Chapter 8: The Power of Rage

Adrian finally managed to pull his hand free and held it against his chest, breathing heavily through the pain. His eyes were filled with tears, but he refused to let them fall. He didn’t want to cry, and he didn’t want to show weakness, but at that moment, he no longer knew how to keep fighting. Nothing he had done so far had changed anything. Every attempt ended with him on the ground, while Philip was still behind that door.

He remembered his promise.

“I’ll protect you...”

The words came out in a faint voice. He placed his good hand against the floor and pushed himself up. His arm trembled under his weight, and he nearly collapsed, but he forced himself higher. Moments later, he fell again. He could barely stand, and his legs no longer felt strong enough to carry him, yet he kept trying. There was no other choice. If he stayed on the ground, he would never reach his brother.

Then Malkar moved.

Adrian watched in fear as Malkar calmly began walking toward Philip’s room. He didn’t need to run or attack Adrian, and that was what frightened him the most. Adrian knew Malkar was far stronger than him. He knew the man didn’t need to put in any effort to reach Philip.

Adrian tried to stand again.

He failed.

He slammed his hand against the floor in frustration before trying to drag himself forward. He watched Malkar move closer with every step, while the distance between Adrian and the door seemed to grow instead of shrink. Fear began to overwhelm the pain as he imagined Malkar opening the door and reaching Philip, with no way for Adrian to stop him.

“No...”

He tried to shout, but his voice came out weak.

Outside, Dan finally managed to break free from the guards and rushed into the house. He stopped the moment he saw Adrian. He wasn’t prepared to see his friend like this—wounds covering his body, blood staining his clothes, his weapon lying far away, and creatures surrounding him, kicking him as he struggled to crawl across the floor.

Fear gripped Dan, leaving him frozen for a moment.

Then he raised his weapon and fired several shots at the creatures surrounding Adrian. One of them fell, but the others ignored him and continued focusing on Adrian. Dan moved forward, shouting his friend’s name, but Adrian didn’t look back. His eyes remained fixed on Malkar as he approached the bedroom door.

Then a scream came from inside.

Philip.

Adrian stopped completely.

He raised his head, no longer aware of the creatures around him. Philip’s voice trembled with the fear of a child who had no idea what was happening outside. For a moment, Adrian was taken back to when he had told his brother to hide, when he had left him there and promised that he would come back for him.

Philip had believed him.

And now Adrian couldn’t even reach him.

His lips trembled as something inside him began to break. He couldn’t bear hearing the fear in his brother’s voice. He couldn’t bear knowing Philip was calling for help while he lay helpless on the floor, unable to even stand.

But in the middle of that helplessness, the promise returned to his mind.

“I’ll protect you.”

Adrian closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them again. Something had changed in his gaze. The fear and pain were still there, but he no longer allowed them to stop him. He clenched his injured hand despite the pain, his fingers trembling under the pressure.

He raised his head toward Malkar, and his voice came out hoarse but clear.

“Don’t... touch my brother.”

Thin black lines appeared across his skin as dark energy slowly began seeping from his body. Adrian kept his eyes fixed on the door, fear and anger burning in his gaze. His entire body trembled from exhaustion, yet his fist tightened even further, as if the pain no longer mattered compared to the fear consuming him for his brother.

Meanwhile, Dan tried to help his friend. He raised his weapon again and fired at one of the Bimor, hitting it in the chest, but the creature didn’t fall. Dan quickly backed away, keeping a careful eye on its claws. He knew he wasn’t strong enough to face it head-on, but he refused to run. He raised his weapon again and fired another shot, then moved to the side as the creature lunged at him.

Its claws slammed into the wall, sending pieces of stone flying past Dan’s face. He took two steps back, fear visible in his eyes, but he held tightly onto his weapon and aimed it at the creature once more.

He fired, but the Bimor lunged at him before he could fire a second shot. Dan raised his weapon to block the attack, but the creature’s strength sent him flying backward and crashing to the floor. His weapon slipped from his hand, and before he could reach for it, the Bimor raised its claws above him.

