Which one was the True Beast?

The young man was lost in his dreams, as restless as ever, despite his exhaustion, he couldn't break his habit of moving in his sleep. His body wouldn't stop tossing and turning, as if it hadn't accepted the idea of rest, as if something inside him was still stuck between what had happened yesterday and what was to come tomorrow. But unusually, there was a strange smile on his face. This wasn't normal; he usually slept with an expression of boredom, as if he dreamed of things even more tedious than his days themselves.

But that smile wasn't the only strange thing. In the corner of the hut, where darkness swallowed everything, there was something else staring at the sleeping boy. The whiteness of teeth and terrifying eyes were all that was visible in that darkness. The faint light from the glass lantern Alucard used in his hut highlighted the features of the lurking ghoul—it was Janemba.

— "What are you doing, you fool? Why are you staring at the boy like that? Come on, get on with the task."

The voice came from the top of the stairs. Klaus was standing there, leaning lightly against the wall, as if he hadn't taken a single step.

— "I told you, idiot, not to come up!"

"And here I am, coming up, only to find the weirdo staring at the kid with those looks. Do you think he's a girl?"

"Damn you, the boy will wake up! Why did you come up, you moron?"

But it was too late; the warning came too slow.

"What are you doing here?!"

Alucard shouted, his eyes half-open, his voice heavy but still carrying a surprising force.

— "Damn it, he's awake."

They didn't give him another moment. Janemba was faster than his massive size suggested. He pounced on him, covering his mouth with his giant hand, lifting him with arms of iron, holding him firmly as he dragged him away, moving with a agility that didn't match his build.

— "Come on, get down, you fool."

They all descended as lightly as if they had never been there, their footsteps making no sound, their eyes scanning for any movement on the first floor, listening for any sound from Lerin, exactly as Raiv had instructed. They heard nothing. A heavy silence fell over them for a moment, then they continued on their way, heading toward the turn where something else awaited them.

There, in the darkness that was no less savage than what they had left behind, they found the Golden Lion standing, watching them with his stern gaze, and beside him… was a donkey.

Of course, how could he not have a donkey after all the commotion the colony had caused the night before? The animal was loaded with supplies, tightly tied to its back, and some other items were scattered on the ground.

They threw the boy onto the ground. It wasn't a violent fall, but it certainly wasn't comfortable. He hit the dry dirt and quickly raised his head, gasping as if he had just escaped drowning.

— "Damn it! I almost suffocated!"

He took a deep breath before lifting his gaze to the shadows surrounding him. Raiv, Klaus, and Janemba were staring at him with their usual deadly calm, but he wasn't in the mood to let them.

— "Oh, what are you doing? You, Lion, what do you think you're doing, kidnapping me in the middle of the night?!"

His voice rose slightly as he wiped his face angrily.

— "I've had a very exhausting day, didn't we agree it would be a week? A whole week before—"

— "Shut your mouth."

Raiv cut him off coldly, then nodded toward the pile of supplies on the ground.

— "See those supplies there? You're the one carrying them, Cloudhead."

Alucard didn't respond, just stared at him for a moment. Raiv wasn't someone who backed down from his decisions, and if he said he had to carry them, there was no other choice.

—"Oh, boy, we've prepared well for this day."

Klaus chimed in, his tone carrying a hint of excitement.

"We have enough supplies thanks to last night. We'll attack early because waiting won't do us any good."

"And the one buried in the tomatoes has received the best treatment."

Janemba spoke in his deep voice, smiling as if it were funny.

"One of the specialists here took care of it. My father traded some large-bore guns to have him treated."

"And the idiots are very excited."

Raiv added as well..

Alucard kept staring at them in disbelief, not quite able to believe they had dragged him out of his sleep for this in such a bizarre way.

But the truth was clear before him. No other choice, no room for retreat now.

He sighed slowly, then stood up, brushed the dirt off his clothes, and looked at them steadily.

"I'll go with you... It's my promise."

The three of them burst into loud laughter, completely unconcerned about the sleeping people around them, as if the night didn't exist, as if the colony didn't need rest.

Raiv's laughter was deep and strong enough to echo through the area.

— "Of course you're coming, boy!"

He said, panting between laughs, then added sarcastically:

— "I bet you'll love dying at the hands of those birds more than dying at mine!"

Klaus and Janemba's laughter rose again, long and loud, as if it were all just a joke among them. But Alucard couldn't feel the same excitement... on the contrary, he found it somewhat frightening, and yet, he could only react with annoyance compared to them.

"Of course, of course..."

He said as he bent down to examine the supplies scattered in front of him. He reached out, picked up three full bags, checked their weight for a moment, then lifted his head and said calmly:

"Not bad."

Klaus, who had just stopped laughing but still wore a wide smile.

"Good, boy... It's time for revenge!"

It was clear he wanted revenge; there was no doubt about that.

They started walking...

