After burning the corpse that used to be the book of life. I searched around the room for any clues about where the real thing would be located. But there was nothing to show me its whereabouts.
Edna said that there were two homunculi out there, Lilith and Cain. The elf was keeping everyone busy while Cain... If I remembered correctly; he was the warlock that attacked us in Lilith's old village.
Right now, though, he was nowhere to be seen. The only thing that crossed my mind in the heat of the moment was how he ran with the child. Though I arrived a week too late to find out where the fuck he went with it.
I glanced at Edna's ashes before spitting in them. My emotions were all over the place, but I was utterly annoyed at the turn of events. I was no closer to helping Midnight finish what she wanted. Even when this was something I started in my previous life.
I could already hear her calling me stupid. However, it was not the time to dwell on this. With brief hesitation, I turned towards the exit before running out of the dreadful cave. I had to go help everyone fight the shadow beasts that were pouring from the soul cairn.
Knowing Edna, she probably summoned old gods that were for protecting the book in their yearning for destruction. Or perhaps they liked chaos itself. I honestly did not know what she had done with it, but those demons would stay summoned until the source was gone.
Edna had been the catalyst, but the source was still alive and breathing. Thus, there was no time to waste. My family waited for me. Shifting into my wolf form, Ruzgard merged with me before I bolted out of Edna's little hideout and into the unknown.
It was probably what used to be the temple that she would have served in if... Pity how war always led to more agony. But at this point, I did not care who got trampled in my way. I wanted blood.
Edna's death was not enough for me. The dead forest was plagued with shadow demons that roamed everywhere, thanks to the giant gate that was opened in the sky. Our only light came from fires from the down ships and the moonlight above.
The sun elves had also cast a light spell for everyone on the ground. It almost seemed like the moon was the sun, from how bright it was. It was not long before I engaged in battle with one of them that blocked my way.
The screams of others that had fallen into the poisonous land erupted from everywhere. I did not know it, but almost every ship had been taken down. Every race was struggling to fight for their lives.
Alijah was wrong. This was not a sacrificial spell. No, it was to thin out the competition. Edna planned to make us unorganized to give the book's reincarnation a chance to escape. The relentless attacks from the shadow beast that surrounded us were extraordinary.
I had to hand it to that witch. She was a master planner. She knew with her death, everyone would go back to life as it was. Especially when I could tell no one a single thing.
Fuck... Midnight, that witch was just as cunning as you are. I might have played right into her hands.
My temper was never something easy to control. And even with the witch’s death, it meant nothing. Vera was not back. She would never be. Yet I could not crumble where I stood. No, I had to save as many as I could because the war was far from over.
All it was doing was changing shapes. To one where most of us would not know it was coming. The few ships left in the air; I could not tell who they were. Hoards of the beast surrounded the forest too.
Shifting into my humanoid form, I drew my sword. Without a second thought, I slashed my way through the hordes of demons. They were between Lesser and Sage ranks, making them not a big deal for me to handle.
Of course, no one had my flames that consumed them soon after any blow I made. These beasts could take down anyone that was ill-prepared or inexperienced. The stagnant air was also filled with the fresh scent of blood. All I could do was keep running through the dead forest in the hopes of crashing into one of my family.
My mind was blank, trying to not think the worst. After all, they were not ill-prepared. They had to be fine. We all had to be. Yet war did not discriminate. Something I wished it would do for the first time. We had lost enough.
Luckily, it was not long until I ran into Leonard, who was fighting a behemoth along with my brother Caden.
What the fuck, they were blown off the ship this far?
I mean, no one else was there. If the thing they were fighting was not immortal, it would have probably not been a big deal for Leonard to take down. Night loomed over us, allowing him to use his power to the full extent.
His icy blue orbs shined slightly when the blood of our fallen comrades pinned the beast onto the floor. It seemed it was a recent conquer. Caden scanned his surroundings, seeing if anything else came for them.
Well, something rushed at them, but not what they expected. Instinctively, I jumped from the shadows of the forest and into the pinned beast, only to cinder it upon contact. My power had finally awakened to its fullest potential.
Vera's sacrifice completed me. I was finally whole, allowing myself not to feel the blowback. Like I did back before, Vera merged with me. No matter how many of the beasts I slew, I would not get tired. No, the more I fought, the stronger I got.
Fenrir's power was slowly seeping into me, too. My true self... Valdios's other half. Fenrir was not weak at all. No, he was the god that created all Lycans in the image of his brother. While Valdios was chaos, Fenrir was order.
The one who would come up with all the crazy plans and somehow keep his brother in check.
We were always meant to be, weren’t we? One can’t be without the other.
His feelings were finally catching me, too.
We were made together too. And will always be.
After killing Edna, memories from my past life shine through with every shadow beast I destroyed.
Midnight… No Midna, like I used to call you. Fuck…
Even in my other life, I came up with stupid nicknames. It seemed we were closer than I realized. She was…
My one and only friend. I’ll accomplish your wish... well, my wish. That book won’t harm anyone else!
My body gave off a strong purple hue, triggering flames to cover me. I remembered fragments of my past life. It was as if a movie was being played in my mind. Just like a movie inflicts emotions, it did so for me. At times, I was angered, others overjoyed. Those fragments were also the key to…
I never was good at fighting but... Fenrir was. He was extraordinary. Valdios could not beat his brother if he played fairly. His memories led me through every fight that lay ahead of me. Stances I never learned; it was as if my muscles knew how to do them.
Luckily, I was fit, or else I would have torn muscles. I never knew Fenrir looked more like me than his brother. I thought they were both Lycans. Even when Midna said it, I did not believe her. But she was right, Fenrir was like me. Ears and a tail like me. I was his spitting image.
