Victor walked with his gaze fixed on the ground.
His world had shrunk to the square meter in front of his feet, and his mind was a whirlwind of anxiety, revolving obsessively around the miracle that had occurred in his attic.
It was his greatest pride, but also his deepest terror.
Every time a car passed or he saw a neighbor, he felt a knot in his stomach.
He was panicked that they would find out.
Fear that his parents would go upstairs. Fear that the people of the town would see him as what he probably was: a little monster playing God.
He was so absorbed in his paranoid thoughts that he didn't see the shadow until it was too late.
"Hello, Victor."
!
Victor's heart gave a violent lurch against his ribs, stopping dead; he looked up.
Lief was there, blocking his path with unnerving casualness.
He had his hands in his pockets and a smile on his lips that wasn't quite cruel, but had a "something" that Victor didn't like at all.
"U-uh... Lief, good afternoon," he stammered, gripping the straps of his backpack.
Unconsciously, he took a step to the side, trying to dodge him to run away.
However, Lief did not move away. Instead, he turned on his heel and began walking beside him, synchronizing their steps.
"Did you really sleep well last night, Victor?" Lief asked again, looking straight ahead.
Victor swallowed, feeling his throat dry up.
"F-fine. Yes. Very fine," he said, unable to look up from his own shoes.
"Oh, really?" Lief's tone rose, loaded with skepticism. "How curious.... I don't believe it. In fact, I have a theory that last night you were too... excited to sleep. Or maybe, too busy."
Victor's steps stopped and he looked up at Lief with terror.
"W-what...? What do you mean?"
Lief also stopped and turned slowly toward him.
But he didn't answer right away.
Instead, he lifted his chin and directed his gaze upward, toward the slanted roof of Victor's house.
He followed his gaze, horrified.
"Last night's thunderstorm was quite a spectacle, wasn't it?" Lief said softly. "Especially that absurd amount of lightning bolts that decided to fall, very conveniently, right in the center of your roof."
!
Victor's face went from pale to an ashen white.
His lips trembled, trying to deny it, but the words died on his tongue. He had seen everything!
"..." Observing how the boy looked about to collapse, Lief knew he had pressed enough; now it was time to change strategy.
He erased the smile from his face and his expression became serious.
"Don't panic, Victor." He said, leaning slightly toward him to create a bubble of privacy. "I don't have bad intentions. I'm not going to report you to the police or your parents. I just want to confirm something... last night's experiment was a total success, right?"
He took a calculated pause, looking directly into the boy's frightened eyes, and dropped the bomb.
"Sparky... he's back."
It's over! That was the only thought his brain could process. His secret... was exposed.
Panic flooded him, imagining the townspeople with torches, his parents disappointed, Sparky being snatched away again.
"Lief... please..." he whispered pleadingly, and his eyes filled with tears of helplessness. "Please, don't tell anyone! I beg you! Sparky... he isn't bad, he doesn't... he just wants to come home. I just wanted him to come back..."
"I know."
But Lief's response exceeded his expectations.
He extended his hand and placed it firmly on Victor's trembling shoulder, calming the boy from crumbling.
"I know he doesn't have bad intentions, Victor. And I know you just missed your best friend," he said with absolute sincerity. "In fact... I admire you."
Victor blinked in confusion, with the tears still shining on his eyelashes. Admiration?
"You have achieved something that the best scientists in the world, men with degrees and million-dollar labs, consider impossible," he continued, squeezing his shoulder slightly. "You have challenged death and won. You are a genius, Victor."
Genius?
Victor stood stunned, with his mouth slightly open.
He had imagined a thousand scenarios if he were discovered... But never, not even in his wildest dreams, did he think that someone would use that word to describe him.
"B-but..."
"But you don't know what to do, right?" continued Lief, "You hide him here, in the neighborhood, living in fear daily, fearing the burnt smell or that your parents will discover him. How long do you think you'll be able to hide him like this, Victor? A day? A week?"
"He is a dog. He will bark. He will want to run and dig and go out to play. If you lock him in the attic, for him, what difference is there from death?"
His words acted as a precise blow, opening the deepest and most painful contradictions in Victor's heart.
Yes... he had succeeded.
But what then? He hadn't thought about what would come after. He had only focused on his obsession with bringing Sparky back, only to condemn him to a new and lonely cage.
Seeing the expression of pain that appeared on Victor's face, Lief knew that the blow had hit the mark.
It was time to offer the solution.
"Look, I think I have a place that can solve all your problems." A mysterious smile appeared on his face. "A place where you can deploy your talent to the fullest, with resources you have never dreamed of. And where Sparky can also live freely, without worrying about being discovered by anyone. Without anyone seeing him as... as a monster."
"W-what...! Does a place like that really exist?" Victor raised his head abruptly, his eyes, previously full of tears, shining with a sudden and desperate ray of hope.
