Strongest Among the Heavens
Chapter 392: There is no saviour

Chapter 392: There is no saviour

His next destination was a small shop nestled between two crumbling buildings, its unmarked door almost invisible to those who didn’t know where to look. Ashen Arcana, it was called by those in the know—a shop that dealt exclusively in wands.

Dasha pushed the door open, the small bell above it jangling softly. Thick with the smell of polished wood and old parchment, the walls lined with shelves upon shelves of boxes containing wands. Dasha could feel it with his Qi Sense: each wand was unique and humming with latent power. Behind the counter stood the shop’s wand maker, a wiry man with thinning hair and nervous hands. His eyes locked onto Dasha and his old lips twitched into a forced smile.

"Professor," the wand maker greeted, his voice wavering slightly. He wiped his hands on his apron, more out of anxiety than necessity. "Welcome. Is there something I can do for you?"

Dasha said nothing at first and scanned the shop’s interior. Right before stepping inside, he switched back to The Professor’s mask, the white Venetian mask. The wand maker’s discomfort was palpable, the man shifting from foot to foot as if the weight of Dasha’s gaze was physically oppressive.

Finally, Dasha reached into his coat and pulled out a small pouch. He tossed it onto the counter with a soft clink, gold coins rattling. The wand maker’s eyes widened, his nervousness momentarily forgotten as he reached for the pouch, his fingers trembling with eagerness.

"Your continued service is appreciated," Dasha said, his voice flat, devoid of any warmth or malice. The words were merely a formality, a reminder of their arrangement. The wand maker nodded quickly, his gratitude spilling out in a rush.

"Thank you, thank you. I’ll make sure to keep everything in top condition for you, Professor. Anything you need, just let me know."

Dasha didn’t acknowledge the words. He walked behind the counter, past the wand maker, and toward the back of the shop. The maker watched him go, clutching the pouch of gold like a lifeline.

It was either money or death. The wand maker like all people preferred money.

Dasha descended the narrow, creaking stairs at the back of the shop. The storage area below was cramped, filled with crates and barrels, all stacked haphazardly against the stone walls.

He pushed aside a box at the very back and unveiled the hatch. With his foot, he kicked it open and descended.

Down the ladder he went. A long ladder that would take ten minutes for an ordinary person. Dasha did not climb and simply fell down, down, down.

When he landed, with his index finger, he summoned a light of fire and walked down the corridor. Here, there were old, forgotten wands on broken shelves. He walked and walked until he reached the end, until he reached the cage. It was old, its bars thick and dark with age, made of a metal that weakened the magical fire at the tip of his finger. The wand maker told him that this cage was a relic from the days of the Japanese Empire, used during the Second Heavenly War to contain beings far more dangerous than humans. The metal was specially crafted to withstand the fury of Class Five entities, the kind of power that could tear through ordinary steel like paper.

Inside the cage, huddled in the corner, was a growl.

"Youuuuu...."

"You are still alive, Dürr. Good."

From the shadow of the corner, Dürr crawled toward the small light. Saliva dripped like acid. A long scratchy sound pierced the cage.

This was no longer human.

The human flesh skin was mottled with long patches of fur and his fingers ended in sharp claws that scratched at the stone floor. Red eyes flickered with a feral light, filled with a hunger that was inhumanely primal. The primal monster’s mouth hung open, revealing sharp, yellowed teeth that dripped with saliva.

Dasha did not fear coming close to the cage. In his hand, he held a small package, wrapped in thick, greasy paper. Dürr’s nostrils flared as he caught the scent of the food, a low growl rumbling in his throat.

"Hungry?" Dasha asked, though it was not really a question. He tossed the package through the bars, watching as Dürr lunged at it, tearing into the wrapping with his teeth and claws. The food disappeared in seconds, devoured with the desperation of a starved animal.

Clinical detachment was the sole expression in his gaze. He had inserted an antigen plant into the food, a rare herb that slowed the transformation process. Normally, the change from man to werewolf would take two days, but Dasha had delayed it. Dürr would remain in this half-state for a month or two. The calculations varied depending on his body and mind.

Dürr finished the last scraps of meat and he lifted his head, growling. "Let...leeet me...out."

"You should know I won’t do that. The real question is...will anyone save you?"

"Heidi... Heidi will save me," he snarled, his voice a rough growl that barely resembled the human it once was.

Dasha tilted his head slightly as if seriously considering the statement. "I saw her yesterday," he said, his tone as flat and emotionless as ever. "I don’t think she will."

Dürr’s reaction was immediate. He let out a furious roar, his body slamming against the bars of the cage with a force that rattled the entire structure. "You’re lying! Heidi wouldn’t abandon me! She’s coming, I know she is!"

Dasha stood unmoved by the outburst. Once something was caged, it became his little test subject. Whether it was human or not made no difference. Dürr was simply a creation that Dasha tamed and now observed with the same detachment a scientist would show a lab rat. The experiment was ongoing and Dasha was recording the results, mentally noting the effects of the antigen on the transformation, the transformation itself, and everything in between.

"She isn’t coming," Dasha said calmly, like a blade cutting through Dürr’s rage. "Heidi... the Heidi you remember... she is not who you think she is."

Dürr’s eyes flickered. "What...what the hell are you talking about?"

"Heidi was never your friend."

"Lies! Lies, lies, lies—!"

"If she was your childhood friend, she would have saved you long ago—"

"I SAID LIES!"

Dürr gasped and dropped to his knees, his muscles snapping and contorting into that of a werewolf. The more he fell into his rage, the stronger he became. Dasha did not speak until he glared up at him. The loathing and the hate was strong in him.

"Heidi..." The way Dasha spoke her name triggered him into slamming the cage again. "Heidi...what do you really remember of her?"

"I...remember...everything!"

"What was your first meeting like, I wonder? Meeting a weakling like you must have been quite a memory. And yet...when I asked her...she certainly did not recall a man by the name of Dürr."

"LiesliesliesLIESLIES—!"

"She is busy serving Alcibiades. I am sure you are aware of his reputation. Perhaps she has forgotten?"

For a moment, there was silence, the words hanging in the air like a dark cloud. Then, Dürr exploded. "Liar!" he screamed, his voice cracking with the force of his denial. "You’re lying! Heidi is real! I know she is!"

He slammed his body against the bars again and again, his claws scraping against the metal. He thought he could tear his way out through sheer willpower alone. He could not.

"Real? What do you ever mean? I never said that."

For an instant, he stopped. Then he started fighting again. The cage held firm from his frenzied attacks.

It was fascinating, in a way—how the human psyche could break and rebuild itself around a lie or truth, creating entire worlds of illusion just to comfort itself.

Dürr’s frenzied attack eventually slowed. He slumped to the floor of the cage, his breathing ragged, his monstrosity of a body trembling with exhaustion and despair. The defiance in his eyes had dimmed, replaced by a hollow look of defeat.

"Heidi... she will save me," Dürr whispered, more to himself than to Dasha. "She has to..."

Dasha turned away from the cage. This little conversation had run its course. He began to walk back toward the stairs, his footsteps echoing in the small space.

"Heidi won’t save you, Dürr. No one will."