Ghost Wolf

by Brandon Chen

  The werewolf reached out and grabbed one of the iron bars, squeezing it, grinning wickedly. The metal creaked as it was crushed by his powerful grip. “I know that these silly chains won’t be able to hold you. But I am not a cruel overseer, as you were. I will not keep you surrounded in a cell of silver. Instead, I will return here every night at midnight, and I will break you as I have done tonight. Don’t worry, though; as long as I don’t strike your flesh with silver, you’ll heal quickly.” He heard footsteps approaching from the dark corridor behind him. Glancing over his shoulder, he glared at Junko, who emerged from the shadows. “What do you want?”

  “It would seem that your two prisoners have escaped,” Junko said, folding his arms. “This is what happens when you do not follow my advice. You should’ve killed them while you had the chance.”

  “What?” Faelen barked, wincing at the news. “They are surrounded by at least a thousand werewolves in the citadel! Where are they now?”

  “Battling off your horde of beasts in the Lower District,” Junko said.

  “How is that possible?”

  “The boy is rather skilled with that sword of his. He’s probably killed a hundred of your werewolves in the past hour. The werewolf with him must’ve given him a Phoenix Heart. He is in complete control over himself,” Junko said, his arms folded over his chest, nodding at Beo. “I would stop them, but I exhausted all of my magic battling Beo. You head after them, and I’ll stay here and keep watch.”

  “Damn it all!” Faelen roared in frustration, sprinting down the corridor. Yuri has slain a hundred werewolves? He recalled the boy’s agile movements when he had been dodging Asmund’s attacks earlier that night. He’s taking advantage of his enhanced werewolf strength. I spared him because I thought he would become like the rest of these mindless creatures. Archerus had another Phoenix Heart to spare? The beast swore under his breath. I was going to wait a day before I executed those mongrels. It looks like their heads will be mounted on my wall a little earlier than expected.

  Druid of the North

  Yuri grunted, spinning around as he cleaved a werewolf in half with a clean swing of his sword, the blade whipping around like an untamed whirlwind, cutting down multiple beasts around him. The boy was on the rooftops on the Lower District, drawing the majority of the werewolves’ attention away from Archerus, who was sprinting through the streets on his injured leg. Luckily for him, the werewolves followed their instincts and were focusing their attention on Yuri, since he was currently the bigger threat, having slain well over a hundred werewolves.

  Free running on the rooftops had never felt so smooth and easy as with Yuri’s newly obtained werewolf powers. The boy hopped from building to building with ease, skipping gaps effortlessly. In fact, he could completely leap over the entire street with his current strength if he wanted. Not that it really made any difference if he did. These werewolves were actually faster than he was, despite his augmented attributes. However, their attacks were so predictable that battling them was not difficult. The only real issue was their numbers.

  Having gained the attention of a majority of the Lower District, a myriad of werewolves now chased the two fleeing prisoners. Countless beasts dashed on the rooftops after Yuri while several of them were in the streets chasing Archerus. The two escapees had pushed their way through most of the city already, but the number of werewolves kept increasing. It was already a miracle that the duo had not been overwhelmed and killed yet.

  Archerus lashed out with his claw, opening the throat of a werewolf that scampered from a nearby alleyway. He charged forth, his breathing heavy. His eyes were trained on the gigantic walls that surrounded Horux. That was their final obstacle. “Once we get past the walls, we’ll be safe!” Archerus yelled, ducking as a werewolf pounced towards his head.

  “That so?” Yuri yelled back, thrusting his blade into the chest of a beast that was in his path. Tearing his sword out of the corpse, he continued sprinting forward. “I’m pretty sure these guys will follow us outside of the city,” he called as he rolled onto another rooftop.

  “Trust me, we’ll be fine!”

  Yuri located an enormous scaffold that was near Horux’s main gate. He could use that to get to the top of the wall, instead of having to cling to Archerus’s back again. “We’re almost there!” he said, suddenly stepping onto a weakened part of a roof. His eyes widened as the tiles beneath him gave in and the entire roof collapsed inward, causing him to lose his foothold and fall into an abandoned warehouse. He grunted, landing hard on a wooden box that was crushed underneath his weight.

