Chapter 37 - Harbinger of Death

Hound stood atop a small podium outside his residence, facing rows of seers assembled in strict formation. Their eyes bore faint, glowing tear marks that betrayed a shared unease. It was stiflingly quiet; the throng of onlookers included scientists kept under watch and, on the podium beside Hound, Emily and Evee—Sofie clinging to Evee’s side. Although the sun blazed overhead, the sweat on the seers’ faces wasn’t from heat, but from raw anticipation of what Hound might demand.

He began pacing, shoulders tight. His gaze skimmed over the crowd, lingering on each wary face. Finally, he spoke in a low, resonant voice:

“You are bound to me by oath. You live for me, and you die for me if I will it so.”

A murmur rippled through the onlookers, their apprehension flaring at his words. He paused, hands trembling as if he fought to steady them.

“Yet you have served me faithfully all this time. As your Baron, I offer you a choice.”

Hound glanced to the side, where the scientists stood under guard, then resumed speaking:

“Gazier’s life is in grave danger—by his own doing. Still, he has a role only he can fulfill in the coming new world. Your loyalty has earned you the right to decide. Separate into two groups: to my right, those willing to fight alongside me… and to my left, those who’d prefer to keep their lives.”

A pall fell over the gathering. The tension was suffocating, as though every lungful of air grew heavier. Uncertain, the crowd shuffled in disarray, dust kicking up around their feet. Hound’s eyes flickered with disappointment; no one chose to fight with him.

“His wording scares me… ‘fight or keep our lives’? Does that mean choosing to fight is certain death?” whispered a voice in the throng.

“I bet he’ll execute the weak in battle. It’s Hound, after all…” Another responded, fueling a chorus of hushed speculation.

On the podium, Emily placed a gentle hand on Hound’s stiff shoulder. He turned to see her eyes brimming with sorrow and empathy—she already knew the cruel fate that awaited him and the seers in this mission. Her voice was soft:

“Are you sure there’s no other way?”

“I’ve looked into multiple realities,” Hound said quietly, “and—”

“Then look again,” Emily pleaded. Her tears fell before she could stop them. In a swift motion, he pulled her into an embrace to stifle her sobs.

“This is how it has to be, Em,” he murmured against her hair. “Monkey see, monkey do.”

But her tears returned, unstoppable now, as she pressed her face to his chest. Suddenly, in full view of everyone, their lips met—an anguished, desperate kiss. Emily clung to him like she could merge their bodies into one. Caught in that intimate moment, no one spoke or dared to look away.

Then Emily’s hand slipped beneath her cloak. In a single, fluid motion, she drew a dagger and thrust it up between them, aiming directly for Hound’s heart. Consumed by the kiss, his defenses fell, and he gasped in shock as the blade slid home. She pushed him away, driving the weapon deeper. A collective gasp ripped through the crowd, horror etching every face.

Hound instinctively tried to activate his transformation—silver flames usually capable of searing wounds shut. But smoke and embers sputtered uselessly. He staggered, eyes wide, as poison spread through his bloodstream. Emily methodically withdrew the dagger, blood spilling from the wound. A viscous coating clung to its surface—a liquefied portion of the Relay Core, the same substance that had turned Binge into a ravenous creature. Now it coursed through Hound’s veins.

Breath hitching, Emily raised her left hand, revealing a power core strapped across the back. Within her palm lay a meticulously inscribed soul brand. “Do you accept?” she managed, voice trembling.

Earlier That Day: Before the Seers’ Assembly

Emily had cornered Hound in a dim corridor, Evee and Sofie watching anxiously from a few steps behind.

“What else did you see?” Emily demanded, reading the guilt in Hound’s shifting gaze.

“Nothing beyond Gazier’s death,” he answered curtly, turning to leave.

But she noticed the way he avoided her eyes. “You look away when you lie,” she said flatly. “I want the truth.”

He hesitated, footsteps echoing. At last, he exhaled, as though surrendering a heavy secret.

“Gazier saved a few soldiers who were hunting for the scientists. Eventually, they’ll try to coerce information out of him. He’s strong enough to handle that part. The real problem,” Hound continued, “is the location they chose to rest. It’s infested with rotvyrms, and the queen is hibernating there. When she’s awakened, all of them—Gazier included—will be slaughtered before we can help.”

Evee’s eyes narrowed. “Then we need to hurry, right?”

Hound shook his head. “I’ll lose a hundred seers diverting her. That many people… thrown away because Gazier refuses to follow orders. I can’t force them to die for him.”

“Are you implying we let him die?” Evee challenged, voice laced with anger.

Another pause. “No. I’ll let them decide to fight, knowing full well they’ll die. If they refuse, I’ll do it alone… while you and Emily keep the path clear. Gazier cannot die.”

Emily’s face fell at the finality in his tone. “What about you—your escape plan?”

But Hound stared past her, unwilling to answer. “All I do is for the sake of this island,” he muttered, stepping closer to Emily and placing a tentative hand on her cheek. “Please, Em… be a better version of Gazier if I don’t make it. Don’t let the darkness consume you—use it to shape the world Argent dreamed for us.” His gaze flicked to her abdomen, a hint of hope and protectiveness in his eyes. “We owe our future generation the life stolen from us. For now, brutality is necessary.”

“Your parents are alive,” he added softly. “Closer than you think.”

Evee’s outraged voice reverberated, “Wait… are you telling me you’re pregnant?!”

Present Moment

Blackened blood seeped from Hound’s mouth as he struggled to remain upright, chest heaving for air.

“Your death would mean nothing,” Emily said with trembling conviction. “But as my infected thrall, you won’t go rampant. Your soul might be lost, but your body—and your power—will keep serving our cause.”

“But Gazier—” Hound choked, the poison devouring his strength.

“—I know.” Emily nodded, tears blurring her vision. “He cannot die. That much is certain. Please… trust me, my love. My dear Hellhound.”

Hound’s silver eyes, once bright with leadership, tinted red at her plea. A tear slipped down his cheek. “I accept.”

At that, Evee placed her palm against Hound’s face. In a swift, flaring burst, the core grafted onto Emily’s hand activated. Arcane markings etched themselves across Hound’s skin, glowing, then burning out in a swirl of power. With the last of his blood draining away, his body collapsed, unconscious. A collective gasp shook the assembled seers as their own tattoos ignited in sympathetic pain, reacting to the abrupt transfer of power.

Emily straightened, tears still shining on her cheeks. Evee gaped in raw shock, clamping a hand over Sofie’s eyes so she wouldn’t see more violence. “As your new Baron,” Emily’s voice rang clear over the trembling crowd, “disregard Hound’s option to vote. You will fight with us. Am I understood?”

Knees hit the ground in unison. “Yes, Baron!” came the unwavering response.

Emily stared at her trembling hands. “I once scolded him for belittling other people’s lives,” she murmured under her breath, “but I see it now—heavy is the head that wears the crown.”

A roar of black flame erupted behind her, snapping everyone’s attention to the podium. From the inferno rose Hound, transformed into an unholy conflagration. His once-silver fire now a seething onyx blaze, his eyes pulsing an infernal red. Towering over Emily by at least five feet, his bare ribcage revealed a molten core thrumming with power. Joints contorted, nails elongated, and his entire frame twisted into a terrifying wolf-like creature that stood on two feet, wrapped in living darkness.

The mind and soul of Hound were gone.

Only his body remained—a living weapon, enslaved by Emily’s brand.