The night city stretched beneath them, neon lights flickering like scattered embers against the dark canvas of sky. Nash's chest tightened as he guided Hina's body, sprinting across the rooftops. Every leap felt impossible, every landing a desperate gamble, yet Hina's puppet body carried him with supernatural grace. The wind cut against his porcelain face, her long black hair whipping violently behind.
"Damn it, damn it, damn it!" Nash hissed, his voice caught in his head. "Why does this have to happen now? I just wanted to lay low!"
Behind him, a guttural growl ripped through the night. It wasn't just a sound. It was a predator's roar, a vibration that seemed to crawl across the rooftops and sink into Nash's bones. He glanced back and saw Liam–no, the thing Liam had become.
Liam bounded forward on all fours, his body leaner and more feral. His jaw jutted forward with serrated fangs glinting under the moonlight, his eyes burning with savage amber-red. Every leap was monstrous, every movement like a great cat pouncing, claws scraping sparks against concrete.
"Oh hell," Nash muttered. He pushed Hina's legs harder, forcing them to spring onto a higher rooftop.
But Liam was faster on the ground. He weaved through air-conditioning vents and leapt across gaps with the grace of a nightmare predator. His claws dug into walls to climb, his silhouette a monstrous wolf chasing its prey.
Nash's mind raced. "Straight speed, I can't beat him. Fine. Then we go vertical."
He launched Hina's body up the side of a building, fingers sinking into the rough brick like knives into butter. He scaled quickly, pulling himself to the roof. Liam followed, snarling, claws shredding grooves into the wall as he scrambled up like a beast. Nash jumped to another rooftop, then another, vaulting across the urban jungle.
From below, headlights swerved through the streets. Sophia gripped the wheel, her eyes locked on the blinking dot across her device. It pulsed rapidly, showing Liam's location in real time.
"Idiot," she muttered under her breath. "Charging in like that without waiting for me…"
She swerved sharply around a corner, her car tearing down the cracked street. She looked up, and her breath caught. Two figures one black-haired, long-legged, eerily beautiful, and another monstrous with glowing eyes leapt from roof to roof in the night. The chase carved across the skyline.
Sophia slammed the gas. "Got you."
Above, Nash's heart pounded as Liam closed the gap. "He's too fast! What the hell is this guy?"
Liam bared his serrated teeth, saliva glinting. His voice was low and guttural, warped by the Gnash Wolf. "Stop running! You can't escape me!"
Nash snarled inside his head. "Like hell I can't!"
He dove across a wide gap between two buildings. For a moment, he felt weightless, Hina's hair trailing like a black comet. But halfway across, claws latched onto his ankle.
Nash's eyes widened. "Shit!"
Liam's grip was iron, his claws digging deep into Hina's leg. Both of them plummeted, smashing through clotheslines and scattering debris before crashing into a narrow alley between two buildings.
The impact cracked the concrete. Dust and garbage flew. For a split second, silence reigned.
Then Liam roared, his claws slashing forward in a blur. He struck with the force to rend steel, but his eyes widened in shock. His claws raked across Hina's porcelain skin, leaving only faint white streaks. No blood. No wound.
"What—" Liam's voice trembled, bestial and confused. "What the hell are you?"
Nash gritted his teeth inside Hina's body. "Not today."
He twisted, using Hina's body's strength to spin violently. Her elbow shot backward, slamming straight into Liam's snarling face. The blow cracked like a gunshot. Liam staggered, his claws loosening as the sheer force rocked his head back.
"Uggh!" Liam spat, blood spraying onto the alley walls. He staggered, but his glowing eyes only burned brighter.
Nash didn't hesitate. He swung Hina's leg up and kicked, driving her heel into Liam's chest. The impact sent him crashing back into a dumpster, metal crumpling like paper.
"You picked the wrong prey, dog boy," Nash muttered.
Liam snarled, wiping blood from his mouth with the back of his clawed hand. His fangs glistened in the dark. "You smell so fucking foreign, not supernatural and not trascender either."
He crouched low, muscles rippling as his claws dug into the concrete. " But that's good. That means I don't have to hold back."
Nash raised Hina's fists, trying to mask the trembling in his thoughts. "This guy's insane. He's actually enjoying this…"
Liam's mouth opened unnaturally wide as he let out a bone-rattling howl. The sound echoed down the alley, vibrating through the walls. It wasn't just noise. It was fear made sound. Nash felt his insides twist, his nerves scream.
His thoughts scrambled. "What the hell is this…?!"
But Hina's body did not flinch. Her porcelain face remained calm, her puppet joints steady. The terror rolled over her like water against stone.
Liam froze mid-step. "What…? You didn't… flinch?"
Nash grinned through Hina's lips and thought. "Nice trick. Too bad it doesn't work on dolls."
Liam roared, launching himself forward. His claws slashed downward, aiming for Nash's neck. Nash ducked, her long black hair brushing the ground as the claws carved sparks against the wall.
Nash drove Hina's knee upward into Liam's gut. The force launched him half a meter off the ground before he crumpled forward, gasping. But his claws lashed out blindly, cutting a deep gouge in the pavement where Nash had stood.
"Persistent guy," Nash hissed, dodging sideways. He grabbed a broken pipe from the ground and swung it like a bat. The metal rod bent across Liam's skull with a resonant clang, but Liam only staggered for a moment before lunging again.
"DIE!" Liam snarled, his claws whipping forward in a frenzy. His movements were a blur of savage agility, each swipe faster than the last. Sparks flew as his claws raked across walls, dumpsters, the ground—everything but Nash's puppet flesh.
Inside, Nash's nerves screamed with panic. "He's not stopping! He's not stopping!"
He countered, parrying swipes with forearms, catching Liam's wrists and twisting. Every collision echoed with brutal cracks. Nash elbowed, kneed, and shoved, but Liam's wolf strength drove him back step by step.
Sophia's car screeched to a halt at the edge of the alley. She jumped out, pistol drawn, scanning the chaos. Her eyes widened as she saw Liam in his Gnash Wolf form, trading savage blows with the ragged woman from earlier.
"What the hell…" Sophia whispered.
Back inside the alley, Liam's claws locked against Nash's forearms. The two struggled, their faces inches apart, breaths harsh and ragged. Liam's amber-red eyes glowed with animal fury.
"You're strong," Liam growled. "But you're not invincible nothing is invincible. I'll tear you apart piece by piece."
Hina's porcelain lips curved into a cold smile as if saying. "Try me."
Nash jerked forward, slamming Hina's forehead into Liam's nose. Bone crunched. Blood sprayed. Liam reeled back, clutching his face with a snarl.
Nash followed up immediately, spinning on one heel and driving a roundhouse kick into Liam's ribs. The force sent Liam crashing into the brick wall, cracks spiderwebbing from the impact.
Liam groaned, then started to laugh with a deep, guttural sound. "Yes… this is it. This is what I live for."
Nash's chest heaved as he steadied Hina's stance. His mind was racing, panic and adrenaline colliding. "He's not human anymore. He's turning like a complete supernatural."
The alley reeked of blood and tension. Garbage scattered around their feet. Both figures stood amidst the ruins, glaring at each other with killing intent.
Neither willing to give an inch.