The next morning, I waited until Clora brought in my tea before speaking. Her eyes were soft as always, her smile gentle, but I saw the hesitation in her hands.
"Clora…" I said quietly, wrapping the blanket tighter around my legs. "Have you ever heard of a place called… Setvastl?"
She froze.
The tray rattled slightly as she placed it on the table. Her expression didn't change much, but I noticed the way her shoulders stiffened.
"I don't know anything about it, ma'am," she said, lowering her eyes.
That answer came too fast.
"But you've heard it before," I pressed gently.
She didn't speak at first. Then, after a long pause, she nodded.
"I've heard Mr. Levi mention it," she whispered. "Not often. Only in a phone call before his meetings."
"What meetings?"
She hesitated again. Her fingers twisted the edge of her apron. "There's a place… not in this house. But nearby. It looks like a cabin from the outside, but it's not. That's where he meets them. His people."
"His people?"
She looked up, a flicker of fear in her gaze. "I'm not sure who they are, ma'am. But they always come on Thursday nights. And he says it's just dinner with old friends."
Thursday nights.
Today was Thursday.
Clora leaned in, lowering her voice further. "He goes every week, without fail. I'm not supposed to know. No one is. But I saw him once… and he wasn't alone."
I swallowed hard. "Where is this place?"
She shook her head quickly. "Please, ma'am. Don't go near it. I've seen things I shouldn't have. Just… be careful. Whatever he's into, it's not normal."
I nodded slowly, but my mind was already moving ahead.
Tonight… I would follow him.
— — —
The air was colder than usual for spring. I slipped on dark clothes and a pair of boots Clora had once tucked into the back of the wardrobe. She didn't know I'd kept them. I left the house quietly, not through the front door—but through the side garden Levi rarely checked.
I waited near the garage, heart pounding as I watched the sleek black car pull out onto the cobbled path.
He was alone. Just like Clora said.
I kept my distance, ducking behind trees and fences, my footsteps light on the dewy grass. The car veered off the main road and into a wooded path. And then I saw it.
A cabin. Hidden under ivy and fog, surrounded by thick, silent trees.
I crept closer, crouching near a low wall. From where I hid, I saw shadows moving inside—Levi… and others. Their faces were unclear, but I could feel the tension in the air, as if the walls themselves were holding secrets.
Suddenly, a low growl echoed behind me.
I turned.
There it stood—no, crouched. Watching me.
My breath caught.
It was no dog. No wild cat.
Tall. Lanky. Covered in mottled grey fur that bristled like iron needles. Its face was almost human… but not. The eyes glowed faintly yellow. Its chest rose and fell heavily, and its jaw—slightly unhinged—dripped with saliva.
And then another.
To my left.
Then a third—behind.
They circled me, slow and calculating. Eyes burning like I was some kind of meal.
My body froze, but my mind screamed.
They lunged.
I stumbled backward, twisting my ankle as I fell. Claws sliced the air just inches from my face. I crawled toward the nearest tree, heart slamming against my ribs. My screams louder than ever. One of the creatures howled—a long, shrill sound that pierced the air.
And then—
A blur of black.
A crack of bones.
A scream—no, a snarl.
Then silence.
I looked up.
Levi stood between me and the beasts, his eyes glowing—yes, glowing—a molten yellow.
He didn't speak. He moved.
Fast. Inhumanly fast.
He grabbed one by the throat and slammed it against a tree so hard, bark exploded. Another charged, and he caught its claw mid-swipe, twisting its arm back until it let out a horrifying shriek. The third tried to flee, but Levi was already there, slamming it into the dirt with a strength that shattered the ground.
He stood over their broken forms, panting slightly, blood splattered across his shirt.
Then he turned to me.
"Elira," he said softly but surprised.
I couldn't speak.
My ankle throbbed. My hands were shaking.
He knelt beside me and touched my face gently. "You shouldn't have followed me."
"What… what were those things?" I whispered.
He didn't answer.
Instead, he lifted me into his arms, effortlessly.
"Are you hurt?" he asked.
"I don't know…" I whispered, my voice breaking. "What are you?"
His jaw clenched. His eyes met mine.
But again, no answer.
As we walked back through the woods, the silence around us wasn't peaceful—it was heavy. Full. Like a truth not yet spoken.
I held onto him, but I felt a complex feeling of safe yet endangered.
But, tonight, I had seen something I couldn't unsee.
Not just the monsters.
And now I had even more questions.
Questions I wasn't sure I wanted the answers to.
Who is Jace Luthor