Welcome to Redwaters - 6. Chapter 6

Hadrian felt it deeply, the clock of his life was inexorably ticking away. He was trapped in that dark cabin, alone with Tucker. The gnawing pain that tortured him seemed almost eased by the prospect of finally uncovering the tragic fate of his friend Carolina.

His voice, barely audible, shattered the stifling silence of the cabin.

"What do you mean by 'she wanted to believe in love'?" Hadrian struggled to utter the words, his body weakened by the magic-deprived perimeter that was sapping the last remnants of the curse keeping him alive.

Tucker gazed at him with sadistic satisfaction. He didn't care about revealing the truth at this stage, knowing that Hadrian was losing himself in the throes of agony.

"The magic-free perimeter was designed by Carolina herself," he finally explained, his words resonating in the heavy air of the cabin. "She wanted to prove to her ex-husband that she wasn't controlling him with magic. By demonstrating that no spell could persist inside the perimeter, she dispelled all his doubts about her sincerity. Any supernatural veil would have been lifted by the absorption of magic in this forest. It was their secret refuge, a place free from any illusions, removed from the influence of her grandmother and they were the only ones who knew of its existence."

Hadrian stared at Tucker with a confused expression. While Tucker's revelations seemed truthful, they only added a layer of mystery to this dark case. The fact that Carolina had created this isolated, magic-free zone to meet her ex-husband without the supernatural artifices that could influence their interactions was now clear. However, it still didn't answer the crucial question: why was Carolina there that night? Her ex-husband had left town for France several years ago. Moreover, how had Tucker and his gang discovered the existence of this secret place and anticipated Carolina's presence that night?

Tucker suddenly walked to a corner of the room, opening a closet from which he retrieved a vintage flip phone, clearly dating back to the early 2000’s. He brandished it in front of Hadrian.

"What's this?" Hadrian asked, his intrigue lighting up his gaze.

"It belonged to Carolina" Tucker replied, a sardonic smile on his lips.

Hadrian shuddered. "Carolina's phone was found near her body, and all the calls she made or received were thoroughly examined after her death."

Tucker shook his head. "Not exactly. This is the secret phone she had for years, and only one person knew the number. Someone who returned to town a few days before her death and sent her a message that night."

Tucker turned on the old phone, clumsily navigating through the outdated menus until he found what he was looking for. He then handed the device in front of Hadrian’s face so he could read the SMS displayed on the screen.

The immortal, his vision blurred, struggled to decipher the message, which took him a few precious seconds. "Meet me in our woods, I have good news to share, I love you," he read in a low voice.

The message came from a contact saved as "Amour." Hadrian's heart tightened in his chest. "Amour" was the nickname Carolina used for her ex-husband, her eternal love, Fleur's father. Everything now pointed to him, suggesting that he had lured her into the woods that night and was therefore behind her betrayal and murder.

A sinister laugh escaped from Tucker's lips, a demonic melody in the face of Hadrian's astonishment. With a quick motion, he closed the flip phone, carefully hiding it in his pocket.

"You're beginning to understand why I called her stupid, aren't you?" Tucker asked with a cruel smile.

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Marsha gazed at Fleur with her enigmatic eyes. The young red-haired witch, held captive within the circle of magical crystals, was seeking a way to prolong the time, hoping to uncover the true connections that linked the mysterious woman facing her to her late mother. A palpable tension hung in the air as Fleur already feared that her interlocutor might decide to reap the fruits of the revelation that had partially illuminated the enigma of Carolina's tragic death.

"Tell me more!" Fleur suddenly exclaimed. "My parents had been separated for years before her death. Why was she in those woods that night? Who could have known she would be there, defenseless?"

Marsha impatiently rose from her chair, making the furniture vanish with a simple snap of her fingers. She walked decisively towards Fleur, her face expressing deep displeasure.

"This wasn't our arrangement, Fleur," she said sharply. "You wanted to find out why your mother created that magic-free zone near your house, and you got that. As far as I know, only your parents were aware of the existence of that place."

Fleur replied in a calm yet resolute tone : "But you were aware."

For a brief moment, Marsha appeared disoriented. "Excuse me?"

