The south belongs to the vampire, the north is ruled by the witch queen, and the eastern part of the Igdris was home to the werewolves and lycans. It was called the Lycan Empire. They have a large population since they rely on their physical strength, not magic or mana. Their way of choosing their leader is by fighting till death, and whoever wins as the strongest will lead their pack. There's a story that spread long ago about a lycan who left a scar on the witch queen's back. It was deep enough to make her retreat from their fight. Until today, nobody knew if that was true or just a joke.
A group of people gathers around the border of the north and east regions of Igdris. They were drinking and eating while dancing. Suddenly, a portal appeared out of nowhere. Everyone was startled and tried to hide. Heimdilfir came out of the portal. He was looking at the people and said, "Where's your leader? "
One man stood up and slowly walked closely to Heimdilfir.
"What do you want? "The man said.
"Is that how you greet your old friend, Kharzu Derunda, the fang of destruction? "asked by Heimdilfir.
"Would you like me to prepare a feast just for you? "Kharzu responded.
"That won't be necessary; your people's souls are enough to ease my hunger," Heimdilfir replied, the people around them slightly backing off out of fear.
"Don't be afraid, my men; I can handle him," Kharzu boastfully said.
"Don't make promises that you can't keep my friend; anyway, I'm not here to fight you. I'm just here to leave a message from our queen," Heimdilfir said.
"And what is that? "asked by Kharzu.
"Would you mind a moment with you alone? This is quite sensitive," Heimdilfir requested. Then the two of them walked a couple of distances from Kharzu's group. His face changed when he heard what Heimdilfir said.
When he delivered the message, a portal appeared again, and Heimdilfir went inside and vanished. Kharzu's people breathed a sigh of relief now that their uninvited quest was gone.
"I'm sorry, folks, but we must go back to the capital," Kharzu said.
Everyone packed up their things and headed to their capital immediately. It took them almost two days of traveling until they reached the Lycan Empire capital.
Before getting exiled from the human world, lycans and werewolves built relationships with humans. Therefore, they manage to replicate the culture and way of life of mortals. They built the entire capital, just like any major city in the human world. They have liquor, festivals, and even gambling events.
When Kharzu and his men arrived at the capital's palace, he quickly went to see their leader, or what they call Emperor Zaptan Regur. Kharzu was one of his loyal guards; he went inside the emperor's throne room and delivered the message.
"I'm sorry if I'm disturbing you, my lord, but I think this can't wait," Kharzu said.
"Don't worry, now tell me what it is. "asked by the Emperor.
"Heimdilfir of Hell left a message from their queen," Kharzu answered. After Zaptan heard it, he stood up and came closely to Kharzu.
"What does she want? "Zaptan asked.
"She offered an alliance against the vampire colony," Kharzu answered.
"I think their queen must be mistaken; we don't need their help to crush the colony," the emperor replied as he went back to his throne.
"I know, my lord, but Heimdilfir also said that the vampires made an alliance with the blade," Kharzu said.
"The blade? You mean the one in the prophecy? "asked by Zaptan.
"Yes, my lord. Celesta encountered him, and he left a scar on her face. He fearlessly fought one of them; he must be the one, in the prophecy," Kharzu insisted.
"Do you really believe that I believed that prophecy? "Zaptan asked.
"Why not, my lord? Are you telling me that our ancestors just made up such stories for us to fear the blade? "Kharzu responded.
"I deeply respected them, but this is our time. We must face every enemy head-on, no fear, no regrets," the emperor boldly said.
"So what are we going to do? "asked by Kharzu.
"We'll just wait; if the blade comes here, I'm going to kill him with my own hands," Zaptan said.
"As you wish. Please excuse me, my lord," Kharzu said, then he walked out of the room.
He was not satisfied with the emperor's resolution. He was thinking that maybe he could do something to prevent the blade from reaching the empire.
Meanwhile, in the colony, Craig's team planned how they'd start their quest.
"Our goal is to slay the nameless; the question is, how? "asked by Sharlock.
"By my blade, I will cut her into pieces," Craig answered.
"I can't believe how simple-minded you are; you really didn't know how powerful she was, huh? "Ruviel responded annoyingly.
"Ruviel was right; it's true, you did damage to Celesta, but if it's the nameless, it will be different. She was a hundred, maybe a thousand times stronger than that wicked." Aurdim exaggerated.
"We're not saying that you can't do it, but we should make a solid plan before making our move," Sharlock said.
"We had our tactician; I think he can make a great plan," Melisha suddenly suggested, and Dumbo and Craig looked at her.
"So you know how to talk, huh? "Dumbo asked Melisha; she just looked back and ignored him.
"Who's our tactician? "Craig asked.