The fragmented memories continued to flow through me, even when I turned the behemoth into ashes. Another shadow beast launched at me from the side, only to be caught by my hand before I realized it. It was a small dog-like being before it also was set ablaze.
Alijah always said people had different auras. He had always been more sensitive to it, but I was finally seeing what he meant. These beasts, I could feel their essence from far away. There were thousands around us.
Yet to summon weak ones like this. I was wrong about what Edna wanted. Thinning us was not the goal.
But if that isn’t it, then what is?
"Rem!" my name left Caden and Leonard’s lips in relief.
They were blissfully unaware of what was happening within me. Before I could say a word to them in the night sky, there was a blinding collision of red and blue. The aura from that direction was massive. One was unknown, but the other…
Valdios... No, Alijah...
Ignoring the two that I saved, I headed towards the collision. That was where Lilith must have been, too. She would pay for what she did to my soulmate. The rage I felt was on another level. She caused Alijah's suffering, if what Edna said was to believe. And I felt no deception from the witch.
No, she was baring herself wholly to me. Nothing that stood in my way lasted for long. Well, nothing other than a high-class ancient could stand its ground against me. And even then I would probably destroy it without a second thought, even if I lost a limb.
Nothing would keep me from Alijah. Screams filled the air since most of our comrades were being overwhelmed by the hoard of beasts that had poured out of the gate. To me, however, it was like slicing through butter. My old self took hold of me, and I gladly gave myself to him.
I knew, he would reunite me with Alijah no matter the cost. I never thought about why my memories were returning to me now. Even in their fractured state, they were so clear.
Ah… Did that witch? What’s your plan?
You and your children will protect… Her words rung in my mind.
I’ll never allow that!
I blitzed through the dead gods' servants that stood in my way, clearing a path towards my destination. Thanks to the old memories of my past life, I could learn that the soul cairn was mostly filled with beings that used to serve the gods than themselves. Before then, it was a theory, unconfirmed.
Though there were about one-hundred actual gods in there, including the creators of our universe. Eventually, I made it to the bloody river where I found Alijah, Dad, and Aiden, who collided with Lilith. She was freely using the soul cairn's power without a second thought.
Or at least that is what it seemed like. Whatever Edna did to make her body. It made her into one of a demigod. I did not understand why that thought had crossed my mind, but I would soon find out. My memories and mind were clashing with one another.
It did not help that Cain probably was one, too. This meant that fucking abomination that Edna created to free the book was probably something that was not human at all, too. It needed to be destroyed or captured at all cost that much I knew. And for that, I needed to get my hands on Lilith.
Without a second thought, I launched at an unsuspected elf. Her focus was on the wolves in front of her. I did not know if I wanted to kill her or capture her for information, but all I knew was that victory was in sight. A silly thing.
I should have been more careful. Suddenly, something blocked my attack from actually landing anywhere near her. Instead of living flesh, I found myself stuck to an arm of something that was not fully visible.
Instantly I regretted my action as a pulse of energy rushed through me the moment its skin met mine.
This power... it could have only come from... Shit!
Before I could retreat, it suddenly grabbed onto me with its other arm before bringing me to Lilith, allowing the surrounding others to notice my arrival.
"Ah... You finally joined us." Lilith scowled, triggering me to growl loudly.
The moment Alijah saw me in her grip, he seemed to lose it.
“Rem!” he screamed; voice full of desperation.
I could not gaze at him, though. He stood behind me.
"Fucking let her go!" my wolf snarled, almost launching himself towards her without a second thought to his safety.
Luckily, my brother grabbed onto him, preventing him from doing the same foolish thing I did. The thing that had me... was... A titan among the divines. One of the two highest mythical beings in the soul cairn.
A gulp was all I could do, feeling the enormous energy that radiated out of this being.
How the fuck did they…
"Wait, Alijah don't! You already saw what happened to Dad! It will happen to you too!" Aiden warned, holding my wolf down.
In my rush to find victory, I neglected to see Dad was clutching on all fours. However, Aiden's comment slipped by me. Little did I know Alijah's attack would have caused more damage. Harm, my rage, did not allow me to see.
I tried to focus on the monster that was in front of me. This was not the first time I jumped into a situation like this. The last time...
Ah… Not again. No!
The last time this happened, that god took Valdios from me because of my foolishness. Then again, I always had a hard time holding myself back from chasing what I wanted. That was right, it took Valdios's death to stop me in my tracks.
Was I going to be as foolish as this life, too?
No matter how strong I had become. Without Valdios help, I could not take this god down no. No, even his help would only…
"Be gentle, Orenz. Mother wants that luma alive. Though I don’t know why. I rather see her blood spill over the floor for taking my toy from me." Lilith scoffed at what was holding me.
I could not hold into my rage. Not even at the face of the father of all chaos.
"Your toy? He was never your toy! You fucking bitch! He was mine! He has always been mine, you fucking piece of shit!" I snarled, only to receive a tight squeeze from Orenz.
It caused most of my bones to crack lightly. A gasp escaped me, triggering Alijah to growl as I had never heard him do before.
"Shut up, luma. You should know your place. The only reason you’re alive is because Mother wants you to be." The elf huffed, peering towards me with those grey dead orbs of hers.
How... does she have this thing as her familiar?
The moment Orenz lightened up his grip, I siphoned Alijah's essence to rush through me. It healed my injuries faster than if I let it be. Aiden was right to be wary of moving against Lilith. Alijah had to stay away.