"Earlier, when I woke up, you told me that my mother confided in you about her intention to create such a place before casting the spell, and that you even tried to dissuade her..."

Marsha's previously impassive gaze showed a hint of uncertainty. Fleur had managed to shake her facade.

"Your mother and I were friends. It's not surprising that she confided in me." she replied.

"What's surprising is that you tried to conceal this information by claiming that only my parents knew about this place. Equally troubling is why you kept this information a secret all these years when it could have helped solve the mystery of my mother's death."

Marsha tensed further, while Fleur, resolutely, continued her questioning.

"What are you insinuating?" Marsha asked defensively.

"I'm just stating the facts, insinuations will naturally follow." Fleur replied with newfound confidence.

"I have no connection to your mother's murder." Marsha declared, wavering between anger and frustration.

Fleur persisted :"But you have everything to do with keeping information that could have contributed to its resolution secret. The lingering question is: why?"

Marsha, taking on a more aggressive tone, tried to deflect suspicion : "You're getting off track and shifting the focus. Your suspicions should be directed at the obvious culprit in this case, whether you want to acknowledge it or not: your father!"

Fleur was troubled by this accusation. Even though she had never held a high regard for the man who had abandoned her many years ago, she couldn't imagine her father playing a role in her mother's death. Was it even possible? Was that why he had disappeared from her life after Carolina's death, out of guilt or to avoid being caught? Fleur was now engulfed in a storm of doubts.

Marsha, on the other hand, spoke up, her hardened look expressing unwavering inflexibility.

"You want my opinion, Fleur? I believe that besides refusing to face reality, you're just looking for a way to evade your contractual obligations, which would be not only disappointing but simply impossible, I'm afraid."

Marsha conjured an empty syringe into the palm of her hand, holding it prominently as she fixed an inquisitive stare on Fleur. The young red-haired witch, overwhelmed by anxiety, was in a heightened state of tension. Between the prospect of her father's potential involvement in her mother's death and the imminent obligation to provide her blood to this woman with murky intentions, she felt completely cornered, trapped in a terrifying deadlock.

Marsha extended the syringe toward Fleur but met the magical barrier that kept her confined within the circle of crystals. The two women exchanged glances, with the older witch realizing she had to release Fleur to let her to fulfill her end of the deal.

"No need to remind you that attempting to escape before honoring your commitment would be ill-advised..." Marsha warned with a thinly veiled threat in her voice.

"Calm down, Ursula, a deal's a deal" Fleur responded with deceptive calm, already conceiving a myriad of escape strategies in her mind as she began to see her possibilities.

Marsha reached for one of the crystals scattered on the floor, moving it with a magical gesture to drop the barrier that imprisoned Fleur. Then, she handed the syringe to the young red-haired witch. Fleur observed it for a moment, hesitating before rolling up her blouse sleeve, prepared for the injection, while keeping a watchful eye on the shadows of uncertainty around her.

Fleur, observed the crystal that Marsha had moved a few oments ago to release her from the magical enclosure, had a sudden inspiration.

"Loca commuta" she chanted quickly, taking Marsha by surprise. Her spell successfully reversed their positions, swapping places their places in a bright whirlwind.

Fleur wasted no time. She swiftly reached for the crystal that had initially held her captive, and reformed the magical circle around Marsha, imprisoning her inside it this time.

But in an unexpected twist, Marsha shot Fleur a contemptuous look.

" Foolish girl" she murmured, adding irony to the situation. "The Peruvian crystals are loyal stones, much more so than humans. They never keep their owners as prisoners."

Without further ado, Marsha crossed the boundaries of the magical circle, moving freely to confront a bewildered Fleur.

"Don't push me to use force, young lady, because I won't hesitate to do so." she threatened imperiously. The situation seemed to reach its climax, and Fleur found herself more lost than ever, the syringe still in her hand, ready to use it.

However, the syringe suddenly levitated in the air before bursting into flames in front of the astonished eyes of Fleur and Marsha, as Ouray made his entrance in the room.

"Marsha, Marsha, Marsha... I knew you were desperate, but not completely insane," he said, his tone dripping with sarcasm. The unexpected presence of her mentor filled Fleur with ineffable relief, while Marsha's face clouded with anger.