"It's none other than our brilliant Ruviel," Aurdim answered as he introduced Ruviel.
"Shut up! You're embarrassing me! "Ruviel replied, blushing.
"Are you sure? "Craig asked again as he looked at Ruviel.
"Are you questioning my ability? "Ruviel said, then he stood up in front of everyone. "I may not be the brightest like my brother, but I'm still a Serpentis, a respective family of tacticians and advisors in the colony," he added.
"So what are we going to do? "Dumbo asked.
"Ruviel, you can take charge," the captain said as he sat down with the others.
"I've made a plan that consists of three phases. First, gather intelligence. We should gather all information regarding our enemies, such as their objectives, routes of supply, and individual strengths and weaknesses. We can also turn any circumstances to our advantage if we can predict their moves. Second, the preparation. In this phase, we must prepare everything that we need to execute the third phase, such as supplies, weapons for our allies and troops, and the place for the battle. Why did I include the place? We can turn it in our favor if we know the exact battlefield. And lastly, the execution. The most crucial part is that a small mistake could make everything worse, but don't worry, I'm going to make an alternate plan in case one of us fails," explained Ruviel. Everyone was still confused by what he said. They're just staring at him. "You guys get it? asked by Ruviel.
"So, what are we going to do first? "asked by Dumbo.
"You're not listening, haven't you?! Our first step is gathering intelligence! "Ruviel furiously answered.
"I see, and how are we going to do that? "asked again by Dumbo.
"Arghhh! Okay, we'll split this group, maybe into three pairs. We'll go to different locations to gather information, got it? "Ruviel annoyingly answered.
"Who's going to be my partner? "Asked by Craig.
"I think it would be best if you're with Melisha, Dumbo and Aurdim, and me with the captain," Ruviel answered.
"Wait, why can't I be with Craig? "Dumbo asked.
"Are you questioning my reasoning?! "Ruviel replied while his eyebrows met.
"No, sir," frightened Dumbo answered.
"Ok, we're all set. Gather your things, and we'll leave as soon as we can. Ruviel, tell us where we go," Sharlock said.
"The captain and I will go to the northern area, Aurdim and Dumbo to the west, and Melisha and Craig to the east," Ruviel told their destination. "One more thing: do not engage in any fight; just lie low and focus on gathering intelligence." When the first full moon appears in the sky, raggardless on how much information you had, we have to meet at the Hidden Falls camp. If you haven't shown up after two days, we'll consider you dead," he added.
"Let's move; we don't have time," Sharlock said, and everybody quickly prepared for their new quest.
Meanwhile, Kharzu came to see one of Zaptan's three generals, Gaurdon Ereke. The general was sitting on a gambling table, playing cards.
"General Ereke, may I have a word with you? "Asked by Kharzu while bowing his head.
"Can't you see? I'm busy, son," answered Gaurdon.
"This is urgent, sir," Kharzu insisted.
The general stood up in the middle of the game with an irritated expression. He went with Kharzu and talked privately.
"What's that kid? "asked by Gaurdon.
"I have delivered a message to the emperor from Heimdilfir of Hell, but he ignored it," Kharzu answered.
"If he ignored it, maybe that's not important," the general said.
"Even if it is about the prophecy? "asked by Kharzu.
"You mean, the blade that would kill us all? "Gaurdon replied. "For so many years, that blade was nowhere to be found, and now you're saying that it can be true? ", he added.
"Yes, the wicked encountered him and left a scar on her face. Heimdilfir told me that the blade also formed an alliance with the vampires; maybe they were planning to attack us," Kharzu said.
"Don't make such assumptions; what if your old friend lied to you? What if the blade was just a story to make us worry over nothing? "Gaurdon said.
"What if it's true? We'll just have to accept our fate. Slaughtered by the blade? "Kharzu replied.
"I'm going to ask the emperor one last time, but it's up to him to decide what we're going to do," the general said.
Out of disappointment, Kharzu walked away from Gaurdon. He can't believe that two of the highest officials of the empire ignored a prophecy that might happen soon.
He walked his way home to take a rest from an exhausting day. As he opened the door, his son, Urukhitan, came to him and greeted him.
"How was your patrol at the border, father? "asked by his son.
"It's alright; our empire was still safe from the invaders," Kharzu answered. "For now," he whispered to himself.
"Huh? Did you say something? "asked by Urukhitan.
"Nothing, my son; I'm just tired, and I want some sleep," answered the father.
"By the way, father, my friends, and I are going to the harvest festival. I will be late, so don't wait for me," the son said.
"Alright, take care," Kharzu replied, then went to his room and slept the rest of the night.
