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As soon as Kazuma drank that potion, Herlock took a step back. The anxiety was clear in that young man’s face, but the best any of them could do for him at that moment was to allow him to fall into a deep sleep.
“I’ll raise the barrier now,” said Herlock. “Please, try to relax.”
“Sleep well, Kazie,” said Iris by his side. “We’ll see you in the morning.”
Herlock glanced at his daughter: he had told Iris to stay in her room, but she insisted on being there. Apparently, she had become quite attached to Kazuma during those few days they had spent together—then again, so had himself.
With the barrier in place and Kazuma asleep, they were ready for the full moon. As the time finally came, Herlock pressed his lips into a line: no matter how many times he witnessed it, it was never a pleasant sight. Kazuma’s breath became hasty, some slightly pained groans leaving his mouth, quickly changing into louder cries as his body started to change shape amid spasms and convulsions.
Iris looked at Herlock, concerned. “Daddy… Does it hurt?”
Herlock gently patted her head. “It won’t last long, my dear.”
Iris nodded, moving closer to Herlock before turning her gaze back to Kazuma. Barok stayed silent, his brow deeply furrowed.
Thankfully, in no more than a few seconds, the transformation was complete. Where once was a young man was now the hybrid between a human and a wolf, with dark fur, large claws, and sharp fangs. Everyone in the bedroom seemed to relax a little.
“Now, we wait,” said Herlock.
The other two agreed. Herlock stayed in place, making sure the barrier was working as it should. Iris soon moved to the bed close to the wall, getting a book to read. Barok sat on a chair, but kept his eyes on the asleep werewolf.
A few minutes passed as peacefully as Herlock had predicted, but then, without warning, Kazuma started to move behind the barrier. Barok stood up, approaching Herlock.
“Is he waking up?”
Herlock furrowed his brow. “He shouldn’t be.”
“Uh?” Iris closed her book, looking at them. “Is something wrong?”
“I’m not sure,” said Herlock. “I might have to administer another dose of the wolfsbane concoction, for safety.”
Before he could do anything, however, Kazuma jolted up, looking from one side to the other, clearly frightened. He howled, trying to leave the bedroom, only to hit that barrier.
“Dear Gods!” said Barok.
Kazuma didn’t stop, running from one side of that barrier to the other, throwing himself against it in an attempt to escape.
“He’ll hurt himself like this!” said Iris.
“I know…” Herlock gritted his teeth, then raised his arm in front of Iris and Barok. “Stand back! I’ll have to lift the barrier.”
Iris grabbed Barok’s arm, and he didn’t try to move away, placing a hand over hers to try to keep her calm.
Herlock raised a second barrier between them and Kazuma before lifting that first one, freeing him. His barriers weren’t as effective without the appropriate sigils, but it would be enough to keep them safe for the night.
With no walls left to contain him, Kazuma dashed out of the bedroom, possibly going to the first floor. As unwise as it was to pursue a crazed werewolf, Herlock had little choice but to follow him: there were many ways Kazuma could get himself injured in that house, especially if he found his way to the laboratory.
“Stay inside the barrier,” said Herlock. “I’ll try to—”
“Kazuma!”
Before he could do anything, Barok crossed the barrier, dashing out of the room.
“Barok…!” Herlock gritted his teeth. “That foolish man…”
Iris looked at him, frightened. “Daddy… We need to—”
“I know. Stay behind me, Iris.”
She nodded. Herlock ran to the stairs, and the sight of the lower floor almost made his heart stop: Barok was on his knees, leaning over a fallen Kazuma. For a moment, he feared something terrible had happened between those two… but then he heard a small whimper, followed by Barok’s hushed words.
“Barok!” Herlock called. “What happened?”
Barok looked at him over his shoulder, a concerned look on his face. “He hit his head against the wall when he dashed down the stairs…”
Oh, Gods… What a relief.
It didn’t take long, however, for his relief to give place to frustration. He stared at Barok. “Do you realize you would be the first target if he became aggressive?”
“I can defend myself.” Barok lowered his gaze to Kazuma. “But he’s confused… And now, he’s in pain.”
Herlock brought a hand to his face, letting out a long sigh. “You’re unbelievable, you know?”
