Warning: This chapter contains scenes of explicit violence, death, and emotionally intense moments. Reader discretion is advised.
The rain fell with fury, blending with the sound of Rasen's hurried footsteps as he dragged Aisha away from the mansion. His grip was firm—almost violent—but she didn't resist. Her body trembled, not only from the cold of the storm, but from the fear that was tightening around her chest.
Upon reaching the edge of a neglected garden, Rasen let her go abruptly. Aisha dropped to her knees on the wet grass, the chill seeping through her skin."Look at me, Aisha," Rasen said, his voice echoing through the mist like a ghost's whisper.
He crossed the bike lane just as a cyclist approached in the distance. In a movement that defied all human logic, Rasen intercepted him, lifting the man as if he weighed nothing.
The man's scream was short-lived, cut off as Rasen slammed him to the asphalt. Aisha watched in horror as Rasen's fangs sank into the man's neck, blood spurting and staining the ground crimson. The most disturbing part wasn't the act itself—but Rasen's expression: a twisted smile, as if he was savoring every second.
"This..." Rasen muttered, letting the limp body drop, "...this will happen again and again. This body won't last much longer."
He turned toward Aisha, his crimson eyes glowing with a paralyzing intensity."If Kerens hadn't existed, I'd be dead by now." His voice was a bitter whisper. "I can't protect you, Aisha. You know that, right? If I get any closer… I might regret it."
Aisha held her breath as he leaned toward her, his cold hand gently brushing her cheek. For a moment, it seemed like the real Rasen was there, fighting to resurface."Don't look away from me," he whispered, a mix of plea and warning.
For an instant, Aisha saw in his eyes the reflection of the boy who once protected her from the world—the same sorrow hidden behind a mask of fury."What are you doing, Rasen…?" she whispered, desperate to cling to that spark of humanity.
Their breaths mingled. Rasen closed his eyes and, in a moment of weakness, rested his forehead against hers.
But suddenly, his strength failed him. His body collapsed onto her shoulder, heavy and cold like ice."Rasen!" Aisha cried, trying to hold him up.
He tried to push her away, but his trembling hands could barely move."Get away... I don't want your help!" he growled, though his voice lacked conviction. His hands clung to her as if terrified to let go. "If you help me now, I'll drag you into hell with me."
Aisha ignored his words and hugged him tightly."Shhh… I'm here. Everything will be okay," she whispered, her tears blending with the rain.
"It hurts… it hurts so much…" Rasen murmured before falling unconscious.
With great effort, Aisha carried his weight, staggering through the storm."You're heavy as a demon..." she muttered between gasps, forcing herself to move.
Suddenly, a blue energy began to emanate from Rasen. The light swirled around them, making the air feel dense. He opened his eyes abruptly, his gaze burning with a supernatural glow.
"My nature… compels me to want you. I can't suppress it anymore."His voice was a blend of plea and curse. His eyes screamed for help even as his actions betrayed him.
Before she could react, Rasen captured her lips in a kiss that started gentle, but quickly turned suffocating. Aisha struggled, pounding his chest, but he wouldn't let go. It was as if he was absorbing her very essence, a dark and inexplicable bond forming between them.
A sudden thunderclap tore through the sky, and a flock of black birds erupted like a curse taking flight.
Rasen pulled away, blood on his lips and madness in his eyes."Skiller…" he whispered in horror. "He found us."
He stepped back, his gaze full of confusion and despair."Remember this, Aisha… you're mine."
And like a shadow swallowed by the storm, he vanished into the rain.
To be continued...
The torrential rain seemed to wash everything away, but it couldn't cleanse the despair weighing on my chest. Rasen had vanished into the mist like a ghost swallowed by the night, leaving behind only the echo of his words and a crushing sense of dread.
"Rasen!" I screamed with all my strength, my feet moving instinctively.
A sudden movement stopped me. Skiller emerged from the shadows, his expression stern—but tinged with concern."Don't go after him, Aisha. Not this time.""Let me go!" I protested, struggling.
Skiller shook his head and pointed toward the mansion."Look."
I obeyed, though my heart refused to accept what my eyes saw. In the frame of an open window, Rasen's silhouette remained still. The rain enveloped him, his body trembling as if something was tearing him apart from within. Black liquid oozed from his skin, and tiny blue spores floated in the air around him. It was as if the man I once knew was disintegrating before my eyes.
