Chapter 14, Part 1 – The Basement

  The moment we arrived home, I could finally relax.

  Or at least, that’s what I told myself.

  Because, let’s be real, it’s hard to relax when you have a trembling rat of a man sitting in the backseat, sweating like he just ran a marathon in a sauna. John was so on edge I was half-worried he’d spontaneously combust before I could get any useful information out of him.

  Sebastian, ever the composed butler, stepped out of the car with his usual grace, while Raven flapped his wings and perched on his shoulder like some ominous harbinger of doom.

  "Take Raven and feed him," I instructed. "Give him the burger I made earlier."

  Sebastian gave a slight nod before heading inside, his footsteps barely making a sound. Raven, on the other hand, gave me a long, judging stare, like he was debating whether or not I was worth listening to. Then he let out a croaky little noise that I was 70% sure was bird-speak for "Try not to kill anyone while I'm gone."

  Yeah, no promises.

  With Sebastian and Raven gone, I turned to John.

  "Follow me," I said.

  John hesitated. His hands twitched, his breathing shallow. I could practically hear the gears in his head turning. He thought he had a chance to run.

  He was so wrong it almost hurt.

  I turned and walked toward the basement door, not bothering to check if he was following. I knew he would. He was too scared to do anything else. The second I twisted the doorknob and stepped inside, a familiar coldness seeped into my bones.

  Basements have this weird ability to feel way creepier than they actually are. Maybe it’s the still air, the dim lighting, or the way sound seems to vanish the moment you step inside. Or maybe it was just the fact that I had a chair in the center of the room like I was about to film a villain monologue.

  John stepped in behind me, slow and reluctant. His eyes darted around, looking for anything—an escape route, a hidden weapon, a miracle.

  There wasn’t one.

  I gestured to the chair. "Sit."

  John hesitated again, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed hard. But in the end, he sat.

  I stepped closer, resting a hand on the back of his chair. "Alright," I said, voice calm. "Are you going to spill everything yourself, or do I need to… encourage you?"

  John flinched. "L-Look, I—"

  "Before you answer," I cut in, holding up a finger, "just know that if you try to lie, I’ll know. If you try to stall, I’ll know. And if you try to waste my time…"

  I let the sentence hang in the air, giving him my best ‘I’m so done with your existence’ stare.

  John shuddered.

  A solid five seconds passed before he cracked.

  "The Black Moon," he blurted. "That’s their name."

  I hummed. "Dramatic."

  "They’re after anyone who can use that… that thing you did at the restaurant," he went on, voice uneven. "Anyone with an ability like that… they either recruit them, or if they refuse…"

  He swallowed again. "They kill them."

  I nodded slowly. "Mhm. And?"

  John took a shaky breath. "They’re… not as big as you might think," he admitted. "They’re actually pretty small."

  I raised an eyebrow. "How small?"

  John hesitated.

  I casually reached into my pocket and pulled out my knife.

  "Not more than a hundred people!" he blurted, gripping the arms of his chair like they were the only thing keeping him tethered to life. "A-And most of them aren’t even awakened!"

  I twirled the knife between my fingers, watching him sweat. "So how do they kill awakened people, then?"

  John shuddered again, looking like a man who had just realized how stupid his life choices had been.

  "They… they only target the weak ones," he admitted. "The ones who don’t know how to use their abilities yet. They take them by surprise. And if someone’s stronger, they overwhelm them. They don’t fight fair."

  I sighed. "Of course they don’t."

  There are always groups like this. Cowards who thrive on fear, who prey on the helpless while avoiding anyone stronger. It was predictable. Almost boring.

  But that didn’t mean it wasn’t dangerous.

  I leaned in slightly. "Tell me their leader’s name. And their location."

  John hesitated.

  I gave him one look.

  He broke.

  He spilled everything—names, hideouts, contacts. He probably would’ve given me his bank password if I asked.

  By the time he was done, he looked like a deflated balloon. His breath was ragged, his body trembling.

  "I’ve told you everything," he whispered. "Please. Just let me go."

  I tilted my head.

  "Let you go?"

