Four days. When the team had finally prepared and assembled to leave, they had only four days until the Mother of Faces would appear in Forgetful Valley. Plenty of time considering the journey there would only take two days, but the sooner they left the better. Korra stood outside the airship they would be taking, watching the crew prep it for takeoff. With any luck, they would be ready to leave shortly. Kuvira, Azula, Toph, Katara, and Zuko would all be joining her, while the others would remain in the South in case Sen decided to attack again. Best case scenario, they wouldn't have to worry about that. They would find the Mother of Faces, and they would stop Sen.
Kuvira arrived a few minutes later along with the others, all packed up and ready to leave. "How are things coming?"
"Should be ready to leave shortly," Korra said, greeting her wife with a kiss. "And with a couple days to spare."
Toph lowered a blank stare at the ground and grumbled skeptically. "What exactly do you intend to do when we find this Mother of Faces, anyway? Just say, 'hey, your crazy son is on the loose, mind finding him and kicking his butt for us'?"
"Well, pretty much," Korra said. "I mean, that and ask if she knows a way to save his victims. She's the one who stopped him the first time around. She must want to stop him again."
Zuko shifted a worried stare back towards the city. "There's still the fact that this expedition of ours is going to take at least another four days. We don't know if the people Sen has hurt already even have that long."
Korra paused a long while before answering. The truth in Zuko's words stung. He was right, of course. If they failed here, if they took too long, Sen's victims would die, her father among them. "This is the only option we have left. There's no other way to find Sen. We just have to hope that we'll have enough time, and that the Mother of Faces can track down her son."
Katara stepped forward and held a tender hand to her arm. "We will. The South has some of the best healers in the world. They'll keep the victims alive long enough for us to save them. I know they will."
"I hope you're right," Korra said, steadily nodding in attempt to reassure herself.
"We'd better get moving soon," Toph said. "We're wasting time standing here, and I'd like to get my feet on some solid ground for a change."
"I'll make one last check with the ship's crew," Kuvira said, as she hurried up the airship gangplank. "I'll let you know when we're ready to go."
When the others had gone to board the airship, Azula approached with a tentative glance, her head turned to the side as if hesitant to speak. "Avatar, there's something I'd like to request of you."
"Azula, we're friends," she replied, with a welcoming smile. "You can just call me Korra."
"Right... Korra." Azula frowned momentarily, and lifted her full attention. "Anyway, you see, Kyoshi Island is on the way, and since we'll have some extra time, I was wondering..."
"You want to stop and see your family."
Azula paused, and gave a slow nod of confirmation. "Yes, if that's alright."
Korra maintained her smile. "Of course, Azula."
"Thank you, Ava—Korra."
Kuvira reappeared at the entrance of the gangplank a moment later, calling down to them. "Alright, we're good to go! Let's get a move on!"
Anraq hovered over the pot of boiling broth on the stove and heaved in a deep breath through his nose. Smelled perfect, which meant it was ready for further ingredients. Whistling to himself, he began mincing a mound of sea prunes and tossing them into the pot. He'd been fortunate enough to find some in the market this morning. Not often you could find Water Tribe food on a small, out-of-the-way Earth Kingdom island. Kanna would be thrilled when she returned.
Glancing up at the kitchen window, he took a long look outside at the small village beyond. He was no stranger to small towns, but this one was different. It had a certain serenity other places didn't have, a peace and simplicity to it. Not to mention a noticeable discipline to its people, no doubt in thanks to the Kyoshi Warriors who trained here. He'd never before seen a group of such dedicated and skilled individuals, especially their leader. The other people of the village seemed to look up to and take after them, bringing that steadfast discipline to everything they did. Even if that thing was something as simple as cooking dinner.
Anraq breathed in another whiff of sea prune stew, and a delighted smirk spread across his face. As much as he didn't like to fawn over his own cooking, this was definitely one of his best batches yet. Mai and Ty Lee would probably recoil at the sight of it, but that was to be expected. Water Tribe dishes were an extremely acquired taste, after all. Still, this dinner wasn't for them so much as it was for himself and Kanna. They could help themselves if they wanted, of course, but he wouldn't hold his breath in that regard.
As he turned the stove down to a gentle simmer, the front door swung open. Mai led the way, followed close behind by Ty Lee. Kanna clung to the old chi blocker's leg with giddy laughter.
