The killer stood right in front of me—bloody hair dripping over dark eyes, pale skin, red lips, and a handsome face. Beneath us lay Procyon's dying body, her yellow hair scattered like a shattered haystack, and her blood flowing from her nose and mouth like a river of despair.
My jaw dropped suddenly in shock. My chest didn't know which emotion to prioritize: anger and panic over Procyon's murder or the slow, creeping sadness that pierced my heart.
Procyon was the dearest pillar I knew, serving as my sister in the organization. She had guided, protected, and supported me through every endeavor to become a fully crowned breed.
On the other side of the story, Roan stood next to Procyon's body, his face splattered with liquid crimson, his hair tips dripping with sweat and guilt. In his steady, murderer's hand, he held a khanda sword—a double-edged straight Indian sword, one of the deadliest ever wielded. He breathed in the air as his eyes lowered upon me.
Rich tears began to drip from my eyes as my shaking knees gave way. I tried to pronounce Procyon's name, but all that came out was a hoarse, sickly sob. I held Procyon's hand, which had already grown cold.
Saliva, sweat, and tears mingled as intense moans wracked my body. With my chest tight, I clung to the body of one of my favorite pillars, embracing it like a lost child in the midst of war, unsure of who to trust.
At this moment, with tears streaming and emotions churning, I understood how much Procyon truly meant to me. Most people realize the depth of their feelings only when it brings them to tears.
My body deflected Procyon's helpless gaze as my thoughts returned to me. I was surprised. So close. My moans of agony grew louder.
"Kiera!" I heard Roen call my name.
That voice shattered my state of agony. My emotions, like rain trying to calm the ocean's waves, suddenly turned into a raging tempest. My angry eyes locked onto his.
I wanted to kill him.
Gradually, I fell next to Procyon's lifeless body. My heart raced, and I could feel every pulse in my veins. But now, I didn't feel the sensation I always dreaded when the takeover occurred—it usually consumed my body's strength until I lost my mind.
I didn't feel that. Instead, a strange calmness enveloped my heart and mind, but I sensed the energy of the persona weaving through every fiber of my being. I no longer felt pain; instead, my energy and power surged.
"I'm not going to fight you, Kiera. Not when you're on a takeover! Control yourself!" Roen warned as he withdrew a few meters from me.
"I am no longer the dark demon who steals the killing moment from Kiera, Roen. I am Kiera. Bonded with the demon, I am in full control of my body, my strength, and my power."
"I know. That only happens after a hybrid transformation. You've been through it. I know everything about it, Kiera. I have lived decades just to document everything about us!"
"How can you even utter 'us' when you have killed one of my friends?"
He remained silent, his grip on the khanda sword tightening. He swallowed hard, watching me with fearful, confused eyes.
"Why did you kill her? Why did you kill her?" I repeated, my voice growing steadier. Slowly, I rose from Procyon's lifeless body, my trembling hands clutching two daggers.
Because of my heightened senses, I knew that Kelvin and Rumina had also risen from behind me. Rumina stifled a sob, realizing it was Procyon's lifeless form sprawled on the ground.
"Rumina, Kelvin, leave this place," I uttered, my voice low but commanding.
"No!" Rumina's response was resolute.
"We can't just leave you here with this guy who killed Procyon. We are at—"
"I said leave this place!" I raised my voice, caring little for the pain I might inflict on their feelings. I couldn't bear to lose another ally today. "Leave!" My voice grew even stronger.
Then I heard the two speeding towards safety. The sound of dried leaves and twigs being crushed underfoot echoed through the night. After a few moments of just staring at Roen's dark eyes, the roar of an engine signified their escape. It was probably Kelvin and Rumina.
Good.
The wind whirled around the barren meadows, and the trees danced to the melody of agony that gripped my soul. Yellow and orange leaves descended like omens, as though foretelling someone's impending doom.
I waited.
Amid the rustling leaves and the ceaseless wind, I heard his calm, rhythmic breathing – the breath of a killer.
