Published at 10th of April 2026 7:44 am

Chapter 71: Suspicion and Loyalty

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Chapter 71: Suspicion and Loyalty

Graffiti drowned the warehouse. Every wall was inked...steel, wood, glass, no surface left untouched. Dead Hands murals sprawled in chaos and color.

His first brush with art.

I kinda like itfuck thats perfect.

The mural that sprawled across his office wall hit him as hard as any blade. Even Butchers Wrath throbbed in his grip, feeding off his growing fascination.

A hooded skull, jaw split in a rictus grin, one eye socket hollow, the other burning red. Fingers spread like claws across its face. Dead figures drifted behind it, shadows with eyes, crawling out of the cracks. The words Dead Hands sprawled beneath in jagged strokes, sharp as bone splinters, glowing like theyd been carved with acid.

It felt like the wall itself was breathing, pressing in, claiming the space as its own. His office. His den. His hollow shelter.

For the first time, he saw it for what it was: not just four walls, but a place meant to hold him. A place meant to let him rest.

The thought jarred him. Rest. Hed never done it. Never closed his eyes without blood on his tongue or pain carving into his flesh. Sleep was something hed read in his human memory only recently. Yet now, staring at the mural, he felt it drag at him, heavy and unfamiliar.

A hunger that wasnt hunger.

But not yet. First, he needed to deal with the suspicious bald one.

With cleavers still in hand, he awkwardly grabbed the door, and paused.

Give me a second to get changed. Its been a while since Ive had clean clothes.

Shouldnt you shower first? We can wait, boss

Mins tone was playful, but Gregor cut her off, stepping forward.

Nyet. We have no time. Wire Dogs will learn soon. We must take their ground now, before word spreads. There is no

Seo-jin waved him quiet and pushed the door open.

Its handled. Youll see. But Mins right, I should shower. Wont take long.

Gregors jaw tightened, his face reddening as the door shut, his questions cut-off.

Inside, the noise of their bickering dulled to a hum. He ignored it. Something else had hooked him. The thought of a shower. A pull deeper than curiosityneed. His body wanted it. His mind wanted it. His memories whispered about it.

With the humans no longer looking, he pulled Butchers Wrath back into himself. The pain was dull, but the cracking and slicing still hurt, still left a new scar each time.

The bathroom door groaned open. A sour musk hit his nose, mold, rust, rot.

Bathroom? Oohh, bath. Makes sense.

He stepped past a pile of damp, who-the-fuck-knows and closed himself in. Clothes peeled away, skin raw from dried blood. The shower stood in the corner, glass box streaked and cracked.

'Red knob. Blue knob.'

His fingers twisted hot to full.

Cold water hit like knives.

"Fuck me!"

His whole body recoiled, skin shriveling, cock retreating into itself.

Hey! Get back

He growled, panicked, until Seo-jins memory slid into place. Shrinkage.

...You didnt see that.

[I did.]

The water turned warm, then hotter. Steam swallowed the glass. And with itsomething hed never known.

Steam pressed against his skin, wrapping him in heat. At first he resisted, muscles locked, jaw clenched. He stood like he always hadbraced, waiting for the next strike.

But the water didnt cut. It rolled. It slid. It seeped into places blades never reached, tracing scars like it wanted to erase them. His chest tightened under the weight of it. The longer it poured, the more something inside him shifted.

His breath caught. His grip on the tile trembled. The tension in his back shivered, then began to bleed away.

His face loosened. His shoulders sagged. He didnt mean to let it happen, but the walls inside him gave. For the first time since he crawled screaming from the Maw, his body let go.

Torture, hunger, blood, stoneevery shred of it cracked loose, running from him in hot streams, swallowed by the drain.

His knees buckled.

One hand braced the wall. The other dragged down his face. His head hung forward as water hammered his skull. His Growths quivered, their twin mouths opening, drinking, shuddering like starving animals fed at last.

Heat burrowed into him. It didnt hurt. It healed. It wasnt punishment. It wasnt teeth. It wasnt fire.

It was good.

Too good.

His breath dragged in and out, chest seizing. Both palms now pressed to the glass, arms shaking like brittle steel. He couldnt stop it. The tremor. The anger boiling under his skin.

Whats happening to me?

His fingers curled. The glass squealed, threatening to crack. His mind split open, every cut, every claw, every rip and tear hed endured. Kin butchered and re-stitched into mockeries. Fleshfields. Boneyards. Screams layered over screams. It all flooded back, black rot swarming his thoughts like infection.

He wrenched the nozzle. Metal snapped.

Dammit!

The broken piece clattered, slipping from his wet grip. His hand fumbled, useless. He staggered, slammed the door wide, then spilled onto the floor, bare skin smacking the filth-stained tile.

Breath tore ragged from his lungs. His body twitched as he forced himself upright, eyes wide, teeth grinding.

What the fuck was that?

[User appears to have had a panic attack.]

He leaned, knuckles white on the floor. The words bled through, steadying him, pulling the fury down. A shudder. Then a breath. Enough to move again. He stood, dripping, glaring back at the shattered nozzle and the water still hissing out of the showerhead.

Not going near that again.

