Zane spent a long while talking with Lyra, the peculiar calm her presence brought continuing to soothe the lingering irritation from his confrontation with Pierce. Lyra spoke of the Sanctuary's hidden nooks and crannies, shared hushed stories of other refugees, and even recounted fragments of her own fractured memories of a life before the walls, a life of endless running. Zane, in turn, found himself speaking more freely than he typically would, offering glimpses into the brutal facility above and his own confusing, newfound power. The air between them felt light, a rare moment of peace in a world defined by shadows and danger.
He was mid-sentence, describing the bewildering speed of the shadowy creatures, when he felt it – a pair of small arms wrapping tightly around his waist from behind. The suddenness of it startled him, but then a wave of familiarity washed over him. He turned, a soft smile beginning to form on his lips, expecting to see Elias's bright, curious face.
The smile died on his face.
It was Elias, but her normally vibrant eyes were shadowed, and a sickeningly dark black eye bruised the skin beneath her left one, already starting to swell. His gaze immediately dropped, and he saw it – small, dark stains of blood on her sleeves. His heart lurched, a cold dread seizing him. With a sudden, protective urgency, he reached out, his fingers fumbling as he rolled up her sleeves.
His face darkened, the muscles in his jaw clenching. A multitude of fresh cuts, thin and jagged, crisscrossed her small forearms, some still weeping faint trails of crimson. They looked like defensive wounds, hastily inflicted.
"What the hell happened to you?!" Zane's voice was a low, dangerous growl, barely audible but radiating an intensity that made the air itself seem to vibrate. The surprising gentleness he'd shown Lyra vanished, replaced by a raw, primal fury.
Lyra, who had been listening intently to their conversation, flinched, her purple eyes wide with a mixture of shock and a sudden, palpable fear. She took an involuntary step back, her wolf ears flattening slightly against her head.
As Zane's furious question hung in the air, two figures rounded the corner of the passage. They were girls, slightly older than Elias, their faces hardened, their eyes holding a glint of cruel amusement. One was tall and gangly, with a sneering mouth; the other was shorter, thicker, with a blunt, aggressive air. The moment Elias saw them, her small body stiffened, and she instantly hid herself fully behind Zane's legs, burying her face into the back of his thigh, trembling.
The taller girl smirked, her gaze dismissive as it flickered from Zane to the trembling Elias. "Look who finally decided to show her face," she drawled, her voice cutting and cold. "Thought you could just hide, little freak?"
Zane's body tensed, every muscle coiling. The fury that had simmered moments ago now erupted, a roaring inferno within him. His blood manipulation, usually a conscious act of will, began to stir instinctively beneath his skin. He felt the familiar tingling sensation, a dark promise of power.
"What did you do to her?" Zane growled, his voice so low it was almost a rumble in his chest, a sound that carried a profound threat. He took a deliberate step forward, Elias still pressed tightly behind his legs, the protective instinct overriding all else.
The shorter, thicker girl stepped forward, her arms crossed, a defiant sneer on her face. "She got what she deserved. The water-witch needed to learn her place. Nobody likes a crybaby."
"You touched her," Zane said, the words barely a whisper, his voice dangerously devoid of emotion. His eyes, fixed on the two girls, began to glow with a faint, crimson light, a terrifying echo of the demonic mask he'd formed earlier.
Lyra, seeing the shift in Zane, the terrifying intensity in his eyes, felt a chill that went beyond fear. She had seen that look before, in the eyes of those driven to the edge, but never so raw, so utterly uncontained. "Zane, wait!" she pleaded, her voice soft but urgent, reaching out a hesitant hand.
The taller girl scoffed, ignoring Lyra's plea, her eyes widening slightly as she noticed the faint crimson glow around Zane. "What's the little brute going to do? Bleed on us?" She took a step closer, emboldened by her companion's presence. "We were just teaching the pet a lesson. She thinks she's special because she can splash a little water around. Pathetic."
At the word "pet," Zane's control snapped. A low, guttural roar tore from his throat. Before the girls could react, a tendril of hardened blood erupted from Zane's right arm, striking out with blinding speed. It wasn't a crude whip, but a thick, blunt battering ram. It slammed into the taller girl's chest with a sickening thump, sending her flying backward into the stone wall with a loud impact that echoed through the passage. She collapsed in a heap, groaning, clutching her chest.
