The class ended after some time, and Viktor learned something new. While the lesson had been interesting on its own, it became far more engaging thanks to the clash between the professor and Wednesday. The argument was about the conservation of mythical beasts. Wednesday questioned why, if these creatures were becoming rare, they couldn't create a safe place where they could multiply freely, rather than being kept in captivity.
For most of the class, it felt less like a lecture and more like the students were simply listening to the professor and Wednesday debate. Eventually, the professor grew offended and ended the class earlier than usual.
Viktor, along with the others, went to the canteen for lunch. Sitting beside Viktor was Agnes, along with her friend; they were with the Fangs.
"That was intense, first class, and already the first fight. Never expected anything less from an Addams," Jass said as he opened his phone. He had recorded the heated exchange between the professor and Wednesday. "I think I'm going to upload this."
"I think you shouldn't," Yoko said.
Viktor nodded in agreement. Just then, he noticed Jass scrolling through photos and spotted his own picture among them. Narrowing his eyes, Viktor asked, "Why do you have a picture of me?"
"Oh, that?" Jass showed him the image. It was a picture of Viktor and Agnes on their first day at Nevermore, standing at the entrance with their shades on. Viktor, tall with deep black hair, looked effortlessly striking, while Agnes, with her ginger hair tied into twin ponytails, looked adorably cute. Together, they radiated a natural charm, and the shades only made them look even cooler.
Jass held the image up, and the moving picture version of Viktor spoke, saying, "Go on, don't mind us." Jass grinned. "What do you think? You must have some kind of high charm stat; your pictures are all over the group chat. Girls are screaming, and even some of the guys think you look cool."
"You're like a celebrity. You attract attention just by standing there," Claudia added from the side.
Viktor pinched the bridge of his nose and smiled shyly. He knew he was handsome, but he hadn't expected it to spread like this. Taking a sip of his drink, he tried to hide his embarrassment. Outwardly, he stayed calm, but inside, he felt both flustered and oddly confident.
He didn't know what to say, but Agnes spoke up beside him. "We do look cool. But we'd look even cooler if we matched next time. Big brother, let's wear the same outfit, just us."
"Alright," Viktor nodded.
"Oh, I almost forgot, let me invite you to the group chat," Jass said.
"We have a group chat?" Elias suddenly blurted out.
Viktor gave him a pitying glance before turning back to Jass. "But I don't use social media. Is that okay?"
"No problem." Jass glanced at Viktor's phone and chuckled. "You know, we actually have a special app. Da'Vinci created it for Outcasts so we don't have to use normie apps. Here, download it, it's called Outcast Book."
After creating his profile, Viktor received a notification: Jass had invited him to the Nevermore group chat, where all the students gathered, as well as their private friend group chat called Shades.
Viktor glanced at Agnes, who hadn't even taken out her phone. "Do you want to join, Agnes?"
"I'm already in. Josephine invited me," she replied.
Viktor nodded and began reading through the messages.
"Hey guys, we have a group chat?" Elias asked.
Viktor ignored him and decided to try saying something in Shades. The members of Shades were mostly Fangs, so it felt a little strange for him to be in the group despite not being a Fang or a vampire. He typed, "Does Jericho Town have a zoo?"
Soon enough, replies came in, telling him there was a zoo, some even replied that were not related to the zoo, and others replied that greeted him or others that Viktor felt cringed to read. After typing a quick thank you, Viktor noticed three notification messages pop up, from Enid, Agnes, and Elias.
Enid wrote: "Omg, hey! Jass said you finally joined, welcome to the world of social media! 🎉 I'm sooo excited! But seriously, you can't just stop here… you have to try Insta, TikTok, Twitter, even Facebook (yes, it still exists!). Anywayyy, I'm just glad you're here, welcome, bestie!"
Agnes' message read: "Why are you going to the zoo, big brother?"
Viktor smiled and said aloud, "You know, you can just talk to me if you want to say something."
"Coming at you," Agnes replied, sticking her tongue out at him before continuing her chat with someone else.
The last message was from Elias: "Hey, Viktor, can you invite me to the group chat?"
Viktor glanced at Elias. The poor guy looked like he was pleading with his whole soul. Even though he couldn't see Elias' eyes, Viktor could practically feel that he might cry any second. He couldn't help but smile. Elias was both funny and a little pitiful, so he nodded.
In Shades, Viktor typed, "Guys, why don't we invite Elias? It seems like he really wants to join."
