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Stiles doesn't know how much time has passed; all he can think of at the moment is the agony running inside his body. God, it hurts so much that he can't even think straight. Somewhere in the basement, Stiles hears the whines and growls of Erica and Boyd, who can't hold it back after receiving another punch from Gerard's goons. Stiles means to say something, but he is stopped by another punch in the face by Gerard right into his face, which causes him to lie immobilized on the cold floor once again. When the bucket of cold water suddenly appears, splashing all over his face, Stiles believes he has passed out for the moment. 

- Oh, Stiles... It has been fun, but it's also getting exhausting. This is your last chance! Tell me something about the dogs of yours, or else I will put an end to your miserable life!

A sickly sweet voice rings through his ears while a pair of firm hands from someone hold him up in a straight-kneeling position. Opening his eyes, which takes a lot of strength, Stiles lifts his face slightly, only to see the person standing right in front of him. "Yup! That's fucking Gerard Argent" - Stiles tells himself in his mind.  

Glancing at Erica and Boyd and seeing that they are snarling and growling with all their baring teeth while hanging in the cellar and being electricity at the same time, Stiles somehow could still see the horror in their eyes. They are scared and horrified for his life, for their lives, and for the pack.

At this very moment, Stiles wants nothing more than to spit out some retorts, but the beating really gets him as weakness is soaking into his bone. But there is something about the Stilinski that people should know: they will never give up without a fight—or lots of them. Deciding to just rile these maniacs up, he spits out the blood towards Gerard's face and says:

- Go...fuck...yourself!

And of course, as a result, a punch lands on his stomach and makes him squirm with agony! Gods, maybe he should have listened when people told him to shut his mouth, but well, where is the fun in that?

- Oh...Stiles! It appears to me that you won't say anything! And I have no time for your stupid loyalty to those dogs. So, seems like those dogs abandoned you. No one comes for you, Stiles. See! That's why I call them monsters. But anyway, I got tired of your stupid loyalty, and you brought it on yourself. That's why, instead of making you tell us about your dogs, you will be our message to them!

Turning to his goons, Gerard spits out the command.

- Get rid of him!

Antonio and Paul, the names of Gerard's goons, hover over Stiles, grab his hand, and drag him out of the basement, right in front of the horrified faces of Erica and Boyd.

With all of his will, which he doesn't even know he still has at this moment, Stiles raises his face to stare at Erica and Boyd. Being too injured to talk or be able to do anything, Stiles can only send his heartfelt condolences to them. This is it! This is going to be how they all die tonight. There'll be no tomorrow for them to see, no more sunlight on a new day to admire, and all they can do is brave their souls on the road to Hell.

Seemly understanding the look on Stiles's face, tears rolled out of Erica's cheeks, and the sorrow filled Boyd's face.

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Being dragged out of the basement under Argent's house and tucked inside the black SUV, Stiles lies motionless in the backseat. Those last words of Gerard echo inside his brain. It shot right through his heart and shattered it into millions of pieces. And despite his best efforts, Stiles still can't help but wonder if it's true that the pack has abandoned him. 

Because let's just face it... He's been kidnapped and tortured for hours, which seems like days to him, and still...no one looks for him! He is still here, lying in the backseat of those people who hurt him so badly that he has difficulty breathing. They can kill him at this very moment, and no one will know because, you know, no one is searching...

Suddenly, the realization hits him so hard that he can't breathe! Antony? Pauly? What the fuck kind of names are those? They are going to kill him right now, and he is hopeless; he can't even do anything to prevent it! And his dad, oh God! His dad, what is he gonna do if he finds out there is a body buried in the wood that belongs to his son? What is his dad gonna feel when he loses a son? There is a word for children who lost their parents, but there is no word for parents who lost their kids! That feeling must be...torturous. And that feeling is brought to his dad by...Stiles; as Gerard said: "He brought it on himself".

Stiles cannot do this to his dad; he just cannot do it! After everything that they go through, after the loss of their beloved one—his mom—and after all the lies he tells through his teeth to his dad's face, Stiles cannot let his dad face another tragedy by losing his only son. Stiles struggles to stand up; he tries to get out of this car cause he needs to go find his dad...but he is unsuccessful, and then suddenly, a punch lands on his face, making him completely blackout! 

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Being awakened by the slamming sound of the car's door, Stiles almost blacked out again when the pain hit him with another wave. Looking around, Stiles suddenly sees that he or should he say, they're near the preserve now. 

Completely ignoring the pain they cause when dragging Stiles out of the car, Gerard's goons drag him deep into the preserve. For each step, Stiles knows very well that he's walking into his death but is unable to do anything besides struggling all the way and failing miserably. 

And for what seems like a lifetime, they finally stop in the middle of nowhere in the preserve. Gerard's minions push Stiles forward, leading him to crash into a very large tree that was cut down and now looks like a large stump. One of the goons, Paul, Stiles guess, who the fuck cares? pulls out a hunting knife at the same time as the other goon - Antony? pulls out a handgun and points straight at his head. 

A chill runs down Stiles's spine seeing the scene in front of him. He knows there is no way he can get out of this situation now. In the moment of weakness, the thought of begging for his life shows up. But as soon as it appears, Stiles immediately shuts it down. The moon tonight might witness his death, and the wind might cry for his soul, which is soon to be cut short. But he will never, ever give those bastards the satisfaction of listening to him beg for his life. Instead, Stiles grinds his teeth so hard that he can taste blood—or has it already been there? Stiles stares down at the two men in front of him with so much burning hatred that Stiles is surprised that he has it in him in the first place. Seems like even at the end of his very short life, life still decides to teach him a new thing after all! 

Seeing the hatred in Stiles's eyes, one of Gerard's goons kneels in front of him with a maniacal smile on his face. The goon says:

- Stiles, isn't it? God! It is beautiful listening to your scream, but too bad, the boss told us to get rid of you. Just to be clear, all of this is...on you! You know why, right? Because you run with those filthy monsters, and for that, I will give you a very slow, painful death.

After that, wasting no time, the maniac goon slashes Stiles's torso with his hunting knife, continuing with several stabs through his chest, his stomach, his legs... No wounds are brutal enough to give him the death sentence immediately, but there will be a lot of blood lost if left untreated. And then it comes to Stiles: This bastard wants him to bleed out until there's nothing left! Fuck! 

Lying down on the ground on his back, looking up to the moon and God, it is beautiful. How can the moon be that beautiful on his dying night? It's not fair! How can he be able to see again on the next if he dies tonight? ... With each drop of blood leaving his body, Stiles feels death crawling closer...closer...and closer...to catch his soul.

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After a lot of time has passed—or maybe not as much as he thinks—Stiles doesn't really know anymore. The blood loss is starting to get to Stiles as he starts feeling nauseous and dizzy; black spots dance around his eyes; and his body feels really, really cold. The world is spinning so much and so fast that he is unable to think straight. He can't see or hear anything but the moon above him and the haunted howling of the wind. He knows he's going to die soon, maybe sooner than he expected. Honestly, Stiles cannot believe he says it, but he thinks he's starting to taste the dead in his tongue.

Even with his current situation, Stiles can still feel Gerard's stupid goon eyes on him from afar. Which is insane! How the fuck can he feel their eyes on him in this situation, is absolutely unknown to Stiles, really! Choking on his blood, Stiles knows that his time is close to an end. Unable to do anything, Stiles decides to pray for all the gods and goddesses above and below to help him and save him from this situation.

Stiles has never been a religious person, but after all of that bullshit that has happened so far—you know: werewolves, Kanima, all that shit—Stiles starts to believe that there are powers beyond the comprehension of the mortals. There are some otherworldly beings that're beyond these realms, holding immense powers that humans can only dream of. There are still some gods and goddesses out there that still look down on this realm and might even look down at him lying and dying or bleeding out right now. Therefore, at this very moment, Stiles does hope that maybe, just maybe, some gods or goddesses or any otherworldly beings out there will listen to his prayers! And at this very moment, something miraculous—unknown to Stiles, something that even Stiles cannot fathom—responds to his prayers!

Right inside his heart, extremely close to the wound that was caused by Gerard's goons earlier (screw you!), something—some magical power—sparks to life! And as soon as the spark presents itself to the world, it turns into a flame! Small, but a flame nonetheless. The weird thing is that Stiles has no fucking clue how he knows there is a flame burning inside his heart; he just does! He can feel it, sense it, and see it! It's just right there, right inside his very mortal heart! 

The flame starts running through his veins, making Stiles's whole body heat up, and maybe the blood loss is causing him hallucinations, but Stiles swears to God: he can feel the bleeding slowing down! And a few more seconds—might it be ten? Or might it be twenty? Stiles doesn't know. He also simply does not care. All he cares about is that it's long enough for him to realize that: Yes! The flame that burns inside his heart helps to slow down the bleeding. 

Stiles doesn't know how it can even be possible, but who the hell is he when there is a miracle offered right in front of his face? Or might he say his heart? - Stiles chuckled. So yeah! He's going to take it and devour that offer. 

And then Stiles remembers: "Be the spark!" - That! That has to be what Deaton tried to tell him earlier when asking him to make the circle of mountain ash to trap the Kanima. Thinking back, Gods, must Deaton be that cryptic? How can't he just tell him right away? 

Anyway, at this moment, Stiles finally regains enough of his strength and consciousness to remember what Deaton told him earlier: "You just have to believe!"

And believe he is! Never in his entire life (not long, but enough—thank you very much!) has he had this much focus! ADHD is a bitch! And his focus is slippering from time to time. But in a matter of life or death like this, ADHD can go fucking themselves! 

Focusing so strongly that Stiles can see stars dazzling in his eyes, Stiles pours all of his willpower, all of his intentions, and all of his emotions into the flame, believing that the flame will save him from his painful death.

And it works! For the mother of love, it fucking works! Taking all of his willpower, his belief, and his intentions—the flame then uses all of it to fuel itself, making it larger and larger, brighter and brighter with each passing second, and then wonder happens: it starts to heal Stiles from the inside out.

Just before Stiles thinks that he can heal himself fully by using the flame, the universe seems to decide that his trial has not yet passed. Because right at the moment of victory, happiness dies out like the flame of a candle being blown out. Why? Because, of course, Gerard's goons will notice something is off. Of course, these bastards are paying attention to him. They still haven't left yet, and now they notice that he's still alive! 

One of them must notice the bleeding slowing down. They are hunters, after all. They have to and will know how much blood is inside a human body and how long it takes for someone to bleed out to death. Hence, one of Gerard's goons steps closer to check up on him, and for that moment, Stiles freezes!

Stiles fears for his life—for what would happen if they knew what's happening inside his body. He can't let them know that! Nope! Non! Not going to happen! He has sworn to himself that he will never let his dad lose his only son. And for that, no matter the cost, Stiles will be, and has to be, the one who will see the next sunrise. Werewolves? Hunters? Kanimas? Fuck them all! Stiles has been a survivor for so long, and he will survive this time, no matter what. Stiles needs no one to save him; he isn't a damsel in distress. He is fucking Stiles Stilinski; he runs with the wolves and fights monsters, and he will fucking live! And at that moment, Stiles saw red!

Stiles gathers all of his suffering from hours of torture, all of his hatred directed at the hunters, especially these cretins and Gerard (fuck you all), all of his fear, and especially all of his rage...to fuel the flame. He pours all of that combined with his belief that he will live another day in the flame. And there it is, burning so bright with the will to destroy everything in sight, the blinding fury of an inferno! 

With the inferno running in his very veins, ready to lash out and destroy everything in sight, Stiles stares down at the two hunters standing in front of him with so much hatred that he only knows he has it in him until now. Feeling the blinding fury while hearing the aggressive humming of the inferno that's being caged in his own mortal body, Stiles can feel that the inferno inside him is furious. It wants to burn everything that dares to harm its master; it wants to destroy everything because its master has been injured so much that it almost leaves this world; it wants to bring Hellfire to this realm! 

Steadily keeping his gaze on these bastards, Stiles swears he saw fear in their eyes like they're witnessing a demon crawling out of Hell to seek its revenge. One of them, the man with the gun, raises his gun and is ready to fire to end Stiles's life. Stiles lets the inferno inside him break loose! And just for a moment, Stiles thinks he might raise Hellfire on Earth!

Spreading out so fast right in front of his eyes, the inferno inside him burns so brightly that it now turns into the beautiful, dangerous fluorescent Hellfire blue color. The heat it's radiating is so hot that Stiles is afraid that he will burn himself along the way with these hunters in the end. Stiles doesn't know how long the inferno will burn or if he will live to see another sunrise after the inferno dies out after destroying everything, but if it's a price to pay to have his revenge on these bastards, Stiles will gladly make the payment, even with his own life. Thankfully, the inferno seems to recognize Stiles as its master, so it burns right through Stiles's skin without him feeling even a bit of heat. 

However, the same thing cannot be applied to these two hunters, though. The inferno leaps to them so fast with every intention to burn them to ashes, and none of them is able to do anything but scream with agony as if they're feeling the pains caused by something otherworldly that no creature on earth can handle. 

Being too weak to even move a finger, the only thing Stiles can do and enjoy is to watch the hunters burn to the ground right in front of his eyes while listening to them screaming at the top of their lungs. Honestly, Stiles can even bring himself to care because, for all the pain they cause others, this is what they deserve—to die with horrendous pain! 

However, unbeknownst to Stiles, there is a bigger problem on the way to catch him off guard

As little by little, the flame is dying out...

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Little by little, the flame is dying out...

The flame is dying out.

...dying out...

Little by little, the flame is dying out. Slowly but surely, it fades out of existence, and in the end, right in front of his eyes, it's gone, and there is nothing left but the sight of the scorching ground and the ashes of those left behind after being burned to death. Even with his dying breaths, Stiles finds it very poetic as Hellfire finally catches the wrongdoers and brings them to Hell to serve their punishment. Stiles knows that by committing such an act—burning two people to death—there will be a place reserved for him in Hell for sure. And that place will be claimed soon if he doesn't keep the flame inside his body from dying out like the previous inferno. But no matter how hard he tries or how focused he is, Stiles still can't maintain the flame. Feeling his flame now a little too dim for his liking, Stiles knows—he screwed up!

Struggling to sit up a little bit and then leaning on the big tree stump nearby, Stiles exhales a long breath. Feeling dizzy and gathering all the strength he has, Stiles once again reaches inside his heart and uses all of his willpower and his belief to fuel the flame. But not so long after he starts, the dizziness hits him so hard that Stiles loses his concentration, and the flame inside him starts dying out again, but this time much, much faster. And Stiles knows: This place is soon to be his grave! 

Stiles can feel that the blood loss, all the wounds, the pain, the suffering, and the ADHD are catching up on him. He can't focus long enough to keep the flame alive in order to keep himself alive along the way. With each time he tries and then fails miserably, the flame dies out faster and faster until it is now dimmer and dimmer inside his heart. And not long after, it soon becomes too tiny—almost invisible—to Stiles's liking. Spitting out the blood stuck in his throat, Stiles knows, without a doubt, he will not make it... But there is no way in hell he will go down without a fight. And if this is how he's going to die, Stiles will march all the way to Hell with bravery! 

Stiles doesn't know how many times he has been trying to keep the flame alive or how much time has passed. Stiles is really desperate now. Gathering all his strengths and focuses, Stiles knows this will be the last chance; this will be the last time he tries to fuel his flame with all of what he has and then uses it to heal himself. Stiles knows for a fact that if he once again fails this time, then it'll be his end. However, right before Stiles starts again feeding his belief to fuel the flame, a voice suddenly echoes inside his head.

 - It's lovely that your stubbornness in keeping your magic alive has still persevered after too many miserably failed attempts! I'd love to say that I'm impressed, but too bad I'm not.

Startled by a strange, unfamiliar voice inside his head, Stiles snaps his head up to look for the source of the voice, and DAMN! How wrong he was! The dysequilibrium comes back at him with full force, making everything around Stiles spin with black dots right in front of his eyes. Regaining his focus after 5 or 10 or maybe longer, Stiles doesn't even know; he tries to put his focus on the strange, unfamiliar voice and realizes that there is something just really dark about it. It has no gender to it; Stiles just really can't tell whether it's male or female. It's just like a void, a black hole, and the feeling of darkness that pours off its sound. It disturbs Stiles on so many levels that he never knows a single voice can do that with only one sentence. Taking a moment to gather his strengths and grind his teeth, Stiles shouts!

 - Who the hell are you? Show yourself!!!
 

Receiving no answer, Stiles thinks he might have a delusion; it's very likely, as he's losing a lot of blood right now. But then, a voice once again echoes loud and clear inside his head.

 - Now! Now, Stiles! Shouting is not the polite way to greet someone, isn't it? I thought your mother taught you better than this. Oh! My bad. She's already dead! Hahahaha...

Stiles feels his heart sink while listening to some cryptic, creepy, twisted voice echoing inside his head, mentioning his long-lost mother. It still fucking hurts so much, even after so many years have passed. The wound is still very raw, and every time Stiles thinks about his mom, he feels like there is something inside him that dies a little bit. But no, this is not a time to drown himself in guilt or let the pain of losing his mom so soon take over him at this very moment. Stiles shuts all of his emotions down and tries to focus his mind on that motherfucker cryptic voice. What can he say? He is a fan of ignoring problems until they eventually go away! So, there he is! Continuing with the shouting:

 - Screw you! Don't you dare talk about my mother like that. How about you show yourself, and I swear to gods, I will burn you to the ground! 
 

Choking on his blood several times, Stiles spits it out. Shouting might not be a suitable action for his certain situation, or, as he might say, his lungs, but Stiles doesn't give a shit! If someone dares to talk bad about his mom, if he can't rip them apart with his own hands, he's sure as hell will rip them to pieces with his words! 

- My...my... I like the way you try. But Stiles, you and I both know that you can't do anything to me! Your ability to feed your magic is meaningless. You're going to die soon...hahahaha....

Hearing the voice laced with so much darkness echoing inside his head, despite having so many smart retorts to shoot back, but, nooo, he knows better! So Stiles held himself back. Exhaling a long breath, Stiles says:

- Listen to me, you little shit! Why don't you drop the act and tell me what the fuck you want from me?

- And do say...Why do you think that I want something from you, Stiles?

- Oh really? So it's just normal for you to talk to a stranger—a teenage boy, I might add—in the middle of nowhere in the preserve who might die sooner or later due to a lack of blood? Yeah! I don't think so...

Coughing so hard on his blood, Stiles has to stop for a moment and then take a deep breath. Fuck his life, here he is, dying and still being a smart ass talking with a very dark, cryptic voice in his head. How does his life come to this point again? Oh yeah, he had to be such a stupid boy who thought that bringing his friend to the forest to look for a body was a very good idea. Yeah, that's why. Taking another deep breath, Stiles says:

- I don't know who the fuck you are, and I don't care, but I know if you want to do something to me, you will do it already instead of wasting your time talking to me. So, I'm going to ask again: What do you want? 

- Well...well...what a clever mind that you have, Stiles. But the real question here isn't what I want, but what you want. Tell me, Stiles...Do...you...want...to...live...?

Those last words made Stiles's blood run cold. He knows whatever this voice belonged to—it's fishing him. It wants him to do something; it wants him to make a deal with it, and Stiles doesn't have to be a genius—his dad is a sheriff for fuck's sake—and Stiles knows if he does come along with what it's offering, the consequences will be much worse than the situation he's in now, but right at this moment, Stiles knows that it's a losing battle where he is absolutely lost because...he wants to live! God! He wants to live so fucking bad that he's going to throw out all of his carefulness through the window right now just so he could take the bait and live another day...

 - I don't know what or whoever you are, but I know for sure you're fishing me right now, and yes, I want to live, so name your prices!

 - Well, well, it seems like we...have a deal!

The sickly, twisted excitement of the voice makes Stiles feel sick in his stomach. But he can't back out now, can he? He knows he's going to die if there is no magic or if any other wonders happen. And here is something (or someone) that is offering to save his life, so, of course, consequences be damned! He's going to take it. 

 - And what deal are we talking about?

 - The deal is that I will save your life in exchange for you...setting me free!

 - And please do tell...how the hell am I going to do that? Because if you don't notice, I'm fucking dying here! 

 - Oh, this is gonna be so much fun! On your right, about 4 meters away, there is a trap door that leads to a root cellar underneath the big stump that you're leaning on. Now...Come to me, Stiles...

Glancing on the right, hiding under the bush and extremely hard to find while under the moonlight, true to the voice's words, Stiles finds something similar to a trap door. Although Stiles's in no shape to walk at the moment, he still knows this might be his only chance to survive, so yeah, if he can't walk, he sure as hell can crawl. 

Slowly and painfully crawling to the trap door, Stiles groans for each step made, but thank God! He finally makes it to the trap door without passing out in the middle of the way. Opening the trap door, just like a snail crawling on a leaf, Stiles drags himself under the root cellar. Even with the moonlight, the root cellar is still too dark for Stiles to see anything, and where the hell is the night vision of wolfy magic when you need it? 

Stopping a moment to catch a breath, Stiles asks the hollow darkness before him.

 - So...what's next?
 

To answer Stiles's question, something's on the right before him, clearly moving and making some noises.

 - Come on, Stiles...Just a little closer, you make it this far. 

His heart is beating so fast that he might die because of a heart attack instead of bleeding out, which is bothering him so much that Stiles doesn't even know which way of dying he prefers more. Looking at the hollow darkness in front of him, every single cell of Stiles's body is yelling at him to get out, to back off, and to stay as far away as possible! Stiles feels like he's walking himself right into a demon trap, and the worst thing is that he is the one who agrees to do this. God, just like Derek said: He really has a dead wish. Stiles watched enough horror movies to know that this is the most common scene where the main character will die a horrible death after making the most stupid decision ever. But what can he possibly do in this kind of situation? No one teaches him what he should or shouldn't do when he is beaten to almost death by an old crazy coot, and then something that's absolutely "evil" offers a way to save his life! Not to mention that this might be the only chance for him to survive, to heal himself, and to see his dad again. So hell yeah! He's definitely going to take it!

Swallowing hard, Stiles braves himself for the worst yet to come. Dragging his body closer to the source of the sound, Stiles thinks there's nothing here until he sees a jar with a fly inside.

 - Go on, Stiles...Open the jar for me...

Holding a jar with his bloody hand and seeing that the fly inside is flying like crazy while somehow feeling the darkness seeping out of it, Stiles has to admit to himself that this is absolutely the worst idea ever. Looking at the fly for a long moment, Stiles is not stupid enough to not know that someone must trap it inside for all of the darkness that's vibrating like crazy out of the fly, but well...now or never, right? Before he can back out, Stiles twists the jar to set the fly free! 

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And just like that, Stiles sets the fly free!

It only takes a second for the fly, right before his eyes, to turn from a fly into a vague, unhealthy black mist. And then, right before Stiles can even compromise that fact that a fact he just set free turns into a black mist, the black mist goes straight towards covering his whole scrawny body and then seeps into his skin to his very spores and then vanishes like it's never here. He tries to fight back, to push back, but it comes to naught, as he just can't fight mist when his physical body can even touch it. The black mist still seeps into his body, and his skin is now like a sponge that is super effective at absorbing all the black mist surrounding him. Damn it! Stiles really has a very bad feeling about it; he knows it's gonna happen in the worst way possible, but still... And in the end, all the black mist still completely seeps into his skin, and then the darkness swallows him whole!

Stiles doesn't have nyctophobia, but he begins to fear the darkness he falls into. He can neither see nor sense anything around him. It's just an absolute darkness—a black hole, a void—that is now beginning to suck his soul and his awareness into it. As time passes, little by little, piece by piece, Stiles loses himself to the void. He doesn't know how much more he can handle, but he knows if he doesn't do anything soon, he will disappear into the dark.

It'll be great if someone or something out there can tell Stiles what to do because, right now, he has no idea how he can get out of this mess he gets himself into. Without knowing any other way, Stiles calls for the only thing he can think of—his spark. For a second, Stiles fears that his sparks won't respond to his will, but it seems like the universe is on his side this time because, thank God, it is!

Here it is! Right inside his heart, the spark winks into existence and quickly turns into flames burning through his skin, glowing with a beautiful fluorescence blue while running through his veins. The flame inside him then expands out of his body, expelling and pushing all the darkness away from him while at the same time keeping all the darkness from seeping into his skin. Feeling the flame caressing his skin, Stiles sees that the flame is now acting like an invisible barrier that protects him from the darkness surrounding him, which now becomes very aggressively trying to come back to his skin to latch on to it but unsuccessfully.  

Maintaining his focus on keeping the flame alive, Stiles spends a few seconds acknowledging his current situation. It seems like the black mist somehow pulls his soul, or maybe his consciousness—Stiles honestly has no idea—deep into somewhere unknown to him. The bad side is that he has no fucking clues about where he is or how to get out of this place. But the right side is that, at least for now, Stiles no longer feels his body, which means he can't feel all the pain caused by Gerard and his goons earlier, which means that all the pain from his physical body won't affect him here, which means that he now has all the focuses and intentions he needs to will his flame to do anything he wants. And right there and then, Stiles decides to get his revenge! If the fly or the black mist wants to swallow him whole, then he has all the rights in the world to burn this place to the ground, right? With all of his hyperfocus intentions, Stiles nourishes the flame inside him and makes it burn so brightly that it expels the darkness so far away, at least 10 meters, from his body.  

Under normal circumstances, if it's not because the darkness around him is trying aggressively to eat him alive, Stiles absolutely jokes that he's now glowing exactly like a light bulb with fluorescence blue light instead of white light. But sadly, it's not the case, isn't it? Thus, between being a light bulb and being eaten alive by darkness, Stiles will choose to be a light bulb every day! And the darkness can go fuck itself! 

Amusing himself by still having a sense of humor in the weirdest and most terrifying period of his life, Stiles isn't a fool to not realize that he is, in fact, still in danger. Despite being repelled by his flame, the darkness is still trying to fight his flame so hard and so ferociously to come closer to him to eat him alive. 

Stiles remembers what Leo Tolstoy once said: "The two most powerful warriors are patience and time." Patience and time—neither that Stiles has. Time is a complex thing, and it's pointless to count how much time has passed when there's nothing around him but darkness. And patience is never one of Stiles's strengths. But that doesn't mean Stiles will just give up and then let the darkness win and swallow him whole. No! The Stillinskis will never go down without a fight, and this is the fight that Stiles has every intention to win. And if Stiles usually says that his sarcasm is his only defense, then his stubbornness will be the only weapon he brings to the battlefield to stand his ground when fighting his opponents. Hence, the closer the darkness approaches, the more Stiles repels it with his flame. This will not be a battle that Stiles will lose!

Stiles doesn't know how, but Stiles has a feeling that the darkness around him is becoming impatient, and impatience can be both a good and a bad thing, depending on the situation. And in Stiles's current situation, impatience might be a good thing for him because he knows impatience will lead to a lack of focus, and a lack of focus will lead to making mistakes, and making mistakes will lead to losing the battles, meaning that he has a chance to win. Unfortunately for Stiles, the darkness seems to realize that it's losing its patience too, as now suddenly the whole darkness surrounding him doesn't attack his barrier made out of blue flames anymore; it now gathers together, condensing itself to become one. And with a blink of eyes, right in front of his very eyes, stood a new figure, created by darkness, in the shape of a giant black fox with glowing hazy white huge eyes. 

Feeling the chills run through his spine by being stared down by those white eyes with very clear malicious intentions, Stiles's heart almost stops beating as he sees there is now a fox-like monster completely made out of darkness with a size as huge as a Hummer car while being equipped with lots of huge fangs and claws. Not only that, the most recognizable thing about this monster is this tail. One, two, three, four,...nine tails in total, and suddenly, Stiles knows exactly what it is: It is a nine-tailed fox—a Kitsune!

Of course, he knows what it is! After hours upon hours of restlessly doing tons of research on the werewolves, Kanima, and other monsters that bump into the night, he stumbles upon it—a Kitsune. Stiles might not know much about this creature, but he knows enough to know that a Kitsune is a vicious predator with extremely high intelligence combined with an enormous amount of magic that increases with age and wisdom. And in all the folklore Stiles has been reading, a Kitsune for sure is a fucking trickster! Damn it, he was tricked! By the trickster of the monster world! "May you live in interesting times" they said. Well, if "interesting time" means that he will meet and be tricked by this extremely dangerous creature, then thanks, but no thanks! 

At this very moment, Stiles seriously wants to question his life about whether he is lucky or cursed! Because...what the actual fuck? How can there be a Kitsune trapped inside a jar under a root cellar on Beacon Hill, California? A Kitsune is not even an indigenous American mythological creature. Its origins are in Japan and China, for fuck's sake! What the hell is it doing here? 

Looking at the Kitsune standing in front of him, Stiles's mind is running wild with a million thoughts and questions in a second, but all of that doesn't matter now, because with only one look in the eyes of the Kitsune, Stiles can see its ferocious hunger to swallow him whole, and it will tear everything to shreds if something gets on its way to get a bite at him. And right at this moment, Stiles knows he doesn't have much time to waste. 

Before Stiles's eyes, with its speed so fast that it becomes a blur of black, the Kitsune jumps towards Stiles with so much force and ferocious intentions. Immediately acting on his instincts, Stiles creates a luminous barrier between himself and the Kitsune, causing the Kitsune to bounce back with equal force. Stiles might have sympathy for any other animals in this kind of situation, but this Kitsune won't have any of his sympathies. He's not that stupid or that naive, alright? Kitsune has a very clear intention to eat him alive, so yeah, get that son of a bitch! 

Stiles doesn't wait for the Kitsune to make another move; he wills his barrier to shelter him like a dome to protect him from all directions, which quickly becomes very handy as the Kitsune now makes several attacks in a very short amount of time from many different angles with the speed so fast that Stiles's mind can even compromise to process. Everything now just becomes a blur of action where there is a black streak coming at him only to be bounced back by his barrier and then coming at him again and being bounced again, over and over...

Every time the barrier is attacked, it glows with a beautiful fluorescent blue like hellfire being brought to the earth, making it a sight to behold. Yet, that doesn't make Stiles feel better in any damn sense! Because every time the beast attacks, the barrier will glow, and Stiles will cry out in pain as he feels like his head is repeatedly being stabbed by a very sharp knife. The pain is excruciating, but his stubbornness conquers it. He somehow manages to stand his ground against the Kitsune, making the beast completely frustrated, and now the beast is extremely angry. Oh no, the Kitsune's not only angry. It's furious! Its blood is boiling with anger. How can a mere tiny, useless human go against it like that?

Stiles doesn't need to be a psychic to feel its wrath. But he does not care! The longer he can maintain the dome, the better chance Stiles will survive, right? And you see, Stiles is nothing but a stubborn son of a bitch. The Kitsune hates his gut. Great! The feeling is mutual, so it keeps going, you beast. We will see who comes out on top in this battle, shall we? 

While keeping the dome protecting him against the Kitsune, who is still striking fast at him, Stiles has an opportunity to look around his surroundings. Stiles notices that he and the Kitsune are currently having a battle in a very spotless white room. Except for him and the Kitsune, the only thing currently in this room is a very strange, big stump in the center of the room. 

