Despite her brother's cruel words echoing in her mind, Rachel's will to survive burned fiercely. She couldn't just sit there, waiting for whatever Levanzo planned. Her wrists ached from the restraints, but she twisted and strained, desperate to break free. The bonds dug into her skin, but she didn't stop. She would find a way. She had to.
In a hidden room, Levanzo watched Rachel through the cold lens of a camera, his eyes locked on her every movement. The moment she began pulling harder, he sprang into action. With superhuman speed, he stepped out of the shadows, his form materializing almost too quickly to track. His unblinking gaze never wavered as he approached, and his voice, barely a whisper, chilled her to the bone.
"Do you think you can escape?" he sneered. "You don't even understand what's happening here, Rachel. You've always been so... naive."
Rachel froze, her heart pounding as she looked up at him. "How did you get here so fast?" she gasped, her voice trembling.
Levanzo's lips curled into a cruel smile, but he said nothing. There was no answer—just an unsettling silence. His gaze bore into her, and she could feel the weight of something deeper, darker, behind his eyes.
"I've spent years planning this, you know," he continued, pacing slowly in front of her. "This city… this pathetic little city—it's mine. I'll take control, and no one, not even Alastor, can stop me. He's the real obstacle."
Rachel's mind raced as his words hit her, but the confusion only deepened.
"Alastor? What does he have to do with this?"
Levanzo's lips twisted into a cruel smile. "Everything. I want to ruin him. I want to tear down everything he cares about, piece by piece, until there's nothing left but ashes."
Rachel's stomach churned, but she refused to show weakness. "And me? Why me, then?" she demanded.
Levanzo's eyes darkened. "You… you're part of it, Rachel. Don't you see? Your brother is key to something I need—a power, a resource, something Alastor doesn't even understand. The pieces will fall into place when I have everything. And you, my dear, will help me unlock it."
A sense of dread gripped Rachel's heart, but it was more than fear. It was the bitter realization that everything, her brother's betrayal, Levanzo's target on Alastor, had led to this point. Levanzo didn't just want to control the city. He wanted to dismantle Alastor, break him, make him lose everything. Rachel, in his mind, was just another pawn in his grand game.
Levanzo's smirk widened at the growing horror in her eyes. "And you're going to help me, Rachel. You're going to help me destroy everything he loves."
Rachel's mind spun as she tried to make sense of what Levanzo was saying. Her brother, the cult, Alastor, all tangled in a web she didn't understand. Was this really happening? Was she really supposed to help him?
"No," she whispered, shaking her head. "I won't help you. I won't help you destroy him."
Levanzo's expression hardened, his voice turning colder. "You don't have a choice, Rachel. You will. Whether you want to or not. Your brother's life depends on it."
Her heart sank. He was manipulating her, twisting her emotions like a puppet on strings. But why? What exactly did her brother have to do with any of this? The pieces didn't fit together. Not yet.
Rachel struggled to push her emotions down, trying to clear her thoughts. She couldn't let Levanzo control her, but with her brother's life on the line, could she truly turn against the cult? She didn't know what to believe anymore.
Outside the room, the sounds of battle raged. Crashes and shouts filled the air, growing louder with each passing moment. Rachel's heart leapt—Alastor. She could hear him. She could hear his voice, calling out to her.
"I'm coming, Rachel," his voice rang out through the chaos, firm and resolute.
The sound of his voice sent a rush of adrenaline through her veins. She wasn't alone. Alastor was here, fighting his way toward her.
But Levanzo was quick to react, his hand grabbing her roughly by the arm and yanking her to her feet.
"No more waiting," Levanzo spat, his grip tightening. "We're moving. Now."
Rachel struggled weakly against him, her legs heavy, her body drained from the emotional and physical strain. "Let me go!" she protested, but Levanzo's strength was overwhelming.
He dragged her down the hallway, ignoring her cries, the sounds of the battle outside growing closer. Her eyes burned with unshed tears, but she held on to the hope that Alastor was still out there, fighting for her.
Meanwhile, Alastor was carving his way through the ranks of the cultists with terrifying speed. His movements were fluid, almost predatory, his body pushing itself to the limit. As a Levanzonian, his physical condition was already far beyond that of a human, but tonight, something more was driving him. His rage, his need to protect Rachel, fueled him with the power of the stars themselves.
With every strike, he unleashed bursts of cosmic energy—constellations swirled around his hands, and each blast sent cultists flying across the room, their screams echoing in the corridors. He wasn't holding back. They had no idea who they were dealing with.
The tall cultist he had faced the night before appeared, holding something—the Starbreaker. Alastor's weakness. The very weapon designed to diminish his powers.
"You think that's going to stop me?" Alastor's voice was ice-cold, his eyes flicking to the weapon with disgust.
The cultist grinned, his hand tightening around the weapon, but before he could react, Alastor was on him. The stars flared in a flash of light as Alastor dodged the first strike, using the momentum to grab the cultist by the arm and throw him across the room. The Starbreaker clattered to the floor, out of the cultist's reach.
But Alastor didn't stop there. He pulled the cultist back toward him, the energy from the stars still pulsing around him. With a swift motion, he threw the man into the nearby wall, the impact leaving a crater in the stone.
As Alastor continued to plow through the cultists, the chaos outside grew. The air was thick with the sound of clashing bodies, and Rachel could feel it all around her. Her heart raced, her mind screaming for Alastor to get to her before it was too late.
In the distance, she heard his voice again—closer this time, stronger.
"I'm almost there, Rachel."
Her breath hitched. He was coming. He would find her.
But Levanzo, seething with anger, dragged her through the dark corridors, her protests growing fainter as he took her deeper into the heart of the building. Rachel fought, every ounce of her energy focused on getting free, but Levanzo was relentless.
Finally, they reached a door, and Levanzo threw it open with force. Rachel's heart dropped into her stomach. She was trapped, and the only thing keeping her from calling out was the terror of what might happen if she did.
But then, just as the door slammed shut behind her, Rachel's voice broke free, her desperation bleeding into the call.
"Alastor!" she cried out, her voice raw, "Alastor, please! I'm here!"
In the distance, Alastor heard her. And he didn't stop. He would break through anything that stood between them.