Chapter 160: The Man Who Shouldn't Exist
Chapter 160: The Man Who Shouldn't Exist
The man kept walking toward us.
Not fast.
Not threatening.
Just calm.
Too calm.
That alone made every instinct inside me scream that something was wrong.
Dominic noticed it too.
His entire body stiffened as he shifted Talia slightly in his arms.
Aidan moved subtly to Dominic’s side, his hand hovering near the knife strapped to his belt.
Elena stepped closer to me.
Callum whispered under his breath.
“Please tell me that’s just a random guy going for coffee.”
Nobody answered him.
Because we all knew that wasn’t the case.
\---
The man stopped about twenty feet away from us.
Close enough to see clearly.
He looked… normal.
Tall.
Dark hair brushed neatly back.
A long black coat hung perfectly on his shoulders despite the dusty road and warm sun.
But his eyes were wrong.
They were sharp.
Cold.
Calculating.
Like someone studying an experiment.
Studying us.
Studying me.
He smiled slightly.
“Roxanne.”
The sound of my name coming from a complete stranger made my stomach twist.
Dominic’s voice dropped into a low warning growl.
“How do you know her name?”
The man’s gaze flicked briefly toward Dominic.
Then back to me.
“Oh Dominic…”
His voice carried an odd amusement.
“You really should know by now.”
“We know everything.”
Callum muttered beside me.
“Okay that’s officially creepy.”
\---
The man folded his hands behind his back casually.
“My name is Victor.”
Aidan stepped forward slightly.
“And who exactly are you supposed to be?”
Victor’s smile widened just a little.
“I represent the Council.”
The words settled heavily in the air.
So Talia had been telling the truth.
Dominic’s eyes darkened immediately.
“You’re with the Creed.”
Victor tilted his head.
“Not exactly.”
He paused.
“The Creed answers to us.”
Callum groaned quietly.
“I was really hoping that wasn’t the case.”
\---
Dominic’s posture shifted slightly.
The subtle movement was enough for anyone who knew him to recognize what it meant.
He was preparing to fight.
Victor noticed.
His smile didn’t fade.
“You won’t win that fight.”
Dominic’s voice turned icy.
“You’d be surprised.”
Victor studied him thoughtfully.
“No.”
“I wouldn’t.”
The casual confidence in his tone made the hair on my arms stand up.
Aidan spoke again.
“What do you want?”
Victor looked directly at me.
“You.”
Silence.
Even the wind seemed to stop moving through the nearby fields.
My heart began pounding.
Dominic’s voice came out dangerously low.
“That’s not happening.”
Victor sighed softly.
“You misunderstand.”
“I’m not asking.”
\---
Talia suddenly clutched Dominic’s coat.
Her small voice trembled.
“That’s one of them.”
Victor glanced down at the girl.
Recognition flickered briefly in his eyes.
“Ah.”
“One of the Ascension candidates.”
Elena stepped protectively closer to Dominic and Talia.
“She’s not going anywhere with you.”
Victor chuckled softly.
“I don’t want the child.”
His gaze shifted back to me.
“She’s… defective.”
Talia flinched.
Something inside my chest snapped.
“Don’t talk about her like that.”
Victor raised an eyebrow.
“Interesting.”
Callum crossed his arms.
“You know, insulting the traumatized kid usually makes you the villain in the story.”
Victor ignored him.
\---
Dominic took one step forward.
“Last chance.”
“Walk away.”
Victor studied him for a moment.
Then he sighed again.
“You wolves are always so dramatic.”
His eyes flicked toward Aidan and Callum.
“And you brought friends.”
Callum waved slightly.
“Hi.”
Victor looked back at me.
“But Roxanne is the only one who matters.”
\---
The air suddenly felt… strange.
Heavy.
Like pressure building before a storm.
Elena whispered quietly beside me.
“Something’s wrong.”
Aidan noticed it too.
His body tensed further.
Victor slowly removed his gloves.
“Let me explain something.”
His voice became colder.