Shifting his focus back on the Kitsune, despite doing a great job of standing his ground against the Kitsune, looking at the dome he creates all by himself with only his will alone, Stiles wonders if this will last any longer. The pain Stiles gets every time the Kitsune slams its body against the barrier is getting worse. Stiles can feel that there is blood bleeding out from his nose, and then, not long after that, he feels there is also blood bleeding out from his eyes. Not for long, Stiles soon comes to the realization that maintaining the dome is very taxing to his body, and adding the pain caused by every time the Kitsune slams its claws against his dome, maintaining the dome becomes harder and harder with each second pass. At first, Stiles can create and maintain a 4-meter-radius fire dome sheltering himself, but soon he has to reduce it until he has to face the Kitsune standing right in front of his eyes with only 2 meters between them. 

 - Oh...Stiles... You know you can't keep up like this. Why don't you give up? I promise I will give you a quick and painless death.

Stiles knows the Kitsune is taunting him; it wants to make him lose his focus so that he will drop his barrier. But being tricked once is already enough; he will kill himself with his own hands if he ever lets himself trust that fox again. "Never trust the fox" - Stiles says to himself. Stiles decides right there and then that either the Kitsune tears through his dome to tear him to shreds or he will die because of exhaustion, and there will be no way in between. At this very close distance between them, Stiles looks straight at the Kitsune without a single drop of fear while seeing the maniac gleam in its eyes. Stiles says:

 - Well...I can do it all day! 

And that successfully makes the Kitsune become even more furious than it was a second ago. It starts striking at him even faster this time, and Stiles knows, deep inside his heart, that if the dome breaks, the beast will tear him to pieces and kill him in the worst way and as painfully as possible. And isn't that hilarious? He—a mere tiny scrawny human 17-year-old boy—goes against a very powerful beast that he believes can tear the werewolves and kanimas to pieces with ease and is still able to stand his ground for so long. "Hah! Derek, look at me now. I dare you to tell me I'm just a mere human" - Stiles says to himself. Having no intention to lose, Stiles once again keeps his mouth shut and pulls all of his wills together to strengthen his dome even more. 

Seeing the answers in Stiles's eyes and sensing the dome being reinforced, the Kitsune lets out an intense growl, showing off its rage, and then continues to slam its body against the barrier with more force. Causing Stiles's nose and eyes to bleed more. The longer the Kitsune slams against the barrier, the more Stiles bleeds and the more painful he gets. Due to the unbearable pain, Stiles is no longer able to stand straight to face his enemy; he drops down on his knees while still keeping his head held high. Breathing hard while being in agony, Stiles knows he's breathing in borrowed time...

2 meters...

1.5 meters...

1 meter...

When the dome now has a diameter of about 1 meter, the Kitsune stops slamming and dugs its claws into the dome instead while keeping its gaze combined the maniac glints directly at Stiles. Pushing more force on the claws, the Kitsune spares Stiles one last look and then tears off his dome! Instantly, the beat leaps forward with an open mouth full of fangs...

Chapter Text

I have so much fun writing this chapter while listening to this song. Hope you enjoy it as well.

"This is it. This is how I'm gonna die..." - Stiles says to himself. 

This is everything that Stiles had ever imagined, just like those rom-com movies that Stiles had seen... Everything around Stiles blurs in action; everything Stiles sees, feels, or senses slows down in front of him. The world is like an old, blurred picture that no one can see through. It feels like something or someone with power beyond the human realm has stretched a second to billions before your eyes for you to have all the time in the world to think, to feel, to remember everything you've done, every mistake you've made, and everyone you've ever loved... And then, you can brave your soul to the death that comes and guides you on the road to the afterlife...

Stiles knows what's gonna happen, what will happen, and how it's gonna end... Given the fact that in the very next moment, he will leave this realm to walk the path of the dead and then join his mom on the other side. Thus, he gladly takes the offering of the universe and takes all the time he can get to think about everything and everyone.

He thinks about his mom first. Claudia Stillinki was a unique woman and a wonderful mom. A mother that everyone can ever dream of. Stiles still remembers all the bedtime stories that his mom used to tell him before he went to sleep. Her voice, her sparkling eyes, her dazzling smiles, her laughs, and her kisses on his forehead to wish him goodnight and to tell him that she loved him so much and much, much more... Stiles still remembers the memories of those summers when his mom asked him to help with gardening, to collect fruits and vegetables, and then use them to make dinners for him and his dad. Those last few years Stiles had with his mom were not easy. Her disease, frontotemporal dementia, might have put some strain on their relationship, but it didn't affect his love for her. There are so many memories of her that Stiles still remembers to this day; those memories are treasures to him. He will keep it all close to his heart. So that, by any chance, in another lifetime, he could be her son again...

And then Stiles takes time to remember his dad... Raising a kid is not easy; raising a kid while being a single father is even harder, and to be a single father raising an ADHD kid is a hell of work! Stiles is not an easy kid to raise; he is a hyperactive child with too much energy and millions and billions of questions about how and why. Stiles always has an enthusiasm for knowledge and a desire to know anything and everything. He knows having him as a son is a lot for a single father, but his dad raises him well. His dad is Stiles's moral compass; his dad successfully guides him on the right path so that his hunger for knowledge can be useful and not harm other people. Oh, Stiles knows he can become a terrific criminal, okay? But, thanks to his dad, Stiles has no desire to become a criminal but will love to join law enforcement and will enjoy every minute of it when he nails criminals to the bar. There might be a few drinking problems after his mother passes away, but that's alright. People mourn their loved ones in different ways. His dad's drinking habit to mourn the loss of his wife might not be the best way, but after seeing how it affected his only child and with the help of Melissa, his dad has successfully stopped his drinking and barely touches anything with alcohol in it afterward.

And Stiles thinks about Melissa—God bless that woman. She might not be his mom, and she never will be. But after his mom passes away, Melissa steps up to fill the hole and becomes a mother figure to him and Scott. She stopped John's drinking problems when she saw how they affected Stiles. She cleans the house, cooks for them, and holds him in the night while he cries for his mom when the memories of his mom are too much for him to handle. She picked up the pieces and put them back together after he fell out. Stiles will always love her as his second mom.

And then there is Scott—his brother by all means, but not by blood. They have known each other for so long. Stiles and Scott have become an item, a package deal, the beans in the pod since they were only 4 years old. They promised each other to stand by them through thick and thin. Sadly, that promise has been forgotten lately from Scott's side. Stiles has no idea when it happened. When did they fall out of each other's lives so much that Scott doesn't even notice he's missing? Where is Scott now when Stiles is about to receive a goodbye kiss from Death to get ready for the afterlife? The thing is: After all of that, Stiles still misses his brother, his best friend...

After that, Stiles thinks about Lydia, the goddess of his life. When your threat of life is about to be cut short like this, Stiles thinks he may not love Lydia as much as he thought he did. He used to have a 10-year plan to make her fall in love with him, for fuck's sake! But right at this moment, when he really thinks about that, Stiles knows he just loves an ideal of her, and that is just so wrong. Lydia is her own person, and Stiles should have respected her choice after she said no. However, Stiles knows she is smart! So smart! Behind the facade of the queen bee in the school, Lydia is actually a genius! She is the only person in school who can keep up with him on the path to becoming the valedictorian. So if given another chance, Stiles really would love to be called her best friend and not her boyfriend.

After taking all the time to think, to remember, and to relive all the memories of all the people he had, has, and will always love, Stiles finally notices something isn't right. Stiles means... There's no rushing, okay? And Stiles is so thankful that the universe has given him the chance to remember all the good memories. But... is it a little...too long? Then Stiles realizes: this is not the universe giving him a chance to remember his life, but there is something truly happening right now. Stiles doesn't know who or what does it, but it must be something or someone clearly with enormous power! So powerful that it can stop him and the Kitsune right on its track of swallowing him whole. 

Stiles is unable to move even a finger except for moving his eyes back and forth, left and right. Not even a twitch, which is very frustrating to a person with ADHD like him. However, if someone or something can stop both him and the Kitsune from moving, can they at least move the giant mouth full of huge fangs to other places out of his sight? It is really disturbing right now. Stiles has no desire to be reminded of how painful his death will be if these fangs can take a bite of his scrawny little ass. Maybe other angles? Just a little bit to the left? So that those fangs won't maim at his head anymore? Seeing your head maimed by a giant mouth full of fangs belonging to a monster that aims to tear your body to pieces is definitely not his definition of fun! No! Not at all!

Maybe Stiles has wished his wishes to the Genie—no, scratch that—the Genie isn't real! The Djinn are real, and they are scary as hell. Anyway, Stiles's wish has been granted! Right in front of his eyes, there are hundreds of glowing tree roots crawling up to the Kitsune and then beginning to wrap the Kitsune up layer upon layer while strangling it. Needless to say, Stiles is super satisfied to see that the Kitsune now fears for its life. However, the satisfaction of seeing the Kitsune being strangled while sensing its fear thickening in the air is soon shot down by the realization that not only the Kitsune but also Stiles are being wrapped up as well.  WHAT THE HELL? Stiles has a lot of kinks, but bondage definitely is not one of them! Not now, not 10 years from now, and maybe not ever! Hence, Mr. Tree Roots, can you please get off me?

Unable to move even a finger or make a twitch, Stiles hopelessly watches the glowing tree roots wrap both him and the Kitsune up. Having a very bad feeling about this, Stiles knows he has to do something. Hence, he tries to call for this spark for his flame but soon finds out that it's a lost cause as there is no response from his spark. Failing at the only solution to help him get out of this current situation, Stiles realizes he has exhausted all of his solutions. Seeing that the glowing tree roots are now crawling on his neck, Stiles finally comes to accept that this is his final moment; he finally gives up. If this is how he's gonna die, then so will it be. 

When all of his body and the Kitsune's body are wrapped up and covered up by hundreds of glowing tree roots, the next thing Stiles knows and feels is...pain.

Stiles screams...

...scream...

..........scream............

and... screaming.........................

The pain he's feeling is unbearable; it's too much for a human to handle. The kind of pain that makes you question everything in your life and then want to die in the very next second for the pain to stop. It's just intolerable... Stiles feels like his whole body is on fire; it feels like every cell of his body is being burned to ashes by Hellfire from the inside out. It feels like something rips out his soul and then tears it to pieces; like he is struck by thunders that have thousands of volts aiming to destroy him until there's nothing left but dust.

The only thing that helps Stiles stay conscious through all the agony is the fact that Kitsune is also in as much pain as he is, if not worse! The beast is screaming along with him so loudly with an inhuman shriek infused with power, making everything around Stiles shake like there is an earthquake. Stiles also notices that the condensed fox-shaped Kitsune is beginning to crumble like dust being blown out of existence. At first, there are a few streaks of black smoke leaking from its body, and then, with ten times and twenty times the amounts, the black smoke starts to leak out more and more and soon disappears into thin air, leaving nothing behind. The more time passes, the more black smoke leaks out of Kitsune's body, and the more painful it sounds.

Despite suffering the worst pain ever, Stiles somehow has a feeling that he'll survive! Whatever these glowing tree roots are doing, it has no means to do him harm. It causes him so much agony, but it's the price that he has to pay in order to gain something that the glowing tree roots want him to have. The same thing cannot be said for the Kitsune, though.

The Kitsune has to sense and notice the intention of these glowing tree roots; it starts to struggle so hard to escape with so many failed attempts, but in the end, it's a lost cause. Meanwhile, the glowing tree roots, after sensing what the Kitsune is doing, are putting much more force and power into strangling the Kitsune to death. Being a little shit, Stiles absolutely enjoys every minute of it.

But his life has never been easy! Hence, just before Stiles can have the last laugh and kiss goodbye to his foe, the Kitsune explodes, creating a wave of black smoke and darkness to knock Stiles out of his position while destroying everything around him. Right in front of his eyes, just before falling unconscious, everything around Stiles shatters into pieces, including the glowing tree roots, the stumps where the roots must come from, and the white room, while he feels something snap into place. It is like there is a bond tugged into his heart, then connects him with something definitely inhuman...

Afterward, everything is all black..

Chapter Text

For me, Stiles is always a warrior, a soldier who keeps on marching on to battles to protect his loved one.

And I found this song of Fleurie fits him perfectly.

When the lands were still rich and the world was still full of wonders. When humans still worshiped the Old Gods and when tales of creatures that pumped into the night were still dispersed generations after generations... those good old days since it was chosen to be a sacred place for humans to reach out to the Old Gods above and below by performing rituals. Those days were still imprinted on its life circles. It has been a long time since it didn't have to hide itself from whoever sought it out with ill intentions, to protect itself from whoever meant harm. It was cut down, and its magic was being meddled by darkness because the former Guardians had failed to protect it. The Native Americans and the Hales had failed to protect the land as well. But tonight, everything will change! Because the Nemeton has chosen the new perfect Guardian for itself.

Suddenly, the preserve shakes itself awake from a very long sleep...

Hanging low above the sky, Mother Moon sings her eternity lullabies to children who walk the path of the moonlight shining through the canopy of the trees. The wind begins to whisper tales of the old gods that have long been forgotten. Unfinished wishes are being cried by ghosts stuck in the human realm to those who are capable or incapable of listening. The air thickens with magic while thunder sings loudly in the sky. The forest hums the orchestra of creatures used to roam the earth. For sending their welcome to the new Guardian of the Nemeton!

Underneath the Nemeton, inside the root cellar, there was a boy lying motionless on the ground, tangled and wrapped up by glowing tree roots. The boy was brutally beaten; bruises are all over his body; blood is leaking out of stabbed wounds; and he might as well die soon if it isn't because of those glowing tree roots that are healing him from the inside out.

Slowly...

Slowly...

...And slowly...

...broken bones are no longer broken; stabbed wounds are knitting themselves together, leaving faint pink scars on the boy's body; and blood is no longer leaking out. Aside from still having bruises all over his body and clothes that are shredded and still soaking in blood, the boy is now completely healed.

Sensing the boy is no longer near the brink of death, the glowing tree roots begin to unwrap themselves from the boy. Just the moment the boy is finally completely free of the glowing tree roots, he opens his eyes.

The eye itself is a sight to behold; if Stiles looks in the mirror now, he will surely notice that his eyes are glowing beautifully with the color of a bright, brilliant electric fluorescent blue! And unlike the blue color of the Beta Werewolves, Stiles's eyes are shining inside out like a representation of the color of lightning, of electric sparks, of the hottest flame... It shines with the intensity of warriors readying themselves for war while radiating a tremendous amount of magic containing 152 pounds of flesh and bones from Stiles's body!

Startled, as soon as he awakes, the electric fluorescent blue in Stiles's eyes begins to dim out. Immediately on his feet, Stiles soon finds out that his body feels like shit! Everything hurts like hell, and it's sore everywhere. But compared with the killing pain he felt earlier, Stiles finds this kind of pain bearable; this kind of pain he can handle. 

Taking a moment to gather himself, Stiles finally realizes that he's no longer on the brink of death. No leaking blood, no stabbed wounds, and no broken bones—Stiles assumes? He isn't a doctor, but he doesn't feel like he has any broken bones; he guesses so. Stiles has no idea, but he sure as hell won't complain. No, thank you! There are still bruises all over his body and a lot of faint pink scars where the stabbed wounds used to be, but besides that, he is now completely healed. How in the world is this even possible? What miracle has happened to him? Stiles's pretty sure that he's supposed to be dead by now with that much injury; he spent too many times in the hospital to know, but still, here he is alive and breathing. But that doesn't matter; right now, Stiles has something more urgent to deal with: Where the hell is the Kitsune?

Glancing around, Stiles can't find any sign of the Kitsune, like...at all. Nope, nothing! Where the hell is it? Where had it gone? Where...

 - Miss me, Stiles?

And just like that, Stiles is being bombarded with tons of information and knowledge, making his head hurt so fucking much! Oh my god! Really? Why does it always pain? Tonight Stiles has been through many pains, but this? This is the worst headache ever! Dropping down on his knees and tucking his hands in his hair, he was unable to do anything but brave himself while suffering the pain. After a while, the headache finally stops as no further information dumps into his brain, leaving Stiles lying on the ground while breathing hard like a fish out of water. He has to take a long moment to gather himself after processing a little piece of information he just received. Sitting up is useless, so he's just going to lie on the ground, by the way. Stiles exhales a long breath and chokes out a victorious chuckle.

 - So now you're stuck with me, huh? You didn't see that coming, did you?

 - My...my... Arrogance and ignorance will get you nowhere, Stiles. If it weren't for the Nemeton, your delicious soul has been mine to eat already! And then... imagine what I could possibly have done if I wore your skin?

That thought sends chills down Stiles's bones. What possibly could the Kitsune have done if it wore his skin? It could... no! Stop that! No fucking way he drowns himself in those thoughts because...he...he just doesn't know he can crawl back from that. Absolutely not! Stiles won't let the Kitsune go under his skin like this. What is done is done, and right now, he's still Stiles, and the Kitsune is stuck with him for eternity! Wait...being stuck with a nine-tailed beast might not be a good idea...But it doesn't matter; he won! And he will live! That's what truly matters now. And there is also a bright side to it because right now, their souls—his soul and Kitsune's soul—are bonded to each other. Meaning that the Kitsune will never be able to harm him again, or else it will die along with him. Every pain he feels, Kitsune feels it too, and vice versa. Meaning that if the Kitsune wants to live, it has to try its very best to keep his scrawny ass intact and not be maimed by some stupid werewolves or any other creatures out there. 

Another nice thing about being bonded with a Kitsune that Stiles now has is its memories and knowledge! Yes! The information and knowledge Stiles received earlier belonged to the Kitsune. 1000 years of memories and knowledge of the Kitsune now belong to him. And although he can only process a small part of the Kitsune's 1000 years of memories, Stiles now has the answer to what just happened earlier. They just fought in his mind. Yeah! His fucking mind! The Kitsune couldn't have chosen a better battlefield. Because the only thing Stiles can say that he's proud of is his mind, and you see what just happened, right? He won! He fought against a 1000-year-old powerful Kitsune in his mind and won! Still doesn't know much about the supernatural world, but Stiles thinks it's a great feast, right? 

 - Yes, Stiles. It is a great feast. Not everyone can say that they go against me and live to tell the tale. Now stop thinking and let me rest you little shit! — The Kitsune speaks inside his mind. Oh yeah, they can talk telepathically in his mind without either of them needing to speak out the words. Which is awesome! 

 - Nope! Never! You mister, just tried to eat my soul and then wore my skin to do some very bad thing, so yeah, you have no place to stop me from talking about my victory! 

Oh yes, the Kitsune tricked him and then tried to eat his soul so that it could use his body as a vessel to do something. Stiles doesn't know what those things are because the Kitsune shields those memories very well; he has no idea, but knowing the Kitsune, Stiles's pretty sure that there will be lots of killing involved and it will be...very messy. But thank God, it hasn't happened. Why? Because there is something much more powerful than Kitsue that has interfered and put a stop to it. Something that resides in this realm but also beyond this realm, something that used to hold an immense power that could rival almost everything but now has been greatly affected and meddled by dark intentions, something that has chosen him to be its new Guardian—the Nemeton!  

Yup, that's correct! Stiles suddenly has a new title; besides being a Sheriff's kid, he now becomes a new Guardian of the Nemeton of Beacon Hill—the center of the whole perverse that's leaking out power after being meddled by dark intentions—and now turns into a beacon to the supernatural creatures out there. Stiles doesn't know how or why, but he is now, and it makes him question: Why him? Stiles means: Why choose him but not someone else? Stiles knows he's awesome, but let's be honest: except for his sarcasm, his wits, and his intelligence, Stiles is nothing but a human with flesh and bones. Wait...maybe he's not as human as he thinks because...apparently, apparently is a keyword: he has magic! And not the pull-a-card-trick kind of magic, but real-life magic. Like druids, mages, enchanters or enchantresses, alchemists, sorcerers or sorceresses—types of magic! And if Deaton is true to his words: he was born with this power. 

Stiles knows he wasn't dreaming earlier. When in a dire situation where he's almost died, he calls out to his spark, fuels it with all of his willpower and intentions, and turns the spark into flame and then into an inferno. An inferno burns so hot with a beautiful fluorescent blue that it looks like it's brought here on earth from hell. An inferno that helped him destroy his enemies and burn two guys to the ground, which Stiles will not think about at this moment; he knows it's self-defense, but he still took two lives, and that...nope! He's not going to think about this now. Anyway, Stiles now knows that by having magic inside his veins, he thinks he is not 100% human, right? Maybe that's why the Nemeton chose him? 

Unbeknownst to Stiles, by bleeding out on the Nemeton and using his magic to kill two people, Stiles has inadvertently sacrificed himself and the goons to the Nemeton. Sacrifice comes in many forms, but blood and life sacrifices are the most powerful ones, and needless to say, Stiles sacrificed both of them at the same time as he bled out a lot of blood on the Nemeton and gave two lives for it. Not to mention that, by almost dying, lots of Stiles's life force was given to the land too. Thus, when sacrifices are offered, the Nemeton, of course, will take them, and it found a boy who has run with the wolves and is trying his very best to protect the land, the people, and the town from ill intentions. Taking a very close look at the boy and defining Stiles as worthy, the Nemeton decides to choose him as its new Guardian.

By making Stiles its new guardian, the Nemeton has to perform a ritual to bind Stiles's soul, body, and mind to it. The body part is the easiest because of, well, the bleeding. The mind is not too hard either because Stiles called out for help, and the Nemeton responded. The hard part of the binding ritual is his soul, and that's because the Kitsune had blocked Stiles's soul out of his body so that the beast could eat his soul without being interfered with. But too bad, it didn't work out the way Kitsune wanted it to. The Nemeton somehow found a way to connect with his soul through his mind and his body, and then... BANG! Glowing tree roots!

The binding ritual is not an easy ritual as it is extremely painful; not everyone can handle this kind of pain. Things are...the pain was also the last trial of Nemeton for its Guardians. If you can handle the pain, then congratulations! You will become the new Guardian of the Nemeton—one of the few most powerful magical beings in the human realm. You could access all the power and magic contained inside the Nemeton at your will. But if you cannot handle the pain and fail the last trial, then... you'll be dead! End of the story. Thankfully, although Stiles had to suffer the most extreme pain that Stiles couldn't even fathom, he passed the trial and became the new Guardian of the Nemeton. But there is still one problem left: the Kitsune.

The Nemeton had intended to destroy the Kitsune—basically, it was called the Nogitsune—the Dark Nine-Tailed Fox-Spirit that feeds on chaos and destruction, on sorrows and pains, on violence and strife—in the process of making Stiles its Guardian, but did not succeed. The Nogitsune is a super-intelligent creature, so it knew what was going on and wouldn't come out alive in the battle with the Nemeton. The jar that contained the Nogitsune was not only the prison that could weaken it through time and also trap it inside, but at the same time, the jar acted as a barrier to protect the Nogitsune from the Nemeton as well. Despite greatly betraying it, the person who trapped it inside the jar still didn't want the Nemeton to eat it alive. 

Therefore, knowing that it couldn't win against the Nemeton, the Nogitsune decided to do the only thing that could possibly save its life: Bind its soul to Stiles's! The pact that the Nogitsune used to bind its soul with Stiles's was a very ancient one, the one that is unbreakable. The one that could link two souls together so that they would share their life forces with one another. Meaning that when the bond is in place, his life and Stiles's life will be entangled, and if the Nemeton kills it, Stiles will die along with it. Because the Kitsune knew the Nemeton wanted Stiles to become its new Guardian, the Nemeton would want Stiles to be alive. So, of course, despite wanting to get rid of the Kitsune, because Stiles's life is now at stake, the Nemeton is unable to do anything but spare the Nogitsune's life in order to save its new Guardian. Hence, here they are: alive and breathing. 

Despite knowing nearly nothing about what happened, Stiles decides that he doesn't care anymore. This night is just a little too long, and in only one night, he has been hurting beyond imagination, nearly died, and then found out that he, in fact, has magic. Not only that, he fought against a 1000-year-old dark creature and won, having his soul connect with not one but two sentimental beings: the Kitsune and the Nemeton. Which allows him to access the 1000 years of knowledge of the Kitsune and the well containing an immense amount of power belonging to the Nemeton. What a night! Right? So yeah, Stiles doesn't give a shit about what happened; he just cares about the fact that he is alive now and his dad won't lose his only son. That's all he cares about. 

Standing up, taking a deep break to let all of that information finally sink in. Stiles speaks:

 - Well well, you're stuck with me now! So...Nogits, why don't you roll over and play nice, huh? I may rub your belly after all.

Stiles can feel the annoyance and frustration of the Nogitsune in his head through the bond. Oh, it's so much fun! Stiles is going to enjoy every minute of it. Hey, what can he say? Not everyone has a chance to annoy your enemy to death without consequences, right?

 - Fine! You're right; we are now stuck together. So I will politely point out to you that Nogitsune is the name of my kind and not my name. You may call me Itachi. And I will call you Stiles, as you prefer. 

Taken back by how polite the Nogitsune—Itachi—sounds, despite absolutely wanting to be petty about it, Stiles has to say that Itachi does have a point. Itachi and Stiles are certainly stuck together. It's suck! There is no excitement when your soul is being bonded to the creature that tried to eat you alive not long ago. It's frustrated Stiles to no end. But...what can he do? What is done is done, and he knows there is no turning back from this. Thus, there is no point in making a fuss about it, right? Being bonded to a 1000-year-old dark creature? Great! It's no big deal; he can live with that. Besides, he is an expert at rolling with everything that life throws at him and still coming out on top of it. Hence, here he is, making a truce with his enemy.

 - Alright, both you and I know that there is no turning from this, and honestly, I'm tired of fighting already. So...how about a truce? 

A long time has passed without a response from Itachi, making Stiles think that maybe he's being too naive by offering a truce with the Kitsune. He knows he said that he would will himself with his own hands if he'd ever trust the Kitsune again, but...life just works out in an expected way, and things change now. They're both now stuck together, and by having their life forces entangled with each other, Stiles knows he has a safety lock to prevent both of them from betraying or harming each other in any way. Thus, Stiles hopes that they can work together or at least come to have a mutual understanding and not be enemies. Because, let's face it, having your enemies living inside your head will be the worst experience ever! But thankfully, the Nogitsune accepts his truce:

 - As you wish, Stiles...

Itachi goes silent after that, and Stiles finds it's fine because, to be honest, he doesn't want to talk either. He can feel the tiredness of Itachi through their bond, so maybe the binding ritual and the pact took up a lot of Itachi's magic. And Gods, Stiles is also exhausted; he feels so tired and horrible. Everything hurts everywhere; he doesn't even know where to begin to describe it. He just wants to lie down, to rest, to take a nap, and to sleep until the end of the world. But that's just a wish, and wishes don't become real. He still has a lot of things to do, so yeah...there is no rest for the wicked. Thus, Stiles stands up—God, laying down is really a wonderful option, but no, I can't do it—and then drags himself out of the root cellar to head out of the preserve...

Chapter Text

Lydia was restless...

Despite others' opinions about her, Lydia knows she is a genius. All the facades she shows in school are just the armor she wears to protect herself from the outside world. The queen bee, the dumb girl with the high fashion sense and the highest chain in the popularity of the school's society, is just a show for those incapable of seeing through the mask. People see things they want to see and assume things they want to assume, and Lydia lets them be while she manipulates the shit out of them. She knows it's not healthy, but she likes it this way because...you cannot be hurt if no one knows who you really are...right?

But there are still a few people who see Lydia for what she truly is.

The first person is Stiles, who is a little shit and just doesn't take no for the answers, which makes her extremely annoyed. Even though she has been ingnoring him for 95% of the time and although they have never been friends, Lydia still feels a little comforted knowing that Stiles sees through her mask to notice her intelligence all along. Not to mention that he's the only one in school who can keep up with her on the path to becoming valedictorian. And trust her words on this: The valedictorian will be her in the end.

The next is Danny. Oh, sweet Danny, who is always a ray of sunshine radiating with love behind every smile. Everyone in school loves Danny. Danny is just so good by nature that it's actually his characteristic. So there is no surprise when Danny really sees and understands Lydia. They have been friends for as long as she can remember. Lydia hates it when people stereotype her choice of friends when Danny is her best friend, but she has to admit that having a gay best friend who always stands by your side until the end of the world is the best feeling ever. And it'll be just adding more little peaks when Danny's also a genius in computers and everything involved combined with the killing sense of fashion. God, she just loves him very much. 

And then there'll be Allison... Allison is a special case. They have not been friends for too long, but somehow they clicked. Friendship needs to manifest with nurture, care, and understanding over time. The friendship between her and Allison is special; in such a short amount of time, they have become really good friends. Allison is a good person with a kind heart and the determination to fight for her loved one. But Lydia also acknowledges that Allison is struggling to find the right path to achieve what she truly wants and needs. But that's alright; Lydia will be there for her when she loses her way, and Lydia has faith in Allison that she will do it for Lydia as well.

The last but not least, Jackson! To most people, Jackson is a spoiled brat who cares about nothing but himself and is interested in nothing but fame and his status in the school's popularity. People might say that she and Jackson only stay together to maintain the school's chain of fame. Most of what they said is true. Lydia won't be those girls who were arrogant and ignorant of the fact that Jackson has been acting like a brat! Lydia knows all of that; she acknowledged that a long time ago, but there is more between them...

The thing is, they truly love each other for who they truly are. Their relationship is more than what people say, and Jackson is more than what people think he is.

Jackson has been insecure about everything for most of his life. Since he found out that he had been adopted, Jackson has become familiar with the insecurity that has eaten him inside out. The insecurity that he is not good enough for his biological parents to want him, not good enough for his adopted parents to be proud of him, not good enough for Lydia to want to be with him, not good enough to be the friend Danny wants to be friends with... To conceal those insecurities, Jackson acts like an ass so that no one can see through the mask. Despite the fact that those actions are super stupid, insecurity does not give you the right to treat other people like shit. But what can Lydia say? Jackson is a teenage boy, and teenagers do stupid things all the time. She just hopes that he will eventually overcome his insecurity and become the person he truly wants.  

You have to understand that there's more of Jackson in order for Danny to be friends with him, having been Jackson's best friend for all these years. Jackson has to have something that makes Lydia want to be with him for all these years as well. Because, for all the flaws, Lydia will always love him for the fact that Jackson treats Danny with respect and will be there for Danny no matter what. Lydia admires the way Jackson stood up for Danny and would beat the shit out of everyone if they dared to make fun of Danny when he came out. Meanwhile, Lydia herself scared the shit out of everyone for making fun of her best friend, of course. She still remembered the way Jackson gave Danny his shoulder to cry on after he first broke up with his first boyfriend. And Lydia will always love that Jackson remembers everything she loves and the way that, although he doesn't want to do something, he still follows her to the end.

Their relationship has been up and down, but Lydia still believes that they will find a way to come back together. But...it's impossible now, isn't it? Because Jackson is dead. There will be no us, no them, no ours... Because the other half will not be there with her anymore. Lydia knows she is cunning, demanding, manipulative, and resourceful. She is a strong girl, damn it! But even the strongest person can still break if the things they love are shredded from them. And right now, Lydia is breaking down in tears because Jackson is gone. She doesn't even know that heartbreak can be this painful. Lydia feels like she's drowning; she can't even breathe.

Adding more to Lydia's tiredness and making it even more disturbing is the unsettling feeling inside her guts. Something isn't right; something is definitely wrong here, and Lydia cannot find out what it is! It drives her insane!

