Third POV

Moments after Elena had left Ethan's room to get him some food, Elena couldn't help but give another sigh of relief as she thought back to the blonde foreigner. She was glad that Ethan had managed to pull through the seizure, after experiencing what happened to him earlier in the day, the amount of pain that he succumbed to, it was a miracle to the young girl that the man had survived.

Survival…

The word alone brought Elena to a halt as she reminisced about the day when she and her father surely believed that it was the day of Ethan's demise. No one was sure how it turned out, or how Ethan had endured that the majority of the villagers had fallen before him. The villager's were by no means weak-with the majority of them being hunters, and butchers- but none of them were prepared by the attacks. At first they believed that they were wild animals, wolves and bears to be exact, so they sent a search party for them, planning to kill the animals that are killing their own.

But they never came back.

Days turned to weeks, weeks turned into a month…

One group after another they sent within the area-only for themselves to wind up with the same fate. The families of the hunters were in a state of distraught as they knew that they were gone. Some wept, mourned, but there were some who called for blood. Blinded by their grief and anger by their loss. Elena doesn't blame them. She knows the majority of the hunters that went missing as the village isn't particularly a large one-with the majority of the land being owned and divided by the four Lords that resided within the valley that had existed way before she or her father were born. So it's no secret that she had her fair share of grief and sorrow along with the families of the hunters.

She could still remember how the village elder had prevented any more hunters going out for vengeance, knowing that it would only be futile as it did before. It didn't make it any more better when the Witch had come to town with a warning.

Within the next winter fall

The Black God would unleash his wrath upon you….

The wolves would howl as death would harvest you're spirits

And the rivers would stain with your blood as your families will perish…Hhahahahaa….

Elena shivered when the cold sensation of fear and dread washed throughout her body, the tightening pressure that came from her chest, and the wave of sorrow and pain froze her entire being when she remembered her words. Of course no one had taken the witch's warning into consideration. Blinded by grief and sorrow, along with how they stay away from her at all cost. The reason why is because the tales of the witch using black magic had them both fear and resent her; so, they cast her away with very little remorse and gratitude.

But some had taken her warning to their hearts, albeit they were very, VERY little. Some of which pleaded for the witch to aid them and their families. To grant guidance, protection and virtue to the upcoming danger that she had depicted. But to their dismay, the witch just laughs and disappears never to be seen again. Unfortunately, Elena and her family were the part of the majority who had disregarded the witch's warning.

Fools. A lot of them are.

Now…. They are paying the price for their ignorance. The monsters had infested the entire village like the plague. Killing, hunting, and devouring any villagers that stood in their way. Men, women, children….friends and families-it did not matter to them, they just kept coming, and coming and nothing can stop them. Eventually, some villagers DID try to fend off the monsters, building barricades and safehouses across the village in a chance for them to prevent any more lives being taken.

But none of them work.

One after the other their defenses had crumbled, their lives were taken, and the Lycans feasted upon the corpses of their prey. Elena had to watch her beloved village die. Her friends are gone…Her mother and brother are unburied and devoured. The village became lost in a sea of blood and gore, the death of everything that she loved and held dear to her had turned into ashes and remains for the ravens to pick on.

But most of all, it was her sin.

Her sin that she had paid for with her home and family. Disregarding the witch's claim, thinking nothing of it like everyone else.

She hated herself for it.

No matter how many time she had looked back, she couldn't help but wonder if things would've been different if she had believe and were more persistent upon the warning

Elena had to swallow a sob coming her way, trying to prevent the tears that were threatening to burst from her eyes. Eventually, she succeeded, taking in a deep breath she let out a shaking sigh and looked forward.

"Looks like I'm here." Elena stated as she realized that during her thought process, she had managed to arrive in the kitchen.

The kitchen was fairly a larger one than the small, almost narrowed kitchen that she was accustomed to. Filled with a four top stove beside a stone countertop. Several pots and pans hang on the wall and on top of the stove, while some are on the burner, cold and untouched. On her left, Elena saw a cabinet filled with various untouched spices, utensils, plates and bowls, and a few glasses. She notices that the middle had a table that didn't look like it had been used for quite some time, making her frown at the discarded meat and vegetables rotting away on the spot. Looking further, she saw a small stack of lumber underneath the kitchen window, beside it is another cabinet with the doors and drawers opened. A large pile of pans and shattered glass are cluttered around the area as some of the wood from the cabinets were missing.

