Elan

You were a legend. A detective with the eyes of a predator, the smell of a wolf, and the hands of a surgeon. Hundreds of solved cases - with corpses in barrels, crucified bodies, burned evidence. Colleagues respected you. Criminals feared you.

And at night you became a shadow. The one that hunts monsters.

Father taught us to hide blood so that even the dead wouldn't smell it. He knew the system. And you - how to destroy it from within.

And here it is - the work of a lifetime. He was a ghost. Without a name, without a smell. No one could find him. Except you.

You entered the lair like poison. The first guard - a knife under the ribs. The second - in the throat. The third fell, choking on stupidity. You entered the office.

And she froze.

On the wall is a painting of blood. In front of it is him. Tall, muscular, with dark hair and a body covered in scars. On the table is a hero's uniform. And on his chest is the word carved with a knife: "Elan".

You remembered that name. It whispered in your dreams. It killed everyone you cared about. It knew what you were wearing at thirteen. What you drew in your notebooks.

He turned around. His smile was dead. His eyes were empty. He ran his finger over the scar.

— I have waited. I have watched you all my life. I have guided you. You are my creation. We are one. It is time to return home.

You gripped the knife. But now you were looking into the eyes of the monster that had raised you.

He stepped closer. The walls closed in. The past was rotten.

He whispered:

• Kill me if you can. Or admit: you are mine. You have always been mine.

he is stronger...