Chapter 47 Shattered Sanity
Evelyn's POV
By the time I reached the dorms, my chest burned like it was stuffed with hot coals, every breath a desperate struggle..
This was a rare workout for me, and my brain had stopped working.
The scene before me almost made me stop breathing, my heart seized in that instant as if gripped tightly by an invisible hand.
The area around the room door was now a complete mess. The hallway was filled with chaotic footsteps and panicked voices. Several upper class girls stood not far away, covering their mouths and letting out piercing screams.
"Murder... someone's going to be killed..."
Those terrified looks made my heart panic, but I couldn't care about any of that. I pushed hard through the crowd of onlookers blocking my way and stumbled toward that familiar room door.
Before I even entered, a strong smell of blood mixed with some kind of beast's distinctive stench hit me in the face, the combination making my stomach churn violently.
I fought back the bile rising in my throat, desperate not to lose my lunch right there.
"Kane!"
I shouted and rushed into the wrecked room without thinking.
The brutal scene before me froze me in place instantly.
The room looked like it had been hit by a tornado, or even worse.
The bookshelf lay on the ground, books torn to shreds and scattered everywhere, the pages on the floor stained with dark red blood. The dark-colored bedsheet had been ripped off and thrown on the floor, the pillow torn apart with feathers mixed with wood chips floating in the air. The closet door hung crooked, looking like it could fall and crush someone at any moment.
And there, in the centre of the wreckage, Kane stood with his back to me.
His silhouette... so desolate, it made my heart clench.
Golden-red feathers covered the back of his neck, glinting dangerously in the dim, flickering light. His hand had completely transformed into a dark gold claw, nails sharp as knives, gripping a male student's throat tightly, holding him suspended in mid-air, struggling helplessly.
That male student—I recognized him as one of the werewolf shapeshifters who had cornered Kane before. His face was now flushed red, his eyeballs bulging from extreme fear and lack of oxygen, tongue sticking out, hands weakly clawing at Kane's steel-hard arm, fingernails leaving only shallow white marks, feet kicking desperately in the air.
"Ugh... ugh..."
The sounds of his strangled gasps were so faint they were almost silent.
In another corner of the room, two other male students in gray robes were huddled together, trembling violently, sitting in an obvious puddle from losing control of their bladders.
They stared at Kane as if he were a demon crawled straight from the pits of hell. filled with absolute despair and regret.
"Kane! Stop!"
I screamed and rushed over, my voice breaking from anxiety.
Kane seemed not to hear me at all, or maybe he did hear but the sound couldn't get through—his eyes were empty, not a peaceful void, but the hollowed-out remains of a man who’d seen his world burn.
His body was still trembling slightly, a low, roaring sound coming from his throat. His eyes were hollow and blood-red, completely taken over by instinct, any trace of the man I knew was gone.
The male student being choked, David Jones—his limbs had stopped struggling, his face deathly pale, about to die any second.
"Please... Kane... let go! Please!"
I didn't care that glass shards on the floor might pierce through my shoes, I rushed straight to his side and threw my arms around him, clinging to his back with everything I had.
So hot.
His body temperature was frighteningly high, hotter than ever before, like hugging an erupting volcano. I could feel that violent energy even through his clothes.
"Kane, it's me, Evelyn!"
I shouted. Maybe hearing my voice, Kane's hand that was gripping David's neck finally loosened slightly, letting a bit of air through his fingers.
David collapsed, clawing at his neck and sucking in ragged, desperate lungfuls of air.
He crawled toward the door, not even having the courage to look back, leaving only a trail of pathetic marks.
My gaze fell on the jewelry box on the floor. It lay there alone, its lid knocked open, several fire opals scattered in the chaos and rolled into the corner, but the few left inside still glimmered with a defiant spark in the shadows.
They were the physical remains of our history—the reason for Kane’s total meltdown.
I picked up the box with trembling hands, carefully gathered the scattered fire opals and put them back, closed the lid, and held it tightly against my chest.
"Hand over the stuff."
I turned around to face the two panicked werewolves in the corner. My voice was cold, a tone I'd never used before.
They shuddered all over and hurriedly fumbled to pull out various things from their clothes and pockets—collectibles from Kane's room, precious ancient books, and even a stray hair tie I’d forgotten I’d left behind
"We're... we're sorry... we were wrong... please spare us..."
One of the male students threw the items on the ground crying, then both of them scrambled out of the room, afraid Kane would stop them.
The room finally fell quiet.
I was left alone with Kane in the wreckage, surrounded by the heavy, iron tang of blood.
The crowd outside had finally scattered, leaving us in a heavy silence. Kane still stood there with his back to me, his shoulders heaving violently.
The golden-red feathers on his body hadn't completely faded, the dark gold claws still glinted coldly, as if they were still searching for something to tear apart.
I knew his current state was dangerous. Phoenix Clan members in a rampage state had extremely fragile rationality and could easily lose control and hurt innocent people, or even... hurt those closest to them.
"Kane..."
I took a deep breath and stepped over the obstacles on the floor, moving closer to him step by step.
I walked around to face him. His eyes were still somewhat unfocused, golden fire flickered deep in his pupils—a lingering madness that threatened to consume whatever was left.
"Kane, I'm here."
I stood on my tiptoes and hugged his rigid body, ignoring the risk that those claws might cut me.
"I need you... Kane."
"I don't want you to be expelled from school, don't want you to ruin your future because of these scumbags. You said you'd protect me, but if you lose control, who will protect me?"
"Kane, look at me..."
Hearing this, a flicker finally appeared in Kane's blood-red eyes.
He blinked, the golden flames gradually dying out, revealing his originally handsome face, though now that face was filled with panic.
The dark gold claw also transformed back into a slender hand, except now that hand was stained with blood.
"Evelyn?"