Chapter 4: The Curse of the Dark Night

The night in the forest was like an abyss that swallowed the light. Although a campfire burned beside Kael and Alan, the darkness beyond the flames seemed to be watching them, harboring unknown dangers.

Alan leaned weakly against a dead tree, his breathing shallow and his chest heaving violently. His face was covered in cold sweat, and in the flickering firelight, he looked even more haggard.

Kael knelt beside him, silently bandaging the wounds on his chest. Those marks appeared to be caused by sharp claws—deep, yet not fatal—but they bore a strange, black residue, as if the flesh were being corroded.

"Alan, what exactly did you encounter?" Kael asked in a low voice while winding the cloth.

Alan opened his eyes, fear still lingering in his pupils. He swallowed hard, his voice raspy: "When I was heading home last night, I heard the sound of a horn in the forest. I wanted to see if someone was causing trouble. But when I reached the edge of the woods, I saw a black wolf standing outside the town. It... it looked at me, its eyes like ghost fire..."

"And then?" Kael’s hands paused slightly.

"I turned to run, but the wolf suddenly lunged," Alan lowered his head, his voice trembling. "It was too fast; I couldn't even react before I was dragged into the forest. I struggled with all my might, but for some reason, it suddenly stopped, as if summoned by something, and it left me behind and ran off..."

Kael’s brow furrowed deeper. "You mean it let you go?"

Alan nodded, his expression full of confusion. "Yes, but... before it left, I caught a glimpse of a dark shadow. It was a cloaked figure standing in the distance, seemingly... commanding those wolves."

"A cloaked figure..."

Kael’s heart sank, and the image of the mysterious woman who had saved him the previous night surfaced in his mind.

"Alan, did you see what that person looked like?"

Alan shook his head. "It was too dark. I could only see a blurred silhouette."

Kael pondered for a moment and patted Alan on the shoulder. "Rest for now. This forest is not safe; we must leave before daybreak."

Alan nodded feebly, leaned against the tree, and slowly closed his eyes, drifting into a light, fitful sleep.

Grasping his short blade, Kael walked alone beyond the campfire, staring into the pitch-black thicket. What were those black wolves? Who was controlling them?

The crackling of the campfire was exceptionally clear in the night, but Kael could sense that in the darkness, malicious eyes were quietly watching them.

The night deepened, and the fire gradually died down.

***

Kael’s eyelids grew heavy, and exhaustion spread through his entire body. Just as he was about to close his eyes, a faint sound of footsteps drifted from nearby—the rustling of dry leaves.

Kael snapped his eyes open, gripped his short blade, and stared fixedly in the direction of the sound.

Between the trees, shadows flickered, and a massive black wolf emerged slowly from the darkness, its ghostly blue eyes striking in the night.

However, following behind the black wolf were two tall figures—they were draped in tattered cloaks, their faces hidden in the shadows, each clutching a rusted long blade.

Kael tensed instantly, drawing his bow and notching an arrow, aiming at one of them. "Halt! Who are you?"

The two cloaked figures did not respond; instead, they slowly closed in, their footsteps unnaturally heavy in the darkness, as if carrying endless murderous intent.

Kael gritted his teeth and released the arrow, aiming directly at one of their chests.

Yet, the cloaked figure tilted slightly, easily dodging the projectile. Just as Kael prepared a second arrow, the black wolf lunged at him with a low growl.

Kael rolled rapidly to evade, the wolf's claws scraping past him and kicking up a cloud of dust.

"Damn it, they were prepared."

Kael steadied himself, his short blade flashing as he plunged it into the wolf’s foreleg. Blood surged out instantly, but the wolf did not fall; instead, it became even more savage, baring its fangs to bite at Kael’s throat.

Kael gritted his teeth and kicked the wolf in the belly, forcing it back a few paces. However, the two cloaked figures had already circled around to Alan, looking down coldly at the sleeping man.

"Stop!"

Kael roared, swinging his blade at one of them. The steel sliced through the air, nearly hitting the target's neck, but the cloaked figure simply extended two fingers and effortlessly caught the blade.

Kael’s heart sank. Just as he attempted to pull his weapon free, the figure countered, flinging Kael several meters away until he slammed hard into a tree trunk.

"Cough..." Kael slumped to the ground, his chest agonizing, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

The cloaked figure walked slowly closer, his low voice echoing in the night: "Mortal, do not meddle in affairs that do not concern you."

Kael gasped for air, his gaze devoid of fear. "You want to take Alan?"

The cloaked figure sneered. "He is already cursed. Sooner or later, he will turn into a wolf."

***

"Cursed?" Kael’s pupils constricted. He looked at the black wound on Alan’s chest and finally understood why the wolves had let him go.

"He is already one of us," the cloaked figure finished, slowly raising his long blade toward Alan’s neck.

"Don't you dare touch him!"

Kael forced himself up, rushing toward the cloaked figure once more. But at that moment, a sliver of silver pierced the darkness; a dagger struck the figure’s wrist with unerring precision, forcing him to retreat several steps.

"It’s her..."

Kael followed the silver light. At the edge of the forest, the woman in the grey cloak stood silently in the shadows, holding a cold-gleaming dagger, her gaze as frigid as frost.

The cloaked figure narrowed his eyes, his gaze meeting the woman’s before he gave a cold snort. "We shall spare you for tonight."

Before the words had faded, he turned and vanished into the forest with the black wolf, as if they had never existed.

Kael gasped for air, collapsing onto the ground, the pain in his chest slowly turning numb.

The woman walked over slowly, looking down at him with an indifferent tone. "I warned you not to approach the forest at night."

Kael looked up into her cold eyes. "If I hadn't come, Alan would be dead."

The woman fell silent for a moment, sheathed her dagger, and whispered, "He is not out of danger yet. The werewolf curse has already eroded his body. If you don't want him to turn into a monster, bring him to me after daybreak."

"Find you?" Kael frowned. "Who are you, exactly?"

The woman turned and walked into the darkness, leaving behind only one sentence that echoed through the woods:

"A hunter."