They were scared and confused. Looking at the animals around them, they never saw different species of animals together. And that too on the hunt.

"What do we do now?" A thin man asked.

"Just don't do anything, it's a lot of them". Muscular one said.

Suddenly the surroundings went bright with a splash of light. A circular white light appears out of nowhere between the people and animals.

" what the fuck is this now?", a thin one said with wide-open eyes.

"There is someone inside that lighted circle", Paddy said, noticing the movement inside.

The movement grows wider and a shadow appears. Shadow of a person holding a sword, sharp and shining like a diamond. The man steps outside from the circle, he was wearing an armour-like outfit, with colours black red and yellow. And he has a mask on his face painted half red half black.

Everyone pointed their arrow towards the person, they were shivering with fear and confusion. A lot is going on in their mind and what is happening around them is that they don't know how to comprehend. Paddy has the weakest heart, and he has almost lost his grip on his bow. His hands were sweaty and his palm slippery.

The man steps forward, and paddy couldn't control but with extreme fear his fingers betray him and he pulls the arrow. Arrow went straight and struck on armour making a sound like when someone hit the stone on metal.

The man looked at the falling arrow and them at paddy,

" what the fuck you do? You dumb motherfucker!", the muscular man shouted at paddy with anger.

The man in the armour move his feet ahead,

"Hey, hey, we don't want any trouble. We are just going on our way man", the muscular man said, while trying to stop him with his hand gesture.

But the armoured man doesn't stop, and he keeps moving forward.

" Hey man, listen, we just want to go", he said again.

Man in the armour continued and come very close to them,

"Hey, heyyy, stop you motherfucker", he shouted and shot his arrow in his face.

Man catches that arrow in front of his face. And everyone started shooting their arrows. Man drops the arrow on the ground and swings his sword thrice. And before anybody could understand anything, they lost their heads.

He has chopped off two heads in his first strike and then third and fourth with second and third, in time before they blink their eyes.

Headless bodies drop on the ground like birds from the sky and heads fly in the air like watermelons. Thick red blood was dripping from the sword on the ground. Man moves forward and cleans his sword with a muscular man's cloth. His head was lost somewhere in the bushes.

" get their heads", the man shouted in a low voice looking towards the tiger behind.

Tiger along with hyenas went looking for the heads. Within a few seconds, they come back with a head in their mouth and they drop it, in front of the man.

Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

The man took off his mask and held it in his arm. He was Winston, his skin was looking pale, and his eyes deadlier. There was a look on his face, that says that he has become something else.

He picks up heads from the ground and puts his hand inside them towards their brain and removes something out of it. Something like a small bulb, shining with yellow light. He looked at it for a moment and then threw it towards the tiger. Tiger eats it and within a moment he starts screaming, like something from inside torturing him.

After a few seconds, he went silent. And suddenly he starts changing, a long and thick beard grows around his neck. And the so-called tiger turns into a lion.

Winston picked up another head and did the same. As the animal eats the encryption they turn into another species. Higher Into food chain, more evolved.

Inside the city, into the Lanarks palace. A man with a black and white beard walked into the room where Lanark was meditating. His eyes were closed and looking at his face it seemed like he was in some kind of heaven in his mind.

"What is it now, Rubin ?", Lanark said, without opening his eyes.

" My lord, we are short of the animal soul", Rubin said, with a fumbling voice.

"Hmmm, this can't be your reason to disturb me, Rubin, tell me the truth", Lanark continued.

" My lord, the incidents in the jungle are increasing every day. It's getting harder to hunt down the animals anymore and people are afraid to go to the jungle anymore", Rubin said without taking a breath.

Lanark opens his eyes, he has a peaceful smile on his face. He stands up and comes towards Rubin, and said,

"This is the thing about power Rubin . When you have it, you can't help it but want more and more". He comes very close to Rubin. Rubin's palm-sweating with fear.

" But you know what? This need for more makes you blind and even ignorant. This little man, let him have his fun. He is not the first who has believed that he can take my city", Lanark said while moving away from Rubin and sitting on a throne-like chair.

"Such people come and go, Rubin, relax everything is under control" he continued while lying back on the chair.

Winston along with the animals came back to their place. It was far different than before there were small huts, made of bamboo. All the kinds of animals roaming around are busy with their task.

A man comes towards Winston and stands beside him while he removes his armour. Winston hooked his armour on a tree and turned to look at a man.

"How was the hunting?", the man asked, he has a scar on his face.

"Hmm, it was usual. What about here?" Winston and the man both start walking and taking a look around.

"We have enough of everything for almost a month now", the man said.

Winston smiled and said,

"This is just beginning cupid, we have a long way to go".

"I know,'' Cupid said, with a happy face.

"We need to be prepared. These people around us, from whom we are snatching their powers are going to come for us someday", Winston said, looking at a group of wolves walking, passing them.

" I know, they will. But how do you suggest being prepared?" cupid said with a question on his face.

"No, not that way, you will do it when the time comes. Not just yet!"Winston said, reading the question on his face.

"Why not? I am ready to make a deal. We can fight together", cupid said impatiently.

" I know. But we need to stick to our plan. Remember if we go according to our plan, we will always be in a winning position", Winston said.

Cupid's face turn pale, looking at his pale face Winston stopped and said,

"Look cupid, we are playing a very dangerous game and have made so many enemies already. If we didn't play our cards carefully it would be very dangerous for us".

Cupid moves his head in the affirmative to say that he understands what Winston wants to say.

It's been around a month since Winston made a deal with a devil and he has already taken control of the forest. Humans are now scared to go to the jungle. More and more humans are getting abducted every day by animals, who come in a group and take them into the jungle.

On the other side of the border, it's the same condition Winston has Also made a pact with them. They supply the humans from their dynasties to Winston and in return, Winston offers them the same number of encryption derived from humans of this side.