by Fay Walsh
She wanted to fight it. She wanted to get away from this person. But, they laughed.
“You're in no position to get away my dear. This is the end, and you’re going to be stuck this way forever,” the person said.
She wanted Sven to find her, but she knew that they were in the middle of the forest. She then noticed a patch on the ground, one that was out in the open. As her body moved, she struggled to move her hands over to her neck, grabbing the locket and pulling it off. She then tossed it onto the ground, sighing as she looked at it.
“Here goes nothing,” she whispered to herself.
She felt her body move on its own at this point, falling into the arms of the kidnapper. She couldn't extricate herself from it, remaining at the mercy of this person, but instead of doing anything about it, she simply stood still. The person then smiled, looking at her with a smile on their face.
“This is so cute. You look so used, so tarnished, and I love seeing that,” she said to her.
She looked at the figure, and then, she felt her body jerk forward once again. She couldn't get out of this. She was a mess, a mess that couldn't extricate herself from whatever it was that this bitch was doing.
She then found her body moving, and after a little bit, she was on her way over to whatever this person was going to do with her. She just hoped that Sven could find the locket so that she could be saved, but even then, she wasn't going to hold out for that, and instead, she kept herself quiet, hoping that things would be okay.
Chapter 15
Sven rushed around, looking in all of her favorite spots. He had the other shifters keep an eye out for her, but it was no use. She wasn't here anymore, almost as if she vanished into thin air, and he wondered where she could've gone. He had a feeling that Laphy had something to do with it, but he couldn't find the exact place where she was, and that frustrated him further.
He decided to check the park again, not because he thought that she might be there, but he got the feeling that a clue was there, and when he got into the area, he noticed that the place felt different, a little bit more relaxed. He could sense that she left something here, or that a trace of her was here. He looked around, smelling for it.
Then, he noticed it. Her scent was here, and it was kind of recent. He quickly followed it, trying his best to figure out where the hell she was. After a little bit, he noticed something shining very slightly in the dirt. He went over there, picking it up and holding it in his hands.
“A locket?” he said to himself.
He opened it up, and it was a picture of Vicky and him. His eyes widened. They took this silly picture as a joke the first date they went on, yet here she was. She kept it on her because she cared that much about him.
He felt his heart race. He had to find her, even if it killed him. He held the locket up, trying to figure out what to do. He sniffed it slightly and looked ahead. This had to be her.
He waited a bit and, finally, he followed the scent. He noticed that the scent was getting stronger the more he smelled it, and that’s when he realized that she did this on purpose. She did this so that he could find her, and he was thankful for that. He wondered if she was thankful that he even had the power to do something such as this.
He looked about, trying to figure out what to do about the next fork in the road. It was then when he got a vision, one that made him stagger.
It was a forest, and it was a familiar locale. Vicky was there, but her eyes looked dilated like she was under someone’s sell. He realized where he needed to go. He quickly followed the scent, moving towards that location.
It was then when he realized the truth of this place, and why it looked so familiar.
This was where he saved her all those years ago. Back when he had stepped in to save her, it was here. He wondered what this might mean. He wondered what might come next, but he had a bad feeling about this.
He went towards the cluster of trees and looking forward. When he finally got there, he noticed Vicky was there, and he soon started to notice another familiar sight.
Laphy.
They were together. He looked at her, and she simply smiled.
“There you are. I’ve been waiting for you Sven,” she said.
“This is...”
“Correct. This is where you saved her, all those years ago but don’t worry, she’ll make quick work of you this time around,” she said to him.
“No, leave her be,” he said to Laphy.
“You really think I’m going to just do that? That’s cute, but you’re wrong Sven. This is payback for everything that you've done, for all that you’ve created,” she said to him.
“No… but why are you alive? I thought you died with Emilia,” he stated.
He could've sworn that she had died. Laphy laughed.
”Wow, you must really be stupid to think that. No, I’m here. Unfortunately, Emilia didn’t come back to life in the way I expected her to. I thought that she may live, but that little shithead friend of yours did too much of a number on her to keep her alive. So, she perished, but her name lives on. She entrusted me to make sure that I took care of all of the shifters making my life a living hell, you included. In fact, I’m starting with you, and then, I’m taking care of all of the other little bastards that come with this, because I don’t have time for your shit, and I’m ready to take care of everyone here,” Laphy said.
He looked at her, and then, he looked at Vicky. She stared at him with a blank expression, as if she didn’t even know who the hell he was. He sighed, realizing that she had been brainwashed or something.
“Vicky, can you hear me? It’s me, Sven,” he said.
