Chapter 84

- Narrator -

Evan wandered the empty streets alone, keeping his hood low and his eyes sweeping the desolate city for the sound that had torn him from sleep. The storm that had threatened earlier now pressed against the horizon, thunder rumbling like some ancient beast stirring in its slumber. Lightning crackled behind distant towers, casting strange silhouettes on crumbling buildings and flickering streetlamps.  The forecast had called for scattered thunderstorms.

POV: - Evan -

I didn’t mean to drift this far from the others, but something gnawed at the edge of my mind — a restless energy, a hum in the air, like the city itself was holding its breath.

I turned down an alley near the broken remnants of an old chapel. Cracked bricks lined the walls, windows shattered long ago, and smog from the sewers coiled around my ankles. The silence was heavy, like the world itself had frozen for a moment.

And then I felt it.

A shift in the air.

A sudden chill.

I spun around just as the mist parted.

Benjamin stepped out from the shadows, the hunger in his eyes unmistakable. His posture was loose but coiled like a predator ready to strike.

No words. Just a low growl.

Without hesitation, he lunged forward like a bullet, all fury and momentum.

I barely had time to dodge. Claws scraped the wall where my head had been. Benjamin struck again—faster this time. I rolled, slammed into a dumpster, and came up swinging.

We collided with bone-rattling force, fists and fury crashing together in a whirlwind of chaos. Benjamin, still in his human form, fought like something feral. My arms ached from each parried blow, and still I was being pushed back.

“You don’t belong in this fight, boy!” Benjamin snarled, eyes burning red, muscles rippling beneath his skin.

He hurled me into a wall. The concrete cracked behind me.

Blood filled my mouth. I staggered. "Then why are you so desperate to kill me?”

Benjamin didn’t answer. He lunged again, his movements a blur.

I ducked, slid beneath him, and slammed an elbow into his side. He grunted but barely flinched. I drew my sword and slashed across his chest. Sparks flew—but the blade met something harder than flesh.

His skin shimmered with demonic resistance.

He grinned, teeth sharp. "I’ve been waiting for this. You, alone. No waymakers to hide behind."

I knew that just my sword would have no effect in this battle. "Well, fists it is!"

Before I could move, he grabbed my wrist, twisted it, and slammed me into the ground. Pain like fire flared in my body. I kicked up and caught him under the chin, stealing his breath. I scrambled up and launched a blast of force from my palm. It staggered him—but not enough.

Benjamin’s form flickered. His eyes blazed entirely red now, the wolf spirit just beneath the surface screaming to be unleashed. His arms cracked and lengthened, joints unhinged, bones rearranging.

“I don’t need my full beast to kill you,” he growled.

He came in again—faster than before.

Our battle spilled out of the alley and into a courtyard behind the ruined chapel. The storm burst overhead, pouring rain and drenching us and the ground. Lightning framed our war in flashes.

He lunged again for another attack. I flipped over a bench and used the momentum to slam both feet into his chest. He skidded on the wet pavement but didn’t fall.

“Not bad,” he muttered. "But you’re still outmatched, kid."

I drew a deep breath and let my focus sharpen.

Remember what Duke taught you. Breathe. Flow. Strike.

I met his next charge head-on. We exchanged a flurry of strikes—each one powerful enough to shatter bone. I ducked a claw, rolled under a haymaker, and punched him in the gut with a burst of kinetic energy. The hit lifted him in the air a bit. Just enough to slow him.

I followed with a roundhouse kick to the jaw.

Benjamin hit the ground hard.

Upon contact, he laughed.

“I see the son is not weak after all. Just stubborn.”

“What do you know about my father?” I spat.

Benjamin rose slowly, blood dripping from his lip. “More than you ever will. He molded me. Broke me. Just like he did to your brother."

My chest clenched.

Was he baiting me? I hate to admit it was working. I wanted to know what he did about my brother death and why my father called the hit.

Benjamin surged forward again. I barely blocked the strike. He spun me and kicked me square in the ribs—I flew into a rusted fence. Metal buckled.

Vision swam, getting blurry.

I coughed and stood. My hand gripped the hilt of my sword—the last time I had not put my energy behind it. I drew it with a hiss of steel, the blade glinting in the rain, humming with spirit energy that danced along its edge like lightning waiting to strike.

"Let’s end this!"

I charged, sword slicing through the sheets of rain, its edge catching the stormlight like a flash of judgment. The first clash of steel rang out like a bell tolling for death. Benjamin met me with claws like iron, our collision sending shockwaves through the soaked courtyard.

I ducked his swipe and twisted, bringing my blade across in a clean arc. Sparks exploded as metal met his hardened skin. He growled and lashed out, his claws grazing my shoulder—tearing fabric, drawing blood, and ripping flesh. I endured the sting and pressed forward.

We circled, blades and claws dancing in a savage rhythm. Thunder cracked overhead, echoing the clash of our battle. I went low and swept at his legs. He leapt, landing behind me, but I spun, slashing a wide arc. He caught the blow on his forearm and struck with a burst of unnatural speed. I raised the sword in time, the impact jarring my bones.

He snarled. "You fight like him. Reckless. "Stupid

"And yet here I am, still standing," I shot back.

We exploded into motion. My sword was a blur, tracing silver and blue energy arcs as I kept him at bay. Benjamin moved like a storm embodied—raw. I adjusted, adapting to his wild, brutal rhythm, every movement guided by the years of training carved into my body.

I rolled past a clawed strike, came up behind him, and drove the blade toward his back—but he turned and caught my wrist mid-strike. His strength was monstrous. He threw me back, and I tumbled through mud and rain.

Before I could rise, he was already on me. I barely managed to parry, my blade ringing against his claws again and again. He pressed down, his face inches from mine, fangs bared.

"You’re nowhere near as strong as your father," he hissed. "You could never be him." 

"I never wanted to be like that man!"