Chapter 2: The Thunder of Destiny
"I had anticipated such an outcome might be possible..." Gazing into the dark abyss of Grayson's gun barrel, Katheren spoke with a voice tinged with despair. "I am not afraid to die, but I've heard there's no demon you can't hunt. Before you kill me, I only ask that you agree to slay that white werewolf for me. I have no money for a bounty, but I can offer my life in exchange."
"I have no use for another's life," Grayson replied, tossing his silver pistol to Katheren who caught it with a mix of surprise and bewilderment. "That pistol holds ten silver bullets. You have ten chances to shoot me for the bounty, starting now."
Katheren, fumbling with the weapon, aimed it at Grayson, standing a short distance away. The gun trembled mid-air, her finger hesitated on the trigger, trying to press down several times, yet it seemed some force had frozen her index finger, refusing to comply.
"No, I can't do it!" Finally, she lowered the gun, shaking her head in agony. "I can't shoot the man who saved my life. If not for you, I'd be ashes now!"
Grayson glanced back, seeing the anguish on her pale face. He drew another silver pistol and a pouch full of bullets, declaring, "Catch!"
Catching them reflexively, Katheren looked up at him, puzzled. Grayson, his expression somber, told her, "If that's the case, take these and come with me. That white werewolf and I have old scores to settle. Maybe one day we'll find it, and settle both our grudges."
"Are you serious? You'll help me?" Katheren asked, her eyes wide with a mix of joy and doubt. "You're not joking, right?"
Grayson snuffed out his cigar and gave a secret, bitter smile, shaking his head softly. "This isn't my joke; it's the jest fate is playing on both of us..."
He beckoned Katheren, who still seemed to struggle with the meaning of his words, and said, "You might not understand now, but you will eventually. Come, let's leave this place."
With a light nod, Katheren secured the silver pistols and bullet pouch to her belt and followed Grayson to the lighthouse stairs, her heart racing with excitement.
"Take off your cloak and put on mine. We're heading back to the village, and I'd rather not have Mr. Priest recognize you again." Grayson draped his black cloak over Katheren, hiding her face beneath its hood.
"Come on, Elyra, time to go!" Grayson pinned the half-smoked cigar behind his ear and rubbed the head of the little lass standing at the stairs, who glanced at Katheren, transformed back into a small owl, and perched on Grayson's shoulder.
"Why take her with us? I didn't save her just so she could filch my dinner. You're not going to ply that pretty lady with my birdseed!" The little owl grumbled.
"You, who mourns the loss of a feather for six months, would make a deposed king seem stoic!" Grayson petted Elyra's fluffy head. "Don't worry, I'll always find something for the birds, even when I've got nothing for myself."
Elyra, still miffed, cocked her head and glared at Katheren before hiding under Grayson's wide-brimmed hat.
"What is she?" Katheren inquired curiously, watching the spot where Elyra vanished, her voice filled with confusion and unease.
"She's Elyra, a little sprite owl," Grayson explained as they descended the lighthouse stairs. "Of course, she's no ordinary bird. As you've just witnessed, that little lass is her true form. She's Deizian, originally named Lily."
"Ten years ago, the supreme monarch of the empire, the Holy Emperor, died. The newly crowned Holy Emperor Valerius II issued an edict through his priests, condemning all women who studied magic as evil witches."
"The decree branded black cats, owls, and crows as witches' incarnations. Any woman found in contact with these creatures was to be executed as a witch, regardless of age. Elyra and her mother were burned at the stake because of this."
"Elyra was only seven when she and her mother were publicly executed by the priests. Her restless spirit lingered around the village, unable to pass on until a true witch found and took her in."
"The witch imbued her soul into the body of a little owl and taught her sorcery, changing her name from Lily to Elyra–named after a demoness of hell from the myths."
With that, Grayson turned to Katheren with a gentle smile and added, "Now you understand why she saved you, don't you?"
Before Katheren could respond, Elyra's annoyed voice came from beneath the hat. "Stop telling that annoying human about me. I saved her just to show that damned fool of a priest a thing or two!"
Grayson and Katheren exchanged a look, not responding but listening as Elyra continued in her childish voice, "If you tell her any more about me, I'll turn her into a fat, fuzzy caterpillar and gobble her up in one bite!"
"Your wish is my command, little witch!" Grayson lovingly stroked the hat, and upon hearing no further protest from Elyra, turned back to Katheren with a reassuring look, signaling her not to worry.
"Elyra has always hated humans, especially the priests of the Holy Synod. It's not personal against you, but I'd still advise you not to provoke her, or she might indeed harm you," Grayson warned Katheren in a soft voice.
"But she seems to like you," Katheren noted cautiously.
"That's because she's a lonely little bird, and I'm a 'Lone Wolf.'" Grayson's smile was laden with meaning as he pushed open the door and stepped out of the lighthouse.
As they emerged from the lighthouse, a thunderclap of epic proportions shook the skies. Grayson turned to look at the turbulent clouds over the Darcy Sea and saw a fierce bolt split the heavens. The storm unleashed its rage, and the rain pelted fiercely against the brim of his hat.
"It seems something is approaching," Grayson murmured gravely.
Katheren, standing behind him, scanned the dense night anxiously, the howling of the tempest echoing in her ears. "What is it? I don't see anything..."
Grayson didn't respond but walked swiftly to the cliff's edge, his blue eyes fixed on the churning sea. He saw giant waves, meters high, rolling in from where sea and sky merged. Lightning and rain swirled around them as if the waves were carrying some fearsome entity rushing toward the village's coast.
"It looks like the priest wasn't entirely fabricating tales," Grayson said, turning to Katheren who had joined him. "Something is indeed making landfall, but it's certainly not the witches he speaks of. Such command over storm and tide isn't within a mere witch's powers!"
"Do you plan to investigate?" Katheren asked tentatively, sensing Grayson's intent.
"Of course. Would I ever pass up such an opportunity? Do you know what demon hunters do?" Grayson placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder, smiling. "We meddle!"
"Come, my dear, our partnership begins. No matter what beast we face, if it bares its teeth at you, blow its head off. You're going to love this feeling!" Grayson said, striding past her and down the cliff.
Katheren glanced at Grayson's retreating back, drew the silver pistol from her belt, her eyes alight with newfound resolve and anticipation. A slight smile graced her lips as she hurried after Grayson through the tempest towards the village.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone