That evening, Alex found himself staying over at the Howlett Manor, leaving behind the grand bed he had grown accustomed to in the Gray Castle. Despite the unfamiliar surroundings, sleep did not come easily to him. For a couple of nights, he experienced bouts of insomnia, his mind racing with the complexities he had begun to unravel.
As he sat at the desk, Alex gazed out at the stars. Though the second industrial revolution had not yet fully taken hold in Canada, the night sky remained largely untouched by the pollution that would eventually mar it. The stars twinkled like distant beacons, almost within reach, as if suspended on a celestial dome.
The light in Alex's room had long been extinguished, yet the figure standing by the window appeared serene and peaceful. The manor was blanketed in a deep silence, save for the occasional flutter of wings as a bat took flight, hunting for insects drawn to the manor's lights.
Such nighttime explorations were not uncommon in the region of Alberta, where the manors and castles would often attract these winged creatures, providing them with a sanctuary atop the attics and roofs.
Suddenly, a piercing scream shattered the tranquility of the night, reverberating through the entire manor and rousing even Alex, who had not yet found slumber. The disturbance had clearly awakened the entire household, leaving Alex to wonder what could have caused such a commotion in the otherwise peaceful Howlett Manor.
Alex quickly turned on the light and opened the door, with his guard Arnold at his side. They hurried in the direction of the blood-curdling scream.
Along the way, they encountered the manor's owner, John, in his pajamas, accompanied by his wife, Elizabeth. "What's going on?" Alex asked, concerned.
John apologized to Alex for the disturbance. "I'm terribly sorry for waking you, Alex. We're not sure what's happened."
Elizabeth nodded beside him, her expression suggesting she was in a perpetual state of displeasure.
Alex didn't mind the commotion and asked, "Was that James' voice I heard?"
John admitted that he didn't know what was happening, but they decided to head to James' room. "Let's go see if he's alright."
At the door, John opened it and asked his son, "James, are you okay, my boy?"
James, lying on the bed, explained, "A bat flew in and startled me. I'm so sorry for the fright."
Alex spotted the bat still fluttering in the air and quickly grabbed a rag from the corner, swinging it directly at the creature. Unexpectedly, something seemed to be wrapped in the rag, and it flew out, striking the bat with a snap, causing it to plummet to the ground.
As Alex examined the fallen bat, he noticed a small book had hit it. He turned to John, asking, "Should we let the bat go or kill it?"
James urgently shouted, waving his arms and yelling out in a panicked tone, "Don't kill it!" His voice was filled with alarm and desperation, pleading for whoever was about to take an action that would result in the demise of the creature he was trying to protect.
John said to Alex, "James seems to have been very fond of animals at a young age."
John considered for a moment. "Let's not kill it, but we can't have it staying in the manor. Let's lock it in a cage for now and release it in the forest tomorrow."
Alex agreed, and Arnold carefully placed the bat in a small metal cage he had retrieved from the night watch.
The commotion had clearly unsettled the entire household, leaving Alex to wonder what other secrets the Howlett Manor might be hiding.
After the bat incident, Alex took the small cage containing the creature back to his room, deciding to wait until the next day before releasing it into the distant red pine forest.
Alex finally fell asleep, but didn't rise until the sun was up the following morning. By that time, John and Elizabeth were already eating breakfast downstairs. Seeing Alex come down, the two greeted him warmly.
"Did you rest well last night, Alex?" Elizabeth asked, her expression gentle.
Alex revealed the dark circles under his eyes. "Not quite. I'm still getting used to this place."
John nodded understandingly. "It's a bad habit to stay up all night. As the future owner of Walter manor, you'll need to inspect your territory thoroughly. It's a big project that can't be completed in just 3 to 5 days." He shook his head slightly.
"I understand," Alex replied. "I'll do better at it in the future, but there's no need to rush it now."
John smiled. "Poor Luis, he might have to wait for you, Alex, to grow up before he can retire. That takes time."John and Luis have a very good relationship. The two have known each other since Luis only had a few hundred acres of land.
Elizabeth added, "And Alex, be sure to eat more vegetables. Vitamin C can really help with sleep."
In this way, in James's absence, Alex ate his breakfast, then changed his clothes, preparing to take the bat from the previous night out to the forest.
Alex went back downstairs and stepped outside, where he found James basking in the sun on the terrace just beyond the manor's gate. The young boy looked weak and sickly, but the exposure to sunlight seemed to be doing him good.
"Good morning, James," Alex greeted him warmly. "Your complexion is looking much better. I'm sure you'll be recovering soon."
James smiled, the corners of his mouth turning up slightly. "Good morning, Alex. Thank you, I'm feeling a bit better today." His lips were no longer as pale, with just a faint hint of redness remaining.
Just then, a voice called out. "Young Master James, I've come to see you."
James brightened. "It's Dog!" he exclaimed.
A 12-year-old boy, large in stature, approached them. This was Dog, the son of Thomas, the manor's head gardener. Since the age of 4, Dog had worked alongside his father and had also become a playmate to the sickly James.
Thomas had sent Dog over, not just to see James, but for another reason as well. Dog eyed the slender figure of Alex standing beside James.
"Hello, I'm Dog. I'm Thomas's son," the boy introduced himself.
"Alexander Walter," Alex replied politely.
"Are you from the Walter Manor?" Dog asked curiously.
"Yes, that's right," Alex answered.
After the introductions, Dog turned his attention to James, but Alex couldn't help observing the young man more closely. Despite being only 12 years old, Dog's stature was quite unexpected - standing nearly 1.8 meters tall, his muscular physique seemed far beyond that of a typical pre-teen.
Alex couldn't help but wonder about this unusual development. 'This is definitely not the body of a normal 12-year-old,' he thought to himself.
Just then, James spoke up, "Alex, where are you going?" He saw Alex heading into the forest near the manor.
Alex replied, "I'm going to release the bat that startled you last night in the forest."
Alex, still holding the small cage containing the creature, noticed a subtle change come over Dog when he heard mention of the bat scaring James the previous night.
In that moment, Alex felt a sense of unease wash over him. It resembled the feeling he had experienced when encountering a brown bear in the mountains near Gray Castle a year ago. Dog's demeanor possessed an almost primal, bloodthirsty quality that Alex couldn't quite place.
The young man in front of him seemed to transform instantly into something more akin to a wild beast than a human child. Alex observed Dog with newfound caution, unsure of what to make of this unexpected development.
Alex was caught off guard as Dog suddenly rushed towards him, leaping at the cage in his hands. As Alex looked at Dog's face, he was startled to see the boy's canine teeth protruding like those of a carnivorous cat. Dog's eyes had a chilling, almost feral light to them.
Alex felt that same sense of unease, as if a wild beast rather than a young boy was staring him down. He quickly pulled back and tried to get some distance, but Dog moved with incredible speed, appearing right in front of him in the blink of an eye and grabbing the cage in his hand.
Alex was amazed by Dog's hands - the blue veins standing out, the knotted roots of the fingers, and those long, sharp yellow nails that looked like blades. This was the second time Alex had witnessed something so unusual, after seeing Mina and her sister with animal-like features.
Without hesitation, Dog slashed at the metal cage with his razor-sharp nails, cutting through it as easily as a knife through paper. The bat inside was now directly exposed and vulnerable. Alex could hardly believe what he was seeing - this young man seemed to have transformed into something much more primal and dangerous than a normal human child. What was going on here?