Chapter 26

John, Diane, and Eris stood together in the middle of the club. They scanned the room in search of Estella. John knew that she'd know who might be making berserkers, but he was worried about who it would turn out to be. He continued walking around until he saw Rob sitting with a group of people. Ava stood.

 John walked aimlessly through the crowd of people, hoping to see a glimpse of Estella. He didn't believe she would've allowed herself to be captured. Despite that, it had been over three months since he saw her at Wolf Mountain. She may have been deported with other superhumans to the secluded islands. John knew the islands wouldn't be a place for them to live but instead a prison. John continued searching as he saw beings with unusual features.

The superhuman population had declined, but the supernatural was still around. They remained in the shadows, where they had been for centuries. John continued moving through the crowd as he went further into the club.    

“What are you doing here?" Someone asked from behind John as he looked over his shoulder. It was Estella who was leaning against a wall. John turned to face her feeling relieved.     

“I was looking for you." John said, causing her to smile in a wicked manner. Estella was mischievous and always seemed to know something. She had this presence that made John feel uneasy and off-balance.  

“Did you miss me?" She questioned as she walked over to him. He felt his body tense up as her claws tickled his skin. She came close to his face as he continued to tense up. John didn't understand why the atmosphere always got uncomfortable around her. Did she have some kind of pheromones that made it difficult to act normal? Superhumans have unusual abilities despite not being as powerful.                                

"I need to know who has the unstable serum that's making berserkers." John said as his skin started to crawl as he felt her lips brush against his neck. He moved away as she chuckled maniacally.  

“The serum was replicated over a thousand times. It's been used for so many things. To know who is using it for that would be nearly impossible. Although, I know who's paying for the experiment." Estella said as she got closer to John as he continued to back away. John realized if that were true, then finding Shadow Wolf's next victim would be next to impossible.       

"Then tell me who is funding the experiment." John replied as Estella looked John up and down. She placed a claw on John's chest as she dragged it down his hoodie.        

“The human's beloved task force, of course. Superhumans haven't attacked, so they need something to keep people dependent on them." Estella said as John looked at her confused. Did that mean Captain Grey was working with someone else?                        

“If society becomes aware of this, then won't that mean war?" John asked as Estella shrugged. She turned away from him as people passed through the hall toward the back of the club.   

“Humans will find out about it, then lash out toward the task force first. If a new leader doesn't arise for them, then they will go after superhumans. We're trying to find a new leader as well." Estella said, sounding frustrated. John wondered who'd the next leader be. Adrian was assassinated in front of the public.  

"Adrian Star was the voice for the superhumans and was assassinated by a human. Why aren't you angered by that?" John questioned as Estella started to laugh.   

“He was a person that Michael Kang was using. I'm sure he was killed by someone Michael hired. I have no doubt in my mind he was trying to anger my people. Humans are all the same." Estella said as she pulled John by the arm.

He followed her down the hall to a stage where Dante stood. John couldn't believe his eyes as he searched for Diane. She'd be furious if she saw her brother still alive. John stepped forward, but he felt a hand on his chest. He looked over to see Estella with a serious look on her face.       

"Our kind has been taken away from zone C. Now they're expanding the territory of Zone A. They don't want to coexist with us but get rid of us. We have no place here in society, so what do we do besides fight?" Dante questioned as the crowd around him talked amongst each other. John noticed Diane standing beside Eris with a confused look on her face. 

He knew she was trying to process what she was seeing. John didn't understand how he was alive either, but they never did confirm his death. John pushed Estella's hand away as he marched toward the stage. He knew Diane would go after her brother, so he decided to attack first. John leaped onto the stage, causing Dante to look at him surprised. Dante appeared frightened as John stared at him with menacing eyes. Dante's hand became surrounded by energy as he lunged forward. In a single motion, he grabbed Dante's hand and the collar of his shirt.  

"Your actions caused many people to die. Do you really think I'd let you do something like that again?" John questioned as He felt Dante trembling. Dante shook his head slowly as John tightened his grip. 

"I want to fix things for my people. The ones deported are prisoners on an island. We can't sit around and let them do this to us all." Dante said frantically as John's senses heightened.