  The boy gasped as a werewolf dropped upon him from above, and quickly rolled away before it could stab its claws into his flesh. Crap, they’re all going to catch up to me now!

  Yuri scanned the gigantic warehouse in an attempt to find an exit, but he couldn’t see past the crowds of werewolves that were now falling around him. He swallowed hard, holding up his sword as he retreated into a corner, his back pressed up against a wall. There’s no way that I can fight my way out of this one.

  The wall behind Yuri suddenly exploded. A werewolf tore its way through the wood, grabbing Yuri by the arm and sinking its fangs deep into the boy’s shoulder. Blood soaked into his shirt as he screamed in agony, instantly causing the rest of the beasts to rush forward towards him. Yuri gritted his teeth, biting back his pain, and swept his sword outward, the blade causing the werewolves to halt their advance. None of them wanted to be struck by silver.

  Yuri swung his elbow backward, smashing it into the werewolf behind him with superhuman strength, sending the beast rocketing back through the hole in the wall. The warrior winced at the raw wound in his shoulder and watched in horror as the werewolves all suddenly blitzed him at the sight of watching one of their comrades being hurt. One of the werewolves tackled Yuri, pinning the boy to the ground. It dug its dagger-like teeth into Yuri’s forearm while other beasts began to bite at his legs.

  Unbearable pain erupted all over Yuri and tears welled up in his eyes as he cried out in anguish, wishing that someone would come to his rescue. He didn’t want to die like this … being eaten alive by countless werewolves. That was when an image flashed into his mind. It was a memory of him watching Asmund transform. Watch powerlessly as you lose your friend.

  Faelen was right. Humans were feeble, weak … powerless.

  Yuri’s eyes suddenly turned from their turquoise color to a shining violet, and his teeth began to sharpen. The werewolves suddenly lifted their heads from the bleeding boy, watching with surprise as Yuri’s body began to morph into that of a monstrosity. Black fur, the color of night, sprouted from his skin, and his nails lengthened into claws that were sharper than swords. His spine cracked as it arced and elongated, causing his shoulders to snap forward. Within moments, he went from an ordinary teenage boy to a ferocious werewolf, his bloody linen shirt tearing apart.

  Rage coursed through his veins and instinct conquered his mind. Before he knew what was happening, he had lacerated the werewolves that were upon him with swift movements. He grabbed the beast that had pounced on him by the throat and quickly smashed the creature into the ground. Raising his foot, he squashed the monster’s skull under his heel.

  His brutish eyes gleamed with malice. All feelings of pain, fear, or guilt had been vaporized. Yuri felt nothing. It was odd; even though he was still conscious and had not fully succumbed to whatever bestial instinct called to him, he could still feel a separate presence telling him what to do. It was as if a malevolent entity had taken the reins of his mind when he had transformed.

  Yuri reached down and snatched his sword off the ground as werewolves rushed towards him. He tore his weapon through the air, mangling and rending his enemies with a barrage of fierce attacks. Yuri’s speed and strength were even better than before. He felt invincible. Covering himself in the blood of his opponents, Yuri was soon alone in the warehouse, surrounded by piles of corpses.

  Beasts that were standing on the rooftops watched Yuri
, noting his superiority, and were skeptical about descending into the warehouse to challenge the powerful beast. Yuri let out a ferocious roar in their direction and then turned away, dashing through the hole in the wall and back out into the streets of Horux. His violet irises suddenly turned back to their original turquoise color, though he remained in his werewolf form.

  Yuri blinked as he regained control of his body. He glanced back at the warehouse, bewildered by what had just happened. He was certainly glad that he was alive and had somehow escaped that precarious situation, but he’d felt very … different when he had first transformed. Certainly not different enough to make him wonder if he was losing control like the rest of these barbaric werewolves. But it was enough to make him question his own actions and whether or not they were truly his own. I’ll think about that later. Right now, I need to find Archerus and we need to get the hell out of here.

