Garen, Renrou's father, stepped into the fray, wielding a silver-bladed axe with fierce determination. His face was lined with deep worry, but his eyes were hardened with resolve. He swung the axe in a wide arc, catching Renrou's claws mid-swipe and sending the creature stumbling back with a snarl of pain.
Nicolas, breathless and dazed, looked up at Garen in shock. His mind struggled to catch up with what was happening, but there was no time to process. Garen stood tall, his broad shoulders tense as he faced the monstrous form of his son.
"Renrou!" Garen shouted, his voice raw with emotion. "Stop this madness!"
But the creature only snarled in response, its glowing eyes filled with unrecognizable fury. Renrou lunged again, his massive claws aimed straight for Garen. The older man sidestepped the attack with practiced skill, bringing his axe down with precision. The blade cut into Renrou's shoulder, silver flashing in the dim light. The Wesen let out a howl of pain, but it did nothing to slow him down.
Garen gritted his teeth, his face twisted with pain as he blocked another attack, barely managing to keep up with the creature's relentless ferocity. Nicolas watched in stunned silence, his heart pounding in his chest. His limbs felt frozen, unable to move, unable to help.
The clash between father and son was brutal, a heartbreaking sight that Nicolas could barely stand to witness. Furniture splintered and shattered as the beast barreled through the small room, its claws slashing through wood and metal like paper. Garen fought with everything he had, but Nicolas could see the toll it was taking. Blood trickled from a deep gash on Garen's chest, his movements growing slower, more labored.
Nicolas wanted to scream, to do something, but his body wouldn't respond. His legs trembled beneath him, his chest heaving with the weight of fear and exhaustion.
And then it happened.
Renrou's claws found their mark, slashing across Garen's side with sickening force. Garen cried out in pain, stumbling backward and dropping to one knee. The silver axe clattered to the floor beside him, out of reach.
"No!" Nicolas's voice cracked as he watched in horror. Garen, his uncle, the man who had raised him after his parents had died, was now at the mercy of the very son he had loved and protected.
The creature that was once Renrou towered over Garen, its claws raised high for the killing blow. The air seemed to freeze, the only sound the ragged breathing of the dying man and the low growl of the Wesen.
Desperation surged through Nicolas like wildfire. His mind raced, memories of his parents' deaths flooding back, the helplessness, the fear. And now, it was happening again. He was about to lose the only family he had left, and there was nothing he could do to stop it.
No! Not again!
His vision blurred, but something shifted inside him. A surge of emotion—grief, rage, and fear—swelled in his chest, growing stronger and stronger until it felt like it would consume him whole. He clenched his fists, his body trembling as something awakened deep within him.
Suddenly, the room seemed to darken, the atmosphere thickening as if the very air had turned against them. The firelight flickered violently, casting long, jagged shadows across the walls. And then, Nicolas's eyes began to glow.
Renrou's claws froze mid-air, inches from Garen's throat. The Wesen's entire body went rigid, its muscles straining as it tried to move, but something—some invisible force—was holding it back. The creature snarled, its glowing eyes wild with confusion, but no matter how much it struggled, it couldn't move.
Nicolas's breath came in ragged gasps as he stood there, his body trembling with the strange, overwhelming power coursing through him. He could feel it pulsing in his veins, flooding his mind. His eyes, glowing brighter and brighter, were locked onto Renrou, and the beast was helpless in his gaze.
Garen, gasping for breath, looked up at his son in disbelief, then turned his eyes to Nicolas. "What… what are you…?"
But Nicolas didn't answer. He couldn't. His mind was a blur of emotions, of confusion and fear. He had stopped Renrou, somehow. He had saved Garen.
' is this my power, ' Nicolas thought but felt extremely exited.
Nicolas can roughly guess that this power of his is somewhat similar to mental power. But other than this he couldn't make heads or tell about his power.
The fire crackled in the silence, casting an eerie glow over the broken room. Outside, the village was still. The Blood Moon hung in the sky, casting the world in a crimson hue as if the very night itself had borne witness to the horror within.
And in the center of it all, Nicolas stood, staring at the frozen beast that had once been his best friend.
***
The room was deathly silent. Nicolas, Garen, and the creature that was once Renrou stood frozen, their bodies like statues cast in the flickering firelight. No one dared move. The only sound was the soft crackling of the fire, and even that felt distant, like an echo in an empty void. Time itself seemed to have stopped, trapping them all in this nightmare.
Nicolas, his breath still coming in uneven gasps, stared at the motionless form of Renrou. His mind was racing, desperately trying to make sense of what had just happened. The overwhelming power he had tapped into still hummed faintly beneath his skin, but that was not what consumed his thoughts. His best friend—his closest companion—was now a beast, his body transformed into something monstrous.
'How do I bring him back? Can I bring him back?'