Seeing my twin siblings again had me yearning for my family. I did not noticed how long it has been since I left my home. But, walking back home with Jasmine and Aidan, I remembered why I left in the first place. The twins were more than happy to remind me of it as we trekked through the forest.
"Things have gotten much more fun after you left, Garrick. Aidan and I have been busy exploring England lately. I think we almost came close to going to Scotland the week prior." Jasmine gloats, though all I heard was that they left Lily alone.
"Did you take Lily with you?" I ask while I kept my anger in control.
"Of course not. She would be falling asleep every other day." Jasmine states with a scowl. My anger almost slipped out right then and there if Aidan had not spoke.
"The creature you brought in took care of her along with Luka whenever he came over." Aidan explains which calmed me down just a tad.
"That is some relief, I suppose. . ." I muse mostly to myself and turn my head away from them.
Aidan and Jasmine seem pleased to have me out of the house, I thought as we continued to make our way through the forest. In fact, they are ecstatic about my leaving. What have they really been doing while I was away?
Before I left, I had made sure that we were all home before the sun rose. My reasons for it was so a group of humans would not see us feeding. If a few did saw us, we could erase their memories. However, a large amount would take longer and they would draw a crowd. The twins were never fond of that rule of mine, but they had no choice except to follow it. Lest they wanted to explain to Mother why they did not listened to me.
Speaking of Mother, the twins have yet to tell me what she wanted to talk to me about. When Galvin and Damian were far enough away, they insisted that I should go see her and ask her myself. Which begs the question, what does Mother want to speak to me so urgently?
My first instinct was that something has happened to either my siblings or my parents. But I do not think that is the case. Both Jasmine and Aidan look perfectly fine. Luka should be with his master, so he should be fine as well. I entrusted Kang-Dae to watch over Lily for me which meant that if anything happened to her, he would have contacted me the second something went amissed.
That only leaves Mother and Father to worry about. Except, I do not think something happened to them. Surely if something should befall on Mother or Father, the twins would not act this calm. Despite our quarrels, they would have told me if Mother and Father are in danger. However, their recent actions has me questioning that thought of mine.
Regardless of our current relationship, I will put it aside for the time being. If my family is in trouble, the time for squabbling can wait until after. Fortunately, we arrived at our estate which looked exactly as I had left it. This means that they weren't attacked by someone. So why the urgent meeting?
We ran up to the door which Aidan opened for Jasmine and I. From there, Jasmine proceeded to lead me towards Mother and Father's study. None of us had any reason to be in that room since that was where Mother and Father would be in there to work on their business for the nation. Whatever Mother wants to speak to me about has to be about that because even I have never bothered to enter that room.
Jasmine walked up to the door and simply barged in without asking if we were permitted to enter. I was astounded by her insolence, but I did not have the time to process it. I felt Aidan's hand push me into the room, practically stumbling inside, without even offering an apology for pulling that stunt. I restrained myself from scolding them for our parent's sake as I walked towards Mother and Father.
Instead of sitting behind the large desk they have on the right side of the room upon entering, Mother and Father were by the two armchairs. Mother sat to Father's left while Jasmine was standing behind Father's chair. They do not look to be harmed from what I can see. If nothing is wrong, why are we all meeting?
"Mother, Father. It's good to see the two of you well. I missed you." I greet politely as I walk closer to them.
"Garrick, love, you finally come to see us. How I missed you, dear." Mother cooes and stretches her arms to me. I go to her and plant a soft peck on her right cheek which she returns as well.
"It certainly is good to see my eldest son coming to see us after such a long time. Have you been feeding well?" Father responds while his eyes scan me over. Quite possibly to detect if I was malnourished.
"I have, Father. However, I was not gone for long." I reply, bowing slightly to him.
Father released a soft chuckle, no doubt from my curt answer, when I heard a snarl sounding behind me. Turning my head over, I noticed Aidan glaring at me again. I am unsure why since I have not done anything to him. Nevertheless, I held my tongue and returned my attention to my parents. I will not get anywhere by fighting my siblings when our parents are perfectly fine and are treating me as though I have came home from a holiday.
"But, I would not be here if something had came up." I add and made sure to look at Mother and Father before I asked the question I wanted to say. "Why did you sent for me?"
"Can't we send for you without needing a reason?" Mother replies, plainly dodging my question.
"You were the one that drove me to leave in the first place. If you had given any consideration over my investigations, I wouldn't have left." I retort which clearly did not sit well with her.
