The Oldest Dream of Eternal Night
Chapter 51: The arrival of the Zodiacs

Chapter 51: The arrival of the Zodiacs

A tile whistled, grazing his shoulder. But Kaiser, on the ground, growled, barely paying attention in the euphoria of the moment: "I’m gonna die, and you’re just watching?"

Ben, snapping back to reality, slashed a Beta, his vampiric claws tearing into its torso. Ben’s speed was supernatural, a deadly shadow, but a Beta slammed into him, pinning him against a tree. "You’re fast, vampire," the wolf snarled, "but not fast enough." Ben retaliated, his claws sinking into the Beta’s arm, which let out a howl.

Hugo, on his knees, gasped for breath, blood dripping onto the ground. Jay stepped forward, towering over him, his mane blazing under the moonlight. "You’re pathetic," he sneered, the word dripping with contempt. "You’re afraid of what you are. Weak."

Hugo felt a burning heat rise within him. His bones vibrated, a beast roaring in his gut.

*Not like them,* he thought, suppressing the urge. He stumbled to his feet and charged Jay. His fist slammed into the Löwen’s jaw, a crack echoing. Jay stumbled back, surprised, but retaliated, his claws slicing into Hugo’s torso. Another gash opened, blood spraying. Hugo staggered, pain like fire in his veins.

"Hugo, do something, damn it!" Yuki shouted, dodging a claw. He sliced a Beta, but another slammed him into a rock. Yuki growled, his corrosive blood dripping.

Kaiser, exhausted, kicked a Beta away. "Great night, Hugo, you got us into this mess!" he snapped sarcastically, before taking a blow to the ribs. He collapsed, winded, a claw rising above him.

Ben, freed, charged the Beta, tearing into it before it could strike Kaiser. "Get your ass moving, man!" Ben growled, his voice raspy. He turned, seeing Hugo grappling with Jay. "Hugo, we’re gonna die if you don’t move!"

Hugo, cornered, felt the beast within him roar. The Betas tightened their circle, their growls filling the clearing. Jay, motionless, watched, a cruel smile on his lips. "Last chance," he said. "Submit, or you’re dead."

Hugo glared at the Betas. But Ben, Yuki, Kaiser—his friends, now brothers-in-arms—were fighting for him.

*Shit,* he thought. *I gotta do it.* He closed his eyes, letting the beast rise. His bones cracked, his muscles bulged. A primal, guttural howl began to build in his throat, shaking the air.

The Betas froze, their yellow eyes wavering, torn by Hugo’s emerging authority. Jay, for the first time, furrowed his brow, his confidence shaken. "Good," he murmured, his claws extending. "I’m ready for it!"

Hugo, veins black and pulsing, stared at Jay. His voice, raspy, vibrated: "You’re wrong, kitty. I’ve just begun."

Ben, gasping, chuckled despite the pain. "Damn, Hugo, you’re freaky like this!"

Yuki, getting up, growled: "Focus! We’re not out of this yet!"

Kaiser, still on the ground, muttered: "I knew you were weird, man... But now I don’t know what to say..." He swallowed another L-dopa pill, his reflexes returning. "Come on, let’s fight!"

The Betas, destabilized by Hugo’s howl, hesitated. Yuki seized the opening, slicing a throat, his corrosive blood making the wolf howl. Ben tore into another, his speed making him untouchable. Kaiser, doped up, plunged his dagger into a Beta, killing it with a novice but deadly strike.

But Jay stepped forward, his claws glinting. "You might be stronger now," he growled, "but I’m a Löwen. You’ve got no chance."

Hugo, blood flowing from his wounds, stared at Jay. He clenched his fists, his skin trembling.

...

Kaiser, on the ground, a Beta above him, saw a claw descend toward his throat. "Shit!" he cursed, raising a useless arm. A whistle ripped through the air. An arrow, precise as a scalpel, pierced the Beta’s eye. The wolf howled, collapsing, black blood spraying. A graceful figure landed in front of Kaiser, yanked the arrow with a sharp motion, and plunged it into the Beta’s neck, immobilizing it.

"Move, junkie!" a female voice snapped, firm but tinged with irony.

Kaiser, stunned, stammered: "You? It’s you who—"

Before he could finish, he saw Katrina, black hair tied back, crossbow in hand, staring at him, her amber eyes gleaming with serious intensity.

Another arrow flew, taking down a Beta charging Yuki. A second figure, hooded, leaped from a tree, landing with a roll. She pulled back her hood, revealing Kathy, her twin.

"You—"

"Shut up and get up," she ordered, reloading her crossbow.

Yuki, wiping blood from his arm, growled: "The twins? What the hell is this?"

"What are you doing here, Katrina?"

Katrina laughed at Kaiser’s shock, aiming at another Beta. "Dad trained us. We’ve been hunting Wunder since we could walk." She fired, the bolt embedding in a wolf’s shoulder, which leaped back howling.

Hugo, grappling with Jay, dodged a claw, punching the Löwen in the flank. Jay roared, shoving Hugo with a paw, sending him rolling into the mud. "Argh, you’re annoying!" Jay spat, his golden eyes gleaming with contempt. Hugo gasped, blood dripping from his torso, but he rose, his black veins pulsing.

Ben, freed from a Beta by Kathy’s shot, charged another, his vampiric claws slicing its back. "Hugo, hold on!" he shouted, his voice raspy. He dodged a claw, tearing into a Beta, but another slammed into him, making him stagger.

Katrina, from a tree, yelled: "Move your asses, guys! We can’t do everything!" She fired again, taking down a Beta targeting Kaiser. Kathy, on the ground, impaled a wolf with a dagger, her movement fluid like a deadly dance. "Five left!" she called, her tone calm contrasting with the chaos.

Kaiser, standing, doped up on L-dopa, plunged his dagger into a Beta, growling: "I’m not cut out for this, damn it!" He dodged a claw, but a blow sent him crashing to the ground. He spat blood, his smirk intact. "Okay, that wasn’t bad."

Yuki, whirling, slit a Beta’s throat, his corrosive blood steaming. "Focus, Kaiser!" he growled, dodging an attack. He leapt onto a branch, threw a blade that caught a wolf in the eye.

"Four!" Hugo, facing Jay, felt his strength falter. The Löwen was too strong, too fast. A claw slashed at his shoulder, making him scream. "You’re nothing," Jay roared, advancing.

"Ballless like your father." Hugo, enraged, retaliated, his fist slamming into Jay’s jaw. The Löwen recoiled, but sneered, its wounds already healing.