"Those feelings must die here," Rasen murmured, his voice faint under the storm. "I no longer trust you, Aisha… only the daughter of the wolf. That's better."
Each word stabbed through my chest like a blade."Rasen, stop!" I screamed, my tears lost in the rain.
His body suddenly arched, and a guttural scream shattered the silence of the night. The air filled with a stench of sulfur—thick and nauseating. Reality itself seemed to tremble.
Then, with a violent burst, Rasen exploded into a cloud of shadows and spores.
I shielded my face instinctively, feeling the blast push me back. When the dust settled, a dark, pulsing cocoon stood where Rasen had been. Its surface quivered, and each pulse radiated a chilling energy.
"No… it can't be!" I whispered, hands trembling over my mouth.
Skiller grabbed my arm, pulling me urgently."Back away, Aisha! You don't know what could come out of that."
But I couldn't look away. Something in me refused to leave him.
The cocoon ripped open with a wet, sickening sound. A crimson spray gushed from its interior, staining the ground with thick, warm blood. From the torn membrane, a body fell.
"Rasen!" My voice cracked, a mix of hope and horror.
The naked body lay motionless, his skin glowing with an ethereal blue light. There were no visible wounds, and a soft scent of lilacs replaced the earlier stench. But something was wrong. His eyes remained closed, and his presence felt overwhelming—almost inhuman.
Before I could reach him, a child's cry pierced the air."Grandpa!"
I turned in horror and saw a little girl running toward the cocoon, her brown boots splashing through the pools of blood. Lionel tried to stop her, but she broke free easily.
"The man was glowing… he looked magical. I didn't understand why everyone was shouting. Were they scared of an angel?" the girl said aloud.
"No, no!" she cried, frozen in fear.
I rushed toward her, but Cristal appeared out of nowhere, grabbing my arms tightly."Stop, Aisha! You can't go near him.""Let me go!" I struggled desperately, but Cristal wouldn't let me move.
Rasen's eyes snapped open, and the blue on his skin lit up like a flame. His gaze—now hollow and unrecognizable—locked onto the girl. In the blink of an eye, he moved toward her, so fast that time itself seemed to vanish."Are you an angel?" she asked...
And then… the air changed.A freezing tremor surged through my body as the world fell into an unnatural stillness. What happened next unfolded so fast, my mind couldn't keep up.
—No! —I cried out, my voice ripping through the silence like a blade.
The little girl collapsed—motionless, unresponsive. Her small body was caught by Lionel, who wrapped her in his arms, trembling with desperation.
—NOOO! —my scream tore from my chest, but it was swallowed by the suffocating anguish around me.
I crumbled to my knees. Tears spilled freely, blurring the edges of a reality I no longer recognized. It felt like a waking nightmare—stitched into my skin and bones.Rasen stood frozen, his expression blank, detached… as if the real him had been locked behind that hollow gaze. As if he wasn't even there.
Blood dripped steadily from the cocoon, staining the earth as bluish spores spread outward, devouring everything in their path.Rasen's crimson eyes glowed—calm, eerily serene. A stillness that terrified me more than any scream ever could.
Aisha wrapped her arms around herself, shivering. This wasn't just grief—it was the void, swallowing her whole from the inside out. She wanted to scream, to rage, to destroy everything… but her body refused to move. Her soul had splintered.The part of her that believed in love had died with that little girl.
—What did they do to you…? —she whispered, unsure if she meant Rasen, herself, or the cruel fate that had chained them both.
—The daughter of the wolf… will bring the darkness.Her voice cracked into a whisper, lost in the rain—Vlkova dcéra.
Cristal let go of me, slowly retreating—paralyzed by horror. The crimson rain kept falling, hissing as it dissolved everything it touched.
Rasen took a step back. For a heartbeat, his eyes locked onto mine.
—illud quod sum, Aisha, —he whispered, the weight of his words sinking into my chest like a stone I couldn't lift.
And then… his form began to dissolve, fading into the mist that had birthed him. When he vanished entirely, the cocoon collapsed inward, leaving behind a dark, steaming puddle on the scorched ground.
I remained there—kneeling, broken, staring into the void.The tears still flowed, but the sobs were gone. There was only silence now.
—I couldn't stop it… —I whispered, barely audible—I did nothing.
The world around me felt colder, emptier.Rasen's darkness had devoured everything—Even the last fragment of who he used to be.
Nothing will ever be the same again, I thought, as my heart lay shattered… and the image of that child's final smile haunted the ruins of my soul.