CHAPTER 247: Catharsis - 2

CHAPTER 247: Catharsis - 2

Hours later, the gala had ended.

The music had stopped. The lights dimmed little by little. The last guests left the estate amid empty goodbyes and promises no one intended to keep.

The castle returned to its natural silence.

High up, on the dark stone roof, Fenix remained crouched.

The night wind whipped his suit, carrying with it the cold of the mountain and the distant echo of a night that no longer belonged to him.

His eyes swept the structure.

Entrances.

Exits.

Blind spots.

Everything was clear in his mind.

The plan was simple.

Enter.

Eliminate Tedd Button.

Leave without being seen.

Without noise.

Without mistakes.

Without visible consequences.

He closed his eyes for an instant.

He breathed deeply.

And he stopped thinking.

When he opened them…

He was no longer the same.

His body began to change within seconds. The bones creaked, the musculature expanded, the skin tensed under the brutal transformation.

The suit gave way under the pressure.

The Uber Lycan emerged.

Bigger.

Faster.

More lethal.

A living shadow atop the castle.

And then…

Inside, everything was different.

Silence.

Warmth.

Normalcy.

Tedd Button walked down the hallway with soft steps, holding his daughter's hand.

The girl, no more than eight years old, yawned while slightly dragging her feet.

—Come on, champion —Tedd said with a tired smile—. Time to sleep.

They entered the room.

The place was decorated with soft colors, orderly toys, and drawings pasted on the walls.

A world completely alien to what was happening outside.

The girl got into bed while Tedd covered her carefully.

—Can I stay up later tomorrow? —she asked, with a sleepy voice.

Tedd smiled.

—We'll negotiate.

The girl made a small grimace, but did not insist.

He leaned down and kissed her forehead.

—Good night.

—Good night, dad.

Tedd turned off the light.

He closed the door softly.

And he walked down the hallway without knowing…

That death was already inside his home.

Tedd walked down the hallway in silence.

The house, now empty of guests, seemed bigger. Colder. Each step resonated slightly on the polished wood floor.

Then he heard it.

A noise.

Subtle.

A slight blow, like something shifting.

He stopped.

He frowned.

He turned on himself and walked toward the sound, with a growing unease in his chest.

He reached one of the side rooms.

The window was open.

The curtains stirred with the night wind.

Tedd exhaled, relieved.

—The wind…

He approached and closed the window firmly, securing the latch.

For an instant, he hesitated.

Something did not quite fit.

But he shook his head.

Too much tension from the gala, he thought.

Nothing more.

He headed toward the main room.

He lit the wood stove. The fire crackled, filling the room with warm light and dancing shadows.

He let himself fall into the armchair.

Finally.

Silence.

Rest.

He closed his eyes for a few seconds.

Then…

A sound.

A low growl.

Deep.

Unnatural.

Tedd's eyes snapped open.

He turned his head slowly.

Among the shadows, next to one of the stone pillars, something moved.

A figure.

Too big.

Too dark.

The fire partially illuminated its silhouette.

A lycan.

Over two and a half meters tall. Colossal musculature, eyes glowing in the gloom, claws that looked like living blades.

Tedd froze.

—No…

The creature lunged.

There was no time to react.

The impact threw him against the back of the armchair. The claws seized him by the neck, lifting him off the ground as if he weighed nothing.

Tedd began to scream.

A desperate scream, full of pure terror.

He struggled uselessly.

His hands tried to push away that monstrous claw.

—It's Enid! —he managed to say between gasps—. It was her, right?!

The lycan's eyes showed no reaction.

—I can pay you! —he continued, desperate—. Whatever you want! Money, power, contacts… anything!

His voice broke.

—You don't have to do this!

The lycan did not respond.

He did not hesitate.

He did not waver.

His jaws opened showing fangs sharp as daggers before closing on Tedd's neck with brutal force. The sound of bones being crushed resonated in the silence of the room, followed by a choked gurgle when the arteries were destroyed. Tedd shook violently for an instant, his hands trying uselessly to push away the massive head that was tearing him apart, but soon his movements became weaker until they ceased completely. His body remained inert, a bloody heap on the floor.

At that precise instant, the door of the room opened with a soft creak. A small girl, no more than six years old, entered running with a drawing in her hand, her eyes bright with joy upon seeing her father.

—Dad! Why is there so much noi—

Her words cut off when she saw the scene before her. Her gaze went from the motionless body of her father to the gigantic creature standing over him, its fur stained with bright red blood. Terror replaced the joy on her face as she stood paralyzed.

Without hesitating a second, moved by a primal instinct to eliminate any witness, Fenix turned toward the girl. With a quick and violent movement, he extended his enormous paw and pushed her with excessive force against the nearby wall. The dry sound of her neck breaking on impact was nauseating.

Fenix did not move.

The fire kept crackling behind him, projecting shadows that seemed to stretch longer than normal, as if they wanted to escape the scene.