The Attack

Victor sighed, laying his head on his knees. An uncomfortable silent hung in the air, strung between he and his father like heavy threads. He hadn't fought with Umbra like that in a while. His heart still pounded from adrenaline, palms sweaty.

Sure, Victor may have been petrified at the thought of creeping into a dark, underground building rumoured to be a criminal hideout, but he didn’t want to be left out. He had people to impress now, namely Seraph. Victor couldn't have them thinking that he was so weak that his father made him sit out on missions. The thought of Seraph, Esper, or Aunora considering him as anything less than a viable teammate sickened him.

Victor pushed up his shirt, touching the tattoo on his stomach. He loved Umbra dearly, but sometimes his mindset disturbed him. Umbra was single mindedly pressed on protecting Victor and only Victor, despite the circumstances.

Victor had actually enjoyed Umbra’s slacking off. He had felt more relaxed with not having Umbra constantly breathing down his neck. It had been terrifying to actually have to fight for himself, but Victor had learned his own capabilities.

Sighing, Victor glanced up, watching Umbra. The man nervously paced back and forth, eyes cast to the ground. His knuckles were pale around the pole of his weapon. He looked shaken, probably still thinking about their fight.

Victor felt sick thinking about Umbra's submissive, placid expression when he accidentally gave him a command. The thought of Umbra mindlessly following his orders horrified him. He didn't want to be in control of Umbra, he just wanted to be his son! Holding unlimited control over another living being repulsed him.

He's doing it with love, Victor thought, I guess that's what matters, right? He really does want what's best for me.

Victor hugged his chest. The dead weight in his stomach correlated with what he was feeling: regret. He had been too hard on Umbra and let his emotions run too far. Victor made up his mind. He was going to apologize.

Victor stood, reaching for Umbra's sleeve. “Hey, Dad, I-”

The sound of heavy breathing cut Victor's statement short. Umbra whipped on his heels, searching for the source of the noise.

“Dad-”

Umbra shushed him harshly, scanning the area. He was in high-alert mode, teeth grit and shoulders tense.

A creature dropped from the top of guild, landing firmly on its paws. It was nearly four feet tall, and appeared to be some sort of dog. Twisting horns sprouted from its massive forehead and thick slobber dripped from its maw.

“Get back,” Umbra whispered, holding out his war scythe, “Let me handle this.”

Victor clenched his fist. Finally, an opportunity for them to fight together! “Dad,” Victor said, letting blue flames flickering at his fingers, “We can-”

“I said get back!” Umbra snapped, holding eye contact with the beast and pushing him onto the ground, “Go around the corner and hide!”

Victor's jaw dropped, his knees stinging. Tearfully, he sprinted out of the alleyway, throwing himself against a dumpster. He heaved for breath, covering his ears to muffle the sounds of the imminent battle.

Behind him, something in the dumpster shuffled. Victor was too frantic to even give the disturbance a thought.

Suddenly, two arms wrapped around his head, a strong-smelling cloth covering his mouth and nose. Victor struggled to breathe, to escape, but his attacker's grip was too stout. His vision blurred as the scent wrapped around his lungs and the alleyway spun around him, and then Victor fell into darkness.

Author's Note- im so sorry if this isnt good. i ran into writers block and i just forced myself to just,,write to get it out. so i got something and i guess that's what counts amirite

Art by: SnickerBum