"...Can you?"

"Huh?"

The odd question took Lucas completely out of his train of thought. Looking down at the small boy with a raised eyebrow as if asking "Come again?", Finn clarified his question.

"Can you really save me?..."

"Now, why're you asking a question like that?"

"Nobody was able to do it...I-I watched as Father carried me here. The gray men couldn't be stopped even by the guards, and they were strong…"

In complete honesty, Lucas understood the source of this concern from Finn. He wasn't exactly possessing a sturdy, bulwark build nor did he wore fancy armor or wield a weapon for that matter. Still, an important step in saving the boy was having him believe he could be saved in the first place.

"I was going to hide my identity, but...I'm a famous adventurer, Finn."

"An adventurer?..."

The term seemed to garner a hint of childlike wonder from the distraught boy, who looked up with eyes as wide as the moon.

"That's right; I'm a phantasm-level adventurer, in fact. I've fought dragons and giants, alike--these gray men are no problem for me, see?"

Lucas assured him with a confident smile. Though he talked himself up with this pseudo-lie, Finn's eyes lingered to the tattered state Lucas was in; his head wrapped in a blood-soaked cloth, the rest of his attire tainted with dirt and sediment both.

"Really?..."

"Really."

It seemed for a kid, words weren't exactly enough--actions spoke louder than words, especially in a situation like this. Letting out a sigh at the still present doubts clear in the eyes of Finn, Lucas raised his index finger to the air, manifesting a sphere of spinning wind.

"See? I'm a mage."

"...Woah…"

Even if it was for a moment, the sight of magic took the boy's unease away as the curious, boundless excitement that laid within the eyes of the youth took center.

"Alright, you're going to have to cooperate and do as I say, okay?"

Lucas instructed the boy, squatting back down in front of him, keeping one ear focused on the positions of the husk patrols. It seemed the display of basic magic was enough to gain the boy's undeniable trust in Lucas as he fervently nodded his head--entrusting himself to the recently met young man.

I've never been good with children, this is honestly nothing short of a miracle...What am I doing? Really, this is so unlike me. I think Sirius is really rubbing off on me, Lucas thought.

"Once I have you in my arms, you're going to be under the effect of my magic--it'll make any noise that comes out of you silent, alright? However, it's difficult for me to maintain the spell when it's not just myself--so I need you to remain calm and completely still. Do you understand?"

Using more than a few words didn't do well on the child's ears, who simply nodded his head in response.

"Good. Alright...I've got you."

Lucas lifted the boy into his arms, shrouding him in the masking winds as he peered outside of the beige curtain looming over the back of the carriage. Being held so close to himself, he could feel just how deep the fear was ingrained into Finn's body--every part of him seemed to be shaking without any control.

I don't think the emotion manifestation is doing any good for him...I can't imagine what type of emotions are being drawn out from him because of it. He's strong--he must normally be a rowdy kid if he's still somewhat holding it together here, Lucas thought.

It looked to be clear--Lucas took the opportunity to quickly retreat from the carriage with the boy held tightly in his arms.

"You're doing good, Finn. Just a bit more."

Lucas whispered to him with a smile, complimenting the boy's steady hold of himself as he remained completely still in the swift escape.

I saw it on my way here--there was a large, red oak with a hollow cavity. It'll do for now--I just need to make sure he's safe until this is all handled, Lucas thought.

Entering the forest once more with a swiftness that made it difficult for the boy to maintain his stillness, Lucas headed directly for the large, hollow tree he remembered. It was easy to believe in the power of memory before having to put it to the test; in the repetitive forest where it shared the same characteristics throughout its land--such memory was challenged.

Come on, I know it wasn't too far away, Lucas raced the thought through his mind.

A pillar of red caught the corner of his eye, stopping him dead in his tracks as he turned to confirm it was indeed the towering red oak he saw earlier. Lucas didn't waste a single moment before dashing to its form, setting the boy down within the hollow space of the oak.

"I'll be back for you, alright? Just keep quiet and don't come out for anyone."

Lucas assured Finn, making sure he was fully inside of the cavity before standing back up to wrestle some foliage in front of the space for further obscurity.

"L...Lucas!"

A quick and sharp, "Shh!", from Lucas made the boy gulp before lowering his volume, repeating the young man's name again.

"What is it? Time is of the essence right now, Finn."

"You're going back there, aren't you?"

Finn's question came packed with concern, holding that same glisten in his eyes, clearly strained from withholding waterworks.

"...Yeah, I am."

Slowly nodding his head, Lucas didn't know why the boy asked this. The timid child sniffled again, wiping the hanging snot from his nose as his sleeves became clearly stained from this continuous action.

"Please...Find my Father...I-I know he's still alive, I know it...He's strong."

The pragmatic, pessimistic side of Lucas almost made him quickly respond with words that would only serve to harm the boy's heart. Instead, he held his words as his lips parted--picturing in his head the sight of the gleeful, lightning-wielding companion of his.

"Don't worry, I'll save your father--because I'm the strongest."

It was that beaming confidence that came to his mind first when he looked to Sirius for inspiration. Holding a smile so bright he felt his cheeks would cramp and his lips would tear, he pointed his thumb to himself as if he were fervently displaying his own outward confidence to the young, impressionable boy.

Just doing this makes me want to vomit. This childish, unrefined "bravado" -- that's who you are, Sirius. But that's what I admire about you the most. No matter how difficult things become, how hopeless, when options run thin--you always smile, you always choose everybody but yourself. That's what you told me once…"I won't be the last one standing.", Lucas thought.

Such confidence left no doubt in the child's mind as he looked at Lucas in awe--even as frail and weak the feminine Outlander looked to be--he stood tall for Finn.