When pure chaos met itself, it would cause a bigger event where it could destroy everything around us. And the god of chaos himself was here. If Alijah did something…
Fuck!
If it had anything to do with how Ruzgard and Shade were connected to this world. Then he had no memories of his death or past life, making him an utter slave to his user.
Shit... We’re utterly fucked!
I could feel Ruzgard within me, using all of his strength to keep Orenz from invading my body. This was another thing I had to be careful of. Vera had thought of everything. I could feel her being my second wind. He kept not only my wolf in check. But also protected me from these beasts I clashed with.
A thing I had neglected to notice until this point. Though I did not know how long Ruzgard would last against Orenz’s strength. It seemed the curse Edna did to me when I was a baby made me into the right vessel to hold these gods within.
When Fenrir created my body using my mother and father, he never thought it would have led to this.
What a mess…
If Orenz possessed me. It would... No, I could not think of what would have happened. But it probably would have been the utter destruction of everything in the world. Here was Vera yet again, saving me and everyone else here. All while not even being there.
It irritated me, though. The thought that even though she was not there with me. Somehow, my sister was still protecting me from everything. Once again, I was powerless. In this life, I also lost a sibling.
Alijah and I seemed to be fated to endure loss. Though my beloved was always more than a brother back in my other life. Luckily, in this life, we were not related. Not that in our past we were either. Or parents were not the same. It was impossible for them to be.
No… we were born the same day at the same time.
Unable to figure out what had to be done to escape this situation. My eyes shifted to the side. There I remained, stunned by what they captured. A body was lying close to us. It was... Ben. My eyes widened, tearing up the moment I saw a massive gash in his abdomen.
All his innards laid on the ground too. He, surely... was... Noticing my gaze, Lilith followed it.
"Ah... Yeah, that Silver Fang. He got too close for comfort. Although I told mother I wouldn’t kill any of you. I couldn’t help it! It was a total accident." Lilith snickered.
It triggered Edna's words to be repeated in my head.
A loose cannon... This elf’s more than just that, you fucking piece of shit.
I growled again as my body glowed uncontrollably.
Wait… did she just say an accident?! How the fuck do you kill someone by mistake?!
One would think the curse was active again, but this was my thirst for blood. For a moment, in my rage, I forgot where I was. All I could think about was how dare she take someone else I loved.
It was a slip to allow myself to be filled with anger. I should have focused on trying to get away.
"You fucking bitch!!!!" I yelled, losing myself in the hatred.
The one thing that snapped me out was spikes of blood erupting from the ground. It caused Orenz to toss me to the side to protect Lilith from the incoming attack. Alijah quickly caught me midair. It should have filled me with happiness to be in his arms.
Yet I... wanted nothing more but to rip that bitch apart. Leonard followed me with Caden close behind, during my rampage through the hordes of beasts on my way here.
"Rem!" my wolf called out to me.
Sadly, my eyes remained locked on the bitch that probably ruined more lives than Edna's meddling did. Even though I was in his arms, my hate and rage were in full swing. I tried to peel myself off Alijah when he tried to hand me one vial.
He did not know I was safe. The dried blood on me did not help him stay calm, either. I should have listened to him.
"Rem drink this!" he worried about my wellbeing.
I also failed to notice how hurt he was. The scent of blood should have alerted me, but I had tunnel vision to my target.
"I don't need it!" I growled at Alijah, who refused to let me go.
Leonard kept his barrage of attacks coming at Lilith. Though she blocked them all with ease. All it did was annoy her. After all, she had a top mythical class god at her disposal. However, if he got close enough. If he got to her death radius, then...
Sadly, that would have been a suicide attempt. No one could hope to land a single hit or get near her when Orenz was around. I mean... Perhaps I could, for some reason, they wanted me alive. I had no time to explain to my wolf why I did not need the antidote that they were using, but it was not like it mattered.
All I needed was to attack her before she could move. With her gone, so would Orenz. I should have calmed down and allowed myself to be guided by my more experienced lover. But I could not hold on to my rage.
A quality Fenrir passed down to all Lycans. We were all tempered beasts.
"I don't give a fuck." Alijah growled forcefully, grabbing my chin, pulling me to meet with his lips.
He forced the liquid into my mouth with his own. Something that would have been a sweet gesture since it showed he cared for me. Sadly, it made me more irritated. The moment he pulled away, licking his lips at the bitter taste, I shoved him away.
The taste of blood in his mouth should have snapped me out of my rage, but I was too far gone. Fenrir never had a good way to hold on to his wrath once Valdios was gone. But he was not gone here. I should have thought clearer instead of snapping at my husband, who only cared about me.
"You fucking idiot! I told you I didn’t need it!" I snarled at Alijah, triggering him to flinch at the tone of my voice.
We always argued, but the venom behind my words this time around. It was too much for him to handle. Unable to stop, I turned towards Lilith, who seemed pleased by my reaction to the entire event.
No... Turned on by it? She’s... fucking insane.
Why Edna ever thought Alijah would have been happy with that harlot was lost to me. She deserved to be put down. Something I would try to do, but someone would beat me to it.
"Ah... Ali, how does it feel to be rejected." Lilith laughed, shifting her gaze to me.
At that moment, Leonard saw an opening that he took with little thought of anything else. A royal vampire’s death radius was anything between two to five meters. If one were caught in their eyesight, it was over.
With his blinding speed, he closed the gap between the elf and himself. In less than a second, all the blood from Lilith's body spiked out of her. Usually, it would only take a busted vein in the brain, but he would not take any chances.
In that instant, I used my magic to cause my sword that was stuck in Orenz's arm suddenly to spin, slicing through his arm. It caused the dead god to become visible to us as the sword came back to me. A screech of pain left his lips.