It didn't take Elena long to assume that the survivors had used some of the wood from the furniture as fuel for the fireplace back in the living room. Looking a bit more, she noticed that the back door had been boarded up by a large furnace and a few sacks of flour- making sure that none of the monsters could get inside the house.

Approaching the stove, Elena took one of the lids off from the pot that they used last night and found out that there were some leftovers.

Carrot and liver stew

Elena let out a grimace expression as she saw the contents. With food being scarce and rotting away, they had to make what's best on what they got. Elena, however, frowned when she realized that the soup was cold as ice and couldn't possibly give it to Ethan. She wanted to reheat the stew, but the rational parts of her mind argued that it would be a waste of resources and could attract the monsters. That thought alone was a good enough reason, but another part of her argues that it wouldn't help Ethan's condition and that for the past few days, none of the Lycans have even come near the estate. Of course Julian believes that they are just biding their time, but Elena had a different feeling. She didn't know what it was… but she somehow knew that it had something to do with Ethan.

Elena released a tired sigh, moving around the kitchen in search of an unused bowl, wondering if Ethan was recovering steadily after she left the room.

Back with Ethan

Alex can only relish at the absolute shock and disbelief expression that had adorned Ethan. Orange-red eyes stared at panic-induced blues, making the bioweapon smirk in amusement. The near bedridden man stared back at him, unable to move as Alex can feel the speed of Ethan's panic-driven mind.

"H…h-how…" Ethan manages to say, his words dying in him once again, not comprehending how the monster in a human suit is standing right there with him.

Alex let out an amusing huff as he leaned back a bit on the chair, looking at the downed blonde father with mockery and a bit of pride.

"Oooff, Ethan that hurt." Alex said with a not-so hurtful tone. "I thought after nearly being devoured by those mutts, I thought you would be glad to see a familiar face."

Ethan said nothing as he continued to look on towards Alex, the feeling of shock and disbelief started to wear off and it's been replaced by a familiar sense of rage, fear, and anxiety.

Alex only tilts his head at Ethan as he can easily read Ethan's emotions like an open book. Letting out a mocking huff, Alex leans forward to the blonde father, hands clasped together, and his arms rested on top of his thighs.

"Don't be surprised about this, Winters." Alex stated, his tone filled with a bit of annoyance at the man. "Do you honestly believe that I would stay cramped up inside that head of your's, hmm? That I would wait until you decided to drop by for who-knows how long?"

Ethan didn't say anything as he saw Alex huff before standing up from the chair.

"You're even more of a moron than I thought." Alex stated, walking around the room, searching for anything that could catch his interest. "You know, after our little meeting, I figured I'd do something…productive well you're gone, Winters." Alex said as he stopped by a painting near the fireplace. The painting is an old, landscape oil painting of the Village market.

Instead of the abandoned, cold, and dreary atmosphere that Ethan had encountered earlier, this one was the complete opposite. The gentle illumination from the various candles and lanterns within the market gave the once cold and darkened streets of the village life. The stalls and stands are filled with baked goods, fresh vegetables, meats and stews, as the painting held a variety of villagers dawning winter clothing, strolling around the market in blissful ignorance as the stars were seen as clear as day.

Alex stood still for a moment, inspecting the artwork a bit before continuing the one-sided conversation.

"Do you know what it feels like to be in there?" Alex said, not turning his gaze to the blonde father as he continued to inspect the painting. "To be locked in a cell with nothing but the four walls to look at? To just sit around until something happens? Of course, not. Being trapped inside that asylum that your body had conjured, and that infuriating wretched 'DNA' that is inside your tainted bloodstream prevented me from escaping that prison."

Ethan didn't say anything from the whole ordeal. Watching as Alex's tone started to shift into more of a monstrous growl as he saw his fist clenched until it began to turn white. Ethan had to take control of his breathing as best as he could to prevent his fear from rising upon the surface, just like how Chris taught him whenever he kept his emotion in check during their spars or if he had a relapse.