Marsha attempted to launch a magical attack towards the shaman, but he effortlessly thwarted it, causing her to fall to the ground, completely immobilized. Ouray approached her, his dark gaze fixed on her.

"Attacking Fleur? You're lucky it's me who came and not Darcey." he stated gravely.

Marsha tried to defend herself, stammering, "The girl and I have a deal!"

But Ouray interrupted her with an imperious gesture. "I strongly advise you to shut up! Just thank your lucky stars that the girl and I have more pressing matters to attend to than linger here."

Fleur, her eyes dark with anger, suddenly revealed, "She knows more about mom's death than what she let on."

Ouray replied impassively : "We will deal with that soon enough. In the meantime, Marsha, you better stay as far away from Fleur as possible, or I guarantee her face will be the last thing you see."

"Fleur, let's get out of here" he added firmly before swiftly leaving the room. Fleur cast one last glance at Marsha, immobilized by the spell, before following him, leaving Marsha alone on the floor.

As Fleur and Ouray left the room, Rose hurried down the spiral staircase to reach her mother. She approached Marsha to help her up, her face filled with palpable concern.

"Mom, what does all of this mean? Who is this girl? And what do you know about what happened to her mother?" the young brunette asked the witch, her voice tinged with panic.

Marsha stood up, her gaze still as dark as ever, and responded to Rose with determination.

"One thing is certain, my dear, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. This young brat is as manipulative as Carolina was, and I'm far from done with her." she said, her voice filled with anger.

Outside the bookstore, Fleur felt a profound sense of relief as she finally stepped into the daylight after being captive for what had seemed like an eternity. Ouray looked at her with a contrite expression, aware that his actions in keeping the truth from her had led her into this trap. But before he could say a word, Fleur rushed into his arms, expressing her relief at being reunited with him.

"I'm sorry, Fleur." he said sincerely.

"Saving my life is a good start for redemption, but know that i’ll be expecting gifts, too. Many." she quipped, lightening the heavy atmosphere between them.

"Noted." Ouray replied with a regained smile.

"That woman is completely insane, Ouray. She wanted to take my blood for some kind of ritual. She's hiding things from us about what happened to Mom, I'm sure of it," Fleur explained, her conviction unwavering.

"You're probably right. We'll go back to deal with her and get to the bottom of it. However, Garth warned me that something was brewing in town. We need to join Hadrian at the mansion, and quickly." Ouray warned.

Fleur nodded, and they headed toward the witch's car parked on the other side of the street. Before getting into the vehicle, Fleur casted one final look at the bookstore, knowing that this mysterious puzzle was yet to be solved, determined to uncover the truth hidden within its walls.

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Breathless, Zain was plunged into the tiring pursuit of the phantom wolf through the forest. Signs of his exhaustion were evident, with sweat beading on his forehead, disheveled hair, and clothes crumpled and soiled by the surrounding vegetation. He made a brief pause, almost kneeling, his hands clenched on his thighs, seeking a brief respite. Daylight was his ally, dispelling the threats lurking in the darkness of the night, and for that at least, he was grateful.

The wolf, carrying palpable distress, broke the silence with a piercing cry, urging Zain to resume his frenzied chase. After another deep breath, he launched himself again in pursuit of the elusive creature, the mystery of its destination remaining unsolved.

In the heart of the tall grass swaying gently in the daylight, Zain spotted a dilapidated cabin, a silhouette emerging from the wooded shadow. The wolf, a silent witness to the shiver in the air, suddenly froze. Their arrival was marked by a palpable tension.

Zain, desperate and still panting, glanced at the wolf, then asked a question filled with apprehension:"There's nothing good waiting for me inside that cabin, is there?" The wolf responded with a meaningful silence.

Without weapons, with no control over his powers, and no idea of what awaited him, Zain was driven by the only certainty that someone was in danger inside that cabin. Was it Fleur? Ouray? His intuition, sharper than ever, revealed the terrible truth: it was Hadrian. Something or someone was after him. The immortal had been his savior the previous night when he needed help the most. Zain rushed towards the cabin, every step marking his determination, under the watchful eye of the wolf.

