História Messenger from the Future - XXVI

“So, who is the next?”

Bertrand licked some of the blood staining his hand, sneering and raised his head, with an arrogant posture. He enjoyed the stressed faces of his enemies, more when he read perfectly the doubts that would be appearing on their minds.

“Why…? Why did you do that?” Regis was astounded.

“That bastard… Did he receive an order from his Lord to do that…?” Frankenstein narrowed his eyes sharply with the thought, elaborating his own theories. “No… That doesn’t make sense… Why would he destroy an ally, moreover, Ragus was a powerful enemy that caused us many troubles… There’s something off about his actions…” he frowned, trying to understand the situation.

“You…” Muzaka snarled infuriated.

            Raizel’s expression had a dark, serious tone as he stretched his hand, as if he would start attacking, but before his blood typhoons formed, he started coughing.

“Master!” Frankenstein fussed over his master’s condition.

“Raizel-nim is very sick…” Victor thought with a saddened expression.

            Muzaka and all the vampires watching were worried. The enemy had already seen the noblesse was in a pitiful state where his powers couldn’t be used anymore…

“Raizel-nim, step back, please…” Regis asked in a distressed tone.

“Haha, it’s funny how you all depend on the noblesse…” Bertrand laughed satisfied “Exactly like that person has said…” his vicious grin enlarged.

“That person…? Who?” Victor thought frowning.

            One thing was sure for him: someone was pulling the strings behind Bertrand, if it was Maduke then… A ray of light illuminated his mind: he finally understood the reason behind backstabbing his own companion.

            An incandescent fury stormed on his temper and made his blood boil. His mouth’s curves wrinkled and his teeth gritted, his eyes were enraged just by the simple gesture of looking at that unendurable man.

“You…”

            The instantaneous transformation of Victor into his werewolf form startled his friends. He leaped furiously to smash the enemy with his claws, Bertrand kept smiling and avoided with an impaired speed, holding Victor’s arm.

“What are you doing?!” Rael yelled.

“Bertrand! Your coward!!” Victor’s ear couldn’t listen to the shouts coming from his family far behind him when he fought. “Why have you done that?!”

“He also told you would be infuriated.” He sneered “Just look at you, incapable of keeping the present unchanged… There’s no time to mend what I have done, boy… Your future is over…”

            He clutched Victor’s arm on his grip, the boy grimaced, but reacted fast, trying to punch Bertrand with his injured hand. The werewolf let him go, and cut his chest with his claws. Ignoring his injuries, the teenager simply imitated the werewolf, exchanging blows.

“What happened to him? Why is he so upset?!” Rael was unquiet watching the fight.

            Frankenstein stepped onwards, read to interfere on the fight, but someone did it before him:

“I’ll take care of this.”

            It was Karias. He sent an arrow directly to the place where the two werewolves were clashing. They both stopped, avoiding the arrow, each one jumping back to a different side, letting the arrow open a space between them.

“Hey, wolf-boy, do not be rash.” He declared narrowing his eyes. “And you, mister wolf, do not forget there are clan leaders here…”

            This time, Muzaka also stepped onwards with an earnest gaze. His eyes also had a doubtful glint as he wondered what could be engendering the confidence of his former subordinate.

“Bertrand, what do you plan on doing? Everyone here is an enemy and you has killed the only person who could help you running away, just how do you intend to pass by us alive?” there was a faint, yet frightening menace on his voice as he spoke.

“Alone…?” his low laugh gradually raised and his head bended back.

“What’s wrong with him?” the Kertia was disgusted with the nasty personality of that man. 

“Your laugh is pollution for my ears…” Frankenstein snorted irritated, creating dark-stakes and darting them towards the werewolf.

            The stakes were destroyed before they hit their target, the blonde scientist was confused for a moment, In the middle of the smoke caused by the explosion there was another silhouette.

            When the dust dissipated, they finally understood who was behind all that confident behavior. The future Maduke was the one who had protected Bertrand from the dark-spear user.

“What… Maduke…?” Muzaka was perplexed, he had ever seen the werewolf with that appearance before “No…” his eyes squinted slightly as he tried to comprehend the disarrayed situation.

“Very well, Bertrand…” the future-lord casted a side-glance to the werewolf, his grin was as wicked as ever “We have nothing more to do here, your duty is fulfilled… I’d love to kill Muzaka right now, but… Let’s wait and let them crumble alone… He’ll end up destroying himself anyways, the same way the noblesse did…”

“Yes, Lord.” Bertrand bowed.

“Wait, I still have some unsolved issues with you, Maduke…” Frankenstein’s silent rage emerged on his eyes again.