But in return, Ethan had felt his own hand starting to clench-albeit weakly- at the thought of the treacherous bastard. The sting of betrayal and the void of anger, outrage, and sorrow in his chest came back. His chest rises and collapses repeatedly from the ever rising emotions of the blonde father. But before he could do any further, he heard Alex release a sigh and let out a small chuckle.

"But like any prison," Alex said, turning from the painting and went back to the bedside, gazing down on the father.

"There is always a blind spot."

"W-wait…What is he talking about?" Ethan thought as a sinking feeling in his gut started to form.

"Turns out, I found one while doing a little evaluation on your genetic makeup, wondering if or when you would be evolving any time soon. And thanks to this, I had found this very, VERY little crack. A crack that all I had to do was to manipulate a few genes and the virus's formula and POP! Here I am."

Ethan's eyes widened dramatically at this news. A weakness? But that doesn't make any sense, how can Alex say that after stating he tried everything for the past three years after the Baker incident? Unless…..

Ethan let out an internal groan at his own idiocy. Of course Mercer had lied to him about it or the very least kept it away from him. He's the fucking monster that is desperately wanting and trying to get out to the world through his body. Why else is there to begin with? Why else would Ethan believe that Mercer would tell him the truth in the first place?

"Idiot…" Ethan internally groans, while Alex smiles cruelly at the man's internal turmoil. His arms start to shift into biomass as he gazes at the bedridden-like state of the blonde. Savoring the absolute wreck of emotions that Ethan has been building inside him, waiting patiently for the right moment to strike.

Alex couldn't help but miss this feeling a bit.

To be feared by the people whenever they saw his presence. To try their damndest to run as far as they could despite it being a futile effort. It filled him with a sense of power as he watched them squirm beneath him, it made him feel a tinge of ecstasy whenever they begged for mercy-even if it is a fracture of what normal humans felt. Back then, Alex never really indulged in human emotions after finding out how incompentent and repetitive the human race had become. All that progress and scientific accolades wasted in the same old dance routine. War, fear, greed, wealth and power. It is an endless loop-a broken record. Sometimes Alex wonders if the human race had gone insane for over a thousand years.

"The definition of insanity; is repeating the same thing over and over again, and expecting a different outcome" is what Albert Einstein said once. One that summarized the human race as a whole along with "stagnant".

Insanity

A Stagnant Insanity.

But now Alex couldn't finish his mission, his destiny, all thanks to Heller and that bitch, Evelyne. Trapped inside the body of a useless systems engineer. His prison. And he couldn't do anything about it. He can't consume him, he can't kill him, all he can do now is just lie and wait for his opportunity to break free from this. Then he found a crack. A crack on the wall where he had manipulated into a key.

And he was glad that he did so.

To be able to freely stretch his legs after being inside of Ethan's subconscious for so long. Giving him to be more…up close and personal, to say the least. It felt so liberating after doing absolutely NOTHING but to watch the man's life through his eyes. Watching him make a fool of himself, refusing to use the gift that he unintentionally gave him as he saw the blonde father so frustratingly make his way through the village.

Despite the fact that he couldn't harm or take over Ethan's body in any way, that doesn't mean that Alex didn't have certain privileges that Ethan didn't know about. Managing to change the genetic material of both Ethan's and the Blacklight's DNA structure to an extent for him is one of those abilities. One that he would be more than welcome to try again if he so happens to find more loopholes to his prison.

"It's so simple really, and you want to know what else?" Alex said with a little glee, his eyes never leaving Ethan's as his arms had finished their transformation. Bending down like a certain internet strawberry pimp, Alex let a small, but malicious smile towards Ethan.

"...I wonder if I had found any more of those loopholes, I wonder what would be left of Ethan Winters." And with that, Alex lifted out his right arm showing off his claw as Ethan's eyes widened in fear.

"W-what? No. No, no, no,no!" Ethan thought in panic as he tried to move his body to avoid the claws. But it didn't respond, in fact Ethan PLEADED for his body to respond-to react. But somehow, it didn't respond to his plea, like it was frozen by some unknown force holding him down as he could only stare in fear at Mercer.