Inside the cabin, Tucker watched Hadrian with sadistic pleasure as his life slowly drained away. His face contorted with hatred. Tucker had no intention of allowing the magic leaving the body of his enemy to be the cause of his death. He wanted to eliminate him with his own hands. He drew his revolver, an old and weathered handgun, and pointed it at Hadrian, already on the brink of death. The barrel of the weapon was aimed at the victim's head, ready to deliver the final blow.

"Your death will finally restore the glory of this town." he articulated with sinister tone, his words filled with resentment.

Hadrian, on the other hand, looked at Tucker with contempt. He felt ready to leave this world where he had suffered so much, but a haunting thought consumed him: Fleur, Ouray, Garth, and even Zain would undoubtedly be the next targets of Tucker’s and his group of ruthless assassins. A glimmer of worry pierced the coldness in his eyes as he imagined the imminent danger looming over his loved ones. He would have given everything to save them from this insidious threat before taking his last breath.

Tucker broke the oppressive silence in the cabin, his words full of cruelty, revealing his sadistic pleasure.

"I'd be curious to hear your final words, Hadrian Archer." he taunted provocatively, his finger on the trigger of the revolver precisely pointed at his victim's face.

As Hadrian prepared a biting retort for his tormentor, the decrepit cabin door suddenly exploded into a shower of wood splinters. The silhouette of a young man appeared in the doorway, his arms outstretched. Zain. Drops of blood trickled from his nose, a clear sign of the considerable effort he had just exerted using his powers.

The new comer rushed into the cabin with hurried steps, a determined expression on his face. His eyes met Hadrian's, whose life hung by a thread, and his gaze conveying the horror of the situation.

Tucker, turning abruptly, aimed his gun at the newcomer while saying with a hint of sinister amusement:

"Well, it looks like I'll be killing two birds with one stone!"

Tucker pulled the trigger, the sharp sound of the gunshot echoing in the stuffy room. However, Zain, his arms still outstretched, invoked a barrier of white energy that sprang up in front of him, forming an impenetrable shield that not only deflected the deadly bullet but also ricocheted the shot, hitting Tucker in the shoulder. The sheriff collapsed to the floor, in excruciating pain, blood streaming from his wound.

"WHAT?! Magic doesn't work here!" he yelled, astonished by the sudden turn of events.

Zain approached Tucker, who was trying to stem the bleeding by putting pressure on his wound, lying on the floor, shocked by the unexplained manifestation of magic.

"It seems that My magic works just fine." Zain retorted in a cold voice.

Suddenly consumed by immeasurable anger, Zain delivered a powerful kick to Tucker's head, violent enough to knock him unconscious. Then, he rushed to Hadrian, whose life was now quickly fading, on the verge of eternal extinction.

Zain began untying the ropes that bound Hadrian, first securing his wrists held behind his back, then the ones binding his legs together. Once freed, he attempted to lift him by making him lean against his own body.

Hadrian opened his eyes with great difficulty, his voice barely audible but filled with resignation:

"Get out of here right now, it's too late for me."

Zain's gaze plunged into the tired grey eyes of the immortal as he responded with determination:

"We've been over this already, it seems. I never listen to what people tell me, so hold on!"

But the immortal collapsed heavily to the ground after only a step forward. Zain attempted to lift him again, but it seemed that Hadrian was right, he was truly losing ground. Zain didn't give up and did his best to get him back on his feet, but in vain.

A drop of blood streaming from Zain's nose dripped and touched Hadrian's neck during his many attempts. At the moment of contact, a small violet spark erupted, infusing an unexpected surge of vitality into Hadrian's almost lifeless body. The immortal was incredulous, slowly regaining the strength to stand properly, leaning on Zain's shoulder, and allowed himself to be finally guided out of the cabin.

Outside, the phantom wolf patiently awaited the duo, as if it had anticipated their arrival and let out a triumphant howl upon seeing them. Hadrian looked at the creature’s intelligent, shining eyes, his mind filled with questions. How could he explain these magical phenomena that seemed to boldly defy the laws of their reality, right in the heart of this area that was supposed to nullify all magic?