With the boy taken care of, Lucas felt as if an anchor had been lifted off of his chest, returning to the outskirts of Lemasdale, bringing himself up to the desolated walls to finally get a look at the true level of damage done to the town.

That smell...It's so much stronger here. Spoiled meat, a sickening sweetness to it--it's like it's trying to coax the bile straight out of my stomach, Lucas thought.

Using a low-level spell that required only a faint whisper--"Luft: Away"--manipulating the most basic function of his personal wind, he dissipated the horrid stench from his nostrils before taking a deep breath into his lungs.

By the stench alone, he found it difficult to openly face what scenery was left beyond the walls of Lemasdale. Placing his hand over his chest, the rapid beating of his heartfelt as if it were trying to guide him to run the other way. It was hard to tell what concerns were his own or what was the work of the emotion manifestation spell.

I can't just sit here and wait for those two. Who knows how long until they arrive? If they even arrive? I still have a mission...Without them or our vehicle, the best I can do for now is mitigate the danger of the town, Lucas concluded.

A large, gaping hole left the eastern side of the wall completely exposed. With the patrols nearing his way again, Lucas finally resolved himself to enter the accursed town--stepping over the debris as he was instantly met with the dreaded sight before him.

Red. Red. Red.

This was the width of his vision; the uneven streets of dirt and cobblestone were caked in the scarlet fluid of life. Likely dozens of red trails all led to what occupied the center of the once humble town--a mountain of corpses, arms jutting out, flesh torn--women and children weren't exempt from the wrath of the assailants.

"I…"

There wasn't a single cohesive thought that came to Lucas' mind as he saw this, stumbling back a bit as an instinctive reaction to part his gaze from the horror--tripping up on his own feet as his back pressed against the wall.

No reprieve was found from the repulsive scenery, feeling the moist, thickness of the arterial fluid cling to his back as he leaned against the wall, letting out a disgusted, horrified gasp before stumbling forward once more.

Utter death; that was the one constant Lucas would apply to the town. The natural, flowing winds picked up the mist of crimson that emanated from the endless supply of blood, bringing with it a permanent stench that would've driven everything out of his stomach if it were not for his own magecraft at work.

Too late. I was too late, Lucas finally thought.

Even if he could avoid the smell, he could still taste the bitter copper that occupied the air, feeling the clammy, repungentness of it brush against his lips as he drew his hand over his mouth. Dragging his feet forward across the ground soaked in a stew of blood and scattered entrails, he was brought to a stop once more--this time by way of a thunderous, booming stomp.

Each step sent a vibration through the ground, feeling it travel through the soles of his boots, Lucas hid in the gap between two cottages, keeping just his eye out to watch whatever the stomps belonged to show itself.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

Accompanying the tremor-inducing footsteps, the squelching sound of something soaked being dragged against the ground became audible.

Bright, violet skin that blocked out the scenery behind its form, standing tall enough that its head surmounted the height of the cottages--the weight behind each step was more than adequate to match its physicality.

In its right hand, it dragged behind it two locals of Lemasdale, their limbs twisted in unnatural ways, dyed in their own blood.

A man and a woman of similar age; seeing this, Lucas covered his mouth before the slight gasp could leave the boundaries of his lips.

A husk...It's enormous. I can feel it; the magical energy it possesses...It's equal to a proper mage, Lucas thought.

He watched within the shadowy depths of the gap he clung his body against so fervently, witnessing the colossal husk toss the two mangled corpses onto the deathly pile without any care. As it turned back around, it came to a stop, raising its chiseled, deformed head to the sky as it began to sniff the air.

It held a completely different appearance from the average of its kind; compared to the husks Lucas encountered so far that merely looked like reanimated corpses with gray skin, likely as a result of decay, and purple eyes--it held a truly altered appearance. The height at which it stood was more than three times that of a normal man, with a hulking physique with muscles that didn't normally exist in the human anatomy.

Beyond that, what Lucas found truly vexing was its face: no eyes to be seen, only possessing nasal cavities without a nose, and a hive of bulbous, magenta, fleshy organs where its ears should be.

They've already reached this stage...It likely possesses intelligence and some level of awareness. This is bad. Really, really bad...I have to get out of here now. This is beyond what Beatrice told us about--we need to regroup, Lucas thought.

After a few more of its sniffs, the colossal husk began to wander off into the depths of the village once more, unleashing tremors with each fall of its foot.

Lucas waited until it was completely out of sight before making his move, aiming his sight towards the entrance he came through, wanting only to leave the hellish boundaries of Lemasdale.

I'll take Finn and get out of here. There is nothing left here; only death, Lucas thought to himself.

Before he could take one step beyond the fallen wall, something met his ears from deep within the town. It wasn't the howl of a husk, but the call of a human.

"Huh?..."

There was no ignoring it, no matter how much he wanted to--it was clear as day--"We're still here! If there is anybody left! We're here!"

The gruff voice of a man forcing out a volume not suited for his vocal cords; it echoed through the town so clearly.

A call for help?...No, a beacon of hope for survivors? Lucas thought.

As much as he wanted to leave the accursed town behind, there was now a reason to stay--hearing that call, he pulled his step back and turned to face the horrific scenery.

Damn it, Sirius...It's your fault that I'm going to get myself killed. That idiotic heroism of yours--it's a damn disease, Lucas thought.

Even if he scorned the impression placed onto him, he couldn't help but hold a trembling smile, feeling his heart race with a foolish intensity as if a million volts began to run through his veins. It was a foreign sensation; knowing that there were those in need of his help--he could look dread right in its eyes and stand stall.

My fingers feel fuzzy, my breath is hot, my blood is boiling so intensely...This is it, isn't it, Sirius? The excitement of selfness, Lucas smiled.