"Of course it does," nodded Lief. "But, before that, I need to see your work. I need to see the proof of your genius. Take me to the attic."
"..."
Victor hesitated.
Letting a second person see Sparky was, in itself, a huge risk.
But upon meeting Lief's frank gaze, and remembering the forbidden word and the promise of freedom for Sparky, he finally made a decision.
"Okay... C-come with me."
One behind the other, and with Victor looking anxiously everywhere, they stealthily entered his house.
Taking advantage of the fact that his parents still hadn't returned from work, he led Lief down the hallway and they cautiously went up the stairs.
Victor stopped in front of a small door in the ceiling.
He took out a key, turned it, and pulled a cord to unhook the folding ladder that gave access to the upper floor.
As soon as the attic door opened, a gust of hot air and the penetrating smell of burnt metal hit Lief's face.
His gaze quickly swept the place.
This wasn't an attic... it was literally a mad scientist's base
From the ceiling hung several antennas built with wire hangers and metal sheets. Across the floor, tangled cables, pieces of disassembled appliances, batteries, and scattered tools were spread out.
And right in the center of the attic, on a workbench, was the central device.
The core that last night had received all the force of the thunder.
"Woof!"
A small dog came running out from behind the workbench, wagging his tail frantically, and launched himself with enthusiasm toward Victor.
It was Sparky.
He looked, in essence, just like a common Bull Terrier, only with a detail... unique.
His body was visibly patched, composed of roughly sewn parts and surrounding his neck, just where the head joined the body, there was a circle of metal screws, electrodes.
However, despite his unique appearance, Sparky's gaze was bright, like a normal dog.
He didn't stop wagging his tail and stuck out his tongue to lick the hand that Victor, kneeling, extended to him.
He behaved exactly as a common dog would.
"..."
Lief observed the scene with fascination.
What Victor had achieved went far beyond biology.
He had brought back the personality, the memories, the very essence of the animal.
Slowly, he crouched down to get to the animal's level.
Seeing his actions, Sparky stopped wagging his tail, his ears went back and a low growl vibrated in his throat, showing a row of teeth.
"No, no! Sparky, stay!" Victor hurried to intervene, placing a hand near the dog's back. "I'm sorry... h-he isn't usually like this, it's just that... he is scared."
Lief maintained eye contact with Sparky, calm and authoritative.
Without saying a word, he channeled a fraction of sacred light.
A golden and warm light that projected peace and benevolence, materialized in his hand, enveloping Sparky.
The dog went rigid for a second, and then the tension left his muscles. With caution, he stretched his neck, sniffed Lief's extended fingers and, after processing the scent, stuck out his tongue and gave him a lick.
Victor released the breath he had been holding.
Animals' intuition is absolute. If Lief had bad intentions, Sparky never would have broken his defensive posture.
"Do you see? He is... he is a good boy."
"I see." Lief stood up and his gaze hardened with determination. "And a masterpiece like this shouldn't be rotting in your attic."
"Now, follow me. We are going to take you to a new home."
"A... a new home?" Victor blinked, confused. "Where are we going?"
Lief motioned with his head toward Sparky.
"Pick up your dog."
Although he was full of doubts, Victor obeyed. He bent down and picked Sparky up in his arms.
Lief walked past him and headed toward a door.
However, before touching the knob, he closed his eyes visualizing the destination.
'Devil May Cry'
'Devil May Cry'
'Devil May Cry'
With that, he extended his hand, grabbed the knob and turned it.
Click
"Follow me," he ordered without looking back, taking a step forward.
Victor swallowed hard. "W-wait, Lief…"
But he had already disappeared.
With his heart beating in his throat, he closed his eyes and took the step.
The sticky humidity and heat of the attic disappeared instantly, replaced by fresh, air-conditioned air, smelling of wood, leather, and... pizza?
Victor opened his eyes and stood petrified.
His feet were no longer in his house.
What unfolded before his eyes was a spacious area, with high ceilings, with Gothic-style architecture.
There was a dark red leather sofa in the center, display cases full of objects, a billiard table in the back and a bar.
And on the brick wall, a sign blinked with a buzz, projecting a reddish light:
Devil May Cry
In a corner, a gigantic sword rested, so big that it seemed impossible to wield. On the opposite wall, hung the torso and wings of a creature he could not identify.
"..."
He stood rooted at the entrance, with his mouth open, unable to process it.
"Welcome."
Lief's voice broke his disbelief.
Turning around. Lief was already sitting comfortably on the red sofa, with one leg crossed over the other and his arms extended over the backrest.
"Victor Frankenstein," he said smiling with satisfaction. "Welcome to my office."
________
Time: If you're craving more (and I know you are!), I have just what you need. On my Patreon, you'll find exclusive chapters. Join our community and be the first to discover what happens next!
👉 [patreon.com/Athome790]
Your support fuels me. Thank you for the support! 💖