The translucent wolf leaped in front of them, acting as a silent guide, showing the way. Meanwhile, Zain summoned all his strength to support Hadrian, accompanying him step by step in their progress. A smile of astonishment appeared on Hadrian's lips, although his stare was mainly focused on Zain's determined face, while the young man, too busy ensuring they could keep moving, didn't notice his deep gaze.

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The day was slowly slipping into twilight over Redwaters as Fleur and Ouray entered the deserted mansion. Silence hung heavy and eerie.

"Hadrian! Zain!" Fleur cried out, but only the echo of her own words answered her, the sound dissipating into emptiness.

Ouray furrowed his brows, growing more concerned. "Something's not right," he muttered.

Fleur shared his concern. "But where could they have gone?"

Ouray replied, his face marked with worry :"Hadrian was supposed to inspect the magic-free perimeter this morning. He should have been back by now. Garth warned me that his friends informed him the armed group seemed to be preparing something, gathering..."

Anxiety gripped Fleur as well : "Do you think they might have targeted Hadrian and Zain?"

Ouray nodded : "I don't know. Stay here; I'll go find them."

Fleur shook her head : "No, you're not going alone. If the perimeter blocks all magic, you'll need help to rescue them since our powers won't work."

Ouray headed to the library, closely followed by Fleur, as events took an increasingly ominous turn. He opened a wooden chest in a corner of the room and retrieved a crossbow, gripping it with determination : "No need for magic; I'll do this the old-fashioned way."

"Think about it for a moment! The area not only affects your powers but will attack your life force, which is linked to magic. It will kill you!" Fleur tried to dissuade him

Ouray gazed resolutely at his weapon : "These barbarians have already caused enough harm in this town. I have to act."

"I understand, but not without a solid plan of attack!" Fleur insisted.

The duo was interrupted by noise coming from the kitchen area, a sign that someone had infiltrated the home. Ouray squinted, trying to discern more details, while a chilling shiver ran down Fleur's body.

Ouray signaled to the witch to remain silent, then moved quietly toward the source of the noise, his crossbow at the ready. Fleur followed closely, her heart racing, as they cautiously approached the origin of the sound.

With a swift motion, Ouray pushed open the kitchen door, and they bursted into the room, the crossbow aimed at Zain and Hadrian, who had just returned a few seconds earlier.

Hadrian was in a sorry state, his face bloodied, leaning against the kitchen counter as Zain filled a glass of water for him.

Fleur rushed to Hadrian, her concern evident : "Hadrian! My God, what happened?"

The immortal looked at her with a feverish gaze, relieved to see her safe. He replied in a faltering voice : "It's Sheriff Tucker; he leads the armed redneck group that targets supernatural beings. He managed to capture me when I was inspecting in the magic-free zone."

Zain handed the glass of water to Hadrian, who drank it gratefully before continuing : "Fleur, he's the one who killed your mother. He admitted it to me..."

Fleur was nauseated by this revelation. The man who presented himself as the guardian of justice for all these years, the seemingly upright man with whom Elliott now worked, was responsible for the greatest tragedy of her life.

Hadrian gently embraced her as he said affectionately : "I'm sorry..." his heart heavy to deliver such terrible news.

Fleur bit her lip, trying to contain her overwhelming emotions : "He might have pulled the trigger, but it's clear that someone else helped him. Someone who knew the secret of that place where she would be defenseless, stripped of her powers."

Ouray, still alert, asked the immortal : "How did you manage to escape?"

Hadrian looked at the back door of the kitchen, still slightly ajar, toward which his thoughts seemed to be directed : "Zain found me, and for a reason that defies all logic, his powers seem to perfectly work inside that perimeter, just like those of his mysterious companion." His gaze rested on the ghostly wolf, lying with apparent tranquility, emitting a purple halo, right by the kitchen door.

Fleur and Ouray's expressions were filled with questions as they now observed the phantom animal, their minds overwhelmed by all these unexpected twists.

"I recognize it" Ouray realized. "It's one of the four wolves shot on the evening of our arrival in town..." The shaman remembered the wolf’s look of agony and distress right before it was put out of its misery.

"Could it have come back to life?" Fleur asked, her perplexity evident.

"The violet halo around it... it resembles the one that emanated from you when you arrived in our world, Zain. The shockwave extended over a hundred meters, if not more. It seems to have brought this spirit back from the dead, knowing that it had been shot and buried near the impact zone..."