Since being bitten by the monster in the Winter Balls—the mountain lion, her ass—Lydia doesn't know what the monster is, but she sure as hell knows it's not a mountain lion. She is not stupid to not recognize a mountain lion, and that beast was not a mountain lion. She's going to kill everyone if they tell her otherwise. Right now, Lydia might not have time, energy, or emotions to look for the answer, but she takes her words: She will find out what it is!

Anyway, after being bitten, Lydia begins to have dreams and visions—she truly does not know either or both—about the people who're dying and will die. Lydia doesn't know what happened to her, but she knows enough to realize that she has changed. Changing enough so she can hear their hopeless scream when their life force leaves their bodies, taste their death on her tongue, and hear whispers of ghosts being stuck in the human realm telling her about the death yet to come. Not to mention that she has been haunted for months by the ghost of a man named Peter Hale and then somehow brought him back to life! What a shitshow her life is now! The worst is that Lydia also has the urge to find those who are going to die and then scream for them from the top of her lungs when they die. And right at this moment, Lydia's having that urge!

Lydia does not know who is going to die tonight, but that person has to matter for her somehow. Because the urge to find this person and to scream for his or her death is too strong for her to handle. Lydia can literally feel the caress of Death brushing on her throat, forcing her to let the scream out, but somehow she forces them back. 

Between suffering the pain of losing the man she loved and the urge to scream for someone's death that's familiar to her, Lydia finally has enough! Fine! If she is being forced to look for the dead body of someone she might or might not know but has a feeling that this person matters to her in the middle of mourning for her loved one, then fuck it, she's gonna do it!

Dragging herself out of bed and putting her clothes on, Lydia doesn't even care to put makeup on before hitting the road and then driving to where the urge is leading her. It takes Lydia 15 minutes to notice that she's now heading to the Preserve of Beacon Hills. Thank God that she wears her running shoes instead of her heels. The closer she gets to the Preserve, the more intense the urge is, pushing Lydia to drive as fast as she can. After breaking all the laws about speed limits, Lydia finally stops in front of the Beacon Hills Preserve sign, which takes her nearly 40 minutes.

Leaving the car on the side road right in front of the Beacon Hills Preserve sign, following the urge that keeps becoming stronger and stronger from deep inside the Preserve, Lydia sighs, takes a deep breath, and begins to walk towards the wood.

Deeper...

Deeper...

And deeper into the preserve...

But suddenly, just like the urge inside Lydia's body appears out of nowhere, it dies out without a warning!

WHAT THE FUCK! 

Lydia is a genius, but at this very moment, she is just lost. Standing unmoved in the middle of nowhere in the Persevere while letting out all of the cursing words she knows running inside her head. After a while, Lydia manages to calm down enough to take a long, deep breath to center herself. Gathering herself for a moment, despite the fact that she doesn't have the urge to go somewhere anymore, Lydia is still smart enough to notice that the urge has to lead her somewhere and that "somewhere" is definitely nearby. Thus, Lydia begins to move forward to determently find that "somewhere", which is a very long walk, until she stops dead facing the pale, lanky, clumsy figure in front of her. Setting her eyes on the figure, Lydia speaks without noticing how shaky and breathless her voice is.

 - Oh, Stiles, I have wanted to scream for you...

Chapter Text

Showering under the pale moonlight, Stiles takes a deep breath and lets the smell of the rich land, of the forest after the rains, and of ozone linger in the air to center his mind. Taking a look at the Nemeton, Stiles can't help but admire the sight in front of him.

Sure, when it comes to magic, Stiles is definitely a newbie! Hell, he just discovered that he had an innate ability to perform magic a few hours ago. But, despite knowing nothing about magic, Stiles can still sense a tremendous amount of magic thickening in the air and taste the breathtaking power surrounding him leaking out of the Nemeton. Everything around Stiles is being infused and humming with magic, so much so that he can even taste it at the tip of his tongue. Adding to all of that is the sight of Nemeton. Oh, Holy Mother of God! The Nemeton is the most miraculous thing Stiles has ever witnessed in his entire life. 

For the mundane's eyes, the Nemeton is nothing but a giant, cut-down stump tree. But for any supernatural creatures, any spellcasters with even a tiny amount of magic, the Nemeton has a whole different sight. Right in front of his eyes, what Stiles is seeing is not a big, cut-down stump tree but a Nemeton that is glowing brilliantly while radiating a tremendous amount of magic that no one can resist tapping into. It is like a beautiful lighthouse standing fiercely under thunderstorms, with the light so bright that Stiles is scared he will be blinded at any moment admiring it. For a second, Stiles thinks he finally knows why the town is called Beacon Hill. Because, just by looking at the Nemeton now and seeing its magic leaking out from every root, the Nemeton now is like a beacon that every supernatural creature out there wants to take a bite of! 

Feeling the bond between him and the Nemeton while standing so close next to it, Stiles feels a sense of welcome, of home so greatly. If he has to be honest, the Nemeton feels like it's now a part of his family, like a long-lost close relative that has been lost and until now he has been able to find. With the bond, distance seems to have no meaning between them because he swears that he can feel the Nemeton even from his house. Feeling drawn to the Nemeton, Stiles cannot resist but takes a step forward until he can put a hand on it. The moment his fingers reach the surface of the Nemeton, Stiles has never felt more alive!

It feels like his soul has left his body to travel to a different dimension, to another realm, and maybe that's what it is—the astral realm! In this realm, Stiles feels like he's having all the time in the world to see, to hear, to know, and to feel everything in the world he wants without worrying about anything at all. Stiles can feel the connection between his body and his soul; he feels the presence of the Nogitsune looming around his body in the shape of black smoke that never stops swirling, while their bond is visible before his eyes. Stiles can feel his connection with the Nemeton as well, getting a sense that it bound and grounded him in the human realm, giving him an anchor to this land, to this ground, to this town, and to this universe. Stiles also notices that the presence of the Nemeton is present in two realms at the same time. He can feel the immense amount of magic contained in the Nemeton while in awe of the discovery that the Nemeton is anchoring at the cross point of two huge ley lines. Stiles can feel the awakening of the land after a long sleep and is even able to feel the humming of the forest to welcome him; feel the whispering in the wind. Stiles can feel everything.

Letting himself be in awe of the beauty of magic and nature, Stiles finally notices that there is darkness infused with very dark magic looming and meddling inside the Nemeton. In the old days when the Nemeton was at its prime, when it was still strong and healthy, this amount of dark magic and darkness would be nothing and soon to be neutralized after a while. But after being cut down and abandoned without any Guardians, the Nemeton couldn't do anything but hopelessly let the darkness and the dark magic rot it inside out. Which, of course, made Stiles feel extremely disturbing and unsettling. Stiles wants the darkness gone; he wants to get rid of this kind of dark magic, and he wants it done now!

Feeling Stiles's intentions, the Nemeton immediately reacts, as visions and knowledge of performing the cleansing ritual used to be performed by the former Guardians are sent to Stiles's mind through their bond instantly. Taking a deep breath to center himself for a second after being dumped with lots of new information, Stiles withdraws his hand off the Nemeton while processing all the things just sent to him by the Nemeton. After understanding what was just sent to Stiles, he immediately starts chanting.

Slowly at first, and then faster and faster...

Quiet at first, and then louder and louder...

Spreading his arms, Stiles reaches out for the magic inside his heart, lets it flow in his veins, and then out of his body. Opening his eyes, the magic shines through his pupils and then soon spreads all over the eyes. Auroras appears to be dancing, whirling, and twirling around his fingers while brilliantly glowing with the color of fluorescent electric blue. The louder Stiles chants the spells, the more magic Stiles pours out of his body, infused with all of his beliefs, and then wills it to reach for the darkness inside the Nemeton. Meanwhile, right at the moment Stiles starts chanting, the Nemeton seems to sing with excitement as it knows that its decision was correct as it has chosen the perfect Guardian to protect it from now on. Knowing what Stiles is doing and wants to achieve, the Nemeton instantly follows Stiles's lead and lends its magic—the part that hasn't yet been tainted—to him, making the cleaning ritual that Stiles is performing super overpowered, which can make every dark creature out there shudder in fear.

Slowly...

Slowly...

And slowly...

Stiles doesn't know how long he has been chanting, but after a while, Stiles finally successfully expelled all of the darkness out of the Nemeton. The darkness is now lingering around the Nemeton like a black mist surrounding something, which makes Stiles super irritated. Stiles just doesn't like it! Thus, he decides that if he can expel it, he sure as hell can burn it to nothing. Which is why now Stiles is willing to use all of his magic while also drawing some from the Nemeton to target the darkness. But right before he guides his magic to destroy the darkness, he hears Itachi's voice echoing inside his mind:

 - Stiles...can you leave it for me, please?

 - Huh...Why do you want this kind of...Oh! I see! Darkness infused with dark magic, you feed on them, right?—Stiles sends his thoughts through their bonds.

 - As astute as ever. I know I have chosen you for reasons. Well, yes. I feed on darkness and dark magic, on chaos and destruction, on sorrows and pains, on violence and strife... So, can you leave it for me, please?

Stiles knows what Itachi is and knows his nature, but knowing it and hearing it voiced out loud and clear in his head are completely two different things. Stiles feels his heart has missed a beat after hearing Itachi say it. But what can he do now? There is a dark creature that's living inside his head, and the nature of said creature is just like that. Stiles doesn't like it, but he also knows that what Itachi is, it's in his nature to eat those things, like wolves will hunt other animals and Stiles cannot fault Itachi for that; his "foods" are just...unusual. Stopping the chanting and pulling all of his magic back to his body while leaving the darkness infused with dark magic lingering above the Nemeton. Swallowing hard, Stiles finally says:

 - Here you are. Do whatever you want. It's all yours!

 - Thank you Stiles, you're really a good person.  

Doesn't even wait for Stiles's response; black smoke instantly pours out of his body, then condenses themselves together to form a black fox with a size that's slightly—or maybe more than slightly—bigger than the European red fox. Looking at the new shape of Itachi, Stiles notices that Itachi currently has only one tail. Landing four legs on the ground, right after appearing out of thin air, Itachi jumps forward into the darkness while opening its maw and swallowing it all!

Stiles swears that when Itachi opened its maw, it was way bigger than it should have been. Turning back while licking its mouth and now sitting on the surface of the Nemeton, Itachi looks at Stiles with its glowing, hazy white eyes:

 - Thank you for the meal, Stiles. It's certainly very delicious. Wanna have a taste sometime?

Declining to be intimidated by Itachi, Stiles looks at the fox and says with confidence:

 - Nah! I'm good with normal human foods. So no, thank you!

 - What a pity! Your loss, then...

 - So... what is it all about? Is this your form now or something? The last time I checked, your form was very different. 

 - Well, this is my glamoured form, or you can call it my beta form. Easier to blend between humanity, and less wasting magic to maintain on a daily basis. You saw my true form, Stiles. My Alpha's form is nine-tailed and way bigger...

Suddenly remembering how big the Nogitsune was when it was in his mind, Stiles swallows hard. Honestly, with a size that big, Itachi can easily tear every werewolf to pieces without sweating a bit. He still can't believe that he won fighting against that mighty beast. 

Deciding to pay Itachi no more attention, Stiles turns his attention to the Nemeton. After checking the Nemeton three times and being pretty sure that there is no more darkness, no dark magic, no dark spirits, no humpo dumpo, or anything else that can harm the Nemeton, its magic, or its balance, Stiles finally releases a long breath he didn't even know he's holding. Quite happy with what he has done, sensing the balance now returning to the Nemeton, Stiles smiles sincerely while feeling super proud of himself! Sensing Stiles's sincerity through their bonds, the Nemeton replies with a wave of fondness and gratitude. Knowing it's time to leave, Stiles says his goodbyes to the Nemeton and heads out to the preserve.

 - Uhm... I really have to go now, but I'll see you soon, alright? Yeah! Bye Neme!

After that, Stiles heads out of the preserve. The walk is very long, very slow, and very painful. It seems like his legs and his upper part are in a divorce or something; they just don't want to work together. Like, at all! Which made Stiles trip and stumble all the way out. He has magic, for fuck's sake. Why doesn't it help to cure his clumsiness? The worst thing is that Itachi is now trailing behind Stiles, and each time he trips and falls on his arse, Itachi will let out chuckles that earn it a dead glare sent by no one but Stiles himself. Absolutely unaffected by those glares from Stiles, Itachi is still jogging slowly and happily, Stiles might add, behind him. He doesn't know whether normal foxes are able to smirk or not. But sure as hell, Itachi is smirking right now. Damned it! He's really, really wanting to rip the smirk off Itachi's face.

Continuing on walking while constantly cursing about stupid Preserve, stupid werewolves, stupid Nogitsune, and especially stupid psychotic hunters, Stiles stops until he hears some noises ahead of him. Concentrating on his hearing, Stiles soon realizes that it's the walking noises. How in the world is there someone walking in the preserve at this late hour in this kind of weather? Stiles feels like he is freezing here, to be honest. Stopping for a moment while looking down at Itachi, Stiles asks through their bonds:

 - What do you think if I...you know...come forward?

 - If you ask me because you're worried about your well-being, then I think you should have known by now that you have enough power to take down anyone and anything that gets in your way. Also, let me spell it out for you and listen to me carefully: If you die, I will die too. And I definitely don't want to die since I just escaped my prison about hours ago. So if anyone or anything wants to kill you, I will rip them apart, limb from limb. You have my words. Therefore, regarding your question, go ahead!

Taken back by Itachi's surprisingly sincere and honest answer, if not a little too gruesome, Stiles suddenly realizes that Itachi is correct. He does have magic now! Despite being a little skeptical about being able to take down anything and anyone getting in his way, he is undoubtedly sure that his magic is powerful enough to protect him. On top of that, Stiles is not alone; he does have a thousand-year-old Dark Fox Spirit fighting by his side, so it has to count for something, right?

Taking a deep breath and reaching out to his magic to be ready for anything that can happen, Stiles slowly moves forward until he stands face to face with no one else but...the one and only—LYDIA!

Before Stiles can say anything, Lydia speaks first:

 - Oh, Stiles, I have wanted to scream for you! 

Confused by Lydia's statement, it takes Stiles a few seconds to process what she just said before he can speak again.

 - Why? What? No. I mean, why did you want me to scream for you? Are you okay? And by the way, what are you doing here?

 - What am I doing here? What the hell am I doing here? I don't fucking know, Stiles! I'm here because I had this fucking urge that led me here to look for someone who's going to die tonight. Which is you, by the way. How can it be you? I have no fucking clues. The urge just made me want to scream so badly. It's driving me insane, okay? So, you tell me! What the hell am I doing here?

Caught by surprise by Lydia's outburst, it takes Stiles a few moments to notice that Lydia is having a mental breakdown and is now sobbing on the ground. Rushing towards and kneeling in front of Lydia, holding her in his embrace, Stiles whispers:

 - Hey, hey, I'm sorry, okay? I'm so sorry, Lydia. I was a dick, and I'm truly sorry for that.

It takes Stiles at least 10 minutes to calm Lydia down enough to stop her from crying. Now, Stiles finally understands why people always say that tears are every woman's most powerful and manipulative weapon! God... Even though Stiles knows now that there won't be any romantic relationship between them, he still loves her in a very platonic way, and it's hurtful watching her cry like this.

Listening to Stiles's whispering attempt to calm her down and wiping tears off her cheeks, Lydia takes a moment to gather herself. Pulling out of Stiles's embrace and taking his offered hand to stand up, Lydia finally notices something really wrong with Stiles. Grabbing Stiles's shirt, Lydia asks:

 - Stiles! What is it? Is it blood? ...Oh...my...god! It is blood, isn't it? Tell me, what happened?

God, damn it! Stiles curses in his head. Naturally, Stiles wants to answer with a lie, but Lydia sees it first. Hence, she cuts him off before he can even speak.

 - Don't! Do not lie to me, Stiles. I am not an idiot. I know I wasn't bitten by a mountain lion. I know something is wrong with the Hales and the Argents. I know something weird is happening in this God's forsaken town! And I know this is blood. So spare me your lies and tell me: What happened?

Tonight seems like the night that Stiles will be more speechless than usual, which is super rare, by the way. Lydia's words shot right through his heart, making Stiles have to take a step back to look at Lydia.  Really, really, look at her! What Stiles is seeing right now is not the Lydia he has been seeing and acknowledging for the past 16 years. The Lydia Martin that he knows is not the one standing in front of him right at this very moment.

Lydia looks...horrible... She looks like a mess, and her eyes are so red. There's exhaustion visibly on her face combined with something Stiles can only call "feral" in her eyes. Her shoulders collapse, as if she were being burdened by the whole world. And she is so pale—too pale—that under the moonlight, she looks like a walking corpse.

Thinking back on what Lydia just said, Stiles realizes that if anyone deserves the truth, it is her! And for all he knows, Stiles thinks Lydia, just like him, might not be completely human after all. Besides, Stiles is really sick of lying. So... Keeping his gaze steady and looking straight at Lydia, Stiles speaks slowly but clearly:

 - Alright, Lydia. You are right! If anyone deserves the truth, it is you. But Lydia, I warn you. There is no turning back after I tell you everything. So...are you sure you want to hear the truth?

As brave as usual, taking a deep breath, Lydia keeps her head held high and her eyes steady on Stiles's face. She speaks:

 - Tell me everything...please.  

 - Okay! I will tell you everything, but before that, we need to get out of here! I need to come back to Allison's house, and I will tell you everything on the way there, okay?

Looking at Stiles with a confused look, Lydia asks:

 - Why do you need to come back to Allison's house? Why... - Seeing the look on Stiles's face that's saying "I have no time for this". Lydia stops herself - Fine! Let's go!

 - Yup! That's my girl; let's go! 

Chapter Text

And so they walk...

On the walk heading out of the preserve, Stiles begins to tell Lydia everything.

He tells her about the beginning of the story and how the feud between the Hales and the Argents started. He tells her about Hunters and Werewolves, about the Hales, and about the Hale's Fire. About how they were killed in their own home just because of who they were, even though they didn't do anything wrong. He tells her about Kate Argent, the name that Stiles spits out with so much hatred that Lydia has never seen before. He tells her about how Kate Argent seduced, raped, and manipulated one minor person of the Hales for information, then used all of that information to trap the Hales' pack, which had werewolves, humans, and children,...inside their own home, and then set it ablaze and burned them all to the ground.

 - That woman is the most disgusting human being ever! She doesn't even deserve to be called human. She is a psychotic, insane, maniac rapist manipulative murderer that I despise with all my guts! How on Earth that bitch wasn't being burned to death after so many crimes she has committed? I just can't. Thankfully, she's dead. Six feet under the ground! May Hellfire burn her for eternity! - Stiles spits out!

Feeling his magic react to his anger, which is now ready to lash out at everything, Stiles has to take a deep breath to calm himself down and ease his magic. Sensing his magic is now calm again, Stiles then tells Lydia about the three remaining Hales after the fire: Peter, Laura, and Derek.

 - Laura and Derek survived the fire only because they had a homecoming party that night and didn't stay in the house. I don't really know how Peter survived the fire, but he was badly injured with fourth-degree burns and went into a self-induced coma to heal. Peter watched his pack burn to death one by one. There were 10 adults, 4 teenagers, and 3 kids in the house that night, Lydia. I checked the police report, so I know. And all of them were burned to death right in front of Peter's eyes. For each of the people who died in that house, a piece of Peter's, Derek's, and Laura's died as well.

The more Stiles speaks, the paler Lydia becomes. He can see the horror in her eyes, but he can't stop now; there is still so much of the story to be told. Lydia needs to hear all of them so that she can have a big, clear picture of what's really happening in this forsaken town. So he just keeps speaking...

He explains to her about the pack bond and what happens when the pack bond breaks. As Derek used to say: losing a pack bond is like losing a limb. And that night, the three last surviving members of the Hales lost all of them! 17-pack bonds were broken at the same time. It changed people...

That's why Laura and Derek, scared for their lives and with the horrible pain of losing 17-pack bonds at the same time, packed everything they had and then left for New York and never looked back. Leaving Peter, their uncle, behind in Beacon Hill, where their pack had been slaughtered by hunters while suffering not only the pain of almost being burned to death but also the pain of 19 broken pack bonds in a coma for 6 years.

 - Lydia, you had to know the werewolf is a very tactile creature. They seek comfort in touching, hugging, and scenting... They seek comfort in their pack. A pack is a family for werewolves and even more. Werewolves hunt with a pack and fight with a pack. When Laura and Derek left for New York, they not only abandoned their uncle and their blood; they also abandoned a Beta, abandoned their packmate, and broke their pack bonds with Peter. I'm not saying this to blame Derek, but it is what it is. 

Stiles then tells Lydia about the pack hierarchy: Alpha, Beta, and Omega. He tells her that Laura inherited the Alpha's spark from her mother—the Alpha of Hale's pack—and became Alpha that night after her mom died.

 - I'm actually kind of surprised that Peter, after 6 years in a coma, was abandoned by his packmate and Alpha, suffering the pain of 18 broken pack bonds and high on the power of Alpha's spark after killing Laura, but still sane enough to only bite 2 people, which were you and Scott, by the way. What makes me even more surprised is that he only killed the people who were to blame for the fire that slaughtered his pack. However, biting you without asking your permission first was wrong. So yeah, you can totally blame Peter for that. Derek says that the bite is the gift, but maybe Peter wasn't sane enough to consider it before he bit you? Maybe... I don't know. You have to ask him...wait, he's already dead.

Seeing the grimace on Lydia's face, Stiles then tells Lydia the story of how Scott was bitten and the Romeo and Juliet love story of Scott and Allison. Stiles tells Lydia what happened at the Winter Balls.

 - That night was a mess. Long story short: you were bitten, I was kidnapped by a very insane Peter to track down Derek, only to find out that he was captured and tortured by a much more insane Kate Argent in his basement underneath his own house. Well, what's left of it, anyway. Then Peter ripped Kate Argent's throat out with his bare hand and was killed by Derek with the same method. Really, what is with the werewolves ripping someone's throat out? Did you know that Derek threatened to rip out my throat with his teeth once? Not fun, I'm telling you! Anyway, afterward, Derek became an Alpha. Oh, by the way, thank you for teaching me how to make Molotov cocktails, because I made two and then threw them at Peter and very much set him on fire to stop him. Wow... Thinking back, it was a very dick move of mine.

 - You guys are crazy - said Lydia breathlessly while looking at him astoundingly. She really means it. How in the world is all of that crazy shit happening around her, in her town, without her knowing anything? How is it even possible? It's just like the world she's living in is not the same as theirs. 

 - Yeah...yeah... I knew that. It keeps me awake at night!

Stiles wishes it was just a joke, but unfortunately, Stiles was awakened by nightmares after that night. Nightmares about the agonizing scream of Peter when Stiles set him on fire, about the blood spilled out of Kate Argen's body or Peter's body when their throats were ripped out, about the motionless corpses laid down on the ground... Stiles didn't tell anyone, but he thinks—no scratch that—he knows he has PTSD from that night.

Brushing off all of his conflicted emotions; he will deal with it later, or maybe never. Stiles then tells Lydia about how Derek bit Erica, Boyd, and Isaac after becoming an Alpha. About how Derek bit Vitoria while saving Scott's life after Victoria attempted to kill Scott with wolfbanes. After being bitten, Victoria killed herself because of some rubbish "hunter honor" which led to Allison's killing spree. And now Stiles can see Lydia shaking in disbelief when he tells her that Allison shot Erica and Boyd with arrows, captured them in the Argent's basement, and then let Gerard Argent electrocute them for fun.

 - That's why I need to come back to Allison's house. I need to save them, Lydia! I'm the only one who knows where they are and what's happening to them. They're waiting for me to rescue them. 

He doesn't look at Lydia, keeping his gaze on the trail with a grim face. Stiles says it with determination, and he means every single word. Stiles might not be very close to Erica and Boyd, but they go to the same school, they share the same class, they have lunch in the same cafeteria, and he knows of them. Despite Erica being kind of mean to him earlier and despite being worried about the Argents, Stiles will try his very best to rescue both of them. They deserve as much. 

 - And how do you know that they are there in the first place? Unless...

Narrowing her eyes, looking at his bruised face and his bloody, shredded Lacrosse shirt, the realization washes over her features, making Lyida's face paler under the moonlight.

 - Oh, God, you were there with them, weren't you? Stiles, tell me, did Gerard and Allison do this to you?

Damn it! He didn't mean to tell her about that! Stiles really does not want to talk about what happened between him and Gerard and his goons at all. If he talks about it, he will remember every pain he suffered in that basement and relive the near-dead experiences while bleeding out on the Nemeton. Nope! Not gonna happen! Therefore, he tells her the short version of it:

 - No, this is all on Gerard... Trust me, Lydia! Gerard is as bad as Kate Argent. So stay away from him as much as possible, okay? Uhm, I really don't want to go into details, so... Can we leave it?

Seeing how uncomfortable and shaking Stiles is, Lydia decides to have mercy on him and lets the matter drop...for now. One way or another, she will have all the details about what happened in that basement, and then we shall see. 

 - Okay... If you say so, but we will talk about it, Stiles! Because I felt your death, Stiles. And it's not fun!

 - Yeah...About that. What do you mean you felt my...death?"

 - It means that I felt your death, Stiles. I had a feeling that you were going to die tonight. There was an urge to come here to find you, to witness your death, and then to scream for you. I don't know what that even means. What happened to me, Stiles? 

Lydia really wants to cry right now. She is really at her limits; she just can't take it anymore. There are so many crazy things that are happening, and it seems like she's somehow involved in all of that supernatural bullshit, and that makes her want to break down right there and then. But she doesn't want to break down, okay! She is a strong girl, and she will become a strong woman one day. She knows crying won't solve anything, so she will not waste her tears, knowing that it's meaningless. No! That's not going to happen. Mark her words; she will find out exactly what that is, and she will solve it! 

 - I...honestly...don't know. Have you been like this before?

 - After the Winter Balls, after Peter bit me... I'm starting to have visions and dreams about someone or something that is going to die. There are voices whispering in my head about something that I cannot understand. Especially tonight, I had a feeling that you were going to die, and I had an urge to find you to witness your death and then scream for you! And do you know what is even crazier? After months of being haunted by Peter Hale, I just brought him back to life! 

That makes Stiles stop walking instantly and whip his head so fast to look at Lydia that Lydia fears he will break his neck. Looking at Lydia intensely, Stiles shouts:

 - WHAT! You brought Peter Hale back to life! WHAT THE HELL? How? When?

 - I don't fucking know, okay? He has been haunting me for months! And then at my birthday party, he forced me to drug Derek with wolfsbane, then dragged him to Hale's house. And then I repeatedly sliced him open to bleed all over Peter's burnt corpse while chanting some words written in ancient Latin. And then Peter was brought back to life! - Cried out, Lydia.

 - Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Peter, you...son of a bitch! I'm sorry, Lydia. I'm so sorry that you had to go through something like this. Next time I see him, I'm going to make him pay for it! I'm going to strangle him to death for doing something like this to you. I swear! 

Stepping forward to awkwardly hug Lydia, Stiles makes a promise to make Peter pay for what he did because, for God's sake, what the fuck! Peter, you son of a bitch! If you need someone who has magic to do some necromancy bullshit, why don't you go find me? Why Lydia? Wait...Why Lyida? Peter is super clever; even in his most insane time, he was still a mastermind of manipulation. He will not do anything that is meaningless. Sitles still remembers perfectly the night Peter offered him the bite; in other words, Peter chose to bite him, not Scott. And he chose to bite Lydia and not Jackson! Everything he did, he did it for some reasons, so there has to be a reason why he chose to bite Lydia and then haunted her for months, which was not nice. Fuck you, Peter. And by everything Lydia just said, she performed an incredible act of necromancy.

 - Okay... For all I know about the bite, after being bitten, you either turn or die, and neither of these two things happened to you. But as you said, something weird is clearly happening! Not to mention the fact that you brought Peter back to life by performing some rituals, which I believe is necromancy, and last time I checked, normal humans cannot bring someone already dead for months back to the living realm... So you are definitely not human! Lydia, the bite has changed you somehow.

[Or awakened something that lies dormant inside her]

Stiles whips his head around to find his newfound bestie, Itachi, hiding under the bushes behind them. God! He totally forgets about him! If it doesn't because of Itachi speaking in his head, Stiles won't even notice that Itachi has been trailing behind them all the way.

Moving out of the shadow of the bushes and stepping closer to Lydia and Stiles, Itachi sets its gaze on Lydia with fondness, excitement, and enthusiasm Stiles can clearly feel through their bonds. Which is very creepy! Itachi is and will always be a dark supernatural creature, and if Itachi is this excited by looking at Lydia, he thinks he should be worried now. Because that can't be a good thing! 

Lydia finally notices a huge black fox standing right in front of her. This fox is way bigger than any European rex fox she knows. Its fur is so black that it melts seamlessly into the night. Like Stiles, she now realizes that the fox has been trailing behind them all the way. Lydia doesn't know why, but she finds this huge black fox extremely creepy, and gives her a very bad feeling, making her want to run for her life. But at the same time, it's giving her the feeling that she might call "tempting" making her drawn to the fox. The conflicted emotions make Lydia extremely unsettled and irritated!

Feeling the gaze of the fox set on her body, Lydia cocks her head to look at Stiles:

 - Stiles...What is it?

Panicking, Stiles honestly doesn't know what to say. He can't just say that's a 1000-year-old dark kitune that wanted to devour his soul earlier but is now bonded with him, right? Yeah, he can't do that, can he? Thus, he tries to brush it off and tells Lydia like it's not a big deal:

 - Oh, don't worry about him. He's sort of a pet? Yeah! A pet! He's not going to hurt you though. I'm sure about that. So...just...forget about him.

And that causes an unimpressed look on Lydia's face, making him grimace at realizing how blatant his lie is, not to mention the amusement Itachi sends through their bonds, which makes it even worse.

[A pet? Really? Stiles, for real, is it the best you can come up with?] - Itachi's voice echoes in his mind with amusement. 

[Oh, come on! What am I going to say anyway? Telling her that you're a thousand-year-old dark-fox spirit who wanted to eat my soul and use my body as a vessel not so long ago but failed, then performing a ritual to bond our souls together, which made us become besties that can't kill each other? Nah! I don't think so! She already had enough trauma for tonight, alright? So...yeah, a pet is what I can come up with!] — Stiles sends his response irritably through the bonds. 

[Fine! But next time, I expect you to call me your friend! Tell me I'm your pet again, and I'll kill you!]

[Sure! I like to see you try. The bonds! Remember?] — Stiles retorts back. 

[I will find my way, just so you wait!]

 - Uhm...Stiles... Are you alright?—asked Lydia.

Looking up to see the concerned look in Lydia's eyes, Stiles realizes he has been silently communicating with Itachi through the bonds, making him look like he just had a staring contest with Itachi. "Wow, awkward" - Stiles thinks.

 - It's nothing; you don't have to worry about that. 

Stiles says it with an awkward smile. Looking at Stiles for a long moment, Lydia decides that she doesn't have enough strength inside her to care about another strange behavior of Stiles Stilinski and just let it go.  

 - So what do you mean exactly? How can the bite change me and change to what? 

Before Stiles can reply, Itachi talks again:

 - Fascinating! Don't you sense it, Stiles? Her aura is so tempting! There is so much darkness, sorrow, coldness, decay, and death surrounding her. Wow, I want to bathe in this aura!

