All Chapters of Rise Of The Phoenix: Dylan’s Rebirth: Chapter 321
- Chapter 330
416 chapters
321
Eli’s hands shook on the shotgun. His eyes narrowed, jaw tight. He’d seen monsters before, but never one that smiled like it remembered family dinners and childhood fights.Vivian stepped sideways, circling, blade ready. Her eyes never left Rory’s glowing ones. “Dylan, snap out of it. That thing is not your brother. It wants you dead.”But Dylan couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think. His chest burned as Rory’s grip tightened. His brother’s face—scarred, ruined, wrong—was inches from his. He could smell blood and smoke on him, the exact smell from the night everything burned.“Why, Dylan?” Rory rasped, voice warping, deeper, echoing as though two people were speaking at once. “Why did you leave me? Why didn’t you come back for me?”Dylan’s heart felt like it stopped. He tried to speak, but all that came out was a broken gasp. Memories slammed into him—his little brother’s hand reaching through the flames, Dylan screaming his name, and then nothing but fire and silence.“I… I thought you wer
322
Rory’s laugh rolled through the room, rough and horrible. The sound made the hairs on Eli’s neck stand on end. Vivian tightened her grip on the knife, her chest rising and falling fast, but her eyes never wavered.Dylan groaned, clutching his ribs as he struggled to push himself up. His mind was a storm. His brother alive—no, not alive, something else, something wrong—and saying words that burned holes through his heart.Rory’s glowing eyes locked onto him again. “You should have died with them, Dylan. But no… they saved you. They raised you. They turned you into their loyal dog while I was left to burn.”Dylan shook his head, his voice raw and broken. “That’s not true. I—no one saved me. I crawled out of that fire myself. I barely—”“Lies!” Rory roared, his voice splitting into two tones again, one human, one not. His body shuddered, veins glowing faintly beneath his ruined skin. He stepped forward, and the floor seemed to groan under his weight.Eli pumped the shotgun again, sweat d
323
Vivian threw herself in the way, blade raised, steel clashing against Rory’s claw. Sparks flew. Her arm shook violently under the pressure. “Dylan—move!” she shouted, straining.Eli fired again, another blast shattering through the room. The shot hit Rory in the shoulder this time, the force jerking him sideways. Black blood sprayed, sizzling as it hit the ground. The smell was thick, acidic.Rory staggered but laughed, though weaker this time. “You can’t stop me. You can’t save him. He belongs to me now.”“No!” Dylan panted, raising his pistol with trembling hands. His grip slipped with sweat, the barrel shaking as badly as his voice. “You’re still my brother. I don’t care what they did to you. I’m not leaving you again.”Rory froze. His grin faltered. For the barest second, those glowing eyes almost looked human. Almost.Vivian’s blade pressed harder against his arm. “Don’t listen to him,” she hissed. “He’s not your brother anymore.”“Vivian, stop,” Dylan whispered. His voice cracke
324
The heavy wooden door slammed against the wall, the sound echoing like a gunshot. Everyone froze.A tall figure strode into the room, his boots striking the ground with deliberate weight. His coat was scorched, smoke clinging to it, as if he had just walked through fire itself. His eyes glowed faintly gold in the dim light.“Step away from him. Now.”Dylan’s pistol wavered toward the newcomer before jerking back to Rory. “Who—who are you?” his voice cracked.Vivian’s eyes widened, her blade trembling for a different reason now. “No… it can’t be…”Eli narrowed his eyes, jaw tightening. “What the hell…”Rory snarled, his grin twitching, faltering. “You…” His claws flexed. “I watched you burn.”The stranger’s voice came cold, yet steady, laced with authority that filled the room. “And yet, here I stand.”Dylan’s throat closed, a strangled sound escaping him. His gun almost slipped from his sweaty palms. “Father?”Vivian’s head snapped toward him. “What?”Eli froze mid-breath. “No way.”R
325
The clash was deafening. Vivian’s blade screeched against Rory’s claws while Eli’s second shot cracked the air, smoke curling through the room. Rory staggered again, but his monstrous strength refused to yield. Black blood dripped in heavy splatters onto the wooden floor, burning small holes as it landed.“Stay back!” Vivian shouted, her arms trembling under the sheer pressure of Rory’s weight.“I SAID HE’S MINE!” Rory’s voice was no longer just sound—it was thunder, rage tearing the air apart. His eyes glowed like twin furnaces, veins pulsing down his neck.Eli pumped the shotgun with grim focus. “I don’t care whose he is, monster—he won’t be yours when I’m done.”But Dylan moved first. With a raw scream, he shoved himself between them. “STOP!” His arms stretched wide, one toward Rory, one toward the golden-eyed man. His whole body shook. “Stop killing each other! Stop—please!”Vivian froze mid-swing, her sword nearly grazing Dylan’s cheek. Eli cursed, lowering his shotgun just a fra