[System analysis indicates User suffers deep-rooted trauma tied to origin in the Maw. Recommendation: face this issue rather than]

Didnt ask for your fucking therapy. If Ive got trauma, its because of you. Not the Maw.

The denial landed flat, even to himself. He shoved it aside, grabbing the first rag he found to wipe himself down, then pulled on a fresh set of clothes he found in a closet, a long sleeve grey shirt with black jeans. He found a worn pair of boots, socks already stuffed inside, pulled them on, and stood feeling refreshed.

The warmth still lingered on his skin. He hated it. He craved it. Both at once. But now wasn't the time.

Steadying himself, he opened the door. His lieutenants stood waiting.

Alright, let's.

You look a fuck ton bettercome here, you bastard!

Seo-jins body tensed, ready to strike, before Big Min crashed into him. Her massive arms locked around his ribs, lifting him off the ground like he weighed nothing.

I thought you were dead! But look at youtough as dwarf shit!

His face mashed against her chest, suffocated in soft flesh and delicious smelling sweat.

Putmedown!

Min, he cant breathe.

Oh!

She dropped him. His boots hit the floor hard as he sucked air back into his lungs, glaring.

Fuckin' gorilla's strong as hell!'

Her grin was wide and careless, joy radiating from her in waves. Memories of her rose quick, loud and overbearing, impossible to ignore. Seven feet of raw muscle, built like a fortress, yet carrying a kind of brutish beauty. The word that fit her best: Amazon.

She was a Beast Binder. Her class chained her strength to the Titan Shark shed bonded, a C Rank beast from the Abyssal Realm, its power feeding into her own. Every strike she threw carried its bite.

Gregor moved past her with no interest in reunion. He sat himself down in front of Seo-jins desk, posture calm, words direct.

Why are we not claiming Wire Dog territory?

Like I saidits taken care of. Do you doubt me?

Mins grin faltered. Her brows knitas she glanced between them. She didnt speak. Whenever these two locked horns, she went silent, watching.

Doubt?

Gregor repeated the word slow, tasting it.

I do not know. It is strange. You vanish into rift, return not only alive, but stronger. Problems solved as if nothing. Just like that.

Seo-jin raised a brow.

Just like that?

Just like that. And you fight now like mad mannot the Reaper I remember.

Seo-jin lowered himself into the chair behind the desk, folding into the role of boss. His expression didnt shift. His pulse didnt quicken. Hed expected suspicion from Gregor. His stolen memories told him enoughthis man never formed bonds, only weighed risk against profit.

All he had to do was prove he was worth the gamble. Quickly. Corruption was already gnawing inside them, ticking closer.

Big Min, thoughshe wasnt numbers and calculation. She was loyalty and instinct. Keeping her convinced would be the harder problem.

How long have we fought together, Gregor? How many times have I pulled your ass out of the fire? And the first thing I get when I return is an interrogation?

His words came smooth, the same mask Seo-jin had always worn. Too smooth. Gregor wasnt the only one playing this game.

LookIm not gonna dump every detail right now. Truth is, I can barely piece some of it together myself. Those pointy-eared freaks kept me doped half the time. What I do know? I changed. Had to carve my way through shit thatd break most men. Escaping took worse. How I landed back here? Pure luck. The fae realms riddled with rifts. Different rules over there.

Big Mins jaw tightened, fury rising at the thought of him chained and drugged. Exactly what he wanted.

I wanted to wait to get into this, knew thatd piss you off. Why dont you check the patrols for me? Ill settle business with Gregor, then Im sleeping. No one disturbs me for at least a full day. Feels like I havent slept in years. Can you do that?

She hesitated, then cracked her grin again, broad and dangerous.

Dont worry, boss. Ill make sure they all walk on eggshells. Youll sleep like the dead. But when you wake up, I want the full story about those elves...Im dying to hear it.

For a flicker her aura surged, sharp enough to scrape skin. Both men felt the killing edge of it before it faded.

Ill tell you, but dont tear into them too fast. Theyre just glad Im back.

She laughed once more.

You have no idea.

Then she was gone, leaving silence in her wake.

Silence that thickened. Time stretched. Two auras began to stir...one grey, one red. Coiling tight, restrained, but heavy enough to choke the air between them.

Azakh-Tur broke first.

You surprise me. You know you've only seen a fraction of what I can do. You know your only chance was with her helpyet you let her leave. So tell me, Gregor. Why havent you warned them?

The pressure doubled, silent, unseen. No one outside would feel it. Inside, it pressed like chains.

Gregors stone face finally cracked into a grin.

Ive dealt with your kind before. But Ive never seen a demon wield a shard. Shouldnt be possible. Which got me thinking

His aura pulled backbut his killing intent spiked, thick and sharp as wire.

Maybe youre better suited for the job.

'Predictable human. Just spit it out.'

Seo-jin leaned forward, already knowing the line. His stolen memories had heard it before, spoken to the man he replaced.

I want someone dead. If you can make that happen better than Seo-jin ever could, then I dont care if you fucking ate him.

Azakh-Tur, wrapped in the stolen skin of Wohan Seo-jin, smiled.

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