"Kelvinnnnn!!!" Victor screamed as vines dragged him through the bushes. Branches and twigs tore at his face; at times, his head slammed against stones like a skipping pebble. Pain exploded through him, and soon he lost consciousness.
When he awoke, he was suspended upside down from a tree with a face of its own—eyes, nose, ears. His vision blurred with blood, dizziness clouding his senses. Blood oozed from his scalp, and the inversion made his head feel like it would burst. God, please let Kelvin be right. I'm not ready to die, he thought.
"Why hasn't he transformed yet?" a whisper hissed.
"Just give it time. He can't resist forever. No one can," another voice said. "When he does… he'll be ours, just like his father."
Emilia's alter ego flared the moment Cynthia's bravery spell ignited. Only she and Stephen had ever seen it before Kelvin had revealed it to the whole team. It was pure, unbridled rage—anger, spite, a force she could barely contain. This time, she remained conscious as it raged, fighting the monstrous "Human Goat."
Years earlier, a student had studied in the schoolyard at night to escape distractions. Someone entered silently. He handed pencils, calculators—then, when he turned, he saw a half-human, half-goat creature. Red glowing eyes, ram horns, goat legs, human hands. He fled, but at the bottom of the stairs, the beast waited. He told his story afterward, but few believed him; he failed his finals, traumatized.
Now, Emilia faced that same monstrosity—conscious, aware, and terrified. Both moved at impossible speeds. The creature jabbed its horn through her stomach and flung her across the clearing.
"Yeah… I knew this was going to fail. Night, night," a voice whispered in her head as darkness claimed her.
Stephen had never felt so alive. Arrows flew, teleporting back into his quiver after striking. The legends of the "Buff Loaf Dwarfs" surged in his mind—they had a mother, "Mami Buffloat," who had never been defeated. He screamed, unleashing an endless barrage: humans or monsters, we finish this!
Victor thrashed against the vines, tearing trees apart, blood and pain crawling through him as the plants healed his wounds. The agony was unbearable, yet rage fueled him. Everything clicked—his father wasn't haunting him. I am the transformation, he realized. If he could control it, even briefly, he could end this madness.
He felt power surge through him, sensing every plant, every fungus miles away. And then he saw them—the team. No thought, only action. "This ends now!"
Kelvin froze at the sight of Mr. Smiley. He looked… ordinary, just a boy like any other student.
"You look normal for a beast," Kelvin said, sword ready, one hand guarding Emilia.
Mr. Smiley laughed, calm and unnerving. "And for someone with so much power, your brain is slow. I made a deal. You think you understand… but you haven't scratched the surface. Want to know who I really am? I am the first, the abandoned one. You think I'm the villain, Kelvin… but you were raised by the real bad guy."
Kelvin didn't react in time—but Cynthia did. In a flash, Mr. Smiley lunged, his innocent face replaced with terror: razor-shard teeth, pitch-black eyes, clawed hands ready to rip them apart. Cynthia cast a spell, slowing him just enough for Kelvin to react.
The sword met monstrous claws, shattering the attack like rubber.
Lives flashed before their eyes. Death hovered, unstoppable—until Victor intervened. Covered in vines, he leapt through the trees, snatching the team from imminent doom.
He landed, the team staring in horror at the monstrous form he had become. Vines covered his body, but his face remained intact.
"Don't worry, I'm still me… for now," he growled. "Kelvin, the sword is you, and you are it. That's who you're meant to be. While I'm still me…" He grunted as vines crept across his face, turning green. "…I will end this. But promise me… if we meet again, end my suffering."
Victor turned just in time to catch Mr. Smiley, dragging him into the bushes by the arm.
Then, Clera appeared. She grabbed Cynthia and Kelvin by the color of their shirts and teleported them to the library. She let out a piercing scream:
"RITUAL, NOW!!!"
TO BE CONTINUED…