Chương 29: Full Moon

Lucas looked at the blue barrier right in front of him; his heart sank, not knowing what to do next. His eyes were colder than usual. Lucas' eyes then changed from green to golden. He clenched his right hand, then, as if letting go of the hesitation, Lucas once again reached ahead. Once Lucas advanced further, his hand touched the barrier; he could feel the repellent force acting against him. Lucas looked at this sight. Hesitation filled his eyes for a second before he quickly put even more force into his arms.

He gritted his teeth as he pushed harder; by now, he used both his arms. Lucas felt like he was pushing against a mountain.

"No! I can't give up! I must do this!" Lucas clenched his jaw, pushing against the blue wall even harder. His arms felt like exploding. The barrier in front of him was constantly flickering. Lucas felt pain throughout his body like never before, like two forces inside of him tearing each other apart. Just for a brief moment, his golden eyes flickered into something else. Then a crack appeared on the barrier. Lucas felt as if he had suddenly become one with it.

Without that wall, he fell right through it onto the other side. He gasped for air as he looked shocked at his hands. Lucas had a weird feeling throughout his body; he felt as if a shackle had been broken. Like he was breathing air for the first time in his life, Lucas looked at the mountain ash below. He saw that the circle was not broken.

'Could my feeling be right?' The moment he entered the barrier, for a brief moment Lucas felt like he became one with it. Lucas then stretched his hand forward; this time, the blue barrier did not appear, but he could feel it. The barrier was working, just not on him anymore. Lucas smiled as he got up. He felt tired, as if he had run a marathon. He then closed the panel and went to his room. Lucas took a shower, washing his fatigue away. When he passed by the mirror, he suddenly thought of something.

If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it. He stared deep at his reflection. Lucas then began shapeshifting; the deep golden color appeared in his eyes. Lucas sighed in disappointment for a moment. Lucas shook his head, throwing the naive thought out of his mind. He went and meditated for some time before thinking about his next actions.

'Now my house has at least basic protection with the mountain ash barrier.' Then Lucas frowned, as if he thought of a problem.

'Soon the full moon will appear. I am protected inside, but what happens if I lose control and run outside?' His face became uncertain. If he lost control, the preparation would be for nothing: the guns, the mountain ash, and the wolfsbane. And with a hidden danger lurking around, this could be the perfect opportunity for the enemy to strike, although he would be stronger on the night of the full moon. He felt that it would be a bad outcome if he didn't have his equipment.

If he encountered a werewolf, with wolfsbane he could have an advantage, and the mountain ash could work on other shapeshifters. Lucas then decided to go out on his own terms. He could take advantage of his increasing strength and, once and for all, kill what was watching him. He couldn't guarantee that if he did not act today, he wouldn't be attacked at the most unexpected moment.

Lucas knew that what he was going to do was reckless, but when he went through his first time hunting a werewolf, Lucas knew from that moment that his life would be filled with danger. He could either cower in fear, or he could die fighting. Having made his choice, Lucas then began putting the equipment on. He strapped the gun to his right leg, put on a bulletproof vest, a basic protection for his vitals. He attached a pouch filled with mountain ash to his belt, ready to be used. Lucas looked outside.

He could see the sunset. Realizing he didn't have much time, Lucas quickly packed all the stuff he needed and went out. Lucas then got in the car and drove off. After driving for ten minutes, he took a turn and went right into the forest. Seeing he was deep enough, he stopped. Lucas got out of the car. He put the rifle on his back, and the assault rifle was attached to his front. Lucas then began walking away from the car.

As he was walking, cold moist air filled his lungs; the brilliance of the sun was already gone. Lucas felt a pull, like something was calling him. He looked up into the sky, already seeing something slowly forming. Feeling he had walked enough, Lucas looked around. A dreadful silence filled the forest, yet he still didn't see anything. Lucas then crouched to the ground, taking a few steps from time to time as if looking for footprints. He then stood up. He looked at his hands; his claws were already visible.

By now he should feel the full moon effects, but apart from shapeshifting involuntarily, he felt no negative emotions.

'Could it be…' Lucas thought of him breaking, just for a moment, the mountain ash barrier and the feeling he got, as if he had broken some shackles. Then Lucas broke away from his thoughts as he felt a chill all over his body. His eyes flared a brilliant gold. He didn't see the threat yet, but the forest felt heavy with it—a presence watching from every shadow. Then the hair on his neck stood up. A chill spiked down his spine. He didn't wait.

Lucas pivoted, his right boot digging into the dirt as he kicked off, putting distance between him and the dark. In the same motion, his hands quickly raised the assault rifle. Bang. Bang. Bang. The muzzle flashes illuminated a blur of movement—a shadow that moved too fast to be human. It weaved between the trees, the bullets biting into bark where the creature had been a millisecond before. Then, as quickly as it appeared, the shadow slipped back into the blackness.