CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED TWO - BIGGEST NEWS

The next day dawned with an air of nervous anticipation. John lay shirtless on the ornately carved bed in his room, his body tense beneath the coarse woolen sheet. Gwen and Zaya moved around him with practiced efficiency, readying the tools for the next stage of his transformation ritual. Lady Becky, her expression a mask of grim determination, oversaw their movements. John had requested Karina's presence. Despite lingering apprehension, she sat on a chair beside the bed, offering a fragile smile meant to convey support. However, a gnawing anxiety twisted in her gut as Zaya dipped a vial into a bubbling cauldron, its stench a noxious cocktail of herbs and something distinctly metallic. As Zaya began applying the foul-smelling concoction to John's skin, Karina felt a wave of nausea rise from the pit of her stomach. She swallowed hard, willing it down, refusing to show weakness in front of John. Yet, with each application, the metallic tang grew stronger, turning her stomach insid