Laverna exhaled sharply, steam escaping her lips like the breath of a ravenous beast. Her eyes burned with something primal, untamed.
She looked like a wild animal, unleashed to wreak havoc. Her nails lengthened into claw-like points as a black and red aura coiled around her fingers like smoke.
The energy pulsed and flickered, carrying the cursed presence of an Azakashi, a revenant bound by vengeance. Shin saw the torment she had endured, the years of suffering that had chipped away at her humanity, but he had to reach her. He had to make her listen.
"Miss, I don't know your name, but trust me, don't go into Beast Mode. You can't control it yet. Please, just stop for a moment and come back..."
Before he could finish, she bolted from the burning building, ignoring him completely. The wind howled around her, embers dancing in her wake. Her canines elongated, her eyes narrowing into fox-like slits filled with bloodlust.
Shin recognized that look. He had seen it before, felt it before. Since then, he had fought to keep his own instincts in check, never wanting to lose himself to the beast within. He knew what awaited her if she surrendered completely, and the thought sent a chill down his spine.
The stench of blood and death coated her tongue. A soft, guttural purr escaped her lips as her fangs sharpened further. The overwhelming scent of carnage only fueled her rage.
Her eyes fully shifted into her vixen counterpart, her wrath manifesting before Shin's eyes. Her heartbeat thundered in her ears, drowning out the world around her.
Power surged through her, intoxicating and wild. She let out a slow, shuddering breath, drinking in the energy swirling around her.
Shin chased after her, his voice strained with concern. "Miss! Are you alright? Talk to me!"
She barely spared him a glance, her lips curling into something between a smirk and a snarl. "I'm fine," she murmured, her voice distorted, layered with something otherworldly. "I've never felt better."
Shin quickened his pace, dodging debris as he tried to keep up. "This isn't you! You're losing control! You have to fight it!"
She laughed softly, the sound eerily detached. "Control? I've never had control. Not until now. Can't you feel it, good sir? The power, the freedom? I don't need to fight it. This is what I was meant to be."
The negative energies of the manor coiled around her like unseen tendrils, feeding her, strengthening her limbs, and sharpening her senses. She felt untouchable, unstoppable. For the first time, true power coursed through her veins.
But deep within her mind, something stirred. The whispers grew louder, a legion of vengeful spirits murmuring, urging, directing.
The illusion was perfect.
She believed she was in control, but in reality, she was merely a vessel. The spirits held the reins, guiding her fury, stoking the fire of her vengeance. They had chosen her, and with every step, they tightened their grip, pulling her deeper into their embrace.
A strange heaviness settled over her. A voice, ancient and dark, whispered in her mind, its presence both intoxicating and maddening. Heat flared beneath her skin, spreading through her veins like wildfire.
Her hands clenched and unclenched as the fog in her thoughts deepened. Only one thing remained clear... revenge. There was no room for fear or hesitation, only the primal urge to destroy.
The cages behind her faded from focus. She inhaled deeply, locking onto the scent of the three Lichtenstein boys. Their presence called to her like a siren's song, luring her forward. They were prey. She was the hunter.
"Kill! Kill! Kill!" The thought screamed in her mind as her nails raked the walls, leaving deep scars in the wood. Her movements were swift, unnatural.
The distance between her and her prey disappeared in mere seconds. She was faster now, stronger. The spirits that clung to her whispered encouragement, feeding her insatiable wrath.
The vixen was oblivious to the carnage unfolding around her. Chaos had consumed the manor. The once-grand estate, adorned with art, weaponry, and luxury, was being torn apart from within.
Servants and slaves, long abused, now took their vengeance. Pantries, bedrooms, and galleries were stripped of their wealth as screams filled the halls. Blood dripped from the walls, pooling around bodies discarded like broken dolls.
In just a few short hours, the tables had turned. The once-untouchable nobles were now the hunted. Blood soaked the floors as bodies were torn apart by stolen weapons.
Even the guards, once loyal, had turned on their masters, swept up in the chaos. Chandeliers swayed dangerously from the impact of bodies crashing into furniture, while the scent of burning wood mingled with the metallic tang of blood.
The scale of the slaughter was both awe-inspiring and terrifying, a grim testament to the depths of human hatred, a consequence of unchecked cruelty. And yet, those being cut down were far from innocent. Their screams of terror turned to gurgled gasps as blades found their marks.
Even as the noble families fell, they fought viciously. They did not die easily, dragging many of their former servants down with them.
Blood filled every room as entire bloodlines were wiped out, while the freed captives reveled in their long-awaited vengeance. Some, blinded by rage, butchered indiscriminately, unable to tell friend from foe.
Through it all, Laverna pressed forward, her body moving on instinct. She didn't care who fell.
The manor had become a battlefield, a blood-soaked monument to suffering and retribution. The air was thick with the sounds of agony and triumph. Cries of the dying were swallowed by the roar of flames as the once-opulent palace burned around them.
A squad of Lichtenstein guards spotted her through the haze of fire and ruin. Recognition flickered in their eyes, followed by something darker, pure, unfiltered hatred. "There she is! The little fox-bitch! Kill her!" one of them barked, raising his weapon. The others charged, swords glinting in the inferno's glow, their fury aimed at the girl they had once tormented.
Among them, magicians clad in scorched robes raised their hands, chanting incantations, their fingertips crackling with arcane energy. Fireballs flared to life, lightning arced between trembling fingers, and chains of raw magic twisted through the air, aiming to ensnare her. "Contain her! Bind her before she loses herself completely!" one of them commanded, his voice edged with urgency.
But Laverna did not hesitate. Her body moved before thought, a blur of primal instinct. She darted between them, her claws flashing. A blade swung toward her throat, but she twisted beneath it, her fangs sinking deep into the man's neck before ripping away with a savage jerk. His gurgled scream was lost in the maelstrom.
Shin kept his distance, watching as she weaved through the chaos. He had seen battles, had witnessed brutality, but this was different. Laverna wasn't just fighting, she was becoming something else. Something monstrous. The spirits clung to her, their whispers relentless. They had chosen her as their vessel, and she was on the precipice of losing herself to them.
The flames crackled behind her, consuming the home of those who had once owned her. The screams of the fallen faded into the background, drowned beneath the hammering of her heart. The beast inside her clawed at the edges of her consciousness, demanding to be set free.
Shin knew he had to act soon. If he didn't, there would be no bringing her back.