Haoyu's form had morphed into something inhuman. Jagged, emerald scales tore through the skin of his arms, and his fingers elongated into sharp claws that were curved at the tips. His obsidian eyes had narrowed into razor-thin slits, the black bleeding away into a cold, predatory silver. Those eyes were trained on Bawa.
However, instead of simply watching him, they marked him.
Haoyu's mouth hung open, panting, revealing sharpened teeth that looked too large for his jaw. With veins bulging like thick cords against his neck, he looked less like a man and more like a disaster about to strike.
Although Salvador was the first to react, it was Nicklas who lunged to restrain Haoyu. The chains attached to Nicklas's hat rattled from the sudden movement as the others piled on. They threw their full weight into the struggle, but it only served to slow Haoyu down. Even with four men hanging off him, Haoyu moved towards Bawa with slow, mechanical steps. His shoes gouged furrows into the dirt as he dragged the group along.
Bawa watched in horror, only reacting when Salvador shouted at him to move and broke his trance. This was the perfect time to escape, but his legs felt like they were shackled by iron weights. The only thing his fading adrenaline could provide was the strength to weakly crawl backward. His fingernails dug into the earth desperately as he felt the weight of Haoyu's shadow loom over him.
"Calm down, Yu! Nicklas, hurry!" Yakub barked. He had his arms locked around Haoyu's waist, his muscles straining as he took the brunt of the pressure.
Nicklas was already fumbling with his pockets before the reminder. Though his face was concealed, his pale, trembling hands betrayed his nerves.
He fished out a small pill and jammed it into Jung-hee's palm while maintaining his tight grip on Haoyu's arm. Salvador clutched the other.
Jung-hee removed his hands from Haoyu's chest, allowing the enraged young man to move faster, before grabbing his face. He had to force the pill in.
As his hand neared, the razor-sharp teeth snapped shut with a chilling crack. Jung-hee sucked in a cold breath in mild dread. He shoved in his hand the next time the jaw opened.
As expected, Haoyu's mouth snapped shut. The pain was immediate. Blood dripped down the corners of Haoyu's mouth instantly and the copper taste only seemed to fuel his frenzied rage. Ignoring the searing pain, Jung-hee shoved his fingers deep into Haoyu's throat, forcing him to swallow so he wouldn't choke and praying his hand wouldn't be bitten clean through.
A few ragged breaths later, the unnatural tension in Haoyu's shoulders began to ebb away. His advance halted.
The rough, guttural heaving of his chest slowed, and the silver in his eyes receded, replaced by the return of foggy, familiar obsidian. The scales on his arms pulled back into his skin, leaving only the long, dark claws still extended.
Finally, his jaw relaxed and Jung-hee was able to pull his bloodied hand free.
Haoyu's eyes flickered as he regained awareness. He was groggy, his muscles felt like anchors, but the immediate crisis had passed.
The group let out a collective breath of relief. They had been through this before. More times than they would have liked.
Although Haoyu had gained better control over his transformations recently, there was always a pill within Nicklas's reach. A very fortunate decision.
But their relief was short-lived.
Bawa, who had been crawling away in terror, suddenly froze. He stared at Haoyu. Not with fear, but with a sudden, dark glint of realization. A wild edge contorted his features, and he began to laugh. It was a dry, rasping sound that quickly spiralled into a full-blown manic cackle.
"Haha! You... what are you?" Bawa yelled, his voice cracking with excitement.
"I have to report this! This is it. The piece we've been searching for! The key to regaining our true selves, our dignity!"
The group watched him suspiciously. The man who had been trembling for his life seconds ago now looked possessed. For generations, specific groups within the Ashe-Vha had been tasked with a singular duty: finding the piece that could restore them to their ancient glory.
It was the reason Bawa had ventured out this time.
Bawa's kidnapping, now an act of unforeseen irony, had just delivered the answer directly into his lap.
Haoyu, propped up by Yakub, felt a cold knot of dread in his stomach. Even in his weakened state, his instincts screamed that his control of the situation was slipping away.
