A Wolf's Howl, A Fairy's Wing

[A/N: There's a small gift in author's thoughts]

Mere moments later, a dull-eyed Victor was kneeling in front of the grave. His body was thoroughly chained up, not allowing for even an inch of movement. Beneath the tatters of his shirt shone a sigil that was well-known to Erik.

It was a sigil that suppressed a Runebound's power.

Behind the kneeling man stood Emily, Emma, and Astrid, while Erik and Alice flanked him on both sides.

Alice's eyes were filled with a calm fury, far different from the red-hot rage she had felt towards Victor before. Erik gave a small smile at that sight, realizing his efforts to temper her feelings had paid off.

Now, Alice could take Victors life and treat it as closing a particularly painful chapter of her life. Had she taken Victors life in a rage induced fury instead, it could have simply left a hole that she might never have been able to fill.

At least, that was Erik's hope. Time would tell how this chapter in her life would truly affect her mind. After all, shapeshifter or not, she was still a young girl about to kill a man in… well, lukewarm blood.

With all the preparations in place, Erik gave a small nod towards Emily. In response, a pitch black magic circle appeared in front of the goth-girls hand, and soon, the enslavement of Victor's mind began to be undone.

Victor slowly began to blink as the fog was lifted from his mind and independent thought was once again allowed to pass through his brain.

"W— What is…?" he mumbled as he slowly started coming to his senses. The chains rattled when he tried to move, only to find out he was unable to.

He naturally noticed the grave in front of him and his brow furrowed in confusion when he noticed the name on the headstone. "Why am I…"

He looked to the side were Erik stood and naturally recognized him immediately. "You…! Erik! What is going on here?! I remember we… we fought, and then… Ugh, my head hurts. Whatever.

Let me go this instant!"

Erik chuckled at Victor's pointless outburst. "No, I'm afraid you're not going anywhere, Victor. But you shouldn't be talking to me, anyway," he said while grabbing Victor's head and forcefully turning it to the other side. "She's the one you'll be dealing with today. Or rather, she'll be dealing with you…"

Victor's eyes went wide when he recognized the young girl standing next to him and staring at him with cold hatred.

"Alice! What are you…!" but than his still sluggish mind finally started catching on.

His restraints, the fact he couldn't access his runes, Björn's grave in front of him, Alice next to him… If he still wasn't able to put it together he would have been unworthy of his status as second-ranker and Council envoy. The exact circumstances that led him to this moment were still unclear, but the purpose of it was obvious now.

"No, wait! You… you can't do this!" he turned his gaze back towards Erik, panic clear in his eyes. "You're just going to let a ten-year-old girl kill me in cold blood?!"

"Everyone deserves to take revenge with their own two hands, regardless of gender or age," Erik shrugged casually. "Besides, thanks to the suffering you've caused her, Alice is already far more mature than many adults I've known."

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"Anyway," he said as he once again grabbed Victor's head and turned it back towards the seething Alice, "I told you, you're not dealing with me today." This time, he kept his hand on Victor's head, keeping his panicked eyes pointed squarely at Alice.

Alice still had not said a word, as her eyes bore into Victor's skull, and the man quickly began begging for his life. "A— Alice! You… You don't really want to do this, do you?! You're just a little girl! This will haunt you for the rest of your life!"

His words seemed to set her off as she furiously growled, "And where was this concern for my well being earlier, huh?! You killed the people that raised me, kidnapped me, and drove my father into desperation! You filled my life with despair and misery! Killing you might or might not haunt me, but not doing so, absolutely would!"

As she spoke her words of hatred, she slowly changed into her wereverine form, but no discomfort or pain was shown on her face this time. She refused to show weakness in front of Victor now.

Erik, hearing her words, and seeing her actions, could only nod with approval. Her words were filled with anger, but not devoid of reason. She knew what she was doing, and chose this path. That was the most important thing here: for her not to act without thought.

"That…! I… I was just following orders! M— Mistress Aria told me garner spies no matter the cost! If I failed her, I could only hope she would simply kill me!" he exclaimed, desperately trying to stave off the inevitable.

"Aria, huh…" Alice growled softly, as the conversation between Katya and Erik from earlier started coming back to her. But then she shook her head, deciding to think about this later. "It doesn't matter. This Aria is at most an instigator. You are the one ultimately responsible."

Erik once again nodded approvingly.

Victor grew more panicked as he rattled his chains in an attempt to get away, but he couldn't even wiggle anywhere, as Erik's hand on his head kept him firmly in place.

Meanwhile, Alice moved to stand behind him and put her claws against Victor's throat. While Alice was only a first-rank compared to Victor's second-rank, the throat was always a particularly weak spot physically. Plus, a wereverine's claws were designed for pure destruction, which is exactly what Alice was going for today.

Of course, had the difference in rank been any bigger, it would have still been impossible for Alive to pierce his skin, weak point or no.

Feeling the cold claws against his skin caused Victor to try and move his head away in a panic, but Erik kept him firmly in place.

Alice's eyes were filled with determination and hatred. But there was love, too. Love for the people she lost, and a desire to put this all behind her.

"I saw you burn the corpses of Ivar and Marta all those months ago. They don't have a grave for me to honor. But my father does. And your blood will be my tribute to him…" she whispered her words with all the same complicated emotions that filled her gaze, before tensing her hands and, in one quick motion, ripping out his throat.