He looked up to see two people with masks covering their faces. The one to John's right opened a book as a flame appeared with the face of a dragon. It came spiraling down at John, causing him to push Dante off the stage. He leaped out of the way as the stage incinerated. The other masked figure appeared on his left. From their cloak, a shadow appeared which tried to grab John. His body started to move on his own as he evaded their attacks.

The people around them stood frozen as he moved swiftly through the crowd. The people that were after him worked with Shadow Wolf. He was sure of this, but he didn't know why they were there. That was until he saw two other masked figures chasing Dante. John realized they were after people that have caused the citizens trouble on a large scale.

 Diane was protecting Dante, which surprised John. He then saw Eris helping people evacuate. The two masked figures chasing him continued to attack at full power.                

"You will not interfere any longer!" The dragon mage yelled as blue flames came hurdling at John.

John's body moved on its own again as he leaped through the fire. His skin burned as the flames ate away at his flesh. John roared through the pain as he grabbed the masked man. He tore off his mask to reveal a face covered with scars across his face. John slammed him on the ground as the other masked fighter attacked him. His shadow appeared around John which held him in place.   

"Stand down now, or I'll imprison you in the shadow zone." The shadow warrior said as John struggled to break free from the shadow.

John's skin began to burn as the mist emitted from his body. The ground shook beneath him as power surged from his body. Diane appeared as she kicked the masked man with her left leg. His shadow let go of John as he fell. John's body stopped emitting mist as he turned to face the dragon mage.   

"What do you want with Dante?" John asked as the man stood to his feet.

He had a serious look on his face as he opened his book. A sword resembling a dragon's claw came out of it. John rubbed the back of his head as he grew annoyed.                            

"All corruption in society must be removed, and we'll start by cutting it out in this city. When the Dark Lord arrives, then he'll reshape the world in his image." The dragon mage said as he swung the sword, which released a giant flame at John. He moved out of the way as he lunged forward. The dragon mage swung the sword again, but John grabbed it. He felt the heat being generated from the sword causing his hand to burn. 

"You think you're Dark Lord will want to lead something he didn't create? This is what Bezad wants, which means you're fulfilling his wishes." John said as his fist slammed into the dragon mage's chest.

He went crashing into the wall as his sword fell to the ground. John stepped forward but stopped. He looked down to see a shadow under him. John turned to see the shadow holding him in place. The man appeared holding his friend hostage.  

"Stand down, or she dies. My patience is running thin." The shadow warrior said as John felt his skin tingling.

His rage was boiling inside of him, but he knew he had to think. John felt pain all over his body. He would let the power take control. He no longer saw a reason to hold it in. 

He darted forward like a blur appeared in front of him again. With an explosive force he sent the shadow warrior hurdling through the wall. John's body moved on its own again as he ran after him. Before the shadow warrior hit the ground, John grabbed him. He slammed him into the wall again as he took off his mask.     

"You picked the wrong day to piss me off!" John yelled as he continued to hammer away at the man. 

His arm ignited into black smoke and morphed into something inhuman. Ignoring this oddity he roared as he raised his arm to deliver a powerful blow until he felt a hand grab him. He looked over his shoulder to see Eris with a frightened look on his face.

John looked down to see the man covered in blood. His senses allowed him to hear his ruptured lung. John's hands began to tremble as he backed away. He felt this pain inside of his head as everything around him grew louder. John didn't understand why he was losing control of himself. The more he used his power the less in control he felt.            

"You're as unstable as the berserkers. Next time we meet, one of your friends will die." The dragon mage said as he appeared beside John. John glared at the man as he looked at his friends. His fists tightened as he stepped forward to attack, but his body stopped. He was unable to move for some reason.   

"Let me out!" The voice in his head roared.

John began to tremble as he fought this dark feeling inside. Why was this voice so frightening, John wondered? The two men disappeared as John continued to struggle to move. Eris walked over to him with a worried look on her face. She placed her hand on his shoulder as a weight lifted off of him. He was relieved that he could breathe normally again. She looked at him confused. 

"It shouldn't surprise me that you're not human. You've always seemed different to me." She said in a tone that he could tell was hiding fear.

"I can't control this power inside me." John trailed off as he looked at his hands, which were trembling. The club was practically empty, so he figured it was best to get out of there. He wasn't sure if the cult had gotten to Dante, but if they did, then John had no doubt in his mind that he was going to die. A war was coming, and that much was clear to John.