326
The sword wavered in Dylan’s hands. His knuckles whitened as he gripped the hilt, sweat dripping down his temples. His arms shook—not from weakness, but from the sheer weight of the choice crushing him.The room was so quiet, only the crackle of smoldering wood and the hiss of Rory’s dripping blood filled the air.Vivian’s lips parted, her throat dry. She had never seen Dylan like this—his face wasn’t just broken; it was carved through with something far worse: betrayal.“Dylan…” Rory’s voice trembled. The monstrous edge that had carried his words was gone now, replaced with the tone of a boy caught doing something unforgivable. “Please… don’t point that at me. I’m your brother.”“Brother?” Dylan’s voice cracked, raw and bleeding. He laughed—a sound so broken it made Vivian flinch. “You call yourself my brother, and yet you chained me like an animal in the dark!” His hands trembled so hard the blade almost slipped. “All those nights I woke screaming—those marks—those whispers—they wer
327
Dylan woke to the taste of smoke in his mouth and the weight of sweat clinging to his skin. His chest rose and fell fast, each breath shaky, like his lungs didn’t trust the air. His hands trembled as he tried to sit up, but for a long moment he couldn’t move. The visions still clung to him—the fire, the chains, the sound of his own screams echoing in the dark. He pressed his palms to his eyes, as if that could erase what was burned into his head.When he finally lowered his hands, the room was dim. The fire had gone down to embers, the smell of scorched wood hanging heavy. His sword lay where it had fallen, its edge catching faint light.Voices came from the corner. Low, harsh whispers. He turned his head and saw them—Rory hunched forward, his shoulders shaking, and the golden-eyed man standing stiff, his arms crossed tight, jaw set hard.“…you’ve ruined him,” Rory’s whisper cracked, bitter and ragged. “He’ll never forgive me. He’ll never look at me the same again.”“You chose this pa
328
The plane ride felt longer than it really was. Dylan sat by the window, his head leaning against the cold glass. Clouds moved slow outside, and every now and then he closed his eyes, only to see flashes of fire, chains, and voices that wouldn’t stop. He rubbed his face hard, trying to push the memories away. He told himself over and over—new place, new start.When the plane touched down, the voice of the captain came through the speakers, but Dylan barely listened. His chest tightened as the city came into view. Greyharbor. A place people spoke of with either greed or fear. A coastal city built on lies, money, and gangs that ran its streets when the sun went down. For Dylan, it was far from home. And maybe that was good.He left the airport with a small bag slung over his shoulder. The air outside was salty, mixed with smoke and the smell of fish from the docks. Tall buildings rose in the distance, their glass windows catching the gray light. He pulled his hood up and kept walking. He
329
Laura’s laughter rang through the cramped office like nails on metal. “So… you left one mess just to bring it here, huh?” she said, tilting her head as if studying him like an old painting. Her eyes sparkled with amusement, sharp and cruel.Dylan’s jaw tightened. He didn’t look at her, didn’t give her the satisfaction of a reaction. “I’m here about the villa,” he said evenly, his voice calm but firm. “Not you.”Laura took a slow step closer, smirking as if his words were a personal invitation. “Oh, come on. You can’t act like I’m invisible. I know that look. Determined, stubborn… still thinking you’re untouchable, aren’t you?”“I’m not here for games,” Dylan replied, his tone cold. He turned back to the agent, trying to shake off the prickling heat of Laura’s stare on his back. “The papers. Show me the papers.”Laura chuckled under her breath, loud enough for him to hear. “Cold as ever. You really haven’t changed.” She leaned slightly, voice dropping. “So… what’s the story, Dylan? Wha
330
Laura leaned back against the counter, folding her arms like she owned the room. Her grin widened as she glanced around at the few people waiting. “You know,” she began, loud enough for everyone to hear, “I used to feel sorry for Jane. Poor thing. Married to this… this mess of a man.” She pointed at Dylan casually, her eyes sparkling with cruel amusement. “Can you imagine? Feeding him, taking care of him… all the while trying to keep her sanity intact. And Molly,” she added, voice dropping to a mock-whisper, “their poor little girl… seeing her daddy stumble through life like a joke. That must’ve been fun, right? Living with a man who can barely feed himself without someone guiding him?”Dylan froze, a deep, slow heat rising in his chest. His hands clenched on the stack of papers. He didn’t look at her—he didn’t want her to see the fire in his eyes—but every word she said dug into him like nails.A quiet cough came from the corner. One of the waiting clients shifted, clearing his throa