“Ah, Frankenstein…” his smirk enlarged and he glanced briefly to the teenager wolf some meters away of his right side, “And that little scoundrel too… What a persistent thing, he continues alive, like a cockroach…” he murmured annoyed.

“At least, I’m better than a vermin like you.” Victor retorted with a condescending smile, bringing causing a scowl on Maduke’s face.

“Bertrand.” The Lord ordered silently.

“Yes, Lord…”

            Victor cautiously prepared to defend any blow he was about to give, but Bertrand simply threw a lashing-like cut with his claws, it made the ground crumble and smoke arise again as the concrete fell apart, modifying the whole structure of the place. When the smoke dissipated, both enemy werewolves had vanished from their sight and their presences also had been erased.

“Those…” Victor damned them impatiently.

“We fell for such idiotic trick…” Muzaka sighed heavily, “I’ll try to track them…”

“It’s inutile, that werewolf can hide his presence.” Frankenstein adverted.

“Who is he…? He’s not… The Maduke I remember…” the silver-haired wolf had a cunning gaze as he waited for an answer from the blonde.

“It’s a long story…” the dark-spear master narrowed his eyes “I’m afraid I cannot tell you in details…” he still held a grudge against the werewolf for hurting his master, it was what written on his expression.

            Victor appeared between Muzaka and Frankenstein, almost as if to break the tension. He did not look at his father, instead, he bowed for the former Lord of werewolves.

“Muzaka-nim…”

“Did he bow to the werewolf…?” Rael was astonished. “Has he lost his mind?!”

“Victor…” his father’s brows furrowed, irritated with the degree of respect he paid to the enemy.

“You seem to have passed by another hardship, boy…” there was a faint, sorrowed smile on his lips as he looked at the teen.

“… Muzaka-nim, I’m elated with you consideration… But…”his serious tone changed the expression on the werewolf’s face “This enemy is not someone you should clash with… I know you must be confused and it’s completely egoistical asking you this, but, do not involve with that man… He is our enemy only…” he bowed again, tightening his fists.

“That was Maduke, the current Lord, if I’m not mistaken… What do you mean when you say he is your enemy only?”

“… That man is not the Maduke you know…” he answered honestly.

“Victor.” Frankenstein reprehended, trying to impede the boy from revealing important information.

“What do you mean?” Muzaka narrowed his eyes.

“The current Lord of werewolves is not that person… The one who came here today is something created through experiments… ”

“Do you expect me to believe in you and leave with this?” he crossed his arms.

“No, but I expected you would want to investigate further what really happened at your family before dealing with a troublesome enemy, Muzaka-nim…”

“You…”

He was surprised with the cunningness of the boy. He put a hand on pocket and was silent for a while, everyone was apprehensive, expecting his next step, then, he sighed heavily, scratching his head troubled.

“You’re right, I need to check some things before taking vengeance… There are many things bothering me, I wouldn’t like to fight with those doubts hindering my concentration… But, you shouldn’t seek trouble too, or you’ll end up being killed by your enemies…”

“I’ll keep this in mind.” He bowed once more.

“Raizel.” Muzaka said and smiled briefly before turning back and disappearing like the wind.

They breathed in relief after his leave. The tension seemed to dispel. Although there were people displeased with that conversation.

“Ah, I thought he would never leave…” Karias commented sighing.

“Huh… Karias-nim…” Regis coughed, trying to advert him to take a peek at the frightening tension between Frankenstein and his son.

            When Victor finally turned to look at his father, the blonde scientist had a scowl and an inquiring glance.

“What are you planning, Victor? I thought you didn’t want to change the past…” he crossed his arms, starting the lecture.

“Uhg…” Victor sweated a bit, feeling the pressure coming from his threatening parent “Listen, father… I only distracted him a bit, there are important matters…”

“What would be so important?”

“Raizel-nim health…” he declared in a sincere tone.

“His health…?” M-21 glanced to the impassive vampire that seemed tired.

“… What do you mean?”

“Could we discuss about thin when we get home…? This place is not appropriate, moreover… I’d like to talk to you in particular…” he clenched his fists, lowering his gaze.

“…….” Frankenstein’s eyes were moved by some sort of pity as he looked at his worn out master “…….. Fine.”

            The others exchanged a glance, imagining what would be so serious for the boy to avoid talking it in front of them, and in front of the noblesse in person. Rai’s brows frowned slightly, feeling bothered for being excluded from that conversation, even though he could read their minds and know exactly what they were thinking.

.

.

.

Frankenstein’s house,

The underground lab…

“Regis and Seira are taking care of master, Karias too… You can talk now…” his father told. “But… Is it all right for them to know?”

            His eyes looked at the human trio nervously standing, waiting for Victor’s speech. The teenager had a frown on face when looking at the, but he lowered his glance and confirmed.