Iris observed those two for a moment. “Wolf Kazie doesn’t seem scary, though.”
Herlock looked at her, offering a slight smile. “Stay here, my dear.” He walked downstairs, crouching beside Barok. “Please, allow me to take a look at him.”
Barok did as he said, moving slightly away from Kazuma. Herlock briefly examined the werewolf, including his injured head.
“Nothing serious,” he said. “And, if it was, his werewolf healing already took care of it.”
Wolf Kazuma whimpered, hiding his face under Barok’s arm. Barok leaned in his direction, carefully hugging his neck, caressing the back of his head.
“It’s alright…” he whispered. “Don’t be scared, you’ll be fine. This won’t last long.”
Herlock blinked at the sight. He could tell Barok cared about Kazuma, but to hear the man speak in that soft tone…
Oh, dear…
That was one thing too much to deal with on a night where everything seemed to be going wrong.
“Daddy?” Iris called. “Can I come down?”
“Yes, my dear. He’s as docile as a puppy.”
A giant, vaguely humanoid, nightmare-inducing puppy.
Still, he couldn’t deny how relieved he was. For a moment, he was sure he had failed not only Kazuma, but all of them. Herlock still couldn’t understand what went wrong, though: he had prepared himself for the countless problems they could face that night, but never considered the possibility of the potion itself not working. Has my confidence made me reckless?
He didn’t like to doubt his own abilities… It was like doubting what made him Herlock Sholmes. Yet, the results were undeniable: he had a fully awaken werewolf moving freely on his house, and that was proof that his potion wasn’t as infallible as he believed.
What a headache…
Iris crouched beside Barok, reaching for Kazuma’s head, gently caressing it. “Oh, Kazie… You scared us, you know? Did you hit your head?”
Kazuma moved closer, licking her face, making Iris laugh. Her cheerfulness seemed to make him forget about the pain, jumping on his paws, wagging his tail in excitement.
“What?” said Iris. “Do you want to play?”
Apparently, the answer was yes. Soon, Iris and Kazuma were outside, running together, rolling on the grass, and enjoying themselves in those simple ways only children—and dogs—could. Despite his concerns, Herlock couldn’t hold back a smile.
“It’s unusual to see Iris play like this,” he said. “She rarely acts like a child her age… It makes me worry, sometimes.”
Barok looked at him. “Worry?”
“That she isn’t happy here.”
He had never voiced those thoughts before, and hearing them seemed to make them much heavier.
Barok observed him for a moment, then turned his gaze to Iris. “She is. But she probably appreciates the new company.”
She would appreciate yours too. Herlock held back those words, knowing nothing good would come from speaking them.
After some minutes of running around, Iris approached them, sitting on the entrance steps to catch her breath. Kazuma followed her, still full of energy.
“Wait, Kazie…” said Iris. “Let me rest a little.”
“He seems to have much energy to spend,” Herlock thought for a moment. “Iris, dear… Do you perhaps have a ball we could use? One you wouldn’t mind getting utterly destroyed, of course.”
“I think so,” she said. “Just give me a minute.”
She disappeared inside the house, and Kazuma dashed after her. Barok stared at Herlock with a slight scowl.
“Sholmes… Are you seriously going to…?”
Herlock offered him a smile. “It’ll be good for him to have a distraction, don’t you agree?”
“I suppose so…”
In a moment, those two were back outside, Iris with a ball the size of an orange in her hand.
“Thank you, my dear.” Herlock took the ball from Iris, allowing her to get some well-deserved rest. “Kazuma, look here.” He raised the ball, grabbing the werewolf’s attention. “Now… Go!”
He threw the ball, and Kazuma darted after it, returning a few seconds later with it in his mouth.
“Well done.” Herlock took the ball, patting his head. “Want to do it again?”
The answer was obvious, so Herlock spent some time throwing the ball, praising and petting Kazuma whenever he returned with it. After a while, the poor werewolf seemed so happy with all that attention that he didn’t know what to do with himself—so, he jumped on Barok, who was caught off-guard and fell on his back, with a heavy werewolf over him, enthusiastically licking his face.
“Kazuma…” Barok tried to move him away. “Kazuma, stop…”
To see that serious, perpetually composed man in such a ridiculous situation… Herlock and Iris glanced at each other, then started cackling. She fell on her back, rolling from side to side, while Herlock bent his body forward, hugging his stomach and tapping his knee. Barok glared at him.
