Lost | Tom Riddle ✔

Chapter 96

I got them and I am coming back. It's over.

After Antonio sent his Patronus to his fellow acquaintances, he sat on the ground. He cringed as he inspected his knee. It was time to heal his injuries. Anthony would have gushed had he seen his father's knee - all bloodied and slightly dislocated. An involuntary smile danced on his lips. 

Parents do what they think is best for their kids. That doesn't mean what they think is best. They are human in the end. Antonio loved both of his sons, but Anthony was his pride. Perhaps, he was just biased since Ares was still young and never did anything consciously to be favoured less. It was just that the eldest Avery shared a special bond with his eldest kid. And not to forget, the said boy had a golden heart. Ares knew how to fight for his rights, Anthony knew how to sacrifice. He was kind, compassionate, and saw good in everyone, the fact that worried his father even more. He was afraid that the world would take advantage of his goodness and would leave him tainted. This was the reason why he was so adamant to betroth the boy to Rebekah. As the years passed, he grew quite positive that the match was for better since the Greyback girl was rebellious and he thought she would stand beside his golden child through thick and thin. His boy being in love with her was cherry on top. It was one of the reasons why he was so shocked and disappointed when he heard Anthony's demand to resolve the match. That too with no explanation.

Antonio took a deep breath as he waited for his acquaintances to show up. He ran his fingers through his now wild golden locks. They were wet from that day's struggles. He would have understood if Anthony had given some clue, wouldn't he? He always stood by his family, didn't he? Anthony knew this. Since when the boy started keeping secrets from his father anyway? Did he not trust him anymore? He wondered insecurely as he sighed heavily. It didn't matter what the reason was. What mattered was them being together. He wouldn't let some issue like this to affect the bond he shared with his family. After everything got over, the man planned to communicate with his son and assure him that nothing had changed between them. It didn't matter that Rebekah wouldn't stand by him, for the man himself was going to protect his kid.

"Ah!" A blood-curdling scream echoed across the thick trunks around them as Antonio felt piercing pain in his shoulder. His body arched. His wand dropped, instinctively, from his hand as he used both his hands to push the mop of black hairs away from his neck. So this was what that unknown being was. Avery cursed. That unknown beast was a vampire. Was his magical bind not strong enough to hold that inhuman being? He should have known that Grindelwald won't have simple humans tagging along. The realization, however, came too late.

Antonio struggled. He pushed his feet on the ground and shook his body violently as he tried to free himself desperately. He could hear as the beast sucked on his blood greedily. He could feel trails of his excessive gulps dripping the front of his white shirt. He could sense the drowsiness and heaviness in his eyes as the beast feasted on his now weaker body and his feet left the ground.

No! Antonio wanted to protest. This was too early.

He had to go back to his family. He wanted to scream at that beast. They waited for him.

Please mercy! He wanted to beg. He had to fix his son.

No word, not even a sound left his mouth. His lips dried. They parted as he tried to gulp oxygen. As if the gas would compensate for the lack of liquid in his body. It was too early. His eyelids dropped as the silent horror echoed in his ears.

The silence continued as he felt the essence of his life leaving his body.

Not even a single leaf moved as they witnessed one of the cruellest assault on any living being.