"Watch your tone, young man." Mother sharply criticizes with a glare. "I did not send you to the streets! You went out on your will!"
I bit the tip of my tongue to physically restrain myself from saying something I would later regret. About a second passed before I spoke again, "I did not come here to fight. I came because Aidan and Jasmine wouldn't tell me anything except that I should ask you directly. Now, tell me why did you sent for me?"
"Mainly to check up on you. We have not seen you for over two months nor have we received any letter that you are well." Mother states which comforted me to know that she still cared for me despite our row.
"I do apologize for not telling you how I'm faring," I respond when I noticed that the twins were being unusually quiet. In fact, I had almost forgotten that they were in the same room until I took a quick glance in their direction.
Both Jasmine and Aidan were simply standing there, but their attention was somewhere else. They do not even appeared to have listened to Mother and I at all. Upon closer inspection, Jasmine's eyes were looking at the window behind her. Not only that, she is staring intently at the woods. As though she was watching for something to appear from there.
I was deep in thought on what Jasmine could possibly be watching out for that I did not hear my mother until she called my name several times. "Garrick? Garrick, are you even listening?"
"Er, no. What were you saying?" I state then turned my attention to her.
"I was asking if you went to see Acantha recently. I know you haven't had another attack as often as in the years prior, but it does not hurt to check with her every once in a while." Mother declares with Father nodding his head in agreement.
"Your mother's right. You haven't gotten any illnesses while you were on your own?" Father questions to which I decided to use this opportunity to learn more about mother's plans for storing my blood.
With a nod to my head, I took my time to respond so as not to draw any suspicion. "I did, actually. Do not fret, I didn't see her because I was in danger."
"Did you go visit her then?" Mother ponders, a small smile appearing. She must be thinking that I wanted to see Acantha as a friend. If only that actually happened.
"I did, but for my investigations. Since Jack the Ripper was indeed a supernatural creature, I went to Acantha to see if it was possible for us to turn someone. Except, I discovered something else at her house. Something quite peculiar." I declare and the mood became serious. Even Jasmine had stopped staring out the window and turned to face me.
No one spoke so I could hear the heartbeats of everyone present. Each of their heartbeats were raised higher than normal. The twins' especially kept beating a lot faster, but my parents weren't that noticeable. Father's beating did sounded faster, though it began to slow down a tad. Yet, Mother's practically remained the same if her tensed posture did not made me listen more closely.
When I first listened to Mother's heartbeat, there wasn't any difference. I thought my words didn't affected her until I actually looked at her. My mother's body was stiff and I heard her heart skipped a beat for a second before it returned to normal. Aside from that, there was no other indication that my visit with Acantha fazed her. Not exactly what I expected, but I might get some answers from her nonetheless.
"What did you find, love?" Mother asks in a calm tone that I suddenly became nervous.
What if the answers I seek will result in everything that I suspected? That my mother stored my blood for an army of hybrids? That is the worst that can happen, but what if I was wrong? How will I ever earn my mother's forgiveness?
Suppose there is even the slightest chance that I was wrong, will I be forgiven for accusing my mother for attempting to take over the world? She might after some time, but I know for certain that she will never let it go. She will hold that against me for the rest of time and I honestly would not be bothered. If I was wrong, I deserve everything Mother will say or do to me.
"I found jars full of my blood." I state, but nothing was out of the ordinary from Mother so I continued. "According to Acantha, she was asked to store all of my blood for you, Mother, and it wasn't for research. Rather, it was to create an army of hybrids."
If my mentioning of visiting Acantha for my investigation brought any tension, there was one now. I practically heard everyone in the room hold their breath. Oddly enough, everyone's eyes turned towards Mother and dread began to fill up within me. Whatever chance I had that I could've been wrong is quickly diminishing.
When no one spoke, I decided to take it upon myself to get answers from Mother directly. "I didn't think you would need to store my blood if you wanted to create more children. But, Acantha said it was for an army and I know exactly what good an army of hybrids can bring."
"Do enlighten us on what you think an army of hybrids are good for." Jasmine replies in a snark like manner while Aidan simply raises a brow.
"I highly doubt you need me to give you a detailed explanation." I retort since I am currently not in the mood to amuse them.
Jasmine released a menacing growl, but I ignored her and returned my attention to mother. She does not looked as though my quip fazed her nor do I hear her heart beating unsteadily. I am left with no other alternative but to ask her directly if what I am thinking is true. Hopefully, I am wrong.
