Lord Of Beasts

Mark swallowed one of the pills from the crate while the shackled man who had pointed him towards them watched from behind.

But time passed, and nothing happened.

His expression tightened.

His fists were clenched, and his breathing was heavy, like a literal starved monster.

”Where is it? Where’s that feeling? That power?”

He instantly turned to the racist who had been watching him and was now laughing to himself.

”You blacks are always addicts. Crack, pussy, now these. Just wait unt-”

”FUCK YOU!”

Mark rarely swore, or even got angry for that matter, but he couldn’t control himself. He ran over and kicked his head like a football with everything he had, and even without a mutation, he was still a massive, muscular man.

Crunch!

The strike swung the man’s head back with a sickening sound, and he lay limp.

”Not laughing now, huh? You racist, hillbilly, inbred motherfucker!”

Even across the compound, it was hard not to hear his yelling, but Kaela and Elara didn’t intrude, nor did they blame the man for losing his cool.

”Everyone is tied up, so he should be fine.”

Kaela smiled.

”He’s probably running around socking those fuckers.”

They both imagined the uptight bartender wreaking havoc amongst the racists and laughed.

But outside, Mark wasn’t nearly as amused.

He rushed back over to the crate with tears streaming down his face as it settled in that he had just killed a man. Deserved or not, it still took a toll on the man, who, rather than acknowledging his actions, picked up another of those pills.

Eating it only frustrated him further.

”Come on!”

He took another.

Then another.

Overwhelmed with emotion and driven by a blinding desire to be great alongside the others, he became a desperate fiend, just like the drug addicts he disregarded. Soon, he wasn’t even bothering to swallow the pills individually.

He was crunching through them, shovelling handfuls into his mouth.

Each pill disappeared between his teeth, and his desperation only grew with each one.

”Give me something at least.”

But nothing happened.

For an entire minute, he scoffed down hundreds of them without any result.

That’s when his stomach began to churn, but rather than transforming, his vision began to blur. His hands trembled, and his body clearly wasn’t boding well with what he was doing, and yet he kept eating.

The man who had spent his entire life treating his body like a temple was now stuffing unknown pills into his mouth without even knowing what they could do to him. And somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew exactly how insane that was.

He just couldn’t stop.

’More!’

’More!’

’More!’

It was like he was driven by a dark instinct from the depths of his soul.

That was until his legs suddenly gave out.

Mark collapsed onto the ground, his body hitting the concrete with a dull thud. The remaining pills he had in his hands scattered on the ground as he stared blankly at the sky.

’Is this really how I die?’

He wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry.

His breathing was shallow, and his body trembled.

’They’re probably better off.’

With that, his eyes closed, unable to resist the urge to fall into the endless abyss of unconsciousness, unaware of the changes taking place in his body.

A couple of hours passed.

During which Kaela and Elara had assumed Mark had got bored and found somewhere to settle down or have a nap. Either way, he had made it clear he wanted to be alone, and they respected that.

The Riot Valkyrie drank the time away and fiddled with the tech in the central warehouse Ethan had disappeared into, while the Blood Demon meditated silently.

All were waiting for the return of their blue-eyed companion.

But it seemed as though before he showed himself, they would be met with Aisha’s parting gift.

”Elara!!”

”What?”

She immediately stood and sensed it too.

The air itself felt tighter, and there were faint signs of smoke in the surrounding compound.

That’s when-

BOOOOOOOOOOOM!

The entire compound erupted.

An enormous explosion tore through the facility.

The ground shook violently beneath them as windows shattered and walls collapsed. Fire erupted into the sky, swallowing entire sections of the compound in an instant. The damaged buildings disappeared beneath a storm of debris.

Kaela’s bottle slipped from her hand and shattered against the ground.

”For fuck’s sake.”

Both of them immediately prepared to endure the blasts, with one thought on their minds...

’Mark!’

-

Meanwhile, hundreds of miles away from the compound, the night was peaceful.

A luxurious villa stood along the Moroccan coastline, surrounded by manicured gardens and towering walls that kept the outside world far away. The distant sound of waves rolling against the shore drifted through the quiet night, almost completely undisturbed by the events unfolding elsewhere.

Moonlight spilt through the enormous windows of a quiet bedroom, illuminating the white sheets covering the woman resting within. Her silky black hair was spread across the pillow, framing a beautiful face that looked almost too peaceful for the circumstances.

The woman’s skin was golden-brown, carrying the warm complexion of someone who spent time beneath the sun.

Slowly, her slitted eyes opened.

She stared at the ceiling for several seconds before a faint smile touched her lips.

A knock came from the other side of the bedroom door.

”My Lady Aisha.”

Aisha’s smile widened slightly.

”You have awakened.”

She slowly pushed herself upright.

”Yes.”

Her fingers rose to the side of her neck.

For a brief moment, they lingered there as though she could still feel something beneath her skin.

Then her eyes narrowed.

”One of my avatars in the United States was killed.”

The man standing outside remained silent.

”By the Association?”

Aisha’s expression became thoughtful.

”No, it seems to be by the same man who killed one of our outer members, and the avatar was running out of time anyway.”

There was a brief pause before the man spoke again.

”Should we send someone to dispose of him?”

Aisha shook her head.

”No.”

Her eyes gleamed beneath the moonlight.

”Leave him be.”

The man hesitated.

”My Lady?”

Aisha turned toward the window.

Moonlight illuminated the side of her face as she gazed out across the darkened landscape.

”He’ll make a strong vessel.”

There was something almost predatory in her smile.

”When they descend, he’ll make a fine offering.”

Her fingers slowly returned to her neck.

”And I’ve already left my mark on him.”

The man’s expression changed.

”You marked him?”

”Yes.”

Aisha’s smile deepened.

”So the next time we meet...”

Her eyes narrowed.

”...he won’t be able to escape so easily.”

The man bowed his head.

”Understood.”

He turned toward the door.

”I’ll begin preparing for the upcoming gathering and announcement.”

”Thank you, Bilal.”

”Of course, my Lady.”

The door closed behind him.

Silence returned to the room as Aisha remained sitting on the edge of the bed, staring through the enormous window.

For several moments, she said nothing.

Then she laughed softly.

”The Lord’s Vessel is progressing much faster than I expected.”

Her fingers traced the spot where her mark had manifested on him, as if she could feel him through it. There was amusement in her expression, but beneath it was a dangerous expectation.

”If the rebel Lord truly has any hope of facing what is coming...”

Her smile slowly faded.

”...he still has a very, very long way to go.”

Aisha glanced toward the distant horizon, her smile returning.

”And I’m sure that explosion was a fitting parting gift.”

She leaned back slightly.

”It probably won’t do much to him.”

Her crimson eyes gleamed.

”Though I can’t say the same for those racist heathens...”

A faint laugh escaped her.

”...or his companions.”