"I don't understand" Zain admitted, anxious to learn more about Ouray's theory.

"I think, that for once, it's starting to finally make sense to me. It seems that coming from another universe allows all these unprecedented magical anomalies to occur. Your foreign origins to our world enable your abilities to bypass its rules. That would explain why your powers would work inside the magic-nullifying zone and why they seem to alter Hadrian's curse, unlike any known magic until now... Just like the resurrection of that wolf..."

" We can consider ourselves lucky for once, that it was this wolf that came back to life upon contact with the magic wave and not one of the hundreds of malevolent creatures buried near the clearing." Fleur noted.

"Or so we know..." Hadrian added, concerned about this turn of events, fearing that Zain's powers might have inadvertently unleashed a powerful enemy.

"It won't stop here." Ouray predicted, sharing his intuition.

"Surprise resurrections?" Fleur asked, her worry palpable.

"No... These barbaric humans will seek revenge, I can feel it. We must act before giving them the chance to..."

Before he could finish his sentence, the roar of engines echoed in the courtyard, creating a menacing rumble that reverberated throughout the mansion. Suddenly, a terrifying crash of shattered glass shook the house's foundations. Ouray, crossbow at the ready, hastily left the kitchen, with the rest of the group following him. Even the ghostly wolf came along, as they moved towards the source of the commotion.

They quickly reached the front door, next to which the window had been brutally shattered under the violent impact of several projectiles. Outside the mansion, a group of about twenty men stood in formation, lined up in front of their trucks parked at the estate's entrance. They brandished crackling torches and assault rifles, ready for a confrontation. The torches' light cast dark and eerie shadows on the attackers' resolute and hate-twisted faces, plunging Hadrian, Fleur, Ouray, and Zain into a state of disbelief.

"Wow, an angry mob." Fleur exclaimed, disheartened, as the group observed the enemy.

"Is this common in your world?" Zain asked, his face marked by the shock of the situation.

"I wish I could say no, but any history book or any clinic front where abortion is legal would quickly prove otherwise..." the witch replied, bitterness in her voice.

The enraged mob was shouting, demanding the group's surrender. Gunshots fired into the air increased the chaos. Hadrian, already in dire straits, was now trembling uncontrollably, haunted by flashes of past massacres threatening to overwhelm him. Ouray, observing him with palpable concern, tried to reassure him.

"Hadrian, try to control yourself." he murmured with a concerned voice.

Hadrian, increasingly vulnerable, was literally overwhelmed by bloody visions from the past. His heart raced, his breathing became erratic.

Zain, intrigued by the situation, asked : "What's happening to him?"

Fleur, compassionately, responded : "It's the curse..."

Zain stared at Hadrian, an expression of confusion on his face, as he curiously felt the torrent of torment that was sweeping over him.

Outside, the Sheriff climbed down from the back of his pickup, his earlier injured shoulder and arm put in a makeshift sling, the other one brandishing a shotgun. He took the lead of his group and shouted toward the mansion, his voice filled with the hatred that drove him.

"Hadrian! If you don't want all your friends to be slaughtered, come out now! Let's finish this!" he roared, firing several shots into the air, his face overflowing with hate.

Inside, Hadrian, Ouray, Fleur and Zaïn observed the scene, huddled near the broken window. Hadrian felt ready to explode, but he struggled to contain himself as best he could.

Fleur suddenly took initiative : "Zain, let's check out if the rear door is clear. Ouray, stay with Hadrian to prevent him from succumbing to his impulses."

As Zain and Fleur stealthily made their way towards the kitchen, Tucker, lurking outside, caught a glimpse of their fading silhouettes. With the practiced ease of a seasoned lawman, he aimed his shotgun at the imposing crystal chandelier that dangled in the hallway. A cacophony of splintering glass and shattering crystal resonated through the air as his shots found their mark. The once majestic chandelier crumbled into a myriad of glistening shards, descending upon the unsuspecting duo like a thunderous tempest, drowning their hasty escape in a deafening symphony of destruction.