"Salvador... restrain him. Now." Haoyu managed to rasp out.
Salvador lunged, but he was a second too late. Before he could reach him, Bawa's hand closed around a small, circular item. With a desperate surge of strength, he crushed it.
"I knew there was something different about you." Bawa laughed. His eyes deranged, unblinking and ravenous as he watched Haoyu.
"That blood was special, but after seeing your transformation? There is no mistaking it. I must thank you for kidnapping me. You've done my entire race a favour! Just you wait. There is no escape for you now!"
Even as Salvador slammed him into the dirt and pinned his arms, Bawa's fervent laughter continued, his eyes never leaving Haoyu. He stared at him with a terrifyingly hungry gaze until Jung-hee, unable to listen to the ravings anymore, stepped forward and delivered a sharp blow to the old man's temple.
Bawa slumped into unconsciousness, and the place fell silent.
The air felt heavy.
They all knew that whatever Bawa had crushed was a beacon, and they had just invited a whole world of trouble.
"What do we do?" Jung-hee asked. He looked at Haoyu. His injured hand was still throbbing. The bite was closing, but the pain still lingered.
"For now, we keep him with us." Haoyu said, pulling himself away from Yakub's support.
He had regained enough strength to stand on his own. He took Jung-hee's hand then extended a claw to prick his finger and let a few drops of his blood fall onto the wound.
The skin began to knit together at a visible speed.
"What we learned today barely scratched the surface. He's more valuable than we thought." Haoyu said, releasing Jung-hee's hand.
"We never get any rest." Salvador grumbled, hauling the limp Bawa over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. "From one trouble to the next. What kind of luck is this? Just thinking about it makes my head ache."
Exasperated, Salvador began the trek down the path, Bawa's head bobbing against his back. Nicklas followed silently, leaving Haoyu, Yakub, and Jung-hee to stare distractedly at them, wondering exactly who, or what, was now on their trail.
While the trio remained in pensive silence, a sharp ringtone shattered the quiet. It was Haoyu's phone.
Pulling it from his pocket, a flash of impatience crossed his face when he saw the name Lawal flashing on the screen.
He was in no mood for Lawal's antics. He cut the call without hesitation, but it wasn't long before the device vibrated again.
Annoyed, he picked up to snap a response, but he was instantly cut off by the frantic voice on the other end.
"Dipo! Dipo, why didn't you pick up?! Something terrible just happened. Miss Teejay has been kidnapped!"
Hearing those words, Haoyu felt his world spin. The strength he had just regained vanished, leaving him suddenly unsteady.
"Tell me what happened." He forced the words out through a constricted throat.
Lawal recounted quickly, stammering in his haste.
"...that's all I saw. I couldn't do anything from my position. Dipo, they had a gun… It all happened too fast. What's going to happen to the professor...?"
The professor was kidnapped...
The words rang in his ears like thunder. Yakub and Jung-hee, who overheard the conversation, were instantly filled with dread. They glanced at one another, a dark thought taking root in their minds.
Had the ones Bawa summoned acted that quickly? If so, they were facing a force far more terrifying than they had imagined. To identify, locate, and abduct someone so vulnerable and important to Haoyu in a matter of minutes suggested a chilling level of surveillance.
If the others reached this conclusion, so did Haoyu. His heart skipped a beat and started hammering against his chest. He gripped the phone so hard that it shattered in his palm. The glass and plastic cut into his palm but that was nothing compared to the dread he felt. He couldn't catch his breath. Because of him... Because of his reckless mistake, Tejumole, who had nothing to do with this, was now a target.
No. No, no…
"I have to find her." he uttered breathlessly. Another person he held dear was now in danger.
"We have to find her now." He looked at the men next to him. They had only ever seen him looking this anxious and panicked when it involved his missing father. Now, he was even more so. He looked completely lost.
Without another word, the trio rushed down the path with frantic steps. They could only hope they weren't already too late.