That makes Stiles stop breathing for a second. Stiles takes a deep breath, steadying his gaze on Lydia, and says:

 - Lydia, I need a few minutes to do something, okay? So...just hang on, okay?

 - Okay... 

Lydia says worriedly, but she's let him be. After all, if everything Stiles just told her is true, then he is in this mess much longer than her, has much more experience than her, and has been dealing with all of this supernatural bullshit much more than her. If anyone knows what is going on with her, then it will be Stiles. So she trusts that he knows what he's doing.

Turning his gaze to Itachi, Stiles says with the most serious voice:

[Itachi, I know that you know how to read the auras, so I need you to teach me how to do it]

Sensing that Stiles is super serious, Itachi responds to Stiles's request by sending him all the visions and experiences of how to read and sense the aura of creatures through their bonds. On the receiving end of the bonds, Stiles takes a long moment to process all the information he just received. Taking a deep breath while letting all of that information sink in, Stiles wills his magic to focus on all his senses, especially his eyes. With ease, like he has been doing something like this a thousand times, Stiles opens his eyes and pushes all of his senses forward, and there it is! 

Lydia's aura is exactly what Itachi has described. Right in front of his eyes, Stiles can see very clearly that her aura is like a silvery blanket covering all of her body. It's glowing, swirling, and radiating powerfully with the colors of silver and mercury. But the most distinctive thing about Lydia's aura is that there is so much darkness, sorrow, and decay laced in it. Stiles can even feel the deadly coldness of the endless winter in her aura. And especially, Stiles feels the presence of...Death! If Stiles is being honest, he will say that Lydia has been favored and has been chosen by Death to become its ambassador!  Oh...

 - Lydia, I think I know what you are - Stiles says with so much earnestness and sadness in his voice. 

Confused by the look on Stiles's face, Lydia says:

 - Really? So...what am I, Stiles? 

Keeping his gaze on Lydia's aura, which is still swirling endlessly with power that doesn't belong to the living realm, Stiles says:

 - You are a Banshee, Lydia!

Chapter Text

 - You are a Banshee, Lydia!

One moment, and then Stiles sees the realization wash over Lydia's face.

 - Banshee? The Wailing Woman? Okay, I guess it makes sense. It certainly answers why I'm having the feeling that someone's dead lately, and of course, the scream! How can I not figure it out?

 - Well... Normally, ordinary people won't think they are mythological creatures after hearing and feeling things that they don't understand. They will visit therapists or maybe be admitted to some psychiatric hospitals. So yeah, I think that's why. Oh, one more thing: Banshee is from Ireland, so it explains your strawberry-blond hair and your pale skin.

Stiles has to stop talking because he's now seeing the killing glares sent to him by Lydia. 

 - But how can a werewolf turn me into a banshee? Their bites can't change the species, right? And I need you to tell me everything you know about Banshee; they predict death, right?

And here she is! The Lydia that Stiles has been loving for all these years Despite being terrified of who she is and what she has turned into, Lydia is still levelheaded enough to notice the flaw in the situation she is currently in and is trying to gather every piece of information she can at the same time. 

 - Yeah, you're right. The bite from a werewolf cannot turn you into a banshee, but it can awaken something that lies dormant inside you. I don't know much about Banshee because they are...you are very rare! Like super rare! But I do know that a banshee cannot be made; you have to be inherited! Which means that your heritage has to come from somewhere. And that "somewhere" means someone in your family or your family lines has to be a Banshee in order for the heritage to be passed down to you. I think you should look up to your family lines or ancestors, Lydia.

And now Lydia is in tears again, which makes Stiles kind of freak out. Is it because of something he said? Or is it because of something else? Before Stiles can ask or freak out, Lydia says through her tears:

 - My grandmother, Lorraine, used to work for IBM in San Francisco and was in love with a woman named Maddy, an award-winning yacht captain. One day, she had a prediction that Maddy was going to die during a storm on the lake. She heard thunder and rainstorms so loud that they shot through her head, making her let out a scream. She tried to warn Maddy, but Maddy dismissed the warning and drowned while out on the lake.

 - Oh God, Lydia, I'm so sorry.

 - No, Stiles... You don't understand. If Lorraine was a Banshee and I am a Banshee, then there is another Banshee out there, and she needs help!

Now Stiles is confused! Because, for all he knows, banshees are rare creatures. Banshee comes from Ireland, not America. They used to be called "women of the fairy mound" or "women of the sidhe". They are some sort of Fae—the Upper Fae, to be exact—that answers to the Winter Court. They herald the death of supernatural creatures, of a family member and their loved one, usually by wailing, shrieking, or keening. Banshee is a predictor of death; they associate with and are favored by Death. Banshee, by all means, is Death's ambassador! Overall, they're super rare, so to meet one is already a once-in-a-lifetime thing, but now...Lydia is telling him that there is another Banshee out there? How is that even possible? Since when are there so many of them?

 - WHAT? What do you mean? There is another Banshee? Who is she? How do we help her? What happened to her?

 - You ask too many questions, Stiles! The other Banshee's name is Meredith Walker. My grandmother, after Maddy died, began to dive into the supernatural to find out why and how she knew Maddy was going to die before it happened. She even conducted a study with parapsychologists that had pseudo-scientific properties, but she still came up empty-handed—until she found Meredith. My parents didn't know that I knew all about what my grandmother did. A silly little girl... What could she know? But I knew it all... I overheard that my grandmother experimented on Meredith and almost killed her. I found out that Meredith was hospitalized for over a year and then was admitted to Eichen House until now. If she is a Banshee like me, then I need to help her get out of there! She does not deserve to be locked up like this.

Stiles can see that Lydia is clearly and extremely uncomfortable talking about her grandmother's crimes—experimenting on an innocent girl—but she brushes it all off and braves herself to tell him the whole story.

 - Okay, okay! Tomorrow, I will send you everything I know about Banshee, and then together, we will get Meredith out of Eichen House, alright? But right now, we need to go save Boyd and Erica first!

 - Yeah, you're right. Let's go save Erica and Boyd first, and then we'll deal with Meredith's situation later. 

Thus, they start walking again, and Stiles starts telling Lydia about the killings lately, about how Jackson was involved in those murders, and especially about Matt Daehler's involvement. When Stiles tells Lydia that Jackson is a Kanima—a mutation of the werewolf gene—a vengeance creature created when the bite went wrong, she goes paler. Stiles knows it's super hard for her to hear about Jackson, but she asked for it, and Stiles will keep his word about telling her everything he knows. Stiles tells her that the Kanima is also a social creature, but where the wolf seeks a pack, the Kanima seeks a master who has vengeance that is needed to be avenged! Which means that Jackson wasn't aware of what he had done. He's just a weapon being used by his master. And needless to say, after hearing that Jackson had been used to murder people against his will, Lydia is furious. Oh! Furious is an understatement. Lydia is livid! Stiles can sense her aura swirling with so much rage that he is worried she will explode in the next second. Whoever her rage is targeting, that person should be worried for their lives because he knows Lydia is ready to tear them to pieces. 

 - MATT DAEHLER! I'm going to kill that son of a bitch!

 - And I will help you bury the body.

Looking at each other, they find agreement in each other's eyes. Well, it's kind of their lives now, feeling so satisfied talking about "murdering someone". With a smirk on both of their faces and the same goal of becoming partners in crime, Stiles and Lydia strangely begin to feel much more comfortable with each other. They might not be lovers, but friendship might suit them even better. 

Finally, after a long walk, Stiles manages to find the black SUV car, the card that belonged to Gerard's goons—the one that was used to bring him to this preserve—the one that belonged to the two people who were burned to death by Stiles, which he still doesn't want to talk about. He can't find Lydia's car, though. Maybe it's because Stiles follows the trail left behind while Gerard's goons drag him through the preserve, or maybe it's because there is a hunch telling Stiles that it's better to drive Gerard's goons car. Normally, his hunch is correct, and now, with his magic added to it, Stiles sure as hell will follow his hunch. 

 - Whose car is it?

 - Gerard's goon car Give me a minute, and then we can get going.

 - What about my car? I'm not going to leave my car in the preserve, Stiles.

 - I know that it's not a good idea to leave your car here, but hear me out: I have a hunch that it's better to drive this car than yours. Please, trust me on this, okay?

A hunch? Really? Fine! But tomorrow, you will drive me here to collect my car.

 - Deal!

Getting close to the front door of the car, focusing on his magic, with a little twist in his wrist, Stiles wills to the front door open, and with a crack, the car's door is now wide open to get in. Inwardly fist bumping, Stiles can't help but tell himself that he fucking loves magic! Opening the back door and waiting for Itachi to get in, Stiles closes the back door and sits behind the wheel, then tells Lydia to get in. Stiles then proceeded to hot-wire the car into motion, causing Lydia to raise her right eyebrow and look at him with amusement. Knowing what Lydia will say from the look on her face, Stiles cuts her off.

 - I was bored.

 - I didn't say anything.

 - You don't have to. Your face says it all.

 - Fine, but for real, it is impressive. And completely illegal. The Sheriff's kid knows how to hot-wire a car... Hmm...

 - What can I say? You won't know if this kind of knowledge will come in handy one day. Also, you can learn pretty much everything on the Internet these days, and hot-wiring a car sounds so interesting at the time. So, here we are! 

 - You do have a point; teach me next time, okay?

Astoundingly, Stiles looks at Lydia and says,

 - Really? ... Okay. I will even teach you how to pick a lock.

 - Wow...Stiles! You do know a few illegal things, don't you? I'm impressed!

Feeling embarrassed and having no reply to that, what do you want him to say? He knows that a Sherrif's kid knows a few? a lot? of illegal things is not right, okay? But what can he say? He's bored, and illegal things are just so interesting. So yeah, Stiles learns a lot. But hey, it helps them in this situation, so Stiles counts it as a win. Period! 

Keeping his head straight and his eyes on the road, Stiles drives them out of the preserve and heads to Allison's house without making any comments on Lydia's words. The drive to Allison's house is filled with an uncomfortable silence. In other circumstances, normally Stiles will fill the silence with his nonstop talking about meaningless subjects, but this time, Stiles keeps his mouth shut and lets the silence fill the car. Most of it is because Stiles is thinking about what he should tell Lydia next. He told her about the whole story of the Hales and the Argents; he also told her everything and everyone involved in the supernatural for the past year and the past few months. Stiles knows Lydia has questions—a lot of questions, actually—but he doesn't feel like answering any personal questions right now. And then, suddenly, Stiles knows what he should and needs to say next.

 - Lydia, I need to tell you something. I don't know how to say it, but I know it's something that needs to be said, and I think it needs to be said now. I think...

 - Stiles! Just tell me what you need to say. I'm listening.

 - Okay... Uhm, I am sorry, Lydia!

Cocking her head to look at Stiles, Lydia asks:

 - And what is it that you need to say sorry for?

 - I'm sorry for being a dick to you, Lydia. I've just realized that I'm one of those men who doesn't take no for the answer. I thought I was better than them, but apparently, I'm not! I should have taken your rejection more seriously. You have been repeatedly saying that you have no interest in me, and I still refuse to believe it. And I'm sorry for stalking you ever since. It isn't very nice of me, and I'm sorry. Also, it's none of my business whether you are in love with Jackson or not; I should have respected your decision, and for that, I'm sorry! 

Taken back by Stiles's apologies, Lydia takes a minute for those apologies to sink in. Yes! It has been really annoying, irritating, and frustrating when Stiles does not take no for the answers, and it has been awfully uncomfortable when Stiles has been stalking her for years ever since. Lydia loves attention, but Stiles's stalking and attention have put her on edge. And she doesn't like it. But right now, when lives are at stake and they're living in a supernatural world where there are dangers everywhere they go, those things don't really matter much anymore. To worry about these things, she or Stiles or anyone out there at least needs to survive long enough, and right now, surviving seems to be really difficult. Besides, Stiles has sincerely apologized to her, and by looking at him now, Lydia realizes that he has grown up a lot and is much more mature. Maybe that's the price of living in the supernatural world and fighting monsters on a daily basis? Keeping her gaze on Stiles, Lydia says:

 - Apologies accepted; I forgive you.

 - Thank you...for forgiving me. So... we're good, right?

 - Yes, we're good! And Stiles, but do not ever do that again. Or I will end you!

 - Oh, trust me, it'll never happen again! Fingers crossed on that. So...friends?

 - Yeah, friends sound nice. Also, Stiles, I'm sorry for not being nice to you too. I know I should have, but I didn't, and for that, I'm sorry.

Surprised at hearing an apology from Lydia for not being nice to him, Stiles whips his head at her in wonder. He isn't expecting any apology from her, as he's the one in the wrong in the first place, after all, but it's nice to hear her say that. Smiling while looking at Lydia, Stiles says,

 - Oh, never mind. I got it coming, but I still think Jackson is a dick, though!

Now that makes Lydia laugh for the first time this night. "Oh, it's really good to smile" Lydia thinks.

 - I knew he was a dick, but he was my dick! And now, now, he's gone.

 - I don't really know what to say, Lydia... My condolences...

Lydia doesn't say anything but nods her head to acknowledge his statement, and the silence fills the car again. This time, the silence is only broken at the time Stiles stops at the Argent's house. Turning the car to stop in front of Allison's house and hopping out of the car, Stiles notices that all the lights are out and no sound is made from the inside of the house, so he hopes that no one will be in the house as it will make his break-in much easier! Thankfully, Stiles is correct. 

When Stiles uses his magic to open the main door, he finds there is no one in the house at all. Stiles doesn't know if it is because the Argents are too arrogant or because the Argents are too confident and believe that no supernatural creatures dare to break into their house due to their name and their reputation. But Stiles has to say that it is extremely easy to break into their house. Too easy, actually! Stiles won't complain, though... It certainly makes his job ten times easier, so yeah, he's absolutely going to take the offer.

Seeing the strange and questioning look in Lydia's eyes when he opens the Argent's main door without picking the lock, Stiles knows that Lydia is now suspicious about how he can do that. She might not know what that is, but she knows there is still something Stiles hasn't told her yet. But right now, he just doesn't want to talk about it. Because to explain how he can do it, it's going to be a very long story, and he just doesn't have time to do such a thing. Thus, he tells her:

 - Don't ask! I will tell you later, I promise.

 - Hmm. You're better, Stiles, because I'm looking for it.

Opening the main door and wasting no time, Stiles leads himself and Lydia down to the basement. Turning on the light, Stiles finds...nothing!

The basement looks exactly the same as Stiles remembered. Of course, it will look the same! Why won't it be? He was taken into the woods, but the night is still young, so he shouldn't go for too long. There is blood everywhere, all over the basement, and Stiles is sure his blood is on the floor as well. The tortured equipment—a lot of it, to be correct—is still in place. The electrocution equipment is still hanging above the cellar. Everything is still just the way it is. But there is one thing missing: Eric and Boyd—there is no sight of them! 

Oh God! Oh God!!!! Is he too late? He has to be too late. He has to because there is no sight of Erica and Boyd here in the basement. Fuck! He came too late to save them, and now they are all gone. They have to be dead right now, as Gerard knew they wouldn't say anything about the pack. Their bonds to Derek and their Alpha are too strong to betray him and the pack. The bonds will prevent them from purposely doing something to harm their Alpha. That's also the reason why they kidnapped Stiles—a boy who runs with wolves—in the first place. They believe that he is human, and since humans don't have or experience pack bonds like wolves do, Stiles won't be bound to them and will be more willing to talk if they do it right, and by "do it right", they mean to torture the hell out of him. But oh, how wrong they were because Stiles didn't even say a thing! 

Due to all of that, Stiles just knows that Gerard won't let Erica and Boyd go free. They're useless to him, as they won't say a thing or give him any information he needs. Not to mention that Gerard hates werewolves with passion, so of course he will kill them all. He will get rid of them just like he ordered his goons to get rid of Stiles. And now, because he came too late to rescue them, they're now dead, and it's all his fault! The world is spinning so fast, and Stiles cannot breathe. His heart is beating so freaking fast, and Stiles knows he is having a panic attack, but he can help it and simply doesn't want to, because it's all his fault.

But there is one person who won't have any of this bullshit. Just right before the panic attack completely takes over Stiles, Lydia steps in front of Stiles's sight and grips his shoulder so hard that Stiles knows it will leave bruises tomorrow, which doesn't matter anymore because Erica and Boyd are dead...

 - Hey! Stiles! HEY! Snaps out of it. We don't have time for this. You can have your breakdown later when all of this shit is over. But you need to listen to me, Stiles. Erica and Boyd are not dead. I'm a Banshee, remember? If they had died, I would have known. And right now, I do not feel their death. I didn't feel anything—not a thing, you hear me?

Now that caught Stiles's attention! God, he's such an idiot. Lydia is a banshee, for god's sake! He has a banshee on his side all this time, and he doesn't even think about it before having a panic attack. What is wrong with him? How in the hell did he become this stupid? 

 - Argents...

 - What? What about the Argents?  

He stumbles to stand up on his feet. Damn it! He doesn't even remember when he sits down. Stiles answers Lydia's questions:

 - You're a genius, Lydia! Have I mentioned it before? I already had, right?

 - Stiles...—Lydia reminds Stiles impatiently. 

 - Yeah! Yeah! An unnecessary joke at an inappropriate time. Sorry, what I meant was that you're absolutely correct! You are a banshee; you can foresee the supernatural's death. Which means that you can foresee Erica and Boyd's deaths. Because they're...well...Werewolves! But you didn't feel anything, meaning that they're still alive and are now somewhere else. I just need to find that "somewhere" and to do that, I need information, and to have information, I need to ask someone. Since this is Argent's house, so...

 - You need to ask the Argents. But there is no one in the house.

Lydia is confused; there is no one in the house currently except for them. If there is, they must have known that she and Stiles broke into their house and came to check up. But no, until now, no one has come to check up on them. So who is Stiles going to ask? 

 - Correct, Lydia! There is no one in the house. So I can do whatever I want. But first, please help me find my phone. It was taken from me when...well...when Gerard's goons kidnapped me!

The look in Lydia's eyes reminds Stiles that after all this shit is over, they will have a very long and uncomfortable talk about the kidnapping, the blood on his shirt, and the torture equipment in the basement that looks like it has been used on his body. Stiles really loves to postpone this conversation for as long as possible—maybe never.

Maybe because Gerard's goons are too stupid, or maybe because they didn't give a shit about Stiles... It only takes them two minutes to find Stiles's phone lying on the table with a bunch of torture equipment in the right corner of the basement. And thank Gods and Goddesses above and below, his phone is still working. Opening his phone, he sees 19 missed calls and a lot of unread messages. Checking the last one sent by Scott, Stiles lets out a curse:

 - FUCK! OH SHIT!

 - Stiles? What is it? What happened?

Instead of answering the questions, Stiles simply shows Lydia the message on the screen, and then it's Lydia who lets out the curse this time:

 - FUCK!

On the phone screen, there is Scott's message: "STILES! Where are you? Why didn't you pick up your phone? Jackson is alive! Peter and Derek know how to save Jackson! Bring Lydia with you to the warehouse! Asap!"

Stiles opens the attached GPS of the warehouse and then memorizes its address. Stiles looks up to ask Lydia:

 - Lydia... Are you okay?

Am I okay? I just found out that all the monsters are real and that my supposedly dead boyfriend was a humanoid lizard, and then apparently, my dead boyfriend is not dead anymore! I feel fucking fantastic!

 - Okay... 

Lydia takes a deep breath to calm herself down and then talks to Stiles:

 - I'm sorry. You're just being nice, and I shouldn't have talked to you like that.

 - It's alright! Not everyone finds out that all the monsters are real and they're not 100% human as they thought and then finds out that their supposedly dead boyfriend is a humanoid lizard and is not dead anymore on the same day, right? Considering everything, I say you've done a fantastic job of holding yourself together. Well done!

And that makes Lydia let out a chuckle.

 - Whatever, I still shouldn't take my frustration on you like this. By the way, thank you, Stiles. I meant it!

 - You're welcome.

 - Alright, we should get going. Scott sounded very urgent!

 - Yeah, we should probably get going. Oh, WAIT! I need to grab a few things first!

Doesn't wait for Lydia's response; Stiles is already on his steps to get out of the basement. Running up the stairs with Lydia's silent following, it takes Stiles a few minutes to pinpoint Gerard's room. He opens the door easily with his magic, and Stiles wastes no time to start searching while suffering the unimpressed and amused look of Lydia. And hah! He finds it! Being kept in the safe hidden behind the wardrobe that is easily opened by Stiles's magic, well, it might not be that easy because Stiles has to use a lot more concentration and a lot more magic than he thought. Stiles is now holding the Argent's Bestiary!

 - Uh...Stiles, what is it?

Turning over to smile at Lydia, Stiles says:

- This, Lydia, is the Argent's bestiary!

 - A Bestiary?

 - Yeah! A leather-bound book that contained a lot of information about supernatural creatures recorded by the Argents over the years by generation after generation, this is the Argent's heirloom!

 - And why are you stealing it now? Also, how did you know about it in the first place?

 - I am not stealing it. I'm borrowing it for the time being without the permission of the owners, and then I will return it after creating several hard copies and soft copies from it. I know about it after I overheard Allison talking about it, and before you say anything, it has information about the Kanima that might help us save Jackson. Knowledge is power, right?

Right there and then, Stiles knows he has won the battle! Lydia is so many things, but stupid is definitely not one of them. If anyone can understand the concept of "knowledge is power", it will be Lydia and him, and maybe Peter as well since he is now alive. Unlike Scott and the wolves, Stiles does not want to run straight to the battle without knowing what the fuck he's going to do! Stiles always has plans... Besides, Lydia loves Jackson, and if the book has something to save him, he knows for sure that Lydia will be the first one to steal that book. So yeah, here he is, opening the Bestiary and screening through the book to find the information they need. Stiles stops when he finds the pages with the illustrations of the Kanima. Seeing the language written on the pages, Stiles looks up to Lydia and asks:

 - Lydia. You read Archaic Latin, right?

 - How did you even know that I read? You know what? Nevermind. Yes, I can read Archaic Latin. Why do you ask?

 - Because I'm going to need you to read this for me. It's all written in archaic Latin. Here, take a look!

Passing the bestiary to Lydia, and yes! It's all written in archaic Latin, with several illustrations of Kanima. Seeing the form of Jackson for the first time ever, Lydia can't help but swallow hard.

 - Okay, there isn't much information about the Kanima because, apparently, they are quite rare. It said: The Kanima is a mutation of the Werewolf gene that cannot fully transform until it resolves that in its past, which manifests it. Like the wolf, the Kanima is a social creature, but where the wolf seeks a pack, the Kanima seeks a master. The Kanima, a weapon of vengeance, is used to carry out the bidding of its master. The Kanima was once used by a South American priest who took it upon himself to rid his village of all murderers. The bond between master and servant grew stronger until the will of the master became that of the Kanima's, and whomever the priest deemed unworthy, the Kanima served his vengeance. It is also said that the Kanima has a beta and an alpha form. It is said that the Kanima will undergo a cocooning process, transforming from a vulnerable stage referred to as the "nestling" stage into a more formidable and lethal form called an Alpha form. Here, look at it. This is the alpha form of the Kanima!

 - WHAT THE FUCK! It has wings! How the hell has no one never told me about this before? Okay, does it mention anything to save Jackson?

Scrolling through the pages again, Lydia says disappointedly:

 - No... There is nothing in here telling us how to save Jackson. All of them are about how to kill the Kanima.

 - NO! Nope! Not gonna happen. We are not going to kill Jackson until it is the last resort. He is a douchebag, but he doesn't deserve to die. We will find something else; there has to be another way!

I knew a way...

Startled, Stiles almost jumped into the air after hearing Itachi's voice echoing inside his head again. Turning back to find Itachi now lying uncaring on four legs at Gerard's room door, Stiles irritatedly says to Itachi through the bonds:

 - FUCK! I swear to God, after all of this shit is over, I will put a bell on you! Also, what do you mean by knowing the way? What way?

Looking at Stiles with an unimpressed look, Itachi says:

 - Put a bell on me, and then I will rip you to pieces! I said I knew the way to save your Kanima.

Now that has caught all of Stiles's attention:

 - Really? How? And please don't say that Jackson is my Kanima. That's just so gross! 

 - First of all, most of the information on the Kanima in that bestiary is wrong. Maybe it is because the hunters don't give a shit about the creatures that they are going to kill, or maybe it is because they do a very shitty job at researching the Kanimas. Anyway, the information is incorrect. Despite most of my knowledge being about Asia's mystical creatures and spirits, Asia's rituals, and Asia's magic; I still know enough about the Kanima to tell you that the Kanima is not a mutation of the Werewolf gene. Any other shapeshifter's bite can create a Kanima; it's not necessary for it to be a Werewolf bite. All it needs is the spark of the bite to activate the transformation of the Kanima.

Looking straight at Stiles with an unimpressed gaze, Itachi continues:

 - Here is the thing, Stiles: The Kanima is not an abomination; on the other hand, it is a creature created in times of need. And if you haven't noticed, this God's forsaken town is a Hellmouth. There are so many bloodsheds in this town that no wonder why the Kanima was created. Tell me, Stiles, what you will do if someone or something kills all of your family, friends, and loved ones and that thing is so powerful that you are unable to do anything? And then, one day, there is a Kanima who seeks you out to be its master and offers you a chance to get your revenge. Tell me, Stile. What will you do?

There is no point in lying, right? Itachi is already in his head, so he knows all of Stiles's secrets. So Stiles answers Itachi's questions honestly:

 - I will take it!

And then Stiles realizes the point that Itachi was trying to make...

 - Now you finally get it. The Kanima is not a bad creature. They are simply the creatures of vengeance. They are the chance for someone to get their revenge when they're unable to. They are the chance to right the wrongs. For all I know, yes, the Kanima is the weapon of vengeance, but it is not a mindless weapon. In normal circumstances, the Kanima will only seek out its masters after its transformation has already finished. Only then will the Kanima choose their masters with their free wills. I don't know what's wrong with your Kanima, but something has to go wrong when he's transforming. I believe that your Kanima, somehow, has chosen his master while he's still in the Beta form. Which shouldn't have happened until he successfully transformed into his Alpha form. I also believe that is the reason why your Kanima became a mindless monster. Something or someone must have interfered with its transformation.

And suddenly, Stiles knows the way to save Jackson!

 - All I have to do is reactivate Kanima's transformation with the bite, and then keep the transformation free of any interference!

 - As astute as ever. You're correct! But there's still one problem left!

 - There is?

 - As I said, the transformation of your Kanima had been interfered with, making him a mindless weapon. Technically, the transformation is very easy and natural because the spark of the bite will do all the work that needs to be done. But there is no guarantee that the second transformation can succeed because all of his awareness and humanity have been suppressed because of the failure of the former transformation. Therefore, if you want to save your Kanima by reactivating the transformation, you have to bring forward his awareness, ground his humanity, and cut all of his ties with his current master.

 - And to succeed at something like that, I have to do something to bring forth his awareness, and then Jackson has to have an anchor, or I have to bind to someone or something that is strong and important enough to ground his humanity.

Right there and then, Stiles realizes that he has all of the "ingredients" to make it happen! Turning back to Lydia only to find out that she has been looking at him silently communicating with Itachi the whole time without saying a word. Having no time to worry about that, Stiles says with a grin on his face:

 - I think...no! I know exactly how to save Jackson!

Surprised, Lydia asks immediately, with the eagerness she doesn't even notice she has:

 - Really? How?

 - You...

Before Stiles can explain more, he is cut off by a message popping up on his phone. It's a message from Scott saying: "Hurry up! Brings Lydia!". Feeling that there is no time to waste, and despite knowing that Erica and Boyd need him to rescue them, he knows that he needs to deal with Jackson's situation first, or else a lot more people will die because of his lizard's ass.

Looking back to Lydia, Stiles says:

 - Okay! I think we should get going! I will tell you on the way!

 - Okay!

Before heading out of the house, Stiles stops to collect Gerard's laptop, a jar of Moutain Ash, knives, some guns, lots of wolfsbane-laced bullets, and a bunch of other things that Lydia has no clues about. Lydia doesn't know that these kinds of bullets are the special ones that are used to target the werewolves, but seeing the amount Stiles is stealing, Lydia will say that it's enough to kill the whole village. 

Looking at Lydia, Stiles asks:

 - Do you know how to shoot?

 - I don't, do you?

 - Lydia, my dad is the Sheriff; what do you think? Of course, I do know how to shoot.

 - Really? - Lydia asks skeptically. 

You really can't fault her for this because, let's face it, Stiles doesn't look like the kind of person who knows how to handle a gun. Just earlier, when they walked out of the preserve, she saw him tripping and falling on his feet multiple times. Stiles is as graceful as a panda, which is like the clumsiest animal on earth. 

 - Yes! Of course, I know how to shoot. You know what? Nevermind! Here, take this one, but remember: for protection only, okay? And shoot whatever tries to maim you. Also, remember to unlock the safety before shooting. Let me show you.

Then, Stiles shows Lydia how to unlock and relock the safety of the guns with an ease that visibly shows her the signs of Stiles handling guns many times before. After Lydia eventually became familiar enough with a gun to not shoot either of them accidentally, they walked out of the house and got in the black SUV car. And then Stiles drives as fast as he can, meaning he drives at the breaking limit speed to the warehouse. Stiles knows his dad's going to flip when he finds out that his son not only steals a car but also breaks into a civilian's house and steals a lot of things that are undoubtedly worth a fortune. Furthermore, he even breaks several traffic laws by breaking speed limits and crossing the red light multiple times. 

God, Stiles knows for sure that his dad will be fired if anyone finds out all of what he did. But don't worry, Stiles knows exactly who can help him cover all of his tracks and erase all of his evidence of committing crimes on the surveillance cameras. Oh fuck! He's really thinking like a criminal right now; since when did he become like this? God saves his soul—or not! He's going to be sent straight to hell anyway. So it really doesn't matter. Besides, if it means that his friends will be safe, then so be it!

While assaulting the accelerator pedal, Stiles begins to tell Lydia about his plan:

 - Alright, I don't know why, but since Scott said that Peter and Derek knew how to save Jackson and insisted on bringing you to the warehouse, I suggest we at least follow their plan first. And if it works, then great, problems are solved! No need to worry anymore. 

 - And what if it doesn't work?

 - Then we have to go with my plans, which will involve a lot of blood and pain and maybe even murdering someone or something.

Right at this moment, Lydia knows that there is something really wrong with her because, after hearing Stiles talk about blood and pain and even murdering something or someone, she doesn't even phase a little bit. All she can think of is that Stiles's plan will work, and she does not care even a bit about murdering something or someone. Maybe she's really not completely human. After all, no human in their right mind is this cold after hearing about murder. It's simply that Stiles has a plan that might work to save her supposedly dead boyfriend, and she wants to hear that plan out so that she can make sure that it'll work. If she can bring a man who haunted her for months back to life, then she's sure as hell can bring the person she loves back to this living realm. She doesn't give a shit about anything else; whatever gets in her way of saving her boyfriend will be eliminated from the pictures, and consequences will be damned. With determination, Lydia looks at Stiles unphased to ask:

 - Tell me your plans, Stiles. I'm listening.