The harvest festival was celebrated after the farmer's abundant harvest. Typically, the lycans and werewolves are carnivores, but they farmed plants and trees that produced their favorite spices and liquors. The festival has a market, exhibits, and contests to entertain the whole crowd. Urukhitan and his friends tried different contests, but the one that really caught their attention was arm wrestling. Kharzu's son dominates the contest until a stranger challenges him.
"Let us play fair and square," the stranger said.
"Yeah, right," Urukhitan answered.
And they wrestled; at first, Urukhitan had the upper hand. It seems like he can defeat his opponent in no time. He was smiling and ready to celebrate his victory, but in an instant, the stranger put Urukhitan's hand on the table. He was shocked; he didn't know what happened.
"It looks like I'm stronger than you," teased the stranger.
"One more time! "Urukhitan annoyingly responded.
They wrestled again, but this time the stranger didn't hold himself. He defeated Urukhitan instantly, with no sweat.
"One more time! "Urukhitan insisted.
"Hey, don't push yourself too hard; this is just a contest." One of his friends tried to stop him.
"Shut up, I can win this! "Urukhitan furiously responded.
"Maybe you should listen to your friend. What if your hands break the next time? "The stranger consistently teased Urukhitan.
Out of rage, Urukhitan transformed into his wolf form and tried to attack the stranger, but the event guards quickly stopped him. As the time went by, he finally calmed himself. The stranger came up to him, and he whispered, "If you want to settle our score, I'll be waiting at the old oak tree." Then the stranger walked away from the crowd.
Urukhita really wanted to beat the stranger who embarrassed him at the festival. His friends went home first, and he was left behind. Then he went straight to their meeting place. When he arrived, he didn't see anyone.
"Where are you? Don't tell me you're a coward now. "Urukhita yelled, calling for his opponent.
"I'm sorry, if I lied to you, this won't be a fight, but an assassination," the stranger said as he stabbed Urukhita from the back.
"You, dirty coward! "Urukhita said as blood spilled from his mouth.
"Even if I fought you fair and square, you wouldn't have a chance. Now, to finish the job, I must cut your head. Just remember, this is for a great cause," the stranger replied, then severing Urukhita's head. His blood splattered to the ground, and his head fell within it. His lifeless body dropped instantly; the stranger wiped his blade and suddenly vanished.
Urukhita's corpse was found the next morning. Kharzu heard the news, and he can't believe what happened to his son. He personally checked the crime scene.
"Who would've done this? ," the grieving Kharzu asked.
"One of his friends said that there's a stranger who beat him in armed wrestling last night. He kept on challenging him, but he always loses," the investigator answered.
"My son? Lost to a battle of strength? "Kharzu asked with doubt.
"Yes, their situation heated up, and your son transformed into his wolf form. Luckily, the event guard stopped him immediately," the investigator replied.
"Then who killed my son?! "Kharzu furiously shouted.
"We don't know yet, but we have a theory that the stranger and the killer are the same. We just need more evidence, like the weapon used or anything. We'll contact you if something comes up," the investigator responded.
"Weapon? What kind of weapon? "asked by Kharzu.
"Our initial investigation concluded that the killer used a sharp blade to cut your son's head. The cut was too perfect; only a well-honed blade can do it," the investigator answered.
Kharzu remembered the warning of Heimdilfir. He got a bad feeling about his son's case; he was more convinced that the blade was true.
He went to the palace, then to the emperor's throne room, to see the emperor. When he entered the room, the emperor and his three generals were there.
"My lord, it's certain; the blade is true! "Kharzu furiously shouted at the emperor.
"You disrespectful bastard! "Gaurdon said, then he came closer to Kharzu to hit him.
"Hold up, Gaurdon; he might tell you something important." The emperor told Gaurdon to stop.
"You're still believing in such old tales? "asked by Parhatis Escarfa, one of the emperor's generals.
"We have some important matters to discuss; now back off! "annoyingly said by Hekharold Duncliv, one of the emperor's generals.
"He was on the move, and my son is his first victim," Kharzu responded while crying.
"I'm sorry for your loss. Let the investigators do their job. Why don't you take a vacation? "Zaptan said.
"I don't need a vacation; I want to keep our race safe from the blade. If we do nothing, he might end our empire," Kharzu said, like he was already insane.
"Enough; I've already told you; we must obey the emperor's order," Gaurdon said.
"His order?! His order will kill us all! "Kharzu shouted, completely losing his mind.
"Guard, take him away and put him in prison." Parhatis called the guard, and they caught Kharzu.
"He'll kill us all, but don't worry, I'll protect the whole race, even in the shadow! "Kharzu continued to shout as he was taken away from the throne room.
After Kharzu was taken away, the whole throne room was filled with silence. They didn't expect that the emperor's loyal guard would fall into insanity.
"I guess making up a prophecy like that was a big mistake," the emperor suddenly said.