The Lycan’s final, agonized howl echoed through the battlefield as his flesh crumbled away, his entire form dissolving into a dark, steaming pool of blood.
The remaining werewolves froze.
Then panic struck.
They howled and whimpered, their bodies shaking as terror gripped them. Their leader was gone. Just like that. Without another second’s hesitation, they turned tail and retreated into the shadows, their once-fearso snarls reduced to pathetic whimpers of defeat.
Silence fell.
The soldiers, still gripping their weapons, stood frozen in place, their expressions shifting from relief to sothing far more unsettling—
Fear.
Not of the werewolves.
But of Evelyn.
No normal witch should have potions that potent.
No normal witch should be able to kill a Lycan Lord with a re handful of dust.
A hundred-year-old witch was truly sothing terrifying.
Yet amidst all the shaken soldiers, one man stood entirely unimpressed.
Valerian exhaled sharply, leveling Evelyn with a flat, irritated stare. "You," he said, voice low and sharp. "If you had all those potions and that dust, you should have used them earlier."
Evelyn raised an eyebrow before letting out a soft, teasing laugh. "Oh? And rob you of the glory of slaying a Lycan Lord?" She tsked. "I thought you’d want to prove your strength, but then I had to step in. Any longer, and that brute might have slashed up your beautiful face." She gestured lazily at the claw marks on his chest, her lips curving into a smirk. "We wouldn’t want that, now would we?"
Valerian pinched the bridge of his nose, exhaling through clenched teeth. "Enough of your gas. My soldiers could’ve been killed."
"But they’re alive, aren’t they?" she said, completely unfazed. Then, without warning, she tossed a small glass vial at him.
Valerian caught it instinctively, frowning. Inside was a thick, shimring balm.
"Use that on your wounds," Evelyn said with an exaggerated sigh. "It’ll heal you faster." She gave him a pointed look. "You should thank , you know. That thing is extrely rare."
Valerian, still glaring, turned and imdiately tossed the vial to his soldiers. "Use it on the injured," he ordered, ignoring Evelyn entirely.
Evelyn pouted. "How ungrateful."
"This is your fault in the first place," he growled. "Don’t expect gratitude."
She only grinned. "Oh, I don’t."
Valerian took a slow step closer, eyes narrowing. "And stop scamming creatures like that. I don’t want you bringing trouble while you’re staying with us."
Evelyn blinked innocently. "Who said I scamd that Lycan?"
With a playful flick of her wrist, a shimring silver potion materialized in her palm, swirling like liquid rcury under the moonlight. She twirled the vial between her fingers, her smirk deepening as Valerian’s eyes narrowed.
"I didn’t scam Regor," she said, voice dripping with amusent. "I did exactly what we agreed. In exchange for his Lycan fang, I crafted a strength-boosting potion."
Valerian’s expression darkened. "Then why didn’t you give it to him if you had it?"
Evelyn chuckled lightly, as if he had just asked sothing amusing. "It wasn’t part of our agreent that I actually give it to him," she said with an exaggerated shrug. "The deal was that I make it. That oaf might be strong, but even an ant is smarter than him."
With that, she slipped the vial back into the folds of her dress, her movents elegant and practiced. Then, in one graceful motion, she leapt down from where she had been perched, patting the dust off her dress as if the battle monts ago had been nothing more than a mild inconvenience.
"So," she teased, tilting her head, "have you finally realized the usefulness of having a witch by your side?"
Valerian wasn’t amused. His gaze was cold, and his tone even more so. "I’m starting to wonder if it’s even worth it since you’re the one who caused trouble in the first place."
Evelyn only laughed again, the sound light and mocking. "Oh, don’t be like that, Valerian. You got to show off your sword skills, and I got to show off my own talents. I’d say this little partnership of ours is shaping up quite nicely."
Unlike in the original story—where Evelyn remained locked away in her laboratory, playing a passive role in assisting Valerian and his soldiers—the soul now inside her refused to be so quiet observer. She had no intention of staying in the shadows. If she wanted to change Valerian’s fate, she needed him to see her, to rember her.
"You could have gotten my n killed with that little experint of yours," Valerian snapped, his voice like a whip now.
Evelyn rolled her eyes. "Oh, please. I’m here precisely so that doesn’t happen." Then, her expression turned serious, her gaze flickering with sothing unreadable. "But of course, if those silly pups had actually managed to kill you . . . well, then I might have reconsidered just how strong you really are. You humans are fun and all, but I don’t like betting on the losing team." She flashed him a smirk. "If I’m going to partner with you, I intend to win this war."
Valerian didn’t respond. He rely turned on his heel, voice curt. "Finish up. We’re moving out."
The journey back was quiet. Peaceful, even. Valerian finally had the rare luxury of silence as he leaned back, book in hand, soaking in the mont.
But he wasn’t alone.
From the very start, he could feel Evelyn’s gaze boring into him.
He ignored it at first, flipping through the pages. But she didn’t stop.
She was perched across from him, legs crossed, her chin resting lazily on one hand, her other fingers drumming idly against the seat. That sa infuriating, knowing smile stretched across her lips as she stared at him.
Valerian sighed, lowering his book. "What?"
Evelyn tilted her head slightly, her smile widening. "I’m curious."
"That much is obvious."
She laughed. "No, really. Why do you do what you do, Valerian Cross?" Her voice was light, teasing, but there was an undertone of genuine curiosity. "I know it’s a family thing, but there’s got to be sothing deeper. No one takes up a job as risky and bloody as yours unless there’s a real drive behind it."
Valerian inhaled deeply, his grip on the book tightening slightly.
Then, he simply turned a page. "It’s none of your business."
Evelyn’s smile didn’t falter. "That’s what makes it interesting."
He exhaled sharply, resisting the urge to throw the book at her.
This witch was going to drive him insane.
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