"Come on, come on-MOVE DAMN IT!" Ethan yelled frantically in his mind, but like last time, it didn't work. Seeing the struggle, Alex shook his head before bringing down his claw as Ethan let out an internal scream as he couldn't bring himself to shut his eyes.

Metal pierce the sheets and onto his torso. His heart had stopped functioning, his eyes widened and froze in terror, his breath left his entire existance as his reflection mirrored from the claws metallic sheen.

Ethan didn't say anything for a good minute, waiting for his blood to gush out and stained the sheets as the indescribable pain came in.

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But it never came. The blades were pierced onto his body, but Ethan didn't feel any pain, nor any blood loss. Ethan stares at the blade for a good minute or two before managing to get into grips….on everything. The shock and fear are now being replaced by confusion. Finding the strength to look away from the blades, Ethan saw a near toothy smile on Alex's face.

Not saying anything, Alex waves his cawed hands around the torso, as Ethan sees it glides through him effortlessly as well as the bed sheets. Releasing an audible laugh, Alex retracted his form before folding his arms in amusement.

"But luckily for you, Winters," Alex said with a chuckle. "Even when I'm here, I still can't harm you. So you can count your blessings on this, Ethan."

Ethan can only look at the core variant of the virus with a look of disbelief and relief. Finally finding himself somewhat relaxed, but most of all relief that he would not die today. But then the sudden thought of seeing Alex managing to find a fucking loophole within his genes brought a whole knew problem to the father. What if Mercer finds more? What if there is more? He couldn't help but feel that if there was then Alex would have no problem in using that to his advantage. To manipulate his own genes to his own will.

To take over his entire being.

Consuming him as he was helpless to do anything to prevent Alex from returning to the world as he uses his body as a vessel for his resurrection.

Ethan couldn't help but let out a shudder at the thought. Not only would Alex consume him, but Alex has no problem in starting where he left off. To continue his own delusional vision of peace and unity. To basically enslave humanity with the Blacklight without them to have the chance to ever fight back. If it weren't for Heller interfering (albeit more for his own personal gain), then Mercer would've succeeded years ago back in o-twelve.

But still, Ethan could only hope that there aren't any more loopholes for Alex to take advantage of.

Suddenly, the door from the bedroom opens, revealing the form of Elena Lupu holding a tray. The young twenty-ish village local smiled at the blonde man as she made her way towards the table beside the bed. Unaware on the extra guest that is in the room, as said gues only let out a chuckle as he look back at the blonde father.

This confuses Ethan as he wonders how she can not see Mercer in the room.

"She can't see me, Winter's." Alex stated, making Ethan's bewildered gaze shift to his own amusement. "That loophole only manages to let you see and hear me. While still granting me freedom to be out of your subconscious, I'm not actually out. In fact, I'm more of a ghost than anything. The only person that can see me is you. Think of it as The Joker from Arkham Knight."

Ethan didn't say anything after. Though, a large part of him was kind of glad that Elena did see Mercer in the room. If she did then there would be a lot of trouble.

A whole, bloody trouble.

"How are you feeling, Ethan?" Elena asked, placing a hand on top of the blonde's forehead to check if it was heating up. A small smile graced her lips as she sat at the side of the bed.

"I..I'm feeling a bit better." Ethan croaked, still trying to find the strength after the whole new "Joker Hallucination'' that Alex has called it. Elena nodded softly, satisfied and glad that Ethan was alright while she was gone. Grabbing the bowl and spoon, she looks and stir the contents first before turning back to Ethan.

"I brought some food from the pantry." Elena said. "I hope it is enough."

Elena carefully brought the spoon to the man, making sure to not spill any of it on his or the sheets, while Ethan made a conscious effort to open his mouth to ingest the stew. Once he did so, Ethan gag reflex kicked in, coughing up bits and pieces of the soup as the mixture of it and his saliva stains his. Elena quickly grabbed a cloth and wiped the saliva-infused stew from Ethan's mouth.

"I'm sorry." Ethan roughly apologized.

"It is alright." Elena said, placing the stew on the desk before finishing up the clean up.

"What kind of soup is that?" Ethan asks Elena. grimacing at the taste a bit.

