"In the past, I feared the Night. I feared the all-encompassing darkness and the havoc it unleashed upon the world. But you know what? This fear, with time, faded away, and instead, only pure, undiluted excitement remained. I barely could wait for the sweet embrace of the Night so that I could once more taste the blood of those who call themselves Nightmares.

I understand... You may call me mad, deranged even. Yet, the truth remains that those who flee from the Night will never conquer what truly lies within the Void.

So go out there, my friend, go and face the unknown. Show those puny creatures who the true Nightmare is."

~Blade of the Abyss, the final day of the 45th Outbreak

----------------------------------------

I will be waiting.

Just like during the evolution, those words boomed inside Leo's head. They went straight through his soul, pulling a shudder from him and a muted growl of anticipation from the instincts that now lurked in the back of his mind. Honestly... if this was to continue, he should probably find a better way to describe the representation of the beast he had become than just 'instincts.'

Nevermind. Leo sighed, averting his gaze from the last rays of the disappearing sun. Accepting what I've become is a necessity if I want to reach my potential. But giving 'it' a name? Yeah... That's a step beyond the level of madness I can handle for now.

Although the fact that Leo already accepted this much of this new reality maybe was a good indication of his mental stability... or just of what the System was truly capable of. Additionally, not even a week had passed since the beginning of the Outbreak, so one could really wonder what insanity awaited him in the coming days.

Guess I will find out soon. Leo snorted, his eyes settling on one building on the other side of the road. Or, in particular, on an entrance barricaded by a large shelf. This is gonna be an interesting reunion…

Using a good old tree to slide down and then drop onto an unsuspecting Voidling, Leo once more found himself among the tall, unnatural grass. In a matter of seconds, the now-dead beast turned to dust, and he sped across the street, right toward his target.

Well, this is it... I just either lost the only allies I had, or this Outbreak truly made people mad. Chuckling, Leo slid next to the barricaded door and raised his clawed hand, knuckles at the ready. Now or never. If this fails, I must quickly find a place to wait out the Night.

With a single tug at his Essence, the protective layer of True Stealth collapsed, and Leo knocked once, then twice. At the same time, his monstrous mouth opened, the demonic voice once more spilling out of his throat.

"Dylan, Tyler, Laura!" He called out, just loud enough for his words to travel through the wall. "It’s me, Leo… And, yes, I’m well aware I don’t sound like I used to. A lot happened when I was out and I had to evolve, this is the outcome…”

Almost immediately, Leo's ears picked up some hushed voices and the scraping of feet against the floor. Someone was getting closer, and the moment those footsteps stopped right on the other side of the barricade, Leo quickly bellowed again.

“Listen… I know you are there and are most likely pulling your hair out, trying to figure out if you should open this damn door or even answer. I can’t decide for you, hell with how I sound and look now, I probably can’t even try to convince you, but it’s still me, just changed… like a lot… That’s why I will wait for another minute, and if you don’t speak up, I will go away and won’t bother you again... Just know that with my evolution, I might be able to heal Laura fully.”

There wasn’t much more he could say. His new voice pretty much created an almost unbreakable wall between them. Still, there was one very big crack in it, and its name was Laura. If there was one thing that could at least make them answer and even remove the barrier, then the girl’s injury was it.

And then I just have to stop them from shooting me on sight. Leo reasoned as a muffled voice came from within the building.

"Leo, wait!" Dylan called out. “Sorry that we didn’t answer instantly, mate. We’re just… surprised.”

Leo snorted. Yeah, that’s definitely it.

Before he could say anything out loud, another person — Tyler — added, his voice firm. "Leo! We will open the door, but first, we need to make sure it's really you. I hope you understand."

And how do you suppose we do that? We barely know each other, and if some monster managed to consume me and take my memories, then you guys are fucked anyway. Besides, I already told you about Laura. Leo grumbled internally but didn't voice his thoughts. No reason to make them even more suspicious than they already were.

"Shit..." He muttered instead before clearing his throat. "That might be difficult, we don’t really know each other. Besides, guys, not to burst your bubble, but we all know that this bookshelf wouldn't stop me if I really wanted to get inside. Especially not after my evolution."

"He's got a point, Tyler," Leo caught Dylan's loud whisper.

The younger man quickly muttered something back to the mage. However, not even Leo's improved senses could pick up more than one or two words spoken between the two. Evidently, the warrior was quick to remind Dylan of the meaning of subtlety.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

"Alright, alright," Tyler shouted in the end, voice raising with each word. "Just tell us what we talked about before you took off."

Thank the Void... Leo sighed. That they were giving him a chance was a good sign in itself. Now he just had to give them what they wanted and hope for the best.

"The three of you were neighbors," he began. "While Dylan lived alone, you and Laura had to leave everything and everyone behind. Also, your cousin got infected by a Voidling. Something that, just like I said before, I can most likely help with now."

Leo paused at that, letting the two men process his words. If he had to play the ‘Laura’ card again and again, then he would do just that. He really couldn’t care less how manipulative this sounded. At this point, anything was fair play.

"And why did you have to leave?" Tyler finally replied, and Leo grinned lightly at the slightly less guarded tone of his voice.

