Redwing reappeared in the visible spectrum an hour later. In the back of his mind since the day his mother died, he'd kept the secrets of the ancient magic books absorbed from the warlock and his demon. 

He was filled with anger, rage, and loss and his dark desire to pursue the demon came to mind. He wanted revenge. He wanted to punish those men for killing Lazar. And for killing Deirdra, even if she welcomed death. 

Practicing the Seek & Destroy spell, he, in a single motion, ended the lives of thirty-odd animals and a tree. Its leaves fell to the forest floor covering a small pile of dead birds and chipmunks. When he counted the insects, his single spell ended over a thousand lives. 

Nicholas snickered and took note of a large elm. He'd need more power to defeat the seven men he saw at Deirdra's, there was undoubtedly more inside. 

"28 sparrows, 2 red-bellied woodpeckers, 11 finches, 9 starlings, 5 squirrels, and an owl. Not to mention 2,789 insects." 

He waved his hands preparing to send them all into oblivion but found his concentration interrupted and his body unmoveable. Every life form in the forest stopped moving as well. The sounds of wind, bird, and insect all fell into silence. Out from behind the elm tree stepped his father.

"A moment, please." Melock coughed and cleared his throat. "Just a moment of your time, my dear boy."

He patted the bark of the tree.

"A fine specimen don't you think? Ulmus Rosales, I believe. And the species abounding in it; Passeridae, Melanerpes Carolinus, Fringillidae the lesser golden finch, Sturnidae, Sciuridae Mammalia, and the noble Strigiformes Chordata. Owls to you and me. And, as you mentioned, the staggering abundance of hexapoda insectas.

"It would be a shame for them to fall out of the ecosystem. Even Dierda with her maniacal witchery wouldn't want to see such a waste. I'm sorry you had to be there for her end. Had I known, I... well."  

He walked around taking in the lush forest and the tree of death Redwing had just caused.

"Let me show you a world where these lovely creatures no longer exist." Melock touched the immobilized boy on the forehead.

They were transported to a barren wasteland. It was cold and damp with gray clouds blotting out the sky. The earth was ashen and lifeless. The trees were petrified and not a sign of life was visible anywhere. Soggy snowflakes of ash fell from the gloom. 

"Walk with me." Redwing unfroze and Melock led him towards the edge of a dead forest. 

"What is this?" asked Redwing. 

"It's called a nuclear winter. This one was naturally occurring. Others can be caused by human-made technologies." 

They came to a vast empty plane filled with huge reptilian carcasses and shattered skeletal remains.

"A dragon graveyard?" 

"These were called dinosaurs. An asteroid the size of a city hit the planet and caused such a tremendous explosion it blackened the sky for a hundred years exterminating all life. A mass extinction event." 

"Asteroid. You mean the rocks and metals that fall from the sky?" Redwing marveled at the raw power to destroy an entire world. 

"The same." 

"Will this happen again?" 

"It's very rare, once every many millions of years at most."

"I'd like to explore this world in-depth if I may?" 

"It's as good a place to grieve as any. How many days of food do you have in your pack?"

Redwing produced a small vail. "A thousand days of single drop rations."

"I'll return for you in ten. Will you be alright alone?" There was no living creature big enough to harm him on the continent. 

"I will," he said with absolute certainty. 

"You may use my tent for shelter, it contains everything you might need, including a method of contact." 

Melock snapped his fingers and a ten-foot pointed Arabian tent appeared made from thick canvas and sturdy rope. 

"I'll see you in a week," said Melock and vanished.