Between Two Souls, Chapter 10

"So, here's the situation. The werewolves were created from modified humans. Right now, they only transform into wolves at night, but soon, they will be permanently werewolves."

"So, we need to hunt them down?" Adrien asked.

"Correct, Prince. You read my mind. They must be hunted, or all the nobles, including yourself, will be killed by them."

"But how? You don’t expect me to do it, do you?" Adrien asked, somewhat incredulously.

"Of course not, Prince. I actually suggest you stay safe. Stick close to Erika, Deimos, or anyone else you can trust," John advised.

"Wait, Deimos—he's part of this Order too?" Adrien asked, surprised.

"No, but he can call upon the Knights of St. Ares to help hunt the werewolves. Those knights trained him," John explained.

"Oh, that explains why he's so skilled. Wait, aren’t they already hunting the werewolves?" Adrien inquired.

"Yes, but what they’re doing isn’t effective. We know the location of their lair. Destroying it could wipe out a significant portion of their population," John explained further.

"Why not all of them?" Adrien asked.

"I can't guarantee that, because the person who created them hasn’t been captured yet," John replied.

"Huff, science can be so strange…," Adrien sighed, leaning back in his chair, lost in thought for a moment.

"Alright. What about the person I’m connected to? Can I see him now?" Adrien asked, sitting up with excitement.

"Unfortunately, not yet, Prince. He hasn’t awakened, and we still haven’t confirmed his identity," John said, causing Adrien's excitement to fade into disappointment.

"Wait, not awakened? Is there a way to wake him up?" Adrien asked, intrigued once again.

"Ah, yes! Of course! When you dream next time, try to rebel. It will cause your partner pain and may wake him up. It sounds easy, but your partner will definitely resist," John explained.

"Okay. So, once I succeed, I should report back to you?" Adrien asked.

"Ah, yes, I almost forgot…," John said, reaching into his desk drawer. Adrien leaned in, trying to catch a glimpse of what he was retrieving, curiosity piqued. John pulled out a map of the werewolf lair and a strange, small white crown that looked quite peculiar.

John handed the “crown” to Adrien. Adrien turned the object over in his hands, inspecting it with curiosity.

"Mind telling me what this is?" Adrien asked.

“That Mind Crown device will connect you to a place called the Soul Tree, where both soul connectors can meet. You need to wear it while sleeping, and it’s recommended to sleep in a sitting position,” John explained.

“Sitting? Are you out of your mind?” Adrien replied, raising an eyebrow.

“It’s difficult at first. But if you manage to wake him up and tell him to use the Mind Crown as well, you’ll meet at the Soul Tree. After that, you won’t need the Mind Crown anymore—you’ll be permanently connected,” John reassured him.

Adrien placed the Mind Crown and the werewolf lair map into his small satchel. “Alright. Anything else I should know?”

“No, but our library might answer your questions about Earth,” John suggested.

“Great. I’ll stop by.” Adrien got up and walked toward the door.

“Prince, wait…”

Adrien paused and turned around.

“A great war is coming, but an underground war has already begun. Stay safe, Prince,” John warned.

Adrien nodded and left the room. John remained inside, quietly worrying about the path he had chosen, deeply concerned about the consequences if their enemy prevailed.

......................................

Adrien exited the room and returned to the main hall. He glanced around and spotted Erika, Vino, and Bridgette seated at the bar, sipping drinks atop round, rotating stools. An android bartender was preparing drinks nearby.

Vino, filled with excitement, slowly spun on her stool, clearly enjoying herself.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

“Adrien! Over here, this is your drink!” Vino hopped off her stool and approached Adrien, handing him a glass filled with a light brown beverage.

“Oh, this is cold. What is it? There’s a fluffy cloud on top,” Adrien asked, eyeing the drink with interest.

“The bartender called it a chocolate milkshake. Try it! You have to sip it through that long thing,” Vino pointed to the straw.

“Sip through here?” Adrien asked, before taking a drink through the straw. “Wow, it’s really sweet but delicious.”

"Yeah, I’m lucky I’ve gotten used to flavorful foods and drinks… you know why," Vino replied with a grin. "Most elves can’t handle anything like this. Even a bit of spice could make them sick, or worse."

"Hahaha, well, at least you get to enjoy something like this," Adrien laughed as he slung an arm around Vino’s shoulder, who happily sipped her chocolate milkshake. The two walked over to the bar, and Adrien couldn’t help but marvel at the android bartender alongside Vino.

Adrien took a seat next to Erika on his left, with Vino settling in on his right.

"So, Adrien, what did you and John talk about in there?" Erika asked, her eyes gleaming with curiosity.

"Well, he asked me to give this map to the Knights of St. Ares. They’ll help hunt the werewolves. He also told me to watch my back," Adrien replied, showing the map to Erika.

"And what about your partner on Earth?" Erika continued.

"John gave me this Mind Crown," Adrien said, holding up the peculiar object.

"Alright then. Do you want to head out now, or would you prefer to relax here for a bit? You could try something called a 'computer' in the library," Erika suggested with a smile.

