Chapter Text
It’s nearly pitch black in the room that Adam finds himself in. The only source of light is faint flashes of red and silver light from behind a sealed metal door ahead of him, bathing the empty room he’s trapped within in a faint haze of crimson and gray. The sounds of blades clashing ring out from beyond the door, echoing in the empty room like a symphony.
Adam slammed his fists into the steel door. “Hello? Is anyone out there? Let me out, please!”
The sounds of clashing weapons cease at once, the glow growing brighter as heavy footsteps approach the door. Across the floor, rose petals spilled from under the door, flowing like water around the boy’s feet.
Adam stepped backwards, bracing himself against the back wall of the room. “Who’s out there?!”
The door began to shake, the sound of metal against metal ringing out as a deep red blade pierced the door, carving clean through the steel. The blade slashed the door in two, and with a thunderous slam, it was split off the hinges by a tall figure bathed in glowing red light. The figure wore black robes, had glowing red eyes, and had a skull-like face that resembled a Grimm. “Adam…”
Adam’s eyes went wide as the figure stepped closer. “Leave me alone! What do you want from me?!”
The figure stopped, standing over Adam with its blade raised. “You’ll destroy everything…” The blade came down toward Adam’s left side, piercing his eye with searing heat.
Adam screamed in pain, clutching his face. “NO!”
Adam jolted up in his bed, breathing heavily as his hand covered his eye and tears rolled down his face. “STOP!”
The door to his room slammed open, Taiyang standing in the doorway with a worried expression. “Adam? Are you alright?”
Adam shivered, hugging his knees as he wiped the tears from his face, looking at his hands as though he expected to see them drenched in blood. “I keep having that dream…it actually spoke this time…” He looked up to Tai, his breathing heavy. “It said my name…”
Tai walked over, sat on the end of Adam’s bed, and rested his hand on the boy’s shoulder. “It was just a dream, you’re safe. You’re still home in your own bed, and no monster is ever going to take you while I have any say.”
Adam threw his arms around Tai, closing his eyes as he counted his breaths. “Thank you, Dad.”
Tai smiled, rubbing Adam’s back. “Of course, kid. It’s already five in the morning. How about we get an early start and I make some hot cocoa?”
Ruby peeked around the doorframe, a grin on her face. “Cocoa!”
Adam glanced at the door, smiling as he stood from his bed. “Ruby! I’m sorry, sis, did I wake you up?”
Ruby shrugged, smiling. “Yeah, but it’s worth it if you share your cocoa!”
Adam shook his head and walked over, picking his kid sister up in his arms. “You’re really manipulative for a nine-year-old, you know that?”
Ruby laughed. “It’s not manipulation, it’s negotiation!”
“I’ve gotta get your mom to stop watching those cop dramas with you…” Tai stood, shaking his head. “Giving you bad examples.”
Summer walked into the doorframe, crossing her arms. “Hey, don’t blame my shows! She watches without me knowing most of the time!”
Adam groaned. “Oh great, now everyone is in my room. Can we all leave, please?”
Summer scoffed playfully and put her hand on her chest, clutching imaginary pearls. “Oh, so your mother can’t walk into your room now? What about all those nights you ran crying into mine when you had nightmares?”
“Mom…” Adam groaned and rolled his eyes before cracking a smile.
Summer smiled and walked over, ruffling his hair. “You’re almost too tall for me to mess up your ha-ah!” She winced, pulling her hand away. “Right, I keep forgetting those are coming in…”
Adam huffed and adjusted his hair, revealing the small black horns that had begun to sprout from his scalp. “They are kind of a pain…”
“In the ass?” Ruby asked as she poked one of the horns.
Adam tensed. “Ruby! Okay, I did not teach her that!”
Tai raised his hands in mock surrender. “Don’t look at me, I rarely curse!”
Summer groaned. “Okay, maybe I do need to cut down on the cop shows…”
Adam and Tai both looked to each other before laughing, Tai putting his hand on his son’s shoulder as he shook his head.
Ruby tilted her head, looking between the two men. “What’s so funny?”
Summer walked over, taking Ruby from Adam’s arms. “Ignore them. Boys are weird, Ruby…”
Ruby tilted her head. “Are we still making cocoa?”
Tai walked over and put his arms around Summer’s shoulders, kissing her cheek. “Yes, we are. To the kitchen, everybody.”
Adam smiled. “I’ll be down after I change…”
Tai nodded as the three left the room, Summer closing the door behind them.
Adam sighed and fell back on his bed, running his hand over his left eye and taking a deep breath. “Eye for an eye…” He winced, reaching up and rubbing his horns. “Ugh…” He stood up and walked to his closet, grabbing his usual outfit to change into.
He put on the black shirt and ripped black jeans, throwing his red-lined black cloak on over the ensemble. He laced his red leather belt through the loops on his jeans and straightened the buckle, which was engraved with a wilting rose. He looked in the mirror and tensed as he wiped blood from his forehead, which was dripping down from his horns. “Damned things…” he grumbled and grabbed a red bandana, wrapping his hair back to keep the blood from getting in it. “Hmm…not bad…” He smiled slightly, wiping blood from over his pale violet eyes, and turned from the mirror, making his way down the stairs as the smell of chocolate filled the air. “Ruby! You better not drink it all this time!”
Ruby’s voice carried from down the stairs. “No promises!”
