Rebecca and Morgan made their way back to the mansion. As they made their way inside, Luke met them at the entrance.
"The master is back. He has requested to see you."
Rebecca escorted him to Damien's study, with Luke in tow. This was a part of the mansion that he had not toured with Rebecca. She briefly rapped on the door before opening it. Massive shelves filled with books lined the walls. The room smelt faintly of paper and ash.
A white haired man with striking azure eyes reclined in a luxurious revolving chair behind an enormous desk. He rose to his feet when they entered and embraced Morgan.
"Morgan, my boy, it's good to see you. Last I saw you when you were a tiny infant that could fit in the palm of my hand."
He gestured for them to sit before taking his seat behind the desk.
What happened to your mother was an unfortunate tragedy." He begun.
Morgan nodded.
" Rebecca tells me you said that she did not die because of the fire, as we had assumed. Rather, she was murdered. I know that this may be difficult for you, but could you tell me what occurred that night in exact detail?. It is of the utmost importance that I hear it from you."
Morgan quietly nodded. He inhaled slightly before recounting the events of that fateful night."
*****************
"Morgan, I'm home", the cheery voice of a young woman in her early thirties echoed through the apartment.
Lisa Greenwood was a petite young woman with striking green eyes and dark hair with translucent golden highlights that stood out beautifully in the light. She stood at 5 feet and 4 inches.
"Hey, Mom.".
A skinny-looking boy emerged from the kitchen of the three-room apartment and stared at Lisa. "You're back early," he said expressionlessly.
. "Well, sweetheart, I got off early today to celebrate your birthday. Don't think I could forget what a special day today is."
Lisa said as she embraced her son. He awkwardly returned her embrace. Morgan was her only child. His father had disappeared without a trace a few years back, leaving her and their infant son. Morgan's memories of his father were hazy. He could only vaguely remember him.
. "Look, I brought your favorite chocolate cake and ice cream." She said cheerfully.
"Let's prepare dinner and have a proper feast.
Soon, the smell of delicious cooking wafted from the kitchen. "Morgan, help me set the table."
They sat down to enjoy the meal. His mother placed the cake in the middle of the table.
" Make a wish, Morgan."
" Well, if I had anything to wish for mum, it would be to continue staying with you like this." He said with a smile. Lisa laughed heartily. "Aren't you quite the charmer?"
" Dig in." Just then, the doorbell rang.
" Who could it be at this hour? Don't worry, I'll go see who it is."
It was already dark outside. Lisa glanced through the peephole and saw a shabby-looking man holding a large parcel standing outside the door. The man wore a faded jacket. He was glancing nervously from side to side.
She cautiously opened the door just enough to speak to him."Yes, please?"
"I have a delivery for this address." He said, showing her the parcel he held in his hand.
"Morgan, did you order anything?" she asked. "No, mum."
"We didn't order anything, sir."
" Oops, I must have gotten the wrong address. It's my first day on the job, you see." The man said with a nervous chuckle. " Sorry for bothering you, ma'am."
"It's quite alright," Lisa said as the man turned to leave. Morgan walked to the corridor to observe what was going on. " Hurry up, mum. The food's getting cold."
The man suddenly stopped in his tracks, and his nervous smile vanished. Inhaling deeply, he suddenly turned around and grinned eerily, his eyes darkened seemingly devoid of all warmth.
"On second thought, I think I have the right address." The whites of his eyes turned pitch black.
Lisa suddenly had a terrible premonition. The old man who had been some distance away was suddenly right in front of the door. He had moved incredibly fast. Inhumanly so. She quickly tried to close the door, but something jammed the door, preventing it from closing.
Glancing down, she noticed in horror that he'd stuck his foot in the door. His mouth curled up in a canine smile that stretched from ear to ear.
" Oh, what's this? Won't you be a dear and invite me in? Lisa struggled with all her might to shut the door.
"Morgan, call the enforcers!"
A clawed hand grabbed the edge of the door, forcing it open. A horrific crunch followed as the door folded like cardboard. Lisa turned to run, but suddenly her feet left the ground. The wall hurtled towards her at an impossible speed.
As he fumbled with the phone, Morgan was startled by the sound of something hitting the wall with a sickening crunch. Glancing in the direction of the sound, His eyes widened in disbelief as he saw his mum slowly slide down the wall.
" Moooooommmm!!!!" The phone clattered to the ground.
A cruel laugh cut through the haze.
"Yes, this is certainly much, much better," the man laughed as he leisurely strode forward.
"In all honesty, I did have a kind, special kind of delivery, you see, the everlasting kind," he said, unwrapping the parcel to reveal a gleaming double-edged axe with inlaid strange runic etchings. "Isn't she a beauty?" he said as he deftly twirled and flourished the axe.
Lisa moaned as she weakly raised her hand to the back of her head. Her hand came away with blood. She struggled to get into a sitting position but screamed when her other hand gave way beneath her weight. Blood bubbled from her lips as she gasped for breath.
Morgan helplessly cradled her in his arms as he tried to think of how to stem the bleeding.
"You have to hide, run away, there's nothing you can do to help me now." She weakly whispered. "Go!"
Tears streamed from his eyes as he ran into one of the rooms and shut the door.
Zagrul squatted in front of the weak human woman he'd squished into the wall.
"Why are you doing this?" she asked.
" That's funny, you can still talk. Well, simply put, I'm here for your son; his family messed with the wrong person, who also happens to be my master. You're just, shall we say… collateral damage. But worry not, I'll finish you off now."
With that, he stood up and swung the axe, cleanly severing her head from her neck in one fluid motion. " Human beings...so frail and fragile." He walked forward whistling a merry tune.
*********************
Morgan finished recounting what he remembered in detail, tears streaming down his face.
" If only I'd been stronger, I could have protected her."
Damien leaned back and inhaled deeply, closing his eyes.
"Hold your head high, you're stronger than you think. Not very many people could have survived such a horror and lived to tell the tale."
" So you believe me?'
"Of course, I believe you."
'I didn't think anyone would, I couldn't even tell the enforcers. They'd think I was having a breakdown."
Damien calmly observed the boy. "I think it's time I told you the truth about our family, or rather the truth about the Thanes and why your father disappeared."