"We're back," Mai said, with a tired huff. She promptly dropped herself into the armchair in the living room and let her head fall back.
Anraq made his way out of the kitchen to greet them, shifting a smile down at his daughter. "Hey, how was it? Did you learn anything interesting from the Kyoshi Warriors?"
"Yeah, it was really cool!" Kanna released Ty Lee's leg and jumped forward with a grin. "The Koshi Warriors are so pretty and strong, and even though Master Suki is really old, she's still really awesome, and watching them train was really fun!"
Anraq chuckled, and raised a hand to brush his daughter's hair. "Now that sounds like a good day."
"It was!"
"Alright, go on and get washed up before dinner," he said, with a nod towards the bathroom. "I made sea prune stew."
Kanna's expression brightened at the mention of her favorite food, and she immediately ran off to get cleaned up. "Yay!"
Anraq watched with a smile as Kanna disappeared around the corner of the hallway. When she was gone, he turned his attention to the two old women. "Thanks again for taking her out today. I needed some time to just clear my head."
Mai eased out an indifferent sigh, but it came accompanied by a small smirk. "It was no trouble, really. Kanna is a lovely child."
"Yeah, and her aura is so sparkly and full of energy!" Ty Lee added.
Anraq chuckled. "I'll take that as a good thing. Still, thank you."
Mai paused a few moments in her seat before finding the energy to stand again. When she did, she approached Anraq and held a hand to his arm. "I know it's difficult, being away while the others are taking care of things, but I wouldn't worry. I'm sure they'll be fine."
"Yeah, I know..." A pang of guilt twisted through Anraq's gut. While he'd informed both Mai and Ty Lee about the basics of what had happened in the Southern Water Tribe, he hadn't mentioned that Izumi and Iroh were two of the current victims. Mai didn't need to worry like that, not so soon after losing her husband. Not to mention the fact that said husband had been resurrected to serve a dark spirit. With any luck, Korra would figure out a way to help Sen's victims and Mai would never have to know. "Or at least I hope. This Sen business is unlike anything we've faced before. I want to be there to help them, but I know I need to protect Kanna more than anything. That's why I left."
"I'm sure the Avatar and everyone else will have that mess cleaned up in no time, and you'll all be back together soon!" Ty Lee said, with an encouraging grin.
"That would definitely be nice." Anraq's thoughts drifted momentarily, almost unaware of the absent grin curling across his face. "There is still something I need to talk to Azula about. There wasn't ever the right time, with everything that happened."
Mai lifted an eyebrow. "Oh? And what might that be?"
"Oh, uh..." Anraq blinked out of his daze to see both Mai and Ty Lee staring at him with a mix of suspicion and intrigue. "N-nothing. Nothing at all."
"Your fuzzy aura says you're lying," Ty Lee said, planting her hands firmly on her hips.
"Well, I mean..." Anraq's instinctive attempts at denial crumbled in the face of Ty Lee's grin. How was it she could break through his defenses like that with little more than a look? The unease in his gut spread, until finally he huffed out a defeated sigh. "Okay. Fine."
When he managed to steady his nerves, he reached into his pocket and grasped a small box, which he'd been carrying everywhere he went ever since he bought the thing. Even though Azula wasn't there, it had become a habit. Pulling the box from his pocket, he held it up to them and opened it. "I've sort of been working up the nerve to ask her to marry me."
Ty Lee's eyes lit up at the sight of the ring inside the box. "Oooh, it's beautiful!"
"Marriage?" Mai raised a brow, staring at the ring. "That's... interesting."
"What? Is that bad?" Anraq closed the box and returned it to his pocket. Mai's reaction didn't inspire much confidence. Already, he could feel the cold claws of dread squeezing at his heart. "Do you not think she'll go for it?"
"Well, it's just... Azula is the last person I would ever expect to settle down and get married," Mai replied, with a insistent shrug. She paused, as her eyebrows scrunched together in careful contemplation. "But then, the Azula I've gotten to know over the past year is much different than the one I knew eighty years ago. Seeing how she is with you and Kanna, being happy, and normal... It's been quite surprising."
"So, you think she would say yes?"
Mai deadpanned. "How should I know? I'm not a mind reader."
"Right... Thank you for your words of wisdom." Anraq rolled his eyes and glanced back over his shoulder towards the hall. "In any case, I should go make sure Kanna is washing up okay. She likes to cut corners when no one's keeping an eye on her. Thanks again for today."