He was bigger than us. And unlike any other demon, he had a humanoid shape, too. One could call him a titan. His body was pitch black, while his eyes were deep blue, like every other shadow beast in the soul cairn.
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With that, Orenz fell back, along with Lilith's body. Leonard seemed drained from having used his blood control ability so many times that he almost fell onto his knees. But somehow stayed up on his feet.
Their ability required them to drink blood. Something dad had to accommodate back in the manor for the young vampire. I could not help but feel a wash of relief come over me. It was over. We killed her. Even if it was not by my hand, witnessing her death was all I needed.
Leonard slowly turned to me with a soft smile on his lips. I felt my energy finally slow down a bit. It was enough to realize the extent of my father's injuries were. His right leg was missing. Aiden ran to him, finally able to catch a break to do so.
Alijah stood behind me warily watching, our surroundings. Caden shifted his gaze towards Dad, who seemed to struggle with his injury. However, in a split second, everything changed. Energy erupted from where Orenz was instead of dissipating.
Before we all knew it, there was a hand sticking out of Leonard's chest. I stood there in utter shock, unable to stop what was unfolding in front of my eyes.
"Ouch... How dare you? That hurt." Lilith gibed, holding the vampire’s heart in her palm.
Shocked, I stood there, unable to believe my eyes. I was not the only one either. Everyone was. Tears dripped from my eyes, watching Orenz standing up from where he was. He quickly joined Lilith.
Leonard's eyes softened, closing for the last time. At that moment, something within me broke.
Impossible! She should be dead. The blood drained out of her and left for dead... How’s she standing? Ah... she isn’t a normal mortal anymore.
"Pity I wasn’t supposed to kill you either. But I honestly don't care anymore." The elf chided, trailing her hand on Leonard's face before pulling her arm out of his chest.
Before his body could hit the ground, Orenz shoved him away, only for Caden to catch him. Lilith still held Leon's heart in her hand when she softly brought it up to her lips, kissing it lightly.
Psycho!
"Pity you were such a looker, too. I would have had fun fucking you too." Lilith smirked, destroying Leonard's heart.
It triggered me to feel a sensation I thought I would never feel. Flames rushed to my sides before engulfing everything around me.
I’m utterly useless.
I failed to protect Leonard, even though he was right in front of me. Anger, hatred, and sorrow all filled my soul, leaving little room for anything else. Before I knew it, a burning inferno surrounded me. Midnight's powers had merged with Fenrir's to the point I went out of control.
Everything around me swirled. The energies that merged within me pushed past the limits my mortal body could handle. I reached towards Lilith, who was burning along with everything else. Alijah did not let this stand for long, though. I was unaware of everything else that was burning because of my rage.
The only thing I cared about was her. Not even the fact that my body was out of its limits. Any more and it would…
"Enough!!!" Alijah screamed, grabbing onto my arm, kind of like a switch that turned me off instantly.
His touch triggered me to fall to my knees, only for him to pull my limp body into his arms. Suddenly, all the flames dissipated to reveal everyone around me. Dad and my brothers were able to withstand them thanks to their ability to repel magic.
Luckily, they only had minor burns. However, Lilith and Orenz were scorched. Though Lilith got the worse of it thanks to her body being made of flesh. Even though it probably would have stopped everything, if Alijah had let it go on for any longer. My body and family would have been destroyed.
Ben's body turned to ashes thanks to my flames. Caden saved Leon's body from my flames. But the expression on my brother's face was one of pure horror. Even though vampires were the apex predators of the night, Leonard could not regrow a heart. He was gone.
They were both gone. Tears continued to rush down my cheeks.
"Leon..." I tried to reach for him.
My hand trembled, trying to do that simple gesture. Unable to do anything, Lilith suddenly snapped at me from where she was. Even though her body was so scorched, they still stood there... Somehow, she was still alive.
A homunculus was something else entirely. It seemed it did not matter how much damage I did. They would somehow heal it.
"How dare you do this to me?!" Lilith snarled.
This time, her wounds healed instantly. It was faster than any Lycan. Her clothes, though, did not regenerate. Because of that, her bare skin remained uncovered. Fortunately, Orenz could barely move anymore. My flames took a lot out of him, but it was not enough to send him into the afterlife.
He was probably beyond my power. Or perhaps it had to do with the fact that he was bonded to a summoner. Alijah held onto me dearly. He could not use his power against her while Orenz was around. His clash with her was probably what caused Dad and Ben their injuries.
Thus, we were helpless when she lashed out in our direction, intending to kill. In an instant, Orenz moved once again, charging a weird attack. One I had never seen before, but it was like the shadows themselves were about to engulf us.
It was aimed at Alijah and me. That was when I noticed how injured he was. He had a gash on his abdomen. It was slowly healing. His breathing was unsteady, too. Holding me tightly against him, he watched our opponents carefully.
However, suddenly, everything stopped when a man grabbed onto Lilith's arm, pulling it up.
"Cain!" she hissed.
It was the same blond man who stabbed and stole a kiss from me back when we first met Lilith. Just remembering that time brought an ache to my shoulder. But what was more worrisome was that he came from nowhere. Back then, he disappeared into the shadows, too.
"Enough, wench. You weren’t supposed to kill anyone here. You knew our mistress wished for no more death than needed. Especially for these mutts." Cain scowled at Lilith, gripping her arm.
She winced in pain because of his grip. Everything seemed to come to a stop thanks to the warlock's intervention. But it suddenly became a situation I did not fully understand.
"You were supposed to be with Vi—" Lilith complained, only for Cain suddenly to grab onto her face.
