The Heir

Hallayville,a small town on the outskirts of Stefanpolis,had a lot of dark secrets and mysteries,the biggest and perhaps the most unfathomable being the tree that stood at the heart of the town. Natives called it "the mysteek tree",a humongous tree with a robust,pale and alien-like trunk hat bore neither leaves nor fruits. No one knew how it got there,but everyone was well aware that it had to be there. They had tried felling it several times,but with their actions came dire consequences,as unimaginable horrors bathed the town everytime the mysteek tree was tampered with. Lives were lost,and a lot of things fell apart. For this reason,natives were barred from going anywhere near the mysteek tree,and the heart of the town was always deserted. The mysteek tree was a supernatural tree that was affiliated with the Rafaelsons,a lineage of werewolves whose responsibilities were to protect the town everytime Garr,a powerful and sinister force,arrived Hallayville. The mysteek tree was the source of the abilities of the Rafaelsons,and together with them,it helped restore balance everytime Garr wreaked havoc.

* * *

"Garr is coming soon,and when he does,only the heir can stop him." Kyle smirked,as he quietly read the text message that popped up on his phone minutes ago,it was from his father,Niklaus. That particular evening,he had hung out with some friends and he was walking home when the message came in.

"Ugh! This bullshit again?,"he shrugged,"pops never gives up." Kyle Rafaelson had always wanted a normal life,he hated his family and dismissed them as maniacal,he hated what he was and he wanted no part in what his father was grooming him for,this was what made him flee hallayville at age eighteen,away from the responsibilities..away from the path taken by his predecessors. As he dawdled along the wet tarred road,he lifted his eyes towards the sky,catching a glimpse of the faint crescent moon partly buried between the clouds and with this came thoughts of the hairy monster he transforms into anytime that same moon became full. He always saw his abilities as a curse,and would do anything to get rid of them. "But pops says i have to defeat this Garr guy first," he sighed heavily as he recounted the several lectures his father gave him about his 'destiny',"i am not the right person to do that." Niklaus Rafaelson,Kyle's father,who was the previous heir,defeated Garr like his predecessors did,and ended his reign of terror in Hallayville for the time being,but that was twenty-four years ago,and when each first son of a Rafaelson is born,the child becomes the new heir and all his father's abilities become his. This new heir was charged with the responsibility of protecting Hallayville whenever Garr returns. Garr returns to Halleyville every twenty-four years,and when he does,he takes control of a human vessel,his host,granting them supernatural abilities with which they do his bidding;kill and destroy. Twenty four years had passed since Garr showed up,and there was no doubt that he was coming again. Kyle had finally gotten home,and as he approached the door,he was startled when he noticed that the door lock had been broken. Someone was inside. "What the.....,who did this?" His eyes widened.He could feel it,the anxiety,which always succeeded at kick-starting his feral alter-ego. In seconds,his skin was flooded with hairs,and he could feel his nails morph into razor-sharp claws. "Who is there?" he barked,letting out a low growl. "Son," a voice materialized from a dark corner,"it is me." There was something familiar with the tall figure he saw resting against the wall in the dark with his night vision,but he could not make out the face. However the voice he just heard drowned his doubts. "Pops?,is that you?" He asked as he flipped the light switch on,revealing Niklaus Rafaelson. Kyle barely recognized his father,it had been five long years,and age was really telling on him. "Woah,look at that," Niklaus beamed,"i can see you have finally embraced who you are son." "Who i am?,i refuse. This will never be be me." Kyle frowned,exhaling deeply as he supressed his feral self,transforming back. "You will understand one day son,you will." Niklaus replied. "How did you find me?" Kyle questioned his father. "You are my son,and a Rafaelson,it was not so difficult." Niklaus replied. "And why are you here?" "I missed my son. Besides,you have been ignoring my calls and texts. Why?" Kyle gave no answer. "You think i am telling lies?,son you dont know how serious this is,lots of lives in Hallayville will be lost. We need the heir,we need you,only you can defeat Garr. It is your destiny. Come back home son,please." Niklaus beckoned. "I can't do this pops. I am not ready,i am not ready for anything. I want nothing else but to be normal,like others. I want to have a life,i don't want this 'destiny'." Kyle objected. "You know you can have that son,you know..." "Yes i do pops,but at what cost?,i would eventually pass this curse unto my son?,that is so cruel pops,so cruel!" Kyle interrupted. "I..i know this has been hard on you,but you are a Rafaelson,this is what we have always done. Please come back home. Halleyville needs you." Niklaus said as he moved closer to where Kyle stood,"If Garr is not stopped,everyone in Hallayville will die,including me." Kyle's face now wore an expression of concern,he had lost his mother at a very young age,his father was all he had,he could not afford to lose him too. "I..i don't get,why can't you just leave Hallayville?" "I can't son. As long as the mysteek tree lies at the heart of the town,a Rafaelson should,and must be in Hallayville." Niklaus explained. "But...but,i am not ready for any of this. I don't know this Garr guy,i don't know what he looks like,i don't know what his exact abilities are...." "I am here son. All will be revealed to you,"with both hands on Kyle's shoulders,Niklaus appraised his son,and he was surprised at how much he had grown,"you are ready now son,you have it all in you." Niklaus said,and gave Kyle a tight hug. "Okay...okay," Kyle was pensive for a while,and then replied with a grimace,"i will come back home. Happy now?" Niklaus smiled,revealing a set of brown teeth,"Hallayville will be grateful son. You know,Hallayville is nothing but a small town,but the fate of the world depends on what happens there. If Garr succeeds at ending all extant life on Hallayville,he won't stop there,many more will die." "Alright pops. I promise,i will be in Hallayville tomorrow." Kyle assured his father.

