Alice was surprisingly at ease with the girl, adeptly handling questions as they came, while Devon occasionally answered whatever inquiry the father managed to slip in between his daughter's barrage of words.

They started easy, asking us about cool powers and awesome magic. Surprisingly, it was the father who asked the more outlandish questions. The craziest one so far was whether our werewolf regeneration would work in such a way that if Devon cut off his arm, a second Devon could grow out of it.

I couldn't help but laugh at the idea of Grimms acting like starfish.

Eventually, the questions ceased, and we made another stop because the little girl needed to use the restroom. Using the excuse of needing to stretch our legs, we escaped the interrogation and took the opportunity to relax outside the noble's cabin.

Alice went off to collect her weapon, but Devon remained, quietly observing the surroundings. It took me a second, but I finally realized he was watching the mounted guard with the spear.

"Threat?" I whispered.

He shook his head. "Just a healthy distrust for us."

I glanced at the guardsman. Aside from failing to hide his obvious staring, he looked normal.

Sadly, I doubt that spear would do much to stop Devon if you pissed him off.

The captain walked over. "Grimms, I had my men move some stuff around. The second wagon is now available for your use. It still holds some supplies, a few crates, and wrapped packages, but there's enough room for the three of you to lie down."

"Thank you," Devon replied.

The captain tapped his chest with his fist and turned away. I watched him converse with another guard, issue instructions, and then knock before entering the noble's cabin.

"Well, if nobody needs me, I'll head to the wagon then. I got something from Astra that I never looked into," I said.

"Don't burn the wagon down," Devon warned.

Was that a joke?

When I looked back, Devon was already walking away.

I waved him off and headed for the front of the caravan. The wagon assigned to us was simple, with a single set of horses hitched to the front and a lone guard manning the driver seat. She looked young, probably barely older than Alice and me.

With clear apprehension in her voice, she half-bowed. "Sir Grimm, I've been informed of the arrangements."

Let's try friendliness.

I stuck out my hand, and she slightly leaned away. Slowly, she reached out and clasped my wrist while I carefully shook hers. "My name is Cain. Pleasure to meet you."

"Yadalee… It's, uhm, an honor to meet you."

My smile cracked, but I maintained a happy appearance as I released her arm. "No need for that; I'm just a person right now."

She flinched, and fear entered her eyes. My smile faded, and I searched for a reason why she would suddenly be afraid. Then it hit me.

Ah, right. Most humans don't have massive fangs. Forgot about that. I bet she thinks I'm about to eat her.

"Well, if you don't need anything from me, I'll head on inside."

She nodded, tightening her grip on the wagon seat. I turned away from her and entered the wagon's interior. Parting the heavy cloth flap covering the entrance, I made my way through. Once inside, the flap slipped back into place, leaving me in a shaded space.

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

The supplies Volk mentioned were pushed to the back, leaving an area in the front for the three of us to sit and lie down. It wasn't as spacious as the noble's cabin, but there was plenty of room to stretch our legs. After moving to a corner away from the entrance, I leaned back against a crate and slid down, stretching my legs out. I removed my axe and set it to the side, along with my satchel. I had gotten so used to carrying it at all times, but it felt good to finally relax.

With some free time now, I undid the flap of my satchel and rummaged around, shifting through an assortment of items to find a flattened but still string-bound set of scrolls.

Man… it feels like ages ago she gave me these. I could've used the black one. She did say if it was an emergency…

I lowered the scrolls and replayed the memory of summoning the shadow wolf for the first time. It was magic, magic taught by Astra, that had managed to keep me alive.

If only I could access the damn incantation.

I tried again and found my core refused to respond even as the wolf's incantation scrolled across my brain in vivid clarity.

Sighing, I brushed off the disappointment in myself and set the scroll tied with black string aside, keeping the red-stringed one in my hand. I carefully untied the knot and began to unravel the vellum.

Contained within its pages were two different types of letters. One was a simple letter from Astra, short and sweet.

I know this is new and terrifying, and I hope it will be less so by the time you read this. Our world is dark, filled with blood, pain, and strife. But in that darkness comes magic and sorcery—mana given form to enhance the reality around it, forever changing life as you know it. I leave to you, oh pup, instructions for two new incantations.

Unlike your natural connection to the element of fire, these will be harder than you're used to. Don't give up, and don't give in. Master them, and may they aid you in your next hunt.

P.S. As a favor to me, please take it easy on Devon. There's a lot going on beneath the mire of gruff grumpiness he wields so well.

P.P.S. Bite him if he ever gets out of line. You have teeth now, Cain. Use them.

As I read the short letter, I imagined Astra's voice reading it to me. I licked my fangs and chuckled.

Maybe when I'm all big and bad.

Beyond the personal letter, two sets of runic lines sprawled across the page. They drew me in, igniting a peculiar hunger in my core. However, my excitement waned as I read the explanation Astra had written in the corner, away from the runes and glyphs.

One described a protection incantation. From the imagery, it brought form an immovable shield.

The second incantation bore similarities to my flame spell, but the mental image she provided as an example in the instructions was that of a star illuminating the night sky.

The prospect of real magic that wouldn't harm me was thrilling.

The first incantation was noted to be significantly more challenging than the second, and Astra cautioned me in bold letters to become more comfortable with rune reading before attempting it.

Without waiting, I committed the second incantation to memory and softly repeated it, allowing my mana to respond to the words.

“Ek kalla á lýsandi stjörnu.”

I repeated it again, slowing down the phonetic sounds and letting them roll across the tip of my tongue.

“Ehk kah-lah ow lee-san-dee styur-nu,”

My mana bubbled in my core, but it stuttered and paused, almost as if uncertain.

The words felt foreign, making me exercise my tongue, but I powered through, repeating them until my mana began to push itself. Each new sentence filled my body with heat. I shut out the outside world, allowing the words to echo in my mind while I conjured the image of an endless black abyss. The void called, and I surrendered to its consuming hunger. Everything, even the words, was absorbed, and I waited until I was sure nothing remained.

Empty. Only the darkness existed inside the void.

Astra's words created the image of a light, a small dot in the sea of nothing. When I conjured the image to the front of the mental scape, the dot appeared before quickly burst into a roaring spark.

My core flared up, and mana crawled up my neck, but I opened my eyes and sighed, letting the image drop even as my mana rebelled at its denial.

Damn flames.

I was too used to conjuring fire, and the dot of light held too many similarities to the start of my fire incantation. It didn't help that my mana had a mind of its own and naturally attuned itself to the idea of a lava and heat.

Oh well. Not everything can be easy, I suppose.

My back ached, so I sat up from my slouch, crossing my legs underneath me into a more standard meditative pose. I held up the scroll and let the runes swirl in my head, appearing inside the void one by one. Despite the influx of new knowledge, I visualized each one with full clarity, and I could recall the scroll in my mind, resembling a life-like replica of the real thing.

Lacking pen and paper, I stuck with repetitive practice, drawing each line and erasing them the moment my brain deviated from the image on the vellum.

After what felt like hours, I shut my eyes and sank deep into the image creation. An endless void, solid black, darker than night itself.

Conjure the light. Call it into existence, bright and blinding.

The dot would appear and then quickly burst into a flame that demanded release. I fought against the image and abandoned it each time it went awry. I breathed out and sucked the air back in, letting it glide through the gaps in my teeth.

At this point, my mana was livid. It roared inside my veins, and I felt something akin to heartburn in my chest. The breathing helped, but only marginally.

Screw it. This is it; you can do this.