Colin's posts

Darrell flinched and nodded, crying a little, but remained silent as she helped him.

Jaden just sighed.

"I remember Desiree asking him." he said.

"He never gave an answer." he told her.

"...he DID say one thing, though." he then went on.

"He said he didn't like us... but that he acknowledged that we have the right to exist."

Jaden sighed lightly.

"It's... complicated." he muttered.

He and Darrell then proceeded to explain to her what had happened.

Darrell going to hide, the adults attacking him, the interruption, and how the male was dead, but the female had gotten away.

"...so yeah, the woman was a mage." Darrell told her. "They both said this was to get revenge on... YOU." he continued.

"And Mom seemed to know the one that saved me. Didn't like him very much..." he then said quietly.

"It was Deryck." Jaden revealed.

"...yes." Jaden replied.

"Long story short, he was attacked." he told her.

"I'll explain further as his wrists are tended to." he went on.

"...and you're not going to like it." he continued.

"For... a lot of reasons." he sighed.

"But right now, please... before things potentially get worse on his wrists." he finished.

Deryck just looked at Jaden and Darrell, and Darrell waved at him slightly.

"Thank you..." he said.

"Don't thank me, kid." Deryck replied.

"...I don't deserve it." he muttered quietly.

"And send someone here to clean this mess up!" he then told Jaden.

"...got it." Jaden responded, before he and Darrell disappeared in a portal that formed in the ground, making them appear at Sydney's front door.

He then knocked on it loudly.

"Mom! Dad! Need some help!" he called in.

'Hope they're home...' he thought, realising he should have called beforehand.

Jaden nodded.

"Of course." he replied, picking up his son.

"Take those damned cuffs as well." Deryck told them.

"...right." Jaden said, as Jordan picked them up.

Deryck then looked at Desiree.

"...if we're lucky, we won't see each other ever again." he told her.

"I don't like you. But... I recognize you all have the right to live..." he then admitted.

"...." Deryck was silent, before standing up.

"Because I'm tired of being a puppet." he said.

"I am my own person." he told them.

"And that person is...?" Jaden asked.

"I don't know." Deryck admitted.

"I'm finding out, though." he went on.

"By the way, I can see your daughter has no mana." he then commented.

"How do you...?" Jaden started to ask, before Deryck interrupted.

"She got the cuffs off without being hurt." he said.

"Your son's wrists will need medical attention, by the way." he added.

"I don't have to tell you ANYTHING." Deryck responded.

"I don't have to tell you the body of one of the attackers is under those bushes." he continued, gesturing to it when he saw what he'd done.

"And I don't have to tell you that the one that got away was a female MAGE." he went on.

"I also don't need to say that this was an attack to get revenge on Sydney Sherwood." he then said further, as Jaden arrived.

"YOU..." he snarled.

"Dad, no!" Darrell protested.

"What is going on here?" Jaden demanded.

"Just make sure your son isn't hurt." was all Deryck responded with.

"And take your kids away from the dead body here." he added.

Deryck just sighed, growled, and rolled his eyes.

"How?" he asked.

"Simple." he said.

"When a family is a target in multiple circles, word gets around." he told her.

"Mom, stop!" Darrell then said, finding his voice.

"He saved me!" he exclaimed.

Darrell still looked to be scared, and wasn't sure what to make of this.

"...hm." the man muttered.

'They won't be able to get those cuffs off easily.' he thought.

'...and I have a feeling they heard him scream.' he went on.

He then shrugged and decided that he would risk it.

He kicked the other man's body out of the way, but didn't realise he had mostly kicked it under some bushes, before turning Darrell around.

"Hold still." he growled, as he started to work at them.

The man just sighed.

"Well, then it's clear what I am to do here." he said further.

He then turned and took a step, looking like he was leaving... before he whirled around and threw another knife at the male, this time hitting him in the throat.

That seemed to finish it, and the man collapsed to the ground, removing his hand from Darrell's mouth.

To which Darrell let out a loud cry for help.

The man then smirked.

"Looks like you're on a timer, now." he told the woman.

"Scram now, and leave the boy, and I'll forget it was YOU that was here."

The man narrowed his eyes at her.

"....." he was silent, before sighing.

"He can't help how he was born." he told her.

"Yet I can tell you're personally blaming him for... something." he went on, before he seemed to remember something.

"Ah! I know you!" he said.

"Sydney Sherwood once stopped you from killing a lycan!" he remembered.

"Taking it out on her grandson, huh?" he asked, throwing another knife at the other man, who was trying to pick the blade up, but hitting him in the wrist this time.

"Happened to be out for a walk." he replied.

"Noticed some activity that looked... well... decidedly strange. So I investigated." he continued.

As he spoke, her partner made to quickly plunge the dagger into Darrell... but another small blade... a knife... flung out when the man flicked his wrist, sending it towards the hand holding the dagger, hitting it, and causing enough pain for the assailant to drop the weapon.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd swear you were going to hurt that child." he said.

"Tell me, why would you ever want to do that?" he asked.

"That child's done nothing to you." he reasoned.

"Depending on your answer, I might let you continue, and be on my way." he then added.

"Ah!" Darrell exclaimed.

He then took a breath to scream out, but a hand clamped over his mouth.

"Shut up." the one that did it hissed.

"Nobody's going to hear you, or help you." they said further, brandishing an ominous-looking dagger in their free hand.

"Maybe THIS will send a message to that Triad bitch." they snarled further... before they heard a voice close to them, almost out of nowhere.

"...not very nice to call me 'nobody'." the male voice commented.

"I'll yell out when I'm ready." Darrell responded.

"You lean against the tree and wait until you hear from me." he told her.

When she did, he dashed into the nearby woods, but he was going to keep an eye on her. He wanted to hide, but she would always be in his sight.

However, as soon as he disappeared from HER sight, and found a small clearing, he noticed there were two adults there already.

One male, one female.

"Um... hello..." he said to them, a bit nervous.