"Hallayville will be expecting her saviour." Niklaus said,as he checked his wrist watch and hissed. He had to leave. On his way to the door,he stopped abruptly and looked back at Kyle,"I love you son. It is really good to see you again." "I love you too pops,and i am sorry for everything. I will make it up to you." Kyle replied remorsefully. "And by the way,you have a nice apartment,"Niklaus teased his son,"we have a lot to catching up to do." "Of course pops." Kyle laughed. "Goodnight sir." "Night son." Niklaus waved Kyle goodbye,shutting the door behind him. Kyle now sat on the couch,closing his eyes. He tried to process all that just went on,too much! His life was going to change drastically and he knew it. "I have been running away from this all my life. I guess it is time i faced this destiny of mine,i have no choice," He got up from where he sat and moped around his apartment,"besides,this is the only way i can get rid of my 'wolfy' powers. Hallayville...here i come."

* * *

It was a rainy morning in Hallayville,and Hayden was getting ready to go to her father's farm. Her job was to milk the dairy animals,and she hated every bit of it. She was a beautiful young lady,and she wanted more in life than just being a "farm girl",she had always wanted to leave Hallayville and experience the world outside,but her father never gave her the chance. As she walked along the deserted and slippering path that led to her father's farm,cursing under her breath everytime her feet got stuck in the mud,she noticed a red fluctuating glow that levitated effortlessly ahead,shimmering. It was not like anything she had ever seen before. Her curiosity drove her forward,as she approached the point where the red glow stood. She went too close. In a split second,the red glow vanished,and she felt something take over her body. Her eyes were now blood red,and her skin shone blue. Hayden was gone. Her consciousness was suppressed by the dark entity that ruled her vessel now. Garr has returned! "It feels good to be back," Garr grinned wickedly,"oh how much i have missed you Hallayville. It is time to have some fun." He vanished into thin air,off to extend his count of victims.

The more he killed,the stronger he became,feeding on the fear of his victims. But Garr was not the only one that arrived Hallayville,there was a werewolf in town. Kyle fulfilled his promise to his father and showed up,he was ready to embrace his destiny. Niklaus was not at home when Kyle arrived,but he knew that he had arrived,Rafaelsons could sense each other anywhere in the world. However when Niklaus got home,he looked perturbed. Hundreds of mutilated bodies had been found dead already,Garr was at work. Although residents of Hallayville were aware of the dark times in their history,which happened every twenty-four years,they had little idea about what or who was responsible for it; no one who saw Garr lived to tell the story. "Son,we have to go now," Niklaus said as he scampered around the house,"Garr has returned,and he is not wasting any time in doing what he does best,hundreds of lives have been lost already. He must..." "He must be stopped!" Kyle interrupted,"I will stop him." He continued,"What do we have to do pops?,where are we headed to?" Niklaus felt a sense of pride grip him,this Kyle was very much different from the lad that ran away from home five years ago. "I know you will son,i know you will." Niklaus muffled to himself. "We have to go the mysteek tree." Niklaus responded. "The mysteek tree?,why?" Kyle asked. "Son,It..is forbidden that i tell you anything about Garr,the ancient tree will reveal to you all you need to know." "Okay...okay. Let's go then." Kyle nodded enthusiastically. They both left for the mysteek tree,the place where it all began. Niklaus and Kyle were now at the heart of the town,and they approached the mysteek tree where it stood majestically,it was so colossal that it could be seen from anywhere in Hallayville. Kyle was told that he was given birth to at the foot of this tree,but since then he,like other heirs,was not allowed to come near it until Garr returned,until he was ready. "So,we are here now pops. What next?" Kyle asked his father. "Son,all you have to do now is to touch the trunk of the ancient tree." Niklaus replied. "Okay pops. Touch the trunk. Touch the trunk." Kyle exhaled deeply,as he advanced towards the mysteek tree. As Kyle ran his palm against the coarse trunk of the mysteek tree,he suddenly froze. He could feel his heart race,and then the convulsion came. Niklaus stood closeby and watched his only son tremble in agony. He knew very well what Kyle was going through,he had been there once. Every heir must pass through the stage of "revelation", which came as a series of visions of what transpired in the past,and with these visions came answers to a lot of questions; "Who is Garr?","What are his abilities?","How do i defeat him?". The minds of humans could not bear these visions,it killed them instantly. Even werewolves that experienced them came out barely alive. Kyle fell to the ground,wheezing until he blacked out. Niklaus ran to where he laid,and sat beside him,waiting patiently till when he would regain his consciousness. "Pops." Kyle called his father,as he sprang up from where he laid,sitting down next to Niklaus. "Son,you are awake. I am so sorry it had to be that way." Niklaus responded. "Is it true?,is it true that Garr was a Rafaelson?" Kyle asked. Niklaus sighed deeply and replied,"Yes son,the very first of our kind in Hallayville." Everything came as a shock to Kyle,he had just been shown the darkest secrets of Hallayville. Still,he had a job to do,and he knew how to do it now,that was all that mattered. "I have to find him,i have to find Garr." Kyle said,lifting himself up from where he sat. "I believe the tree told you how to do that too." Niklaus beamed. "Yes it did," Kyle simpered,"Now i know how you found me pops." "I have to go now. It all ends tonight." Kyle said,closing his eyes and inhaling deeply. He had practised this so many times,transformation. He could feel the rush of responsibilty flood his veins,and surprisingly,it felt really good. "I know son. The fate of the world depends on you. Save us all." Niklaus said. They hugged each other tightly.