Jass quickly replied: "No, don't do it. Do you know what Elias' nickname is? It's 'Elias the Big Mouth.' He's the kind of guy who'll spill everyone's secrets."
Viktor finally understood why they hadn't invited him.
After that brief episode of chatting, they finished lunch in the canteen, attended their remaining classes, and were finally dismissed. Viktor returned to his dorm and took a short rest before deciding to head out to Jericho Town.
The problem was that he couldn't just leave freely; he needed permission from Principal Weems. He wasn't sure if she would approve a trip just because he wanted to visit the zoo. Since he only wanted to take a quick look, Viktor decided not to bother with asking.
With that thought, Viktor vanished into thin air and slipped out through the door.
'No one will know if no one sees anything. I already told Jass, so it should be fine.'
...
The real reason Viktor wanted to visit the zoo was to steal animals and transport them to his own world. He wanted to test his theory using animals first.
World Energy could be obtained by absorbing it from living beings, at least, that was his understanding. He had considered trying this with a mythical beast, but those creatures were too heavily guarded. He couldn't just sneak into a restricted area, even while invisible.
The zoo was called Pilgrim Zoo, owned by the town's mayor. At this hour, it was nearly empty except for a few workers. Viktor wandered invisibly through the zoo.
He started with the herbivores. He wasn't stupid enough to pick an animal that survived on meat; his world, aside from a few insects, was empty. What he needed were animals that could thrive there without becoming a danger to anything else.
Viktor entered the horse enclosure, reached out, and touched one of the horses. In an instant, it vanished, sent into his Soul World as if it had never been there. Satisfied, he proceeded one by one, transporting all the horses. Then he moved on to the zebras, giraffes, and monkeys, sending each of them into his world as well.
The small zoo had only four types of animals: horses, giraffes, zebras, and monkeys. Viktor knew that taking them might hurt the zoo's reputation or even make some kids sad, but he decided it was for the best. At least now, these creatures would have real freedom. Once he was finished, he quietly left the zoo and made his way toward the forest, planning to find more animals.
His limit was one hundred living beings inside his Soul World, and so far, he had sent in ten monkeys, five horses, four zebras, and two giraffes, leaving plenty of space for more.
But just as he was about to step into the woods, Viktor stopped and turned back.
"Since I'm already here," he murmured, "I might as well find out about this Cult of Shadows."
He turned and walked toward Jericho Town. After some time, he found himself standing in front of the sheriff's office. Peeking through the window, he saw a few police officers inside. Carefully, he slipped through the door, completely unnoticed, and made his way to the sheriff's office.
Galpin wasn't there, and it seemed he was busy elsewhere, which worked to Viktor's advantage.
He scanned through the files on the desk. Some were murder reports from the woods. There seemed to be two distinct types: one set where the condition of the bodies suggested a wild animal attack, likely a bear, with deep scratches, torn flesh, and another set that appeared to be linked to the cult.
Viktor collected as much information as he could about the cult and Tyler. He already knew the first set of murders was connected to Tyler, who became the Hyde and went on a killing spree. But the cult-related files offered little beyond noting that incidents occurred once a week, always at night.
He decided to go a step further and visit one of the cult members in prison. According to Galpin's notes, they had interrogated a suspect who had provided some clues. Viktor wanted to see this man for himself.
The prisoner was a doctor. He sat slumped in the corner of his cell, pale and gaunt, heavy bags under his eyes, his hair unkempt and damp with sweat. He was muttering to himself, eyes wide and unfocused, as if staring at something no one else could see.
Viktor approached, curious to hear what he was saying. But suddenly, the man shot to his feet and pointed directly toward Viktor's invisible form.
"It's you!" he screamed. "It's you! Why are you here?! Don't come near me, please, don't come near me! Spare me!"
He dropped to his knees, begging, then began slamming his forehead against the floor.
Viktor froze in shock. The commotion drew the attention of nearby officers, who rushed in to restrain the man. To them, no one had provoked the outburst, but Viktor knew better.
'He can see me?' Viktor thought, staring at the prisoner. 'But why does he fear me like that? Is it because of the mark on my eyes?'
Almost unconsciously, Viktor touched the corner of his eye. His gaze lingered on the man, who was still trembling as the police restrained him.
As Viktor turned to leave, Galpin entered the prison. The prisoner suddenly screamed again, his voice cracking with terror.
"You are the child of dusk! All the gods want you! YOU are the key!"
Viktor walked past without a word, but the man's cries echoed in his ears long after he left.