Lord Of Beasts

Ethan and the supposed vampire stared at each other from opposite sides of the warehouse, neither one making the first move as the tension between them settled over the room.

One of them remained remarkably relaxed despite everything that had just happened, standing mostly naked with what remained of his clothes scorched, torn, and hanging from his body after the explosive flames he’d unleashed earlier had burned through much of the fabric.

Across from him, the woman stood several metres away, her posture far more guarded than it had been at the beginning of their encounter. Her mask no longer covered the lower half of her face, leaving her features completely exposed, and although she still carried herself with a strange confidence, the relaxed demeanour she’d displayed earlier had clearly disappeared.

Her slitted eyes remained fixed on Ethan, watching every subtle movement he made while a faint tension settled into her shoulders.

’Should I kill him?’

The thought crossed her mind as she continued studying him.

Meanwhile, Ethan was asking himself essentially the same question.

’Should I just kill her?’

He could very easily summon his beasts and overwhelm her almost instantly, especially now that he had a better understanding of what she was capable of. Between Wolfy, Talon, Spark, and Storm, there were several ways he could turn the fight overwhelmingly in his favour.

But he wanted answers.

And he would be lying if he said the woman didn’t intrigue him.

Unlike the racists outside, she didn’t seem like a completely depraved soul who simply enjoyed hurting people. There was something different about her, something that Ethan couldn’t quite place, and her abilities were interesting enough that he wanted to understand exactly what she was capable of.

On the other hand, he could see that despite her tension and volatile emotions, she was confident in her abilities.

That was the strange part.

’She goes from being amused to getting pissed and trying to bite my neck. But something about her isn’t normal...’

He laughed.

’Well, for one, she’s a fucking vampire.’

"Do you even have a Title, or are you some ancient bloodsucker who lived in a castle in Romania?" he asked aloud.

She didn’t answer his question and attacked again.

Somehow, she was even faster and stronger than before, as though she were deliberately testing the limits of what Ethan was capable of. Her body shot forward, crossing the distance between them in an instant.

Ethan reacted immediately, his transformed body moving on instinct as he met her head-on.

Their bodies collided in a blur of claws, fists, and rapidly shifting movements, each exchange occurring so quickly that the sounds of their impacts seemed to overlap. Ethan’s claws tore through the sleeve of her jacket, leaving several long rips in the fabric and exposing the tanned skin beneath.

She immediately responded with a vicious kick.

The impact caught Ethan squarely and sent him crashing backwards through a wooden support beam.

Crash!

The beam splintered beneath the force, sending fragments of wood scattering across the floor as Ethan’s body disappeared through the debris. He rolled through the broken pieces before planting one hand against the ground and springing back to his feet.

A small piece of wood had landed on his shoulder.

Ethan casually brushed it away, then his grin widened.

"Okay."

He cracked his neck from side to side, his golden eyes remaining fixed on the woman.

"Now we’re getting somewhere."

The woman’s dark hair had become dishevelled, and a small cut ran across her cheek where one of Ethan’s claws had managed to graze her, but she looked no less captivating.

’She’s hot, but she’s fucking creepy.’

Though that weirdly only seemed to add to her allure, especially since she was smiling, her fangs resting over her lips.

"Can we talk instead?" Ethan asked, grabbing his abdomen and pretending to be in much more pain than he actually was. As interesting as their exchange was, what she seemed to know was much more so.

Surprisingly, she nodded.

As soon as she did, he dropped the act and straightened.

"I’m sorry about your kangaroo friend," he began, "but I wouldn’t change anything about what I did, and he was kinda crazy if you ask me."

There was a dangerous flash in her eyes, then she nodded.

"Andrei’s passion was sometimes extreme, but he was a good man and died for our cause. His sacrifice will not be forgotten."

Ethan’s brow raised.

’Yeah, she’s definitely crazy too.’

But he planned on making the most of the fact that she now seemed willing to talk.

"So you are part of some cult?"

"Yes."

"And you know the truth about Gates?"

There was a brief pause before she answered.

"Yes."

Ethan’s expression became more serious.

"You know why they’re appearing?"

The woman’s smile faded.

"I know what I believe."

"Then tell me."

She stared at him for several seconds, almost as if searching Ethan’s face to determine something about him.

Then she finally spoke.

"Why do you think we have these Titles?"

Ethan frowned.

"What?"

"Why did the Gates appear?"

Her slitted eyes remained fixed on him.

"Why were certain humans chosen?"

She took another slow step towards him, her movements almost unnervingly calm considering the violence that had just taken place.

"Why were we given power?"

Ethan shrugged, slightly annoyed she had answered his questions with questions of her own.

"Fuck knows."

He gestured towards himself.

"That’s what I’ve been trying to figure out."

The woman smiled faintly.

"Perhaps the answer is closer to you than you realise."

Ethan sighed and responded with exactly what was on his mind.

"What the fuck does that even mean?"

It was becoming extremely frustrating how cryptic everyone was being, and getting answers from people felt impossible. But once again it seemed as though he wasn’t going to discover what he needed this time either.

Before Ethan could question her further, the woman suddenly turned.

Her body moved towards the centre of the warehouse, where the black and purple gate continued to shift ominously.

Ethan’s eyes widened.

"Hey!"

She ignored him.

Her footsteps accelerated as she approached the swirling darkness, her body moving with increasing speed as the distance between her and the Gate disappeared.

"Ethan Crowe."

She glanced over her shoulder.

For the first time, there was something almost playful in her expression.

"You were a fun opponent."

Then she jumped straight into the Gate.

Ethan froze.

Her body disappeared into the swirling darkness before he could attempt to stop her, and the last thing she did was give him a subtle signal to follow her. The Gate rippled for several seconds before gradually settling, leaving no trace of the woman who had just entered it.

His claws slowly curled into fists as he stared into the dark portal.

"You’ve got to be fucking kidding me."

Ethan stared into the Gate.

’I guess I’ve got no choice but to go into it too.’

Especially after what happened next...

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