“That’s cute. Do you think she’s going to listen to you? She’s under my control, and she will stay there, inactive until I tell her what it is that I need her to do. Until I tell her to kill you. Which is going to be so much fun! I can’t wait to see your dead body there, and her being the one who destroyed on you. Oh, it’s just going to be amazing!” she said to him.
“That's where you're wrong, Laphy. I’m going to save her. This was the place that I met her all those years ago, back before… before I realized my potential. I’m here to help her, no matter what the odds,” he said.
“I would love to see you try. I can’t wait to get rid of the first little rat,” she stated to him.
Sven wasn’t going to be killed. He would save Vicky, and he would make sure that she was safe and sound. He changed his form, lunging at Laphy, expecting her to not counter his attack at all, but she did, and a beam of light came out of her hands. She then changed into her own form, which was like a werelion sort of shifter, but she was much stronger than the other shifters he had to fight in the past.
He was pushed back by the beam of light, a small growl escaping his lips.
“What the hell was that?” he asked.
“That was my special attack. I had a couple of hidden magic powers, courtesy of some extra training. I've been waiting for the day to use them on someone, especially some stupid shifter that doesn’t stay out of affairs that he should know better than to get into,” she said.
He grimaced, realizing that this was happening, that he was going to have to fight this overpowered shifter. He tried to swipe at her again, but then, she tossed him back, causing him to get tossed right against the wall. He hit it with a thud, and he whined slightly. He couldn’t believe she was this strong. However, instead of moving forward, Laphy just laughed.
“Look at you. Pathetic. I knew that shifters tended to be weak, but you're the weakest I’ve seen,” she said.
“That’s what… you think,” he said.
“Oh, it’s what I know. You’re pathetic Sven, and honestly, I don't think I should even bother finishing you off. I think I’m going to let my little friend here do the honors,” she said.
He looked over at Vicky, who soon came to life. Her eyes were shining, and he definitely knew something was wrong. He looked at her as she came closer and closer.
; “Vicky, it’s me, your boyfriend. Snap out of this,” he said to her. He hoped that she might listen, but then, she moved forward, punching him in the gut. The force of it was stronger than what he thought she would ever give to her. He looked at her, and then, he sighed.
“So I’m going to have to beat you without hurting you. Fuck. You need to snap out of this Vicky. You’re a mess right now. Don’t listen to this person. They don’t care about you. They only told you those lies so that you could be used by them,” he said.
She started to march forward, moving much faster than in the past since she was under the control of Laphy. She continued to race towards him, a punch hitting him in the arm. He winced slightly as he felt the force of it, his body shaking slightly. How strong was she? How much power did she have due to Laphy possessing her?
She knew some shifters could transfer their power, and she was definitely doing that to Vicky.
Sven moved backward, trying to figure out what to do about Vicky. He didn't want to hurt her, but he knew that if things kept going this way, something was going to happen. He looked at her, his eyes wide and pleading.
“Vicky, stop, it’s me. Remember, I rescued you. I'm here for you. I love you,” he said.
But, she didn’t listen. She only moved forward, punching, kicking, and throwing her whole body at him with every attack. She had much more power than usual and that worried him. He didn’t want to have to hurt her, but Sven knew that if he didn’t find a way to make her snap out of it, things were about to get worse.
He blocked every single attack, hearing Laphy laugh at his misfortune. He wondered if there was any way to snap her out of this. Would he have to fight her? He figured that may be the case, and with every attack he was forced to block, he could see the lifeless look in her eyes. She wasn’t in control.
He looked at Vicky, noticing her dilated eyes, her lack of resolve, and her body becoming more and more relentless. She wouldn't be stopping anytime soon, and that’s what worried him.
He looked around to see if there was anything he could use. She was moving her body like it was on automatic, hitting him, kicking him, punching him. He fell back, feeling her hands on his chest, punching him like there was a wall there, one that he was unable to get away from.
“Vicky, stop!” he cried out.
“No. I can’t stop,” she said.
“Yes, you can. You don’t have to do this-”
It was then when he looked in her hands, seeing what she was holding. She had a knife in her hands, and immediately, Sven felt his body shift on instinct. He wasn't going to die here. He started to move his body back, changing into his bear form as he pondered his next move.
“You can't kill her, Sven, you don't have the guts to. You would never kill your precious little girl,” Laphy said with a sneer.
That’s what she thought, but if he needed to stop her, he would do whatever it took, and save all of them. He looked at Vicky, who was still not in control of her body whatsoever. If he needed to fight, then so be it. He would fight, and he would do what he needed to do.
