The demonic howl continues, with its sound reverberating through flesh and bone, traveling through their body like a flood of fear and terror. Air is blown out of their lungs as their body refuses to breathe, their heart skipping several beats, at the high of anxiety, barely in control anymore.
Tyler falls to his knees, while Cain convulses on the ground, both at the edge of their resistance, dripping wet with sweat, eyes almost rolling to the back of their heads. Strength leaving their bodies, yet their hearts beat stronger than ever.
Without warning, the howl stops, yet its effect stays. Tyler holds his chest, grasping for any ounce of air his lungs can draw in, Cain on the ground, still like a corpse. They couldn't see Spencer, but he shouldn't be in a state different from theirs.
A demon had howled, way worse than whatever they could think of. They should get out of there. Gathering all of his strength, the blonde stands up, quivering and cold, despite his jacket and the sunlight.
"Guaaah… aaahaahaa… Guys…" With his lungs almost empty, the jock struggles to breathe and speak. As if a spark had brought him back to life, Cain sits on the ground, his eyes teary and with bags below them.
Looking back to see Spencer in a state like him, clutching his chest tight, and struggling to breathe. "Guys… we should get out of here. Now." The first to speak is neither the jock nor metalhead, but Cain.
His face looked like the one of someone who didn't sleep for an entire day. A howl, he has the powers of a dog. Despite the obvious implications, they felt— he should know more. Spencer gets up, although tired, he is more scared of what may come of their way than tired.
Staggering out of the alley, a strange vision lays out before them: A great number of goblins down on the ground, having seizures. Behind the little ones, a bigger green freak, with a strongman's physique is on its knees, unresponsive.
Contrary to the goblins on the ground, this one is dead, blood dripping from its throat. 'Maybe… the howl was for then?' A question without an answer. Shaking their heads, they exit the alley area, avoiding stepping on any green freak on their way. Imagine if the swarm awakes there.
Although Cain should be able to dispatch them, it is a theory they don't want to test, it isn't worth the price. They walk silently by the downed swarm, not even a word exiting their lips. More time to dwell on their situation.
'Are Cain and Spencer's family okay?' The blonde isn't close to his family, not in any meaningful way. Spencer liked his mother… "Did Cain ever talk about his family?" Things he wouldn't normally dwell on before, but now he has to due to the possible implications of all of this…
They manage to escape the horde of goblins without any problems. A horrifying sight is presented to them: dozens of goblin corpses, utterly torn to pieces, leaving a macabre scenery behind.
Unable to hold back, Tyler pukes upon seeing the scene, while Cain just stares with admiration. "The thing that howled left a hell of a scene behind." An understatement. Recovering, Tyler shakes his head, trying to wear off his dizziness.
"We can't walk on the bloody mess."
"Stop whining, Tyler… it is not like we have other options." Likewise, Spencer isn't okay with their current predicament, but there isn't much to do besides biting the bullet. Walking cautiously, to not step in any gore, or trip over and fall.
There wasn't anything to do, besides go past the gore scene. Surprisingly, there were not any people amongst the bodies, thank God for that. As they progressed past the massacre, the buildings were not as damaged as the ones near the store.
Yet, there are not any living souls there besides them. Looking behind them, the goblin horde soon grows smaller and smaller, until out of their sight. A silver lining. "Now that we are away from them… after the park, what are you guys going to do? I know Lawrence's parents live here…"
Despite knowing them for years, he never had the urge to talk about their families— half of the group had some intense familiar problems. It wouldn't be right to bring up these topics when they didn't want to.
The first to answer is Spencer, just as expected. "My mom is in France right now. If this shit is also happening there, she will survive. She is tough like that." For a moment, the despair and desperation left his voice.
Thinking about his mother, probably. Total trust in her skills and ability to survive. "Hmmm, dunno. Don't have any close parents besides my Old man." Vaguely, Cain answers. His words are more uncertain than Spencer's… well, better than nothing. "But what about you, jock?"
