The cracked pavement beneath their feet bore gouges from claws and indents from bone-shattering strikes. Nash steadied Hina's puppet body, porcelain skin shining faintly beneath the moonlight. Across from him, Liam crouched low, amber eyes burning like coals, serrated fangs dripping saliva.
Nash's thoughts twisted in panic. I could just say I'm an illegal transcender or something. That might get them off my back… no, bad idea. The old man said they have devices that can scan for resonance, they'll instantly know she isn't a supernatural or a transcender. That leaves me with nothing. Damn it!
His puppet lips curled faintly, though his mind was screaming. I'm cornered.
From the mouth of the alley, Sophia entered at last. Her heels clicked against the wet pavement, echoing through the chaos. Her auburn hair caught the glow of a streetlight as she leveled her pistol. The rune etched along its barrel gleamed faintly, humming with power.
Her sharp voice cut through the tension. "Step away from him."
Nash slowly turned Hina's face toward her. He forced the lips to move, but the voice that came out was unnatural, warped with an eerie resonance that made the air vibrate. "How about… we talk?"
The sound chilled even Nash to his core. It wasn't just creepy. It was wrong. The voice layered upon itself, like several whispers spilling out at once.
Sophia's grip tightened on her gun, eyes narrowing. "You… just what supernatural are you."
Liam spat blood, laughing through broken teeth. "We'll find out when we capture it." He crouched lower, claws digging into the concrete. "Talk is useless. It bleeds, we capture it."
"Liam, wait—" Sophia snapped, but Liam was already moving.
With a guttural roar, he lunged forward. His claws slashed through the air, aiming for Hina's throat.
Nash cursed and met him head-on. The alley erupted once more into violence.
Claw met porcelain fist, sparks flying. Liam's nails screeched as they raked across Hina's arm, leaving only white streaks with no wounds. Nash twisted, slamming a knee into Liam's gut, but the wolf-man absorbed the blow and swiped with his other hand.
The claws tore through the wall beside Nash, showering them with brick dust.
"You're strong," Liam growled, his voice guttural, beast layered over human. "But no body is flawless. I'll find your weak point and tear it out."
Nash gritted his teeth and thought. "Bring it on, mutt."
Their movements blurred. Nash ducked under a swipe, countered with a backfist that smashed into Liam's jaw, then immediately pivoted into a spinning kick that cracked against his ribs. Liam staggered, but instead of falling back, he howled and lunged again, empowered by his own pain. His claws sliced across Hina's waist, tearing cloth apart in ribbons.
The sound of fabric ripping echoed sharply in the alley. Nash swore in his mind. She's going to end up naked at this rate.
Sophia didn't stay idle. She stepped forward, switching guns. From her belt she pulled a sleek silver weapon, its barrel engraved with runes that shimmered faint blue. She raised it and fired.
A bolt of condensed energy shot across the alley, striking Hina's side. The force exploded in sparks. Nash stumbled, the puppet staggering slightly but unharmed.
"No way…" Sophia muttered, eyes wide. "Not even a scratch?"
She quickly holstered the pistol and pulled out another weapon, this one longer, etched with crimson runes. She aimed and fired again. The red shot hit dead center in Hina's chest, erupting like a contained explosion. The alley shook with the blast, but when the smoke cleared, Hina's porcelain skin gleamed unbroken.
Sophia's hands trembled. "Impossible."
Liam was undeterred. He lunged low, claws aiming for Hina's legs. Nash leapt backward, flipping Hina's body mid-air and landing on her feet like a gymnast.
"Persistent little bastard," Nash hissed. He dashed forward, elbow slamming across Liam's jaw. The impact shook Liam's head sideways, blood spraying into the dark.
Sophia switched tactics. She reached into her coat and withdrew a dagger etched with golden runes. Unlike the others, this one shimmered faintly at the hilt, not glowing outward but instead humming softly. She gritted her teeth. "Let's see if this works."
She slashed through the air and threw the dagger. It spun end over end, striking Hina's temple. For the first time, Nash gasped. His vision cracked with static.
"Wha—" His head spun, the alley twisting. "That… hurt?"
Inside the puppet body, his mind shuddered like chains rattling. It wasn't the body that was hurt. It was him. The dagger had struck his consciousness directly.
Sophia's eyes lit up. "It staggered. That means it's not invulnerable. Mind-affecting resonance works."
Liam didn't hesitate. Seeing Hina stagger, he pounced with renewed fury. His claws dug into her shoulders, shoving Nash against the wall. "Got you now!"
But Nash roared in his thoughts. No! Not here! Not like this!
He surged, grabbing Liam by the wrists. Porcelain fingers dug into wolf flesh, crushing like a vice. Liam's eyes widened as his claws were forced open.
"Get… off… me!" Nash bellowed through Hina's lips. He spun, muscles tightening, and hoisted Liam high into the air. With a violent heave, he slammed him into the ground.
The concrete cracked like glass. Dust exploded upward. Liam gasped, the air knocked out of his lungs.
Nash didn't stop. He climbed on top of Liam and began hammering fists down into his face. Each punch landed with the weight of a piledriver. Crack. Crack. Crack. Blood flew in arcs, painting the wall red.
Liam's head bounced against the ground with every strike, his snarls breaking into groans. His claws flailed wildly, scratching deep trenches in the ground, but Hina's body endured everything.
Sophia's eyes widened as she watched the frenzy. "It's overpowering him…"
Nash's mind screamed with adrenaline. Stay down, stay down, damn you! His fists pummeled until Liam's face was a bloody mask.
Then Nash froze. His thoughts raced. If I kill him here, they'll hunt me with everything they've got. I can't let that happen.
He sprang up from Liam's battered form and dashed toward the far end of the alley. His body blurred, moving faster than the eye could follow. With one leap, he scaled the wall and disappeared onto the rooftops.
Liam groaned, rolling onto his side. His face was a ruin, blood dripping freely. His glowing eyes dimmed slightly as he staggered onto his knees. "That… thing… I could barely… scratch it."
Sophia rushed to his side, helping him up. Her eyes lingered on the blood-soaked ground. "It's indestructible to physical force. Nothing we threw at it worked… except the mind-resonance dagger."
Liam growled low, spitting blood. His fangs shrank as the glow in his eyes faded. His body slowly twisted back to human form, bones cracking as the feral features receded. He collapsed against the wall, breathing heavily, beard soaked with blood.
"Damn it," he rasped. "If you hadn't thrown that dagger, it might have finished me. It must have retreated because it felt threatened of the dagger"
Sophia slipped an arm under him, supporting his weight. "We need to get you healed. Let's go back."
As she half-dragged him out of the alley, her eyes narrowed. "It's not invincible. It has no flesh or blood to damage, but if we target the mind… we might bring it down."
Her words carried sharp determination. Liam said nothing, only groaning as she helped him into the car.
Far away, on the edge of the city, Nash stumbled across the rooftops until finally collapsing into the shadows. Hina's porcelain body was still perfect but her long hair tangled, and every shred of clothing had been torn away during the fight. She stood naked in the moonlight, a haunting figure of inhuman beauty.
Nash's thoughts churned. I can't bring her back to the apartment. They'll track me there instantly... If I think about it, the city must have scanners across the city that could detect the resonance of supernaturalst.
He clenched his fists. I need a place nobody bothers to search.
The outskirts. Where the neon lights gave way to broken warehouses and abandoned factories, where homeless gathered and gangs ruled.
"Yes," Nash muttered through Hina's lips, the eerie voice echoing in the empty night. "For now, you'll stay there. Hidden."
The porcelain puppet body stood in silence at the edge of the ruined district, hair swaying in the cold wind.