  Yuri spotted Archerus, already climbing the side of Horux’s outer wall, digging his claws into the stone as he ascended. Scrambling to keep up with him were dozens of other werewolves that were having trouble climbing such a height. Most of them had fallen, while a very few managed to keep up with Archerus, who was actually clambering up the wall at a fast pace despite his injured ankle.

  Yuri glanced down at the blood splotches that matted his fur, his arms and legs covered in bite wounds from the werewolves. It was odd; he didn’t feel the pain from the injuries as he expected he would. Instead, most of his body was just numb. That’s probably not a good thing.

  The werewolf dashed forward, taking off into Horux’s streets on all fours. Even though his senses had been heightened when he was in his human form, being a beast was completely different. All of his natural faculties were enhanced to the point where he could hear a person as far away as the royal castle if he concentrated hard enough. In this case, he could feel a particular murderous aura that filled the air. It was difficult to explain, but there was a certain atmosphere that surrounded a rapidly approaching individual.

  Yuri stole a glance over his shoulder, and his heart nearly stopped when he spotted Faelen springing from building to building, his malicious gaze searing into Yuri. He was the one with the malevolent aura. Swearing under his breath, Yuri increased his speed, sprinting as quickly as he could, clutching his silver sword in his teeth. Damn, damn, damn! I’m almost there! Faelen, what bad timing!

  “Hurry up!” Archerus boomed from the top of the wall, battling several werewolves as he waited for Yuri to join him. He swiped a beast across the jaw, knowing that he wouldn’t be able to hold this position for much longer. But he had no intention of leaving Yuri behind. “He’s going to catch up to you!”

  “I know that!” Yuri barked, a tingling sense tickling the back of his mind. He turned his head slightly and spotted Faelen descending upon him. He grunted, slamming his hind legs into the ground, cracking the floor beneath him. Pouncing like a frog, he leaped from the street onto the rooftop of a nearby building just before Faelen made impact.

  Faelen smashed into the street, shattering the ground with his god-like strength, creating a crater beneath himself with the force of his fall. He growled in frustration, glaring at Yuri as the transformed beast sprinted off. “You won’t get away from me!” Faelen roared, taking off after Yuri.

  At the sight of their pack leader, the other werewolves were spurred into action, once again pursuing Yuri. The horde of dark beasts glided over the rooftops agilely, surging towards the fleeing lone werewolf.

  Yuri saw that Faelen was swiping his right claw through the air in his direction. Even though Faelen was a reasonable distance away, Yuri felt a chilling shiver trembling through his body. But there was no way that Faelen would be able to strike Yuri from that range. Right?

  Jump. A word forged itself in his mind, dominating the countless threads of panicky thoughts that jumbled through Yuri’s head. The word echoed in his ears, almost sounding as if someone were ordering him to take action. Instinct took over, and he followed his mind’s command and sprung as high as he could.

  To his surprise, black energy surged off of Faelen’s claws and smashed into the building beneath Yuri. The structure groaned loudly before toppling entirely, crumbling to pieces. Faelen slowed to a stop, staring in bewilderment at Yuri’s action. The only way the boy could have avoided that magical attack was if he’d predicted the strike beforehand. Clenching his jaw with frustration, Faelen let out an irritated howl.

  Yuri had reached the scaffold along Horux’s outer wall and pounced on it, landing upon the wooden platforms with such force that the beams supporting the wooden structure cracked. Soon the entire scaffolding began to collapse, crushing pursuing werewolves that were climbing up after Yuri.

  The warrior grunted and leapt off the final platform of the scaffolding just as it was about to give way. He lashed out with his claws as he slammed into the side the massive wall. Digging his sharp nails into the stone, Yuri gritted his teeth as he began to climb vertically, with some difficulty. His clambering was neither as elegant nor as efficient as Archerus’s, but after several moments he had made it to the top. He stood still and panted, eager to catch his breath.

