stance.
The nearest therion focused on Zane and pounced, leading with its massive claws and coming down in a vicious arc with its unnaturally large fangs gaping and snapping hungrily in anticipation of his flesh. Serena gaped as Zane hissed—baring his fangs as his face started to warp and shift and his tattoos glowed brighter—and pulled back his hand. As Serena watched, Zane elongated and locked his fingers like the tip of a blade and drove it into his attacker’s throat. As the beast’s momentum forced it downward, Zane’s hand sank deeper and deeper into its body and Serena watched in horrified awe as it collapsed to the ground with her ally’s arm buried inside it to his elbow. Slowly and methodically Zane withdrew his hand and tore the fallen therion’s still-beating heart through its chest and back out through the wound. Appalled by his own prize, he threw the organ to the ground and brought his boot down on it. Still convulsing and writhing in pain, the therion collapsed at that moment, finally dead. Seeing the ease with which Zane dispatched of their comrade, the others thought better of their plans and turned to flee.
“N -not… getting off—ahh! Fuck!— THAT EASY!” Zane roared, his voice growing deep and gravelly as the tattoos continued to glow. In the blink of an eye, he’d crossed the distance between them and cut off the remaining therions, easily ripping the head off of one as he lifted his hand in the direction of the other two and wrapping his aura—as it shifted unnaturally from blue to red; the same aura from the night before!—around them and pulling them off their feet. In the grip of Zane's inexplicable power, the two whimpered and writhed before the last of their life was choked from them, and he cast their corpses aside like toys.
Though the four were already dead, his body continued to convulse and twitch as he dropped to his knees, clutching his head and whimpering in obvious agony. Though worried, her concern for what was happening held her back; the mystery of what was happening to him—what he was becoming —too terrifying to approach.
After a moment his aura began to deflate and turned back to blue, and she dared the first step towards him. As she drew nearer, he looked up with exhausted eyes.
“What did you… y-your aura! It… it changed! That was you last night?” she shook her head, still not believing what she’d just witnessed. “H-how were you able to do that?”
“Because,” he looked over, his mismatched eyes shimmering brighter than ever before, “I'm not what you think I am.”
“ O kay! I’ll bite, Mister Wizard! If you’re not what I think you are, then just what the hell are you?” Serena asked as she followed Zane through the forest towards the city.
“That’s not really important right now ,” Zane answered quickly. Then, obviously wanting to change the subject, “I was sent to find you”—he looked over his shoulder at her with cold eyes at that moment—"by your father.”
“Wait! My father ?” she stopped and sneered, shaking her head, “Some nerve that asshole has to send one of his jerk-off lackeys out here to try and get me to come back to the clan! Screw that and screw you!” Serena pivoted on one heel and started back towards her cabin. “Tell the old man to go die and rot in he—”
“He is dead!” Zane’s voice was low and even, but there was more than enough venom and malice in those two words to sink into Serena’s heart.
Though she was sure he’d seen the shift in her posture at the news, she kept her back turned. “I don’t care!” she lied, hoping it sounded convincing enough, “Do you think that’s going to make a difference?” She cried out, the feeling of guilt piled in her stomach even as she spoke the words.
Zane stepped in front of her as she started to storm off again, his body shaking as though he were having some sort of seizure. Eyes widening in surprise, Serena backed away, noticing
The nearest therion focused on Zane and pounced, leading with its massive claws and coming down in a vicious arc with its unnaturally large fangs gaping and snapping hungrily in anticipation of his flesh. Serena gaped as Zane hissed—baring his fangs as his face started to warp and shift and his tattoos glowed brighter—and pulled back his hand. As Serena watched, Zane elongated and locked his fingers like the tip of a blade and drove it into his attacker’s throat. As the beast’s momentum forced it downward, Zane’s hand sank deeper and deeper into its body and Serena watched in horrified awe as it collapsed to the ground with her ally’s arm buried inside it to his elbow. Slowly and methodically Zane withdrew his hand and tore the fallen therion’s still-beating heart through its chest and back out through the wound. Appalled by his own prize, he threw the organ to the ground and brought his boot down on it. Still convulsing and writhing in pain, the therion collapsed at that moment, finally dead. Seeing the ease with which Zane dispatched of their comrade, the others thought better of their plans and turned to flee.
“N -not… getting off—ahh! Fuck!— THAT EASY!” Zane roared, his voice growing deep and gravelly as the tattoos continued to glow. In the blink of an eye, he’d crossed the distance between them and cut off the remaining therions, easily ripping the head off of one as he lifted his hand in the direction of the other two and wrapping his aura—as it shifted unnaturally from blue to red; the same aura from the night before!—around them and pulling them off their feet. In the grip of Zane's inexplicable power, the two whimpered and writhed before the last of their life was choked from them, and he cast their corpses aside like toys.
Though the four were already dead, his body continued to convulse and twitch as he dropped to his knees, clutching his head and whimpering in obvious agony. Though worried, her concern for what was happening held her back; the mystery of what was happening to him—what he was becoming —too terrifying to approach.
After a moment his aura began to deflate and turned back to blue, and she dared the first step towards him. As she drew nearer, he looked up with exhausted eyes.
“What did you… y-your aura! It… it changed! That was you last night?” she shook her head, still not believing what she’d just witnessed. “H-how were you able to do that?”
“Because,” he looked over, his mismatched eyes shimmering brighter than ever before, “I'm not what you think I am.”
“ O kay! I’ll bite, Mister Wizard! If you’re not what I think you are, then just what the hell are you?” Serena asked as she followed Zane through the forest towards the city.
“That’s not really important right now ,” Zane answered quickly. Then, obviously wanting to change the subject, “I was sent to find you”—he looked over his shoulder at her with cold eyes at that moment—"by your father.”
“Wait! My father ?” she stopped and sneered, shaking her head, “Some nerve that asshole has to send one of his jerk-off lackeys out here to try and get me to come back to the clan! Screw that and screw you!” Serena pivoted on one heel and started back towards her cabin. “Tell the old man to go die and rot in he—”
“He is dead!” Zane’s voice was low and even, but there was more than enough venom and malice in those two words to sink into Serena’s heart.
Though she was sure he’d seen the shift in her posture at the news, she kept her back turned. “I don’t care!” she lied, hoping it sounded convincing enough, “Do you think that’s going to make a difference?” She cried out, the feeling of guilt piled in her stomach even as she spoke the words.
Zane stepped in front of her as she started to storm off again, his body shaking as though he were having some sort of seizure. Eyes widening in surprise, Serena backed away, noticing
Similar Books
