Fighting their way to Laverna's target, they arrived at a hidden room behind the study, where the Lichtensteins were holed up. Shin's gaze locked onto the gruesome scene before him.
In the center of the dimly lit chamber lay Salene's lifeless body, naked, her limbs severed with sickening precision. The Lichtensteins had butchered her, their knowledge of anatomy on full display, carving her apart like seasoned executioners. This was no ordinary slaughter, it was calculated, methodical, a twisted art crafted by hands well-versed in torture.
Shin took in the scene with a measured gaze, unfazed by the carnage. He had seen deaths worse than this. Mutilation, entrails spilled across the ground, bodies reduced to unrecognizable husks. This was simply another variation of horror, another grotesque display of human cruelty.
He exhaled slowly, his expression impassive, but beneath the surface, a quiet fury simmered. These people weren't just sadists; they were trained killers. This wasn't the work of nobles toying with their victims for pleasure. No, the Lichtensteins had perfected their craft, it was an art to them, a perverse science.
The air reeked of blood, the room humming with the echoes of suffering. Shin clenched his fists, his resolve sharpening. There was no saving them. No redemption. Only death.
Laughter rang through the chamber. The Lichtenstein brothers toyed with Salene's corpse, their parents lounging over a table, calmly discussing their next move. Abigail slumped by the window, pouting over how unfair everything had been, absentmindedly tracing the scratches in the wood.
Disgusting. Utterly disgusting.
The whispers coiled around Laverna's mind like a suffocating fog, urging her forward, begging for slaughter. Kill them. Tear them apart. Drown them in their own blood. The spirits of the damned clawed at her sanity, their voices a chorus of vengeance.
But she resisted. Not yet. Not until the moment was right. They would suffer, yes, but they would die on her terms.
She withdrew her fingers from the wall, suppressing the surge of rage threatening to overtake her. They had screamed at her, beaten her, starved her, hunted her, violated her. Stripped her of everything. But tonight, she would show them what kind of animal they had created.
The room was as she expected. Blood coated the walls, bodies strewn across the floor, a grotesque mixture of guards and servants alike. Rivers of crimson pooled at the door, mixing with the lifeblood of those who had perished before them. The shadows embraced her as she slipped through the doorway, her body thrumming with anticipation.
The three Lichtenstein brothers stood in the center, their laughter ringing through the carnage as they danced around Salene's mutilated corpse. Her eyes had been ripped from their sockets, blood trickling from her gaping mouth and ears. Laverna's ears twitched, straining for any sign of life. None.
A low growl rumbled from her throat. The whispers in her mind stirred, urging her forward.
Kill.
A deeper growl escaped her lips, but she remained still, trembling with restraint. The voices howled for blood, her sanity fraying with every second she forced herself to wait. Then something inside her snapped.
She couldn't wait anymore.
With a feral snarl, she lunged.
The nearest Lichtenstein brother crashed into a wooden pillar, splintering the aged wood. The chandelier above trembled, candles flickering, molten wax dripping onto the bloodstained floor. The house itself seemed to recoil from her fury.
Her vision blurred as hot blood filled her mouth, the intoxicating taste sending a shudder through her spine. A moan slipped from her lips as her nails tore into flesh, the satisfying rip of muscle beneath her fingers igniting something primal. She grinned, locking eyes with Charles.
Charles saw the threat but it was too late.
Gavin was within reach. Instinct roared louder than thought. She lunged, fangs sinking into his throat. Flesh tore, arteries ruptured, blood gushed in thick waves. His body convulsed before collapsing. His weight knocked over a table, goblets of wine spilling onto the crimson-drenched floorboards, mixing with his lifeblood.
Before his corpse had settled, she was on Ronald, coiling around him like a serpent and dragging him down. An ornate candelabra crashed, flames licking the velvet curtain. Shadows danced wildly across the walls, the room bathed in a hellish glow.
The fight raged on, each motion fluid and ruthless. The air was thick with the scent of blood, the room filled with the symphony of gasping breaths, the snapping of bones, and the gurgled cries of the dying. The Lichtenstein family had no chance to react. Laverna moved like a phantom of death, an unstoppable force of nature.
Ronald struggled beneath her grip, his hands clawing at her arms, but she was too strong, too fast. Something unnatural had taken hold of her, a level of speed and strength that none of them had encountered before.
Her claws raked across his face, leaving deep, ragged wounds that bled freely. He barely had time to scream before her teeth sank into his throat, severing his final breath.
For the first time in their lives, the Lichtensteins felt something foreign creeping into their bones, fear.
Hard hands wrapped around her throat mid-air, forcing a sharp squeak from her. But she did not panic. Instead, she sank her fangs into Charles's wrist, relishing the choked gasp that followed.
His grip faltered, giving her enough leverage to wrap her legs around his arm, forcing him to hold her weight with one hand. He struggled, but she did not relent. Her sharpened canines tore down his forearm, the gush of blood spilling into her mouth as his brothers had before him.
Perfect.
A twisted grin spread across her lips as panic flashed in his eyes. She let herself go limp, dead weight pulling him off balance. As they tumbled, pain flared in her side, but she did not stop.
Her teeth sank into anything she could reach, her claws raking over his face as he fought to shove her away. He managed to roll them, attempting to pin her, but she anticipated the move.
Her arms latched onto his, pulling herself closer, locking him beneath her. He thrashed, desperate. A well-aimed kick cracked against her skull, sending her reeling for a split second, but it was enough time for her to drive a stolen knife deep into his throat.
The cold steel slid through effortlessly. She smiled, leaning down just enough to spit on him before pulling the blade free.
A force slammed into her side, sending her crashing into the wall. Her breath hitched as pain flared along her spine, her vision blurring for a moment before she refocused. A growl bubbled from her chest as she looked up, her gaze locking onto Abigail.
The girl stood over her, looking like a twisted reflection of herself. Blades adorned her fingers like claws, glinting menacingly as she lifted one to her lips and licked the blood from the steel. "You've been holding out on us, pet," she giggled, eyes alight with manic glee. "Daddy, I got this!"
Abigail stepped forward, surveying the scene with a smirk of superiority. Her eyes flicked over her brothers' broken forms with something bordering on amusement. "Pathetic," she scoffed, tilting her head as if examining insects struggling in the dirt. "You disappoint me. Is this the best the esteemed Lichtenstein bloodline can offer?"
Laverna's breath came in ragged gasps, her body trembling not with fear, but with the sheer force of the hatred burning inside her. The whispers clawed at her mind, screaming for vengeance, for destruction. She dug her nails into her palms, steadying herself against the storm.
"You have no soul," Laverna spat, her voice low but sharp as a blade. Her crimson-streaked lips curled in disgust as she forced herself upright. "You're not the strongest, Abigail. You're just the emptiest."
Abigail's smirk widened, the gleam in her eyes sharpening with twisted delight. "Oh, sweet thing, that's exactly why I'm the strongest." She stretched out her arms, reveling in the carnage around her. "No hesitation, no remorse. Only power."
The air in the chamber grew heavy, the tension thick as oil. The dying embers from the fallen candelabra cast flickering shadows across the walls, the scent of burning fabric mixing with the metallic tang of blood.
Abigail rolled her shoulders, cracking her neck. "Now then, shall we begin?"
A chilling wind swept through the chamber as she lunged.