  John nodded so fast I thought his head might snap off. "Y-Yeah. You don’t have to kill me, right? I mean, I’m just a guy! A middleman! I—I won’t even think about running to them!"

  I stared at him.

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  Then I let out a long, slow exhale.

  "John," I said, tone almost gentle. "Buddy."

  His face lit up with a flicker of hope.

  And that was the funniest thing I’d seen all night.

  "No."

  Before he could process that, I moved.

  The knife sliced through the air, clean and precise.

  A second later, his head was no longer attached to his body.

  The sound of it hitting the floor was… surprisingly soft. Just a quiet thump against the concrete.

  I stared at the blood pooling around my feet. The scent of iron filled the air.

  No hesitation. No guilt.

  I should’ve hesitated. Should’ve felt something.

  But instead…

  I just wiped the knife clean and stepped back.

  Inside my head, something shifted.

  "Asher."

  A smooth, amused voice hummed through my mind. Yes?

  I clenched my jaw. "What the hell is happening to me?"

  There was a beat of silence. Then Asher chuckled lightly.

  "The more we take over, the more our effects linger," he explained. "You’ve grown into this because of us. Because of Compatibility."

  I let that sink in.

  "And don’t worry," Asher added, voice almost comforting. "I’ll make sure you don’t make a decision you’ll regret."

  I exhaled slowly.

  At least one of them still had a shred of sanity.

  …Or at least, I hoped he did.

  I turned away from the mess, my mind already sorting through my next move.

  I had names. Locations. A target.

  The Black Moon was out there.

  And now?

  They were next.

  Chapter 14, Part 2 – The Calm Before the Hunt

  Nighttime was the best time to strike.

  But before that?

  I was starving.

  It wasn’t just any hunger, either—it was the deep, gnawing kind, the type that made your body feel hollow, like something had carved out your insides and left you running on fumes. Probably a side effect of everything I’d been through lately, including that little murder session in the basement.

  Oh well.

  I didn’t even have to shout anymore. A simple call was enough.

  "Sebastian. Raven."

  Less than a second later, I heard rapid footsteps, followed by the soft whoosh of wings cutting through the air.

  Sebastian appeared first, looking as pristine as ever, like he hadn’t just spent the evening casually helping his employer torture and execute a man. He stood at attention, back straight, hands folded. "Yes, sir?"

  Raven, on the other hand, made a far more dramatic entrance—swooping down from whatever perch he’d been lurking on and landing on Sebastian’s shoulder with a powerful flap of his wings. He let out a loud caw that roughly translated to "Took you long enough, idiot."

  I stared at him. He stared back.

  And that’s when I realized something.

  "You’ve gotten bigger."

  Raven tilted his head, blinking.

  "No, seriously," I continued, stepping closer. "You used to be this tiny, angry little ball of fluff. Now you’re…" I gestured vaguely. "…a bigger, angry ball of fluff."

  Sebastian cleared his throat. "He has indeed grown, sir. His wingspan has increased significantly. If I had to estimate, he’s currently around three to four feet tall."

  "That’s insane," I muttered. "He was literally born not too long ago."

  Raven let out another caw, fluffing up his feathers like he was showing off.

  I sighed. "Great. At this rate, you’ll be big enough to carry me around like some kind of ominous death bird."

  Raven cawed again, but this time, I swore he sounded way too pleased with the idea.

  I ignored him.

  "You guys hungry?" I asked, shifting topics.

  Sebastian, as always, remained polite. "If you would like to prepare something, sir, it would be my pleasure."

  Raven, unlike Sebastian, was not polite.

  He immediately started flapping his wings aggressively, practically demanding food.

  "Alright, alright," I muttered. "Calm down, you little menace. I’ll make something."

  Cooking had become somewhat of a ritual. A moment of normalcy in a life that had long since stopped being normal.

  So I made cheese wraps.

  Simple. Easy. Quick.

  The smell of melted cheese and toasted bread filled the air, mixing with the faint scent of spices. For a brief moment, it felt like a real home. Like a real family.

  The thought made my chest tighten.

  I missed my brother.

  I had no memories of my parents—because they never stuck around long enough to become memories. But my brother? He was the only one who had ever mattered. The one who gave me my name.