"... Nah. Only have my mother, and we don't see eye to eye." Unconsciously, his face sours. Some things are better left buried. "Oh… I see. Tough." Looking ahead, they all sigh. The weariness built up, the uncertainty of the future, what they saw.
Everything is almost boiling to the surface, but never exploding out. 'All of this is so frustrating.' The impotency, the fear. Only Cain has it easy because of his superpowers. Only if they all had powers, then they could've helped people back there…
No, envy would do them no good right now. Shaking his head, he continues, with poor Spencer barely able to walk, still tired. "I think… we need a true rest. Let's grab a few drinks and things from our supplies, yes?"
"I… don't think we have any other choice." The metalhead says, stuttering and gasping for air. They sit on the ground, with Cain and Spencer taking off the bags to pick a few things out of them.
They stay on the ground, drinking one can of energy drink each while eating bags of chips. Not the most nutritious meal, but the one they have at the moment. They stay a few minutes down, looking at the sky to see if the wyvern is anywhere near.
Luckily, it isn't. Standing up, they continue their path towards the park.
…
This is the craziest day of his life. From the moment he got up from the bed, the signs of catastrophe were clear. From the strange gacha's notification. The spam… from the strange smells appearing out of nowhere.
'Tyler, you are wrong. The powers were there from the moment I got up.' While the theory of his blonde friend was clear, it had some flaws on it. They may have not got their supposed powers yet, but his? They are here for a few hours.
The massacre of people, of goblins, was like nothing. Just another scenery and a matter of life. 'I wouldn't have thought this way before.' An after-effect of Barghest, probably. A hound that heralds the death of people— He brings and thrives in death. A clear message.
The smell of death is the most overwhelming thing about all of this. Before they had their meetup before the shit had hit the fan. The smell was and still is there. "Something bad is incoming."
Bringing this up wouldn't do anything good. Tyler is trying to forget all the shit he already saw, and Spencer is tired, and carrying a bag. "Yo, there is a storm coming our way" would do wonders for their morale.
If a storm comes their way, it is his duty as the strongest one to protect them. "Hey guys, what is that…?"
The sound of an explosion echoes, catching the attention of the trio. In the distance, a raging inferno of black flames rises towards the sun, in the form and shape of a wolf's maw. From the marrow of the bones to the last drop of blood in his veins, he felt it.
Cain is no dog, he is no wolf, yet his bare connections with them, are due to the Barghest. The inner beast takes over his body, putting him in the back seat. The knowledge of the black flames, their meaning, and to Whom they belong.
The Sovereignty of Royalty. The bloodline of the King of all Caniformia. The black flames that devour the sun: SKOLL. Without any real control, Cain knees before the black flames of the Wolf Prince.
'He… K.J really is—' The son of Fenrir. The sign of Royalty is clear. The darkness' maw rounds the sun, as if— No, it is eating away the sunlight.
"Cain, are you okay?" Tyler rushes to him, trying to help him.
It is for naught, his body won't hear him, or even move, without the prince's express order. "Shit, Cain, get up! Something noticed the commotion!" Spencer says, probably pointing at something he can't see.
'Wait. I know this feeling, the smell of death!' The smell of death, that had lingered since the start of the day, finally is coming their way, and he can't do anything about it! "Such shitty luck…"
"OWOOOOO" A howl once again echoes, drawn in by the black flames too, probably. Blood bursts out of their mouths, eyes, and ears, as they fill up with blood. Once again a wave of terror washes over them, but this time, the blackhound is unable to do anything, paralyzed.
Tyler and Spencer fall to the ground, spasming and screaming at the top of their lungs. Suddenly, being paralyzed isn't so bad, his muscles refusing the effect of the howl. As fast as it had come, the dark flames vanished, out of sight as the light of the sun shuns. The malevolent grasp goes away, control returning to him.
With freedom, the "barghest" sees what his friends are speaking about A great, white beast crashing down towards them. 'We need to get away, but how?!' A wyvern falling, with a giant black dog slashing and gnawing at its wings.
