Code Lyoko: Omega

Chapter Seventeen - The Beast Of Gévaudan

After the events of the previous day, Omega and the rest of the Lyoko Warriors continue their daily lives at Kadic Academy. One day, social studies teacher Gilles Fumet was giving a lesson on the Beast of Gévaudan.

Fumet: Between 1764 and 1767 a mysterious creature called the Beast ravaged former province of Gévaudan.  About 100 men, women and children reportedly fell victim to this beast. The savagery of the attacks prompted the court of King Louis XV to send royal hunters to destroy the beast. Now there have been theories as to what was the Beast of Gévaudan. Some have theorized that a large wolf or even a pack of wolves were responsible for the attack. Other suspects include a Eurasian wolf, an armored war dog, a striped hyena, even a lion.

As Fumet gave his lesson about the Beast of Gévaudan, Odd raised his hands. 

Odd: Maybe it was a werewolf. 

Sissi: Don't be stupid, Odd! Werewolves don't exist! 

Fumet: The idea that a....werewolf being responsible for the attacks was certainly a common belief given the time, but that has long since been debunked. 

Odd simply gives a coy smile. Omega herself was fascinated by the story of the Beast of Gévaudan. Omega soon raised her hand. 

Omega: Was this a major inspiration behind how we view werewolves? 

Fumet: That's a good question. Long story short, the belief of werewolves was a common superstition at the time. According to the autopsy performed on the beast after it was killed, the report stated "This animal which seemed to us to be a wolf; But extraordinary and very different by its figure and its proportions of the wolves that we see in this country. This is what we have certified by more than three hundred people from all around who came to see him" Others have suggested that a human serial killer may be responsible for the attacks. Many of the beast's victims were reported to be decapitated, something few animals could do. While it is unlikely that a killer would roam about for victims in broad daylight wearing a bestial costume, those who support this theory believe that the human killer used an animal to carry out the crimes.

As Fumet gave his lesson on the Beast of Gévaudan, the class had varying reactions to it. Some were grossed out by the brutal nature of the killings. Others were fascinated likely due to them being werewolf fans. After the initial lesson, Fument even showed a documentary on the Beast of Gévaudan.

Narrator(Video): Although there are strong voices arguing multiple theories about the identity of the Beast of Gévaudan, all admit that the truth will never be fully known. Without any genetic or forensic evidence, the Beast of Gévaudan is bound to forever remain a mystery.

As the video ended, Fumet gave everyone an assignment researching the Beast of Gévaudan. After class, Omega and Odd talked about the lesson.

Omega: Do you really believe that a werewolf is responsible for those attacks? 

Odd: Probably not, but it makes one heck of a story. 

Ulrich: Of course you'd be the first to say werewolf.

Odd: Bite me, Ulrich! I mean, can you imagine what it would be like if it really was a werewolf? 

Jeremy: There's no way a werewolf could have been responsible. Werewolves don't exist. They're monsters born of superstition. People at that time believed black cats were a sign of bad luck. 

Odd: Who knows, maybe I'm a werewolf and when the Full Moon rises, I shall turn into a monstrous Wolfman! 

Odd then proceeds to howl like a wolf much to the chagrin of the other Lyoko Warriors. Omega chuckled at Odd's attempt at a joke. It wasn't long before Yumi approached. 

Yumi: Mind explaining to me why Odd's howling like a wolf?

Omega: It would appear that our friend Odd has been a werewolf all this time. When the Full Moon rises, then he'll transform into a werewolf! We'll need to find some silver bullets to end our friend's reign of terror. 

Odd: Wait what? 

Aelita: I think Omega has a good point. We wouldn't want Odd to go around terrorizing Kadic as a werewolf, wouldn't we? 

Odd: Ha ha. Very funny. Sheesh. Why do I bother with making jokes with you? 

Ulrich: Maybe if you made good jokes, then maybe we'd laugh. 

Odd: Hey! For the record, my jokes are hilarious! It's not my fault that you don't got a sense of humor! 

Jeremy: If you're both done now, we got some work ahead of us. 

Omega: Has there been any activity from XANA? 

Aelita: So far no. Lyoko's been quiet since we stumbled upon Valhalla. 

Jeremy: Meaning XANA could launch an attack at any minute. 

Omega: What about Shadow Fist? 

Jeremy: We might've found their base of operations, but we've got no way of tracking them. For now, we'll just have to be ready when they make their next move. 

With that, Omega and the rest of the Lyoko Warriors decided to prepare for when XANA and Shadow Fist would make their next move. Meanwhile in a forest, a large adult wolf is on the prowl in search for food. The wolf senses something as he turns to growl at the perceived threat. The wolf could not see XANA's Spectre forming in front of the wolf. The Spectre then forces itself into the wolf. The wolf yelps as it convulses on the floor. After a moment, the wolf gets back on his feet, His eyes displayed the Eye of XANA. In that moment, XANA had taken control of a large wolf and had his eyes set on Kadic Academy.