Bingo…

"I wanted to find my brother and his family to bring them here," Leo answered instantly, the grin slipping from his face and his voice growing distant. "I only found Nick, but..."

He didn't continue; there was no need to. Anyone with a single brain cell could understand what exactly happened to his brother. After all, if Nick wasn't with him, then there was only one other possibility.

For a short moment, no one spoke, and only the distant screeches and growls of Voidlings filled the silence. Dylan and Tyler had the ball in their court, and what happened next depended wholly on them. Although that didn't mean Leo was idle. No, his gaze was already jumping from building to building, scanning them for a safe place to hide during the Night.

Thankfully the search didn't last long as Dylan's voice came from the other side, his tone somber. "We're sorry to hear that, lad... We will open the door now. Just please take a few steps back so we can get a proper look at ya."

And have a chance to shoot me in the head just in case, Leo added even as he backed off from the entrance. "Just remember what I told you, and don't attack me on sight. My new form isn't exactly what you would call friendly."

As the massive wooden shelf groaned, Essence surged into Leo's body, grasped tightly by a phantom hand. While he didn't plan to attack, having Reinforcement at the ready was an obvious decision. No one could know how the duo would react to his new appearance after all. Hearing about it was one thing; seeing his monstrous form with their own eyes was a completely different kind of 'special.'

Inch by inch, the barrier disappeared, revealing the two familiar men. The moment their gaze fell on his body, their eyes widened, and the shelf stopped moving. Even the rifle held tightly in Tyler's hand lowered slightly, no longer directed straight at Leo's torso.

"Fucking hell," Dylan muttered, blinking repeatedly as his hand twitched. "Not friendly ain't cuttin' it here, mate... Is this really you?"

Leo chuckled, the bitter and rough sound finally breaking Tyler out of his trance. The younger man quickly righted his aim, but his fingers stayed clear of the trigger.

Good choice. Leo almost smirked and spoke up. "In the flesh, even if a slightly different one," he finished with a grin, his razor-sharp teeth pulling the duo's gaze.

"Slightly different, he says," Dylan scoffed, shoving the shelf all the way aside. "Lad, you look like you just escaped from the latest horror flick in Hollywood... And trust me, it ain't no compliment... Bloody hell."

Leo snorted, glad that at least one of them was trying to act nonchalantly about his appearance. He could, of course, still see Dylan's slightly widened eyes and the trembling of his fingers as the man scanned Leo's form, but at least the mage wasn't as obvious as Tyler. The youngest man still gripped his rifle tightly, frozen in spot, with eyes glued to the beast before him.

Leo moved to speak, to somehow break the warrior out of his shock, but Dylan beat him to the punch. "Oi, lad! Snap out of it," he nudged Tyler. "Go inside and fill Laura in on what's goin' on. We'll join you in a sec."

Tyler grimaced as his eyes jumped between Leo and the man that probably had his complete trust. Dylan had to give the warrior another nudge before he nodded stiffly and slowly retreated deeper inside the house. However, he never turned his back to them.

This might become a problem... Leo tsked, ignoring the sudden burst of bloodlust from his inner beast. No, I'm not killing them…

The monster inside whined in response, and Leo rolled his eyes lightly. He slowly approached Dylan, who stepped aside, still tense like a coiled spring, ready to jump into action at any moment.

"Come in, mate. The Night is coming, so we better block this hole up," the older man said, his eyes following Leo’s every move.

Nodding, he entered the familiar corridor and waited for the mage to barricade the door once more. Damn, I'm now taller than him. Leo noted after straightening for a moment. Really, the wonders of evolution…

"This is gonna take some gettin' used to..." He suddenly heard Dylan mutter as the man turned to face him fully, his previous task finished.

Leo snorted, "Oh, trust me. It's an ongoing process for me too." He motioned to the tails trailing behind him while thinking of the instincts lurking at the edge of his mind.

"Aye, I can see that," Dylan chuckled awkwardly, giving him another once over. "Now, I know our reactions may say otherwise, but I'm really glad you didn't die out there, lad. With the Night closing in, we were losin' hope."

Now, while Leo highly doubted they wanted him to die while searching for Nick, they most likely wouldn't even risk letting him in if it wasn't for Laura. That girl needed help, and if Dylan and Tyler didn't want to unnecessarily risk her life, then Leo was their best option. A necessary evil, as some people say. This was also likely why Tyler kept his mouth shut after seeing Leo's new body.

Nevertheless, Leo just shrugged. "I knew this would happen the moment I chose this evolution. That's why I wanted to evolve with someone familiar close by... Would have made this whole mess much simpler."

"So why didn't you wait?" Dylan questioned, his guarded stance slowly relaxing. "Did somethin' happen when you..."

As the man trailed off, Leo shook his head, knowing well what the man meant. "No. It was after that, when I took a small detour." He explained and shot the mage a look. "Did you hear anything coming from the town square?"

"Aye," Dylan nodded. "Scared the hell out of us."

Leo grimaced. "Right... That was me, at least partially."

The older man's eyes widened again. "You? Bloody hell, lad. I'm gonna need the whole story, start to finish."

Somehow I knew you would say that...