Chapter 41

Aiden stood in a parking lot littered with limbs and dead corpses. The silver fur on his arms and neck matted with blood. So much blood that even the rain couldn’t wash him of it.

Across from him stood a vampire with a sword. The sword was covered in flames that could be felt ten feet away.

Around them dozens of vampires and werewolves clawed at each other’s throats, but no one attacked these two. Those who tried ended up dead on the ground. These two outclassed the others.

“Not bad for a mutt.” Mikel grinned. “But I’m finished playing around.”

Mikel suddenly leaned forward as two wings sprouted out of his back. His face took on a more angular shape, and his skin became more pale. His eyes went from pure black to pure red.

“You’re not the only Animus around these parts.” Mikel sneered before flashing towards Aiden.

Aiden couldn’t even dodge the blow. He was sent flying, his body rolling on the ground several times over.

Aiphas…

The blood in Aiden’s body pumped vigorously as adrenaline coursed through his system. He could hear something on the fringe of his consciousness, but couldn’t make out the words, nor could he understand what was speaking to him. It had started up in the beginning of battle but now it was getting louder.

Mikel’s sword grew brighter as the flames began to undulate. He walked towards Aiden, black wings folded against its back.

Suddenly, a figure appeared before Aiden. It was the scarred woman, Moira. She looked at Aiden with a knowing look. “Let it in, don’t be afraid.”

“What?” Aiden asked, but the woman already turned back towards Mikel.

“Isn’t this sweet? Here to protect your master little girl?” Mikel jeered. “Unfortunately for you, I’ve been chosen by the great spirits of the vampire clan. You’re no longer my equal, even without this sword.”

“Then why don’t you put it aside, little bitch?” Moira taunted.

Mikel rolled his eyes, but he tossed aside his sword. The woman crouched low about to pounce on Mikel to buy Aiden time but before she could pounce, Mikel’s wings spread wide. Six foot wings spread to each side, dwarfing all those standing around him.

Then Mikel’s wings beat, and his figure disappeared. All Aiden felt was a gust of wind and suddenly the Moira’s figure was gone. She and Mikel appeared twenty feet in the air. Mikel let go of the werewolf and watched it drop towards the ground.

Aiphas… Aiphas…

Fortunately for the scarred werewolf the fall wasn’t enough to kill her. She landed with a grunt, but before she could recover she was up in the air again. This time forty feet in the air. Mikel dropped her again.

Aiphas… Aiphas… Aiphas…

Aiden watched in horror as Mikel treated the werewolf like an eagle would a snake. It dropped Moira from a high distance, and if she survived, he would scoop her up again and go even higher.

My name is Aiphas…

Aiden grew distracted as a voice sounded in his head. The voice sounded ancient, and it whispered to him like it was telling him a secret. He focused on the source of where the voice was coming from.

Mikel laughed as he let go of the werewolf and watched as it fell a hundred feet to the ground. The woman didn’t recover this time. Her broken form lie where she fell. Mikel flashed down and appeared before the woman.

She couldn’t even move her head to look up at him. All the bones in her body were broken. Instead she strained her eyes to see Mikel who leisurely walked towards her with a big smile on his face.

“And to think just a decade ago, we were equals. Oh, how times have changed.” Mikel grinned.

Moira looked past Mikel and saw Aiden with a distracted look on his face. “Finally,.” She thought to herself as the world began to dim. She felt cheated, although she’s been a werewolf for centuries none of the wolf spirits had chosen her. Yet a pup like Aiden was chosen almost immediately.

Still she was relieved. Those chosen immediately by the spirits were often much stronger than those accepted centuries later when they were older, like Mikel was.

Mikel stopped before her and raised his foot. He thrust his foot down and shattered the Moira’s head like a ripe grape.

“Ugh.” Mikel said as he lifted his foot, pieces of brain matter falling off his boot.

MY NAME IS AIPHAS!!!

Aiden felt himself slip away from the world and appeared in a forest. Instead of being green and brown like the colors of a normal forest, it was in shades of blue. Aside from Aiden who looked as he did in the normal world, everything else was blue, there was no other color.

Snap!

The sound of a twig breaking drew his attention. Looking over he saw a great silver beast walk out from the forest and approach him. Its silver coat should’ve been easy to spot in this blue-colored world, yet it seemed to blend into the forest around it. If Aiden didn’t concentrated on it, it would’ve faded into the scenery of the forest.

This werewolf was at least seven-feet tall, and had canines the size of his finger. But for some reason, Aiden was not scared at all. Not even a little. He felt nothing but warmth radiating from this beautiful beast.

My name is…

“Lemme guess, your name is Bob?” Aiden said cutting off the voice sounding in his head.

The wolf’s shoulders raised up and down as if it was laughing.

You can finally hear me.

“So, you’re the ‘great spirit’ that chose me? Why?” Aiden wondered.

Everything will be explained in due time, young one. For now, defeat that Vampire lord, and remember the ones who’ve died for you. An alpha is just a lone-wolf without its pack.

Aiden had so many questions but before he could ask, the wolf brought its paw to Aiden’s face and suddenly he was brought back to the world of the living. The blue lines on his body began to glow brighter as he felt a rush of energy flood through his body.