“Why are you laughing, Sholmes?”
“Oh, Gods…” Herlock had to make an effort to stop that fit of laughter. “Forgive me… I wasn’t prepared for this turn of events.”
With an annoyed grunt, Barok held Kazuma by the shoulders, moving him away with a severe expression. “Kazuma, that’s enough.”
Kazuma seemed to deflate, his ears and tail dropping, a low whimper leaving his mouth.
Remorse immediately covered Barok’s face. “Don’t look at me like that… I’m not angry.” He gently patted Kazuma’s head. “See? Everything is fine.”
Herlock observed them, quietly, for a while. Maybe it was easier for Barok to express his emotions when the other person couldn’t fully understand how he felt. A sad thing, but not surprising… He knew how soft-hearted Barok was since he first met the man, in that terrible situation. All he cared about was the safety of his niece, placing it above his own. Yet, despite how much he cared, he made sure to never show it on his face or words.
They spent most of that night trying to keep up with Kazuma’s seemingly endless supply of energy—which included watching him fight his own reflection, and try to capture his tail. When the night was coming to an end, however, Kazuma finally seemed to reach his limit. He jumped on the couch where Barok was sitting, getting comfortable by his side, with his head on Barok’s lap. Barok didn’t seem bothered by the proximity, caressing Kazuma’s head and neck until he fell asleep.
“Iris, could you go fetch a blanket for us?” asked Herlock. “I’m sure Kazuma will be terribly embarrassed to wake up without any kind of covering.”
“Right away, daddy.”
She sounded tired… Not surprising, considering how much she and Kazuma had played that night. Herlock watched as she went upstairs, then turned his attention to those two.
“He seems quite attached to you,” he said.
“Yes.”
“And you to him, as well.” Herlock made a meaningful pause, which made Barok look at him. “You may try to fool yourself, dear Barok, but you can’t fool this old witch.”
Barok’s expression dropped. “It’s my fault that this happened to him. If I had been more careful, and noticed that there was a human nearby… I should have attracted that beast away from him. The least I can do now is make sure he stays safe.”
“Is guilt really all you feel?”
And then, like usual, Barok’s guard went up. He stared at Herlock, cautious. “Does it make a difference?”
“It very much does.”
Barok lowered his gaze, observing the sleeping Kazuma. He didn’t say another word, and Herlock didn’t insist on the subject.
Soon, Iris’ steps coming down the stairs called his attention. She approached Barok, offering him the blanket. “Here it is.”
“Thank you.”
She helped him cover Kazuma, then sat beside Herlock, leaning against him. Herlock placed an arm around her shoulders, allowing her to rest against his chest.
“You should go to sleep soon,” he said.
She offered him a slight smile. “I’ll go after Kazie wakes up.”
Time passed quietly. Iris doze off by Herlock’s side, and Barok rested his head on the back of the couch, closing his eyes. Herlock was almost losing the battle against the sleepiness as well, when Kazuma suddenly started to toss on the couch, letting out some uncomfortable sounds. Barok opened his eyes, leaning toward Kazuma, gently caressing his head.
“It’s alright…” he whispered. “It’s alright… It’s almost over.”
As he said, in a few seconds, Kazuma was back to his human form. He was still deeply asleep, his head resting on Barok’s lap. Barok let out a long, relieved sigh.
“It’s over,” said Herlock.
“Yes,” said Barok.
Iris smiled. “I’m glad everything went well.”
Barok nodded, bringing a hand to Kazuma’s face, lightly touching it. Herlock observed in silence: he didn’t need centuries of wisdom to see what was happening there… It was surprising, sure, especially considering how reserved Barok was. Yet, it also made Herlock’s chest feel lighter: maybe Kazuma would be able to do what he couldn’t, and finally reach that man’s heart, which he guarded so stubbornly.
Yes… hopefully, that would bring a good change… Gods knew he had tried everything he could by that point.
No more than a few minutes later, Kazuma groaned, slowly opening his eyes. Barok offered him a smile.
“Good morning.”
Herlock grinned to himself: if anything, it was nice to see such an expression on his old friend’s face.