As Alex's fingers tore into Ethan's neck, a sharp, searing pain erupted, and his vision dissolved into darkness. His mind plummeted into that strange dreamscape, a void where the air thrummed with an ancient energy. Before him loomed the wolf—its fur blazing red with flames, its eyes glowing like twin embers in the gloom. It stared at him, unblinking, and let out a low, guttural growl that reverberated through Ethan's bones. The sound snapped him back to reality. He gasped, finding Alex's fingers still lodged in his flesh, warm blood trickling down his neck and soaking his shirt. Before he could process the sensation or react, a fire ignited within him. It wasn't just heat—it was primal, alive, surging through his veins and cloaking his body in wild, dancing flames. The blaze filled him with a strength that felt boundless, his senses sharpening to an almost unbearable clarity: the metallic tang of blood in the air, the faint rustle of leaves, the rapid thud of his own heartbeat. All of this unfolded in a fleeting moment, less than a second.
The flames lashed outward uncontrollably, a roaring wave of heat. Alex's arm, still gripping Ethan's neck, charred to a brittle black, the skin cracking like overcooked meat. Tyler, standing too close, caught the fire's edge—his clothes smoldered, and angry red burns bloomed across his pale skin. This blaze wasn't as ferocious as the one that had erupted during the ritual, its power restrained, but it still forced them back. Alex yanked his hand free, clutching his ruined arm, while Tyler stumbled, his wide eyes darting between Ethan and the forest beyond. Fear gripped Tyler's chest—he wanted to bolt, to escape the monster Ethan had become. But loyalty to Alex anchored him, and the lurking threat of Ryan and Frank, hidden somewhere in the shadows, kept him from running. He knew they'd cut him down without hesitation if he abandoned this fight.
Ethan rose slowly, the flames licking across his skin like a second heartbeat. Power pulsed through him, intoxicating and invincible. He could feel the fire now, not just as a force but as a part of him—pliable, responsive to his will. With a thought, he shaped it, curling tendrils of flame around his arms, testing its limits. His gaze settled on Tyler and Alex, who crouched a few paces away, their vampire eyes glinting red in the firelight. They were wary now, the memory of his flames etched into their scorched flesh, but they braced for another assault, their bodies coiled with predatory tension.
Alex moved first, a blur of motion as his hand shot toward Ethan's heart, fingers curled like claws. Ethan twisted at the last second, the strike grazing his ribs with a sting of pain. He countered instantly, driving his foot into Alex's stomach with a force that lifted the vampire off the ground. Alex hurtled backward, crashing into a tree with a splintering crack, the trunk shuddering from the impact. As Ethan regained his footing, Tyler struck, lunging from the side to catch him off guard. Unlike Alex's killing blow, Tyler aimed to subdue, his fist targeting Ethan's shoulder. But Ethan's heightened senses caught the movement. He pivoted, slamming a fist into Tyler's face. The crunch of shattering bone echoed in the clearing as Tyler's cheek caved beneath the blow, and he dropped like a stone, blood pooling beneath him.
Before Ethan could press the attack, Alex was back, his speed inhuman despite the pain racking his body. He swung a punch with all his remaining strength, the air whistling from the force. Ethan dodged, leaping aside to avoid the devastating hit. As Alex's fist met empty air, Ethan seized the opening. He summoned the flames, condensing their heat into his clenched fist until it glowed like molten iron. With a roar, he drove it into Alex's exposed ribcage. The impact was catastrophic—bones snapped like dry twigs, the skin blistering and turning to ash under the fire's wrath. Shards of rib pierced Alex's lung, and he crumpled, his regeneration faltering against the supernatural flames that refused to relent.
Ethan turned to Tyler, who was already stirring, his vampire healing stitching his face back together. Before Tyler could rise or flee, Ethan closed the distance. A brutal punch to the stomach doubled Tyler over, followed by an uppercut that shattered his jaw with a wet snap. As Tyler reeled, Ethan willed the flames to surge, intending only to incapacitate. But he had underestimated its power—it flared into a roaring inferno, engulfing Tyler in a blinding blaze. In moments, he was gone, reduced to a scattering of ash that drifted on the wind. The acrid stench of burnt flesh filled Ethan's lungs, and his stomach twisted violently.
Bile rose in his throat, and his hands trembled as the reality crashed over him—he'd killed someone. Tyler wasn't just an enemy; he'd been a person and now he was ash at Ethan's feet. Guilt clawed at his chest, freezing him in place, his mind spinning with the weight of what he'd done. Alex, meanwhile, had staggered to his feet, his chest a ruin of burnt flesh and jagged bone. Seeing Ethan's distraction, he lunged, slamming a fist into Ethan's back with enough force to nearly snap his spine. Only Alex's weakened state spared Ethan from a fatal blow. Pain exploded through him, dropping him to his knees. As he gasped for air, a dark thought surfaced—maybe I deserve to die for this. But his instincts screamed otherwise, clawing for survival. Gritting his teeth, he pushed himself up, forcing the guilt aside. He couldn't falter now; he wanted to live.
From their hidden perch at the forest's edge, Ryan and Frank watched, their breaths held tight to stay unseen. Ethan's transformation into a living torch had jolted them, the hellish fire dredging up memories they'd buried deep—memories of pain and loss tied to that same primal blaze. They kept their distance, observing as Ethan dispatched Tyler with chilling ease, his control over the flames undeniable. But the torment on Ethan's face after the kill caught Ryan's attention. An idea sparked—a way to break Ethan's spirit, not with fists but with his own remorse. Ryan bided his time, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
Alex locked onto Ethan again, his attacks feral and unrelenting. Ethan fell back, deflecting blows with weary arms, unwilling to strike lethally again. Tyler's death lingered, a fresh scar that dulled his resolve. Alex's movements were chaotic, driven by the compulsion binding his mind and the agony tearing at his body. Reason had fled him; all that remained was the urge to kill Ethan, a directive he couldn't shake.
Minutes stretched on, a brutal dance of advance and retreat. Alex pressed forward with tireless fury, while Ethan evaded, his strength ebbing. Deflecting a wild punch, Ethan's foot snagged on rubble—a fatal stumble. Alex pounced, driving a fist into Ethan's chest with a crack of breaking ribs. Ethan hit the ground, pain radiating through him like a storm. Above him, Alex loomed, fist raised for the killing blow. Instinct took over—Ethan's arm shot up, flames coiling around his hand as he struck Alex's chest. The fire punched through, shattering ribs and incinerating his heart and lungs to ash in an instant. Alex collapsed.
Ryan saw his moment. With a subtle shift of will, he released the compulsion on Alex, letting clarity flood back just as death claimed him. Alex's eyes widened, his mind his own again. He stared at Ethan's hand in his chest, blood bubbling on his lips. "Why, Ethan?" he whispered, voice breaking. "Why did you do this?" Fear and confusion twisted his features, the face of a boy lost and betrayed. The words pierced Ethan deeper than any blade, guilt crashing over him like a tidal wave. Two lives—Tyler and Alex—taken by his hands. The world seemed to close in, suffocating him with the weight of his actions.
Lost in that drowning guilt, Ethan didn't sense the danger until it was too late. A hand pierced his chest, swift and precise, skewering his heart. Pain flared briefly, then faded as darkness swallowed him whole.