Mai nodded. "Any time, Anraq."
Anraq awoke from his slumber that night to a stern knock on the guestroom door. Blinking himself awake, he sat up with a deep yawn and glanced towards the clock on the wall. Nearly midnight. Who in the world could be knocking on his door at this time of night? He'd never known Mai or Ty Lee to be up this late. With a quiet groan, he glanced towards the other side of the bed. Kanna slept beneath a bundle of blankets, clutching her stuffed bison close against her chest. Thankfully, the knock hadn't disturbed her. She'd be damn near impossible to get back to bed if she woke up now.
The knock came again, prompting Anraq to hurry out of bed to the door. He bellowed out another yawn, and reached for the handle to pull it open. "Mai? Ty Lee? You need something?"
Anraq froze. The woman on the other side of the door was not Mai or Ty Lee. A much younger woman stood there, framed by long dark hair. A terrifyingly familiar woman, whose pale lips carved into a spiteful smirk.
"Hello, Anraq," she said, in a smooth whisper. "How's Kanna?"
"Megumi?" Panic seized his chest. If she was here, did that mean Sen had come? Had Korra and the others failed? He quickly stepped out of the bedroom into the hallway and closed the door behind him, cutting off the way to Kanna. "What are you doing here? How did you find us?"
"Oh, that doesn't matter," Megumi insisted. "What matters is that I am here, and I want to see my daughter."
Anraq swallowed, narrowing his eyes into a dagger-like glare. "As if I would let you near her while you're under Sen's control. You've already tried to kill me."
"Only because you're unfit to be her father," she countered, with bitter venom to her tone. "You got her killed, remember? You let her die! And now? You let that lunatic raise her. You're going to get her hurt again!"
"You don't know what you're talking about!" He took a step closer and pointed a finger at her chest. "You don't know what happened, and you don't know anything about Azula, or what Kanna wants. You haven't been here!"
Her gaze darkened. "You're right, I haven't been here. I died. Was that my fault?"
Anraq paused, and pulled his finger back. "Well, no... but that doesn't change things. You can't just show up after twelve years and expect everything to be how it was. You're not even yourself right now, for one. You're helping a dark spirit hurt people, including my friends. I'm not going to let you keep doing that, and I'm not letting you near Kanna, not until I can find a way to help restore your mind."
"I'm fine as I am, Anraq. I don't need your help."
Anraq refused her with a stern shake of his head, and took a defensive posture. "I'm sorry, Megumi, but you have to leave. Now."
"No, you don't understand," she said, as her eyes sharpened. "I'm not leaving without my daughter."
Megumi pulled a whipping stream of water out of the flask at her hip. The attack was swift, but Anraq was ready for it this time. No more surprises. With a quick shift in his stance, he redirected the stream around his body and shot it back towards her. Water crashed against Megumi's chest, lifting a sharp cough from her throat as she slammed into the wall behind her and fell to her knees.
"Not this time," Anraq said, pulling the water back around himself in a spinning circle. "You always did need to work on your bending."
Megumi grunted, staggering back to her feet. "I know, I'm not a great waterbender. Certainly not a master, like you. That's why I brought one of my own."
Anraq furrowed his brow. "What are you—?"
A wet flicker lashed out at the corner of his vision. Instinct spun him towards the attack and guided his water forward into a solid frozen wall. The incoming water jet broke apart on impact, and promptly returned down the hall under the control of the man who'd cast it.
"I'm impressed," Unalaq stated, shifting into a more serious pose, "but you know you can't beat us both."
That much was true. While Anraq was confident in his own abilities, and Megumi was a subpar bender at best, Unalaq had been a master in his own time, not to mention former Chieftain of the Water Tribes. Even if Anraq could defeat him—and that was a big if—he'd never accomplish it in a two-on-one fight. That, and he couldn't risk anyone being caught in the crossfire. Not Mai, not Ty Lee, and especially not Kanna. Only one thing left to do in that case.
Spreading both arms out to his sides, he forced his water apart and flooded it down either end of the hallway. Crashing waves pushed back both Megumi and Unalaq enough to put space between them. As soon as they were a sufficient enough distance away, he bolted back into the bedroom and slammed the door shut behind himself. He sprinted straight for Kanna, picked her up into her arms, and used the last bit of water he had with him to break the window against the far wall. Holding his daughter close against his chest, he eased through the window outside.
