Blood Moon's Tears

Eriena, her heart heavy with worry, had entered the bar in hysteria, pleading for Kenji’s help to save Lele. Kenji, his heart sinking at the sight of Lele’s limp body, immediately assessed the situation.

Kenji’s inner wolf whispered urgently, “Kenji, it’s a mix of wolfsbane and acid. I don’t think...”

Kenji interrupted his inner wolf with a pained expression. “I know. You don’t need to say it. I can see it for myself.” He then turned his attention to Eriena. “I’ll do my best. But you also need assistance. You’re in terrible shape.”

Eriena, her voice trembling, replied, “I can handle myself, just please, save her. I can’t lose her again.”

Kenji quickly devised a plan of action. “I’ll need to take her to her room. I need you to go to the kitchen cabinet under the sink and bring me the first aid kit. Chase, I need you to get me a bowl of fresh water and clean rags from the kitchen drawer.”

Torao, weighed down by guilt, interjected upon his exit from the washrooms, “I’ll get the water and rags. It’s my fault she ended up like this in the first place.”

Chase nodded, his concern etched on his face, as he picked up Veleena. “What is it, Vel?”

Veleena, her eyes filled with worry, asked, “Is Lele gonna be okay?”

Chase’s response was tinged with uncertainty. “One can hope.”

The group quickly gathered the necessary supplies and joined Kenji as he tended to Lele. Kenji requested that the two males and the young child wait outside while he attended to her. With a deep sigh, he looked over the unconscious woman before him.

Kenji, in a half-joking manner, spoke to the unresponsive Lele. “You know, it would be nice for you to return one day, conscious and looking well, instead of giving me excess work. I’m starting to believe you like to have someone scold you and clean you off. I get that you miss your parents, but this isn’t my job. I’m supposed to be the unsuspecting bartender that serves people magical drinks.”

With a mixture of determination and sadness, Kenji cleaned Lele’s body meticulously. Once her body was clean, he summoned someone to bring him a fresh bowl of water and handed off the now-bloody water for disposal.

Kenji retrieved a vial of medicine from a cabinet in Lele’s room and upon removing the cork with his teeth, poured the liquid into the clean water. He continued to tend to Lele, switching rags as he cleaned and stitched up her wounds. Eriena, her hands steady despite her worry, assisted with the delicate task.

Eriena, hope and desperation in her voice, inquired after putting a fresh nightgown onto Lele, “So she’ll make it now, right?”

Kenji, his voice tinged with weariness, replied, “You should ask the Goddess that, not me. I did my best, and unless Lele’s wolf starts to heal her, she’ll have no chance of waking up. She took a lethal dose of wolfsbane with that stab. It already made its way through most of her body by the time you arrived. The most I could do was clean her wounds and stop the bleeding.”

With Lele now resting, Kenji left the room, passing the fresh bowl of water to the waiting group. Veleena, who had been eavesdropping at the door, stumbled into the room, prompting Kenji to cast an amused glance her way.

Kenji picked Veleena up gently and then shifted his attention to the two men who stood waiting patiently. With a heavy breath, Kenji made his way downstairs, a weight of worry and sadness hanging over him.

Chase and Veleena entered the room to be with Lele while Torao followed Kenji downstairs. Torao, confused by Kenji’s actions, questioned him, “What are you doing?”

Kenji, his voice heavy with emotion, explained, “Casting a spell… What does it look like I’m doing? I’m making a drink.”

Torao, bewildered, pressed further. “You really have no faith that she’s gonna make it, do you? Do you really think now is the best time for a drink?”

Kenji, his eyes filled with tears, responded, “The drink isn’t for me. I promised Lele we’d share a drink together someday, and well… I’m not one to wait until she’s in the ground to do that,” he said, as Torao watched the once clear drink came turn to a dark red colour, so dark that the drink was almost black.

With his makeshift drink in hand, Kenji returned to Lele’s room. He found Veleena, tears streaming down her face, clutching Lele’s nightgown.

Veleena, her voice filled with grief, implored, “You can’t die on Aunty; you’re supposed to see me walk down the aisle when I’m old enough to marry Chase. You’re supposed to be here so we can spend time together and do the things I never got to do with my mum. You can’t abandon me too.”

Kenji, his heart heavy, tapped Veleena’s shoulder gently before turning his attention to Lele. He dipped a napkin into the drink he had prepared and pressed it to Lele’s lips. As he saw her breathing become more shallow and her chest barely rising with each breath, Kenji knew that time was running out. With not another moment to spare Kenji opened Lele, mouth and poured half the drink in before downing the remainder himself.

