Chapter 8 For the Sake of Humanity
He knelt and touched the surface of the tombstone lightly with his fingers.
“As the victor of the Great Divide, the werewolves ruled the Earth for how many centuries. When I was born, that was already the state of the world. Your ancestors suffered at the hands of my kinsmen who disguised themselves as kings, queens, emperors, and conquerors. Humans were treated as mere labourers. There are a few who ascended to nobility through hard work but many were unlucky, either killed or hunted in the pretense of rivalry.”
Yeseus went on to describe how the werewolves took control of everything since time immemorial, whether it be economy or government, using humans as puppets for their own play and pleasure. Everything that Klishei learned at school in their history class was nothing compared to Yeseus' version. This was the secret to every powerful figure, dynasty, and empire. They got their way because they were not pure humans but werewolves in disguise with powers that could bring destruction.
Klishei shuddered at the thought, realizing how perverted things were. It was already a given that humanity’s history was dark, manipulated and only celebrated by the victors. She did not know it could become as twisted as this.
“I was alone as the last Alpha who honored the long-standing relationship between the Entities and humans. I was even detained for calling out their atrocious acts. So the moment the plan formed in my mind, I knew I would be killed. I thought that at the very least, if I am unable to eliminate all of the clans, I could at least stop them from bringing another generation of werewolves.”
How Yeseus ever thought of that, Klishei would never know. She held grudges against some of her family members for petty things but never did it enter her mind to end her own bloodline. “You mentioned something about a council?”
“The Council of the Cosmos. They are the governing body of the Entities.”
The cosmos, huh?
"That would encompass the whole universe," Klishei concluded.
"Yes, you can say that."
Klishei was amused at the thought that even Entities had their own politicians.
“Oh. You said they intervened once. Why did they not help you when it was for a just cause?”
He stared at the skies and his eyes emitted a dark aura, like he was cursing the clouds in his mind. “Their appearance during the Great Divide was the first and last time that they showed themselves to the Entities here at Earth. They might have manifested in other ways but never fully and even then, that council only meddles once in a while. Well, not like I needed them to.”
The sky let out a low grumble. Klishei turned her head from the perfectly fine skies to Yeseus. Did the sky just hear him?
Klishei knelt with him. She changed the topic, feeling a little scared that they were being watched by whoever and whatever this council is. “So this unnamed tombstone, this is in memory of all those you killed?”
“Yes.” He squatted on the grass and she followed. “Daevar and the others are the last ones left but they are also nearing their limit. A werewolf has to mate once in a while. Without procreating with a female werewolf, they now have a hard time shifting. When I killed all the women in that ceremony, the surviving males had slowly started to lose their powers.”
He slowly put his fingers out, reaching for the sky. He flexed his hand, closing it in a fist and then unraveling it again.
“They started having a hard time transforming into their wolf form every full moon, the time where we recharge our powers. Those who were unable to shift any longer died. The ones Daevar is leading are not that strong as well. They are all starved, both sexually and in their powers. So it’s only a matter of time before they will also perish naturally.”
Procreation. What a formal word for having sex.
“You planned things thoroughly, huh?” Klishei remarked.
“You impressed?” He had that small mischievous smile where only one corner of his mouth curved upward.
“Yeah,” she admitted. “I just did not expect that my saviour had actually committed such a crime.”
“Well? Are you feeling sorry that you have a murderer for a protector?”
His question hung in the air. She looked at the weathered and worn tombstone which withstood more than a century of different seasons. Although faint, its inscription was still quite readable.
HERE LIES THE HOWLERS IN ETERNAL SLUMBER
WHOSE SPIRITS ARE NOW ONE WITH THE COSMOS
Klishei shook her head. “That happened in your past, in a time where I did not even exist. Who am I to judge you when you have your reasons? Besides, you did it, for the sake of humanity. I feel like I should be thanking you. Based on your story, you are the villain that the humans needed. If you haven’t rebelled against your own kind, then I’m sure we would still be slaves to you.”
Yeseus laid on the grass, using his palms as a cushion for the back of his head. “That’s precisely something a human would say.”
Still, something did not yet add up. She remembered his room and his old collections. “Yeseus, if all females were gone, how come you were able to survive up until now? You also do not seem to be weakened.”
Yeseus looked towards the blue sky where the gigantic clouds cast shadows on them.
“Committing genocide against one’s own kin is a hardcore sin. As a result of my own actions, the Cosmic Council punished me and that is to live forever. Funny as it may sound, I was cursed with immortality, never to die, even with a silver sword or through fire. All of this is because the council decided that someone like me deserved to bear the guilt forever. They made sure that even if I atoned, I will never feel the pleasure of the relief of death.”