"You are the heir son,win this one for us." Niklaus reminded Kyle. "I will not fail pops,i will not." Kyle asserted. And he was off,in search of Garr. Off to save Hallayville. Off to save the world.

* * *

The battle was tough,and it was clear that Garr had gotten stronger. "I can't let him kill anyone else if i want to ever have a chance of stopping him." Kyle groaned in pain,as he wiped off the warm stream of blood that bled from his mouth. He had met Garr,and he was the way the mysteek tree revealed he would be. Blood-red eyes,blue skin,fangs and claws,the only thing different was the various faces he wore,his hosts,and this time he took the form of a young female. The mysteek tree gave Garr his abilities,but now,he was more than just a werewolf. He had evolved into something bigger,and scarier. Something dark. He wanted more power,so he practised dark magic,which made him stronger. Kyle had transformed into a werewolf,which he didn't see as a curse now,because it was the only thing saving his life from the monster he fought. Garr had the stare of death,and the strength of thousands of men,his speed was lightning fast,and his senses were extremely heightened. However Kyle just had to do one thing to stop him. Garr was immortal,and his soul was bound to the vessels of his hosts by an ancient tattoo that scarred their backs. A scratch on that tattoo from the claws of an heir will release Garr's hold on the vessels of his host,and banish his soul into the mysteek tree,where he can only be restrained for twenty-four years,but this was easier said than done. He was too fast! However,Kyle had one last resort; calling the name of the host would trigger their consciousness to fight back Garr's possession,and weaken him. "If you can not the defeat Garr in combat,"Kyle recalled what was revealed to him when he touched the mysteek tree,"call the name of the host. That will weaken him and grant you enough time to release Garr's soul from his host." It was worth a try. "Garr Rafaelson,i know who you are." Kyle called out to Garr,clutching tightly his chest which had been deeply slashed by Garr's claws and although it was healing,the pain really stung. He had received a lot of cuts even before he had the time to strike one. Garr's speed was unrivaled. "What kind of heir are you?," Garr snarled,"of all heirs i have battled with,you are the weakest of them,or maybe it is just because i got stronger. My time to reign supreme is near. I can feel it." He boasted. "I will stop you nonetheless Garr." "Pfft,..let me see how you do that young one." Garr scoffed. Kyle grinned,and he began,"Hayden!!!! Hayden!!!" Garr didn't flinch at first,and he laughed out loud. But soon his face reeked of distress,and it was obvious that something was going on inside him. Despite Garr's possession,Hayden was still in there,and her consciousness had been awakened. She was taking hold of her body. But she couldn't fight Garr's hold on her own,Kyle had to help her. "The greatest pain you can cause Garr comes at the moment of separation from his hosts." Kyle now understood what that meant;the monster that had almost tore him apart moments ago was now lying on the ground,screaming in agony. "The mysteek tree was right. I have my opening,i have to the end this now." Kyle said,as he drew closer to where Garr was,and held him down with brute strength;Garr was weaker now,so he had a chance. Kyle turned Hayden over,revealing the ancient tattoo emblazoned on the skin of her back. The bond. "Hayden,i am sorry. I have to do this. This will hurt." Kyle,with his claws,slashed through the lines of the tattoo on Hayden's back,and he felt warm blood flow as it smeared his claws. Garr let out a loud cry which shook the earth,and the red shimmering glow that Hayden saw on her way to her father's farm reappeared,and in the next moment it vanished. Hayden,who had transformed back to her human self,was unconscious and had stopped bleeding,but she was not dead. Garr was gone now,but this time his victim count was 975,in less than three days,which was more than his previous kills. He was evolving.

Garr will come back again,stronger,more resilient and deadlier;but when he does,the next heir from the Rafaelsons will be waiting. It is a battle that will never end,the battle between good and evil.