CHAPTER 39
"But… he hasn't been here before," Marcus said, frowning. "How could Ethan even know about this place?"
Vlad lowered his gaze. "I used to tell him stories. This place was the heart of our past... he was always curious. But officially, this settlement doesn't exist. There's no way he could've found it alone. However… after the ritual, his senses became sharper. He can follow scent trails now. And in his current state… crossing those mountains would be easy for him."
Marcus nodded slowly. "Then we shouldn't wait. We need to come up with a plan."
He hesitated, then his eyes grew serious. "Come with me, Vlad. After you left… I found the place from the legends. It's real."
Vlad froze. "You're joking…"
"No. Deep in the glaciers, there's a place. A flowing river. A sunlit valley, covered in green. I never told anyone. But there… there's something you might want to see."
Two Months Ago – The Hidden Valley
Ethan stood by the riverbank. Jessica was beside him. The silence was broken only by the soft breeze.
"Are you ready?" Ethan asked, his eyes fixed on the greenery ahead.
Jessica nodded. "I'm ready. We talked about everything. You made me feel things I never thought I could. Thank you… and yes, I'm ready to give myself for you."
Ethan took her hand. They kissed. Time seemed to stop. That night, they were together.
When the morning sun rose, Ethan stood up and turned his face to the wind.
"If my instincts are right… it's this way," he said.
Jessica placed a hand on his shoulder. "Wait…"
Ethan started sniffing the air. He paused. "Duck," he said.
A deafening explosion rang out.
The ground trembled. Jessica's body was thrown back, blood dripping from her shoulder.
"Hey! Are you okay?"
Jessica winced. "I'm fine… but what was that?"
"Damn it… they found us. Jessica, it's those soldiers again. I'll kill them all," he growled, beginning to shift into his werewolf form.
Now – Volgravia
Vlad looked at the small wooden box Marcus handed him. It was old, but the seal on it still glowed faintly.
"This… is your family's heirloom," Marcus said. "It's been sealed for thousands of years. Only your blood can open it. And… it might help."
Emily stepped forward. "But what does it do?"
"This box," Vlad said, "shows the highest possible outcome. Not the future… but the most probable catastrophe."
Zack furrowed his brow. "So it shows the future?"
"No," Svetlana said. "It warns you. Of the moment you're closest to death… or the greatest tragedy you might face."
Mike spoke in a low voice. "How does it work, though? How does it know what to show?"
"It captures the moment your heart beats the hardest," Vlad answered. "When you're weakest, or approaching a point of no return…"
He cut his finger and let the blood drip onto the seal. The box clicked open. Inside was a metal medallion with a red gem in the center. Its chain was rusted, but the stone shimmered faintly.
Vlad pressed his blood against the gem.
The gem trembled… and everything went dark.
He was on the ground. Covered in blood. His eyes barely open.
He looked ahead… Ethan and Mike stood facing each other.
Mike's face was torn. His left arm hung uselessly. He looked exhausted, but still standing.
Ethan… was no longer himself.
His eyes were pitch black, skin pale and grey. His body had grown larger. His nails had become claws. A dark aura leaked from his frame.
Mike charged, summoning all his remaining strength. He slashed at Ethan.
But Ethan only stepped aside. Mike's blow sliced through air he missed.
Ethan grabbed Mike's throat and slammed him into the ground.
"You… gave me everything," Ethan said in a voice drowned in shadow. "But there's no turning back now."
Mike's eyes welled up. The others… were dead. Emily's hand lay limp. Zack's body was shattered. Svetlana's figure buried beneath snow.
Only Ethan and Mike remained. And Ethan… was winning.
Mike screamed yet even his voice was swallowed by the dark.
Vlad gasped and opened his eyes. He was on his knees. Chest heaving. Sweat dripping from his forehead.
"What did you see?" Marcus asked.
Vlad didn't answer at first. Then he swallowed hard.
"The day everything ends."