Chapter 6: YOU ARE WEAK
'He knows what this is'.
Henry approached Adrian, standing at arm's length, and examined the needle.
"Can I have it for a second? I would like to see something," Henry said, extending his hand towards the needle.
Adrian held his hand "I don't believe we're that close yet. Plus, you do not come across as someone with good intentions. I do not know what your purpose is for kidnapping these kids, but I will have to take them away."
He said, looking around at the containers containing the children with terrified expressions.
Henry's eyes had a ruthless glint to them, and his smile had turned into a sneer.
"How impolite of you asking me to hand over what is mine when you will not even let me touch that needle of yours."
Alice and Steve exchanged grim looks as they watched this macabre confrontation.
"They were never yours to begin with, and I will not mind taking them away forcefully," Adrian said, his voice firm and cutting through the chilling atmosphere.
Henry's sneer became more pronounced, his patience wearing thin.
"Forcefully? You have got it backwards. Do you truly believe that a power of yours can harm me? What is this borrowed power of yours? You could not even get rid of any of my products."
Being referred to as products left Steve and Alice with a bad taste in their mouths, but it was the truth. They were just ordinary thieves before they came across Henry during one of their robberies.
Since that day, they have been used as guinea pigs by him for who knows how long. Did they come to regret it? They would have volunteered to be tortured for the power they now had over these people.
Henry's words cut Adrian like a knife, exposing his raw vulnerability. The truth struck home, albeit through the twisted mouth of the mad scientist.
It was a bitter realization, and Adrian felt the sting of powerlessness in the face of formidable opponents for a brief moment.
'Powerless? Is that who I really am?'
Adrian's internal conflict was visible in his furrowed brow and clenched fists.
'Born to be a force to reckon with, to have glory, to become the strongest... and yet being cursed to this pathetic state.'
"Oh, the existential crisis of the lost soul," Henry smirked, relishing Adrian's moment of vulnerability.
"How poetic. Just accept your fate. Live a normal life as if it were your destiny. You were evicted for this very reason. You are weak."
There was a blur, and suddenly the needle was lodged in Henry's chest. Steve and Alice, who were standing nearby, could not help but gasp at the sudden change in events.
"You may not realize it, but I have nothing to lose anymore."
Adrian said, his voice tense, a twisted sense of liberation woven into his words. His eyes now glowed with a sadistic, maddened gleam.
This newfound freedom was fueled by the taste of power and the recklessness that came with letting go of his past.
"I am not doing all of this hoping for something," he continued, his grin growing wider with each word. "This is almost entirely for my amusement."
Seeing the needle in his chest was not something new for Henry. He had been through a lot, but seeing someone as frail as a human daring to do such a thing did not sit well with him.
"Let me show you something that just might change your mind. I was warned not to use my abilities in human society, but what can I say? I met a supposedly powerful foe with a relic."
Something strange happened just as Henry finished speaking. Adrian's attention fell on the observing underlings as he felt something shift in his peripheral view.
"W-what is going on?" Before she could even process her own question, her skin crisped into a dark covering, turning black.
Henry extended his palm in her direction, turning her entire body black, making her form difficult to distinguish. Henry turned his wrist clockwise, causing the black puddle, which was once a body, to fly towards his palm, only to be sucked into his skin.
Adrian, witnessing it all go down, turned his attention back towards Henry. "You can kill and create however many pills you want," Adrian growled. "But I don't understand why you kidnapped the kids."
Still holding his wrist tightly against Henry's chest, Adrian inquired, a speck of urgency in his voice as he knew getting information out of him later would not be possible.
Henry didn't look at Adrian and stared at Steve. Seeing the maddened look in Henry's eyes, Steve made a dash for escape, diving from one shadow to another.
He could tell something was changing in his body, but it wasn't as sudden as Alice, which gave him a momentary chance to escape—or so he thought.
"As long as a dog listens to his master, he is a good dog. Now, be a good mutt and return."
Steve came to a halt, stopping in his tracks among the shadows, as soon as Henry's voice was heard. His body morphs back as he involuntarily begins walking towards Henry.
'Why can't I stop? 'No, goddammit, stop.'