Partway out the window, Kanna awoke with a grumble. "Daddy? What's going on?"
"Nothing, Sweet Pea, don't worry." Anraq held her tighter and sprinted into the dark of the night. "We just have to go now."
Anraq raced from the village into the surrounding wilderness. The forests and hills were hardly safe to be fleeing through in the pitch black of night, but he had no other choice. If he stayed to fight in the village, innocent people could get hurt. No telling what Megumi or Unalaq would do to get to him, but he didn't want to find out. Right now, the most important thing was getting Kanna to safety. Before he disappeared into the trees, he gave one look back at the house. Both Megumi and Unalaq chased him in pursuit. Good, if they were chasing him then they wouldn't be hurting anyone else. Perhaps he could give them the slip in the woods and lose them. After that, well, he'd figure something out.
"Daddy, what's happening?" Kanna asked, with a frantic shudder to her voice. She swiveled her head from side to side, wild eyes staring out into the trees.
"Don't worry, Sweet Pea, everything's going to be alright," he assured, as he leaped over an upturned tree root. "Everything is—"
Anraq never saw the ground disappear beneath his feet. His vision whirled, trees and branches flying by him as he fell forward down a steep slope. His shoulder slammed into the ground and he lost his grip on Kanna. He heard her shriek, followed by the crashing of bushes and twigs. The world spun faster. His heart lifted into his throat only to crash back into his chest as he slammed to a violent stop in a mound of coarse white sand. With a dull groan, he sat upright and clutched his pounding head. From what he could tell, he'd fallen down to the beach. The dark ocean stared back at him, illuminated by a silver glow of moonlight from above.
"Kanna?" Anraq called, with a sharp look around. The sound of hiccuping sobs reached his ears moments later. "Kanna!"
"Daddyyy!" Kanna rolled over in the sand, a short distance away. She cried and sniffled, clutching her wrist close against her chest. "I hurt my arm!"
"Oh Kanna, it's okay, it's okay, I got you." Anraq crawled next to his daughter and took a gentle hold of her arm. Bright redness had spread across her wrist, and it had already begun swelling. "You'll be okay, you'll be fine. It looks like it's just a sprain."
"But it huuurts!"
"I know, it's okay," he said, as he stood up to help her. "Let's just get you out of here and I can heal—"
A loud crack of water whipped against his chest. He lifted from his feet, bright colors flashing into his vision. Air rushed out of his lungs with a wheezing gasp as he hit the sand, and for several lingering moments afterward his muscles didn't respond. Any attempt at sitting upright resulted in sharp, hissing breaths and a dizzy swirl churning into his gut.
"Daddyyy!" Kanna raced to his side, whimpering at the pain in her wrist.
"Look what you've done now, Anraq!" He recognized Megumi's voice calling through the night. "Our daughter is in pain!"
"What I did?" Anraq forced himself upright with a cough, and shot a glare towards her. Unalaq stood next to her, already with a coil of water around himself. "You're the one who—" A pained wince silenced his words, but he let them go unfinished. Instead, he climbed back to his feet and put himself in front of Kanna, shielding her with his body. "If you want to get to her, you have to go through me."
"Oh, I'm certain we can oblige that," Unalaq stated.
"Daddy, who are they?" Kanna asked, peering out from behind her father's legs. "What do they want?"
Anraq held an arm back to keep distance between them. "Kanna, you have to run."
"What?" The young girl looked up at him with frightened eyes. "But... but I don't want to leave you. I need you! I'm scared, and my arm hurts, and I don't know what to do, and—"
Before she could finish her words, Unalaq whipped a shot of water forward. Anraq whirled his arms to the side and gained control of the water, redirecting it back around himself. He immediately froze the water and returned a volley of icy shards, forcing Megumi and Unalaq to spread out.
He looked back to his daughter. "Just go, Kanna! Please!"
Kanna shuddered with a fearful whimper, watching as the other two waterbenders converged on her father. She stood frozen, rooted to the ground in terror. Anraq called to her again, pleaded for her to go, and finally her little legs lurched into motion. Turning away from the scene, she scurried along the beach into the woods.
Anraq had little chance of putting together an offensive against both Unalaq and Megumi at once. He focused instead on defending himself, swatting away their strikes with quick shots of his own and slipping in a counter whenever he could. He never stopped moving. He ducked and evaded, weaving through a raining barrage of frozen spikes and watery lashes. To the best of his ability, he held his own. He didn't have to win, just so long as he kept them busy long enough for Kanna to get away.
