The falcon was violently thrown to the ground, rolling through mud and pools of blood before finally reverting to human form.

Aoshi struggled to open his eyes, watching as the rain fell from the dark grey sky, a sky without a hint of light.

He gasped in despair, trying to get up.

Suddenly, a spiked mace struck his chest, and in an instant, he spat out a mouthful of blood.

He grabbed onto the mace, but found he no longer had any strength.

In the face of the demon's overwhelming power, he realized he was nothing.

At this moment, the demon didn’t even bother to spare him a glance.

The demon’s attention was fully on the Enslaved Fiend. He lifted his foot and mercilessly kicked the rebellious fiend away.

The Enslaved Fiend, crushed by the demon’s terrifying strength, collapsed, its body twisting into a grotesque shape before it crashed heavily to the ground. The sound of hundreds of bones breaking echoed through the air.

“You idiot! Fool! At this point, you still think you can defy me? With what? Who do you think you are? Who do you think you can save? Haha, what a joke!!”

The Enslaved Fiend tried to flip itself over to sit up, only to realize that all it could do was crawl like a worm on the ground.

Its sword had flown several meters away from the demon’s previous attack. Even if it could retrieve it, it no longer had the strength to wield it.

"Enough." The demon finally turned his head, glancing at the werewolf struggling under his mace. "Thousands have already died, I don't mind adding one more."

"Now, watch closely as the life you 'saved' meets its end."

The demon raised his spiked mace, aiming it at Aoshi’s face, and swung down.

The rain poured harder.

The dark clouds blocked out the sun, as if night had descended. Thunder rumbled, like a mournful wail.

Through the expanse of time and space, Shinya witnessed the scene unfold, his vision void of color, his ears deaf to any sound.

"So… this is how Father died… So this is it… I thought I was strong enough to face his death, but…"

Shinya collapsed to his knees, his eyes unable to tear away from his father’s broken body.

"Shinya, no, you don't have to watch this anymore."

Nicole stepped in front of Shinya, blocking his view. She gently cradled his head, forcing him to look at her instead.

"Shinya, look at me!"

But Shinya's eyes looked dead. Nicole couldn't feel any warmth from his violet gaze.

"Look at me!"

No matter how loudly Nicole called, Shinya remained unresponsive.

“How could I be so stupid?” Nicole fought back tears, shaking Shinya's body before letting him lean into her embrace.

Nicole recalled how Shinya had subtly hinted at this twice. The first time was by the creek near the mercenary camp, where he asked:

“The answer might be in Acorn Town. Returning there might help you remember more. But if you do, you must face many sad, even despairing memories. Even so, do you still want to go?”

The second time was just before entering Acorn Town, when Shinya, in elk form, asked, "Are you sure you want to continue?"

Nicole thought he was asking her.

"Why didn’t I realize sooner…" Nicole held Shinya tighter, lowering her head in guilt.

It turned out, Shinya wasn’t testing her, but himself. He must have not wanted to return to this painful place. But if there was any chance that it could help Nicole recover her memories, he was willing to try.

Even if it meant facing the brutal scene of his father’s death.

"Shinya. I'm sorry..."

Nicole cupped Shinya's face, pressing her forehead to his, her eyes full of sorrow.

"Please, say something. Even if it's to call me an idiot, just don't stay silent."

Feeling his cold skin against hers, Nicole realized that Shinya was as cold as ice.

***

"He's as cold as ice. Dad, I don't know what to do..."

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Kyle looked at Shinya, curled up on the bed, helpless.

This was the third day since Shinya had returned from Acorn Town.

Three days ago, he had returned to the "Sword Sheath" inn in Seagull Town, soaked and covered in dirt. He didn’t say a word, his eyes blank. No matter how much Tsuruga or Kyle asked, he remained silent.

It was only later that the news of the demon’s attack on Acorn Town reached Seagull Town.

Tsuruga learned from the priests in charge of purifying the victims' bodies that Aoshi had died. He had a rough idea of why Shinya had survived.

Kyle, upon hearing the news, blamed himself incessantly.

He regretted pushing Shinya to go for Irene. If Shinya hadn’t gone, Aoshi wouldn’t have followed, and now both would still be safe.

For the past three days, Kyle had tried to get Shinya to eat something, but no matter how much he comforted or persuaded, Shinya remained unresponsive.

He was like a shell, devoid of a soul.

When Kyle touched Shinya, he suddenly realized that the shell had even lost its warmth.

He was as cold as ice.

Tsuruga didn’t know the shapeshifter’s magic. If Aoshi were still here, he’d have a way to help Shinya. But now, the only person Shinya could rely on was Tsuruga, a man who had been exiled, not even considered a full werewolf anymore.

"Take him to the bathroom and let him soak in hot water. We can’t let him stay like this."

Kyle nodded, just about to pick up Shinya when the noise of voices from downstairs interrupted him.

Tsuruga followed the sound, descending to the tavern’s main hall where he saw a group of unfamiliar guests. They surrounded a tall, middle-aged woman, entering the inn in a high-profile manner.

All eyes were on her.

Tsuruga couldn’t help but stare as well.

The woman had an elegant aura, walking with poise. She wore a luxurious, plain silk gown, her hair meticulously styled in a refined updo. Despite carrying no weapons, her presence alone created an unspoken pressure in the hall.