Against his will, Steve continued walking and soon found himself next to Henry.
"That is a whole lot better. Why would you run away, my little Stevie? It is not necessarily a bad thing. You can rest easy knowing that you will be a permanent part of my body."
Adrian did not want to get involved in these sickos' internal conflict. He knew it would make Henry stronger, but being stronger would not change anything.
He was not Henry's match to begin with. He just wanted to know where he fit into the real food chain, but he didn't need to wait long, as he saw Steve coming to the same fate as his companion.
"I'm sorry for the wait, but I am sure you would not mind because it will make it more fun for both of us now. It would have been even more fun if Oliver had been here."
As he said this, he lightly held the needle that had been lodged in his chest for some time.
"A nice relic. How did you come across it? Despite the fact that I do not have any, here you are, a random human—no, wait." Henry looked at Adrian, "..a werewolf who chose not to harness the powers of the moon up until now for some reason. I mean, I am not going to give you the chance anyway, but I am curious; why not?"
As he drew the needle from his chest, Henry smiled softly at Adrian. "Or are you unable to do it?"
Adrian punched Henry in the chest where the wound was as hard as he could without saying anything.
The impact sent him flying towards the container at the end, effectively shattering it. Adrian could not tell if anyone was in that container because it contained a different-colored liquid. Adrian knew the punch had no effect on him based on its impact, though
'He is a shadow manifestor, but his body is unusual. He should not be this physically strong. Does it mean he has more than three cores? If that is true, than I fucked up for real this time.'
Henry rose from the muck and patted his coat down. "You see, you are impatient; I was still talking." Henry simply vanished from that location while speaking.
Adrian braced himself for what was to come, yet the hit still came as a surprise.
He could not see anything and flew into the air, landing on the roof. He did lessen the force of the impact by putting the needle between himself and the roof, but the pain in his chest was real.
And brutal.
Before even being able to regain his focus, he was punched in the face again, sending him to the other side of the garage.
"Your body is strong, but not as strong as a werewolf's should be. You are weak. Weaker than even Oliver. You would have died even before I arrived if he had been here." Henry's voice sounded as if he were both everywhere and nowhere.
Adrian stood up to find his chest bleeding and his nose broken.
'The needle had no effect on him. Is it only for my use as a medium? It is pretty much useless right now.'
Adrian was unsure of how to approach Henry. In every way, Henry was superior to him. He had no idea he would be up against such a formidable foe.
'Buying time wouldn't accomplish anything. Think Adrian, think.'
He felt his chest beginning to heal, which was a good thing. The only thing Adrian could possibly win was his fighting stamina, which was limitless during the night, but Henry could say the same.
The problem was that the morning was lethal to both, but especially to Adrian.
"I am sure you went through all the possibilities and came to a conclusion as well." Henry emerged from the shadows and lightly adjusted his glasses.
"It is unusual to see a lone wolf in a city. You normally live together. Tell me about your experience. Were you shunned?
"Sigh"
"What? "Do you regret your decision to play the hero?"
Adrian turned his gaze to the containers, and seeing the children's hopeful expressions made him sick. He was not supposed to be here to save them in the first place. Why were they staring at him with such anticipation?
'I am really too weak, both physically and mentally.'
"All right, you have won. Let the kids go, and you can continue your experiments on me. What do you think? Poking and prodding at the werewolf who can not control his powers?" It was unusual for him, but he felt compelled to do so.
''You are misunderstanding your position,"
Henry said sarcastically to Adrian, smirking. All of the shadows in the room darkened and began to move as if they were alive.
"Overestimating your importance. I do not have to make a choice because I am strong and you are weak."
Shadows rushed towards Adrian. Adrian avoided a few, but faltered abruptly as he felt one having stabbed him in the arms and legs, nailing him to the ground. Henry walked up to him and waved his hand.
A few more shadows pierced Adrian, suspending him in midair and rendering him immobile.
"You and I are going to have a great time."
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
samandridaku
samandridaku In shadows cast, where frailty lays,
We find our strength through weakened haze.
For 'tis in vulnerability we truly see,
The measure of our souls set free.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
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