Their strange conversations continued, sarcastic remarks and mocking comments flying between them as if they were on a stroll, not heading toward something dangerous. Their steps were steady, advancing without hesitation, until they reached the colony's gate, where they paused for a moment, bidding it farewell with sarcastic mutterings, as if it were just a temporary stop on their long journey.

Alucard, who had been bombarding his mind with thoughts and information in recent days, couldn't help but feel strange. How could these people talk so casually about something so dangerous? How could they mock something that could mean their deaths?

And yet, he didn't ask. He didn't want to interrupt this strange atmosphere, or perhaps he wasn't sure what he'd find in their answers. Throughout the journey, he didn't ask about their weapons, how they would handle the situation, or inquire about their strategy or any plan they might have. Instead, his mind began to spiral into a whirlpool of hallucinations and questions. Was this a trap? Was it just a dream? Why did everything seem so bizarre?

He felt this strangeness more and more as he looked at their calm faces. Smiles hung on their lips, and the light from the lanterns in their hands highlighted their features in the dark, giving their faces a faint glow, but it didn't bring comfort. Raiv was the closest to him, the calmest among them, as if nothing could shake his composure.

They continued their advance into the pitch-black darkness, and Alucard began to lose his sense of place. Had he been here before? Or had they gone further than he imagined? They had walked a long way, and the uneasy quiet enveloped the atmosphere. The sounds of twigs snapping under their feet, the strange noises echoing through the trees, and even the distant sound of the river... all were enough to make the place seem more terrifying than it really was.

He began to feel that dawn might break at any moment. They had walked a lot. But drowning in his thoughts made him lose track of time, as if time itself was melting into this dense darkness and no longer held any meaning.

Klaus shouted, anger burning in his eyes, his body tense as he stared into the darkness ahead.

"Yes, they are without a doubt... Father."

Alucard snapped out of his thoughts, blinking his eyes in confusion, as if his mind hadn't yet grasped what was happening.

"What? What? I didn't hear anything!"

Janemba cut him off quickly: "Shut up."

He continued speaking, his voice sharp as if trying to suppress his unease. "I told you, Father, they're advanced... This is a new method. I've never heard this sound before."

Then the sound repeated.

This time, Alucard heard it. He heard it clearly and felt a shiver run through his body from head to toe. He began to tremble, sweat pouring from his forehead. Something inside him told him this wasn't normal, not just a sound, but something else, something terrifying. The supplies fell from his hands without him realizing.

But the others were completely focused. They didn't notice his trembling, didn't turn to him. They held their composure, ready for what was coming.

The sound was getting closer... clearer. It was like a panting, or a hungry gurgle, or the sound of drool dripping from an open mouth.

Then Klaus spoke sharply: "How can they make such a sound? Damn those birds!"

And at that moment, the donkey began to make noise.

Its braying was intermittent, as if choking between bursts of fear. It wasn't a normal bray, but a tense, nervous sound, accompanied by the trembling of its entire body. Its legs were kicking the ground involuntarily, and its ears were erect, moving wildly, as if trying to catch the source of danger from every direction.

Raiv quickly tied it to the tree in front of them so it wouldn't run away, and placed the supplies with it to avoid scattering them in the coming chaos. There was no time to waste. They drew their weapons: a wide-mouthed rifle and three sharp sickles, gripping them tightly, adrenaline surging through their veins. The shutgun was slung on Raiv's back, as a last resort.

Then... the sound came again.

But this time, it was closer.

No, not just closer—it was here.

And in the blink of an eye, Raiv lunged forward, gripping his sickle tightly, as if his body moved on the instinct of a warrior who knew retreat wasn't an option.

"Father! This is their trap!" Klaus shouted, but Raiv didn't stop.

"No, it's something bigger."

And just as Raiv finished his sentence, that thing emerged from the darkness.

A massive beast, the size of two men combined, its body bald, its skin rough and tough like an elephant's, and huge teeth protruding even with its mouth closed, as if searching for something to tear apart. Its eyes were empty of any expression except hunger—absolute hunger.

It charged at Raiv with a speed that didn't match its size. There was no time to dodge. The beast slammed into him with force, knocking him to the ground, its fangs closing in on his head, its hot breath almost burning his face.

The sons watched in horror.

They had never seen a creature like this before.

As for Alucard, shock completely paralyzed his mind. He stood rigid, unable even to scream. Everything seemed to move slower, but he was well aware that this wasn't a dream, not a nightmare—it was reality, a grotesque reality.

But Raiv was no ordinary man.

He was the Golden Lion.

And with a savage growl, he surged up, gripping his sickle tightly and striking the beast in the head, driving the blade into its skull, then pushing it away with both feet to free himself. He rose with astonishing speed and struck the beast again, but its skin was tough, tougher than he expected.

The beast roared with a deafening sound, shaking the area, but it didn't fall.

There was only one solution.

There was no time to think.

Raiv pulled the shutgun from his back, aimed it at the beast's stomach, and pulled the trigger without hesitation.

The explosion echoed in the darkness.

The beast's guts were blown apart, thick blood gushed out, and its body convulsed violently before collapsing to the ground, twitching for a moment, then falling still.