The Shadow of Eudaimonia

Chapter 23: Inciting Fear

3AM. It was like a usual night to the oblivious as they slept like a baby in their homes not knowing that in the nation's palace an invasion would occur.

Even if it was midnight, Wren's malignant presence had already alerted the presidential security group and the other soldiers on stand-by.

"Stop right there!" one of the guards commanded. The guard gripped his rifle and slung it in front of him. "State your objective!"

Wren smirked and continued to strut closer to the soldiers. Her main objective of course was to find and make Veross and Shijian surrender their Obelisks. But Wren knew that she needed an army of her own. She has 20 that she can control but she needs more. She might not be able to bridge with Veross soon but she knew other ways to control people. That is to incite fear. And to do this she deemed it was necessary to take over the country.

"Ma'am this is your last warning!"

Wren shook her head, gaze at her pointy fingernails as she fiddled with it. "Sorry but I'm not threatened by little boys with guns. I came here to kill someone whose soul is already rotten."

The soldier was provoked and fired a shot but Wren veered away before it hit her. Her eyes ignited into a deep ruby red glow and her long black hair bristled like a plume of lava. She just took a single step but it was enough to exude an ominous feeling to everyone in the area. The soldiers, scared and confused, started firing a sea of bullets. But Wren, instead of dodging, ran straight ahead, her arms shielding her face. When she was close enough, she leapt from the ground and dug his teeth into the throat of the closest soldier. She tore the man's flesh away, blood bursting forcefully like a warm crimson fountain.

A nearby soldier with trembling hands aimed for her head but he missed, only grazing her left ear. Wren growled like a feral and ran in all fours towards him. When she seized him, she grappled his legs and twisted it brutally, making him wail in excruciating pain. Another soldier tried to rescue his comrade but he was too slow. Wren had turned her nails into claws and slashed the man's face off before he could do anything.

The shock made the others flinch for a whole second until they realized 19 young people were sprinting towards them at full speed.

"Stu-students?"

"Requesting for back-up! H-help—"

"Secure the president!" they yelled. Their voices were brimming with panic and fear. Even if the soldiers had an advantage, the 19 puppets had already managed to gain distance forcing them to a close combat.

Meanwhile, Wren continued to devour victims, moving at an incredible speed. She used the energy to transform into her massive beast form bit by bit. Some of the puppets barricaded her while some stole the guns of the fallen soldiers and started retaliating, firing everything that moves.

From a few distance beyond the chaos, Wren spotted 4x4 army cars speeding towards them. He was a bit surprised by their urgent response. But Wren did not falter. With his now muscular body, he focused all his strength on his legs, aimed on a target, and propelled himself like a missile, clashing one of the cars. His momentum was enough to force the vehicle to a complete stop, the engine of the car was crumpled like paper.

Wren dusted away the tiny metal debris on his shoulder before he grabbed and lifted the mangled car. He was about to fling it towards the others but someone threw a grenade at him. Wren tried to use the car as a shield but it was not enough! The shock wave hurled him in the air but he managed to stay up to his feet. His skin was burned and some shrapnel had hit him. But that explosion wasn't fatal for Wren. In just seconds, his wounds had healed like nothing had happened.

"Create more time for the president!" Wren heard from one of her puppet's ears. He clenched his jaw and started to run towards the palace at full speed ignoring those soldiers firing at him. Their president must be escaping, he thought. Coward!

10 of his puppets ran after him while the other 9 remained to neutralize the remaining soldiers. "Come on, faster!" he ordered. They were nearing the palace but Wren could also hear the sound of the spinning rotors of a chopper. "This is bad." He wouldn't make it. He skittered his eyes around the area and saw a broken metal door of a 4x4. It must have been from the explosion. Wren hurriedly took it while his puppets huddled together to form a small pyramid. Six of them formed the base while the other four climbed to create the second level. They criss-crossed their arms ready to make a human trampoline. Wren then climbed at the top and placed himself in the middle of their arms, metal door at hand. Wren reduced his mass with what he deemed enough muscle to execute his plan. Just for good measure, he also pumped a huge load of adrenaline to his puppets' bloodstream.

Just as he expected, a helicopter, boarded by the cowardly president had just become airborne and was making its escape. Before it could gain any more altitude, Wren's puppets tossed him in the air. It was so forceful that their arms were torn and broken. And in complete sync, he himself jumped with everything he got which made him fly midair at 15 meters. Wren then spun himself rapidly, threw the metal door towards the chopper. With enough force, the metal door sliced through the tail like butter making the chopper lose its balance. It swiveled in the air until finally it crashed back to the ground, exploding instantly. The president is dead.

As Wren landed gracefully on the ground, a proud grin was plastered on his face, for he already knew he was triumphant. And he was a step closer to his goal.