Turning back to see the determination in Lydia's face, Stiles has never felt more grateful to have Lydia as his friend than right now! Maybe it is because her boyfriend's life is at stake, or maybe she thinks Stiles's plans are much more practical, or maybe she doesn't trust Peter and Derek enough to follow their plans blindly because of the lack of information, or maybe she knows that something has to be done to save her boyfriend and she is willing to do it, or... Maybe it is because of all of that. 

Anyway, despite just hearing that his plans will involve a lot of blood and pain and maybe even murdering someone or something, Lydia still goes with it, and this is what matters to him! Stiles loves Scott and quite likes Derek in general, but whenever he inputs something or tells them something, they just brush him off, and it frustrates him to no end. All he needs is someone to see and value his abilities and his input, and Lydia just gives him that. And that's really meant a lot to him. 

 - Okay! So hear me out first, and if you have any questions, ask later, okay? My plans will be extremely complicated and require four steps to succeed:

Step 1: Bring forward his awareness or consciousness or his soul or whatever, I don't know, by using your banshee's scream! I know you are new to your power, but believe me, Lydia: Your banshee's scream will bring his awareness forward. Because when you scream, you infuse your scream with the power of death! Any supernatural creature and magic practitioner can sense it in their bones, and their instincts to survive will kick in and their awareness will be brought forward. That will also be applied to the Kanima. The creature of vengeance or not, Jackson will fear death, and he will try his best to acknowledge his surroundings to see why death is around him. 

Step 2: Breaking all of Jackson's ties to his master by killing the master or by using magic It means that we have to kill Matt Daehler, or I have to break all the ties manually with my magic. Surprise! I have magic now. Please don't ask; the story of how I have magic is for another time. However, remember I told you about the werewolf's pack bonds? Yeah, the bonds between the Kanima and the master will be the same, meaning that if I use my magic to break all of Jackson's ties to his master, it will be very painful for Jackson. Additionally, the spell to break the ties is so complicated that I don't know whether or not I can pull it off. Backfire magic is not a joke, and it is extremely dangerous! One wrong step? Me and Jackson will have a vacation in Paradise, and I am not looking forward to it. Ergo, I suggest we kill Matt Daehler, which is easier and much more practical!

Step 3: The awareness will not be enough for Jackson to stay sane. Therefore, we have to ground his humanity by binding him to someone or something that is strong and important enough for Jackson to anchor his humanity. 

Step 4: After we successfully ground Jackson's humanity, we have to reactivate the transformation by using the bite of an Alpha Werewolf, and right now, there is only one Alpha Werewolf in Beacon Hills: Derek. Therefore, we have to convince him to give Jackson the bite again! For all I know about Derek, he is a martyr who always wants to save everyone, so yeah, he will do it. Furthermore, nothing or anyone can obstruct the transformation. Given the fact that Jackson will wrap himself in a cocoon created by his venoms and cannot be moved, I have to protect the place he nests by warding it to Hell and back! I don't know how long it's gonna take, but it might take days or weeks for the transformation to finish, so we might have to tell Mister and Miss Whittemore about everything. I will not let my dad lose his job due to Jackson's scaly problems. Besides, they deserve to know that their son is still alive and breathing. 

Taking a deep breath to regain his breath, still focusing on the road, Stiles speaks again:

 - Okay, Q&A time! I'm all ears!

A few minutes passed without any questions, and Stiles turned his head to look at Lydia, only to see the amusement and impression in Lydia's eyes.

One blink...

Second blink...

Third blink...

And then Lydia begins to talk:

 - I am impressed! You certainly think it through and have all of these plans out, don't you? Okay! Questions time! First of all, are you sure I can scream? I mean, the Banshee's scream. Because, as you said, I'm new to this Banshee business.

 - Oh, don't worry about that! You might not sense it, but your Banshee's power has already been activated. Your aura is powerful, Lydia. It's all over your body and swirling like a dangerous sea. Unlike spellcasters, which is me, by the way, who need practice, time, and knowledge to perfect their magic and skills, you don't need that. It's your instinct; it is who you are. All you need to do is act on your instinct and believe it'll work. Because it will, trust me! If you don't trust yourself enough to think that you can do it, then trust me. I know what I'm talking about!

Seeing the confidence in Stiles's eyes and the determination in the way Stiles speaks, Lydia feels much more confident now. Lydia thinks Stiles is correct; she is a Banshee, a creature that heralds death. She doesn't need anyone or anything to teach her how to do what she was born to do. It's in her blood, and all she needs to do is let it out. Besides, just like Stiles said, if she doesn't trust her enough to do just that, then she has to trust Stiles because, right now, he is the only one who really knows what they're doing. Nodding her head, Lydia says:

 - Okay! If you say so...Besides, Magic? Spellcasters? Oh, Stiles, we will have a very long talk after all this shit is over! And don't even think about postponing it! Next question: How can we ground Jackson's humanity?

Hearing her question, Stiles looks at Lydia with a worried look in his eyes, making Lydia feel really concerned.

 - It's actually the part that I feel most concerned about. I do know a way to ground Jackson's humanity... But there is a cost—a big one—that I don't know we can afford.

 - What is it, Stiles? You begin to make me feel worried here... Just tell me, what is it?

 - Alright! To ground Jackson's humanity, we have to bind him to someone or something strong and important enough to anchor him. And I don't think any physical objects can be important enough for Jackson to ground his humanity. We all know that he loves to brag about his car, but it won't be enough. Therefore, it has to be someone really important to him! You see, I know a ritual to bind two souls together, and if I bind Jackson's soul to someone, the humanity of the other person will help ground Jackson's. But the cost to pay is that both of them—Jackson and the other one—will be bound together for the rest of their lives. And there are only 2 people that I know Jackson truly cares about: you and Danny! And because Danny isn't here now, it has to be you. So...

 - Tell me about the spell, Stiles...

Looking intensely at Lydia for a second, Stiles continues: 

 - The ritual will require two partners who are supernatural creatures or have magic for it to work. It will bind two souls together and create a bond between the two partners. This ritual will create an unbreakable bond with no loopholes for anything or anyone to tamper with it. There will be no turning back after I perform the ritual. You and Jackson will be bound together forever. This is huge, Lydia...

The reason why Stiles knows about that ritual is because, after figuring out how to help save Jackson, Itachi sent him a lot of information to help him execute the plan, which of course includes the ritual. While still talking with Lydia, Stiles has been trying to process all of that information, so now he knows what he needs to do and how to do it. One more thing he learns about the ritual and the bonds he's about to create is that it's actually the ritual Itachi used to bind their souls together, and only now has Stiles realized how crazy the bond between them is. The bond is unbreakable; there are no loopholes; their souls—Itachi and him—are bound together forever. Even in the old age, this ritual was still very rarely used. After being bound, their souls will be equal in every sense, and they are unable to harm each other in any way. The bond will even prevent them from thinking about finding a way to harm each other. They have literally become soulmates! This is absolutely insane, and only now, when he really understands the bond, does Stiles realize how much Itachi is afraid of the Nemeton—so afraid that Itachi decided to use this extreme solution to safeguard his life from the Nemeton. But calling Itachi his soulmate is just super weird, so from now on, Stiles will call him his Familiar. 

 - I do it - Lydia says calmly. 

 - What...are you sure, Lydia?

 - I'm sure. I will do it, whatever it takes! 

Taking his eyes off the road to look at Lydia for a moment, Stiles sees the determination in her eyes, and he knows right there and then, she already made up her mind. So whatever he says won't matter to her. Taking a deep breath and turning his focus back on the road, Stiles says:

 - Okay, for you, I will perform the ritual. 

Wow...It hurts... Stiles knows Lydia doesn't love him, and there will be no chance for a romantic relationship between them, and he might not love her as much as he thought; she has still been a huge part of his life until now. Therefore, hearing her say that she is willing to bind herself to Jackson forever still hurts like a bitch.

 - One last question: I will talk with Jackson's parents and tell them everything. That's at least what I can do, and as you said, they deserve to know. But how about your dad? Did he know? 

 - Yeah, he doesn't know, but...Yeah, I think I will tell him...I should be...He deserves to know too.

And there is it! With one last left turn, Stiles finally reaches the abandoned warehouse! Knowing that he has been wasting enough time already, Stiles decides to just fuck it. He throws rationality out in the air and goes with his crazy solution:

 - Hold on tight, Lydia! We have lost too many times already. So, I will make it quick!

With one last warning, Stiles slams the speed pedal with full force and then drives straight through the warehouse's wall and somehow crashes right into the Kanima on the way! 

Chapter Text

Derek feels like such an idiot!

He should have known better than to put his trust in Scott! No. He should have known better than to put his trust in anyone. He thought he had already grown up; he thought he learned lessons years ago to not trust anyone anymore, but... Apparently, he is still a weak, naive, and easy-to-manipulate boy, just like 6 years ago.

Since he was younger, Derek knows better than anyone about the problem of being born as a middle child, who is usually overlooked. There was Laura, his older sister, the oldest daughter, who was destined to become an Alpha after his mother. Laura and their mother shared so many common things; they were just so much alike. Therefore, it's easy to understand why Laura would always be their mother's favorite, always have their mother's attention, and always come first in her decisions because, well, Laura was the Alpha's heir after all. And she did become what their mother always wanted her to be: the Alpha of Hale's pack. 

Don't get him wrong; he loved Laura! She was always there for him, no matter the circumstances. Even before the fire and after that, when they had to run away for their lives, they abandoned their centuries-old's territory and lived in a shitty apartment in New York, preventing any chance to be seen by anyone that could turn out to be a hunter. Even then, Laura always had his back and tried to do anything in her power to protect him from any harm. She had been a very good Alpha for him and their little pack, and needless to say, Derek was perfectly fine and content with being her second and her Beta. However, sometimes he just wishes that their mother could pay more attention to him. There were times when Derek really needed her comfort and her love. He needed her comfort when he had his heart broken into pieces by losing and killing his first love by himself to end her misery. He needed her comfort when his trust was shattered by the betrayal of his beloved uncle. But sadly, it wasn't the case—she needed to be the Alpha of Hale's pack first before being his own mother, and Derek couldn't really fault her for that. His old pack was a large pack, and there were a lot of people who needed to be cared for, who needed their mother to look over them, and who needed their Alpha to be there for them so that they knew the pack was still going strong and that they were in a powerful Werewolf's pack that could give them the protection they needed from anything that meant them harm. And in order to do all of that, Talia Hale had to be the Alpha first before she could be his mother. It hurt sometimes, but Derek managed...

And there was Cora, the youngest child in their family, his younger sister. She was just a delight in every way possible. He loved her as much as everyone else in the pack, if not more. Being the youngest, Cora had everyone's attention, care, and love. She was just too young, so of course she needed the pack and his mother to take care of her. That's also how the pack functions: the young ones are those who need to be protected and cared for at all times. All that attention, all that caring, and all that love just...sadly didn't apply to him since he didn't need them anymore. He was already a teenager, so he was supposed to grow up and take care of other young ones in return, just like everyone in the pack took care of him when he was young. But the fact is, he did need them. But that also wasn't the case...

They had all burned to the ground. Thanks to him!

Because of his naive characteristic...

Because he was such an idiot that he could not notice the threat to his pack that was right in front of his eyes...

Because he is too easy to put his trust in people...

And because he trusted the wrong person—Kate Argent—now all of his pack, his family, his mother, his sisters—all of them had burned to the ground!

There were the days when he was a brat without manners, the days when he still felt the joy of finding the first love that he was so sure would be "the one", the days when he was a captain of the basketball team at Beacon Hills High School, the days when he still could laugh easily... All of them were being fumigated by the smoke of his burned house, with his pack burned inside as well, caused by his crazy-ex-girl friend! All of those good old memories are being surpassed by the pain, anger, hatred, and regret that are now covering his very tainted soul.

And after all of that, he thought he had learned the lesson! But no, just like a joke as his life is, here he is, being betrayed once again by no one by Scott McCall. The one he thought could be his Beta one day. When Scott forces him to bite Gerard Argent, he feels his trust break once more. When Scott tells him that Derek is not his Alpha, Derek once again feels the very faint, very weak pack bond lingering between them break in half. And it hurts so freaking much...

Afterward, Derek realizes that not only is he an idiot, but he also failed as an Alpha! One of his Betas, Jackson, is now a humanoid lizard shapeshifter who is trying to kill Derek with all of his beings. Two of his Betas, Erica and Boyd, abandoned him to look for another better Alpha. Scott, whom he has been hoping would be his Beta one day, has now officially rejected Derek as his Alpha. And there is Isaac...Derek knows that he is stupid, but he isn't stupid enough to not realize the fact that Isaac prefers to be with Scott more than to be with him, and it's only a matter of time until Isaac rejects him as his Alpha and then leaves him too.

Derek doesn't know exactly what he does wrong, for everything turns out to be like this for him and everyone that is around him to be in this shitshow. Maybe because everything he did was done the wrong way. Or maybe his mother was right; he was not meant to be an Alpha...

Witnessing everything that is happening in front of him, seeing the battle, seeing them fighting against Jackson, against the Kanima... Derek doesn't even know if there is a chance for them to win. The Kanima, the one he created by mindlessly giving the bite while still high on power after achieving the Alpha's spark, is too powerful for them to fight back. Looking at the Kanima, Derek not only sees the abomination created by him but also the invincible weapon that has only one purpose: murdering them all. And Derek has no idea how to get him or them out of this situation. They're screwed! 

Seeing the murderous look in Kanima's eyes while feeling its gaze set on him, Derek knows this is it. This is how he's going to die. He will be killed by the creature he created—the creature that once was just a boy who is still in high school and is now being controlled by his mortal enemy, Gerard Argents. Derek doesn't want to die, but he thinks if this is how he's going to die, then it is a great way to die, and tonight is a good day to die as well. Derek has to admit that it seems like everything he did wrong in this life finally comes back to bite him in the end. Truth be told, Derek thinks it's what he deserves after making so many mistakes that he lost count. Finally, he can pay for his sins...

But it seems like the universe has other plans for him; it wants him to suffer for more, wants him to do something to amend all of his mistakes before he takes the last breath, and wants him to live a little longer before he can finally meet his pack and his family. Just right before the moment the Kanima can leap forward to rip him apart, Derek hears the big crack, and the next thing he knows, there is a black SUV car that drives straight through the warehouse's wall and crashes right into the Kanima with full force, making it bounce back a few meters away from Derek. Witnessing the Kanima now groaning on the ground while there is smoke flowing out of the SUV car, the first thing that pops up in Derek's mind is: "Whoever the fuck drives this car should be in jail."

Meanwhile, for Stiles, if he ever has a minute to really think about himself, he will say that his mental health really has some severe issues right now. Because honestly, no one in their minds with a normal function of rationality will do the thing he just did. What he just did, truth be told, is the next level of suicide.

Here is the thing: If anyone ever tells him that he is a terrible driver, Stiles will laugh at their faces and then tell them that he is a fantastic driver! Stiles even has two solid reasons to back up his statement:

1. His dad is the sheriff, so he has to, would love to, and has the responsibility to maintain his dad's job by driving safely. Because, you know, having a kid who breaks all the traffic laws won't be a good example of parenting and, of course, not a good sheriff. 

2. After his mom died, there were only Stiles and his dad left. Therefore, Stiles has to keep himself from all the dangers of traffic accidents to be alive and to be there for his dad as long as possible.

But after recounting everything he did tonight until now, Stiles is not so sure anymore... What did Stiles just do? Well, knowing that they are running out of time as they waste too much time already, instead of stopping the car on the sideway in front of the warehouse and then running around trying to find Derek, Scott, Isaac, and everyone else, Stiles just decides to fuck it and just tests his luck by slamming his foot on the accelerator pedal with full force while aiming straight to the warehouse's wall and then drives straight to it! 

Lucky for Stiles, or maybe his hunch is correct, the part of the wall that he drives straight to is kind of slim and easy to break down. So with a big crack, Stiles finds himself, Lydia, and the car now in the warehouse. Even more fortunate comes when Stiles realizes that he somehow crashes right into Jackson in all of his gruesome lizard humanoid shape, making him bounce back a few meters while also stopping Jackson from attempting to tear Derek limb from limb. Despite the fact that his action will be absolutely counted as committing suicide, Stiles still counts it as a win because see! He successfully stops the Kanima—sorry, he means Jackson—from killing anyone! 

Seeing Jackson is now groaning lying on the floor three meters from the car, Stiles wastes no time to grab the jar of mountain ash, opening the car door, hopping down off the floor, and then charging forward to smash the jar right next to Jackson. In an instant, Stiles wills all of the mountain ash into the perfect circle to create a closed barrier with Jackson trapped inside. Stiles knows that the barrier made by Moutain Ash can trap Werewolves inside no matter what, but when it comes to Kanima, Stiles has no fucking clue if the barrier he just created will be able to hold and trap Jackson. Therefore, being his paranoid usual self and just to be sure 100% that Jackson can get out of his barrier, Stiles reaches out for his magic and then feeds a huge amount of it to the barrier, combined with the utmost belief that his barrier can even trap a dragon inside if needed. 

Right there and then, feeling the magic snap into place while sensing the power of his magic radiating from the barrier, Stiles believes that he has just created the most perfect Moutain Ash's barrier ever! Nothing can get in and nothing can get out without his permission! Stiles even twitches the barrier and adds on to it so that even human's firearms are unable to penetrate the barrier. Hunters can all suck it! 

Afterward, Stiles turns back to find everyone looking at him and Lydia with an incredulous looks on their faces. And, as usual, Scott is the first one to talk.

 - STILES! Did you just slam your car into Jackson?

Hearing Scott's voice the first time tonight instantly makes Stiles want to break down right there and then. For hours, which seems like a lifetime to Stiles, he has been wanting to hear that voice—to hear that voice telling him that he came to rescue him out of the Argent's basement, to hear that voice when he was dragged to the preserve, to hear that voice when he had to fight for his life against the most mighty beast he has ever known,... Stiles is just so tired, and all he wants right now is to come home, to sleep on his bed, and to be alone and then break down while no one will see, but no, he still has lots of things to handle. Hence, Stiles shuts all of those emotions down, turns his gaze to Scott, and says with an annoying voice:

 - Well... Hello to you too! How am I doing? Thanks for asking. I'm doing fantastic!  

Seeing the confused face on Scott's, Stiles really should have known better! Being his naive usual self, Scott, of course, doesn't notice the blood on Stiles's shredded shirt, the bruises all over his face, or the smell of lingering blood stuck on his skin. Worse of all, Scott doesn't even notice that Stiles disappeared, was kidnapped and tortured for hours, and still doesn't even think or care enough to look for him. Hence, excuse him for a second to act like a petulant child throwing tantrums, okay?

 - What? Stiles, why are you annoyed at me? Where have you been? - Scott says.

Doesn't answer Scott's questions, as Stiles knows that it's not a time or place to talk about why he is annoyed at him, and as Stiles knows that if he hears Scott's voice any longer, he will hit him so hard that Scott sees stars to pay for all of what Stiles has been through tonight, which he doesn't want to do at this very moment. Stiles decides to pay Scott no mind, turns around, and scans the whole warehouse, only to find out Chris and Allison are looming in the farthest right of the warehouse, separately from everyone. Right there and then, Stiles sees red...

When someone gets angry, there are two things that can happen. The first and most common thing is hot anger. Hot anger is a passionate, emotional response to a present situation, and it happens at the moment, resulting in some nasty reactions that involve lashing out, screaming, yelling, fighting—you name it, they have it all. It flares up like a flame to burn everything and everyone around it, but it dies out fast.

Another thing that can happen is the cold anger! Cold anger usually happens when the hot anger has failed in some way. The cold anger is calculated, and well-thought-out, and the angry person is in complete control of their emotions. The angry person suppresses their original ‘hot’ anger and so it goes deep into their psychological system. This kind of anger simmers under the surface like magma boiling under volcanos waiting for the right time to explode...and when the right time comes, it will destroy everything that gets in its way! And Now...now...Stiles is having a million waves of cold anger against the Argents! Normally, cold anger is common in serial killers, mass murderers, and psychopaths. Stiles loves to say that he is neither of those but the truth is: Stiles is the kind of person who will make your life so miserable that you will wish to die because living in Hell is a mercy when you cross his lines. And tonight? Tonight, the Argents had crossed Stiles's last line and there will be Hell to pay!

 - Hello...Argents.

Stiles greets the Argents with a voice that instantly makes everyone currently in the warehouse feel on edge. It's just wrong! It's not the way you greet someone you have known for a year or a few months. It's not the way you greet someone that you consider an acquaintance or friend. There is no welcome feeling when you greet someone the way Stiles does. It is distant, undesirable, unemotional, and calculated. It's inhuman! Then...they realize Stiles greets the Argent the way people greet their enemies while having the most gruesome death in their minds for the person they greet. 

With a small smile that doesn't even reach the eyes, Stiles slowly walks towards the Argents, and the way Stiles walks once again makes everyone, every creature, in the warehouse alarmingly worried. To the human's eyes, Stiles walks with contentment and relaxation, but all the Werewolves in the warehouse can easily sense waves and waves of lucid stink smell of boundless hatred leaking out of Stiles's pale, scrawny body, aiming at the Argents. The Werewolves can also feel the everlasting rage boiling inside Stiles like magma waiting for the right time to explode and kill everything in sight. All of the Werewolves know now that Stiles is furious. No, scratch that, furious is an understatement; Stiles is livid!  

Hearing the way Stiles greets them, the Argent has to take a step back, like they have been slapped by an invisible hand. Both of the Argents and the Wolves now notice something is clearly wrong with Stiles; something changed inside the boy, and the Argent might be aware of what it is. Right now, looking at Stiles, they don't see the sarcastic, lanky, clumsy boy they have been knowing for a long time, but an Angel of Vengeance, ready to fulfill his duties. There is just something so different about Stiles that sends shudders to their spines and makes everyone in the warehouse feel goosebumps, something just so dangerous! Seeing Stiles walking towards them, the Argents feel like they're being pinned down to where they're standing by the look of an extremely vicious apex predator that has all the intentions of tearing them to shreds.

But before Stiles can do anything—meaning something extremely horrendous—to the Argents, in the corner of his eyes, Stiles sees there is a very angry Jackson who's bouncing up and down, left and right, attempting to break free from his Mountain Ash's barrier. Taking a deep breath, Stiles has to remind himself that this is not the right time to get his revenge as he has more urgent issues to solve, but mark his words: when all of this shit is over, Stiles will find out every possible way to drag the Argents into the mud so deep that they cannot crawl back. And he will enjoy every ounce of pleasure watching them desperately save their own asses. Taking another deep breath and then willing all of his magic to simmer down, Stiles pays the Argents one last look and then turns back to everyone in the warehouse, which makes the Argents release the breath they don't even know that they're holding.

 - Is everyone okay? No one dies, right? Losing any arms? Please tell me you guys did not lose arms because, let me tell you, I'm not going to help you pick it up!

Standing up on his feet, despite still feeling very hurt after being betrayed once again, Derek can't help but roll his eyes so hard at Stiles's questions:

 - Stiles! No one dies, and all arms are intact. So stop talking. 

 - Hello to you too, Sourwolf. Great! That's great! No arms are missing, I mean. Wait? Where is Peter?

True to his words, Stiles looks around the warehouse, but Peter is nowhere to be seen. Well, that can't be good because a hiding-Peter is a dangerous-Peter, and right now they don't need a dangerous Peter to add to their dish that already contains too many problems. 

 - Peter! Stop lurking around and show yourself. I know you're here! - Stiles shouts.

And here he is, stepping out of the shadow like a drama queen, with all of his glory in the V-neck henley. Rolling his eyes, Peter retorts:

 - I'm not lurking! I'm just enjoying myself in the dark. I will even invite you in if you ask nicely.

 - I have no desire to know what you do in the dark, so thanks, but no thanks; I'm going to pass! Anyway, back to business! Lydia is here! What do you need her for?

 - Pitty! Well, like you said: back to the business. We need her for that!

Pointing his finger at the Kanima, Peter now successfully makes everyone's attention shift to Jackon, who is now still slamming against Stiles's barrier, which is kinda hilarious if you ask Stiles. Looking around, Stiles can see very clearly that other people—meaning Scott, Isaac, Derek, and the Argents—have no idea how to deal with Jackson. True to be told, before Stiles arrives at the warehouse, they are losing to the Kanima. The Kanima is ridiculously strong, and Peter might say that Jackson is even stronger than the other Kanimas that were recorded on Hale's Beastiary. If not for Stiles's meddling by slamming his car right into the Kanima, Derek would be dead by now. And for sure, after Derek dies, he and other people in the warehouse will be next. And although Peter hates to say this, in one moment of weakness, he really considered fleeing. However, he then shuts it all down and keeps on fighting because there's no way he leaves Derek—his only remaining family—behind.

Believe it or not, despite the fact that Derek killed him once and took the Alpha's spark from him, Peter still considers Derek to be his family, and Peter won't let him die if he can help it. Thankfully, it wasn't the case since, as unusual as it seems, Stiles once again saved the day by putting a stop to Jackson's killing spree and successfully capturing the Kanima by containing it inside the strongest barrier Peter had ever seen in his life!

Stepping a little closer to the barrier, Peter then circles the barrier while keeping close eyes on Jackson. After checking the barrier not two but three times, Peter has to say he's impressed! This barrier is extremely strong and absolutely perfectly made! He knows Stiles has potential; of course he knows, but he never imagined Stiles could be this incredible. How in the world Stiles can create this remarkable strong barrier is astonishing to Peter. He's worked with many casters before, but he's sure that all of those casters can't and never will be able to create this kind of barrier that is strong enough to hold the Kanima. The Kanima is a vicious creature with enormous power that can easily tear 1 Alpha, 3 Betas, and 2 well-trained Hunters limbs from limb, and somehow this barrier that Stiles created is still able to contain the Kanima inside perfectly. 

Being confident that the Kanima is now trapped and has no way to get out to kill them all, Peter decides that he has taken too long to admire Stiles's handy work, so he turns his attention back to the matter at hand. Turning around to face everyone in the warehouse, Peter pays no attention to the wolves and the Argents but focuses on Stiles. Peter speaks: 

 - It's quite a barrier, Stiles! You certainly did a great job here. Well done!

 - Flattery will get you nowhere, Peter! - He lies. Stiles actually secretly enjoys the compliment - Now, if you please, tell me, what do you need Lydia for?

Sensing that Stiles actually enjoys being complimented despite saying otherwise with his super heightened Werewolf sense, Peter smirks:

 - Oh, I believe that flattery will get me everywhere. But since you ask very nicely, I will tell you why... I need our lovely Lydia here to help me save Jackson! You see, I have intel said that to save the Kanima, you need to bring out its humanity and fulfill the transformation. I'm not so sure about the "fulfill" part, but I do know that the mate bonds could bring out the humanity of shapeshifters. Correct me if I'm wrong, but Lydia is Jackson's girlfriend, right? So, how about we give it a try, Lydia?

Not sure about everyone else, but right at this moment, Stiles is impressed with Peter for being so resourceful. Despite not having the knowledge of a 1000-year-old Nogitsune, Peter is still able to find a way to save Jackson, and if it is not impressive, Stiles doesn't know what it is! Conversely speaking, Stiles knows that he's smart, but he's not a god. If not for Itachi, he will also be at a loss like everyone else and will never be able to come up with a solid plan to save Jackson in the first place. So yeah, Stiles is very impressed. However, Stiles notices the flaws in Peter's plan, and he is almost certain that Peter's plan is not going to work. But it's also understandable because Peter doesn't have all the pieces to solve the puzzle. Itachi is right after all: the Kanimal is a very rare creature, so only a few were recorded by other werefolk and hunters. Not to mention that most of the recorded information is incorrect. However, there is no harm in trying, right? Besides, Stiles is here to provide the backup plan when Peter's plan doesn't work. 

Lydia, despite still being quite shaken up at looking at Peter for being haunted by him for months, is also impressed with Peter because she can't help but compare Stiles's plan and Peter's plan together and notice the similarities between them. Peter's plan has all the important information, such as bringing out Jackson's humanity and fulfilling the transformation, but doesn't say how. Meanwhile, Stiles's plan is more solid and practical and most likely will work! But just like Stiles, Lydia also thinks that there is no harm in trying. Hence, Lydia will give it a try! Braving herself to look at Peter, Lydia says:

 - Alright! Tell me, what am I going to do?

Scenting the scent of worry and fear coming from Lydia as she looks at him, Peter can't help but feel regret for everything he did to her. He knows what he did was not right, if not very bad. But at the time, he was desperate, and desperate times called for desperate measures, so Peter did what he had to do so that he could have a chance to live again. Besides, he has to admit that his mental state was really messed up at the time, and having the Alpha's spark added to it just made it worse. So yeah, it's true that Peter did a very bad thing to Lydia and caused her the worst trauma ever, but Peter always believes that begging for forgiveness is easier than asking for permission. Therefore, Peter decides that after all of this shit is over, he will beg for her forgiveness later. Focusing on Lydia, Peter says:

 - Well... Technically, a mate can anchor a feral Werewolf by talking and scenting. I will suggest talking, but normally, scenting will work better. But, as you see, Jackson isn't really friendly with scenting for now, so scenting might not be a good idea. However, if you want to be torn apart right now, then...be my guest! 

Seeing the unimpressed looks on everyone's faces and some furious growling from the wolves, Peter rolls his eyes while speaking again:

 - You guys are no fun! Fine! What I mean is that Lydia should try to talk to Jackson, calling his name, telling him stories valued to him, reminding him of the good memories, or maybe showing him something that matters to him to see. Anyway, you know what I meant. So, just give it a try!

Nodding her head slightly, Lydia takes a deep breath and then takes a step closer to Jackson. For the first time in the night, Lydia finally has a good look at her ex-boyfriend. Just like in The Bestiary, there is nothing human about Jackson right now. He is 100% a humanoid lizard creature, with dark green scales covering all of his body and his tail. Yeah, Jackson has a fucking tail!

Hearing Jackson's hissing and seeing him bounce ferociously against the Moutain Ash's barrier, Lydia, strangely, isn't afraid of him. She knows she should be, but she isn't. Maybe it is because Jackson is now hissing and bouncing like a petulant feral kitten, throwing tantrums at everyone and everything while hopelessly being captured in the cage. Or maybe it is because Lydia knows that they—Stiles and Lydia—have a very solid plan to save Jackson in case Peter's plan doesn't work. Maybe because of all of them,... She honestly doesn't know that the truth is: Lydia honestly just isn't afraid of Jackson at all.

"I will save you, Jackson"—reminding herself in her mind, Lydia wastes no more time and begins to call Jackson's name and tell him about all the memories they have together. She tells Jackson about how they met, about their first time holding hands, their first date, their first kiss, and their first fight... She tells him about all of their childhood memories and tells him how he was a cute little brat trailing after her since they were just kids. Lydia then tells him that his parents miss him a lot and tells him how they are devastated after knowing that their son is now gone. She tells him that, although there is a brink between Jackson and his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Whittemore still love him so much.

Afterward, Lydia tells Jackson that his best friend - Danny - is crying his heart out for losing his best friend, while also reminding Jackson how awesome they are in school as the Golden Trio. Finally, Lydia even shows Jackson the key to her grandmother's lake house, which now belongs to Lydia after her grandmother passed away, to show Jackson that they can have a place of their own and can move in together after graduation if they want to...

