaving him still painfully slow.

"No, run back, you fool! Don't come here!" Ava screamed, desperation and fear mingling in her voice as she glared at the youngster charging toward her.

"Sister, don't worry! I will help you!" The young boy, barely fifteen, shouted as he grabbed a metallic bat from the ground and bolted toward one of the vessels pinning his sister. His small frame moved with astonishing speed and determination, fueled by sheer love and desperation.

In a flash, he reached them.

"Get away from my sister!" He roared, swinging the bat with all his strength. The vessel shrieked as the bat struck, and the point of impact burst open with blood spurting violently across the ground.

"No, go back!" Ava cried out, her voice trembling as she watched the scene unfold. The vessel spun around, its pitch-black eyes locking onto the young boy, causing him to freeze in terror. His mouth went dry, and he began retreating slowly, step by step, until his back slammed against something solid.

Turning around hesitantly, he saw a pair of glowing black eyes staring down at him. The aura spilling from the figure was so pure and suffocating that it made the young boy break out in a cold sweat, his small frame shaking uncontrollably.

"No, no, no! Please, don't hurt him! Let him go, please!" Ava screamed, staring at the figure, her chest tightening as fear clawed at her. She could feel the immense power radiating from him, far stronger than the men pinning her down. He was clearly the leader of the dark forces.

"Oh! So he is your brother, huh?" The booming voice asked, deep and commanding, as the figure leaned forward, glaring at the young teenager standing before him.

Gulping hard, the teenager clenched his hands, steeling himself as he tried to meet the man's gaze. "And it… it seems like you are the leader of these men."

"That I am," the man replied calmly, his grin cold and calculating.

"Then command your minions to get off my sister now!" the young boy shouted, his voice trembling slightly but filled with defiance.

"And if I don't?" the man asked, tilting his head slightly as the shadows from his form seemed to creep across the floor.

"Then you will face my wrath," the young boy replied grimly, gripping the bat with white-knuckled determination.

"Confident. I like that," the man said with a wide, chilling grin as he rose to his full height, the shadows around him deepening. "But can you live up to your threat?" He then turned smoothly, walking away with a menacing calm.

"Come back here!" the young boy shouted, bolting after him with all the energy he could muster.

"No! Clem, stop!" Ava roared, struggling against the hands that still pressed her down. Her voice cracked as panic and fear mingled with grief.

But the teenager refused to stop. He swung the bat with full force at the demonic vessel. The figure spun around effortlessly, its eyes glowing an inky black as it deflected the attack with a simple tilt of its body.

"Sneak attacks? Not so manly," the man muttered, a sly grin forming on his face.

In an instant, Clem froze, his eyes widening in pure horror as the bat slipped from his hands. His own hands shot up to his neck, but it was useless. The next second, his head was severed clean from his body, thudding to the ground with a sickening finality, followed by the rest of his lifeless form.

"AHHHHH! NOOOO! CLEM!" Ava screamed, her voice cracking, raw with grief. Tears streamed down her face like a river as she stared at her brother's body, blood still flowing from his neck in waves.

"He died," Ava muttered bitterly to the dragons in front of her, shaking her head to dispel the painful memory. Her chest tightened as she collapsed to the floor, sobbing uncontrollably, her entire body wracked with anguish as she recalled her brother's smiling face from happier days.

"ARGHHHH!" She roared into the air, her agony so fierce that the sound seemed to shake the very room. Gripping her hair tightly, she sobbed and wailed, tears streaming endlessly as the memory of her brother's death consumed her completely.

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