The world was moving in slow motion, holding his slightly bruised fists close to his face, and his eyes darting round the clearing.
Lucian stood breathing heavily. Sweat all over his face and a few scratches and minor injuries all over his body.
The gash on his arms had healed due to a Vampire's healing factor but the dried blood remained and the small dull pain lingered.
His opponent was nowhere to be seen but a shadow was darting around the trees and bushes and the Vampire's eyes followed.
"Calm down. Calm down…calm down." he closed his eyes and took one steady breath.
Listening to his surrounding, he heard heavy footsteps running towards his direction, snapping his eyes back open as he leaned back avoiding the claws that whizzed past his face.
"Back…OFF!" the Vampire shouted as he shifted his weight to the side and delivered a fist to the side of Riven's face.
The Werewolf's body went in the direction of the blow before setting his bloodshot eyes at his target letting out a feral snarl, as saliva dribbled from his mouth.
"Tch, Damn mutt, you just went into a blind rage." Lucian complained. "Don't you have a damn single iota of control?"
Riven couldn't answer but only growled louder, as he circled the teenager.
"Figures…When they're like this, they don't even have control over their bodies.
"It's like they're possessed by pure instinct and bloodlust, thinking only about satisfying them, and attacking everything on sight like it's their prey.
"The only thing is that they still regain control over their consciousness but without being able to control your own body, I guess that's as useless as hell!"
Riven let out a guttural roar before charging at his 'prey' with his deadly claws and took a strong swipe at the Vampire's head.
Lucian ducked down as he had already read this attack with ease.
The only good thing that came out of a Werewolf's rage state was that their attacks were more predictable in some ways. It was akin to fighting a wolf, as they only concentrated on using their claws, teeth or sheer brute strength.
Strategy and Planning for them in this state was a far cry, making them fairly easy targets but the one problem one was to watch out for was the power they have.
Fighting a newly awakened Werewolf on a rampage has a vast difference than fighting one that already has experience and well trained, due to the fact that they never held back their power in any way during a rampage.
"This is starting to get frustrating! No matter how many times I hit this guy, he's still on the attack and he's even pushing me back a bit."
Lucian thought as he dodged yet another arc of claws that passed his cheek and he felt the cold touch of the claws on his face.
Riven's snarled at the other, swinging his claws wildly in every direction aiming for the vital part.
Thankfully, Lucian had been able to dodge every attack but it's not like he had endless energy and was starting to get sluggish in his movements.
"Just swinging wildly won't do you any good." Lucian sneered
He side-stepped another strike and pivoting on one foot, delivered a sharp back heel to the other side of the Werewolf's face, sending him rolling on the floor.
"That should do it." Lucian said putting his hands on his knees taking a breather.
Then a soft growl was heard, making the Vampire snap his head upwards with a shocked look on his face.
Riven's body twitched unnaturally as he slowly got up, groaning awkwardly, his movement were all jerky and abrupt.
His head slowly turned to the other with a feral, twisted grin.
"That is F*CKED UP MAN!" the spiky haired yelled as the Werewolf charged at him.
***
"My head..." a bi-colored haired boy rasped. "Is the game over already?"
Riven groaned as he pushed himself of the ground turning his head to see...nothing.
There wasn't anything, no furniture, no walls, no floors, no anything. Just a seeming black endless void.
"Ugh...Hello?" he said as the words echoed into the void.
Where is this place? Where is everyone?!
Riven quickly got up after asking himself that question, as he turned his head left to right looking for something that looked like an escape route.
But sadly, there was only darkness around him, he gave a frustrated sigh.
"What kind of dream is this!?"
The Werewolf racked his brain on how to escape, but then if this was really a dream, it would mean he just had to get killed because he had watch some well known movies where the main characters would often get stuck in this same situation.
Truth was, he wasn't sure of the science behind that, it was certain a dangerous thing to play with one's life. On the one hand, that would ultimately be his way out.
But on the other, if this wasn't the case then he was sure he wouldn't see the light of day ever again. Even is he was being intro duce to a world of fantasy and myths.
That is one game he'd rather not play either.
"So what do I do?" he thought aloud clutching his head and shaking it back and forth.
"Listen to your instinct" a voice spoke from behind, it sounded like grinding stone dragged against iron.
Riven turned, and widened his eyes in shock as he saw two pair of amber eyes with no body—aside from the void that had shaped around it to resemble a rather large wolf, stare into him rather than at him.
"W-W-What are you!?" the boy stuttered as he took a step back almost tripping over his own feet.
"I am your primal side" the entity spoke circling around Riven, almost disdainful.
"I'm the part of you that wants nothing but carnage and death, I want to destroy and kill every single thing in my path.
"The one you've kept DORMANT for so long, the one that you have been suppressing and now..." it inched closer to the teenager. "I'm free."
That line sent shiver through Riven's body, "What do you mean 'free'?"
The wolf's maw curled into a sadistic smile. "Look for yourself."
'I SAID BACK OFF YOU MUTT!'
The young Werewolf looked back to see that there was now a small oval rift behind him, through it he could see Lucian, breathing heavily with small scratches.
"Why...is he still fight? He knocked me out, didn't he?" he asked looking at the rift with disbelief
The wolf gave what seemed like a sneer from the sound of it.
"How slow-witted are you brat? It's not you fighting it's me, and when that Vampire is all tired out..." the wolf paused saying the next words slowly and deliberately.
"I'm gonna rip him apart. Limb. By. Limb."
Riven felt his heart drop all of a sudden. "You mean...k-kill him?"
"What else would I do? Haven't you been dying to do so?"
The Werewolf suddenly felt like he forgot how to breathe, he looked down at his hands which were now trembling.
"I...I can't."
The wolf expression changed to one of annoyance. "What!? What do mean you can't! Don't you hate him for what he did, what he said!?"
"I do..." Riven replied with his head hung low. "And I won't ever forgive him...but..." Riven thought back to how Lucian and knocked him out and had said something about his family treating him like his did.
Which made the Werewolf realize something he should have later...
"We all have our reasons for acting the way we do...even if it annoys others, even if it makes others hate you...People act this way because they all have their different problems.
"And I refuse to kill anyone just because of how they act because of what they are going through!"
The wolf went silent for a moment, "Kill."
"I told you, I'm not—!"
"Kill."
The voice went deeper this time resounding throughout the entire void, Riven snapped his head back then looked to see the wolf had disappeared.
Where did he—?
"Kill...Kill...Kill...Kill...Kill..."
The bi-colored haired boy stared to see multiple amber eyes stared at him uttering the same word over and over again, each one stating to break Riven down one by one.
"Stop it. Stop it now! GET OUT OF MY HEAD!!!"
***
Lucian stared at the feral teenager thrashing violently on the floor.
The Vampire narrowed his eyes still not shifting from his stance. "What the hell got into him?"
"G-Get...Get...O-Out...Outta...M-My...head." Riven choked out.
"He's fighting the bloodlust...that's new."
Just as Lucian was about to celebrate the Werewolf locked his bloodshot eyes with him again, thought the struggle in them were evident.
"Tch. Guess I have no other choice here." he stated as he brought his right fist in front of his mouth, his fangs growing a bit longer.
He bit down on his own hand, and sucked the blood for a while before removing his fangs that came out with a wet pop.
The two red dots on where he had bitten had already begun to stitch themselves as Lucian wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.
"Alright you mutt, let's get this over with once and for all." he raised his left arm as the veins in them seemed to glow faintly with a golden yellow looking like intricate patterns all the way to his elbow.
And above his outstretched hand, the air swirled a bit before materializing into a small orb of pure light and energy.
"Special ability: Luminous Veins."