But despite all of Lydia's efforts, there is still no sight of Jackson's humanity being brought forward. Knowing it is a waste of time and a lost cause, Lydia gives up. Taking a deep breath to try gathering herself while still keeping her gaze on Jackson, Lydia turns back to look at Peter and Stiles. Lydia pays no mind to other people in the warehouse, as she doesn't care about either of them, maybe except for Allison, and as she knows that they have no clues on how to save Jackson. Hence, why waste any breath? Trying to ignore the heart-wrenching feeling inside her heart, Lydia keeps a cool face while looking at Stiles and Peter to say:

 - It doesn't work... I told him everything, but it didn't help. He did have some reactions when hearing his name or when hearing about Danny and his parents, and he also reacted to some stories, but...that's it! Nothing at all. He is in there; I know that Jackson is in there; I can feel it! But the Beast persona is just too much stronger than the Jackson persona. Me talking is just not enough to suppress the beast persona. - Turning her head to look at Stiles - We have to try your plan, Stiles.

Hearing what Lydia just said makes everyone in the warehouse very confused, except for Peter, who is having a calculated knowing look on his face. Did Lydia just say that she, we, have to follow Stiles's plan? Since when has Stiles had a plan to save Jackson? Deciding to speak up after finally managing to shut down all of his hurting feelings for being betrayed once again, Derek says:

 - Stiles, what does she mean by saying we have to follow your plan? 

Being his annoying little shit usual self, Stiles winks at Derek and says:

 - Well, you know me, Sourwolf; of course I have a plan. And because Peter's plan doesn't work out, then we have to follow my plan! 

Chapter Text

Despite the fact that Stiles has a plan to save Jackson, he has been hoping that his plan won't be used. Because, as mentioned earlier, his plan might involve murdering someone, and...there is nothing easy about taking a life even though they're a monster. When you take someone's life, you don't just take them off the living realm and send them to the afterlife; you also kill a piece of your soul in the process. Murder is murder, regardless of whether it is done in self-defense or on purpose. After you have taken a life, there will be no going back. 

Tonight, Stiles has already killed two of Gerard's goons in self-defense, and if he sets his plan in motion, he might need to kill another one who is the same age as him, who is just a high school boy. And if Stiles is being honest with himself, he feels horrible, terrible, and dreadful about that, about killing a person despite knowing that person is a criminal who has been killing a lot of people lately. But what can he say? It's something that has to be done to save his friends! So Stiles will be a big man here and brave his soul to be ready on the road to Hell...

Swallowing hard, Stiles turns back only to see that Derek and everyone else in the warehouse are very confused after hearing that he has a plan to save Jackson, except for Lydia and, surprisingly or unsurprisingly, Peter. Of course, Peter will know that Stiles is up to something; that man just knows everything about everyone up to this point, and it's really creepy and awesome at the same time. Stiles really wishes he could be this resourceful and knowledgeable one day. Maybe Peter will willingly share some of his secrets if he asks nicely? Or maybe Peter can teach him some 1-on-1 lessons to become the next Yoda? Maybe Stiles will try to ask him sometime after all of this shit is over. But first things first: the plan! Looking around and seeing that the person that he wants to find is nowhere to be found, Stiles asks bewilderedly:

 - Uhm...can anyone tell me where Matt Daehler is?

 - Why do you ask about him? - Isaac, who is now standing close to Scott, answers Stiles with the voice that has been annoying Stiles lately. 

 - Oh! I don't know! Maybe invite him to my sleepover and chat about girls. Or boys. NO! Dumb ass! Just tell me where he is.

Admittedly, it's quite hilarious to see Stiles this annoyed about someone, but Peter has been through a lot tonight and has had enough of this meaningless bickering between these two. He states: 

 - He isn't here because he is already dead.

Surprised at hearing what Peter just said, Stiles whips his head so fast to look at him and says:

 - WHAT? How? When?

 - I am amazed by your choice of words, but next time, be more specific! - Can't help rolling his eyes so hard, Peter tells Stiles. 

 - Oh, for God's sake! Just tell me when and how he died.

 - Fine! Gerard Argent killed him. 

And that caused an uproar among everyone in the warehouse, especially the Argents. However, Scott talks before everyone else:

 - How did you know about it?

 - Well... Because I saw Gerard drown Matt Daehler under the river by the bridge. With my own eyes! - 

Speaking while looking at the Argents with extremely accused eyes, Peter smirks as he sees that the Argents suddenly become so pale like walking corpses, knowing that their father, their grandfather just murdered a high school kid. 

 - So that's why Gerard became the new master! - Derek states. 

 - And you didn't even save him? - Scott cried out in distress. 

No need to explain; Stiles can see now that no one knew anything about Gerard murdering Matt Daehler. A tiny part of Stiles feels pleasure to see the blood run out of Chris and Allison's faces when they realize their father, their grandfather, killed a teenager in cold blood just for power! Another tiny part of him feels sorry for them for having psychopaths such as Kate and Gerard as immediate family members. But this is none of his business, so Stiles decides to leave it. Besides, he thinks that they totally deserve it after everything they caused him. Aside from that, by killing Matt, Gerard is now the master of the Kanima, which means that Stiles now only needs to kill Gerard, and if being honest with himself, between Gerard and Matt, Stiles will choose to kill Gerard in any second. Matt Daehler is a psychopath, but Gerard Argent is a genocide! Stiles will definitely take every ounce of pleasure in killing Gerard while getting his revenge along the way! Thus, Stiles decides that no more chit-chat; he now has a genocider to kill. Stiles asks out loud:

 - Alright! So Gerard is the new master. Good for him! Where is he?

Intentionally ignoring the odd look coming from Peter's face, Stiles looks at everyone else and waits for the answer. And this time, Scott is the one who gives him the answer:

 - He is right...Where is he? He was just lying right there!

True to Scott's words, Gerard Argent is nowhere to be seen! The place where Gerard was lying not so long ago is covered in black blood. Actually, there is blood everywhere! Like, a lot of them! Stiles has no idea what happened to Gerard making him lose this much blood, but with the amount of blood on the floor, Gerard should have been dead by now. But no, instead of being dead, Gerard is somehow alive and apparently has enough strength to drag himself out of the warehouse without anyone noticing. Crazy fucking old hunter, why doesn't he just die already? 

Realizing Gerard has now disappeared, everyone in the warehouse, including the Argents, goes into panic mode. That man is extremely dangerous, and the fact that he's alive and has escaped is not a good thing for everyone. Wasting no time, Stiles follows the blood trait left behind by Gerard for dragging himself out of the warehouse to the main door, only to find a very motionless corpse of no one but Gerard Argents!

Looking at the corpse of Gerard, Stiles is really having several conflicting emotions right now. Stiles honestly does not know if he should feel relief for finding Gerard's corpse or if he should feel happy because he doesn't need to murder Gerard to break the master's bond anymore. Or if he should feel angry for losing a chance to get his revenge. Honestly, Stiles really has no fucking clue! Stepping closer to examine Gerard's corpse, Stiles finds it very odd. Something just isn't right about this corpse! 

After double-checking the corpse to feel sure about this conclusion, Stiles can finally say: "Yup, he is correct". Even though Stiles is not a forensic expert, he read enough autopsy reports and saw enough autopsy photos in his dad's case files to realize that Gerard died from a broken neck rather than from bleeding out. Which is not right! A broken neck? How can that even happen? Slipping? Nope! That is impossible. Gerard is old, but he is not that old. Gerard is pretty damn strong for his age, and Stiles has evidence from all over his body to prove that for God's sake! Besides, if Gerard had enough strength to drag himself out of the warehouse right under four Werewolves, then there is no fucking he will die because of a broken neck. Unless...widening his eyes while the realization washes over his face, Stiles thinks back on everything that happened since he and Lydia arrived, and then Stile finds it! God! How can he miss it? There were only three Werewolves in the warehouse when he crashed his car through the wall. Meaning that one person was missing: Peter wasn't there!

Startling everyone by abruptly standing up, Stiles ignores the confusing look on everyone's faces, including Lydia, only to step forward to come close to Peter. Setting a steady and intense gaze on Peter, Stiles asks with an unimpressed and unapproved tone:

 - Peter! Really? A broken neck? How dumb do you think I am? Also, I thought that you were an expert at obliterating criminal evidence. Obviously, I was wrong because...this? This is amateur work! 

Unaffected by Stiles's questions, unflinching by everyone's intense looks, and completely ignoring the growling of other Werewolves in the warehouse, Peter has to give an award to Stiles for his cleverness. This boy is really perceptive and very capable of seeing things that other people can't see without needing the super-heightened senses of a Werewolf. It's no surprise that Stiles discovers that he's the one who murdered Gerard within a short amount of time. Looking at Stiles with an amused look, Peter says: 

 - Well... Excuse me for not having enough time to destroy the evidence of my crime or come up with another better way of killing Gerard after catching that old, disgusted man at the main door and then snapping his neck. I'm kind of busy, you know? Also, seriously, there were 3 Werewolves and 2 hunters inside the warehouse, and no one noticed Gerard was alive and about to get out? I honestly don't know how you guys can survive this long!

And that causes everyone to uproar once again, but this time, no one dares speak up against Peter, as they know that, unlike Derek, Peter would and is able to end their lives right then and there if they rub him the wrong way. Peter will say that it's a perk of being a former serial killer, and he's quite like it.  

 - Just shut up! - Derek, being the only one to dare and being able to go against his uncle, decides enough is enough and tells Peter to stop. 

Ignoring a few glares from the Argents and angry growling from Isaac and Scott, Peter rolls his eyes so hard! Seriously, someone should give him a medal for putting up with these people. God, all of them are just...well, maybe except for Stiles, but the rest of them are acting like bitches—pun intended! He just saved them from a lot of hard work in the future by killing Gerard, and no thank you? No, "I appreciate your help"? That is rude! Peter doesn't even know why he's putting up with these people in the first place. Oh yeah, Derek—that's why! And maybe...Scott? Thinking about Scott makes Peter just wish that he could go back in time to stop himself from biting Scott and force his former crazy self to bite Stiles instead. And if Stiles is the one he bites, everything will be perfect, and it will not turn out to be like a shitshow right now. Scott is just too much of a work to handle for real, but because he was bitten by him, Scott is now kind of his problem. So yeah...he has to deal with them! And that makes him want to pull out his hair so freaking much! 

Peter's thought is interrupted by Stiles when he decides that the growling and shouting from other people are really getting on his nerves. He asks Peter directly:

 - Peter, you are the new master, aren't you?

It comes out more like a statement than a question, and it only takes a second before everyone reacts!

Everyone now sets their absolute attention on Peter! The Werewolves Trio—Derek, Scott, and Isaac—is now growling and threatening Peter. Chris Argent has both of his guns pointed at Peter, while Allison quickly draws an arrow, sets it on the bow, pulls the string, and aims at Peter's head. Lydia now has an icy cold look on her face while setting her deadly gaze on Peter to tell him that if he makes one wrong step, she will end him right there and then, despite not knowing how! And Stiles... Stiles is looking at Peter intensely while reading Peter's aura.

Peter's aura is...unsettling! There is a giant, translucent wolf with dark brown fur and glowing blue eyes looming all over his body. "This has to be Peter's wolf, isn't it?" - Stiles thinks. He senses a feeling that the wolf is in its prime age, but the wolf doesn't look really good at all. There are so many things wrong with Peter's Wolf that Stiles doesn't even know where to begin to describe them.

The first thing Stiles sees are the burn wounds all over the wolf's body, and they have to be the wounds caused by Kate Argent since the Hale Fire. The fire wounded Peter so badly that it imprinted on his aura, making the wolf covered in burn wounds all over its body. And despite being brought back from the dead, the burn wounds still stayed in Peter's aura, causing him pain.

The second thing Stiles sees in Peter's aura is the rotten flesh... Stiles has a feeling that it has to be caused by being dead for a few months. Outside, Peter appears in all of his glory in the V-neck henley. All of his scarred burns are gone, and Stiles thinks Peter is...saner? Or saner than before? Peter just looks so much better on the outside. But inside, Peter is rotten. Ever since Stiles found out that Peter had come back from the dead, Stiles has been wondering how Peter could make it happen. As Lydia said earlier, Peter must use Lydia - a Banshee - to anchor his soul to the living realm after he bit her and then manipulated her into performing a ritual to bring his soul back to his body. But it can't be that easy, can it? No, if it's that easy, necromancy will be practiced everywhere, and no one will die in this world. Looking at Peter's aura now, Stiles finally understands how hard it is to achieve such an impossible thing. Coming back from the dead is not a simple act. There are always prices to pay, and Peter is paying his prices to Death right now.

Another thing that is visible in Peter's aura is the mark of Death. Needless to say, what Peter did was an incredible act. Death is a part of the circle of life; it's inevitable. Everything will die in the end, one way or another, and Death just doesn't like it when its prey gets away from its hands. Therefore, for those who manage to escape the hands of Death, Death will leave a mark on their souls like a warning, like a reminder, so that the next time Death meets its prey again, there will be no more getting away from it. And right now, the mark of Death is visible on Peter's soul, which shows right through his aura for everyone to see. By looking at the mark, Stiles has a feeling that Peter will be in so much trouble in the future for being a naughty soul. 

Watching Peter's aura and seeing all the things shown on the aura just makes Stiles so unsettled because his aura is telling him that Peter is dying! Stiles doesn't know if pity is the right word to use, but right now, seeing Peter suffer like this makes him feel really sorry for him. But Stiles doesn't say a word and keeps his mouth shut, as he knows for sure that Peter doesn't like to have his pity. Trying to overlook everything else, Stiles continues to look deep into Peter's aura to find something that he wants to look for in the first place, and yup! He finally finds it—the bonds. 

There are a bunch of broken pack bonds tangling around Peter's aura. Stile doesn't want to count how many, but he thinks he has a rough idea, which will be at least more than 15 broken-pack bonds. There are just a lot of them, and by looking at these broken pack bonds, Stiles can't help but think that each of these bonds represents a person—a mother, a sister, a niece, a nephew, a friend—who lived, loved, and laughed in this world but now are all gone, leaving behind nothing but heartbreak and the lingering pains that surrounded Derek's and Peter's souls. It just makes Stiles feel really sad, and he doesn't even know what to say to make Derek or Peter feel better. Whatever he says will be meaningless, as there are still broken pack bonds lingering in their souls, which are constantly reminding them that they lost so many beloved ones. 

Taking a close look at Peter's aura, Stiles sees that the only pack bond still intact in Peter's aura is the very faint golden threat linking Peter and Derek together. Stiles doesn't know why, but when he sees that very faint golden threat between Derek and Peter, he feels a little better. Maybe it's because by having that faint golden threat, Stiles has proof that, at least deep down, Derek still sees Peter as a member of his pack and still is his uncle, and vice versa. Meaning that even after having been through so many horrible things, they still have each other in the end. 

Right next to the pack bond that linked Peter and Derek together, there is another bond that's very different from the pack bond. If the pack bond looks like a golden threat, then this bond is glowing with a crimson-red color. Seeing the glowing, crimson-red threat, Stiles just knows that it's the master bond that's linking Peter and Jackson together. And yup, he's correct as he tracks down the threat from Peter's aura back to Jackson's aura—an aura that's very dark. An aura that is so intimidating that it sends a shudder to his spine just by looking at it. An aura that contains all the hatred, all the murderous intentions, and all the wants of wanting to have vengeance, all the desire of wanting to right the wrong. 

 - Oh...Stiles... As astute as ever! I know I like you for reasons!

Peter compliments Stiles with a melodious tone, but hearing that melodious tone from Peter while seeing the maniac glints, the calculation, and the cautions in Peter's eyes, Stiles just knows that if he doesn't do something soon, everything will go to Hell! 

Recounting in his mind everything Stiles knows about Peter up until this point, he comes to one conclusion: Peter wants power! Stiles doesn't know Peter well enough to know why he becomes like this, but everything he does, and did, is to gain power - despite that power might burn him down in the end. And to have that power, Peter will do everything to get it. 

Here is the thing: before being brought back to the living realm by Lydia, Peter had already terrified the shit out of him when he was in his former crazy self. Stiles honestly shudders to think about what Peter will become or do when he's as sane as he is right now, standing in front of Stiles. If Stiles's being honest, between an insane rampaging Peter and a power-hungry, relatively sane Peter, Stiles will think that the insane maniac Peter will be much easier to handle. At least Stiles killed an insane Peter once, so if there is ever another insane rampaging Peter, Stiles is sure that he can kill him a second time. But right now, Stiles isn't so sure about it anymore. 

Having no idea whether it is Peter's plan all along or a coincidence, Stiles suddenly realizes that if it isn't because of his meddling and his barrier that captured Jackson, Peter will now be the final winner of the night. Being the new master of the Kanima after killing Gerard and successfully establishing the master bond between him and Jackson, Peter now has the invincible weapon under his command to do everything he desires to do. He now has a mindless weapon that will follow all of his orders without a single complaint! And the thought of that, of what can happen, makes Stiles shudder in fear. Nope, that cannot happen! Stiles has to put a stop to it!  

God, why can Gerard still be alive and still be the master of the Kanima? It will be so much easier! Stiles honestly won't give a fuck if he needs to put a bullet through Gerard's head. He will even enjoy it if he has a chance to do so, because, as people used to say: revenge is a sweaty little thing! But nooo, Peter has to get in the way and become the new master of the Kanima. Stiles is really having trouble thinking about killing Peter right now. Why? Because, after knowing how many traumas Peter has been through and how much pain that man has been suffering, Stiles really can't find it in him to kill that man. 

Don't get him wrong; Stiles knows very well that Peter is not a good person! God! He still has vivid memories of Peter's killing spree, and it still causes him many nightmares. But Stiles gets it; he understands why Peter did what he did, why Peter went berserk and started a killing spree to avenge his former pack that was murdered in cold blood by the Hunters. If he were put in Peter's position, Stiles would do exactly the same thing! If someone or something out there kills his father, Stiles won't stop until he gets his hands on that person or thing and makes them suffer so much that they wish to die already. Therefore, Stiles is very conflicted right now. His plan requires the master to be killed, but killing Peter is not what Stiles wants to do. "Fuck you, Peter. What do you have to make it so hard?" - Stiles swears out in his mind.  

Thinking back on all the things Stiles knows about the bonds, Stiles believes that there are two ways to break the bonds: forcefully breaking them by an outside source or breaking them by the compromise of two companions linked by the bonds. And to all Stiles knows about Peter, there is no way in Hell Peter will willingly break a bond with the Kanima since Peter now has an invincible weapon he always wants. Unless there is something much more appealing for him—something that is worthy enough for Peter to give up on having the Kanima in his possession—and then suddenly, something pops up in his mind! Stiles currently has something that is so important to Peter that he believes that he can make the bargain with him! 

You see, before Stiles crashed his car through the wall, Itachi dispersed himself into black smoke and instantly soaked into Stiles's skin, leaving him alone to deal with the crash and everything else. Itachi said that he hates Werewolves, so he doesn't want to deal with any of these stupid dogs! When Stiles and Lydia entered the warehouse, Itachi felt delighted with the conflicted emotions, chaos, and violence in the warehouse and wasted no time feeding on them. When Stiles saw the Argents, Itachi was over the moon with Stiles's rage. When Stiles read Peter's aura, Itachi let out a squeak of pleasure for witnessing such a horrendous aura and immediately fed on Peter's darkness and pains. And maybe because of that, Itachi decided to be nice and helped Stiles out as he was struggling to find a way to persuade Peter to break the bond.

- Oh, I take my words back. I like your wolves, Stiles! The one over there, Derek right? His guilt, pains, and self-hatred are like consuming all of his soul, and it's super delicious, like a well-cooked beefsteak with all the flavors. Oh, and this one, Peter right? He is mouthwatering! God, both of them are so delicious; it has been a long time since I fed on such pain and darkness! Especially Peter; the pain and darkness inside him are captivating! Not to mention that he was marked by Death, and now the presence of Death is lingering in his soul, making him even more delicious. Can we keep him? We should keep him! He doesn't have to do anything at all. All he needs is to just stand right there being pretty while I have my appetizing...

- NO! Of course not. We're not keeping anyone. Especially Peter of all people! Also, you do know that Peter is dying, right? How can you keep him if he is dying? Unless...You know how to heal him, do you? Oh, of course you do!

- Well, I can tell you how to heal him, but I want something in return.

Considering it for a moment, Stiles knows that making a deal with a dark creature is always a bad thing. Stiles is proof of it; if he hadn't made a deal with Itachi in the first place, Itachi wouldn't be on his mind right now. However, despite knowing it's a very bad idea, Stiles can't help but take it! Everything is just a mess right now, and Stiles has no idea how to fix all of that. So if Itachi can fix one of his problems—a big problem, to be honest—then sure as Hell Stiles's going to take it. Stiles finally gives in and says:

 - Fine, name your price. But I will reject it if you ask for something too exaggerated! And we're not going to kill anyone except for Gerard, but too bad that man is already dead.

- Don't worry, Stiles. I won't ask for something too exaggerated! All you need to do is stay close to Peter and Derek from now on, and I will tell you how to heal Peter.

- You need me to stay close to them, especially Peter, so that you can feed on their pain and suffering, aren't you? And don't even think that I don't notice that you are voraciously looking at the presence of Death lingering in his soul. You want to eat it, don't you? 

- Well well, learning fast, do you? So, do we have a deal?

Hearing so, Stiles has to admit that it's actually a good deal. The fact is, Stiles doesn't need to be asked to do so. He is still going to stitch close to the wolves, whether Itachi asks him or not. Besides, considering that Itachi can feed on the darkness and pains without Peter, Derek, or other Werewolves being aware of them, all Stiles needs to do is find excuses to stay close to them. And it won't be so hard to do it, right? Right! Stiles really hopes so...

- Okay! Deal!

There is no need to be told twice; Itachi right away sends a bunch of information through their bond. All of them are about how to heal something or someone by using potions, rituals, and even magic circles. Most of it involved Asia's magic and Asia's magical ingredients and spells written in ancient Mandarin and ancient Japanese, and somehow Stiles can understand them! WTF??? Stiles has never learned Mandarin or Japanese in his life, not to mention the ancient ones. He can speak Polish fluently because of his mom, and he speaks French because he has to learn it in school. So...he's confused!

- The bond, Stiles. To create the bond between us, there were a lot of things that had to be done, but the most important thing was the pact between us. The pact states that we are equal in any sense, so we will share anything and everything with each other, remember? I speak ancient Mandarin and Japanese, so of course you can also speak and understand them. Just like, thanks to you, I can now speak and understand Polish.

- Oh, I don't know about it. That's super cool, actually.

- It is! So now, come to talk with that delicious Werewolf of yours! I can't wait to feed on him soon. 

Wasting no more time, Stiles turns his attention back to Peter. Looking straight into Peter's eyes and trying to sound as confident as possible, Stiles offers the best deal that he can think of to Peter:

 - Peter, please break the bond, and I will heal you completely! 

Narrowing his eyes, Peter looks at Stiles with an intensely meaningful look while thinking about what Stiles just said. Honestly, Peter shouldn't feel surprised that Stiles is the one who finds out what is wrong and what is really happening to him. But here he is, still quite surprised by Stiles's offer. Peter really should have known better! Peter already knows that the boy is too smart and resourceful for his own good. However, maybe because of his age or because of the way he speaks, he still underestimates Stiles from time to time. Being the left hand of Hale's pack, Peter knows that he should never underestimate anyone or anything, but he still does when it comes to Stiles, and that underestimation finally comes back to bite him in the end. 

Peter has been hoping that no one finds out that he's a new master of the Kanima, or at least won't figure it out very soon. He has been planning to command the Kanima to stop fighting, run away, and then hide until everything dies out. Peter hears words saying that the Alpha Pack will come to Beacon Hill, and in normal circumstances, it won't be a good thing. The Alpha Pack is crazy, so if it's true that they're going to come to Beacon Hill, Peter doesn't believe that they come in peace or anything. But if he can control the Kanima, then the one who should be terrified won't be him; it will be the Alpha Pack. And maybe, with the help of the Kanima, Peter will regain the Alpha's spark once more. After that, he will destroy the Argents and other hunters' families out there that are killing his kind. 

He knows his body and soul are having some serious problems, but no one knows about them, and Peter is trying to hide them as long as possible. However, it seems like the cat is out of the bag now as Stiles manages to figure out his problems and puts a stop to his plan before it even starts. Part of him is actually feeling quite disappointed, but another part of him has to admit that no secret can be hidden forever; sooner or later, someone will find out. Apparently, that "someone" is no one other than Stiles, whose Peter doesn't really mind being the one who figures it all out. If it's Scott or any other person, Peter will have to question his intelligence right now. Peter just doesn't expect his plan to be figured out this soon, that's all. 

Before the fire, Peter himself was the left hand of the Hale Pack. Peter is the one who does all the dirty work whenever Talia asks him to. To be the left-hand, you will need to have a lot of characteristics. You need to be cunning, manipulative, resourceful, and levelheaded at the same time to get the job done. You need to be able to identify the threats and eliminate them before they do something harmful to your pack. Being the left hand was a horrible job, but it suited Peter well.

Being the left hand taught Peter one thing: he needs to know about everything! When Peter heard about Lorraine Martin and her experiment, being obsessed with collecting information, he did his research and found out Martin's heritage. That's why Peter knew about Lyda's heritage and what she could do. That night... In all of his insanity, Peter had a hunch that he might not be able to survive after getting his revenge. Therefore, despite being raised to always see the bite as a gift, he still bit Lydia without asking her permission. Oh! He knows he is a horrible person, okay? No need to remind him of that! He's sure that his mother would have his head right now for doing such a thing to an innocent girl. But even the worst person still wants to live, right? And Peter is determined to live! So when Peter sees an opportunity, of course, he's going to take it! Peter will say this with all of his honesty: He did not feel good biting Lydia, but when Derek ripped his throat out, Peter was glad that he did it! Because, after all, it gave him a second chance...

People always say that there is nothing free in life, and it is true! Coming back from the dead is not an easy act, and of course, there are prices to pay. Right at the moment Peter takes the first step after being brought back to the living realm, he instantly knows that he has some very serious problems. His healing isn't working properly, his senses are not as good as they used to be, he is constantly in pain, and the worst thing is that he has felt the presence of Death surround him ever since... He has been hoping that if he can regain the Alpha's spark, all of these problems will be resolved themselves, but honestly, Peter doesn't even know whether doing so will help. Therefore, hearing Stiles say that he will fix all of his current problems, Peter knows that he has to hear him out. 

Keeping his eyes steady on Stiles, Peter asks:

 - Are you sure you can heal me completely, Stiles?

Right there and then, Stiles knows that he wins! Stiles knows that by asking this question, Peter has already considered working with him and accepting his offer. And this is super! Feeling much more confident now, Stiles says with a grin:

 - Peter, listen to my heart: I can heal you completely! So, please break the bond, and I will do it. 

True to his words, Stiles's heart stays absolutely steady while speaking. Because Stiles doesn't lie a bit. It is true; Stiles does know how to fix Peter's problems! All he needs is to follow Itachi's solution to the letters, and then, ta-dah, things are solved! Seeing and hearing the confidence and affirmation in Stiles's heartbeat, Peter takes a deep breath and looks at Stiles for a long moment before finally accepting the offer.

 - Well, you never cease to amaze me, Stiles. It seems like we have a deal.

Can't help but raise a fish pump in the air. Stiles says with an excited tone:

 - Yes! I mean, that's great! Absolutely perfect! 

Raising a single eyebrow, Peter chuckles in amusement while once again completely ignoring the bewildered looks on other people's faces. This deal is between them—he and Stiles—so other people don't need to know as it's not involved any of them. Frankly, Peter has a hunch that even if he explains to them what's happening with him, with Stiles, with whatever the Hell is happening here, they won't even understand. 

 - Don't make me regret it, Stiles. Or else, you know, there will be Hell to pay! So, how are we going to do it?

Hearing a warning in Peter's voice, Stiles has to swallow hard for a moment. Damn it! He has all the solutions; then why is he still worried? Taking a deep breath, Stiles says:

 - About that, it will be a long and complicated process, and right now we have a more urgent issue at hand named Jackson. So, how about we discuss it later? I promised!

Narrowing his eyes, Peter flashes his Beta blue eyes for a second and then says:

 - Fine! We deal with Jackson first, and then we complete our deal. Don't make me wait too long, Stiles, or you won't like it when I'm impatient. 

The warning doesn't go unnoticed by Stiles and everyone else who is still bewildered hearing the conversation between Stiles and Peter. Other people in the warehouse, including the Argents, have no fucking clues about what is going on anymore! There is Peter, who is now the new Master of the Kanima, who is trapped in the barrier created by Stiles, the one who is having a very mysterious conversation with Peter, to offer him a deal to fix his problems, which they know nothing about. The deal, which is now being accepted by Peter! 

Tonight is just a mess! It is a rollercoaster of emotions and situations, making all of them frustrated to no end. Tonight will be the night that all of them will remember for the rest of their lives. Not only do they have to fight for their lives against an enemy they cannot defeat, but they also have to face a constantly changing situation that neither of them can even keep up with, except for Peter and Stiles, maybe even Lydia. Especially Derek, God saves his soul because all he wants right now is to just have a break. But nope, just like Stiles said: they still have to deal with Jackson. 

The deal is made, and there is nothing more to discuss, Stiles and Peter decide to go back inside the warehouse, with Lydia and other people trailing behind them, to deal with Jackson. Stepping closer to the barrier and looking at Jackson, Derek still has no clue what to do with him, and he is the Alpha; he is supposed to know what to do in this kind of situation.

Obviously, they cannot let him go. There's no doubt that Jackson will tear them apart the moment they break the barrier, seeing how Jackson is still bouncing furiously against the barrier, trying to break free. They also cannot just leave him here. This warehouse has been abandoned for years, but there will always be some chances that someone, such as teenagers or the homeless, breaks in, and God knows what will happen when they see Jackson. There is also an idea of killing Jackson, but no one seems to want to voice it out or act on it. Except for Chris Argent!

Lydia sees it first! She sees the way something breaks inside Chris, sees the way a hard decision is finally made because it is something that has to be done, sees the way Chris steels himself, and his face turns blank! Deep inside her soul, Lydia knows exactly what's going to happen, so before thinking it through, Lydia steps right in front of Chris Argent, who now raises his guns to point at Jackson, ready to fire at the very next second. Standing face-to-face with Chris while shielding Jackson out of the shooting lines and not even batting an eye at the gun aimed at her head, Lydia looks at Chris Argent with an icy, deadly look.

 - Don't even think about it!

Startled by the scene in front of them, no one dares to move, say, or do anything! Deadly silence fills the warehouse, and Stiles swears he can hear the pint drop if there is one. Although Stiles knows that he has put a lot of magic into the barrier so that it can even withstand the bombs directly, Stiles still doesn't like it when Chris Argents decides to put a gun against Jackson and now against Lyida. Before Stiles can call on his magic to render Chris Argent motionless and put him out of the picture for good, he is stopped by no one but Allison, who cries out in distress at seeing her dad point a gun at her friend's head with a murderous look on his face. 

 - Dad! What are you doing?