Aiden looked over and saw Mikel with his foot on the dead werewolf’s body. He used the woman’s body like a rag to clean off the bottom of his shoe.

Mikel felt a sudden brilliance of energy behind him. Looking back, he saw Aiden the same as before, only now the blue lines were shining.

Fool! I told you your arrogance would get you killed one day. You should’ve finished the boy off the first chance you had! A voice inside Mikel screamed.

Mikel ignored his spirit Animus and ran towards his sword, still embedded into the ground where he tossed it. As he wrapped his hands around the hilt he suddenly found himself staring at Aiden who had appeared next to the sword.

With a swipe of his claws Aiden released an arc of silvery light that flew towards Mikel. Mikel dodged the burst of energy but Aiden released dozens of arcs of light, like a rapid-fire machine gun.

One of those light’s pierced Mikel’s shoulder, splitting his skin open. That set off a chain-reaction as the other crescents of light struck him one after the other, each one creating a terrible gash on his body.

When the last light struck, Mikel could barely stand.

Aiden suddenly appeared before him with the flaming sword in hand. Without hesitation, or any wasted words, he thrust the sword through Mikel’s stomach.

Mikel gripped the sword as he fell to his knees. He looked up at Aiden’s eyes, those blue eyes that glowed with other-worldly light. “What’s your spirit’s name?” Mikel asked curiously as the world grew dark.

“Aiphas.” Aiden replied before kicking Mikel’s body and dislodging the sword.

…

“I won’t let you hurt anyone else.” Kiru said as he activated his lightning form.

“The world will cast you out soon, a black portal will appear and drag you to the NetherRealm, I suggest you take it. Otherwise, tribulation lightning is waiting for you, and it will strike you dead.”

Nate looked up at the purple lightning in the sky. He believed what Kiru was saying. He’d heard about tribulation lightning in his mother’s diary and knew of its fatality. But the anger within him was so powerful he couldn’t bear leaving without satiating it.

Thirty feet away from them, the woman the National guards were addressing held her head in pain. Nate was aware of the situation and found it curious but he didn’t pay much attention to it. That was until the girl suddenly glanced towards his direction.

“Nate!” She roared running towards him at super-human speed.

Nate didn’t know the girl, but it seemed like the National guardsmen nearby knew of her. Tapping into their minds he found out the girl was the President’s daughter. Someone who was infected with a disease yet somehow ended up in the Asylum.

Why the hell is she after me? Nate wondered as Andrea attacked.

He would’ve killed her, his anger deep within was like a simmering cauldron, but his curiosity outweighed his need for blood. He forced his mental energy into her mind and received a burst of information. One memory in particular caught his attention. But this memory didn't belong to her, it belonged to Jody...

…

“I hate you.” Jody said as he looked up at the doctor who wore a white mask, covering her mouth.

“I know.” The doctor replied as she brought the tray of tools closer to him.

“I’m a fucking human you know?” He said to another doctor.

“I know.” The doctor replied in a bored tone of voice.

Jody wanted to lash out at these doctors but he could do nothing but watch as they prepared him for surgery. To end his life and fuse it to another. Mendell had told him he would no longer exist, that he’d become a part of someone else and the thought had scared him.

“You’ll feel a pulling sensation in your legs, don’t worry about it.”

Jody looked away from the doctors when he saw his pleading was having no effect. He turned his gaze towards the ceiling reluctantly. He didn’t want to look at the mirror above but it was another sadistic strategy that Mendell had implemented.

His eyes strayed upward and saw the mirror. He saw himself lying on the table as the doctors operated on him. The pulling sensation the doctor mentioned earlier was because they had removed his whole leg. Now they were starting on his other leg.

“I hate you.” Jody repeated, but his voice was wasted on the doctors who continued to operate.

“Any plans for the weekend?” One doctor asked.

“Nothing special. Might take the yacht out with the family and go fishing.” Another doctor replied.

Tears streamed down Jody’s face as the doctors began to chat casually. As the procedure moved along he tried to keep his eyes from straying towards the mirror, but every now and then he’d glance up and see another part of his body missing.

Eventually they got to his stomach. “So all this is going to the President’s daughter, how’d Mendell manage that?” one of the doctors spoke.

“Who knows, I glanced in on him just now, he’s working on her as we speak. The man’s a God.” Another replied.

“I don’t want to die.” Jody says but the doctors ignore him as they continue their conversation.

He wanted them to die. He begged god to kill them, to give him a chance to get revenge on Mendell and all the other scientists within this God forsaken place.

As the doctors continued their way up they Jody felt his consciousness slipping.

His eyes opened slowly, his mind somewhere between reality and dreamland. Glancing up at the mirror he saw his arms were gone, and his torso was missing. His view was blocked by a whirring saw that was lowered upon his head.

“The head’s going to be tricky, I need all hands on deck.” The doctor said.

As the doctors began cutting into his brain he saw Images floating in his mind, his mother in pain, begging for him to end her suffering. Another image of him as a child, going to school. One by one images of his whole life flashed before him.

My name is Jody! My…name…Jody. My…name…