The forest had become quiet but there wasn't peace.
It was the kind of silence that lingered after something violent had passed through... and might return.
A small clearing opened between the trees, hidden beneath thick branches that barely let the moonlight through. The rain had eased into a faint drizzle, tapping softly against the leaves above.
It was here they decided to stop.
Lenora drove the last stake into the ground, pulling the fabric of the tent tight with practiced hands. The structure wasn't perfect, but it would hold.
"Good enough," she muttered, stepping back.
"I did good lessons for you on how to make tents" Kevin cut in
"Silly" She hissed
Joyce stood a few feet away, arms crossed, her gaze fixed on the dark edges of the forest. Though her form had shifted back to normal, something in her posture remained sharp-coiled, ready — Waiting.
Morning was fast approaching and they could tell.
Between them, laid carefully on a bed of gathered leaves and cloth — Cole. Still unconscious. His chest rose slowly now, steadier than before, but his face was pale. Strands of damp hair clung to his forehead, and faint traces of darkness still lingered beneath his skin, like shadows that hadn't fully let go. Beside Cole, was the Lupercalia's Artifact, partially wrapped with brown cloth.
Lenora knelt beside him, checking his pulse again.
"Stronger," she said quietly. "I think he's coming back."
"You're just worried. He's not dead!" Kevin said
Joyce didn't respond immediately.
Her eyes remained on the trees.
"...He shouldn't have survived that," she finally said.
Lenora glanced up. "But he did."
"Why would you say a thing like that?" Kevin asked
A pause. Then, quieter....
"You saw what he did." Joyce's jaw tightened slightly.
"We saw enough." The memory hung unspoken between them.
Claws that weren't fully his. Eyes that didn't belong to any one creature. A form that shifted — unstable, incomplete, but terrifying.
Lenora exhaled slowly, sitting back.
"Half-hybrid," she murmured. "That's what it looked like."
"That term doesn't sound correct" Kevin thought.
Joyce finally turned toward Cole, her expression unreadable.
"Yeah," she said. "And it wasn't controlled."
"Going to stay on Guard!" Kevin said and walked out of the tent
A faint movement broke the silence.
Cole's fingers twitched. They noticed instantly.
Lenora leaned closer. "Cole?"
His breathing changed. A sharp inhale. Then another. His eyes fluttered open.
For a moment, he didn't move.
Didn't speak. He just stared upward at the dim fabric of the tent ceiling, as if trying to understand where he was... or if he was even awake.
"...What..." his voice came out hoarse, barely above a whisper.
"...what happened?"
Joyce stepped closer but said nothing yet.
Lenora offered a small, careful smile.
"You passed out," she said simply.
Cole frowned slightly.
"I... remember that," he murmured. "The fight... the mist... those things..."
He pushed himself up slightly, wincing as his body protested. Lenora supported him
"I couldn't transform," he continued, frustration creeping into his voice. "I tried but nothing came out. I was just lying there while you guys were fighting..."
He looked between them. "...How did we get out?"
Silence
Joyce and Lenora exchanged a brief glance. Then Joyce spoke.
"You didn't stay down." Joyce decided to tell Cole first. Cole blinked.
"...What?"
"You passed out," she said, her tone steady. "Yeah. But not for long."
Lenora folded her arms, watching him carefully.
"You got back up."
Cole stared at them, confusion deepening.
"No... I didn't," he said slowly. "I would remember that."
Joyce shook her head once.
"That's the problem," she said. Silence flooded thus. Then —
"You don't remember any of it?"
Something in her voice made the air feel heavier.
Cole's brow furrowed.
"...Remember what?"
Lenora leaned forward slightly.
"You fought," she said. "Not like before. Not like anything we've seen from you."
Cole let out a small, disbelieving breath.
"That's not possible. I couldn't even shift...."
"You did," Joyce cut in.
Her eyes locked onto his. "But not fully."
Silence stretched.
Cole felt his heartbeat quicken. "...Explain."
Joyce didn't look away.
"You changed," she said. "Halfway."
Cole's stomach tightened.
"What does that even mean?" Lenora answered this time.
"It means you weren't human," she said carefully. "But you weren't fully... whatever you were trying to become either."
Joyce's voice dropped slightly.
"You were something in between."
Cole shook his head instinctively.
"No... no, I would remember that. I didn't feel anything like..."
"You took down three of them." The words landed hard.
Cole froze. "...What?"
Joyce didn't soften it.
"Three dark minors," she repeated. "On your own."
Cole stared at her like she had just spoken another language.
"That's not..... No. That's not possible," he said, his voice rising slightly. "I couldn't even stand up!"
Lenora's gaze didn't waver.
"You weren't the same when you stood up."
Silence.
Cole's hands slowly clenched.
"...What did I do?" he asked, quieter now.
Joyce exhaled slowly, as if choosing her words.
"You moved fast," she said. "Faster than me. Faster than Kevin."
"You didn't hesitate," Lenora added. "No fear. No confusion. Just... instinct."
Joyce's eyes darkened slightly at the memory.
"Your claws came out but not like mine. Not like his. They were... unstable."
"You tore through them," Lenora said. "And they couldn't reform fast enough."
Cole swallowed hard.
"I don't... remember any of that."
Joyce stepped closer.
"That's because whatever came out..." she said quietly, "...wasn't you."
The words settled deep, heavy — Uncomfortable.
Cole looked down at his hands.
They looked normal. They looked Human. But now, they didn't feel like they belonged to him.
"...So I just blacked out," he murmured, "and turned into something else?"
Lenora didn't answer immediately.
Joyce did.
"Yeah."
Another silence — Longer this time.
The forest outside whispered faintly in the wind.
Cole leaned back slowly, his mind racing, trying to grab onto something, anything, that could explain what they were saying.
But there was nothing. Just darkness. A missing piece of time.
"...Kevin?" he asked suddenly. "Where is he?"
Lenora's expression shifted slightly.
Joyce looked away for a brief second before answering.
"He stayed behind."
Cole's chest tightened. "What? Why?"
Joyce's gaze returned to him, sharp and steady.
"To make sure nothing followed us."
The words sat heavy in the air.
Cole exhaled slowly, his thoughts spiraling.
He had no memory of fighting, no memory of transforming, no memory of saving anyone. And yet — They were looking at him like they had seen something he couldn't understand.
Something he wasn't sure he wanted to.
Outside the tent, the forest remained still.
And somewhere deep in the darkness, something stirred.
Because whatever had awakened inside Cole that night.....
Hasn't gone back to sleep.