He slammed her against Orenz's body, who was frozen behind her. Everything about him was regenerating, too.
Wait… is his summoner…
"Shut the fuck up! You’re lucky I was fucking busy! Be grateful that you’re essential to protect the child! We’re retreating! Got it?!?" Cain ordered.
Lilith showed only fear in her face, nodding. Though it did not stop her from trying to reason with him.
"Please, they killed her! I think it’ll be better if..." Lilith gazed towards me, wanting to hurt me as I had done to her.
But the warlock who interrupted the fight would not allow her to speak any longer. He saw her as nothing more than a disturbance. A rogue piece that needed to be shown where she belonged. Edna had failed to do so, but he would not.
"Very well then. Would you rather die than serve your mother's last wishes?" Cain hissed.
His body radiated darkness I had not quite seen before, but it was like the portal he used to escape before. I thought it was Edna, but what if it was always this man?
Were they escaping again?
It was worrisome that I could not identify the magic he was using, too. This type of warlock was rare. So rare that they barely ever were known. So, there was no way I would know. But my father was quick to identify him.
“A shadow warlock,” Dad muttered, holding onto Aiden for support.
I knew I had to move to stop them, but my body felt sluggish. Not that it mattered. Alijah would not let me go, either. The way he clasped me against him was comforting, though.
There was no stopping these two today. I would have to let them go, without wanting to.
"No, I’m sorry!" Lilith cried.
Tears of fear ran down her cheeks. She did not want to die again. Yet she somehow had a worse fate than death coming to her. The terror in her eyes was real enough to warrant that.
Is Cain that powerful?
I mean, they were both homunculi. Or at least I suspected it so.
Just what the fuck did you do, Edna?
"Then let’s go before I decide you’ve outlived your usefulness." Cain coldly voiced.
The elf nodded, acknowledging his superiority. Everyone else could only stare at what was happening. We were utterly defeated. Yet most of us would always think of this as a victory. And I could never tell them the truth.
Turning towards us, Cain smirked at us. It caused Alijah to tighten his hold on me. There was blood coming from every part of my wolf’s body. Aiden seemed to have reached his limit along with Caden, who held Leonard’s body in his arms.
Anger… was truly a blind thing. Even though I still felt the rage, the fact I could not move allowed me to analyze better. I went out of control and placed everyone in danger. Leonard died because of my stupidity.
"Nice to see you again, pup," Cain gibed at me.
I was in no position to move after losing control like that. Not that my body allowed it. No, instead it trembled to think I would hurt my family instead of protecting them. The power needed to kill these two would be one that would destroy the surrounding area.
Alijah would probably be fine because of our bond, but... my family...
"Oh, and sorry for your losses.” The warlock paused, narrowing his eyes.
A sharp growl left my lips.
“Sadly, I can’t let you have this wench here just yet. One day, though. Perhaps if she doesn’t behave. I’ll serve her up on a platter for you." He smirked.
The tone in his voice allowed me to know he was not feeling sorry at all. It left me rabid again, but I could do nothing while my family was so close. Something he knew.
"Just yet?!? What—" Lilith started, triggering Orenz to remove the elf’s bottom jaw.
It all happened so fast that my anger suddenly dissipated. Pure shock replaced it.
These two are allies?!
Blood poured onto the floor when she wailed, reaching towards the missing mandible. The elf’s words were inaudible. Cain sighed, turning again towards her.
"You fucking failed to be a vessel. So, I let you borrow Orenz from me. Yet here you go fucking everything like always. You made our mistress break a promise today!” he snarled at her.
In her eyes, there was pain and fear.
“You know, the only reason you aren’t dead is that you have a fucking role to play. And you better do it right this time. I’m not kind, like Edna, Lilith. I’ll make sure you know your place." Cain scowled at Lilith.
Her wound healed from the moment she had been mutilated. The warlock then turned back towards me. Darkness consumed them, but not fast enough before I heard Lilith slip.
"If you weren’t her chosen lover. You never would have—" Lilith tried to say when her jaw came back, only for Cain to rip into her chest with his bare hand.
"If I pull this out," Cain seethed.
A sharp gasp left her lips, grabbing onto his arm. The show of power was insane. These two races were not like Lycan and vampires. Yet here they were, showing the same strength as speed as them.
"Please don't!" she begged the warlock before they were gone in an instant.
Before I knew it, I had lost more than I had gained by coming here. I trembled in Alijah's arms when his knees hit the floor. He still held me close to his chest. I had been so nasty to him before, yet he still held me the same way.
"I’m sorry..." I cried, noticing what my rage almost cost me.
He shook his head, pressing his forehead to mine. This wolf would never blame me for anything. Of course, he loved me. And he always would, no matter what turn I took. No matter how stupid my plans turned out to be.
He was always there and would always be.
"You have nothing to be sorry for, love," Alijah whispered, trying to not feel.
We were in danger, but I never had that ability. Emotions swelled, threatening to consume me. So, I sobbed in his arms. Nothing was resolved, nothing came out of this other than the death of others. And losing more loved ones.
But this was just what Edna wanted. Even if Cain said she did not want our family to lose any more. That did not protect the many others who lost something. She had to make sure this war was done. And she had done just that.
Only I know that this isn’t over.
Yet the thing that left my mouth was, “Edna’s dead. A-along with the book.”
Of course, it was between sobs. In a matter of seconds, everything was done. The beast had all been purged by my flames, along with anyone caught by them. That day I learned I was a deadly weapon, who could not lose itself to anger.