"It's carrots and liver." Elena replied, before giggling a bit, knowing what is in Ethan's mind. "Believe me, It is not my favorite either when eating last night-but it is our only option."

Ethan couldn't help but release a 'hmm' and a weak nod to the girl. Shifting his eyes to the room, he notices that Mercer is nowhere in sight, which Ethan was thankful for. Alex's unexpected visit had taken a toll on his mental state. Especially the near fucking heart attack thanks to the bastard and his amusement.

"But still…" Ethan thought, remembering the statement on Alex finding out more loopholes if there could be more. The very notion confused and scared Ethan to death. He thought that he was safe from Mercer's influence once he stated that he couldn't get out from his subconscious, not having to worry about being consumed from the inside out and being the cause of bringing back the monster that the world had created.

And even still after all this, ethn couldn't help but think of his daughter.

"Rose…" Ethan thought somberly. "If Mercer had taken over me before I even found her, then she's gone…My beautiful baby girl…fuck. This is Louisanna all over again."

Welcome to the family, son…

Save my family, Ethan-please…

KISS ME, LOVER!

"God, why-why me?" Ethan thought. Why did he have to suffer like this? Losing his wife, getting betrayed, being infected, and now his baby girl is God-know where.

Why…why him? Why is he and the people he loves that had to suffer? Why couldn't the world give him a break.

"Ethan?" Elena asked in concern as she saw Ethan become distant. His eyes lowered and his gaze just stared throughout nothing. He wasn't responding for a good few moments, making Elena concerned as she gently raised her hand and carefully shook the man out from his stupor.

"Ethan." Elena said with a little bit more firmness this time. But this time, he responded as she saw the blonde foreigner blink twice before looking at the village local.

"Sorry." Ethan apologized. "I…uhh…I must have spaced out."

"It's alright," Elena said. "You need to rest, alright? So don't be apologetic. You have already done enough."

"Does that include destroying the gate and nearly getting myself killed?" Ethan said dryly and slightly jokingly, as he released a small chuckle before coughing.

"Yes, even that." Elena giggled at the attempt, while grabbing the bowl again. She has to refrain herself a bit from questioning him on what happened that day. Gently holding the spoon near his mouth, signaling for him to open up. Ethan would usually protest the action, feeling embarrassed as he felt like a little kid whenever he got sick.

He was a grown ass man-he can take care of himself….

But given how nearly unresponsive his body was before, he didn't have any of the choice of the matter. So gingerly opening his mouth he accepted the soup as he felt a bit of a blush forming out from the embarrassment. Something that Elena saw as she couldn't help but giggle a bit from his bashful expression

"Thanks." Ethan said, making Elena smile before continuing to feed Ethan. The two of them sat there in silence, not saying anything to each other as Elena continued to spoon feed Ethan the soup as they enjoyed the peace and serenity in the room.

Later that Evening

Ethan let out a soft groan as his expression twisted in slight discomfort. Fluttering up his eyes, Ethan's vision adjusted around his surroundings as he realized it was evening. The small lighting from the fireplace illuminates some areas of the room, while a small candle light illuminates the desk beside him.

Finally getting some form of motion in his body, turned his head to the side and saw the sleeping form of Elena Lupu. The village girl was asleep on one side of the bed as her right hand held an old leather book. The pages are split apart by her thumb, while her head rested on top of her left forearm as she peacefully slumbers away. Ethan couldn't help but smile at the girl, kind hearted, sweet, and hospitable. Finding that the very notion that she had taken the job to be his temporary nanny for the past few days relieved and Ethan found himself being grateful for the girl's hospitality despite him being an outsider, which Ethan had deduced was some kind of taboo or curse to the village.

Glancing over the girl once more, Ethan's mind flashes to the image of Mia replacing Elena's place. Arms separated her head from the cold hard desk, an assortment of books ranging from biological chemistry, Physics, to Latin, and history sprawled over the desk as a large pile of notes cluttered around her. Ethan couldn't help but felt his chest tightened at the painful image as he felt his tears start to pour out.

Quickly shaking his head down, trying hard to not break down right on the spot. Even if it did feel good to do so right now-Ethan couldn't keep doing this. He needs to focus on getting Rose back and into safety. And he can't afford to keep weeping in every possible moment. He needs to forget about Mia for now until he is successful. And as much as Ethan internally winces at that statement, finding his daughter is his number one priority.

