Thanks to this anchor, this unwavering support, Harker was able to survive his first ascension. But that also meant…..


    That not long after kissing Joan, he had turned into a savage beast on a hunt for flesh. Not for her flesh anymore, since this joining had somehow provided her immunity from the curse. But for everyone else, Harker could go rabid just from the scent of human flesh.


    "GRRAAHHH!!!" He eximed.


    Joan stopped him, but Harker ''melted'' in her hands. He turned into that formless ck worm, and separated from himself....


    And there were two of him!


    One however looked like the wendigo version of him, but there was no denying that it was still Harker, nheless. This replica seemed to have less control of its own motor skills, and it stumbled upon its first appearance. But it had soon recovered anyway, reaching out to eat the other nearest bodyguard!


    The bodyguard got his whole arm torn off by Harker''s mouth, and he screamed in terror as he fell to the ground.


    "Harker, no!" She eximed.


    The guards were scared and there had just been a long battle with these things, so their fingers had automatically reached for the trigger. They burned the wendigo replica, and the fire somehow managed to scare Harker.


    He hid behind Joan, his eyes nk and white. He was drooling like a dog with rabies and his sharp teeth protruded.


    This turn of events was very confusing to everyone, and none of them knew what to do.


    Joan looked at this beast of a man behind her. Harker looked like he truly does not have his wits with him. The bodyguards kept their methrowers drawn, in case he goes to attack again. The bodyguard that was attacked was still bleeding and shivering from fear.


    It was Alejandro who quickly snapped out of it to call their medic and wrap up what was left of his shoulder so he wouldn''t bleed to death.


    "Just stay away." Joan said. "I…. I''ll try to make him snap out of it."


    But Harker wouldn''t, still growling and wanting to eat more of them. He red at the burnt ashes of his wendigo clone.


    The ck worms were ready to separate from him and create more clones. But how much more could he make until his body was at its limit? Until there was nothing left to regenerate it, like what happened to Legion?


    Joan had to think of a way to calm him down. Desperate, she tried to think of every option…


    And her eyes widened, taking something from her pockets.


    "There''s only three pills left…." She mumbled. "I hope this is enough. I don''t know how much will be enough to work on him."


    She held out the blue capsules in her palm. Harker sniffed it about, but didn''t really show any interest in eating it. He just wanted to observe the weird pills.


    Joan couldn''t think of any other option to have him eat them. So she sighed and popped the pills into her own mouth.


    "Harker, look at me." She cupped his face with both hands.


    Harker stared into her eyes like a mindless puppy looking at his owner. Except this puppy had white eyes almost as if he was blind. But Joan could tell he wasn''t, as his gaze was still piercing through her very soul.


    She was unfazed by therge tusk-like teeth, and kissed him once more.


    This time, she used tongue. The bodyguards reddened and felt that they shouldn''t be watching something so intimate like this for the second time. They also felt a little awkward since they knew the rtionship between Mr. Jones and a certain Mina Murray.


    But they also knew it was necessary. Joan pushed the pills inside Harker''s mouth using her tongue, and kept kissing him until she was sure he swallowed them.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Harker''s Adam''s apple bobbed, so that meant that he had taken the extremely potent narcotics. This pill was something that Joan had to take when she couldn''t sleep, as regr sedatives don''t work on her unique physique.


    This pill was enough to knock out a baby elephant. Three of them might be enough to kill a human, but she knows it wouldn''t do that to Harker.


    Eventually, Harker''s blurry eyes started to droop a little. He leaned his head on Joan''s shoulder, nuzzling ever so slightly.


    Sighing in relief, she turned to the bodyguards. "Let''s get him to the closest confinement area you know. Jail bars won''t work, we need something that canpletely block all exits."


    Finding a confinement cell like that would be difficult for regr people. But again, they work under the Faust family.


    Alejandro nodded, and pointed at the helicopter. "Let''s move fast. I''ll call Mr. Rnd Faust about the situation too."


    Joan just nodded lightly, and let the bodyguards drag Harker''s body. He stayed asleep for the whole ride, fortunately. There haven''t been any idents during the time he was transferred to a radiation facility and ced in apartment meant to keep highly dangerous radioactive substances.


    This was used in the development of medical imaging and scanning devices. Since radiation increases the risk of cancer, it has to be one of the most secure confinement areas on Earth.


    It was arge transparent box, with no beds and just the floor. They set down Harker there, and set him to maximum 24/7 surveince. Alejandro had already called Rnd who will be taking the next flight after his case meeting has been adjourned.


    Joan was offered to rest at a nearby hotel, but she declined. She insisted on staying on the facility, and waiting until Harker got better.


    Sitting on a monobloc chair, she watched his behavior all day. He woke up after 18 hours of being drugged, which was not a bad feat considering the dosage.


    Harker was not as rabid as before, but he was still clearly out of it. He was walking about with his shoulders slumped and his movements sluggish. The moment food was dispatched into his cell through a chute, he would melt again into a ck worm and it would be gone within nanoseconds.


    After feeding, he would scream and scream, as if saying that he was still hungry. He would bang his head against the transparent walls until it was bleeding. It was a pitiful sight.


    "Poor boy." Joan heard Alejandro''s voice beside her. "I could only imagine how much pain he''s in every single day."


    "If he knew he was going to be like this after defeating the enemy, would he have still done it?" Joan thought, almost to herself. "Of course he would. He''s Harker. He must have already expected something like this. I just wish he''d get better sooner…."


    She then heard other footsteps approaching their direction. Alejandro said. "Ah, Mr. Rnd Faust is here."


    Joan also turned and stood up. She was in a bit of a daze herself, losing sleep and still having nightmares about the man she loves losing his mind and turning into this monster.


    "Hello, Mr. Faust. I have heard many things about you, it''s a pleasure to meet—"


    She faltered when she saw the person who came beside him. That person did not even seem to pay attention to her, and quickly went to press her hand on the ss as she watched the beast inside the confinement.


    "Nice to meet you too." Rnd shook her hand, heavy dark bags under his eyes. "You must be Ms. Joan Seward. I also heard things about you from my employees."


    He stepped aside to introduce hispanion. "This is Ms. Mina Murray. Harker''s girlfriend."


    Mina''s focus waspletely on her lover, but when she caught a view of Joan on her peripherals…..


    A monstrous re came over to her otherwise gentle face. There were small golden scales slowly growing under the sleeves of her floral dress, but that wasn''t what convinced Joan that she was truly a mermaid.


    It was those piercing eyes that all these monsters seemed to have, that kind of stare that were only present in the predators of the wild.


    It was a look that could not only kill, but rip her apart just from staring.