Gloria Patri

   I adjusted my posture in the armchair, turning my attention toward Theodore.

   “Please begin,” he said with a measured calm.

   “Thank you.” 

   My gaze swept across the room, lingering on Magnus and Freya. 

   “I imagine you’re all wondering what these documents contain, why your daughter—” I gestured toward Laura with a slow wave of my hand “—has returned from beyond the grave, and what all of this means. Firstly, let’s start with her story,” I said, pointing directly at Laura.

   The room grew still. I spoke clearly, summarizing the years of torment and betrayal Laura had endured. I described the façade of her death, the rebirth under the name Nikke, and years she had spent gathering information and preparing her revenge. I didn’t linger on every detail, but I made sure they all understood what kind of life she had been forced to live.

   “Also,” I continued, my tone sharp. “Our investigation in the slums uncovered evidence of large-scale illegal organ trading bussiness. A trade the Silverbane family managed without anyone noticing.”

   Magnus’s jaw tightened. Freya’s lips pressed into a thin line, but I didn’t let them interrupt.

   I gestured toward the stack of papers Liam had placed on the table earlier. “These documents contain everything Laura collected through all this time—proof of operations, names, accounts. And we also have testimonies from the kidnapped beastmen themselves.”

   Luna stepped forward, and I took another folder from her arms. I slammed it down beside the rest with a sharp thud. “And here,” I said, “the testimony of the man you ordered to kill us after we burned your "farm" to the ground. That was a stupid move I have to say. You should have at least made some research beforehand, as to who was responsible, you morons.”

   Freya’s fingers curled tightly around her jeweled clutch, her knuckles whitening. Magnus, for all his practiced composure, couldn’t quite hide the tremor running through his shoulders.

   “T-this is ridiculous—” Magnus began, his voice cracking.

   But Theodore cut him off coldly. 

   “As you can already see for yourself, Magnus, I cannot and will not agree to my daughter marrying into a family of criminals. And I’m sorry, but in accordance with current law, the Silverbane family will no longer be responsible for managing the sub-territory.”

   His words left no room for argument. He turned his head slightly toward the door. “You can take them away.”

   The double doors opened with a heavy creak, and four uniformed policemen entered, their boots clicking on the polished floor. They advanced, prepared to escort Magnus and Freya from the room.

   “Wait.”

   My voice stopped them. All eyes turned to me as I pulled out my phone and tapped the screen, displaying a single photograph. A stark white, tilted U overlapping a black, pointed G. I turned the device toward Magnus.

   “There’s one thing I need to ask you first,” I said. My voice was calm, but the weight behind it pressed against the room. “Do you know what this symbol means?”

   Magnus stared at the image. Then at me. For a heartbeat, he was motionless. 

   "Ha..."

   "...Ha?" I asked confused.

   "HahahahaHaHaHaHaHAHAHAHAHA!!!"

   He began to laugh. A sharp, manic laughter that rose louder and louder, echoing against the walls.

   He clutched his stomach, his eyes wild. Finally, between gasps of laughter, he rasped two words:

   “Gloria Patri.”

   Before anyone could react, his hand shot into his coat pocket. In a blur, he drew out a sleek injection. He jammed it into Freya’s arm. She gasped as the needle discharged its contents in a violent hiss.

   But Magnus didn’t stop. With another injector pulled from his coat, he stabbed it into his own neck.

   The policemen tried to stop him, but it was too late.

   Their bodies convulsed almost instantly.

   Magnus’s skin bubbled and split as his frame expanded grotesquely. Muscles swelled, his veins glowing with sickly green light. His torso stretched unnaturally as scales tore through his flesh. From his back, three serpentine heads sprouted, hissing and writhing with dripping fangs. His voice became a guttural roar as his body reshaped into the hulking, many-headed monstrosity of a Hydra.

   Beside him, Freya screamed as her elegant gown ripped apart under the strain of transformation. Her body elongated, fur sprouting in patches before covering her entirely in silver-gray. Her limbs twisted, reshaping into muscular claws, her jaw stretching into a lupine snarl. Her eyes glowed blood-red as her body completed the shift into a towering Fenrir.

   Gasps and cries filled the room. Even the policemen faltered, weapons half-drawn, unable to process the sight before them.

   And me?

   I could only sigh and mutter under my breath:

   “...You’ve got to be kidding me.”