Tai smiled as he pulled his tools from the shed. “Alright, Adam. Today’s to-do list…” He pulled out a folded paper from his pocket, unfurling it as he looked it over. “Looks like your mom wants us to trim back the vines coming out of the woods, guess they’ve been overgrowing her rose bushes. Then she wants the siding on the cabin fixed, it’s starting to peel…”
Adam nodded, picking up a machete from the tools. “I got the vines covered, shouldn’t be too bad. You go get the siding patched up.”
Tai smiled, nodding as he grabbed his toolbox. “Thanks, kiddo. If you need me, just holler.”
Adam nodded and made his way over to the treeline, placing an earbud in one ear and turning up the music on his scroll as he began to hack at the wild vines that were growing down from the surrounding trees. He swung the machete like a sword, humming along to his music before wincing, feeling the vibrations as the blade struck a stone hidden in the vines. “Ah shit!” He quickly lifted the blade, checking it for damage. “Don’t be broken…” His eyes went wide as the edge of the blade was perfectly intact, a soft hum emanating from the blade as it glowed a faint red. “What the…”
Summer ran across the yard after Ruby. “Ruby! Stop!”
Ruby grinned, sprinting incredibly quickly past Adam, right out into the forest.
Adam tensed up, turning to watch her run through the trees. “Ruby?!”
Summer doubled over, panting heavily. “She’s so fast…I can’t keep up. She wants to visit our spot on the cliff, but she wouldn’t wait for me!”
Adam slid the machete into the sleeve hanging from his belt. “I’ll get her, you go get Dad in case I can’t find her!” Adam turned and ran out into the woods after Ruby, his heart pounding in his chest. “Ruby! Wait up! Rubes!” He ran along the forest path as quickly as he could, following the tracks his sister had left behind. “Ruby!”
Suddenly, a shrill scream filled the air, followed by a deep, guttural roar. “Adam!!”
“Ruby!” He raced toward the sound, running into a clearing in the trees.
Ruby was in the branches of a tree, clinging to a limb for dear life as a runt Beowolf was beginning to climb up the trunk after her. “Adam! Help!”
Adam glared at the Grimm, grabbing the machete from his waist. “Hey! You ugly mutt!”
The Grimm turned around, snarling as black drool dripped from its jaw.
Adam took a deep breath, holding the machete tight in both hands and steadying his footing in the dirt. “Come on! Leave her alone and come get me! I’m a much heartier meal, asshole!”
The Beowolf snarled, kicking at the dirt with its front claws before charging at Adam rapidly, howling as it sped forward.
Adam raised the machete quickly, catching a swipe from the Grimm’s claws on the edge of the blade and sidestepping to direct it away from himself. “Is that all you got?” He shivered, feeling the machete vibrate in his hands, the faint red glow intensifying on the blade. “Come on, get me, you son of a bitch!”
The Grimm whipped around and sprinted at Adam again, standing on its hind legs as it used both sets of front claws to swipe down at him.
Adam used the blunt of the blade to block the strike, dropping to his knees as the force sent a shockwave through his body.
“Adam!!” Ruby cried from the tree, her grip on the branch beginning to slip.
The Beowolf turned its head, snarling as it saw Ruby about to fall, and turned its full attention on the easier prey. The Grimm ran toward the tree, letting out another shrill howl as it nearly reached the trunk.
Ruby screamed as she lost her grip on the branch, beginning to plummet down directly toward the waiting jaws of the Grimm. “Adam!!”
Adam’s eyes went wide, his eyes burning as they began to glow red, along with his hair. “GET AWAY FROM HER!” He shrieked as he raised the blade again, the red glow overtaking the entire clearing as an arch of burning red energy shot from the machete’s blade and tore right through the Grimm. The beam split the Beowolf in half, but it didn’t stop, continuing forward just as Ruby reached the ground.
Ruby screamed, a guttural cry of agony as she fell to the ground with a sickening thud…and then a second thud followed directly after as her leg landed next to her, flecks of blood splattering the ground and the trunk of the tree, looking like scattered rose petals.
Adam froze, his hands shaking as he gripped the handle of the machete tighter, tears rolling down his cheeks as he watched his sister writhe in pain on the ground, sobbing and screaming in agony.
Tai and Summer arrived just as Ruby hit the grass, seeing the blood splatter and the Beowolf turning to ashes.
Tai ran to Ruby’s side, tearing off his vest to make a tourniquet for her leg. “Ruby! I’ve got you, Rosebud. Daddy’s here, it’s gonna be okay!”
Summer ran to Adam’s side, grabbing the machete away from him and throwing it aside as she cupped his cheeks firmly in her hands. “Adam, look at me, darling. It’s okay. It was an accident…you hear me? We saw what happened, it’s alright…”
Adam shuddered, looking down at his hands as everything he saw was covered in a tint of red, the glow still faint in his eyes. “I…I didn’t mean to…” He began to hyperventilate, his vision blurring as his knees buckled. “It’s all red…All I see is red…”
Summer pulled him close, placing his head in her chest as she stroked his hair tenderly. She placed herself to hide his view of his sister while Tai tended to her wounds. “I know, baby. It’s okay, it’s okay.”
He wiped the tears from his face, looking at his hands again and seeing blood on his palms as his eyes burned. “Mama…”
She looked down at Adam, seeing the blood pouring from his tear ducts. “Adam?!”
Adam’s vision blurred further as he began to feel dizzy, and then everything went from red to black as he fainted against her.
A deep, monstrous voice echoed in the back of the boy’s mind.
“You’ll destroy everything…”