chapter 3. the messenger in the night
The moonlight was like silver, coldly sprinkled down through the gaps in the dark clouds, reflecting the rainy forest and giving the earth a veil of ghostly cold. Edmund stood in the darkness as if he were one with the night, his eyes glittering with a sharp and deep cold light as if he could see over time. Someone filled the air with tension as he sensed the crisis of the battle in the distance.
He was searching for the last herb, and his research had reached a critical point. However, the crisis at this moment forced him to stop the work. His eyes narrowed slightly as time slowly stopped under the manipulation of his hands, and the scenery around him began to distort like a reflection in the water. His shadow stretched beneath his feet like a living thing, sliding silently across the earth, weaving its way across the border between darkness and light. Edmund's figure disappeared into the moonlight like a ghost in the night, rapidly and silently approaching the source of the battle.
"Brian!"
Edmund's voice shook the entire forest like thunder, carrying the irresistible pressure of a vampire king. His gaze was like a sharp, cold blade that pierced through the rain curtain and stabbed straight into Brian's heart.
"The justice in your mouth has long since rotted into a puppet of darkness."
The corner of Brian's mouth became a cold smile, and the sword's light flashed like electricity in his hand. His eyes were as deep as the black night, carrying an icy cruelty.
"Edmund, your ideals are nothing but imaginary lies. The only true truth is power."
Before the words fell, Don let out a roar that shook the heavens and earth. The silvery giant wolf's figure was like an ancient evil beast under the moonlight, carrying endless fury and power. His muscular body erupted with unrivaled wildness in battle, and his sharp claws and teeth tore through the air, shredding the surrounding knights as if they were sharp blades. The Silver Wolf's movements were as swift as lightning, his huge sharp teeth biting through the heavy chains, blood splattering like rain. His eyes flashed with a cold, chilling light in the night and moonlight, as if from ancient times, symbolizing unstoppable wildness and freedom.
"Hang on, doggy!"
Edmund quickly joined the battle, his sword blade cutting elegant and deadly arcs through the air. Each of Edmund's strikes was as fast as a shooting star, the cold light of his sword cutting through the air and knocking down one knight after another with deadly force. His time manipulation always makes him inscrutable fast when he appears in front of his enemies.
"I'm a werewolf, idiot!!"
Don growled lowly, tearing through the knight's armor with his giant silver claws, each attack as violent as a gale, splattering blood. His movements were wild but extremely precise. Not only was he the embodiment of strength, but he was also a genius in combat. Every enemy that fell proved how terrifying he was.
Brian, on the other hand, appeared to be at ease. His swordsmanship was like a well-woven dance, each strike carrying impeccable power. Rain slid down his blade while his eyes seemed to see through everything in the darkness.
"You can't save them, Edmund."
He sneered as the light of his sword approached once more.
"The darkness is within you. The more you fight it, the more you will realize that you are it."
Edmund's sword collided with Brian's longsword, sparks flying. He looked at Brian coldly and was silent. He knew that Brian's words contained partial truth, but he also knew deep down that darkness was not an unconquerable fate. His flexible sword skills with the shadows made his attacks as swift as a ghost, and the shadows extended behind him as if they were alive, fending off every attack from Brian.
The battle became increasingly intense. Edmund and Bryan's duel was like the intertwining of destinies; each strike carried the heaviness of heaven and earth. At the side, Don's silver wolf stance was like thunder, accompanied by flashes of moonlight. His attacks shook every leaf of the forest.
"Don, block them!"
Edmund lightly shouted, his shadow changing as he instantly appeared behind Brian, his sword blade pointing straight at his opponent's throat. However, Brian's reaction was swift, and his dark vision made him detect every single movement of Edmund. Sword lights clashed, and the two fought fiercely once more.
Don wreaked havoc on the battlefield, his claw strikes swift and relentless as the knights fell back under his furious attacks. The wolf's growl echoed through the forest like the earth was roaring.
However, Brian was not crushing. His sword swung down again like lightning, forcing Edmund back.
"Your Light is doomed to powerlessness," he said, his voice laced with mockery and coldness.
Edmund's sword trembled slightly, rainwater slid down his robes, and blood stained his fingers. But his eyes remained calm and determined.
"Brian, you are wrong. Light is not powerless, and darkness is not the end of destiny."
Eventually, Edmund creates a decisive moment with the power of time manipulation. His sword hits Bryan's armor with a single blow, forcing him back. After the battle, Brian's knights retreated, and the forest returned to tranquility.
After Brian retreated, Edmund took the wounded Don and the remnants of the other werewolves and returned to the old fortress in the darkness. The dim light spilled over the thick stone walls as if comforting and sheltering those exiles. Edmund filled the air with the fragrance of herbs, and his movements were skillful and calm as he began to treat Don's bone-deep wounds.
