Chapter 150 Rage Born of Grief

Chapter 150 Rage Born of Grief
[Cedric]

The door burst open as Freya and Emerson rushed into the apartment, their faces etched with tension. Emerson carried a small wooden box inlaid with ancient symbols, its contents rattling with each hurried step.

"Move aside," Freya commanded, her voice leaving no room for argument as she approached the bed where Lana lay deathly still.

I reluctantly stepped back, my fingers lingering on Lana's cold hand. "Please... save them both."

Freya's hands worked quickly, opening the ornate box to reveal several vials filled with swirling liquids—some clear as morning dew, others dark as midnight. She selected a crimson vial and uncorked it with practiced efficiency.

"Hold her head up," she instructed me, and I carefully lifted Lana's head, cradling it in my trembling hands.

Emerson stood at the foot of the bed, his eyes glowing amber as he placed his palms over Lana's abdomen. "The child's life force is fading, but it's still there. Hurry."

The minutes stretched into hours as Freya administered various potions, chanting ancient words under her breath while Emerson channeled his energy into stabilizing both Lana and the baby. I watched helplessly, my heart pounding with each labored breath Lana took.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Freya stepped back, exhaustion evident in the slump of her shoulders. "We've done all we can."

"Did it work?" My voice broke with emotion.

Freya's face softened as she placed a gentle hand on my shoulder. "The child has been saved. But Lana... she'll need time to recover. Her body and spirit have been through a tremendous ordeal."

Relief washed over me like a tidal wave, leaving me weak-kneed and breathless. "Thank you," I whispered, my eyes filling with tears. "Thank you both."

---

For five days, I refused to leave Lana's side. I slept in a chair beside her bed, only leaving to use the bathroom or to retrieve food that Raven or Freya brought. With gentle care, I bathed Lana's still form with a warm cloth, whispering to her as I worked.

"When you wake up," I said softly, running the cloth along her arm, "I'm going to take you to that little cabin by the lake you mentioned. Just you and me and the baby. No hunters, no revenge, just peace for a while."

My hand lingered over her stomach, the smallest swell now visible beneath the thin blanket. "Our child is a fighter, just like their mother," I murmured with a smile. "Stubborn, too. Wouldn't let go even when things looked impossible."

As night fell on the fourth day, I stood by the window, watching raindrops trace paths down the glass. The room was quiet except for Lana's steady breathing and the rhythmic tapping of the rain.

"I was wrong," I said to the silent room, my voice barely audible. "My mercy toward Margaret nearly cost me everything I love." I ran a hand through my disheveled hair. "I thought forgiveness was the right path. I thought showing compassion made me better than the monsters who hurt Maya. But my 'kindness' almost killed you and our child."

I turned to look at Lana's sleeping form. "That day in Mapleton, when you wanted to kill her, I stopped you. I thought I was protecting your soul, but all I did was give her another chance to destroy us."

I moved to kneel beside the bed, taking Lana's cold hand in both of mine. "I promise you, I will never let anyone hurt you again. Not ever." My voice hardened with resolve. "I used to think I could change you, make you more 'human.' But now I understand—your way is the only way to protect those we love."

I reached into my pocket and pulled out a small velvet box. Opening it revealed a simple yet elegant ring with a dark stone that seemed to capture and hold the light. "I've been carrying this for weeks, waiting for the right moment." I closed the box and tucked it back into my pocket. "When you wake up, I'm going to ask you to be my wife."

Just before dawn on the fifth day, I was dozing in my chair when I felt it—the slightest movement of Lana's fingers against my palm. My eyes flew open, heart racing with hope.

"Lana?" I whispered, leaning closer. "Can you hear me?"

Her fingers twitched again, more deliberately this time. I pressed the call button for Freya and Emerson, my voice urgent yet trembling with excitement. "She's waking up! Come quickly!"

I watched with bated breath as Lana's eyelids fluttered, my entire world narrowing to this single moment of anticipation.

[Lana]

I floated in an endless void, cold and alone. Fragments of memory flashed through my consciousness—Margaret's smirking face, the glint of a knife, searing pain in my abdomen, warm blood trickling down my thighs.

The realization hit me like a physical blow: I had been pregnant. My child—Cedric's child—had been growing inside me. And then came the pain, the horrible emptiness.

Gradually, the darkness began to recede. Sounds filtered through—a familiar voice, warm and comforting, though I couldn't make out the words. I felt myself being pulled back to consciousness, back to a reality I wasn't sure I wanted to face.

My eyes opened slowly, the light painful after so much darkness. The first thing I saw was Cedric's face, haggard with exhaustion but alight with joy. But all I could feel was the hollow emptiness where our child had been.

My hand instinctively moved to my stomach, searching for the life I was certain had been extinguished. Nothing. No movement, no connection to the tiny spark that had been growing within me.

"Lana, thank God," Cedric said, his voice thick with emotion. "The baby's okay. You're both going to be—"

But his words faded into background noise as rage and grief consumed me. In my mind, there was only one truth: humans—Margaret and her hunters—had taken my child. The last hope I had for something pure and good in my dark existence.

Suddenly, the temperature in the room plummeted. Frost crystallized on the windows, and the lights flickered ominously. Cedric's smile faltered as he felt the change in the air.

I sat up, my movements unnaturally fluid despite days of unconsciousness. Black energy began to seep from my skin, forming a dark aura around me. "Humans took my child," I said, my voice hollow and cold.

"No, Lana, listen—" Cedric reached for me, but the dark energy pushed him back.

"I once thought I could coexist with humans," I continued, rising from the bed to float several inches above the floor. "But they have proven they don't deserve to exist."

The walls began to crack as my power expanded outward. Cedric tried again to approach me, but an energy barrier kept him at bay. I could see Freya and Emerson rushing into the room, their faces contorted with alarm.

"All will pay the price," I declared, my eyes turning completely black, my voice distorting into something barely recognizable. "No more mercy. No more distinction between the guilty and innocent."

I released a wave of dark energy that sent furniture crashing against walls. Another pulse shattered the windows. I no longer cared who got hurt—my family, Cedric, anyone who stood in my path of vengeance.

Through the haze of my rage, I saw Raven burst into the room. He and Cedric exchanged quick words before both began trying to approach me from different angles.

"Lana, stop!" Raven shouted. "This isn't you!"

Cedric made a desperate lunge toward me. "The baby is alive! Lana, please listen to me! Our child is still alive!"

I saw him as just another obstacle, another liar trying to stop my righteous destruction. I gathered a ball of deadly energy between my palms and hurled it directly at him.

Everything seemed to slow down. Raven's body appeared suddenly in front of Cedric, taking the full force of my attack. The energy hit him squarely in the chest, lifting him off his feet and throwing him against the far wall.

As he slid to the floor, a strange silence fell over the room. Raven looked up at me, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, yet somehow he was smiling.

"Take care of... my little niece or nephew..." he whispered, his eyes closing as his head tilted to one side.

The sight of my brother falling broke through my rage like a knife through silk. Cracks appeared in the dark energy surrounding me, and I felt myself dropping to the floor. The blackness receded as horror took its place.

"No, no, no..." I rushed to Raven's side, gathering his limp body in my arms. "Raven, please... not you..."

Tears—real tears, not the black ichor that came with my darkness—streamed down my face as I clutched my brother to my chest. I felt a gentle hand on my shoulder and looked up to see Cedric kneeling beside me, his face a mask of sorrow and compassion.

"What have I done?" I whispered, my voice breaking with the weight of my actions.