Something I would struggle with for the rest of my life. After all, I was a Lycan and the god of war. It was not long before the surviving ships looked for survivors that were scattered around. We were picked up soon after by another Lycan ship that survived the assault.
To everyone, Edna and the book were dead, which was what we had come for. Although it was a lie, I could not correct it. The book was not truly dead. Even though I wanted to let everyone know that this war was far from over.
That was something I had to hold on to until I was alone with my family. Though everything turned out for the worst. When I left that cave, I never thought we would lose Leonard and Uncle Ben. They were gone just like that.
In an instant, someone we talked to in the morning was gone again. And it was heart-wrenching. Even though I tried to fight the decision, their bodies and ashes had to remain in the Bloodfalls. All of the rescuers were focused on the living.
The moment we came on board the ship, I wobbled my way to Dad. Sobbing in his arms; he reassured me he was fine. It was as if he thought I was blind or something. Much like I had thought, Dad lost his leg when Alijah collided with Orenz.
It was the same attack that cost Uncle Ben his life. He pushed Dad out of the way of the chaotic wave of energy that erupted. Ben barely made it in time to save his younger brother's life. My brothers shook in their boots from the entire experience.
If it was in fear or anger, I would not know. We were not the only ones that lost something, though. Everyone had some type of injury or loss, ours was both. In this mock war, every race lost more than they bargained.
Some of the council members were dead, too. Jaxon from the moon elves, Jasper from the ocean elves, and Charles from the sun elves had gone down fighting in the attack. And all of this was for what? To make the people believe the book was dead. It angered me.
How... why did this have to happen?
Part of my family was gone, some injured, and now two boys were orphaned in a matter of days. I had no say in going back for Uncle Ben's ashes and Leonard's body. They all ignored me, saying the living mattered more.
It pained me to leave them there like that. Especially Leonard, who we had in our hands. My recklessness was the reason he died. A good man was lost. No, two good men were gone in a blink of an eye! And I... broke yet again.
Nothing ever went as planned but now. I lost two more precious beings. Unable to help it, I wept in Alijah's arms when the medics took care of Dad. Uncle Liam, who survived the entire ordeal too, barked orders to everyone.
Luckily, the bleeding stopped long before he made it up to the ship. Our healing abilities were one of the few perks of being a Lycan. Though his leg was nowhere to be found. It was probably ashes, thanks to my outburst. Though he never blamed me for that.
When the medics left the room, I broke and told everyone who was in the room everything. Even though I could not tell them about the bond the babies had with that beast. I told them everything else. Especially how the book was still somewhere out there. And how it had to be captured alive at all costs.
With all of the chaos that was going on, no one had the time to hear us. That was when Dad, even though he lost a brother, gave me a stern talk, reminding me of what I had to do now. Nothing else mattered but the two babies that waited for me to come back. In his words, they were defenseless and innocent.
He said I had no time to cry and bitch about what was happening. I had no choice but to move forward. At that moment, I dried my tears once again, steeling my resolve. He was right. We were not out of the woods yet. I had to keep moving.
There would be time to mourn, but the time was not now. When the ship landed back in Silverant, Mom was the first one on it. She was waiting for us by the ship Ben prepared for us to depart in. Slamming the door open, she bolted towards Dad, crying profusely when she saw his condition.
In response, he simpered, telling her he was back. She flew into his arms, triggering him to press his forehead against hers. Softly, he reassured her he was alive. In his arms, Mom found comfort in the sound of his heart.
She was still unaware of Uncle Ben’s passing. Something Dad would tell her later when she was more stable. I watched the moment of affection from my wolf’s arms. Noticing I was still here, Dad peeked at me, mouthing at me to go.
Holding back the tears that wanted to rush out of my eyes, I turned away from them. I fought the urge to run towards my loving parents. Yet I was frozen in place. They had always been there for me when others would dump their hybrid babies in Celestelia.
They were why I was where I was. Without them, I probably would have been some messed up being out there. Nevertheless, I needed to move towards my new destination without looking back. Uncle Ben told me this morning that there would be an airship for us at the dock when we returned.
One where Auntie Amelia was waiting by. Yet I was still frozen where I was. Noticing my hesitation to move, Alijah and Caden both grabbed onto my hands, yanking me out of there. It was probably the hardest thing they both ever did, but it was what I needed.
Once out of the room, I matched their pace as they led me towards where my fate was awaiting me. Melody and Sophia were reunited with Liam, who welcomed them with open arms outside of the ship deck. At least, not everything was lost.
The moment Auntie came into view, she smiled, happy to see Caden, Alijah, and me safe. However, that was when Amelia heard of her brother's demise too. It came from my brother, who thought she should know right away.
Even though there were tears in her eyes, her head stood strong as Dad did. She did not waver. Our family was full of fucking warriors. How I wished I could have been strong like them. Even though I was a god reincarnated, I was no match for their will.
Perhaps it was because I did not have the experience. Although I relived memories whenever I slew shadow demons, it felt like I was watching someone else's life. A fragmented movie that made little sense.
However, it also taught me much about what to expect in the future. At least the gods to watch for, though their names escaped me. Although one of the worse ones was already out of the soul cairn and into the hands of a crazy cult.
With a simple hug, Auntie gave us some enchanted bracelets we could use if we ever ran into trouble. She also told us how we could communicate with them with no one knowing. It would be through letters and a special phone line installed on the ship.
Though the latter would be only for when we truly needed them. After that, she sent us away, assuring us that everything was ready for us to go. When we boarded the ship, it seemed it was smaller than the normal airships. Though, I quickly learned they made it specifically for us.