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Fleeting shards of light pulled Zain from the depths of unconsciousness caused by the collision with the chandelier. He was assaulted by flashes of light, crackling flames, and piercing screams, all swirling in the recesses of his consciousness. The young man struggled to force his eyelids open, while his body remained numb from the force of the impact.

"Hadrian! Stop!" Ouray was shouting, but the words intermittently resonated in Zain's head, intermingled with ringing in his ears.

Still lying on the floor, Zain tried to sit up, using his hands for support, but the shattered crystal shards from the chandelier that were scattered around him inflicted excruciating pain as they dug into his hands.

His senses gradually returned, and his feverish gaze swept the chaotic scene around him. The hall loomed before him like a battlefield, walls scarred by bullet holes, the entrance table reduced to ruins, just like the delicate vase that had been sitting there moments before the young man got hurt. The floor resembled a graveyard of assorted debris, interspersed with sinister remnants: bloodstains, smoldering burn marks, and scattered fuming fragments.

Zain eventually spotted Fleur, lying a little further away on the floor. He remembered his desperate attempt to push her out of harm's way as the chandelier fell on them, but it seemed that the redheaded witch had still been injured.

Struggling to regain his own stability on trembling legs, he rushed over to her, his body battered from head to toe. Each step was a reminder of the unbelievable violence of the collision.

Squatting next to Fleur, he felt his heart racing in his chest. He gently touched her shoulder, hoping she would wake up. The witch, with a bloody head injury, slowly began to open her eyes, her dilated pupils reflecting her confusion.

"What happened?" she asked weakly, her eyes scanning the chaos surrounding them. "What's going on?!"

Zain felt a shiver of anxiety wash over him as he replied, his voice trembling with nervousness.

"I have no idea, but we need to find the others!"

Zain helped Fleur to her feet, but before they could move toward the mansion's exit, Ouray appeared in front of them, his face marked by terror, his clothes torn to shreds.

"We need to get out of here! He's become uncontrollable! He's going to turn on us; he can't distinguish reality anymore!"

As Ouray did his best to quickly get Fleur and Zain out of this perilous predicament, firmly holding them by the arms and guiding them towards the back, the ghostly figure of the wolf suddenly appeared at the entrance, fixing Zain with an unmistakable gaze. Zain managed to break free from Ouray's grip and moved resolutely toward the mansion's exterior, closely followed by the spectral wolf. Hadrian's anger rumbled within Zain, like a devastating roar, an inexplicable cry for help that only he could intercept. He, who had sought so hard to discover the true identity of the immortal and the nature of his curse, was about to be confronted with the most brutal reality of it.

"Zain! No!" Ouray shouted as the young man approached the source of the howls outside.

Nothing could prepare him for the sight that met his eyes. A true nightmare unfolded before Zain. The ground was littered with corpses, most of them lying in scattered pieces. The vehicles and trucks belonging to Tucker's gang were now nothing but charred heaps or overturned wrecks, reduced to smoldering ruins.

Further on, Hadrian's silhouette emerged, but he had undergone a terrifying transformation. He appeared much more massive, his posture resembled that of a terrifying wild beast. Zain watched him seize a man desperately trying to escape and snap him in half like a twig. Then he hurled a second victim into a third one who was also attempting to flee, causing an impact of such intensity that their skeletons cracked under the pressure, while their bodies ignited in a grim fire as they made contact with yet another burning vehicle.

Hadrian now advanced toward Tucker, who had taken refuge behind a truck. With a single kick, Hadrian sent the vehicle flying, causing a chaotic collision with several other cars, exacerbating the cacophony of the surrounding disaster.

Tucker, his arm in a sling, utterly terrorized, tried desperately to crawl away. Hadrian grabbed his leg and, with superhuman ease, lifted him into the air, finally placing him in front of him, face to face, thus forcing him to meet his relentless gaze.

The sheriff trembled with all his might, utterly devastated by this turn of events. He who had the blood of so many supernatural creatures on his hands couldn't fathom that his life could end like this, eliminated by one of them, when he thought he had them cornered.

"Hadrian, please, stop! You've done enough! You've made your point!" he yelled, his voice partially muffled, as the immortal held him by the neck. "It's over! No one will harm any of your..."