He grabbed her arm, twisting it, and she cried out, but it was enough to get the knife out of her hand. He then watched as she bared her teeth at him, fighting Sven’s grip. He could feel his own resolve slipping. He knew he was hurting her, but he couldn't die here. He wouldn’t let her do this. He wouldn’t die by her hands.
He cared about her far too much to let that happen.
“Vicky, stop. You know better than this,” he said.
“That’s what you think! I can’t wait to kill you,” she said.
“And throw all of this out the door?” he said.
She was about to grab his throat, to choke him, or at least try to, when she stopped. She looked at the locket, snapping out of her state.
“Yes Vicky, you know who I am. You don't have to listen to her,” he said.
“I can’t… I can't win!” she said.
“Yes, you can. You’re better than this, Vicky. You're strong, and you have good resolve. You need to realize when to give up. You can beat her, you don’t need to continue this fight. It’s not worth it, at least for you,” he said.
“No… I must… I must fight,” she said.
“Remember what we had together. Remember our relationship,” he said.
She grabbed his chest, and he could see the look of disdain on her face, the bloodlust in her eyes, but then, she started to snap out of it, and he looked at her.
“Yes Vicky, fight this person. Fight their control,” he said.
“You won't win, Sven. Not with those words. She is still under my control,” Laphy snapped.
“Quiet. I'm trying to help, and you’re in the way,” Sven said.
The figure looked at him with a shocked expression, but he held Vicky, touching her face.
“Come on Vicky, it’s me,” he said.
She groaned, and he looked at her, feeling the fear of the moment grip his own being. The only thing he could do was survive, to dodge her attacks. He needed to figure out how to snap her out of it, and as he got closer, he looked into Vicky’s eyes, hoping this would work.
“Just let go. Don’t let her take control. She’s not the boss of you Vicky,” he stated to her.
He could see the grip on her consciousness starting to fade, and Sven knew that he was watching her slowly dissipate. He could see the signs of struggle. He didn’t know how much longer she could hold on, but suddenly, she fell unconscious. The control in her psyche was enough to knock her out. Sven held her tightly, checking to make sure that the force was gone.
“Sven...” she murmured.
“It’s okay. You didn’t know,” he said to her.
“I'm… sorry,” she said.
“Just stay put for now. You were under a spell. I'm sorry that it had to happen like that. For now, you should… you should stay put,” he said.
Sven felt his heart wrench as he muttered those words. He did care about Vicky, and a part of him wondered if she heard his outburst, the confession of love that he made earlier. She didn’t show any signs of understanding that, and while he was a little upset by that, he understood that she wasn't in the best mindset to respond. He felt bad that she had to suffer like this, but then, she smiled.
“Thank you... Sven,” she said.
“You're most welcome. I care about you a lot, and I only want what’s best for you,” he said.
“I know. I'm sorry that I was such a mess,” she said.
“Just rest. I'm going to take care of this mess. Don’t follow me,” he said.
She was about to get up, but Sven stopped her. He needed to do this on his own, and Vicky was still recovering from the effects of the brainwash. He sighed, trying to figure out what to do next. He knew that if Vicky did want to find him, she could, but for now, this was his fight.
He looked forward, ready to face his adversary.
“Alright, Laphy, if it’s a fight that you want, then it’s a fight that you're going to get. I'm going to take this somewhere else though. Because she doesn't need to be in this mess,” he said.
“How sweet. I guess you do really care about her. I definitely was expecting you to leave her, and show that you don’t care about her. How interesting,” Laphy said.
“She’s not a part of this fight. You’ve got a beef with the shifters, right? Then come with me. We’ll take care of this on our own. She needs… she needs to not be involved in our fight,” he said to her.
“Very well. Follow me,” she said.
She went into a maze of rooms and Sven followed her. He heard the sound of laughter behind him, and Sven knew that she had put guards up. It would be a fight between just the two of them, and she made it so that Vicky couldn't interfere.
The stakes were much higher. He knew their future, not just as people but as a clan, was based on what he did next, and that alone was what kept Sven moving forward, and what propelled him to move in the direction he was supposed to go.
Chapter
16
When Vicky came to her senses, she expected Sven to be there, but he wasn’t. She felt like a truck had hit her, and when she got up, she groaned.
“What the hell… happened?” she said to herself.
She wondered where he had run to. Suddenly, everything came back to her.
“Oh no,” she told herself.
She couldn’t believe she did all of that. That she attacked Sven like that. She blushed, realizing her foolish mistake. She wondered if there was any way to make it up to him, or if she was basically doomed to remember this mistake forever. She had screwed up, but at least she was realizing her mistakes.