章節 42: Chapter 41: Ashes of Victory
(Brian's POV)
Fenrir HQ buzzed with a chaotic energy. Relief, exhilaration, a touch of manic glee hung thick in the air, underscored by the grim flicker of news footage playing on a loop – the Parliament building engulfed in flames, a monument to our success.
My followers, their faces flushed with triumph, their eyes bright with a fanatic light, crowded around me, their voices a chorus of congratulations and eager questions.
"Brilliant plan, Brian! Those Aurors didn't stand a chance!"
"The explosions… masterful! Gareth, you outdid yourself!"
"Van Doren… did you get him?"
That last question, a hushed whisper, silenced the room. Their eagerness, their thirst for vengeance… it mirrored my own. But the victory felt… hollow.
"Vincent wasn't there, I found his son in the office. Instead" I said, my voice a flat declaration that cut through their excitement.
Disappointment rippled through the room, a collective groan of frustration.
"But we hit them hard," I continued, my gaze sweeping over their faces, a reminder of the chaos we'd unleashed. "The Parliament building… gone. Van Doren Enterprises… a smoldering ruin. Their precious unity, their illusion of control… shattered."
They nodded, the memory of the explosions, the screams, the fear we'd sown… it was a potent drug, a taste of power that they craved more of.
But I could see the doubt in their eyes. The unspoken question.
"What about Arthur?" Gareth asked, his voice a gruff murmur. "Did you…?"
"He's dead," I said, my voice a flat declaration, devoid of emotion.
A wave of grim satisfaction rippled through the room.
"Good," said the young witch, her eyes gleaming with a fanatic fervor that made even me uneasy. "He was Van Doren's son. He deserved it."
I ignored her, my gaze drifting towards the flickering images on the screen. The flames consuming the Parliament building seemed to mirror the fire that burned within me, a cold, relentless hunger that wouldn't be quenched until Vincent himself paid the price.
"But it doesn't matter," I said, my voice a low growl that commanded their attention. "We've struck a blow. A blow that will resonate through their world. They're afraid. They're vulnerable. And we… we're just getting started."
I met their gazes, my blue eyes burning with a cold intensity.
"This isn't over," I said, my voice a promise. "We'll find him. We'll make him pay. And we'll burn his entire empire to the ground."
(Adrian Pucey's POV)
The tension in Cerberus HQ was thick enough to choke on. The air crackled with suppressed fury, the usual hum of efficiency replaced by a chilling silence.
Vincent stood at the head of the table, his face an impassive mask, but the icy rage radiating from him was palpable. Blaise, Theo, and Daphne flanked him. I could see that her eyes were red probably from crying, their expressions grim mirrors of his own. It was a family meeting, the core of Cerberus, gathered in the aftermath of a disaster.
The reports were grim. The Parliament building, a smoldering ruin. Van Doren Enterprises, gutted by fire and explosions. Dozens dead, hundreds injured. The carefully crafted illusion of unity, of a peaceful integration, lay shattered.
Including Arthur Van Doren, there was nothing left of him but the charm we had on him to keep track of important members of cerberus showed that his heart had stopped beating at the same time the attack was going.
"How?" Vincent's voice, a low, dangerous rumble, echoed in the silence. "How the hell did they breach our defenses? We had wards, security protocols, informants…"
His gaze swept over us, a silent accusation. "We were supposed to be… untouchable."
I shifted uncomfortably, the weight of his anger a physical pressure. "They used Muggle technology and Magic, sir," I said, my voice a clipped report. "Explosives. Charms designed to disrupt our wards. And…" I hesitated, the words catching in my throat. "They probably had… inside help."
Vincent's eyes narrowed, a glacial glint in their depths. "Inside help?"
"That's the scenario we're working on right now, we are still gathering information" I said, my gaze dropping to the table. "They found the Body of three Aurors next to a side entrance used by staff."
Silence. A heavy, suffocating silence.
Daphne, her hand resting on Vincent's arm, spoke, her voice a soft but insistent murmur. "Arthur…"
The name hung in the air, a chilling reminder of the price we'd paid.
Vincent closed his eyes, his jaw clenching tight. I'd seen that look before. The cold fury, the ruthless determination that had made him a legend, that had brought him to power.
He opened his eyes, his gaze now fixed on me, those blue eyes as sharp and cold as shards of ice. "Find them," he said, his voice a flat command. "Find them all. And bring them to me."
He paused, his gaze lingering on each of us, a silent promise of retribution. "They will pay. For everything."
(Brian's POV - A week later)
The safe house reeked of stale cigarettes and fear. I paced the cramped living room, news footage of the Parliament bombing flickering on the battered telly, the orange glow of the flames painting the faces around me in a macabre dance of light and shadow.
Victory. It should have felt exhilarating, a culmination of years of planning, of sacrifice, of nurturing my hatred into a weapon. But a hollowness gnawed at me, a bitter aftertaste to the triumph.
I'd struck a blow against Vincent. Crippled his precious Parliament, shattered his illusion of control. The world was watching, fear and uncertainty swirling in the wake of our attack.
But Vincent himself... he had escaped. And the price of that victory...
Arthur.
His face, twisted in a mix of defiance and fear as he realized who I was, haunted my thoughts. The shared blood, the flicker of recognition in those blue eyes before the Killing Curse took him…
I pushed the memory away, focusing on the faces of my followers, their expressions a mix of awe and nervous anticipation. They were waiting for my next command, eager for more chaos, more destruction. I couldn't let doubt, let guilt, poison their fervor.
"We struck a blow against the heart of the beast," I said, my voice a low, confident rumble that cut through the tense silence. "The Parliament, the symbol of their unity, lies in ruins. Their precious Chancellor, their puppet master, is nowhere to be found."
They cheered, their voices a ragged chorus, their faces alight with the thrill of victory. I let them revel in it, their enthusiasm fueling my own resolve.
But beneath the surface, a cold unease coiled in my gut. Vincent was out there. Wounded, perhaps, enraged for sure. But he was still a predator, a cunning, ruthless beast who wouldn't rest until he'd hunted down those responsible.
I had to stay ahead of him. I had to anticipate his next move.
"We can't afford to become complacent," I said, my gaze hardening. "This is just the beginning. Vincent will retaliate. He'll come for us with everything he's got. We need to be ready."
We would hide for a couple more weeks,and then decide what our next target would be. We need to keep hurting.
And James… my unwitting pawn…he played his part, I saw the way he was after I killed that female auror, My guess was that he wasn't going to help me anymore, even if he hated Vincent and wanted him dead.
"The world is on a razor's edge," I said, my voice a low, dangerous whisper. "Fear is a powerful weapon. And we're going to wield it."
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