Her calm gaze swept across the room, and in imperfect common tongue, she said, "I apologize for disturbing your meal, but does Aoshi reside here?"

"Are you here to stay?" Tsuruga asked from the staircase, locking eyes with her from afar.

The woman stared at him for a moment, finally recognizing the exiled werewolf.

"Tsuruga? How…?" She abruptly stopped, not finishing her thought.

"Am I aging so fast you can’t recognize me anymore?" Tsuruga smiled bitterly. "But you, Suzuran, still look as beautiful as ever."

Suzuran didn’t smile at the compliment. "Tsuruga, I’m here for Aoshi. Where is he?"

"Aoshi is no longer here."

Suzuran looked at him, puzzled. "What do you mean?"

Tsuruga didn’t answer, turning his back to her. "You’ve come to take Shinya back as agreed, haven’t you? Follow me. He’s upstairs."

With that, he began to walk up the stairs.

Without hesitation, Suzuran followed.

Behind her were three young people—two girls and one boy. By human standards, they seemed to be around seventeen or eighteen, slightly older than Shinya. All three were dressed in rigid leather armor, each carrying long swords strapped to their backs, longer than their own height.

As they passed the dining tables, whispers rose among the patrons.

"Who are they?"

"They’re here for Aoshi."

"Are they werewolves too?"

"They don’t look much different from humans, do they?"

"You’ll know the difference if you piss them off."

"You go first, I’m not getting involved."

"Coward."

The short-haired girl at the back seemed to understand common tongue. She turned and glared at the two whispering patrons.

They immediately covered their mouths, not daring to make another sound.

Kyle stood awkwardly at the doorway, watching the four unfamiliar guests.

When Suzuran’s gaze fell on him, Kyle felt a pang of fear.

His instincts told him these people weren’t human. It wasn’t their appearance, but the aura they exuded.

"Who’s he?" Suzuran asked in werewolf language.

"My child." Tsuruga stepped in front of Kyle, deliberately blocking her view. "He’s not even 'half-blood.' Just a boy. He’s of no use to you."

Suzuran walked past Tsuruga, giving him a meaningful glance. "Then you’d better take responsibility and protect him well."

With that, she strode into Shinya’s room.

Kyle watched her enter the room, holding his breath. He barely understood werewolf language, so he couldn’t fully grasp what Tsuruga and Suzuran had discussed. Even if he did understand, he couldn’t comprehend the significance behind their words, nor why his father had stood protectively in front of him.

"Who are they? What do they want?" Kyle asked, standing by his father.

"They’ve come to take Shinya home."

Kyle knew that one day, he and Shinya would part. But now that the day had arrived, he found it hard to accept.

"Yeah, I know, he’ll have to return to Togekaze one day, someday…"

"Kyle," Tsuruga looked at his son. Kale, who is always playful and carefree, turns out to be the one who struggles the most with goodbyes.

Kyle glanced awkwardly at his father, tears welling in his eyes. "I’ll go check on Mom."

With that, he rushed downstairs, his eyes red.

Tsuruga watched him go. "You need to learn to face separation and grow up alone. Because one day, your mother will leave you, and so will I."

In the room, Suzuran was shocked by Shinya’s condition.

She had never seen a blood wolf kid become so weak. The blessing of the Shadow Wolf granted werewolves unimaginable vitality. The only thing required to activate this power was the will to survive.

If a werewolf voluntarily gave up their will to live, the blessing would no longer work, and they would weaken and die.

To see the pureblood child of the Bloodwolf in such a state, Suzuran swore that his guardian would pay a heavy price for this.

"Where is Aoshi?!!" Suzuran demanded angrily.

Her rage caused the long-haired girl beside her to lower her head in fear, even though she knew Suzuran’s anger wasn’t directed at her.

Tsuruga stood silently by the door, his face full of sorrow.

Suzuran stepped forward, grabbing Tsuruga by the collar with force.

"Answer me! Where is Aoshi??? Where has that bastard gone?!"

"He’s dead. Killed by the demon."

Stunned, Suzuran released her grip. "What did you say? Aoshi… killed by a demon? I don’t believe it."

"Suzuran, you underestimated the demon’s power. The demon led his forces to attack a human town, wiping it out completely. Aoshi and Shinya were caught in the middle. Aoshi likely died protecting Shinya."

"And now Shinya is like this?"

Tsuruga looked at her apologetically, nodding silently. After a long pause, he said, "I don’t know how to help him. He won’t speak, he refuses to eat."

"And you just sit here and watch?"

Tsuruga avoided her gaze, his face full of frustration and guilt. "I don’t know what to do… I’m no longer a werewolf…"

Suzuran no longer looked at him and turned her attention back to Shinya. "I’m taking him home immediately. We’re leaving today."

Tsuruga didn’t object.

However, the short-haired girl who had come with Suzuran wasn’t pleased.

"Today? In his half-dead state? Ugh, I hate it. I don’t want to share a cabin with him on the way home."

Suzuran turned to the boy accompanying them and instructed, "Go tell Captain Leif at the port that we’ll need to book space in the cargo hold for the return journey."

The boy hesitated. "You’re going to put him in the cargo hold? Even if he’s in this condition, that seems… seems wrong."

"Suzuran, you’re too kind!" The girl immediately stuck close to Suzuran, fawning over her decision.

Suzuran, however, raised her hand to stop the girl. "You seem to have misunderstood. The one going to the cargo hold is you."