Adrian didn’t think.

He turned and charged toward it with every bit of strength he had left. He slammed into the creature before its claws could come down, knocking the attack off course. Adrian then grabbed the creature’s arm and shoved it away from Dan.

Dan fell to the ground, struggling to catch his breath before raising his head toward Adrian.

“Adrian!”

Adrian didn’t look back. He stood in front of Dan, trying to keep the Bimor away from him even though his legs were trembling from exhaustion.

The creature attacked again. Adrian raised his arm to block the claws, but they dug into his skin. Pain crossed his face, yet he refused to back down. He clenched his jaw, grabbed the creature’s arm, and pushed it away with all the strength he had left.

Dan grabbed his weapon and slowly got back to his feet. He looked at Adrian, then toward the room where Malkar had entered.

“Go to Philip.”

Adrian turned toward him.

“What?”

Dan raised his weapon, even though his hand was trembling.

“I’ll try to keep them away from you.”

Adrian looked at the Bimor surrounding Dan, then back at his friend. He knew Dan couldn’t defeat them, yet he was still willing to stay behind just to give Adrian a chance to reach his brother.

“Dan, you can’t...”

Dan cut him off as he aimed his weapon at one of the Bimor.

“I know.”

Then he pulled the trigger.

The creature staggered backward, and Dan used the opening to fire another shot. His bullets weren’t strong enough to kill it, but they forced it back a little. Dan continued, “But I can try.”

Adrian looked at him for a moment before hearing Philip’s voice from inside the room.

His expression changed instantly.

He turned toward the door and clenched his fist.

He had to reach his brother.

Adrian charged forward while Dan stayed behind, doing everything he could to hold the Bimor back. Dan wasn’t fighting because he believed he was stronger than them. He was fighting because he refused to let his friend face them alone.

Suddenly, one of the Bimor lunged at Dan from the side.

Dan didn’t see it until the last second.

He raised his weapon, but the creature’s claws were already right in front of him.

At that exact moment, Adrian appeared between them.

He caught the creature with both hands, stopping its attack with great difficulty. His arms trembled under its strength, and his body bent from the strain, but he remained standing.

“I told you,” Adrian said without looking at Dan, “I won’t let them touch you.”

Dan stared at him before tightening his grip around his weapon.

Adrian slowly raised his head toward the door.

Philip was waiting for him.

And this time, he wasn’t going to stop.

Adrian remained standing in front of Dan as black energy seeped from his body and surrounded him. The pain was still there, but something else had begun to change inside him. He felt a strange strength spreading through his muscles, as if the body that had nearly collapsed moments ago was suddenly regaining its ability to move.

Adrian raised his head and looked at the Bimor in front of him.

The creature charged at him with all its strength.

But this time, Adrian disappeared from where he stood.

Dan didn’t even understand what had happened until Adrian appeared directly in front of the Bimor. He grabbed it by the throat before it could raise its claws and lifted it effortlessly off the ground. The creature struggled wildly, swinging its arms at him, but Adrian didn’t move an inch.

His grip tightened.

In an instant, the creature went limp.

Adrian released it, letting its body crash to the floor, then turned toward the others.

Several Bimor took a step back, as if they could sense the change that had taken place within him.

Adrian gave them no time to react.

He charged at the nearest creature, grabbed its arm, and pulled it toward him before driving a single punch into its chest. The Bimor slammed into the wall with tremendous force and collapsed without moving.

Two more creatures rushed at him together.

Adrian moved between them so quickly that Dan could barely follow him with his eyes. He dodged the first creature’s claws, grabbed its head, and drove it into the floor. Before the creature had even fully fallen, Adrian was already on the other one, grabbing it by the throat and taking it down with a single strike.

Silence filled the hallway for a moment.

Dan stared at the fallen Bimor, then looked at Adrian in disbelief.

One of the Bimor raised its head and tried to get back up.

Adrian turned toward it.

In an instant, he reached it and grabbed it before it could move. He finished it with a swift strike, then tossed its body aside.