In a week, they made this ship. A feat only the Silver Fang family could do. I did not admire the golden craft for long, though. No, I ran to the babies' room, letting Caden order the crew to go. He was more fit for the leader role than I. Well, for the time being.
The moment the ship was in the air, Caden got a faithful encounter with a beautiful human girl named Flora. A mechanic that worked in the ship. Not that I was there to witness it. Once in the babes' room, I cracked under the utter sadness that swelled within me.
My knees hit the floor, reflecting on everything I did. Alijah hugged me from behind, keeping me from tumbling down onto the floor, crying. I knew I had to be strong. So, I tried to not cry loudly since the twins were fast asleep.
I dreaded the day that I would tell them what happened to their parents. Even so, I would keep my promise to them both.
The twins will be safe until the day they can choose their paths.
It took a while for me to forgive Ruzgard, but he meant no harm to me or anyone else. Edna promised to not hurt anyone in our family to Vera. Yet it was a vow that elf broke again. The reason she was still around eluded me.
Even though I wanted to hunt for Edna's child, the person I wanted to kill the most was that bitch. She seemed to not care for shit other than her desires. A wild card, who would do no one any good. Sadly, finding them would not be a simple task.
In fact, it would all be down to chance. That much I knew. After all, Edna was good at hiding. And Cain surely learned from her. They also labeled his dark power as shadow magic. Its properties remained unknown, but it seemed something that only special warlocks could do.
It seemed eternal witches were not the only sub-race of witchcraft that existed. The males had their type, too. However, shadow warlocks differed from eternal witches. They were sought after in the witchcraft and human communities. But only one in a million would ever exist.
This made Cain special, even though he was a homunculus, too. Was that why Edna saved him? Or was there something else? I would not find out until much later than he… Well, after that battle, time moved forward once again.
Thanks to our quick movement, we stayed off the vampires' radar, moving from place to place. We could never stick to one for far too long. In the end, what helped us the most though was Mom's invention. She created a special radar. It allowed us to find out where shadow beast would spawn ahead of time.
There was only one in the world too. The only reason she created was so we could keep bouncing without intervention. It was also to keep my "Cerberus job" intact. When Mom first drew its concept, it was supposed to be used for Cerberus. But when she finished the device, she sent it to us with Caden.
After all, that was one reason Midna shared her power with me. Well, partly. Midna always wanted to come into my bed, much to Valdios annoyance. I guess that did not change in this life either. Alijah hated the fact she was part of me. This time though there was no way of undoing it.
And I did not want to. It did not bother me that she would be a part of me forever. Though, thanks to her, my official job was to release the trapped souls that came from the soul cairn. This also included those of the mortal realm. I could not stand to leave all those souls lost.
Plus, they would be so pushy that I honestly could not leave them be at all. Revenge for talking my ears out, I guess. The souls that were stuck in this realm were tricky to do, though. If I got too close to any of them, my magic would usually purge them.
Yet the ones who had strong regrets were a little harder. Kind of like the levels of the souls in the soul cairn. For these instead of slashing them, much like I would have loved it to happen, I had to listen to their bullshit before they were satisfied enough to move on.
And when I said bullshit, I meant it. Some of these fuckers were still around because they were so petty. One’s wife left him for another man, and he haunted her until her death. Guess who suffered the most out of that one. Spoiler, it was not the wife.
She lived her life, fucking the other man happily while he watched. Such a waste. All this time, instead of haunting her, he could have moved on to his next life. He also died because of an occupational hazard.
Alijah laughed at me when I told him that. He told me, if I did that to him, he would probably haunt me too. I stayed scowling at him the whole day. I was about four months pregnant when that happened. He had gone into a store for a craving I was having when I had that encounter.
Though there were others, such as the souls of children, who were not as petty. Feeling the life growing within me made me more aware of them, too. I guess my maternal instincts were flaring. Not that I minded them. Yet, I kept asking what if that was my child more often than I would have liked.
Loki’s fate weighed heavily on me, too. I wondered if that was Midnight's way of taking it out on me for rejecting her. Or if she was enjoying my pain from where she was. Some souls would take days of stalking me to move on, too.
Honestly, it was the worst job possible. But it was also the only one that would keep us moving while having full support from Cerberus. Not that dad would have abandoned us. But it would have been difficult to keep supplies for the babies and crew without their help.
At least Edna lied when she said she would link the gate to the world. Even so, the shadow demons continued to pour out into the mortal plane, making me a very busy person. It was at the same increase rate as before too. Sadly, after five months, the vampires were already aware of who the babies' father was.
By the gods did I wish Asher would have been one of the dead, but sadly, life was never easy. My pregnancy soon became more noticeable, too. I thought I would have a slim pregnancy by the rate my stomach was growing, but before I knew it, I was already almost popping.
Perhaps it was because I had always been extra slim, that by the ninth month of my pregnancy my stomach had quadrupled in size. Feeling odd since the previous night, I felt the need for fresh air. I took a walkout at the docks with Alijah when the babies slept peacefully.
By now, I had told my wolf everything that had to do with my past life's memories and our current dilemma. Though, he cared little about it. Especially since it was him I was remembering. And it just made me love him even more.
And about the kids, we would figure everything out as we went. When out on the deck, I saw a wonderful sight. Caden was tripping over his words, talking to Flora. This girl had gorgeous brown hair with sparkly green orbs. Usually, I was left in awe of her.
They seemed to contain mother nature in them, and of course, she had exceptional breasts too. Her dark skin fit her so well, too. Why did every woman have to outdo me in the breast category, though? Even swollen because of the nearing end of the pregnancy, could not compare to hers.
