A large wolf paced restlessly in the warehouse full of goods, stuffy, dark, and cramped. Someone knocked in front of the barn door and tried to break in. The wolf growled with fear. "What happened to me?" thought Benjamin in his wolf body. He kept circling, looking for a way out. "Why did I turn into a wolf beyond my control? It's not even a full moon. What poison has that shadow creature given me? Damn Samantha!" "Ben? You hear me?" Rain asked frantically. "Are you inside? Come out; we need to talk. You don't have to be afraid of me. We will find a way out together." The girl tried to persuade Ben. Benjamin wanted to say something in his wolf body and asked Rain to leave. However, what came out of his throat was the sound of a beast's growl which made Rain tremble in fear at the barn door. Benjamin panicked and accidentally dropped some things. "How can I show my true form to that girl? Not! Rain can't see me in this state. She knows I'm a mortal, not a Shifter." Benjamin was r
Jace's body was facing the barn door. The troops of darkness lined his right and left. They began to move the black runes from their respective bodies. They together concentrated their strength to break the transforming magic spell that had already hit Benjamin. Jace heard Rain moan behind him. Jace could feel and realize something was happening to the girl. Jace went out of control, and the monsters inside his body started to burst out from using too much rune power in his body. A pair of black wings of a chain of bones stuck out and tore at his expensive clothes. Jace's jaw was also enlarged with sharp fangs. The army of darkness that was with him lost concentration. They started to worry about Jace's uncontrollable changes. "Erica, do something!" shouted Samantha frantically. "Prepare your traps!" Erica ordered the dark forces to prepare for the worst. Jace looked half-transformed but still managed to control his consciousness. He turned to Rain. Jace didn't want to show his m
"Return!" shouted Rain. "What's wrong with you?" Jace was surprised by Rain's sudden angry reaction. Rain ignored Jace's question. She stood up and tried to squeeze into the carriage's steering wheel. Randall was controlling their carriage. "Randall, take me back to that warlock right now!" "What is this?" Jace asked, displeased. "You think we're playing around here? We're only a few dozen meters away before we reach the palace." It was Rain's turn to ignore Jace's words. "Randall, if you don't turn this train back, drop me off right here right now! Let me go back there myself to pick up Benjamin." "Benjamin?" Jace laughed. "So you're acting just because of him? You wake up thinking about him? I could send Erica or Samantha to pick him up or return him to his house this instant. However, he refused to join us again." Rain couldn't believe Jace's words. "Randall!" asked Rain. Randal looked doubtful. His hands no longer moved the horse's reins, and he glanced at Jace. The shad
"Benjamin!" Rain said at last. "Oh, who?" Chiel didn't understand. "My friend! He's the only mortal to come to your party tonight. You do remember it, right? Back warehouse?" Chiel said softly. "What's wrong with your friend?" Chiel sat in his wheelchair in the doorway. He didn't let Rain and Jace come in, but he didn't kick them out either. "We came to pick him up." Rain said in a pleading tone. "Hasn't he been released from that transforming magic?" "Pick him up?" Chiel asked back with a frown. "Escape from magic?" The warlock in the ten-year-old's body fluttered in his navy blue pajamas with a moon and stars pattern. He also wears a conical cap to sleep with a pompom at the end of the hat. "Yeah, pick him up home! I remember the last time Ben hid in the shed behind you. Somehow I've suddenly transferred to the horse carriage. I wanted to ensure he was completely released from the transforming magic spell." Chiel rolled his eyes and glanced at Jace. "Why did you bother comi
"Tell me before my patience runs out. I will demolish this house and its inhabitants with the one-hand swing." Rain believed Jace's words. This man beside her could do anything. Rain knew that after seeing the hidden power of Jace Dauntess. "And I have witnessed only a fraction of its true power. I'm sure Jace's strength is far beyond that." Chiel narrowed his cat-like eyes and shone. Behind them, all the furniture inside Chiel's house slowly started to shake and was ready to explode at any moment. Chiel knew it was Jace's doing when he saw the runes all over Jace's body which were getting darker. "Memories Plaza," Chiel said at last. He sighed and added, "North of Westlake." Jace eased his emotions and began to speak calmly. "I know where it is. We have to get there right away. Oh, Chiel, do you have a flying horse?" Chiel narrowed his eyes even more. "Not." He looked annoyed. "What kind of wizard do you think I am who still has such strange and old-fashioned toys in all these
They stopped in front of the gates of the Gothic-style Catholic Church. The arched windows reflected moonlight like silver mirrors. They sat on the car's hood staring at the wrought-iron fence that surrounded the church building and was painted dark black. "We came here too late. Of course, the church is locked," Rain said, glancing at Jace, who looked thoughtful. "Leave it to me," Jace said as he rose from his seat and headed for the tightly closed gate. He rolled up his sleeves and placed his palm on the large padlock that locked the fence. Rain watched Jace grip the lock, and a few seconds later, the heavy iron lock suddenly fell with a thud to the ground. The gate opened after Jace gave a slight push. "Wow, how did you do that? If all thieves were like you, there would be no prison. Because all prisoners can freely escape anywhere with just one touch." "Are you kidding me? You mean to call me a thief?" Jace glared at Rain. The girl was still restless. Rain occasionally looke
When Jace turned and looked at Rain, the girl simultaneously expressed shock, fear and disgust. "Is that a human bone?" Jace raised his eyebrows and said, "Yeah, it's a bone." "You used human bones as weapons?" Rain wanted to make sure that Jace was probably joking. "This is a black bone—a black human bone." Rain covered her mouth with her hand. "The colour is very intense." "This bone has strong magical abilities if used by the right person. But, if a person without magic powers touches it, it's just a normal bone that doesn't have any abilities and effects on the wielder." Jace wiped the dust on the black bones as Rain knelt beside him. Rain looked at the black bone. Upon closer inspection, Rain realized that the solid surface of the bones was engraved with beautiful, intertwined runes. Rain recognized it—the meaning of the runes was almost as easy as reading an English word when she saw it. "This is a rune that means darkness," Jace said without being asked. As Rain was i
As the chill winds blow, Rain wonders if Jace is serious about his plans tonight. The man looked excitedly looking forward to the hunt, so Rain didn't feel Jace was as gloomy as his words. "He has killed more demons than anyone. If he always backs down and is reluctant to fight, he definitely won't be able to kill those demons." "What are you doing?" said Jace. "You want to back off? Have you forgotten your passionate desire to get Benjamin back?" Jace sneered at Rain. The girl couldn't believe it. Jace seemed to be able to read Rain's thoughts. "That might happen!" however, Rain tried to dismiss that possibility. They were standing in the middle of a deserted street. The area was abandoned strangely, Rain thought. Usually, in big cities, there are always other people on the streets, even at 4:00 am. Several of the street lights lined up weren't lit, but the one closest to the Plaza cast a dim yellow glow onto the path leading them to the entrance. "Stay away from the light!" Ja