"I'll come right out and say it, Mother. Have you been storing my blood to create an army of hybrids like me or my siblings?" I ask Mother as I ignored everyone else in the room.
Aside from Jasmine screeching and Father ordering me to forgive Mother, there was a tensed silence between Mother and I. Once again, she did not denied my accusations as swiftly as I thought she would. My heart sank while dread began to spread all throughout my body from having been proven right about my suspicions. However, I did not felt that way for long.
Mother inhaled deeply before she finally decided to reply to my question. "That is true, love. I stored your blood in hopes of creating more hybrids like you and your siblings. That is why I sent Jasmine and Aidan to fetch you so that I could tell you all this."
She admitted it. There is no mistaking it. I did not misheard her; she said it clearly and my hearing is excellent. Mother has stored my blood to create more hybrids just as Acantha said. Though, she has yet to admit that she wants to use them as an army to take over the world. If she confesses to that, I will not stand for it.
"I see, and what were you planning to do with all those hybrids? Expanding our family or an army to take the entire world for yourself?" I question hostility, my body becoming on the defensive.
Somewhere in the distance, my ears picked up on the sound of footsteps rushing through the forest. However, this was no ordinary human running. This was a being running at high speed with only the faint rustle of leaves to indicate its movement. I would not be so concerned by this sound if it did sound like it was coming from every direction imaginable and heading straight towards the house.
Who is coming here? How did they know of this place in the first place? I thought, but I did not voice my questions out loud. I believe that they will be answered soon enough by Mother. Especially since Jasmine has her full attention outside the window while Aidan is beside her, but is more focused on my conservation with Mother.
Mother has not replied to me which prompted me to ask, "Is this true then?"
Rather than answering me again, Mother rose from her seat and walked to me. For a brief moment, I thought Mother was going to slap me for thinking such outrageous thoughts about her. She surprised me by taking my hand in hers then proceeded to lead me out of the parlor room. I did not understand why she wouldn't respond, but I held my tongue for now.
We walked all the way to the front door where Mother opened the door for me, however, I allowed her to step outside first. Once we were outside on the porch, the sounds I heard were getting louder than ever despite the lack of bodies present at the moment. Though, it will not take long until the house becomes surrounded.
"Mother, enough stalling. Are you going to answer me or not?" I declare in a frustrated tone, though that is mostly from unease. Mother is too calm for my liking, especially in the situation we are currently in.
My mother must have sensed my agitation because she finally spoke, "Garrick, I want you to see what your blood has done for us."
As soon as those words left her lips, the beings I heard were emerging from the woods. Few appear at first, but more and more arrived. Several hundreds, maybe thousands, or perhaps even close to a million. They kept coming closer to the house and that is when I took in their features. They were of all ages: a majority were about my age, there were several around Jasmine and Aidan's age, and few were Lily's age.
How did Mother have the time to create this many hybrids and at such different ages? Surely, they did not come into being in the same manner as myself or my siblings. The only other method to create this many is to create them how a vampire would create others. Except, Mother said we did not have that power. That begs the question, how did she create them?
"You see them, Garrick? They're all alive because of you. All those times I spent on those business trips were about your father and I creating more like you. Over the centuries, we couldn't prefect not one hybrid until your siblings were born and I figured out what we were missing." Mother coos into my ear as the hybrids form a semicircle around us.
"What were you missing?" I ask her, my eyes never leaving the hybrids that were surrounding us.
"The conversion ability. I have overlooked that one ability, but after a few tries, we finally have them." Mother practically squeals in delight, one that I lacked at the moment, while I read the souls of the hybrids.
From what I could gather, their souls are more similar to my younger siblings' which meant that these creatures are more demonic. The question now is whether they possess some kind of additional powers like them. Having been taught how to fight by the twins already poses a challenge, but having those other powers will make it a more difficult fight for me. I will have to be on my guard if I am to go against them when I leave.
"Garrick, I know this all so sudden, but I was hoping that you would join me to make this world as ours. We can stop fearing for our lives and force the humans to obey us. We do not have to hide from them or anyone else. Won't you say you'll stand with me?" Mother requests, steeping in front of me where I see her smiling at me.
With a shake of my head, I took a step away from Mother and watched her expression change to shock when I responded to her. "I'm sorry, Mother, but I cannot do that. That world you are envisioning isn't something I want to take part in."