Though Alijah said mine were perfect for him and that was all that mattered, but to be honest, he would not have cared if I was a man. So, every time he said that it made my eyes roll. I could not help but be jealous of those jugs. But it was cute to see Caden go for a girl without fearing to hurt his brother.
She also seemed flustered by his advances, making me think the feelings were mutual. Uncle Ben had given us an amazing crew to work with thankfully. And even though he was gone, I could feel him all around us. Everywhere I looked, I saw him smiling back at me.
We had grown into a giant family on the ship within the few months we had been together. One that grew with Thea. Yes, that same day, our baby girl was here. My water broke the moment I saw those two. Excitement for the future got me, I guess.
Of course, I had to steal the spotlight there too. Not that I meant it, but Caden’s sister complex quickly showed up once again. Not that Flora minded. No, she rushed to help me into the medic bay. Compared to my mother’s and Vera’s pregnancy, mine was a breeze.
I had little to no side effects, a blessing. But the birth was an utter nightmare. I thought I knew pain. No, I did not know it until that day. The cramps were the worst pain I had ever felt. And with pushing, thankfully, it was quick labor.
Within an hour of being fully dilated, Thea was born. At that moment, Alijah saw the world in her. It was a shift in his heart, one that would have a permanent print. She inherited his beautiful black hair and was a full Lycan, much like him. Luckily, no beast came during that time.
Though it was not like it would have mattered. After her birth, my wolf did not allow me to do much for the time I spent recovering from it. Even if a beast spawned.
"Fuck it. Let them deal with it." He huffed, wanting me only to heal.
Time did not wait for me to get a grip on anything, though. Before I knew it, Loki and Oswald were walking just a few months after my birth. I could not help but get teary-eyed when I saw their father in them.
Especially on Loki, while Oz had more of Vera's features. Hearing their adorable little feet hit the metal ground from the ship fulfilled me in ways I thought were not possible. I cared for the kids when I was not hunting down any shadow beasts. These moments could last weeks, up to months.
Though during our breaks, Alijah and Caden focus on finding any hints on where to find Edna's child. Of course, most leads ended in dead ends. By then, everyone on the ship knew what we were looking for. Mom and Dad would sometimes send us information from back home too, but nothing too crazy.
They never knew who was hearing or watching. Though, they were all still unaware of the bond between the twins and the book. On one of Caden's trips back home, though, they gave him a bracelet that allowed him to tell Mom where to create a gate for him. It would be something that changed our information game.
With it, Caden could go back home whenever he wanted, without us having to stop the ship and await his return. This helped in more ways than one. Especially when it came to seeing my family again. Although, I could not go to them, they surely came to me.
A little more than a year into our trip, Caden swooned the lovely Flora to his side. Most of the time, I would see them cuddling by the dock when the ship was in motion. Back home, Aiden had finally confessed to Sophie only to be rejected by her.
She told him it was not the time for relationships. It took him two more years after that to win her over. A true champ for not giving up. Dad got a prosthetic leg within months of his injury, but that did not stop him. Much like not having an arm never hindered Uncle Ben when he was alive.
Yes, when he was younger, he lost his arm in a battle. And that did not stop him from going into the fray with us every time. And it surely did not stop him from saving Dad. However, the one most affected by Ben's death was his long-time girlfriend, Tania.
Even though we missed him too, she had lost her partner. One she spent thirty years with. With his passing, she devoted her life to finding the woman who took him away from her. It worked to our advantage too. Wherever Lilith was, that child probably was there, too.
Not that she knew about it. The only ones who knew were those close to me. Though, the only thing the crew knew was that we were looking for a girl, who was connected to Edna’s coven. Not that it was a god. Sadly, it had to stay like that. No matter how close they got to me.
Even though I did not expect it to happen again. Though, it was not like Alijah and I were careful either. When Loki and Oswald were two almost three and Thea was a year old, almost two... I got another surprise in my belly. This time it was a boy, Leo, another little Lycan. I named him after the man who saved my life that day.
Alijah did not mind, since he was grateful to Leonard, too. This one though inherited my silver blood hair, instead of Alijah's, though he had some black spots on it. It made him utterly adorable with his polka dot pattern. Caden and Flora, who turned into his wife, also welcomed a baby girl, Lola, a little luma.
It was not long until they also welcomed a little boy, Uriel, a Lycan with silver hair and red eyes. Thanks to the burst of kids, Ruzgard turned into a babysitter when I was on the ship. There were not enough eyes for these toddlers. Somehow, someway, these kids would find their way towards trouble.
It was almost exhausting to keep up. I wondered if this was how Auntie felt when she took care of us. Even Alijah had a hard time with Loki, who started biting everyone on the ship. Luckily, his venom had not developed.
So, his bite instead of being an aphrodisiac was more painful than anything else. I always thought I would never experience a vampire bite, but this little guy was a serial biter. This was something normal for a vampire child to do.
Despite that, it was difficult to adjust what I knew to learn how to care for another race's needs. However, the words that his father once said to me were kept close to my heart. Mistakes were where we learned what was right and what was to be avoided.
Slowly and surely, Alijah and I adjusted to our new normal. Nothing healed wounds better than time and the smiling faces of our beautiful children. Even though I was surrounded by support and happiness, I still remembered what I had to do. The years would not erase that from my mind.
Loki and Oswald needed to be free from their fates, and that was something I would never stop trying to do. Even as time went on... Even as perspectives change. I would always hunt for the girl that Edna brought into this world.
And for the two monsters that threatened our world. Surely, nothing good could come out of their existence. That much, I was sure of. In my past life, I was right about my gut feeling. And there was no reason to stop now. Though, there was much I was still blind to.