Deiv took a step forward.

  His gaze was empty, but inside...

  Hatred boiled.

  Alagana, Malenia, and Karib stood frozen, unable to move.

  He closed his eyes.

  And in that instant...

  A LUNGE.

  His claws tore through the air.

  CRUNCH.

  Malenia's head detached with a wet sound, her spine still dangling in his hand.

  Karib recoiled, barely realizing what had happened.

  But Deiv was already there.

  One more move—and Karib was on the ground.

  His skull cracked, like an eggshell.

  Alagana finally managed to move.

  Her heart thundered in her ears.

  She needed to run.

  She turned and fled.

  But he was faster.

  His claws closed around her throat.

  She gasped, staring into his eyes.

  There was nothing but fury there.

  — "Go," his voice was low, threatening. "And tell everyone that if they come for him, or if he accidentally sees them... I'll kill them without hesitation."

  He loosened his grip, and she fell to the ground, gasping for air.

  — "Run. While I haven't changed my mind."

  She bolted.

  Tears streamed down her cheeks, fear paralyzing every muscle.

  What happened to him?

  Why… did he attack his own?

  But she didn’t stop.

  She didn’t want to die.

  Deiv watched her flee.

  Then he slowly turned to the bodies.

  Father. Levan.

  He took a step.

  His knees buckled.

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  He collapsed to the ground.

  And for the first time in years...

  He cried.

  He lowered his head, fingers trembling as they gripped the blood-soaked earth.

  — "I'm sorry..." His voice broke. "I'm sorry..."

  But the only response was silence.

  And then...

  He screamed.

  Loud.

  Piercing.

  A scream filled with pain, hatred, and despair.

  Shaking the air.

  Tearing through the night’s darkness.

  Audible even where Alagana was running.

  But she didn’t look back.

  She just sped up.

  Hours passed.

  Deiv stood up.

  He couldn’t just leave.

  Everyone who had been killed here deserved peace.

  He took a shovel from a nearby house and began to dig.

  Days blended into one endless nightmare.

  Deiv worked without sleep, without rest, gritting his teeth, drowning out the pain.

  Dig.

  Cover with earth.

  Dig.

  Cover again.

  On the fourth day, all the bodies were buried.

  Now he could leave.

  Now he could finish one task.

  He ran for seven hours without stopping.

  Every step was agony, but he didn’t notice it.

  Tbilisi.

  The city was completely destroyed.

  He came to the place where he had woken up as a monster.

  Where it all began.

  On the floor, amidst the dust and rubble, lay a nearly decayed skeleton.

  His mother.

  Deiv froze.

  The world dimmed.

  Nearby, on the floor next to her, lay a broken necklace.

  The necklace he had given her for her birthday.

  His fingers trembled as he touched it.

  And then...

  He could no longer hold back his tears.

  He cried.

  For long minutes, hours.

  Then he carefully picked up his mother’s body and, without a word, headed back.

  Back to where he had buried everyone else.

  Days passed, one after another, but he didn’t stop.

  The tears never stopped.

  Even when it seemed like there was no moisture left in his body, he still cried.

  And then he returned.

  He placed his mother’s body next to his father.

  Covered the grave with earth.

  And collapsed to his knees.

  He had lost everything.

  Everyone he held dear.

  Now, he was completely alone.

  In the silence, someone watched him.

  Around the corner of the gate, hidden in the shadows, stood a special forces soldier.

  He watched the strange sight:

  A parasite, crying over a grave.

  The soldier wiped his face with his hand, brushing away his own tear.

  He quietly activated his radio.

  — "This is ‘Eagle’. We have a… parasite here."

  A pause.

  — "He... He’s just crying."

  — "Repeat that, ‘Eagle’," the general's voice came through the radio sharply. "What do you mean a parasite is crying?"

  The soldier remained silent for a moment, then, swallowing, he responded:

  — "It means exactly what I said. He’s just... crying."

  — "Are you sure?"

  — "Yes. He’s kneeling by the graves."

  The general was silent for a while.

  A parasite, burying someone?

  A parasite, mourning?

  It was... illogical.

  (A few hours ago)

  The soldier had observed the sea of blood on the village’s lands.

  The soldier kept watching.

  Then, he saw the parasite walking through the forest.

  The special forces soldier held his breath and hid.

  But he didn’t hear any approaching footsteps.

  Carefully peeking out, he saw the parasite carrying a body.

  Slowly.

  Gently.

  As if afraid to harm even the dead.

  The figure of the parasite slowly rose, swaying, and headed for the gates.

  The soldier watched as the creature knelt and began to dig the earth.

  It didn’t tear at the ground with claws.

  It didn’t throw the dirt around like a wild animal.

  It dug with its hands.

  Like a person.

  Like... someone burying a human.

  (Now)

  — "This is strange..." the general murmured.

  — "Yes, sir..." The soldier didn’t know what else to say.

  He didn’t take his eyes off the parasite, feeling something like pity rising inside him.

  And then...

  A loud sound.

  The soldier jumped—he had accidentally knocked over a piece of metal.

  Silence.

  Deiv turned sharply.

  Their gazes met.

  The soldier froze.

  His hand instinctively reached for his weapon... but he stopped.

  The parasite didn’t move.

  He just stood there, tears streaming down his face.

  Real. Pure.

  — "‘Eagle’, what’s going on?!" came the voice over the radio.

  But the soldier didn’t respond.

  He stared into the eyes of the creature he was supposed to kill.

  There was no fury in those eyes.

  No threat.

  Only pain.

  Only loss.

  — "The parasite has left," the soldier finally said.

  The general on the other end fell silent.

  A parasite, mourning?

  It didn’t make sense.

  And Deiv, without saying a word, turned...

  And faced the graves again.