Legend of Kataria (Draft Version)

Epilogue

A scream of pain echoed throughout the castle, rattling the chandeliers and shaking the rafters. A howl of pain, of grief, and of change.

Morto sneered, standing before the quivering bundle, staring down with victory and loathing. The rebel refused to lift his head to the light, to reveal what kind of monster he had become. But Morto knew. He had already begun to sense the change.

"You've failed," he spoke in a dangerous whisper. "My daughter now has the weapon and by now the prince of Tapush is dead." The boy said nothing, keeping his face hidden. Morto thought he heard a soft whimper and it filled his heart with glee. "You were a fool to challenge my power, Russian Blue. And now, not only has it cost you your humanity, but also the lives of those children you loved so dearly. What was it you called them? Your team?"

Blue growled, sounding very wolf-like. "You can't stop us," he rumbled. "We will keep fighting, no matter what. You can hurt me, torture me, even kill me, but I will never tell you what you want to know."

"Ah, such courage," Morto sneered. "It has been a long time since I've had the displeasure of having one of your kind here. My, you are more resilient than the rest, but don't you worry. I've found that, eventually, everyone reaches a breaking point. We just haven't gotten to yours yet."

"He's not dead," Blue said stubbornly. "He's smarter than you. If there was any possible way that he could have escaped, I know he did. You can't kill Greeny so easily." He sounded strangely proud of that.

"Maybe he is or maybe he isn't," Morto growled. "Either way, it doesn't do anything for you."

"He'll come," Blue retorted. "Just you wait."

"Oh, I know he will," Morto chuckled, stepping away from the boy now and moving toward a covered window. He paused, as though considering his next move, and then, in one powerful motion, he threw back the curtain, letting the moonlight envelop the room.

Blue screamed as the light reached him. His shrieks were high and broken. Morto could see the tension ripple through his body. It was working then. The transformation had already begun. Soon, the world would see the rebel for exactly what he was. A monster. Oh, he'd tried to keep it contained for so long, the urge. The destruction. His willpower had been great--but in the end, even the mightiest had to fall.

Morto fingered a silver-plated dagger thoughtfully. "That's it," he hissed. "Call for help. Scream. See if anyone will come. You're all alone. Forgotten. Just like your father was.

Blue sniffed. Though his head was down, it was easy to tell that he was crying.

So, Morto thought, even the impossible to break can be hurt when one applies enough pressure.

He turned once more to gaze out the window at the starlight city. At first, he had considered going to meet Rebecka and taking the weapon for himself, but he had waited, and now he knew it was for the better.

He didn't need to go and get it.

Zarron's filthy excuse for a son was going to bring it right to him.

The resistance would crumble, and, with half of their greatest warriors out of play or dead, the rest of the plan would fall together perfectly. Everything was going exactly how he had anticipated, and soon, the time would be right for the next phase of his master scheme.

I'm coming for you, my son. Hold on just a little longer. I promise. Daddy's coming.