"Yeah, I’ll give it a shot. I’d like to enjoy this place a little longer first."

Sluuuurrrpppp Adrien took another slow sip of his milkshake, savoring the sweetness. "Erika, I’m going to check out the library," he said, hopping down from his stool. "You’re pretty impressive, teaching someone four years older than you, huh? Heh, Master Erika," Adrien teased, his tone playful.

"Ugh, stop it…" Erika laughed softly, knowing it was true. Bridgette, at 26, had become Erika’s student despite Erika being only 22. Erika had earned the title of "Master" when her own mentor retired early.

..................................

Adrien entered the library through an automatic door, still in awe and curious about how it worked. However, he remained focused on finding what he came for.

He spotted the librarian seated near the entrance, absorbed in a book.

"Hello, excuse me. Could you show me how to use a computer?" Adrien asked politely.

The librarian, exuding an air of superiority, barely glanced up from the book. "Hmpfh, yeah. Follow me," he grumbled, reluctantly rising from his chair.

The librarian led Adrien to the computer station. He sat down at the desk, asking for guidance on how to use the computer. Although irritated, the librarian still complied with his request.

......................................

Adrien spent quite a long time in the library, exploring who knows what. Meanwhile, Bridgette and Erika seemed to be having a serious discussion. Vino, on the other hand, was still enjoying her milkshake—already on her tenth glass.

"Yeah, now there’s no word from him. Erika, I’m scared. What if he’s seeing another woman?"

"Hmm... yeah, you might be right. I’m sorry, I can’t really help with that."

"Hmpfh, yeah, no need to apologize. I’ll deal with this on my own."

Erika glanced over at Vino, noticing how much her friend was enjoying the milkshakes. "Hey, Vino, how long are you going to keep drinking that? It’s not good for your health."

"Ehehe... alright, alright. This will be my last one."

Suddenly...

"WAAAH!!! WHAT THE HELL IS THIS!?!?"

The three of them were startled, hearing Adrien’s loud shout from inside the library.

A few moments later, Adrien emerged from the library, looking gloomy while holding a sheet of paper. Vino, curious, quickly hopped off her barstool and approached her husband.

"What happened? You screamed so loudly earlier..."

"Uhh, I saw something I shouldn’t have. But I printed this picture of myself, drawn by someone on this thing called the internet. Here’s the picture..." Adrien showed them a digitally drawn portrait of himself.

image [https://img.wattpad.com/621a32878e6d405a8f5027dc4aa7fd824dce9f2b/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f5f747671753450503150554b57513d3d2d313438323035333838332e313766626565323263363030663964313736383034323636333530342e6a7067]

"Wow its so cute, just like you. Hang on, shouldn’t have seen it? You mean a picture of you?"

"Yeah, of me."

"Was it... inappropriate?"

"Kind of... Eh? Why would you guess that?"

"Umm... no reason, hehe," Vino’s face flushed red.

Adrien sighed. "Alright, let’s get out of here. Those werewolves are not waiting for us. Let’s go!"

Adrien started walking toward the exit. However, Vino moved closer to Erika and whispered to her.

"Eh, Erika, next time, teach me how to use the computer and access that place called the internet."

Erika smiled, knowing exactly what her friend was hinting at. "You want to see the drawings of Adrien on there, don’t you? You cheeky girl. But didn’t Adrien already show it to you?"

"No, he hasn’t."

"Huh? He hasn’t?" Erika was puzzled.

"Yeah."

"Seriously?"

"Yes, really."

"Oh my goodness. Have you tried teasing him at night?"

"Not yet. I don’t know how."

"Ugh, you. I’ll teach you next time."

Just as Adrien was about to step out the door, he returned. "Hey, are you two coming or not?"

"Yeah, we’re coming!" The two hurried to catch up with Adrien.

"What were you two whispering about?" Adrien asked.

"Hehe, nothing important."

The three of them left the branch of The Ancestor Order and headed toward the Knights of St. Ares to seek their help in destroying the werewolf den.

Meanwhile, back inside the base, John stepped out of his office after being disturbed by Adrien's earlier scream. He called over the librarian who had been with Adrien.

"Mark, come here!"

"Ugh, what now, John?"

"What happened with Adrien earlier?"

"Oh, that. He accidentally stumbled upon a fan website and, uh, ended up on that part of it..."

"Why didn’t you censor it?"

"Well, you didn’t put that website on the restricted list, so I didn’t censor it. Besides, it’s a site that’s been around for years."

"Sigh Alright, fine. By the way, have you received any new information from the members on Earth?"

"No. The last message we got was two years ago when the Order members on Earth reported that they had sent someone to investigate and rescue Adrien's partner."

"Oh my goodness. Even satellites take forever to transmit information quickly. I hope with Adrien here, we’ll start receiving information faster. I’m tired of waiting years for just a few sentences, and that’s if they aren’t corrupted."

John paused, deep in thought.

"Mark, inform all members in Arestiana, the Alteyr Empire, and Nuswantoro that Adrien is now on our side."

.................To Be Continued...............