Despite hearing his daughter cry out in distress, Chris pays her no mind and still keeps pointing the gun at Lydia's head. Part of it is because this is what he is supposed to do; part of it is because he knows this is what has to be done; and part of it is because all of his experience hunting Werewolves and other supernatural creatures tells him that he's being watched by one of those creatures. 

In the Argents, the males will be taught to become soldiers, while the females will be taught to be leaders. At a young age, Chris had to endure the worst pain and had passed the hardest training and trials to become the best soldier of the Argents family and one of the best fighters on the West Coast. He has been hunting monsters and faces a lot of things that humans cannot even imagine. And not once in his life feels threatened like right now! Being on the receiving end of Lydia's gaze, all of his experience is screaming at him, telling him that there is something in Lydia's presence that is undoubtedly inhuman, and needless to say, it makes him terrified. 

Keeping his hand holding a gun steady on her head and steeling his gaze to face whatever is going to happen, Chris tells Lydia:

 - Lydia... I know you don't understand it, but this is what has to be done! We, you, tried to save Jackson and failed. I cannot let him go or leave him here in this warehouse, and forgive me, but I don't trust Peter Hale of all people to not order him to kill any more people. I don't know what the deal is between Stiles and Peter but I don't trust it. So, step aside and let me put an end to this! 

That's earned a bunch of angry growling from the Wolves and makes the blood run out of Allison's face when she really understands that her father really meant to do it. Allison has been making a lot of bad choices and doing a lot of bad things recently, so she doesn't know anymore if her judgment is still intact or not, but part of her is thinking that her dad is right. They can't let Jackson out, or else he will kill them all and then kill more people, and they just can't let it happen. But another part of Allison knows that killing Jackson is just wrong! He doesn't deserve it. Up to this point, she knows that Jackson is being used by other people named Matt and her grandfather to murder other people against his will. Even under human laws, you don't blame the weapon for killing people. You blame the one who wields it! Jackson is nothing but a mere tool being used against his will to do other people's dirty work. Allison knows for sure that, despite being kind of a brag, Jackson still doesn't want to kill anyone. Allison honestly doesn't know what to do or what to believe anymore; tonight is just too much! She just wants it to stop.

Lydia, however, isn't even phased by still having a gun pointed at her head, looking dead at Chris, and speaking to him with an utmost icy cold tone that makes everyone feel really uneasy. 

 - Put your guns down, or else I will make you, and trust me, you won't like it! 

Just at the moment, Lydia finishes, right there and then, everyone in the warehouse feels something shift! It's like the air just changes drastically! Everyone suddenly feels something creep along their spine and crawl deep inside their bones that can only be called "fear". The fear of something has passed from generation to generation. The fear of something has marked their souls since the day they were born. The fear of something that has imprinted on their genes since they took the first breath of air to live—the fear of Death!

Looking back at Lydia now, they are all startled by the change in her features. Standing fiercely face-to-face against Chris, they all begin to see Lydia's face morph into a completely different feature. Her cheeks are now so much sharper, her skin is so pale, like silky white, and her eyes are now glowing with the mixed color of silver and mercury. There is a beauty in Lydia's features in an inhuman and otherworldly way that can take any man's breath away when they look at her, either in fear or in awe of her beauty. 

But the thing that has changed the most, which the wolves and the Argents are unable to see but only feel, is Lydia's aura! There is something that lingers around her—something that contains so much darkness, sorrow, and decay in it! One moment, Lydia is just a hot, dumb teenage girl in a little town; the next moment, she is something so otherworldly who has the power to demand the attention of everyone around her! Everyone in the warehouse can feel Lydia's aura set on their skins; it feels like the deadly coldness of the endless winter. Their skin crawls and their bones shudder, and the wolves can't hold back their growling and glowing eyes. Even Peter, who knows what Lydia is, is still having problems keeping himself from growling along with other Werewolves. He knows she is powerful; she proved it before by managing to bring him back to life, but right at this moment, Lydia's display of power still makes him feel super uneasy. It is definitely a sight to behold, and not in a good way! 

Being the only one not affected by Lydia's display of power, witnessing the scene play out before him, Stiles has to try to keep his face cool and out of any smile. It's very great to see Chris Argent being put in his place like this. He also inwardly fist-pumps to himself because, see? He's correct: Lydia can use her power without needing any training, and it's going to help so much with their plan. Stepping closer to Lydia, Stiles puts a hand on her shoulder and squeezes it gently while looking into her eyes to remind her that she still has him; he is still here; he is by her side; and they have a plan to help Jackson. 

Understanding the meaning of what Stiles wants to tell her, Lydia takes a few deep breaths to calm herself down, and that really helps Lydia to ground her power as, the next second, the air shifts once more, and now all the people in the warehouse don't feel the presence of Death surrounding them anymore. 

Still holding his hand on Lydia's shoulder, whose otherworldly look still remains on her face, Stiles looks at Chris with steel in his eyes and then speaks to Chris in the most polite fake tones:

 - Chris Argent... I suggest you lower your gun, or else we will make you. And trust me, you won't like it that way. I told you, I have a plan to save Jackson, so back off! 

Right after Stiles finishes, just to be a drama queen, Peter immediately lets out a growl in warning while his eyes glow dangerously, making Allison snap out of her trance caused by her father's action combined with Lydia's display of power! Allison urges her dad:

 - Dad, please...listen to them. 

Doesn't need to be reminded by his daughter; Chris knows that he is at a disadvantage right now. There is no way in Hell he is able to pull the trigger without needing to pay a high price for his action. If he pulls the trigger now, Lydia—whatever the Hell she is—and Peter will surely rip him apart. Not to mention that Stiles is watching him very closely with an intense look that can only be called "a murderous look". He is not a coward, but he knows where to pick the battles to fight, and this battle is the one in which he will surely die. Chris still isn't convinced that Stiles has a plan to save Jackson, but he knows he should take a step back now, so he listens to his daughter and lowers his gun. 

 - Thank you for your cooperation. Now, chop-chop! We don't have much time to waste. - Stiles says it cheerfully while turning back to Lydia. Seeing the glowing, misty white eyes that take over all of Lydia's eyes, Stiles can't help but smile a bit and say:

 - See, I told you that you could do it. It is your instinct, Lydia. 

Smiling back at Stiles's comment, Lydia has to give it to Stiles for being optimistic even in the dire situation. Exhaling a long breath, Lydia says:

 - Don't be arrogant, Stiles. It doesn't look good on you!

Keeping his hand on his heart in a dramatic way, Stiles cries out:

 - Oh you take that back! I'm telling you that I look good in everything! Alright, no more kidding; are you ready?

Taking a deep breath again and nodding her head, Lydia tells Stiles:

 - Sure! Let's do it! 

Nodding along with Lydia, Stiles finally turns his attention back to other people in the warehouse and says:

 - Alright! I know that you guys are super confused about what the fuck is going on right now! So... long version short: I have a plan. To save Jackson, of course! But Derek, I'm going to need your help to make it happen. 

That earned Stiles a single raised eyebrow from Derek, God! What is it about Hale's eyebrows? It seems they have their own language, and the worst thing is that Stiles can even read them! And right now, that raised eyebrow from Derek is asking him: "What the Hell do you want me to do?". Rolling his eyes so hard at Derek, Stiles says:

 - Fine! Derek, listen. I know it's inappropriate to ask you something like this. But I need you to bite Jackson again.

 - Are you out of your mind? I bit him once! And look at what happened! - Derek growls after hearing what Stiles asks him to do. 

 - I know, I know! It messed up! But, Derek, listen to me: this is not your fault. It's so much more complicated, and I promise that I will explain everything later. Just trust me on this, okay? I won't ask if it's not necessary. 

Derek knows very well how it's a very bad idea to blindly trust anyone ever again, but maybe it is because of the earnestness and seriousness in Stiles's voice, or maybe it is because Derek, despite being the Alpha, has no idea how to help Jackson, or maybe it is because Stiles has been proving himself trustworthy to him from time to time without being asked, or maybe it is because Stiles has held him for hours in the pool. Derek, against his better judgment, after looking at Stiles for a long moment, takes a deep breath and says: 

 - Okay, I will do it. 

 - Really? That's just it? I thought I had to give you a full speech or something! - Seeing the murderous look on Derek's face, Stiles immediately zips his mouth - Anyway, that's great! Thank you! I will tell you when to bite him, and then you do it, okay?

That earns him a firm nod from Derek. Stiles then turns around to look at Lydia once more.

 - Lydia, are you sure you're ready?

 - I'm sure, let's do it! - Lydia says with confidence in her voice. 

 - Great! Everyone, cover your ears!

Despite still having no fucking clue what is going on, everyone still chooses to follow Stiles's order and cover their ears. Everyone... except for:

 - Stiles! What's going on? And why do we have to cover our ears? - Scott shouts confusingly. 

 - Scott, for God's sake! Just cover your fucking ears! 

Stiles cries out in distress! God, he really doesn't want to deal with a confused Scott right now, because the confused Scott will ask too many questions, and Stiles has no energy as well as no desire to deal with all of those questions. Nope! Not today, Satan! Not today! 

Scott, of course, wants to say something back but is then stopped by no one but Isaac. Seeing the way Isaac puts a hand on Scott's shoulder to hold Scott back from speaking, Stiles feels there is something going on between the two of them. They're acting like a pack of two, with Scott being an Alpha even though he is not! Great! Now they have a crisis between packs and packs' members, adding to the madness of Kanima and Gerard Argent, who just died. Stiles doesn't even know that he should feel fortunate or cursed for knowing about those things. He must have been cursed, or else Stiles will have to do some tarot reading to ask if any gods or goddesses out there really hate him this much. 

Giving Isaac and Scott no mind, Stiles turns his gaze back to Lydia to talk to her:

 - Lydia, I will count backward from 3, and then you scream, okay?

 - Okay...

 - 3; 2; 1; GO!

And scream she is...

Chapter Text

And then Lydia screams...

There's nothing human about the scream. It is a scream that no one has ever heard of and should not have listened to. It's not the scream you hear in those horror movies when the main actress screams from the top of her lungs because some evil forces hunt her to death while she has no way to escape. No! This scream is infused with so much power that it shatters all the windows in the warehouse into a million pieces. It's so loud and clear and goes beyond the world that Stiles swears every supernatural creature in Beacon Hills can hear it. It brings all of them to their knees and makes the wolves cover their ears in pain while blood rolls out of them.

Still, there is something more in the scream...

Besides the powerful force that shatters all the windows, something that all of them can feel deep inside their bones makes them shudder in fear. Something that makes them have visions of the moment before taking their last breaths to walk to the other side, gives them a little taste of hopelessness when their souls leave their bodies for the afterlife, and gives them a little experience of the last day they walk the earth. Something that can only be defined as the power of... death!

The scream is long and powerful, and it instantly brings everyone in the warehouse to their knees while groaning in pain. Especially Peter, who is now on the floor holding and groaning while trying his best to keep himself together while suffering the worst pain of his life. The exact reason Peter is in this much pain is unknown to Stiles, but he thinks it's because of the mark of death on Peter's soul. When Lydia uses her power, she brings forth the power and presence of death in this realm, and needless to say, death is not a very easy-to-forgive kind of god. Thus, Peter is being seen and judged by that power, causing him this much pain as a little price that he has to pay forward for tricking death once. Seeing Peter suffer like this, Stiles has to wonder whether or not it's worth it to do such a thing.

The scream is powerful and lasts for quite a long time, but eventually, it dies out. Stiles is super grateful right now as Lydia finally stops her scream, or else he doesn't know if the Argents, the wolves, and especially Peter will be alive if she keeps screaming any longer. That scream is really one of a kind. Even Stiles, despite having the power of the Nemeton to pack him up, still feels some pain caused by Lydia's scream.

Seeing that the scream has finally ended, after regaining enough control over his limbs, which is not much, to be honest, Stiles is immediately on his feet and rushes towards the barrier. What he finds inside the barrier really makes him want to thank all the gods and goddesses out there because it seems like the universe decided to favor them this time. Inside the barrier, Stiles sees no one but a very human Jackson! Yeah, a very human one—with no scale, no reptile yellow eyes, no claws or fangs, and definitely no tail! The Banshee's scream, just like he thought, successfully brings forth Jackson's awareness and is able to force him to transform back to his human form. Stiles is very certain that if Matt or Gerard are still the master, they will surely command Jackson to force him to transform back into Kanima's form immediately. But because Peter, who is the current master, at least at this very moment, is on their side, he of course won't do that.

Unfolding before Stiles's very eyes is a shaking Jackson with bewilderment on his face. It's very understandable; for all Stiles knows, Jackson won't even remember a thing about what he did or did just a moment ago. However, Stiles decides not to test it out because it won't help them even a bit if Jackson realizes what he did and then wallows in horror. Nope! Stiles needs Jackson to have a stable mind to be ready for what will happen next, or else they will be in so much trouble!

Next thing he does, with a simple wave of hand, Stiles breaks the barrier immediately, making the Mountain Ash disperse in a different direction on the floor, and then rushes towards Jackson. Kneeling before Jackson, Stiles grabs his shoulder and looks Jackson in the eyes. Stiles says:

- Jackson! I know you're confused right now, but we don't have much time, so I need you to listen to me carefully, alright? After being bit by Derek, the Bite took and turned you into something—not a Werewolf, but something completely different! Something that puts you in a very difficult situation right now, making you have no memories of what you have done and also have no free will to do anything else. I know you and I are not friends, but I can't let you be like this. I know a way to fix this, but I need you to follow exactly what I tell you to do next, okay?

Looking at Stiles with a horrified look, Jackson really wants to scream at his face to tell Stiles, Yes! He doesn't remember all the things he has done up until this point, but he remembers some of them. Or should he say he has some visions and snippets of blurred memories about what he turned into and what he has done, and it terrifies him!

Despite what everyone else likes to think, Jackson is not stupid. If he is stupid, the coach won't choose him to be the captain of the lacrosse team, no matter how popular he is. Lacrosse is a team sport that originated among the Indigenous peoples of North America. It is one of the oldest organized sports on the continent. Meaning that playing well won't be enough to be the captain; you must have the brains to know about the sport inside out and be excellent at devising strategies to bring your team to victory. And as the captain of the lacrosse team at Beacon Hill High School, Jackson has both: he plays the sport very well and is super good at strategy. And right now, his strategy mind is wiring like crazy!

Jackson looks around and tries his best to understand what is going on here. He sees that he's at an abandoned warehouse, where there are lots of people. There is Derek, the Werewolf that he asked for the Bite; there is Stiles, of course, who is kneeling right in front of him; and there is Scott, Stiles's best friend and also the one who is threatening to take the captain's position from him as he abruptly, strangely, becomes extremely good at Lacrosse. Yet, Jackson knows that his captain position is very secure, but he still feels threatened by Scott. There is Isaac, who lives right next to him and has an abusive father. Jackson reported Mr. Lahey to the police once, but nothing changed because Isaac didn't say anything at all. There is Allison, his friend by association, as she is the new-found best friend of Lydia, who is now his ex-girlfriend. Lydia is also at the warehouse with them and is looking at him with tears in her eyes. She currently has very peculiar features, with very sharp cheekbones, pale white skin, and hallow, glowing, misty, silvery white eyes. The weird thing is that Jackson finds Lydia's new features strangely captivating. There are also two middle-aged men in the warehouse who Jackson knows nothing about, not even a name. One of the middle-aged men, the one who wears a black denim jacket, has a gun on his hand, and he looks readily to fire at every moment. Jackson has a feeling that the gun is for him, and this man is ready to put a bullet inside his head if he steps one toe out of line.

After having an idea of where he is and the people that surround him, the next thing Jackson does is try to get the answer to why he is in this freaking abandoned warehouse and what he has done earlier. Jackson thinks very hard about all the snippets of blurred memories inside his mind, and after picking out and deciphering all the things he can manage to remember and understand, Jackson suddenly goes very pale because he is...horrified. There are memories of claws, of fangs, of dark green scales all over his body, of lots of blood and corpses, and, oh, God...

- Oh god, did I kill someone? - Jackson asks shakingly.

Seeing that Jackson is now shaking uncontrollably and being so pale like a walking corpse, Stiles grabs Jackson's shoulder with a little force and then lifts him up a little bit so that their eyes will be at the same lever. Stiles speaks with a firm tone:

- Jackson! I need you to listen to me very carefully. It seems like you have some memories of what you have done, but you must know that all of them are not your fault! There are a lot of things going on that you don't understand, but this is not the right time to discuss them. We will talk about them later, I promise. Right now, I have a plan to settle everything for good, but I need you to follow my lead, alright?

Hearing the sincerity in Stiles's voice and having nothing more to lose, Jackson nods his head slightly and tells Stiles:

- Okay...

- Awesome! First things first: Stiles turns to look at Peter. Peter, I know you know how to break the bond, and right now is very good timing to do so. So, please break the bond.

Looking at Peter intensely, Stiles is... terrifying! To be more specific, he has a mixed feeling of terror and nervousness! Why? Because Peter is unstable! They have a deal, yes. But when it comes to Peter, everything is just so unpredictable. Stiles really has no idea whether or not Peter will honor the deal between them. In the end, the deal is nothing but an oral agreement, and Stiles has nothing to secure the deal but his faith and trust that Peter will know that his proposal will be much more valuable to honor it than to break it.

Setting his eyes on Peter and waiting for him patiently to break the bond, Stiles doesn't rush. ADHD or not, Stiles knows how to play the game and knows how to play it well. At this very moment, rushing Peter to break the bond won't do them anything good in this kind of situation. Hence, Stiles patiently waits for Peter to fulfill the deal while crossing his fingers and hoping for the best! Everyone in the warehouse seems to understand this is a very important moment; hence, no one dares to let out a single sound to disrupt the staring contest between Peter and Stiles. The tension between them is so thick in the air that no one dares to say anything; even Scott knows to keep his mouth shut at this moment. Peter, on the other hand, decides that a staring contest is not dramatic enough and steps closer to Stiles, Jackson, and Lydia. Standing close to them, narrowing his eyes to look at Stiles, Peter asks:

You're certainly having a lot of faith in me to fulfill our deal, Stiles.

Stiles scoffs out in disbelief to say:

- I won't go that far, Peter. What nonsense is that? I just believe that you're clever enough to know that our deal is so much more valuable to you in the long run than having a Kanima on your side. So, what do you say?

- Well, fair enough! Let's do it, shall we?

And just like that, Peter reaches deep into himself and then breaks the master's bond. For humans, breaking the bond by themselves is almost an impossible act, as they can even feel the bond in the first place. But for Peter, who was born a Werewolf and has been feeling and living with different kinds of bonds inside his soul for his whole life, it is just that easy to break the bond. The consequences of breaking the master bond immediately come; right at the moment the bond breaks, both Peter and Jackson are down on their knees while groaning loudly in pain.

Stiles, who knows this is going to happen, instantly steps away from Jackson, reaches into his magic inside his heart, and then wields his magic out into the world. Taking advantage of the Moutain Ash that is still lying on the floor, Stiles creates two whole new barriers in a blink of an eye. The first barrier he creates is to conceal only Jackson inside. This barrier was created with the intention of creating a barrier to prevent Jackson from unintentionally seeking out another person who has a need for revenge and then creating the master's bond once more. Stiles has no idea how Jackson created the master's bond in the first place, but he is sure that it has to be something related to magic. And you have to use magic to fight against magic, right? Thus, the barrier!

And Stiles is correct. Pushing magic into his eyes, Stiles is able to see that, inside the first barrier, there is a broken bond lingering in the air. One end of the bond is linked to Jackson's heart; another end of the bond is trying to reach out to someone out there but is stopped by his barrier. Seeing that the broken bond is trying many different angles to break out of his barrier, Stiles feels that he deserves a reward right now for acting so fast, or else there will be another person whose soul is linked to Jackson's soul. Truth be told, Stiles knows that he has been super lucky so far, as he doesn't have to kill anyone to break the master's bond. Gerard died. Great! Peter broke the bond. Awesome! Jackson has another master. Stiles will go nuts!

Another barrier is created by using the first barrier as the center and then covering both Stiles, Lydia, and Peter inside. The second barrier is created a little differently than the first barrier. This one was created with the intention of preventing any interference with what he plans to do next while also protecting them from all harm. Yes, he is paranoid, but sorry, he doesn't trust Argents, alright? Stiles also knows he should be cautious with Peter, but with the way Peter broke the bond without a second thought earlier, Stiles thinks he at least can trust him a little more this time onward. Stiles actually plans to expand the barrier to cover Derek too, as his plan involves him, but Derek stands a little far away from them, so Stiles has to twitch the barrier a little to allow only Derek to pass through it without a problem.

What Stiles doesn't plan, though, is that the two barriers he has just created are absolutely mesmerizing!

With Mountain Ash as the base and then being powered by Stiles's magic, two translucent, glowing blue barriers form themselves instantly into existence right before everyone's eyes! The barriers themselves radiate an immense power of magic that makes the air seem to dance with electricity. Two barriers have 4 meters of radius in total while covering Peter, Lydia, Jackson, and Stiles inside. Needless to say, the barriers are an absolute sight to behold. They have the beauty of some power that is beyond the human realm, the beauty that can barely be witnessed by the mundane eye—the beauty of magic!

And if the glowing barriers don't catch everyone's utmost attention, then the way Stiles's eyes are shining intensely with the color fluorescent electric blue definitely does! Looking into Stiles's eyes, if Derek had doubts before, he is now very sure that something has happened—something that makes Stiles not human anymore. There is no way a normal human can have their eyes shine with the glowing fluorescent blue light that takes over all of their eyes and vanishes their pupils completely, like this. No human eye can hold that much power inside them like this!

Derek has no idea what has happened to Stiles tonight, but by looking at his shredded clothes and smelling the scent of the underlying blood that is being overlaid by the electric ozone scent of magic, Derek can tell it wasn't good. And it makes him extremely angry for not knowing. He is the Alpha; he is supposed to know all about his pack. Derek swears to himself that, after all this shit is over, he will find out what happened to Stiles and then make sure that whoever caused Stiles to be like this will pay for it. Stiles, who might not know this, and despite not wanting to admit it, is a member of his pack! And despite failing at being the Alpha, as the Alpha of the Hale Pack, Stiles's well-being is his responsibility, and Derek will protect his pack with all of his beings. No matter the cost!

On the other hand, despite being unable to see his face, Stiles can still feel that his eyes are now shining with magic. This causes Stiles to really want to bang his head against the wall right now! Fuck! He doesn't know his eyes will shine like nebula blue stars when using magic, and now because of it, the cat is out of the bag. No need to have the Werewolf's senses; Stiles can tell that the attention of everyone in the warehouse is now set on him, especially Derek, who is staring at him so hard like he wants to dig all of his secrets inside out. Which is super frustrating! Stiles is not a fool to not know that everyone will want to know why his eyes have a new update to them, but nope! Stiles will not entertain any of them. Instead, if everyone now knows that he's undoubtedly inhuman, he might as well take advantage of it and feed more magic into his barriers to make sure that they're strong enough to withstand anything and anyone.

However, it seems that Peter doesn't take a clue, as he speaks out with a melodious tone:

- Well...Well... You never cease to amaze me, Stiles! I knew you had the potential to become something great, but I did not expect you to be something like this. I wonder when "this" happens, though.

Recognizing the signs of fishing information coming from Peter, Stiles gives nothing away but a grin and says:

- I told you I could heal you, didn't I? Now, back to business! We have things to do.

Turning around to look at Jackson, eyes still shining, Stiles asks:

- So, Jackson, long story short: You turned into a supernatural creature named Kanima that has the instinct to seek out a person and then serve that person as their master. In other words, you became a slave to a master, and your master made you do a lot of bad things.

- A slave? You're kidding, right? - Jackson asks incredulously.

- Yes, you're a slave—a supernatural slave that used to have three masters in total! God, why does it come out wrong? Anyway, two of your masters are already dead, and Peter—that man right here—is your latest master. But don't worry, Peter didn't have any chance to control you to do anything; we make sure of that. Between you and your master, there is a link that links you and your master together, called the master bond. Currently, all of your master bonds are already broken, so technically speaking, you're free at the moment. But it won't be long; right now my barrier is blocking you from binding yourself to another master, or else you will now have another master, and that will be a very bad thing! So that's why we need to do something to give you your free will back and keep it permanently.

After hearing everything Stiles said, Jackson finally understands what is going on with him, but it doesn't make him feel any better, not even a bit. Jackson, even being terrified right now, is not stupid enough to not get the implication under everything Stiles just said, which is that his old masters—god, he hates that word—told him to do many bad things, including murdering people as the corpses in his mind were telling him so. Jackson never wants to be enslaved to anyone, and he knows that Stiles is his only chance to have his free will back at the moment; thus, Jackson takes that chance right away.

- Okay, I get what you want to say. So, how can we do it?

- Well, about that...

Stiles stumbles. He has no idea how to tell Jackson what he is going to do next. The master bond is a strong magical bond, so they need another stronger bond to overwrite the master bond, and that's where the soulmate bond comes into play. But Stiles doesn't know how to tell Jackson that he will bind Jackson's soul and Lydia's soul together for the rest of their lives. Is there anyway to make it easier and less awkward? If there is, please tell him right now, because Stiles honestly has no idea how to do it.

However, before Stiles drowns himself in awkwardness, Lydia decides to rescue him from speaking.

- Let me talk to him, Stiles...

- Oh yeah, that's actually an excellent idea, Lydia! I will give you guys some privacy, okay?

He steps away from the pair to give them some privacy, leaving Lydia to explain what Stiles plans to do. Stiles also drags Peter to the farthest corner of the barrier. Stiles knows that this is useless, as Peter has his wolfy senses, meaning that he can hear perfectly well what Lydia is saying, but Stiles doesn't care. At least by doing so, Stiles can give Lydia a sense of privacy, and that is what matters. If Peter has any complaints, he can shut his mouth.

Thankfully, Peter doesn't protest and just lets Stiles grab his hand and drag him away from the lovebirds. Standing in the barrier's corner side by side with Peter, Stiles can see the confused look from Isaac, the disbelieving look from Scott, and especially the unreadable looks from Derek and the Argents through his glowing eyes. Under other circumstances, Stiles might feel disconcerting about the attention being set on him like this; he never does well with being in the spotlight. The only time he was in the spotlight was tonight when playing on the field, and you remember how it went, right? Yeah, being kidnapped and almost dying is not really fun!

Keeping his eyes on the ground so that Stiles won't look at anyone, he tries his best to turn the blindside on all of them. However, Peter once again decides to speak without anyone asking him to.

- You do know that all the wolves can hear what Lydia's saying, right? - Peter asks.

- I do, and I don't give a shit! - Stiles retorts back at Peter.  

- Well, how about we talk about your recently gained ability? They—Pointing his finger at everyone else in the warehouse, Peter continues—will sure have questions about your eyes.

- Nope! I will not talk about that either. They can have questions, but it's up to me to answer them. Now, please stop talking; I have to maintain the barriers.

- We both know that you don't need to maintain these barriers, but fair enough, if you say so. And Stiles, your eyes look marvelous!

What Peter said caught Stiles by surprise! Honestly, Stiles feels glad to hear Peter say something like this to him! Stiles is never the one doing well with compliments. He knows he is awesome! But he also knows that most people do not appreciate his awesomeness. Most of the time, people see him as an annoying little brat with no filter from brain to mouth. Some people notice his awesomeness, such as his dad, Melissa, and even Scott—at least before he was bitten. But that's it—no one else! Therefore, the concept of receiving compliments is rather uncommon for him to process.

Hearing Peter compliment his eyes made Stiles feel much more confident about himself. Despite doing so well dealing with all the madness that has been happening since Scott was bitten, and especially tonight, Stiles still feels uncertain... He is uncertain about how his dad will react when he finds out about everything. He is uncertain about everyone's reactions when they find out that Stiles has magic now. He is uncertain about himself as well. He honestly does not understand what he will do if his friends don't accept his newly gained magic or, worse, use him! Stiles is uncertain about a lot of things. And what Peter just said somehow eased him a little bit; at least he knows there is one person who thinks that his newly gained magic is marvelous.

Yet, being his usual little-shit self, Stiles won't give Peter the satisfaction of hearing Stiles appreciate his compliment.

- It sounds creepy when you say so.

- Ouch! You wound me, Stiles! I'm just telling you the truth. Plus, your heart says otherwise!

- Stop listening to my heart, creepy Zombiewolf!

- Hey! How can I be Zombiewolf? I'm living and breathing here, thank you very much! Besides, zombies are not real! - Peter protests loudly.

- Derek is a Sourwolf. Oh for God's sake, Derek please stop growling! You're a Sourwolf, deal with it. And Peter, you're a Zombiewolf, and that is final! Now, shut up, both of you!

Then there is no more word passed between them, and silence fills the room, but their silence is soon disrupted by Lydia calling out for their attention. Turning back to look at her and Jackson, Stiles asks:

- So, you guys talked?

- Yeah... - Jackson awkwardly says.

Rolling his eyes, Lydia says:

- What he means to say is that we agreed to follow your plan. So please do it, Stiles.

But it seems like Jackson has other ideas in mind; he cries out:

- I don't like it! Lydia, you don't have to sacrifice yourself to save me like this!

- Jackson! We talked about it. I told you that I wouldn't do anything that I didn't want to. I might be young, but I know damn well what I'm doing, and I know that binding my soul to yours is a big deal, but it's not a sacrifice! Even if it does, it is still worth it. So please shut up and do as I say!

Typically, Jackson has no chance to win when arguing with Lydia; thus, Jackson keeps his mouth shut. They have been dating for so long that he knows that when Lydia sets her mind to something, there will be no stopping her. But in all honesty, Jackson really dislikes this idea. Not because he isn't happy to have his soul bound to Lydia's soul; he isn't stupid; he knows she does that to save him, and he is super grateful for that. But the thing that makes him dislike it is the cost that comes with it. Unlike what people think of him, Jackson is not heartless. Like Lydia said, after Stiles does his mo-jo, which still surprises him because since when Stiles has magic? They will be bound together for the rest of their lives! They're young, and this is huge, and there is no turning back from this, for fuck's sake! All of that makes Jackson feel even more like a dick for breaking up with her. After everything he did, she still sticks by him no matter what.

- Alright! You guys can have your agreement, but I want to say this: Yes! I will bind your souls together for the rest of your lives, and you guys will share anything and everything together! And I really mean it—every single thing! But don't worry; with practice, you will be able to keep your memories and your minds away from each other as long as you want to. Plus, the soulmate bond won't force you guys to do any sexual activities. You guys can have a very platonic relationship without having any sex. I mean, you can still do it if you want, but it's all up to you... - Seeing the look on everyone's face, Stiles immediately says - ...I'm going to shut up now!

But it's true—Itachi just told him so—that even if Lydia's soul and Jackson's soul are bound together, they don't have to love each other to death or commit any intercourse activities. They can still break up, be friends, and then be completely platonic soulmates; it's all up to them. Just like Stiles and Itachi, their souls are bound together, but both Stiles and Itachi know that they will never be lovers. Nope! Not going to happen.

With a raised eyebrow, Lydia talks to Stiles in amusement:

- Stiles, thank you! I really appreciate it when you tell me about this. It really makes me feel much better to create the bond.

Despite still shaking like crazy, Jackson still tries his best to calm himself. He looks at Stiles in the eyes and says:

- It is. And Stilinski, I really appreciate what you have done for me so far, and I sincerely apologize for everything that I have done to you. I know that you have no business saving me or going this far to help me, but you still do. So thank you.