Before Tucker could finish his plea for survival, Hadrian slightly tilted his head, as if he was contemplating his words. Then, with a sudden movement, he grabbed the sheriff's skull with his free hand and separated it from the rest of his body. The whole thing crashed violently to the ground, emitting a chilling sound, as Hadrian let out an inhuman scream. This cry threatened to send Zain reeling backward, plunging him even more into the horror of this traumatic scene.

In a frenzy of uncontrollable rage, Hadrian then launched into a destructive rampage. He attacked the cars and trucks engulfed in flames, making them soar through the air with punches and kicks of unparalleled force. His hands pierced the flaming wrecks in a hysterical trance, and bestial roars emanated from his throat, filling the air with terror.

Zain felt an unbearable pain emanating from the immortal. He wasn't sure if it was due to his empathic abilities or the blood bond that had formed between them when he saved Hadrian earlier, but despite the terror elicited by the insane scene unfolding before his eyes, Zain was beginning to understand, albeit confusedly, that he might have the power to stop it.

He advanced, staggering but determined, through the surrounding chaos, circling the lifeless bodies among the fuming debris. Hadrian, lost in his destructive state, seemed to not even notice his presence, striking the vehicles with a ferocity that betrayed a visceral rage. His eyes bloodshot.

"Hadrian! Hadrian, STOP!"

Alerted by Zain's piercing cry, the immortal slowly turned his head in his direction, his cruel eyes fixed on the young man. He appeared entirely possessed, an entity alien to everything Zain had known of him until now, his posture, his gaze, or the devastating aura surrounding him. A shiver of horror ran through Zain as Hadrian suddenly rushed towards him, seemingly not recognizing him.

However, as anxiety grew in the young man's heart, Hadrian seemed to gradually to regain his identity with every step he took. His face softened, his body slowly shrank until he finally stood before Zain, becoming himself again.

An involuntary sigh of relief escaped Zain's lips, a momentary easing amid the surrounding horror. Hadrian, on the other hand, seemed overwhelmed by the sudden awareness of the extent of the massacre he had just committed. Terror and guilt were now inscribed in the mirror of his eyes, reflecting the abyss of his own madness.

Zain stood there, frozen, petrified by the scene. Even though these dangerous criminals had threatened to invade the mansion to kill them, even though thee Sheriff had taken Hadrian hostage, torturing him mercilessly until Zain intervened just in time to save him, the brutality of this massacre, the unimaginable savagery that Hadrian had engaged in, and the shocking number of deaths around them, for which he was solely responsible in just a few minutes, chilled Zain's blood.

The immortal had plunged into a ruthless rampage, Ouray even feared he might turn on them, recognizing nothing or no one anymore. Zain couldn't erase from his memory the murderous look that Hadrian had just shot him when he yelled to make him stop...

Hadrian locked eyes with Zain, and overcome by a sudden wave of shame, he looked away. His gaze fell on his hands, stained with the horror he had just committed, and a feeling of disgust surged within him, devastating. His hands, witnesses to his immeasurable strength, were now the vectors of his own damnation. An unspeakable terror gripped him, his limbs trembled, and panic overcame him, threatening to plunge him back into a new uncontrollable crisis.

Words escaped him in a distorted cry: "Leave immediately."

Zain instinctively retreated taking a few steps back, torn by a poignant dilemma. He had managed to calm Hadrian once, stop him in his destructive frenzy. He didn't want to abandon the one he now considered a friend, alone to face his demons.

But before he could make a decision, Hadrian gave him a last look of panic, like a desperate farewell, then suddenly collapsed on the ground, unconscious. At the same moment, Ouray appeared behind him, holding a rifle, revealing that he had shot Hadrian to stop him.

Fleur appeared a few moments later, completely devastated by the vision of the carnage surrounding them. Her face reflected profound shock at the horror they were engulfed in.

Zain, motionless, spoke to Ouray in a trembling voice:

"Is he...?"

The shaman shook his head : "No. These are tranquilizer darts. Help me get him inside."

Zain nodded, and the two of them lifted Hadrian, unconscious, then dragged him toward the inside. Fleur followed, trembling at the apocalyptic spectacle surrounding them, where flames danced among the corpses as the four of them made their way back to the mansion.