“It’s very important for them too. You can tell Lady Seira and Regis-nim after, but Raizel-nim shouldn’t listen about this…”

“Get to the point, I’m impatient.” He tried to fasten up the conversation.

“Ragus was empowered by the bloodstone and father, after the war at Lukedonia, you took interest on studying that stone, right?”

“Yes, I thought it could help my master, but he prohibited me from doing so.” A faint saddened glint flashed on his eyes.

“I see…” he sighed “Well, not that you obeyed his orders always…”

“H-huh? What do you mean?” Tao intromitted raising his hand.

“I mean my father ignored his master’s orders in the future and studied the bloodstone.”

            His declaration caused a sweat on the human listeners as they looked at the blonde scientist, adjusting his glasses, with a slight twitching curve on his mouth.

“Victor… If you put that way, they will think I’m an unruly servant, right? I’m not like that. Not anymore.” The last part caused more drops of sweat on them.

“H-huh, anyways, I still don’t get it…” M-21 gulped a bit reluctant to ask. “Why would it interfere with Raizel-nim…?”

“My father would steal Ragus’s blood stone and study it, then, he could create it and in the future, we would use it to restore Raizel-nim power…”

“Then, the bloodstone really had this sort of property…?” Frankenstein was serious after confirming his suspects.

“Wait, but from what he told us, that bloodstone needs… Vital energy to grow powerful, isn’t it perilous?!” Takeo’s brows knotted “Frankenstein would really use other people’s lives to do that?! Raizel-nim would never allow it!”

“Of course not.” The half-wolf was calm “But father is a genius, it’s obvious he didn’t only copy the formula to create bloodstone, he improved it.”

“Ah…” Tao got startled “You’re right… Hahah, that’s very likely him…” he chuckled to break the tension. “Boss is a genius scientist!”

            On the next instant, the whole laboratory was polluted with a heavy, dark air, Frankenstein’s dark aura was leaking out as he questioned, with clenched fists:

“Then, Victor… Are you saying that Maduke ordered that werewolf to kill Ragus because I would use the knowledge Ragus acquired to assist my master?” his eyes narrowed with an oscillating glint of anger that changed drastically his face to an infuriated expression.

“Yes.”

“H-huh… Boss…” Tao got nervous.

“He will destroy the lab… Why did you have to be so straight?” Takeo touched Victor’s shoulder.

“Maduke may have tried to change things, but I’ll just need to mend it, right?” his tone was confident “Not everything is lost, father. I know another way to help Raizel-nim…”

“You…?” the blonde frowned “Victor, what are you trying to say?”

“I have the formula and all the information needed to create a different bloodstone and replenish Raizel-nim’s life force…”

            Takeo and M-21 exchanged a glance, they were baffled. Tao’s smile had vanished and even Frankenstein seemed perplexed with that affirmation.

“And where is the information?” his dad asked in a calm tone.

“Here.” Victor touched his head with his index finger.

“Y-you mean on your brain?” Tao smiled amazed “Wow, that’s very brilliant. Did you learn it all?”

“Don’t tell me you did it without Frankenstein’s approval too…” Takeo guessed a bit worried.

            Frankenstein immediately narrowed his eyes, as if demanding a proper explanation from his son. Rebel as he was, Takeo’s theory wouldn’t be impossible. The teenager gestured agitated:

“No! No, you’re wrong! I-it was my father who taught me how to do it!” he coughed to recover his composure “He said, in the future, I should learn how to do it too, because intelligence also would hone my skills, in many senses.” His nervousness disappeared and concern furrowed his brows as he proffered the next sentence “Also, if something happened to him, I would know what to do to take care of Raizel-nim…”

            The tension turned into consternation as they listened to those words, in the end, it was all resumed to his care for his cherished master. Seeing the mood, Victor broke it with a statement:

“I’ll scribble the procedures and help you doing it, father. But we need some ingredients, it’s almost like alchemy…” he joked.

“We’ll start right away then. Victor, make a list with the ingredients, we will start as soon as we get all of them…”

            Determined, they all set out with a list on hands, and Frankenstein started to talk about the procedures with Victor, little he knew about the plans of his own son.

            While Victor watched his father organizing the instruments to start the experiments, his forehead wrinkled. After contributing with the bloodstone he would set to his own journey, his thoughts could only foresee another part of the future he should fix:

“Bertrand has said both Kentas-nim and Lady Lunark were imprisoned on Werewolf’s kingdom… I need to check if it’s true… If so… I shall break the jails from the kingdom with my own hands…”

            He clenched his fists with a burning gaze filled with the passion to create a brand new future and destroy the wicked dreams of his worst archenemy.