'I just need to get us out of the way!' Without a second thought, he holds the jerking bodies of his friends, almost a struggle due to their convulsion and lack of control— what ultimately doesn't matter, he has to get them all out alive first.
With a burst of strength he hadn't before, Cain leaps sideways with all of his strength, and the ground below his feet cracks and breaks under the pressure. Barely able to avoid the crash of the massive winged beast.
Like a plane crashing down, its massive body hits the ground like a solid projectile, moving away concrete and asphalt, cars, and anything that stands in its way. An immense dust cloud rises, blocking even his heightened senses.
Falling in a new position, relatively away from the Wyvern, his feet hit the ground at full strength, transferring all the strength and momentum unto them, making the leg joints crack under the pressure. 'Shit!' Not enough to outright shatter the bones, but enough to force him on his knees, with Spencer and Tyler still jerking slightly.
Even with the power of Barghest, this leap shouldn't have been possible, much less his legs resisting the impact, yet why did he manage to make it? Deep inside him, a second heartbeat echoes. Full of hatred and spite, rage and anger and a desire to protect him— 'The sovereignty of Skoll…'
This must be his way to tell them to be safe— to keep them safe. A way, only him out of the group has to know of K.J's will.
From his fingertips, black fire emerges. It won't last forever, he has to make good on the strength of the prince. "Cain… what happened?" The blonde asks, finally recovering part of his consciousness. Just in time.
"Tyler, when Spencer wakes up, runs. Run far away from here. The Wyvern fell, and it may rise at any moment."
Noticing his position, the jock blushes, before the realization dawns on his face, and the true meaning behind Cain's words: "We are in danger; I will keep it busy, so you may flee". In a mere moment, the blood in his eyes and ears stopped mattering, Tyler's eyes filling with worry.
"Cain, you can't do this!"
A bitter taste spreads over his mouth, and Tyler won't accept this arrangement. He is good like that. "I'm sorry, Tyler. We don't have any other option." Despite his new instincts and power, the heaviness, and the sorrow, creep into the tone of his message.
To stay and fight this dragon, even to buy time, is a death sentence, but one Cain will proudly carry on. "Tyler… Cain? Ugh, I feel like shit." This time Spencer awakes.
With Spencer also awakened, even if barely, the black hound puts his friends gently on the ground. "You two! Run away and don't come back! I will hold it off as much as I can!" Taking off the backpack, he drops it near Tyler.
The smell of death becoming unbearable. One doesn't need to see what the wyvern is doing to know it is recovering. A deafening roar explodes outwards, blasting away the dust cloud and straining windows with its force, making them crack, almost shattering.
It's roaring enough to wake Tyler and Spencer completely. Without the dust cloud to hide away the scenery, the degree of destruction of its fall is visible. The street was almost upside down, water spraying and leaking everywhere, and power cables were on the ground, unleashing deadly amounts of energy away. Some buildings almost collapsed, and cars were destroyed.
The beast's eyes pinpointed him. "You… marked by the Wolf Prince." At least this will make it easier to keep busy. Looking behind, Tyler already had put the backpack, his eyes tearing.
"It is impossible for me to escape it."
"Cain, I, we—" They don't need to make a needlessly long farewell, it would only hurt them. "Hey jock, run away and don't look back, okay? It is part of life. As long as you guys escape, everything will make sense in the end."
Death, departure, sorrow… grim topics for him before today, now are just a matter of fact. Helping Spencer stand up, both don't look back, running away as fast as they could, trying to avoid the damaged street. How far they could run, he doesn't know.
"Now it is only me and you, overgrown lizard." A white-scaled beast, big as a plane, almost with a royal aura, if not by its clawed wing. They are damaged, as if something gnawed at their skin and bones, breaking them. While not enough to stop them from moving, it sure as hell won't be flying around for a while.
'I will make good use of the strength you lent to me, Kyrie.' Claws grow on his hands and feet, black fire sprouting from his limbs. Cain dashes forward, like a black lightning rushing towards its target. Fire-coated claws meet steel-like scales, initiating a cacophony of sounds as they scratch against the hard scales of the Wyvern.