The shorter girl, her eyes wide with shock and sudden fear, stumbled back. "What the hell?!" she shrieked, her bravado evaporating.
Zane advanced, his gaze fixed on her. The crimson glow around him intensified, a palpable aura of rage. The blood on his arms and legs hardened further, transforming into wicked blood claws that extended beyond his fingertips, mirroring the very monsters he had fought below. He didn't care. He was a monster right now. He was a predator.
"You're going to regret that," Zane snarled, his voice rough, animalistic. His bloodlust, usually a response to combat, was now driven by a profound, protective rage for Elias. He blurred forward, a crimson streak, his enhanced speed leaving the shorter girl no time to react. He seized her by the front of her tunic with his blood-enhanced left hand, lifting her effortlessly off her feet.
She gasped, choking, her eyes wide with terror as she dangled in the air, her feet kicking uselessly. Her face went pale as she stared into Zane's glowing, crimson-tinged eyes, obscured by the nascent, demonic mask that was beginning to form around his features.
"Tell me," Zane whispered, his voice dangerously calm, the raw fury barely contained beneath the surface. "Who else touched her? Who else hurt her?" His grip tightened, the blood claws digging slightly into her shoulder.
The girl choked, tears starting to well in her eyes. "N-no one! Just us! Please, let me go!"
Zane's eyes narrowed. "Don't lie to me. She has a black eye. That wasn't just a 'lesson.'" His gaze flickered to the girl still slumped against the wall, then back to the one in his grip. "Who taught you to do this?"
Suddenly, a new voice, cold and authoritative, cut through the tension. "Put her down, boy."
Zane slowly turned his head, his crimson-tinged gaze falling upon Kaelen. The older man stood at the end of the corridor, his face grim, his hand slightly raised. But there was no shimmering blue force field. Not yet. Kaelen was giving Zane a choice.
Zane's grip on the girl's tunic tightened. He felt Elias still trembling behind his legs. The image of her bruised eye, the cuts on her arm, fueled his rage. He wanted to break this girl, to make her suffer, to ensure no one ever dared touch Elias again.
"She hurt her," Zane said, his voice raw, a primal growl.
"I know," Kaelen replied, his voice calm, but unwavering. "And she will be dealt with. But not by you, Zane. Not like this. You will not become them."
The words struck Zane like a physical blow. You will not become them. The horrors of the facility, the twisted creatures, the cold, calculating cruelty… was that what he was turning into? Was this raw, untamed rage, this bloodlust, the true price of his power?
He looked at the girl still dangling in his hand, her face a mask of terror, her struggles weakening. He could snap her neck with a twist of his wrist, and the blood part of him urged him to do it. But the other part, the part that still remembered why he fought, remembered Elias's innocence, recoiled.
With a shuddering breath, Zane unclenched his blood-hardened hand. The girl dropped to the ground with a whimper, scrambling away on hands and knees, desperate to escape.
Zane stood there, panting, the crimson glow slowly fading from his eyes, the blood claws receding back into his skin, leaving his hands trembling. He looked at Kaelen, then at the two cowering girls, and finally down at Elias, who was now slowly peeking out from behind his leg, her small hand reaching out and grasping his trousers.
Kaelen walked closer, his expression somber. "That anger, Zane. That is what they want to cultivate. That is what they turn into monsters. You have to control it. For your sake, and for hers." He nodded towards Elias.
Zane knelt, pulling Elias into a tight embrace. She hugged him back, small sobs shaking her body. He could still feel the tremor in her arms.
Kaelen knelt beside them, placing a comforting hand on Zane's shoulder. "I will ensure these two are dealt with. There will be consequences for their actions. This Sanctuary has rules, Zane. Rules to protect everyone, especially the vulnerable." He glanced at Elias. "No one here will hurt Elias again, not under my watch. But you must also learn to control your power. Or it will consume you."
Zane nodded, his voice thick with emotion. He held Elias tighter, a silent vow passing between them. The calm Lyra had brought had been shattered, replaced by the stark reality of the Sanctuary's own internal struggles, and the terrifying depths of his own emerging power. This place, despite its promise of safety, was still a crucible.