He took a few herbs from the wooden box beside him. First was the Honeysuckle Flower, its white petals resembling dewdrops in the moonlight and carrying a fantastic fragrance. He crushed these petals and made a paste, gently applying it around Don's wound. The properties of honeysuckle reduce the risk of infection and ease inflammation. He whispered,
"This can alleviate your pain and drive away the inflammatory fire in your body."
Then, Edmund took the through-leaf forsythia from his medicine bag, skillfully twisting the slender leaves into a fine powder. The herb's antiviral properties could help Don's body fight the evil poison in the wound. He gently sprinkled the powder on Don's wound as if sprinkling a layer of fine snow. The bitter scent of the through-leaf forsythia filled the air, carrying the grass's unique calmness and strength.
Edmund removed the yarrow again, and the rough green leaves were carefully crushed and used as a hemostatic agent. Blood seeped out of the wound like a trickle while the ancient herb quickly sealed the rift as if stopping the loss of life with an invisible force.
"This is yarrow; it has saved countless lives on the battlefield and will save you now."
Edmund took out another wormwood, the verdant leaves glowing silver in the dim light. He crushed the wormwood and extracted its inner essence, gently smearing it on Don's skin to help his body recover and repair. The wormwood's anti-infection power spread through Don's body as if it were an invisible protective net, blocking the evils of the outside world.
"This will help you heal, and who are you?"
Edmund whispered as he crushed the root bark of the licorice and added it to the mixed herbal paste. The licorice not only soothed the aches and pains in his body but also reduced the burning sensation of his wounds, allowing Don's body to recover quickly. Don's silver wolf form gradually shrunk in the process, returning to human form, his breathing becoming steady and his eyes, which had been filled with rage, regaining a trace of sanity. He gazed at Edmund with a deep Don's silver wolf figure fully restored to human form, the twisting of his bones and the contraction of his muscles appearing exceptionally clear in the shimmering light.
His skin gradually returned to normal under the effects of the herbs, and those eyes, which had previously burned with fury, were now filled with alertness and contemplation.
"Me?"
Don repeated in a low voice as if he were searching for that answer himself. His voice was hoarse, like a dry leaf in the wind. He looked up at Edmund, his gaze like the pupils of a wolf piercing through the night, with caution and a hint of exhaustion.
"I am Don, king of the wolves."
Edmund's hands were still steady as he tended to his wounds, his gaze not moving from Don's face. His eyes slightly glazed over as he heard the title.
"King of the Wolves." "King of the Wolves.?" His calm voice revealed a deep curiosity:
"Does your pack still exist today?"
The corners of Don's mouth twitched as if stung by the question, and a flash of painful memories flashed in his eyes.
"It once existed. We walked and hunted this great land, and nature was with us. But now, there is only the darkness and the hunt."
He looked down at his hands as if he could still feel the glory and freedom that once existed but was replaced by blood and chains.
Edmund's gaze grew heavier. He applied the last dab of herbs to Don's shoulder, his voice low and firm.
"Who are your enemies? Those knights who call themselves righteous, or some other, deeper darkness?"
"Knights?"
Don's voice carried a hint of a disdainful sneer. They are nothing but puppets manipulated by the darkness. The true enemy is the darkness itself.
His voice gradually lowered as if it came from the depths of his soul:
"That darkness is not just the night. It penetrates the flesh and blood and manipulates the mind. It corrupts everything, even the will of our clan."
Edmund's brow furrowed as he felt the profound power of this darkness. He whispered,
"I thought I had seen the deepest darkness, but it seems there is still something in this land that I have not known."
Don's gaze locked on Edmund with a pain and determination that he couldn't hide.
"You don't know what lurks in the depths of the darkness, Edmund. It is more powerful than you realize. It is consuming the world, and we, once its guardians, are now its prisoners."
Edmund stood momentarily silent as if weighing the weight of Don's words. He stood up and walked towards the window, his gaze traveling through the stormy forest as if seeing the deeper fears hidden in the shadows.
"Perhaps fate has drawn us here," he spoke slowly,
"not just to confront these knights but to reveal the darkness behind them."
Don nodded softly, his eyes locked on Edmund's form.
"I have never seen a being like you, Edmund. You are not of the darkness but are not completely bound by the light either. You stand between them as a bridge between these irreconcilable worlds."
Edmund looked back, his gaze firm.
"We all struggle in the darkness, Don, but that doesn't mean the darkness controls our destiny. Whatever we are, we have choices." He paused, his tone more subdued,
"The darkness may corrupt your pack, but it has not yet swallowed you up."
A glimmer of hope flashed in Don's eyes, quickly masked by cold reality.
"Hope? Even the starlight has been buried in this land shrouded in darkness."
Edmund smiled faintly, weary but not lacking in fortitude. He softly said,
"The starlight lives on, although hidden behind the floating clouds, but its splendor has not extinguished. The responsibility of my generation is to wave away this heavy fog."
The two stood silent amid the storm as if they had made a silent covenant. Edmund will lead these souls, chased by darkness, to the faint light, and Don, too, will rediscover his destiny and glory in this broken world.