Not as long as he'd hoped. As he ducked below a spinning blade of ice, water coiled around his ankle and yanked him into the air. The world swung around him. Moments later, he violently collided into the ground. The water raised him into the air a second time and slammed him down again. A third time. A fourth. The sand offered somewhat of a cushion against each impact, but not much. Not enough. By the time he crashed into the ground a fifth time, his chest throbbed dull and numb. Mercifully, the water let him go. He lay unmoving in the sand, barely conscious with blood oozing from his mouth.
Unalaq extended a watery stream along his arm and hardened it into a frozen spear. "It's time we put you away. Permanently."
Anraq crawled across the ground, fingers clawing through the sand. Pain seared in his chest, kept him down. He could barely think straight let alone stand. As Unalaq stood over him with the frozen lance poised to strike, Anraq let his head fall back into the sand. He had no moves left to make. No way to save himself. At the very least, Kanna was safe. For now, anyway. Maybe, just maybe, she'd get away.
Before Unalaq could strike, a metallic flash whirled through the air and embedded into his shoulder. He recoiled, stumbling with a shout at the curved blades now puncturing his flesh. Knives. They were knives. Anraq pushed himself to his elbows and squinted for a better look. A figure flipped into view and sprang towards Unalaq with a quick series of popping strikes along his arms and legs. The former chieftain crumpled limp into the sand, stunned and paralyzed from the assault.
Megumi ran forward to help, only for a second figure to cut into her path. The assailant delivered a cracking blow to the back of her head with the butt-end of a sheathed sword, causing her to stumble. Another cracking strike, this one from a closed folding fan, sent her tumbling face-first into the sand. Within moments, a silence settled over the beach.
Anraq blinked, focusing on the three women who now approached him. He recognized the first two immediately: Mai, who held a fistful of knives between her fingers, and Ty Lee, whose hands remained clenched in a chi blocker style. The third woman was one he'd seen only a few times before. She was an old woman, about the same age as Mai and Ty Lee, with a short bob of grey hair, and was garbed in the traditional Kyoshi Warrior uniform. No mistaking Suki, head of the Kyoshi Warriors.
"Thanks for the assist," Anraq said, as Mai held down a hand to him. He took a firm hold of her arm and pulled himself to his feet.
"We would have been here sooner, but you just had to go and run, didn't you?" Mai muttered.
"Yeah, we're not exactly as young as we used to be, you know?" Ty Lee doubled over with a grimace, holding a hand to her back. "Ow... I think I pulled something."
Anraq looked to Suki, who stood there with a quiet discipline. In spite of her age, she appeared fit and battle-ready. "Suki, you're here too?"
She nodded. "I was already on my way to see Mai and Ty Lee when the attack happened, so I joined them in their pursuit of you."
He paused, lifting a curious brow. "At this hour?"
Suki eased a heavy sigh. "I was locking up the Kyoshi Warrior headquarters when I noticed some of my students hadn't gone home. I thought maybe they'd lain down for some rest, but when I went to check on them... I don't know. It was like their bodies were there, but no one was home."
"Their spirits were gone," Mai clarified. "Fits the description you told us about Sen's victims."
Anraq's throat turned numb. "Oh no... That means Sen's here. He must have followed us from the South!"
Ty Lee turned a quizzical glance around the beach. "Where's Kanna?"
"I... I told her to run," Anraq said, spinning around to see where Kanna had retreated. "It wasn't safe. I'm not sure where—"
"Alright everyone, let's wrap this up." The voice came from near the treeline, where a pair of figures stepped out of the shadowed brush. The first was a young man in Water Tribe attire, with a long sword strapped to his hip and a boomerang on his back. The second was Kanna, whose shoulder the man held in a firm grip to keep her in place. The poor girl stood there shaking, holding back frightened sobs under her breath.
Suki's eyes widened at the sight of the man. "Sokka?"
"Hey, Suki!" Sokka replied, with a delighted smile. "Wow, it's been a while, hasn't it?"
"That's Chief Sokka?" Anraq stared in disbelief at the man. He had known Sokka long ago, when he'd been just a kid, but the man back then had been old and wrinkled. Nothing like this.
