The abandoned factory creaked softly under the cold wind that slipped through the cracks in the walls. A fine dust rose from the cement floor, illuminated by the pale rays of sunlight filtering through the broken windows.
In the middle of the main hall, Seth and Victor moved with wild grace. Rapid strikes, almost impossible dodges, strength combined with agility — their training looked like a macabre dance between fire and shadow.
In a corner, on an improvised couch made of old chairs and clothes, Lucas was awake.
He clutched his blanket around his frail body, his wide eyes drowning in fear and amazement as he watched the two fight.
It was hard for him to process what he was seeing.
Victor... had wings. Black wings, hard as stone, bursting from his back like living blades.
Seth... moved too fast for the human eye, and from time to time, the air around him seemed to vibrate, as if raw power was pulsing from him.
Lucas swallowed hard, unsure if he was witnessing a nightmare... or the beginning of a new reality.
With small, trembling steps, Lucas slid off the couch.
Every fiber of his being screamed at him to run, to escape the nightmare unfolding before his eyes.
But his gaze sought something else.
He sought refuge.
And the only person he instinctively felt he could trust... was Seth.
Victor, his demonized body hovering briefly above the ground, lunged toward Seth with brute force. His black wings whipped the air, and his claws tore through the wind like living swords.
Frightened by Victor's image, Lucas hurriedly moved toward Seth.
He walked hesitantly, almost crawling, his hands trembling.
— S-Seth... the boy whispered, his voice barely audible.
Seth, who had just deflected Victor's attack with a lightning-fast side jump, turned his head.
When he saw Lucas — scared, small, vulnerable — his instinct changed.
Without hesitation, Seth raised a hand, making a short gesture toward Victor.
— Enough, Victor. — his tone wasn't angry but heavy, a command forged from fire spoken by a leader.
Victor stopped in mid-air, beating his wings to maintain balance, then landed heavily on the cement.
He was breathing hard, his body pulsing with power.
But his eyes softened slightly at Seth's sight, obeying without protest.
Seth knelt beside Lucas and placed his hands on the boy's shoulders.
— You're safe now, he said, looking deeply into his eyes.
Lucas shook his head, still trembling.
— What... what is he? he asked, pointing weakly at Victor.
Seth sighed.
— He's Victor. — he answered simply. — But now... he's also something else.
— To survive... we must become more than just human.
Lucas looked at him in disbelief.
Victor, fierce and terrifying, seemed less and less like the man he once knew.
Seth gently squeezed Lucas's shoulders to reassure him, then stood up slowly.
He looked at Victor, who still kept his demonized form, threatening without meaning to.
With a clear yet gentle voice, Seth commanded:
— Victor... return.
A subtle wave of energy pulsed between them.
Victor bowed slightly, struggling within. His wings folded back into his body and disappeared under his skin. His claws retracted, and the color of his eyes slowly faded to a deep red, almost brown.
He breathed heavily, as if fighting his own nature was an immense burden, but he succeeded.
In a few seconds, he looked — from a distance — once again like the man he once had been.
Lucas watched him, stunned, but the fear in his eyes began to fade.
— It's okay now... said Seth.
But Seth knew he couldn't risk it.
He had to be sure of everything about Lucas.
And so, for the first time in a long time, he decided to use the ability he feared so much: Apex Eye.
He let his eyelids fall gently and took a deep breath.
The whole world seemed to crack before his eyes — invisible fractures, impossible colors, sounds that had no right to exist.
A translucent screen, like a shattered stained glass window, appeared before him.
The first name that stabilized into clarity was... Victor.
Beneath his name were details about his demonic nature, growth potential, and weaknesses that Seth hadn't had time to analyze yet.
But he didn't linger on Victor.
He shifted his gaze toward Lucas.
A new screen began to materialize.
And as the data started to form... Seth felt his blood freeze.
Lucas...
Lucas wasn't just a randomly saved child.
Beneath his fragile skin and fear, a dormant power pulsed.
He wasn't a creature yet. He hadn't been transformed.
But his potential... was devastating.
**Possible Forms:**
- Primordial Lycanthrope (pure-blood werewolf)
- Blood-Caller Vampire (vampire capable of commanding others' blood)
- Oracle of Ash (prophet of ash, extremely rare)
- Herald of Ruin (cataclysm-bringing being, latent)
Seth felt a lump in his throat.
Lucas was a latent weapon.
And if not raised carefully... he could become a calamity.
Seth clenched his fists, forcing himself to calm his breathing.
No.
He couldn't tell him. Not now.
Lucas was too fragile, too vulnerable.
The truth would shatter his mind, would make him fear not only the world but also himself.
The Apex Eye slowly faded from Seth's vision, leaving a dull pain in his temples.
He quickly wiped the fine trickle of blood from his nose and put on a mask of calm.
He bent down in front of Lucas and, in a soft voice, said:
— You're okay, Lucas. You're just tired. You need to rest. You're safe now.
Lucas blinked several times, like a small animal rescued from the side of the road, and slowly nodded, accepting Seth's words.
But Seth knew their time here was running out.
Any vibration of supernatural energy attracted other hunters.
Or other... darker things.
He rose abruptly, muscles tensed.
Victor, still trembling between human and demon, raised his gaze questioningly.
— We're leaving. Now.
Victor didn't argue. He rose silently.
Seth raised his arm and made a quick gesture, invoking a subtle explosion of energy that weakened the walls of a side entrance.
They quickly exited through a hidden corridor, Lucas clutching Seth's hand tightly.
Outside, the night was heavy, choking, with the moonlight shrouded by clouds.
In the distance, the abandoned streets of the city were filled with shadows.
Their time of peace was about to expire.