The Oldest Dream of Eternal Night

The ghoul stumbled backward, roaring in pain.

Carter arrived in turn and, without hesitation, raised his bat and swung with all his might.

The blow echoed through the night.

Yuki, sensing an opportunity, grabbed the bat from his friend's hands and struck again. The impact was so violent that the ghoul was hurled into one of the pre-dug holes.

Carter, without wasting a second, pulled a lighter from his pocket.

He glared at the monster, breathing heavily, then tossed the lighter into the hole.

Another explosion lit up the night.

The ghoul screamed one last time as the flames engulfed it completely. Its body twitched, fought furiously, then gradually stilled.

Silence returned, broken only by the crackling of the fire.

Yuki, his arm bleeding, slumped heavily to the ground. He glanced at Carter, who still looked shell-shocked.

"Fuck..." Carter muttered.

Yuki managed a weary smile.

"Yeah... Fucking hell."

They sat there for a moment, staring into the flames, realizing they had succeeded.

"We should get the hell out of here!" Carter said, scanning the surroundings.

Yuki's face instantly turned serious. The smoke could alert the authorities or even Wunder drawn by the scent. And besides...

'That damn zodiac saved us again.'

They quickly gathered the speakers, the few traps they could salvage, and tossed the rest into the flames before vanishing into the night.

***

Twenty minutes earlier, in Ben's room, a heavy tension hung in the air. Sitting on his messy bed, he nervously tapped his foot, his gaze fixed on his phone screen. His face was twisted with frustration, his bloodshot eyes betraying the agitation eating at him.

He muttered between clenched teeth, his breath short, his anger rising:

"How does that bitch dare ignore me?!"

His hands tightened around his phone as he brooded, his eyes burning with bitterness.

"I'm obviously hotter than that bastard!"

He stared at the photo on his screen, his features contorted with jealousy. A young girl, Lynn, posed beside a boy. She had shaved hair and piercings on her nose and mouth, looking like a delinquent, but it did nothing to diminish her beauty.

The sight of the boy beside her made him tremble with rage.

"Fuck!"

With a sudden motion, he hurled his phone against the wall, the screen shattering on impact.

"I love you so much, Lynn... Why are you doing this?!"

His pupils dilated, slowly turning red. A strange, sinister, uncontrollable glow ignited within them.

"Maybe you just need a little push..."

A twisted smile contorted his face as he licked his dry lips greedily.

"Should I kill your boyfriend so you'll understand?"

His breath became uneven, his chest heaving violently with emotion. His fingers trembled, his nails imperceptibly lengthening, sharpening. He gasped, a new sensation overwhelming his body—a burning, uncontrollable heat.

Then a knock at the door startled him.

"If it's a girl, come in. If it's a guy, speak quickly, I don't have time."

From the other side, a mocking voice replied:

"What if it's your dad? Open up, asshole."

Hassan.

But Ben was no longer in a state to recognize his friend's voice. His mind was drowned in a wave of rage and uncontrollable desire.

His canines slightly elongated under the strain, brushing against his trembling lips.

"Ben? You there?"

No response.

Behind the door, Hassan frowned, intrigued by the silence that followed. Without hesitation, he tried to open it and realized the door was actually unlocked.

He barely had time to glimpse the chaotic room before a dark figure lunged at him with blinding speed.

A brutal impact slammed him against the hallway wall. The air was knocked out of him, his back hitting the plaster with unimaginable force.

His terrified gaze landed on the figure standing before him.

Glowing red eyes.

Sharp claws.

Canines glinting in the dim light of the room.

Hassan's heart skipped a beat.

"What the...?"

The shadow abruptly recoiled.

Ben blinked, as if snapping back to reality. He brought a trembling hand to his face, his expression wavering between confusion and panic.

"Shit... It's you, Hassan..."

His breathing was erratic, his pupils contracting for a moment. He looked around, as if he didn't understand what he had just done.

Hassan, still dazed, watched him cautiously.

"Uh... Who are you?"

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But Ben didn't wait for an answer.

In a sudden burst, he spun and leaped toward the window.

The glass shattered on impact, and in an instant, he disappeared into the night.

Hassan stood frozen for a moment, his breath still ragged.

He slowly straightened, his fingers trailing along the wall to regain his balance.

Then, realizing the magnitude of what he had just witnessed, he rushed to his phone and frantically typed a message to the group.

[Hassan: Guys, I don't know what just happened, but something... Some kind of Wunder was in Ben's room.]

A few seconds later, Carter replied.

[Carter: Fuck! And Ben?]

[Hassan: I don't know, man. He wasn't in his room... Or maybe that creature kidnapped or killed him. We need to find him ASAP.]

[Yuki: I'll try calling him.]

Silence reigned for a moment, then a sound shattered the heavy atmosphere of the room.

A phone ringing.

Hassan abruptly turned his head toward the floor and spotted Ben's phone, its screen cracked, abandoned among the shards of glass and overturned furniture.

His heart clenched.

[Hassan: Shit. Guys, his phone's here... And judging by the state of the room, there was a fight.]

[Hugo: He'd never leave the apartment without his phone. There must be something we're missing.]

Hassan clenched his jaw.

[Hassan: His dad's not home yet. We should hurry and find him, guys.]

He rushed out of the room, feeling the urgency burning in his gut.

[Yuki: Yeah, give us a description of the Wunder you saw. For now, it's our only lead.]

Hassan took a deep breath, trying to organize his thoughts.

What he had seen...

His mind churned with unanswered questions as his car sped into the night.