CHAPTER 87: THE LOCK AND THE KEY

"I’m listening," Zeke grunted, his arms crossed.

"That pendant you saw...," Sylas began, "It has properties that hold back an ancient being that dwells inside his body. The moment it slips off him, that being will take over his body,"

Zeke was worried. So that was why Hellcat said he would never take it off, "What’s this being?"

"It’s not a wolf," Sylas explained, "It’s a demon. That thing that just left, that’s what it is,"

"Demon," Zeke echoed, "How is this possible? I thought only wolves exist,"

"Demons do, too," Sylas said with a deep sigh, "But as for now, only a few demons exist. The one you just saw, and the one trapped inside the Veil,"

"What’s this Veil you keep talking about?"

"It’s an existence that was created to trap the other demon inside like an alternate side of the world where nothing but rot and decay exist. Nothing from this world can go in there, and nothing from there can come in here. We call the passageway - the Veil,"

"How is that all possible? How long have you known about this?!"

"That’s not the important thing here. What’s important is that the demon that just left is on her way to release the other demon trapped inside the veil. The Demon behind the Veil, can never escape. We can’t let that happen,"

Zeke stared at the blue-eyed man. He was always so composed and calm in every situation - like nothing to break the iceberg. But right now, Zeke could actually smell his fear, and it made him feel even more horrified.

If Sylas could actually feel fear, that means he was damn serious about the threat behind that veil.

"There’s something I don’t understand," Zeke uttered, "If the pendant was holding back that demon all this while, how come it still awakened? It’s not like the pendant came off at some point. Thaddeus would never take it off,"

"It’s because he died," Sylas replied, "The pendant would only work when he’s alive. The moment he loses himself and slips through, the pendant’s energy would gradually weaken till it vanishes. The only way to regain its energy is if the wearer, Thaddeus, somehow comes back to life,"

Zeke’s breathing hitched, "So you’re telling me that that thing that just left is not only a powerful species like us, but now has full control over Hellcat’s body? Hell no!" Zeke growled.

"Demons are the most powerful beings to ever walk this earth," Sylas stated.

"Where the fuck did they originate from? Do they have some kind of god like we do?" Zeke dragged his fingers through his messy hair, "This is really fucked up,"

"We need to stop her before she uses to pendant to tear the Veil apart,"

Zeke paused, "Are you telling me that the pendant is not only a lock, but also a key or something?"

Sylas nodded, "From what I’ve gathered so far, that pendant has not only the ability to hold down a demon for the rest of eternity, but it can also tear down the Veil. After all, it was used to make the Veil and trap that demon in there in the first place,"

Zeke recalled the demon walking into the forest, holding the pendant, "So we are doomed. Is that what you’re saying?"

"I’m saying that we need to stop her!" He almost snapped.

Zeke glared back at him, "So what was that shit about her calling you her ex-lover? And who the hell is Erebos?"

"That’s not important right now! We need to stop her from reaching the Veil,"

Zeke sucked in a deep breath, "Hellcat is dead," He said flatly, grief and anger battling in his eyes, "He can’t come and take control of his body again. Moreover, how do we fight a demon and win? I have no idea what kind of powers they possess or how it works. I mean, that thing literally tried to kill me moments ago...,"

Sylas studied him with a calm rage, "You’re right," He answered softly and took a step forward, "You’re too weak to face something like that,"

"And you’re strong enough?" Zeke retorted.

Sylas faced him, "I didn’t imagine something could ever overwhelm the great Pendragon,"

"Was just about to say the same thing," Zeke fired back, "You’re shaking in your boots, warden,"

The wind dragged cold across the path like an omen.

Mist shivered at the tree lines, as if listening.

Sylas and Zeke stared at each other furiously, but underneath the hostility was a terror neither wanted to name.

Zeke’s voice shook on the edges, "Don’t ever talk to me like I’m weak,"

"You’re bleeding," Sylas replied calmly, eyes flicking to the red smear on Zeke’s lips, "You’re collapsing. You can barely stand,"

Zeke’s claws flexed, chest heaving, "I’m functioning,"

"You call this functioning?" Sylas stepped forward, shadows clinging to the edges of his silhouette, "You’re grieving. You’re unravelling. And you need sleep,"

Zeke’s lips curled back, wolf hovering close to the surface, "I’d rather just die right now. Hellcat was all I had,"

And there it was. The raw, unarmoured speech of him with pain laced in his throat.

Sylas inhaled once slowly, like someone who understood loss all too intimately.

"You still have him," Sylas said quietly.

Zeke blinked, "...What?"

"Thaddeus," Sylas’s voice didn’t waver anymore.

"That demon is using his body as a shell right now. If we can stop it for a moment, enough for me to infuse some of my powers...maybe I could kickstart his heart too,"

He let the implication hang.

It struck like lightning.

Zeke’s breath caught, "Then why didn’t you do so before?"

"Because I was afraid it would only make the situation worse, and that my powers would alter him!" Sylas’s eyes turned darker, "But right now, I can’t think of anything worse than that demon escaping from the Veil,"

The world seemed to pause.

"You’re saying...," Zeke didn’t seem to hear the rest. He clung to Sylas’s first words, "You could do something to bring him back to life?"

"Or I could make it much worse," Sylas added.

For the first time since he’d found the body, Zeke’s knees nearly buckled out of relief, even if it was barely a thread of hope.

He swallowed it whole.

"Then we go," Zeke rasped, his voice sharpening into determination, "Now. We go after that thing,"

Sylas didn’t move.

Zeke snapped, "What now?"

"You won’t get ten steps into that forest like this," He gestured to Zeke’s trembling stance, "You need sleep. You need strength,"

"And while I’m sleeping, that thing walks deeper into the Hallow with his body?" Zeke spat back, voice cracking, "No. No fucking way,"

Sylas’s expression shifted and something flickered in his gaze. He seemed to be contemplating.

"I know a way to force strength into your body," he admitted, voice softer and even darker, "A way to heal you fast, just for now though. I don’t know how long the effects would last, but the moment you break out of it, you’ll be asleep for days,"

Zeke frowned, "What?"

Sylas stepped closer, close enough for the cold radiating from him to bite Zeke’s skin.

"My blood," He said

Zeke looked at him like he was crazy.

"Demon or not, Thaddeus knew exactly what he was identifying," Sylas’s voice dropped to a whisper, "I am not a normal wolf, Zeke. I carry a part of something sinister inside of me. One of the powers that comes with it is the ability of my blood to restore and strengthen,"

Zeke stared, stunned and shaken, "You expect me to drink your blood like some parasite?"

Sylas’s lips curved in a challenging gaze, "It’s either that or you collapse on the forest floor while your roommate’s body is used to free the end of our world,"

Zeke’s jaw locked.

He hated this.

He hated needing Sylas.

He hated fate, the Veil, demons, and helplessness. He goddamn loathed every part of it.

But he hated losing Hellcat more.

"Fine," He agreed.

A slow, dangerous calm washed across Sylas’s expression. Then, he drew a single claw across his own wrist, cutting his skin open. Blood dripped from the self-inflicted injury, with an unnatural shimmer in it.

He held it out toward Zeke, "Drink,"

Zeke stared at the offered wrist, still glaring.

Then he leaned in and bit deeper into Sylas’s wrist.