"In the flesh!' Sokka replied.
"Daddyyy!" Kanna hiccuped and tried to pull away, but Sokka held tighter.
"Stop!" Anraq called, reaching a hand forward in desperation. "Please... please don't hurt her."
"Hurt her?" Sokka balked at the suggestion. "Jeez, what kind of monster do you take me for? I'm not going to hurt her. I'm just going to give her back to her mother."
Anraq never saw the next attack coming. He might have, if he hadn't been stuck gawking at the return of Chief Sokka standing before him. Stupid. He didn't even realize they were under attack until a cold wall of water crashed against him, lifting him from his feet. The water froze seconds later, trapping him within a block of ice. Unable to move, he shifted his eyes back and forth, desperate to see anything beyond the muddled, icy barrier blocking his vision. In the same instant, he witnessed Mai, Ty Lee, and Suki become trapped in their own icy prisons as well.
Megumi grumbled in annoyance as she stumbled to her feet, holding a hand to the back of her head. Blood oozed out from beneath her fingers. "That's about enough of that."
In that momentary distraction, Kanna wrenched her shoulder out of Sokka's grip and sprinted across the sand with a desperate cry. When she reached the ice encasing her father, she beat her uninjured hand against it, as if trying to crack it apart.
"Daddy! Daddyyyyy!" Panicked tears streamed down her face. " Let him go! Let my Daddy go!"
"Sorry, Kanna, but your father has to go away for a while," Megumi stated, as she approached the girl. "Trust me when I tell you, you won't miss him."
With the conflict finally over, Unalaq pushed himself up to his elbows with a frustrated grunt. His limbs remained limp at his sides, still deadened from Ty Lee's chi blocking. "Can we go now? I've about had it with this island."
A deafening roar ripped apart the quiet night. Bright red light ignited the darkness, fueled by a scorching jet of flames that torched the sand between the three attackers and their frozen victims. Megumi and Sokka retreated from the flames, while Unalaq could do little more than roll backwards, unable to stand atop his own legs.
Another roar echoed through the air, as a massive winged figure swooped down and landed with a crash on the beach, jaws open wide and claws outstretched. A second wave of fire raced towards them. Megumi shrieked, guiding a large stream of water out of the ocean to shield them from the blast. Flame met water with an explosion of hissing steam, but Megumi's defense held strong. When the fire dissipated, she let the water fall only to realize she now stood face-to-face with an enormous, pissed off dragon.
"Oookay, that's a dragon! Big dragon!" Sokka said, as he slowly backed away from the massive beast. He pulled his boomerang off his back and held it in front of himself, as though it would offer protection. "Hey there, Druk... You remember your Uncle Sokka, right? Come on, you used to chase Mr. Boomerang here when you were no bigger than a poodle monkey!"
Druk responded with a thunderous roar. He took a few predatory steps forward, keeping Anraq and the others shielded with his body. Sokka immediately tripped backwards, landing with a plop in the sand. Megumi and Unalaq looked at each other, both with the same sinking realization dawning over their faces. With Unalaq still chi blocked, Megumi was the only one who could bend right now, and she did not have the skill to take on a dragon by herself.
As the dragon tilted his head back to release another breath of flames, a swift and sudden change pulsed through his scaly body. Druk's eyes flared wide and his posture shrank, trembling as though in terror. The great beast shuddered and lowered close to the ground, wings pulling inward. Within moments, the dragon became immobile and demure.
"Such weak-willed, primitive creatures," came a smooth-as-silk voice. A new figure approached, walking across the sand with a single hand held forward. With a simple raise of his fingers, he forced Druk's jaws to open wide. Moments later, a large wisp of bright white light floated out of the beast's throat into the open air. The wisp floated towards the man and hovered momentarily in front of his face, before he finally opened his own mouth and swallowed it. With his spirit gone, Druk toppled motionless to the ground, eyes wide open in frozen horror. "But such strong essences."
Anraq watched the entire scene from within his frozen prison, unable to move or respond as the man turned towards him with a careful glare. The instant their eyes met, his heart sank from his chest into his stomach, where it ruptured with a dread he had never before experienced. Never before even imagined. He stared into those eyes, and his blood chilled colder than any ice or frigid water. There was no man staring back at him. There was no hope. There was only doom.
Only Sen.
"Now..." Sen stated, taking a purposeful step towards him. "Let's see how yours tastes."