  And now, he was gone.

  No.

  Not gone.

  I refused to accept that.

  Crying wouldn’t change anything. Grieving wouldn’t fix it.

  If I wanted him back, I’d have to make it happen myself.

  But how?

  I forced the thought away. Not now. Not yet.

  We ate in silence.

  Sebastian ate like a man who had been raised in an aristocratic nightmare—small, neat bites, perfect posture. Raven, on the other hand, devoured his portion like a wild beast, tearing into the wrap with sharp beak movements.

  And me? I just ate.

  No need for manners when it was just us.

  When we finished, I leaned back, exhaling slowly. "Alright," I said. "We move at night."

  Sebastian didn’t react visibly, but I knew he was listening.

  Raven simply stared at me.

  "We take them out in one go," I continued. "No loose ends. No second chances."

  Sebastian gave a curt nod. "Understood, sir."

  Raven flapped his wings once before hopping onto the table, pecking at the last remaining crumbs.

  I stood up, stretching my arms. "Get some rest. We’ll need all our strength for this."

  Sebastian nodded once more before excusing himself. Raven lingered for a moment before finally taking off, disappearing into the shadows of the house.

  And me?

  I headed to my room.

  My body felt strong, but I knew it wasn’t enough. Regeneration was great, but it wasn’t enough. I needed more.

  I needed to evolve.

  "Don’t worry," Solace’s voice echoed in my head, smooth and composed. "We’ve been saving something for you."

  I frowned. "What is it?"

  "Not yet," Solace said. "Finish with these rats first. Then we’ll talk."

  That was probably the closest thing to encouragement I was ever going to get from him.

  I exhaled sharply. "Fine."

  For now, I’d sleep.

  Because when I woke up?

  The hunt would begin.

  Chapter 14, Part 3 – A Wake-Up Call and a Hunt Begins

  I woke up.

  Not dramatically. No sudden revelations. No gasping for air like I’d just escaped some nightmare. Just… woke up.

  And then I sat there, staring at the ceiling.

  For once, the voices in my head weren’t screaming at me. They weren’t arguing or making snide comments. Just silence. Almost peaceful.

  Which was exactly why I didn’t trust it.

  "You guys dead?" I thought.

  No response.

  Well. That was ominous.

  I shook it off and stretched. No time to waste.

  John’s final words had given me a lead. His so-called ‘associates’ were hiding out in an abandoned hospital—which, honestly, was so cliché it made my teeth hurt. Like, seriously? Out of all the possible hideouts, they picked a hospital that screamed ‘haunted death trap’?

  Guess they weren’t big on creativity.

  I rolled out of bed and started searching up the location.

  It wasn’t far. A short drive away, near the outskirts of the city. A place so neglected it had probably become home to stray dogs, drug addicts, and the occasional murder enthusiast.

  Perfect.

  But first—my employees.

  I made my way to the kitchen and, as expected, found Sebastian already up.

  He was washing dishes, posture straight as ever, moving with the kind of mechanical efficiency that made me wonder if he was secretly a robot.

  "You slept, right?" I asked, narrowing my eyes.

  "Yes, sir," he answered without missing a beat. "I woke up not too long ago."

  Good. At least one of us was maintaining some level of discipline.

  Which brought me to the other one.

  I turned my head.

  There, lying on his back like he had just finished a twelve-hour shift at a soulless corporate job, was Raven—my feathered menace.

  He was sprawled out across the counter, wings slightly ruffled, head tilted at an angle that looked way too comfortable.

  He was sleeping like a human.

  I stared.

  I blinked.

  I stared some more.

  This stupid bird was out here acting like he had a 9-to-5 job, a mortgage, and a family to feed.

  "Oi," I muttered, reaching out to nudge him. "Wake up."

  Nothing.

  I poked him again.

  Still nothing.

  Alright, fine. You wanna be like that?

  I reached out—

  And the little bastard bit me.

  Not a warning peck. Not a gentle nip.

  A full-fledged, no-hesitation, ‘I hate you’ bite.

  I yanked my hand back, eyes narrowing.

  And you know what he did next?

  He shifted positions and went right back to sleep.

  That was it. That was the final straw.