“You survived the Ascension Chamber.”
He paused.
“That was not supposed to happen.”
Dominic’s eyes flashed.
“Then your scientists shouldn’t have tortured her.”
Victor shrugged.
“Progress requires sacrifice.”
Callum muttered.
“Wow.”
“Still villain.”
\---
Victor continued calmly.
“You see, Roxanne… the Ascension process was meant to create something new.”
He gestured toward Talia.
“Subjects like her were merely test runs.”
Talia’s grip on Dominic tightened.
“But you…”
Victor’s eyes gleamed with fascination.
“You completed the process.”
Aidan frowned.
“What process?”
Victor answered simply.
“Evolution.”
My stomach turned.
“What are you talking about?”
Victor stepped slightly closer.
“The Council has spent centuries studying the supernatural world.”
He spoke like a professor explaining a lecture.
“Werewolves.”
“Vampires.”
“Hybrids.”
“All flawed.”
Dominic growled quietly.
Victor ignored him.
“But your transformation…”
His eyes sharpened.
“Is something entirely different.”
\---
I felt that strange energy inside me again.
The same energy that had awakened in the chamber.
Pulsing slowly beneath my skin.
Victor noticed immediately.
“Yes.”
He smiled.
“You feel it.”
My chest tightened.
“What did you do to me?”
Victor’s voice softened slightly.
“We perfected you.”
Dominic snapped.
“You tortured her!”
Victor turned to him calmly.
“Pain is simply a side effect of advancement.”
Callum whispered to Aidan.
“I vote we kill him.”
Aidan nodded.
“Seconded.”
\---
Victor looked back at me.
“The Council has been searching for someone like you for a very long time.”
His expression grew more serious.
“You are the first successful subject.”
Elena whispered beside me.
“Subject?”
I clenched my fists.
“I’m not your experiment.”
Victor tilted his head.
“That remains to be seen.”
\---
Suddenly Aidan moved.
Fast.
His knife flashed through the air toward Victor’s throat.
But Victor didn’t move.
Didn’t dodge.
Didn’t react.
And yet—
The knife stopped midair.
Frozen.
Just inches from Victor’s neck.
Callum’s jaw dropped.
“Oh.”
“That’s bad.”
Aidan stared at his own arm in shock.
Like something invisible was holding it back.
Victor casually reached up and pushed the knife aside.
As if it weighed nothing.
Then he looked at Aidan almost politely.
“Please don’t interrupt.”
My blood ran cold.
Because I had seen powerful things before.
But nothing like that.
\---
Dominic’s voice dropped into a dangerous growl.
“What are you?”
Victor smiled faintly.
“A reminder.”
“Of what the Council is capable of.”
Then he looked at me again.
“You have two choices, Roxanne.”
His voice turned deadly calm.
“Come with me willingly.”
He paused.
“Or watch your friends die.”
Callum whispered,
“Not loving those options.”
\---
The energy inside my chest began pulsing faster.
Stronger.
Like something waking up.
Victor noticed again.
“Yes…”
His eyes glowed with excitement.
“There it is.”
Dominic stepped in front of me.
“You’re not taking her.”
Victor sighed.
“I really hoped you’d say that.”
Then he lifted one hand.
And the air around us suddenly shifted.
The ground trembled slightly.
Aidan cursed.
“Something’s coming.”
From the edge of town…
Dark vehicles began pulling onto the road.
One.
Two.
Five.
Ten.
Callum groaned.
“Oh you’ve got to be kidding me.”
Victor looked completely satisfied.
“Backup.”
Dominic’s jaw clenched.
“We’re surrounded.”
Victor nodded calmly.
“Yes.”
Then he looked at me.
“So.”
“Have you made your decision yet?”
But something inside me had already answered.
Because the power in my chest was no longer just pulsing.
It was rising.
Awakening.
And for the first time since the Ascension Chamber…
I realized something terrifying.
Victor might not be here to capture me.
He might be here to see what I can do.
And that meant…
This was a test.