Chase, concerned and confused, questioned Kenji’s actions, “What was-”

Kenji interrupted him, his voice trembling with emotion, “My last resort. Say your goodbyes while she can still hear you.”

With tear-filled eyes, Kenji left the room, the weight of impending loss pressing heavily upon him.

Meanwhile, the brutal confrontation between Lucian and Sama’el continued unabated, each blow fueled by a lifetime of pain and betrayal.

As the fight wore on, Sama’el’s strength began to wane. He coughed up blood, his breaths becoming laboured, and his movements growing sluggish. Lucian seized the moment, landing punches with renewed vigour. Through gritted teeth, he taunted the man he once considered family, “It looks like the wolfsbane finally started kicking in. It’s a fitting end to your life, considering how most of yuh victims died, huh, Sama?”

Sama’el, his vision blurred and his body wracked with pain, attempted to scan his own body for injuries. To his astonishment, he found no signs of being stabbed. Confusion clouded his face as he managed to gasp out, “What… What are you talking about?”

Lucian, realizing Sama’el’s bewilderment, couldn’t help but offer a sinister smile. “You see, Sama, it’s not just about physical wounds. It’s about justice for all the suffering you’ve caused, and all the lives you’ve hurt. You see, Kenji is really good at what he does and you were too stupid enough to not notice that your favourite poison was the same thing that would bring you to your demise.”

With a final, decisive strike, Lucian incapacitated Sama’el, rendering him unconscious once more. The chamber fell into an eerie silence, save for the laboured breaths of the fallen rogue Alpha.

Lucian carefully inspected his adoptive brother’s lifeless body. He winced as he felt the wound he had sustained when Sama’el sliced him with the dagger. Despite his wolf’s efforts to heal the injury, it was taking longer than expected.

With a grunt of pain, Lucian picked up Sama’el’s lifeless form and carried it out of the underground cellar. As he made his way back to the Fading Rose, he could feel his wounds gradually healing though at a snail’s pace.

Upon his return to the bar, Lucian flung Sama’el’s body to the ground, his eyes locking onto Eriena and the others who wore disheartened expressions.

Lucian questioned Eriena, “He’s on the wanted list for the Bounty Hunter Association, right?” Eriena simply nodded in response. “Very well,” Lucian continued, “take him. You can take credit for defeating him. I don’t want my name associated with unlawful execution, especially now that I’ve just secured my position on the council. You can also add more weight to your rank as one of the best in the association.”

Eriena agreed, “Sure. I won’t mention a thing about you. Just make it seem like it was done by a hunter out of spite.” With that, she walked over to Sama’el, flipped him over, and without hesitation, plunged her hand into his chest, removing his heart. She allowed a single tear to fall onto Sama’el’s cheek as she looked him over for the final time.

Lucian then turned his attention to the pressing matter of Lele. He asked, hope evident in his voice, “Now, what about Lele?”

Chase, his voice heavy with sorrow, began to respond, “Lucian, I’m sorry, but—”

Chase was interrupted when Lele, seemingly unharmed, made her way down the stairs to the bar area, rubbing her side and yawning.

Lele, oblivious to the sombre atmosphere, casually remarked, “Kenji, I had the weirdest dream.” Her steps faltered when she saw the tearful expressions of everyone in the room.

Veleena, overcome with joy at Lele’s awakening, rushed over to her, causing Lele to lose her balance. Lucian swiftly caught them both, ensuring they didn’t fall.

Veleena, her voice filled with relief, exclaimed, “I never doubted that you not even for a second, Lele. I knew you weren’t going to die.”

Lele, still slightly disoriented, replied, “So it wasn’t a dream. I did almost die and drank something that burned my chest beyond compare. Also, you’re squeezing me to death, my body’s sore all over.”

Chase, understanding the need for space, gently took Veleena off of Lele. Everyone in the room did not share the same sentiment for her needs as they joined Lucian in giving Lele a heartfelt group hug.

Lele, slightly uncomfortable, pleaded, “Guys, please! No touching, no touching! I really am still in pain. Also, why do I smell blood?”

Eriena glanced at her blood-covered hand and then at Lele’s eyes, which drifted behind the group to see Sama’el lying on the floor.

Lele questioned, her voice tinged with uncertainty, “So does that mean it’s over?”

Lucian, his eyes filled with a mixture of exhaustion and relief, assured her, “Yes, it’s over.”