  "You wanna act like you run this house?" I muttered, grabbing him carefully. "Fine. Let’s see how you like this."

  Silently, I picked him up and carried him to the bathroom. He didn’t even struggle—just lazily blinked at me like he couldn’t be bothered.

  We reached the bathtub.

  I turned on the faucet.

  The water ran cold.

  Raven finally realized what was happening.

  He let out a confused little caw.

  And then—

  I dropped him in.

  Instantly, the bathroom erupted with the most horrified, betrayal-filled cawing I had ever heard.

  Raven thrashed. He flapped. He screamed.

  And I just stood there, arms crossed.

  "That’s what you get for biting me," I said.

  He glared at me—genuinely, glared—like I had just committed a crime against birdkind.

  I sighed, reaching in to pull him out.

  And then the little shit bit me again.

  "You ungrateful—!"

  I bit back the curse.

  Fine. Whatever. I grabbed a towel and dried him off, muttering the entire time. Raven, for his part, kept making these angry little huffs, occasionally snapping his beak at me just to remind me that he would never forgive me for this.

  Finally, I was done.

  I walked back into the main room, where Sebastian was already waiting.

  "The car is ready, sir," he said smoothly.

  I paused.

  He was standing too perfectly. His face was too neutral.

  I narrowed my eyes. "You heard everything, didn’t you?"

  Sebastian didn’t answer.

  Which was an answer in itself.

  I groaned, running a hand through my hair. "Whatever. Let’s go."

  He simply nodded, opening the door.

  Raven, still glaring daggers at me, swooped onto my shoulder with a dramatic flourish—soaking wet feathers and all.

  I gritted my teeth.

  Tonight was going to be fantastic.

  The Drive to Hell

  The abandoned hospital wasn’t far, but the drive felt longer than it should have.

  Mostly because I had a wet, angry bird sitting on my shoulder the entire time, radiating enough passive aggression to kill a small animal.

  Sebastian drove in silence, eyes focused on the road, completely ignoring the tense standoff happening in the passenger seat.

  I sighed, shifting slightly. "You’re gonna dry off eventually, you know."

  Raven just huffed.

  "Stop being dramatic."

  Another huff.

  I rolled my eyes. "Oh my God. You’re worse than Solace."

  "I heard that," Solace’s voice chimed in lazily.

  I scowled. "Oh, now you show up?"

  "Had to let you embarrass yourself first," he said smoothly.

  I inhaled slowly, exhaled even slower. "Fantastic. I love my life."

  Sebastian cleared his throat lightly. "We are approaching the location, sir."

  Finally.

  I leaned forward, eyes scanning the area.

  The hospital loomed in the distance—tall, abandoned, and oozing with the kind of atmosphere that made horror movie directors weep with joy.

  Its windows were shattered. Graffiti covered its once-pristine walls. The entire area was surrounded by rusted-out cars and piles of garbage that looked suspiciously like human remains.

  Charming.

  I tilted my head. "So this is where the rats are hiding, huh?"

  Sebastian nodded. "According to the information you retrieved, yes."

  I cracked my neck. "Good. Then let’s pay them a visit."

  Sebastian smoothly pulled the car into an alley, parking in a concealed spot.

  I stepped out first, stretching. Raven finally decided to hop off my shoulder, shaking out his feathers aggressively before taking to the air.

  Sebastian adjusted his gloves. "How would you like to proceed, sir?"

  I looked at the hospital, mind already running through possibilities.

  A frontal assault? Too noisy.

  A stealth approach? Maybe, but I didn’t know the layout yet.

  An ambush? I’d need to lure them out first.

  Then, an idea struck me.

  I smirked.

  "How about," I said, "we let them come to us?"

  Sebastian raised an eyebrow. "And how do you propose we do that, sir?"

  I looked at Raven.

  He looked back.

  He immediately started shaking his head.

  I grinned.

  "Raven, buddy," I said, voice dripping with fake sweetness. "How would you like to play bait?"

  Raven immediately cawed in outrage.

  Sebastian sighed, adjusting his tie. "This will be interesting."

  "Oh, you have no idea," I muttered.

  The hunt was about to begin.