  Archerus shoved another werewolf off the wall and nodded to Yuri, jumping off the walkway, down onto the dirt outside of Horux. “We need to keep moving; we aren’t safe until we get to the forest!”

  Yuri nodded and was about to jump after Archerus when suddenly something tackled him straight off the wall and sent him tumbling through the air. The world spun around him, and he gasped as he slammed heavily to the ground, a sharp pain biting through his arm. His eyes widened and he tried to cry out, but it only came out as a hoarse wheeze. His vision was becoming blurry, and he could feel himself losing consciousness. The corners of his perception were blacked out.

  Visceral fear burned in his chest when he saw Faelen towering over him, the beast baring his blood-stained fangs as he glared down at the defenseless boy. Yuri grunted, attempting to move his body, but he was physically drained. His body didn’t listen and he lay still, watching Faelen as the werewolf reached down, ready to tear his arm off.

  “Damn it, Yuri!” Archerus’s muffled voice cried out. The werewolf dashed into Yuri’s line of vision and tackled Faelen, sending the two beasts sprawling in the dirt fighting for dominance. Hundreds of werewolves on city wall’s walkway watched their master slam Archerus to the ground effortlessly.

  “You should’ve run when you had the chance,” Faelen snarled. He was raising one of his claws to slash open Archerus’s throat when he glanced upward and grunted. A bright bolt of energy, which looked like a shooting star, sliced through the air and buried itself in Faelen’s chest. The projectile detonated, sending the monster flying backwards and crashing into Horux’s outer wall, sending clouds of dust sweeping out in all directions.

  Yuri groaned as he was engulfed by a wave of dust. He closed his eyes, feeling his consciousness slipping away. And then a word screamed out in his mind. Awaken.

  ***

  Yuri’s eyes snapped open and he grunted in surprise, finding himself in the room of his family’s apartment. The room was spotless, without even a single drop of blood on the wooden floorboards, despite the massacre that had ensued not a day before. However, the apartment was not empty. There was a small candle positioned in the center of the room, illuminating the darkness.

  Yuri turned to look behind him at the window, to see what time of day it was. Outside the window was a black sheet of nothingness. It was as if the room existed in a void of darkness. He reached one hand out through the open window, and felt a current of freezing air that did not belong to Horux. His hand felt as if it had just been dipped in the coldest arctic waters of the north.

  Withdrawing his hand in confusion, Yuri staggered back, his heart racing. Outside of this room it was terribly cold, but the temperature inside this isolated apartment was relatively average for a spring night. What’s going on here?

  Swallowing hard, he glanced around the
room and saw a door on the other wall. Skipping over the flickering candle, he tried the door, only to find that it was locked. Wincing in frustration, the boy gave the wooden door a swift kick to see if it would budge. It didn’t.

  A gust of cold air suddenly swept through the room and blew out the candle, immediately blanketing the apartment in darkness. Yuri’s back tensed as he felt the presence of something behind him. “Who’s there?” he said, unable to see the gray mist slowly creeping from the end of the candlewick. This small wisp soon transformed into a gigantic cloud that swept about the room with eyes that glowed red as a devil’s, watching Yuri as a starving beast would its prey.

  As soon as Yuri turned around, the mysterious smoke retreated, seeping into the cracks in the wall. The boy gulped, knowing that he felt the presence of something. He looked at the floor and saw that a circle was smeared on the floor in some type of purple liquid, a small star in its center. “What’s this?”

  “A portal,” a voice spoke from all around Yuri, causing him to jump with surprise.

  Yuri spun around, trying to pinpoint where the voice was coming from. “Why are you hiding from me? Show yourself!” he declared. He watched with disbelief as the smoke emerged from the walls, coming together to create a floating, demonic entity that towered over the young man. Yuri gaped at the being, pressing his back against a wall, as he met the monster’s glowing gaze. “By the gods, what are you?”