This is the end. In front, Lucios faced a growling wolf, a clear threat, ready to attack. Now, so close to death, Lucios finally took a good look at his assailant. It was a young wolf, clearly not in its prime. It had a wound on its torso that was dried with old blood, an old injury that hadn't healed yet, and also a bleeding wound on its front left paw, caused by Lucios just moments ago.

Now, near death, Lucios remembered his entire short life up to that moment. He was only 10 years old, the fourth son of Count Tiberios of the Apurina house. He had never experienced need like a commoner, but at what cost? His brothers had never been easy on him, but thanks to their strict father, they never crossed the limits. And that was my mistake. I became too lazy, too complacent. If I had been more cautious and hadn't taken so many risks, I wouldn't have fallen into this trap.

He still remembered the words of his older brother, Adrian.

Adrian: "You're truly a coward. This is just a forest, not a battlefield. Why are you so afraid?"

Lucios: "But what if there's some dangerous beast in the forest?"

Lucam, his second brother, replied: "Don't be a fool, Lucios. This forest hasn't had dangerous animals since our father established the village settlement we were in. I heard that after some commoners died to wolves a few years ago, our father hired several hunters to get rid of the large predators around here. At most, we'll encounter some foxes."

Adrian: "Besides, do you really want to go back and listen to old Owen's ramblings about the importance of trade in this commoner village? After all, it's not just about ensuring taxes are paid." So, Adrian and Lucam went ahead, knowing Lucios would follow them.

And indeed, Lucios followed his older brothers, thinking, "This is the last place that old bore will look for me." It's not like he hated the old knight in charge of his and his brothers' education, but being a child, he felt he should play and explore, escaping the boredom of books and the long explanations of old Owen. That's why when his brothers invited him to play in the forest, he accepted without much thought.

Now, he could only remember being pushed from the clearing where he was with his brothers into a ravine. He didn't see which of his brothers pushed him, but he remembers hearing their laughter clearly.

Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

Unable to go back the way he came, Lucios began walking through the forest in search of an exit. The sun was high when he started, and he walked for a long time in what he thought was the right direction to return, but he didn't find the way out. He was lost. His heart raced faster and faster. He stumbled over some roots, hurting his foot – a mild pain but still bothersome.

Armed with a sturdy branch to support himself, he continued. The day was ending when he heard a growl that startled him, but he quickly changed his mind. He thought it was a fox, nothing to worry about. But when he turned to look in the direction of the growl, he only saw a black blur rushing toward him, too fast.

The only thing he could think of was to swing the branch with all his might against the blur. As the son of a noble, he had been training in the Last Light, a technique of the path, using expensive elixirs that only wealthy commoner and noble families could obtain. The path, a supernatural force that encompasses all living beings and can enhance the body's capabilities to a superior level, increased the force of his blow, which must have been truly surprising for the wolf, as it didn't expect that such a small prey would have such strength.

When the wolf attacked, it was repelled by Lucios's blow, hitting the wolf's elbow. The branch broke, causing a wound on the wolf's paw due to the desperate force of Lucios's strike. However, the wolf didn't give up. It leaped at Lucios again and tried to bite him. Lucios put his arm in front. The wolf, seeing that its bite didn't land where it wanted, tried to use its claws to finish off the small prey.

Lucios felt the claws tearing into his flesh, making him scream in pain. He tried to defend himself by kicking the wolf with the leg that still had strength. But the wolf was faster and more agile, dodging the kick and taking the opportunity to bite Lucios's leg. Lucios felt the sharp teeth piercing his skin, causing him to lose more blood. He was getting weak, hopeless. He thought he would die there, devoured by a hungry wolf.

But in a last effort, he remembered the technique he learned in the Last Light. He concentrated the little path left in his body and felt a wave of energy coursing through his muscles. He used this energy to push the wolf with both hands, with a strength he didn't even know he had. The wolf flew through the air, letting out a howl of surprise and pain. It fell to the ground, a few meters away from Lucios, who also fell, exhausted.

Lucios couldn't feel his limbs anymore. All he felt was the pain all over his body, and then he collapsed on the ground, too weak to fight, while looking at the wolf staring at him from a distance, growling and staring at Lucios.

It was at that moment that Lucios thought, 'This is the end' . His entire life passing before his eyes: his beloved mother, his strict and distant father, his brothers who mistreated him, even old Owen. In that moment, Lucios closed his eyes, and all the despair, terror, hatred, fury, anger, and the uncontrollable fear that attacked more relentlessly than the wolf at that moment disappeared. When Lucios opened his eyes, he knew he was going to die. He had no more strength to fight, but still, he didn't want to give up. In his eyes, all that could be seen was illogical determination. Then, somehow, he managed to stand up.

The wolf, seeing this, looked into the eyes of the small prey, but no longer found fear in them. His eyes were calm, focused. The wolf knew that this child, once an easy prey, now seemed like a challenge not worth the risk. It looked at the child one last time, and that fearless gaze was still there, waiting without fear. And then, the wolf retreated.

After a minute, seeing that the wolf had indeed retreated, Lucios, still in disbelief, breathed a sigh of relief before darkness embraced him, and he passed out.