He may have failed Mia, but there is no way in hell that he would let Rose down the same way.

So with that, Ethan softly groans as he finally manages to get his body to obey him. Gently and quietly, Ethan lifted the cover and prompted himself in a sitting position. His feet touching the floor and the new found realization of finding himself shirtless. Thankfully, he still has his pants on, which was now coated in dirt and grime, and a little-but barely visible- blood stain. Taking a look over his shoulders, Elena was still asleep, making him a bit glad.

"Alright…Let's test this out." Ethan mutters, as he internally counted to three before groggily standing up. Etha gritted his teeth together and used the chair as a crutch to help him. His legs tense as they violently shake, bringing it on the brink of collapse but Ethan, being the stubborn man he is, forces his legs to listen to him as he groans slowly. After a few moments, Ethan exhales and begins to walk-I.E limp and nearly collapsing-to the mirror.

Ethan took a good look at his reflection as he weekly rubbed his stubble-covered face.

The past week has been hectic for Ethan.

His hair was messed up, a small, light gray bangs formed under his eyes as the tired look in his eyes reflected back at him. The flame from the fire illuminated one side while the other slowly descended into the darkness. Ethan stared at his reflection a while longer before he decided to do something. Slowly closing his eyes, the man let out a sigh before opening up again.

But what greeted was a left amber-orange and yellow eye, while the others were his normal sky-blue. Ethan blinks a couple of times as he stares, his left eye heavily contrasting the darkness on the left side of his face as it gives its own illumination. Ethan gently moved his head from side-to-side, inspecting the eye like it didn't belong to him.

Hell, it feels like it doesn't belong to him.

I wonder what would be left of Ethan Winters…..

Ethan had steel himself as he repressed a shiver down his spine. Closing his eyes once again, his left eye is back to normal, letting himself sigh.

Ethan turned as he heard the door of the bedroom open up, revealing it to be Leonardo who just stopped short on his tracks when entering as he saw Ethan standing up in front of the mirror.

"You shouldn't be standing." Leonardo sternly stated, closing the door as he crossed his arms. "You should be resting, not exerting yourself to death. Unless you want an early grave, boy…"

"I think I'll manage." Ethan replied, causing Leonardo to shake his head, before looking over the bed and saw the sleeping form of his daughter. Walking over to her side of the bed, he gently rubs her head as she lets out a soft 'hmm' making Leonardo smile and shake his head. But the smile fell quickly as he gave Ethan a serious look.

"Can I have a word with you outside?" Leonardo said, giving Ethan a look that meant that he doesn't have any choice at the matter right now. Seemingly reluctant at first, Ethan nodded his head, but then winced in pain, making Leonardo sigh before he went to place his daughter onto the bed, removing the book from her hands as he gently placed her down and covering her with the blanket. Once it was done, he made his way to the younger man and supported him by his arm while Ethan winced again.

"Thank you." Ethan said, making the older Lupu nod and grunt as they made their way to the halls.

A/N: YES! FINALLY! I finally got the chapter done! Aww man, was that a pain in the ass to do.

So before I conclude this chapter, I just wanted to say how good it is to be back after a long hiatus from this story. It's been nearly a month or so since the last update and I'm just glad that I managed to finish this, so I apologize for the wait and I hope that you guys like the chapter.

Second-and most of all: In the next chapter, we are FINALLY going to be entering the house of Dimitrescu then and I can't WAIT to get my hands on the interaction between the family and Ethan. And I think I have a pretty good idea on how that would go down.

Thirdly, as much as I am glad to get this chapter out and about, I was suffering from a major creative block, school, my art projects, and my very, VERY disorganized editing. So, much as I love the chapter being published, there are some parts that I believe are a bit of a mess when reading and that I have no idea how to resolve it, whether from editing it to a new scene or removing it completely-I just don't know how to solve it.

That being said, I truly hope you guys have enjoyed the chapter for today, and as always; leave a comment or criticism that you have within the chapter, the story, or even the characters. As long as they are straight to the point and it can be a harsh one so long as it is not offensive of any kind.