Looking at Jackson, Stiles feels weird hearing Jackson say thanks and apologize to him like this. It's even weirder because Stiles can say that Jackson is super sincere right now. They have been enemies for far too long; he and Jackson actually went to the same nursing school and the same primary school, and now they go to the same high school together. They have been constantly at each other's throats since the moment they met up until this point, and they have been fighting each other so many times that everyone around them knows that they hate each other's guts! People are used to saying that your enemies will know you best, and Stiles likes to say that he knows Jackson quite well, but at this moment, Stiles isn't really sure if he truly knows Jackson.

- Um,...you're welcome! Okay, enough talking. Let's get the show rolling, shall we?

Wasting no time, Stiles pulls the pocket knife—stolen from the Argents; don't tell them about it—out of his pocket, unfolding it while talking to Lydia. Stiles says:

- First things first: to create the bond, I'm going to need you guys's blood. So, please give me your hand.

Following Stiles's instructions, Lydia and Jackson give out their hands to Stiles. Grabbing their hands, Stiles carefully slashes their palms open with minor scratches of about 4 centimeters. He folds up and puts the knife back in his pocket. Stiles tells them:

 - Okay! So, hold your hands together tightly for me, alright?

They do as he said, holding each other hands tightly, then Stiles begins to chant...

Magic is as complicated as it is simple at the same time! To make magic work, you will need four things: power sources, ingredients, formulas, and intentions!

Let's talk about the power sources for a bit! Every living creature has power inside their bodies. It can be their life force; it can be the heritage lying dormant inside your blood; it can be the magic running through your veins... It can be a lot of things! However, as people always say, nothing in life is free. If you want something, you need to give something up in return, and magic works the same way. If you want to achieve something with magic, your power sources must be powerful enough to fulfill your intentions. Many don't have enough power to fulfill their wishes, but some people can have immense power to do everything they want. 

In Stiles's case, even though he has no idea, he is already a powerhouse on his own. No brand-new caster can do things like he does tonight, meaning burning two people to death, healing himself from the inside out, and fighting against a 1000-year-old Nogitsune. And now, with the power of the Nemeton at his disposal, Stiles can achieve anything he sets his mind to. 

Next are the ingredients and formulas! Now, this is what makes magic the most complex art ever. There are a trillion magical ingredients and formulas in the world, so you can achieve many, many things with magic. All you need to do is find the right ingredients and the right formulas to make it work!

Last but not least are the intentions! You must know what you want to do before doing anything, especially when it comes to magic. Because, let me tell you, a magical backfire will be a pain in the ass if you do it wrong.

Luckily, Stiles has all of that to create a soulmate bond between Lydia and Jackson! 

He has Lydia and Jackson's blood as ingredients for the bond; he has the spell as the formula to create the bond correctly; he knows exactly what he's doing; and the most important thing is that his magic is powerful enough to fulfill his intentions! The combination of all of that makes the impossible possible!

To be honest, at first, Stiles is afraid that he cannot do it, cannot perform the spell to create the bond, and cannot make it happen! He is just too new to magic, and it scares the shit out of him! But something has to be done, and someone has to do something, or else all hell will break loose! And that will do no one any good. Thus, being the only one who knows exactly what to do, Stiles knows that he will be that "someone" but he just does not feel confident enough to do it. But what can he say? He is reckless! So, he does it anyway! Thankfully, the more he chants and the more magic pours out of his hands, the more confident Stiles feels, and the more he believes in himself that he can make it work! It has to work! 

The more Stiles chants, the more blue auroras start to leak out of Stiles's hands and body and are now dancing brilliantly around him while radiating with power so powerful that it pins all of them to their places. His eyes are burning electric blue with magic so strong that no one dares to look at him in the eyes anymore. In the air, magic is thickening, making the air feel heavy on their skins. The wolves begin to smell the scents of ozone, hydrogen, and forests after the rains and thunderstorms, and they know they're smelling the scent of Stiles's magic!

Everyone feels stunned to witness the power of Stiles being displayed in front of their very eyes, including Peter and Chris, who have encountered casters before; despite this, they have never seen anyone with this much power. At this moment, never in their lives will they think that they will be afraid of Stiles!

Paying no mind to the people around him, Stiles focuses all of his intentions and will to wield his magic with full force to create the bond! To be honest, Stiles is surprised that Itachi could still perform this spell while nearly being killed by the Nemeton! This ritual seems simple—only slashing hands and chanting spells—but it actually requires lots of magic! 

Thankfully, he succeeds!

Nearly passing out when finishing the spell, Stiles feels grateful when Peter catches him before he can land his face on the ground. Taking a few deep breaths to regain his strength, Stiles immediately checks on the soulmate bond he just created, and DAMN! He really did a wonderful job! The soulmate bond is now intact, and Lydia and Jackson are now, fortunately, or unfortunately, bound for the rest of their lives! He is correct; the soulmate bond he created is actually more dominant than the master bond; it overwrites the master bond, making the master bond entangled with the soulmate bond. As a result of the combination of two bonds, there is now an incredibly strong bond that links Lydia and Jackson together. In other words, Lydia is now Jackson's master as well as Jackson's soulmate. which also means that Jackson has no need to seek out any master anymore unless...Lydia dies! But that is not going to happen; no one dies on his watch from now on, ever again! 

 - For a newbie and for the first time casting a spell as complex as this, I have to say that you absolutely did a wonderful job, Stiles!

 - Uhm...Thanks!

Despite not doing great with compliments, Stiles, however, will gladly take this compliment from Itachi. He tries his best and nearly passes out to create this incredibly strong bond all by himself, with his magic, without even needing to tap into the Nemeton's magic. Thus, he deserves to be complimented for once! 

After regaining enough strength to stand on his own, Stiles withdraws himself from Peter's arms. Looking at Lydia and Jackson, Stiles asks:

 - Okay, so how do you guys feel?

 - It feels weird... - Jackson says with a confused look on his face. 

 - Yeah, weird is the correct word. I can feel Jackson's presence in the back of my mind, and...well, the bonds too. - Lydia speaks after Jackson, but she also has a confused look on her face. 

 - Yes, the bond is just visibly inside my head. I can also feel emotions for Lydia and some memories too.

The same thing happens to Lydia as well; for every emotion Jackson feels, Lydia can also feel it at the same time, and vice versa, which makes her kind of overwhelmed at the moment, and because she is overwhelmed, Jackson is as well, and their overwhelm combined makes them really uncomfortable right now. 

 - Great! It means that the bond is working. Just give it a little time and practice, and then you guys can block your memories from each other. Also, you guys will be able to send information and visions through the bond; how cool is that? But that is for another time. Right now, we have something else to do.

 - Alright, and that is... - Jackson asks. 

 - Well, my source told me that in theory, if your transformation finished, you would have two forms: a Beta and an Alpha form. The form you had earlier, which you know nothing about, is actually your Beta form. However, from everything I have known so far, you haven't finished your transformation yet, causing you to be stuck in your Beta form and be a mindless creature without consciousness, mind, free will, or anything else when in that form. The soulmate is only there to keep you from binding yourself to another master, but you still have to finish your transformation to give your consciousness and free will back. 

 - And you know how to help me finish my transformation, right? - Jackson asks. 

 - Of course, I am - Turning back to look at Derek, Stiles shouts out - Hey Sourwolf, please bite him!  

Eavesdropping on everything Stiles has been saying from the moment Stiles arrives at the warehouse, Derek gets the idea of why Stiles wants him to bite Jackson. Part of him feels super angry at himself for being unable to help Jackson. Despite the fact that Jackson was the one who asked for the Bite, Derek was still the one who decided to bite him. Thus, Jackson, in every way, is his responsibility, and yet, Derek has no idea how to save Jackson from this messed-up situation he created all by himself. Part of Derek feels really relieved because, once again, Stiles shows up to save the day with his brilliant but crazy plan. Stiles really helps him out a big one, this time. Thinking back, Derek realizes that he and Stiles have been constantly saving each other's asses since the moment they met. But even so, Derek still dislikes the pet name Stiles gives him. He is not a Sourwolf! 

Growling and stepping closer to the barrier as instructed, stopping himself right at the outer line of the Mountain Ash's barrier, Derek speaks to Stiles:

 - Stiles, breaks the barrier. 

 - Oh, about that...I think it's better to keep the barrier for now. But don't worry; the barrier won't stop you. Just walk through; it's fine! 

Scowling, Derek sends Stiles a questioning look. He is a bad Alpha, but he's not stupid. He has been a Werewolf all his life; he knew, heard, and was taught about the barrier created by Mountain Ash. Mountain Ash, or Thor's Protection, or Rowan Tree, has been used to ward off evil spirits and dark creatures like Werewolves, Werecoyotes, and Wendigos,...since ancient times. Werefolk like him really dislike the Rowan Tree, especially when casters like Stiles use ashes from the Rowan Tree to create a barrier to trap them inside. Earlier at the Jungle Bar, while trying to catch Jackson, Stiles used the Mountain Ash to seal the Jungle once, and they could only get out of the barrier when Stiles broke it. Derek honestly has never heard of any Werewolf that could walk through or get out of the Mountain Ash Barrier after it was created. Furthermore, he knows that the stronger the caster, the stronger the barrier! And with the way Stiles used magic earlier, Derek can say that this barrier will be super strong. 

However, despite having a trust issue, somehow, weirdly, and strangely, Derek knows that he can trust Stiles. Or should he say: Stiles is currently the only one he really trusts! Not Scott, not his Betas, especially not Peter, but a skinny "defenseless" Stiles! The one who stayed with him when he almost died due to being poisoned by the wolfbane-laced bullet. The one who was readily willing to cut his hand off despite being afraid of blood. The one who held him up for hours in the pool while there was a vicious murderous Kanima right there trying to kill them. The one who was poisoned by Kanima's venom alongside him, lying motionless on him for hours. The one to whose heartbeats he listened to keep calm for the house of lying motionless and hopelessly on the ground for being poisoned by Kanima's venom. Derek knows that Stiles won't trap him inside the barrier and then burn him to death as Kate did with his family. 

Carefully walking through the barrier, and true to Stiles's words, the barrier doesn't stop him. It feels like he walks through an invisible curtain soaked in icy water with a little tingling feeling of electricity on his skin. But besides that, nothing happens. Stepping inside the first barrier, walking past it to the second barrier that's keeping Jackson inside, standing before Jackson, Derek tells him:

 - Give me your hand.

Taking Jackson's hand, who is now nervously looking at him, Derek doesn't fault him for that. He knows that the first time he bit Jackson, it didn't end well for both of them. But this time, Derek has faith that Stiles's plan will work out fine. Scenting the nervousness and fear leak out of Jackson, Derek really feels bad for putting this kid in this kind of situation. Everything his mother taught him is screaming at him to tell him that he has to say something now, but Derek is just really bad at this. Thus, Derek looks Jackson in the eyes and tries his best to be as gentle as he can be.

 - Jackson, I'm really sorry...The Bite was supposed to be a gift. This time, I hope it works out fine. Hold on tight; it's gonna hurt. 

Jackson doesn't know how to respond to that; he simply nods his head as an acknowledgment of the apology and the warning from Derek. Wasting no more, Derek lets his Alpha's spark run through his veins and lets his wolf rise to the surface, making his eyes bleed crimson red while his face transforms into his Beta's form, and then he bites Jackson in the hand!

Knowing that the Bite will take a while to take, releasing the Bite, still in his Alpha form with Jackson's blood rolling down his chin, Derek turns around to look at Stiles while ignoring everyone else inside the barrier and says:

 - It's done. Now we just wait for around 10 minutes for the Bite to take in. 

Nodding to acknowledge that, Stiles taps into his magic to twitch the barriers a little bit to allow everyone to get out except for Jackson. Stiles replies:

 - Great! Everyone, please get out of the barriers. I have things to do. Except for you, Jackson. Sorry, please stay inside the barrier until the transformation is complete, just for sure. 

 - Sure, it's fine. I understand. - Jackson says while holding his bloody arm. 

Following Stiles's instructions, everyone gets out of the barriers, leaving only Jackson inside. After that, Stiles wields his magic to combine two barriers into one. Stiles really means what he said; he doesn't know what will happen to Jackson when he's in his transformation, so he needs to be sure. Besides, it's also to protect Jackson from all harm and interference. Stiles absolutely does not want the second transformation to be disturbed once again. Holding out his hands before the barrier, Stiles wields his magic and infuses it into the barrier. There are blue auroras leaking out of Stiles's hands and being absorbed into the barrier. Stiles keeps feeding his magic to the barrier until there is only a little magic left in his reserve, and then he stops!

Letting his magic die out and his eyes now return to their original state after stopping shining with power, standing in front of the barrier, Stiles and the other people wait for Jackson to start his second transformation. Stiles can see from the corner of his eyes that Scott wants to say something, but Isaac stops him from doing so. Stiles has been kind of annoyed at Isaac recently, but honestly, for these moments like this, Stiles has to say that Isaac really knows how to read the room and knows where to ask questions or say anything. 

They don't have to wait for long, though. The Bite from an Alpha Werewolf takes effect really quickly this time. Only 5 minutes and the next thing they hear is Jackson screaming in agony! 

Before their eyes, Jackson is now writhing in agony on the cement floor. They see the blood veins in all of Jackson's body are now popping up with pressure, which they fear will explode. Jackson's body is now covered in blood leaking out of his body from all his pores. And the worst is his bones! They could hear and see clearly that Jackson's bones are now twisting, breaking, and morphing into different places! God, the broken bone's sound is terrible to their eyes, and it makes all of them feel green in their faces!

Horrified by the scene before her, Lydia asks:

 - Stiles! What is going on?

Stiles, however, has no idea what is happening with Jackson. No, he knows something is going to happen to Jackson, but he hasn't known that "something" will be this! 

Right in front of him, Stiles sees that Jackson is suffering the worst kind of pain he could ever imagine. Jackson's hands and shoulders are snapped, broken in all different places, and then expanded to a long length. There are also something like membranes covering both sides of his hands. Stiles thinks Jackson's hands now resemble a bat's wings. His trouser is also shredded to pieces to make room for his scaly, long tail. Two horns are growing from Jackson's head at the same time as the spikes are growing along his spine. The next thing that happens is that Jackson's entire body stretches itself to every angle and looks extremely painful to their eyes. Everyone in the warehouse right now looks either very green or extremely pale, witnessing the scene before them. 

Having no idea what's happening, Stiles asks the only person who might have answers for this—whatever this is!

 - ITACHI! What is going on? I thought Jackson would wrap himself in a cocoon created by his venoms to finish his transformation.

 - Well, that was what I thought too!

 - But this is not a freaking venomous cocoon! - Stiles screams out inside his mind in frustration. 

 - Yes, I saw that too, and it definitely is not a venomous cocoon. But I have a theory...

 - Oh for god's sake, just tell already! 

 - Alright, hear me out: Technically, the Kanima only needs to transform once, but your Kanima has to transform twice. So...I guess this happens when the Kanima takes two times to finish its transformation!

 - Fuck!

Looking back at Jackson, Stiles feels sorry for him. Because...DAMN! It looks really painful. Not to mention that it is bloody as hell! Stiles can see Jackson's blood is now spilled everywhere inside the barrier, and he swears he even sees a lot of flesh in the blood as well.

Seeing Lydia's attempt to come closer to Jackson, Stiles stops her before she can take any further steps.

 - Lydia, don't! It's not safe to get close to him at this moment. My barrier is strong, but I still think we should keep our distance until the transformation is finished. I think it is kind of a price to pay for activating the transformation a second time. So...I think we should wait until it ends without interfering.

After giving Stiles a long and intense look, Lydia gives in, takes a deep breath, and steels herself. Lydia can see the logic in what Stiles just said, so she knows waiting for the transformation to finish is the right thing to do. But, in honesty, Lydia hates every second of it. It's killing her to see Jackson suffer like this. She knows he's a brag, but he doesn't deserve this kind of pain and all the other things that have been happening to him lately. 

Meanwhile, Stiles has to wield his magic to stretch the barrier to accommodate Jackson, as he is getting bigger and bigger every second. It seems like the universe decided to make Jackson pay for all the lives he took. Because not only is the transformation bloody and painful, but it also takes quite a long time to finish! Damned it! Hearing Jackson scream himself in agony for the past 2 hours is the most horrendous experience ever! Everything about Jackson's transformation reminds them of the brutal side of the supernatural world. 

Thankfully, the transformation is finally finished!

And then...

 - FUCK! - Peter shockingly swears out. 

Oh yeah! FUCK! Fuck is the right reaction for them seeing what Jackson has become! Before their eyes, a very new, very inhuman, very scaly Jackson appears inside the barrier, looking at them with his big reptile's scary yellow eyes! There are reasons for humans to scare reptile creatures so much that we imprint our fears of reptiles in our genes and then pass them down from generation to generation! Looking at Jackson now, they finally understand the reason why! 

The form of Jackson is just way beyond their imagination! It is magnificent and terrifying! 

Right in front of them, Jackson transforms into his Alpha form and becomes a formidable predator! Having the size of a mini truck, Jackson has green scales covering all of his body while glowing with a dark emerald color when he moves. His claws and fangs are so sharp and have an impressive size that they can easily tear everything apart. Huge spikes grew along his spine, from his head to his tail. His neck is stretched long, and he has two horns on both sides of his head. But the most impressive thing about Jackson's Alpha form is his wings! Jackson now has bat-like wings replaced for his hands which are very huge and spread up to at least 8 meters. Looking at these wings, Stiles has no doubt that Jackson can now freaking fly!

In other words, Jackson is now a freaking Wyvern! 

GOD! Stiles really needs to sit down... Stiles really is questioning his life right now! How can it even be real? Standing right in front of him is a fearsome mystical creature that only appears in fantasy books. By looking at Jackson now, Stiles thinks he knows why people know about dragons being vicious creatures. Because...Fuck! Jackson is now a dragon! The Kanima's Alpha form is actually a dragon! A Wyvern, to be more exact, but a dragon nonetheless! 

Before tonight, despite relentlessly researching so many things about the supernatural world and mystical creatures since the moment Scott became a Werewolf, Stiles honestly had no idea that the dragon was an actual thing! 

 - Don't be naive, Stiles. This isn't a dragon!—Itachi speaks out in his mind. 

 - Of course, he is a dragon! What are you talking about? Just look at him! He has scales, claws, fangs, and bat-like wings! Of freaking course, he is a dragon! Oh God, please do not tell me he can breathe fire now. If he will, I'm going to drool all over him. Wait...that's disgusting! 

Rolling his eyes at what Stiles just said—how the fuck can he feel Itachi roll his eyes at him inside his mind?—Itachi says:

 - What I mean is that Jackson is just a mere shapeshifter who is accidentally able to transform himself into a dragon-like creature! But that's not a dragon! There are dragons in this realm, of course, but it has been a long time since I saw one. Most of them went into hiding or escaped to other realms. I also have to say that your Western kind of dragon is...strange! To me, they are more like giant lizards with bat-like wings and look so much different compared to my kind of dragon - The Eastern Dragons!

 - OMG! There are so many things that we need to discuss later about what you just said. But firstly, are you telling me right now that Asia's kind of dragon is real too? Have you seen them?

 - Of course, they are real. Asia's kind of dragon has been worshiped for over 5000 thousand years, you know? So, of course, they are real! I have lived for 1000 years; I've seen things, so of course, I saw them. You should have seen them; they are truly majestic creatures.

 - Wow...just...wow! 

Stiles really is speechless right now! He has always been fascinated with dragons since he was a toddler, and hearing that Itachi has seen dragons before, both Western and Eastern kinds of dragons, is making Stiles feel over the moon right now! Seeing Jackson standing, or, should he say, crouching, in front of him, despite Itachi telling him that Jackson is just a dragon shapeshifter, still doesn't make Stiles feel disappointed even a bit. Nope, Stiles doesn't care what Itachi said; he will call Jackson a dragon shapeshifter from now on, and he will fight with teeth and nails if someone can tell him otherwise! 

However, it seems that the "Wyvern" doesn't like to be caged by his barrier. Right after the moment, the transformation is completed, Jackson immediately slams his newly gained gigantic body against the barrier and tries every possible way to tear down Stiles's barrier using his claws, fangs, and especially its tail full of long spikes while snarling viciously at Stiles and everyone else standing outside of the barrier! 

Pushing down his excitement for finding out that dragons are real, Stiles shifts his focus to a very vicious Jackson. Immediately reaching out to his magic, despite believing that his barrier can withstand a lot of things for being infused with that much of his magic, Stiles still wants to be ready in case Jackson breaks his barrier. Thankfully, Stiles's caution is meaningless. Because, after trying multiple times for at least 15 minutes but failing at tearing down the barrier, Jackson finally calmed down enough and then managed to regain his consciousness once more. Huffing out in frustration and shaking his head inside the barrier, Jackson finally stops attacking the barrier and is now simply crouching on the ground to look at them. 

Seeing Jackson act like this, Stiles turns to look at Lydia and tells her:

 - Lydia, I think you should talk to him. You are his soulmate and his master; he will respond to your voice. 

Nodding her head in acknowledgment, Lydia turns to look at Jackson and says,

 - Jackson, are you still in there? Do you understand me?

Following Lydia's question, Jackson sets his gaze on Lydia and lets out a huff, which Stiles thinks is a way of saying "yes". Seeing it as a good sign, Lydia continues:

 - Jackson…If you understand me, please nod your head, okay?

When Jackson nods his dragon's head in reply, Stiles feels he has almost died in relief. And that's not just him; everyone else in the warehouse feels the same! It seems like the Wyvern can't get out of Stiles's barrier, which they are absolutely grateful for, but still, they have no desire to fight a giant Wyvern tonight! Nope! Not at all! 

Stiles, though, is absolutely over the moon right now! Why? Because, see! His plan actually works! Not only does he manage to save everyone in this warehouse and everyone else in the town from being killed by the Kanima, but he also saves Jackson and frees him from being a slave and being used to commit murder against his will. Not to mention that Stiles also helps Jackson turn into a freaking Wyver—a mystical, formidable predator that can only be told in fantasy books and mythical legends of the old ages! Stiles knows tonight is a long night and there are still many things unresolved, but Stiles doesn't care. It is all worth it! 

However, looking at Jackson inside the barrier, Stiles realizes that they now have a bigger problem!

 - Uhm...Lydia, can you ask him if he can transform back? Tonight is a very long night and now everything is over, I just wanna come back home to my bed and sleep until the end of the world. But we can’t leave this forsaken warehouse if he stays in this form!

Hearing what Stiles just said, suddenly, everyone in the warehouse realizes that everything is actually over! No more crying, no more bleeding, no more fighting for their lives...everything is really over now. But somehow, they still feel like it is a dream, like they're still hanging in the air without being able to touch the ground. Part of them is telling them that it is really over, they can go home now, and everything will be fine. But another part of them is reminding them that this is not a superhero movie. However, life is not a film; it won't end like in the movies, where everyone gets their happy ever after. No, life goes on, and there are still many hard choices to make and lots of unresolved things to work on. 

For a moment, they really don't know what to do next, but then their thoughts are cut off by Lydia's words:

 - Okay sure! Jackson, can you transform back into…I don’t know! Something is more…human?

And that makes all of them snap out of their minds to face the fact that: Yes! They still have one last problem. They pray that Jackson won't be stuck in this form and will be able to turn back into his human form. Or else they won't be able to leave the warehouse with Jackson looking like this! How can they explain to everyone in the town about the Wyvern showing up on Beacon Hill? The whole civilization will be in uproar for sure! 

Jackson, on the other hand, after hearing what Lydia said, is now huffing in annoyance while attempting to transform back. He is circling viciously inside the barrier like a feral cat captured in the cage, which is kind of hilarious to Stiles. But after a while of no progress, as Jackson is still in his Alpha form, Stiles realizes that Jackson is unable to transform back. Or, to be more specific, Jackson doesn't know how! They have to do something, or else Jackson will be stuck in that form forever. And, luckily, Stiles knows exactly who knows how to do it.

 - Sourwolf, please talk to him. 

 - What? What do you mean? And don't call me Sourwolf, or I will rip your throat out with my teeth! - Derek asks in confusion. 

 - Oh for god's sake, that threat is getting old, really! What I mean is that this is the first time he completely transforms while his consciousness is still intact. He is like a new-bitten Werewolf on the first full moon, with no control over his shift. You're an Alpha; you are his Alpha, actually. I can already see the pack bond forming right now. So go talk to him and tell him how to control the shift. Teach him how to do it, or,...I don't know, do some of your Alpha-y Werewolf mo-jo!  

 - Stiles is correct. You are the Alpha that bit him, twice! So there will be a bond between the two of you. Do your duty, Derek. 

Peter decides to add some of his sense. Tonight is really one hell of a night. Never does he think that after being back from death, he is able to witness the most incredible transformation ever. And Stiles is absolutely correct! The logic in Stiles's suggestion is undeniable and undebatable, making Peter once again feel regret for not biting Stiles in the woods that night. Peter can tell for sure that if he bit Stiles that night, at first Stiles would give him hell for biting him without consent, but he's sure that after hearing him out, Stiles would help him get revenge for his pack. Maybe not as bloody as his way was, but Stiles would sure help him drag those murderers to Hell, one way or another! 

Understanding the reason behind Stiles's request, Derek takes a deep breath and steps forward to get close to Jackson. Looking into these huge yellow reptiles' eyes, Derek has to admit that it's quite intimidating. But no, he is the Alpha; he is supposed to be strong with no weakness. He has a job to do, and that's to help a high school kid turn back to his human form. Recalling everything his mom taught him, Derek gently speaks to Jackson:

 - You heard Stiles, and he is correct. You are like a new-bitten Werewolf in the first full moon, without any control over your shift. I don't know much about Kanima, but I believe it's kinda the same as any other werecreatures out there. Which is that in order to control your shift, you must have an anchor. As a Werewolf, there is a human and a wolf inside us. When we shift, your wolves will rise to the surface and take over our body and our mind. The anchor is what will help us to ground our humanity so that we will not be lost completely to the wolves. Most of the time, our anchors will be what are most important to us, and right now, your bond with Lydia is the most prominent link to your humanity. I suggest you focus on that bond, try to stay calm, and keep reminding yourself that you're as human as a wolf, or a Kanima, or...a Wyvern...I don't know. 

 - A Wyvern! - Stiles cuts in - Let's just all agree that Jackson's Alpha Form is a Wyvern from now on, shall we? And Derek, I think Jackson gets what you meant. Right, Jackson? 

With all due respect, Stiles feels stunned! This is the first time ever since they met that Stiles has heard Derek talk that much! Don't get him wrong; they talked before, but never did Derek talk this much and this...informatively! This is new! Where the hell did this version come from when he needed some information about Werewolves and when Scott transformed into his first full moon? Oh Derek, we are gonna have a long talk about how communication is important, stupid Sourwolf! 

But anyway, with the guidance of Derek, Jackson finally manages to turn himself back into his human form, and now standing right in front of them is a very naked Jackson with blood all over his body. Oh dear, Stiles needs bleach to erase the image of a naked Jackson out of his mind! He doesn't need that image inside his brain, and he doesn't need to have the thought that a naked Jackson is kinda hot. Nope! Not gonna happen! It is very disturbing right now!

However, not everyone is disturbed by a naked Jackson; wasting no time, Lydia runs through the barrier and then throws herself into his arms. They're now hugging each other tightly as if they were at the end of the world. Seeing the scene before him, Stiles has to look away. Well, what can he say? Seeing the girl you used to like in the embrace of another boy isn't a fun thing to watch. It's true that Stiles only liked the ideal of Lydia, but he did like her nonetheless, and watching her and Jackson hold on to each other for dear life is like a punch to the guts! So... please excuse him for taking minutes to be petty! He's just human after all; well, not 100% human, but...never mind, you know what he means. Stiles's sure that he will get over it soon. He just needs some time and some good sleep, and then Stiles is good to go. 

Seeing that Lydia and Jackson let go of each other's embrace after a while with tears in their eyes, with a wave of his hand, Stiles decides to break the barrier. Stepping closer to the pair, Stiles asks:

 - Hey...I know you guys will want more time together, but I need to check up on Jackson first. So Jackson, how do you feel? 

Still holding Lydia's hand and doesn't seem to want to let go of her, Jackson tells Stiles:

 - Actually, I don't know how to describe it, but I feel really good, like super good. But the shift is very hard to control; I'm gonna need more time to practice, though. 

 - Awesome! And don't worry about the shift; I'm sure Derek won't mind helping you with it. - Turning to look at Derek, Stiles says - Right, Sourwolf? 

Growling and flashing his Alpha Red's eyes, Derek speaks to Stiles.

 - Stop calling me like that, Stiles! 

Can't help but roll his eyes at Derek. Does he really think that growling and flashing his Alpha eyes will make him afraid of him? Does Derek need to be reminded that he has magic now? Besides, even before awakening his magic, Stiles wasn't afraid of Derek—not even a bit! Of all the Werewolves Stiles has encountered up until this point, Derek actually only hit him once! And Stiles was the one at fault for making Derek bang his head against the wheel, so Stiles doesn't blame Derek for that. He totally deserved that. Most of his pain and injuries were actually caused by the hunters, who tried to kill him tonight, and Scott, who has tried to maul him multiple times since the moment he turned. Stiles thinks he decodes Derek a little bit by now; this guy is in fact more bark than bite. 

 - Nope! Can't do, big guy! Anyway, Jackson, in the meantime, please don't maul people just because they piss you off, okay? Hiding a body is really lots of hard work these days! 

That makes Jackson and Lydia burst out laughing. Oh God, who would have thought that one day they would laugh at such a crucial joke about murdering and hiding bodies? What makes it even funnier is that it's very true! With everything going on recently in this town, it is more likely to happen soon. 

When the laugh dies out, Lydia is the first one to speak.

 - Stiles... Thanks for everything. 

 - Nah...I just did what I had to. - Scratching his head, Stiles says. 

 - No Stiles, what you did was really save my life. I owe you this time, thanks! - Jackson says sincerely.

Looking at Jackson, Stiles feels like there is some unspoken acknowledgment that is being exchanged between them. 

 - Well, in that case, you're welcome! 

Turning around to look at everyone else in the warehouse, Stiles says:

 - Alright people! Problem solved. No more murderous lizard so everyone can go home now. Except for Derek, Peter, and the Argents! First thing first: Peter, you asshole! We're gonna have a very long talk about how you haunted Lydia for weeks. And Chris Argents—Looking at the Argents while letting his magic rise to his eyes, making them once again shine intensely with magic—You have 3 seconds to tell me right now where the fuck is Erica and Boyd? 

Chapter Text

Hi everyone!

It's me again! I'm sorry for putting this fic on hiatus for so long. There have been a lot of things that have happened to me, making me unable to concentrate or write anything else again. Well, in short, I'm positive for HIV, and it has been one hell of a ride! At the time, my health was very bad, and everything just fell apart, so I had to stop writing to work on myself and hold myself together until I was doing alright again. 

But now, I'm doing much better. Still depressed a little bit, but much better. That's why I'm thinking I will get back to writing and start updating again. But first, oh God, this fic is really bad! I need to fix lots of things, so please bear with me for the time being. 

Once again, thank you guys so much for all of the support and for reading this fic. I will try to keep it alive, I promise!