There was a tensed silence in the air while I stared at my mother's changing expression as well as the hybrids who stopped moving a short time ago. From what I saw, they weren't bothered by my rejection unlike Mother. She became relatively calm, but I do not like it. This serene composure of hers sent a wave of fear in me that I have not felt in centuries.
"I do not believe this. I thought I raised you better than that, Garrick. We are a family and you cannot turn your back on family, especially at a time like this when we can have the whole world in our grasp!" Mother declares, clearly not taking well my answer.
"I never wanted the world and I never expected you to want that either. You taught me that our place was to hide from the humans by being among them, not to rule them after we gathered an army!" I scorn which brought a reaction to the hybrids. Snarls and hisses were heard as many pair of eyes glared at me. "Mother, free them. We don't need to rule."
"Yes, we do! I had spent years trying to take this world for our king! If we do not do this, our lives will be taken! Please, Garrick, join me and we can do whatever we want after this world belongs to Lucifer." Mother begs, but I could barely hear her.
She was conspiring with Lucifer, the fallen archangel and current king of Hell. Father to all demons, hellbringer of chaos and mass destruction. Damian's very own flesh and blood. All of this was for him to take over the world. If that were to happen, the world will surely be a living hell. I cannot allow that to happen, even if it means fighting my family.
"I am truly sorry, Mother. I do not condone this, I will not allow you to give Lucifer this world. If I must, I will stop you." I announce as the agitated sounds from the army grows.
Mother gave me a look of disappointment before shaking her head and said, "I really hoped you changed your mind. I suppose now is a good time to test their strengths. Aidan, Jasmine. Subdue your older brother for me."
I quickly turned to look behind me and saw the twins standing by the front door with smiles on their faces. Jasmine was the first to run towards me while Aidan was right behind her. Running in either direction will lead to Aidan blocking my path which will give Jasmine the perfect opportunity to strike me from behind. With limited time and options, I pushed myself into the air and jumped back to land behind Aidan.
Granted, it wasn't my smartest choice to do so, but it should give me time to evade his attack. Once I landed about a foot away from Aidan, he turned his entire body towards me as I expected he would. His entire right arm was engulfed with his flames, however, they were dragged down to his hand. I recognize this move of his a few times to know what comes next.
His fist would be covered in fire as he tries to hit my stomach with it. To prevent this, I would need redirect his arm so that his fire doesn't penetrate my body. I could heal from an attack like that, but I need all my energy to fight both the twins and the hybrid army watching us fight. A wound like that would only be a target for them to aim and finish me off by tearing me to pieces.
Just as I predicted, Aidan launched his fist to me while I lifted my left arm to deflect his arm. However, as I was in the middle of redirecting Aidan's arm, I heard Lily's voice calling my name somewhere behind me. Hearing my little sister stunned me because I thought I didn't hear her voice. That I was hearing things, but I was wrong.
*Nickole's Note*
Hey, guys! I did it! I finished this 10-page chapter for you and boy, was it intense! But, before we can talk about this, let's get through the Fun Facts first. Okay? Good! Here we go!
1. The picture above and the quote were both found in Google Images. I chose the picture because I think it symbolically tells you what happened in the end of this chapter. Then, the quote fit best with what Garrick is going to lose.
2. This is more behind the scenes, but yes. Garrick was gone for two months. If you guys want to know the technical days, he was on his own for about two and a half months since he left on the last day of September.
That's pretty much it. Now we can talk about the chapter! So, what do you guys think? Did you saw this coming? How do you think Garrick is going to stop them? Will Garrick be defeated by the twins? And what do you think happened to poor little Lily? The answers to most of these will be in the next chapter! Though, I would love to hear your thoughts on this while I write the other chapters so please comment! If you want to though.
Oh! Before I forget- PLEASE READ THIS! The next chapter WILL be filled with gore. Like, 80% of the chapter are fight scenes and yes, I'm aware that I'm giving you guys a bit of a spoiler here. If you were up to date on my activity page, you'll know that I had been struggling on an important detail with Sora. That lead to me asking her for opinion on the next chapter which she brought up that it might be a little too violent for any of our younger readers. So, when the next chapter is updated, read at your own risk! Sora is not a fan of gore and what I wrote on there, she told me that she was uncomfortable with it.
As always, I hope you guys liked the chapter and I'll try to update the next chapter as soon as I can! If you have any questions about how this story is coming along or why I'm taking so long, check out the conversation page for more information! Until then, I'll see you guys next time! Enjoy~