Mutant awakening: My evolution knows no bounds

Angelica's feet felt like lead, but she forced herself to move forward, her eyes locked on Vic's collapsed form. The afternoon was silent except for the faint rustling of leaves in the breeze and the distant hum of the academy's lights.

"Stay back, Angelica!" Silas's voice sliced through the stillness like a knife, urgent and commanding.

"Why?" Angelica's voice wavered, her confusion and fear tightening around her throat like a noose.

"It's too dangerous! Just go back inside and stay in your room!" Silas's tone was sharp, his eyes flashing with a desperation she hadn't seen before.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Her eyes darted to the mangled corpse on the ground, the grotesque sight making bile rise in her throat. She swallowed hard, fighting the nausea and the terror bubbling inside her.

"Tell me what's going on! What happened to that student? Who did this? Where are his organs? And what is happening to Vic?!" Her voice broke as she spat out the questions, each word a dagger of fear.

Silas's face darkened, his jaw clenching tightly. He closed the distance between them with swift, determined strides, his eyes cold and unyielding.

"You really want to know what's happening?" he hissed, his voice low and deadly. "I'm trying to kill Vic. I would have done it already if you hadn't shown up. And you want to know why?" His eyes burned into hers, a storm of anguish and anger swirling within them. "Because he was scratched and infected by a shifer! He's a monster now, Angelica! He's the one who killed that student. He tore him open and ate his organs!"

Angelica's breath caught in her throat, her vision blurring as the weight of his words crashed down on her. Her knees wobbled, and she swayed, the world tilting precariously. The blood-slick ground seemed to shift beneath her feet.

"W-w-what are you saying, Silas? This… this can't be true," she stammered, her voice barely a whisper, hollow with disbelief.

"It's the truth," Silas said, his voice hard and unrelenting. "I didn't tell you because I didn't think you could handle it. But that thing lying there isn't Vic anymore. It's a monster in his skin, and if I don't kill him, more people will die." He turned abruptly, his face a mask of cold resolve as he began to walk away.

"Wait!" Angelica's trembling hand shot out, grabbing his arm. Her fingers felt tiny and fragile against his tense, muscled forearm.

He turned to her, his expression a mixture of frustration and something else—something softer. Tears shimmered in her eyes, carving wet paths down her pale cheeks. Her lower lip quivered, her entire body shaking like a leaf in a storm.

"Please, don't do this, Silas," she pleaded, her voice cracking with raw desperation. Her chest heaved with the effort to breathe. "We've already lost Ivy. I can't lose Vic too. He's our friend! I know he's dangerous, but please… please spare him. We can figure something out. We have to." Her tears dripped from her chin, splashing onto the bloodstained ground.

Silas's jaw tightened, his heart twisting painfully. The memory of Ivy's death flashed through his mind—the helplessness, the rage, the hollow grief etched into Angelica's face for weeks afterward. He had watched her shatter, piece by piece, and only recently had she begun to rebuild herself. Vic's death would destroy her completely, and Silas knew it. She couldn't lose anyone else.

He closed his eyes for a moment, his mind a chaotic whirl of conflict. Finally, he exhaled slowly, his shoulders sagging under the weight of his decision.

"Fine," he said, his voice low and strained. "I'll spare him." He locked eyes with her, his gaze hardening. "But listen to me carefully. If he kills anyone else, it's on you. And I won't hesitate to end him next time."

"Silas, look out!" Angelica's scream tore through the air, shrill with terror.

Time slowed. Silas's instincts flared, warning him even before her shout registered. Vic's feral form lunged forward, his eyes wild and vacant, his claws flashing under the dim light, arcing toward Silas's neck.

With a surge of adrenaline, Silas twisted his body, muscles coiling like a spring. His leg shot out in a lightning-fast roundhouse kick.

BAM!

The impact was sickening, the crack of bone echoing in the night as his foot connected with Vic's temple. Vic's body went limp, collapsing to the ground in a heap. He lay still, the monstrous black fur and scales that marred his face slowly dissolving. The twisted claws receded, his hands returning to their human form. Finally, his face—once handsome and kind—was revealed, slack and peaceful in unconsciousness.

Silas let out a shaky breath, his pulse pounding in his ears. He turned to Angelica, his face etched with exhaustion and grim determination.

"Go back inside," he said quietly. "It's done. I'll take him to his room and deal with the body."

Angelica wiped her tears with trembling hands, her eyes wide with a mixture of relief and dread. "Thank you, Silas," she whispered, her voice barely audible.

"Just remember what I said," Silas warned, his eyes cold steel. "If he kills again, I'll have no choice."

She nodded, unable to speak, and turned away. As she walked back toward the building, she cast one last glance at Vic's unconscious form, her heart aching with fear and hope.

When she was gone, Silas crouched beside Vic, staring down at his friend's pale face.

"This is my fault," he thought bitterly, his stomach churning with guilt. "I shouldn't have gone after that mutant. I should've let the guilds handle it. I was so damn greedy for the rewards that I dragged Vic into this mess. And now look where it got us."

He clenched his jaw, his eyes burning with regret. Vic hadn't volunteered; he'd followed out of loyalty, out of friendship. And now, he was paying the price for Silas's ambition.

Silas slipped his hands under Vic's head and legs, lifting him with ease. The weight of his friend felt insignificant compared to the burden in his chest. He carried Vic through the shadowy hallways, the silence pressing down on him like a suffocating fog.

After what felt like an eternity, he reached the VIP section. The two guards stepped forward, their eyes narrowing with suspicion.

"Where do you think you're going?" one of them growled, his voice a low rumble.

Silas met their glares head-on. "I'm taking my friend to his room," he said evenly.

The guards glanced at Vic, their eyes widening at the sight of blood smeared across his clothes and face.

"What the hell happened to him? And is that blood?" they demanded, their voices tight with disbelief and alarm.

Silas's grip on Vic tightened. He took a deep breath, steadying himself for what came next.

This chapter upload first at NovelBin.Com