His eyes remained locked onto mine, his gaze unyielding. In his grip, the khanda sword gleamed ominously, a formidable ally in his grasp.
The relentless wind whispered through the desolate landscape as his voice cut through it, "Kiera, one last chance to reconsider. I am not your enemy!"
I paid him no heed, not to the murderer of my friend.
Then, as if the very air itself held its breath, I launched myself toward him, propelled by an unwavering determination.
The dry leaves I passed through seemed to momentarily defy gravity as I closed in on Roen, swift and unrelenting, a force of nature.
He remained unmoved, standing tall as his sword hovered menacingly in front of him. His grip never wavered, even as the pain began to etch lines of agony on his face.
As I sprinted closer, my left foot propelled me into a graceful sidestep, allowing me to pivot around the hybrid standing before me. With remarkable speed, I thrust one of my daggers toward his left thigh before swiftly moving behind him.
Roen let out a pained grunt as the blade cut into his left leg, blood welling up from the wound. The agony was etched across his features, but he held firm.
I had struck some major nerves, but it didn't deter him from fighting back. Once again, he swung his khanda sword, the tips of his red hair dripping sweat and determination. With a swift, backhanded slash, he aimed to take my life.
I gracefully evaded his attack, shifting my weight from my lumbar area to my upper body. I leaned backward smoothly, narrowly dodging the blade's deadly arc.
With the sword momentarily halted, I launched myself forward again, swift and relentless. My dagger's blazing point found its target, slicing through his right leg. A rush of crimson poured from his thigh, accompanied by a searing pain.
But Roen's fighting spirit was unbroken. He swung his khanda sword once more, and our blades clashed, sending sparks scattering randomly.
The khanda sword sliced through half of both my daggers, a testament to their deadliness.
I swiftly disengaged, realizing the immense threat those blades posed. I leaped several feet away from the weakened hybrid, standing my ground and meticulously observing his every move.
I couldn't believe he had managed to keep up with me, considering the entity that now inhabited my body. There was something restraining him, preventing him from unleashing his full power.
"I have lived for decades as a hybrid, Kiera," Roen panted, the pain from his wounds evident. "You, on the other hand, are just a few weeks into your awakening. If my intention was to harm our kind, I would have easily killed you."
I stopped in my tracks at his words. My earlier suspicions were correct; he had held back his full strength to avoid killing me. I gritted my teeth, realizing the extent of his sacrifice.
"By letting me wound you, you were trying to tell me you're an ally?" I questioned, incredulous. "Now you're dying from blood loss!"
"Pain is a powerful means of gaining trust, Kiera," Roen replied. "If you think that your attempts to intimidate me scare me, you're mistaken. What I fear is losing control of my body and experiencing a takeover – much like all hybrids, including you, do. There's a demon living inside me."
"All hybrids have demons inside them?" I asked, my voice tinged with innocent curiosity.
"Mine has been dormant for over a century."
"Why is that?"
"Because I couldn't control it, much like you're doing now. My transformation into a hybrid was suppressed, and it likely caused the demon to accumulate power during that time."
"I imprisoned you for eight years in a chamber with no light. When I turned twenty-six, it seemed like all the anger and power of the demon inside me erupted after the eclipse."
"How did you return to your normal state, then?"
"It took five hybrids to suppress the demon and voluntarily rejoin my body to heal. It was a gruesome process, uncontrollable and terrifying. There are only three things I fear, Kiera: the demon inside me, Phelan's, and yours."
My heart raced at his revelation. Phelan's demon, his own, and mine – all of them struck fear into this hybrid who had lived for a century. Were they exceptionally powerful? Was this why I had been imprisoned by the urions in their organization, just like Phelan had been?
"Your legs..." I began to say, noting the injuries he had sustained.
Roen winced as he acknowledged my observation. "Don't worry. I can self-heal, though it may be slower than most hybrids."
I felt a sudden presence in the forest and tensed. Not an outcross, not an urion, and not a hybrid. Something else.