CHAPTER 4

Valen finally arrived at the location that the Lycanis had sent to every one of the targets to meet up. The rule had been that if they refused to come, they would forcefully make their entrance and get what they wanted.

When he got there, what he saw almost made him puke, and it also lowered his energy. Those men didn't look ordinary like the world that he had grown up in. From their appearance and energy, it was easy to see that they were entirely different. They exuded a cold vibe that could make anyone weak to their knees.

One of them noticed his presence and approached him while holding a weapon in his left hand.

"Are you here to report?" He asked, and Valen almost swore at him. He was contemplating whether or not to go back to his mother, but there was no way that he could do that. He has to save his father from making any stupid decisions.

"Yes," he answered, glaring at the armored man in front of him.

"From which family are you reporting from?"

"Alpha Draegon's."

The man stared at him in surprise and eyed him from head to toe. It was hard for Valen to decipher his thoughts because his expression didn't change one bit. Maybe he wasn't impressed, or maybe he was? It was hard to know. Valen wanted him to wrap up the investigative questions. He could feel her father coming here, and didn't want him to create a scene by the time he gets there.

"So, are we going to stand here and stare at each other or get this over and done with?" Valen asked, arrogance laced in his tone.

"Watch your tone, young man!"

Valen gulped visibly at the man's words. He didn't say much, but his tone scared him.

The man pointed at the last carriage for him to enter, and he did, ignoring the slanderous gazes that he was getting. Pretending that he wasn't affected by these people was hard. When he entered the carriage, he noticed other young men from different families. They looked frightened and even younger than he was.

"Those monsters have no shame," he whispered to himself while he stared at those in the carriage with him.

"That is Draegon's son," he heard the armored men murmuring among themselves.

"I thought he wouldn't allow his son to be here. I was already prepared for some action," one of them said, and Valen rolled his eyes.

"He didn't allow him to come. He came here of his own will," the man with the most husky voice blurted out.

"Huh?" one of them remarked in disbelief.

"It's time to leave. Close the carriage!" the one who looked like their leader ordered.

Valen didn't quite understand this until the order for the carriage to be closed was given and the movement started. At the corner of a little window, he saw that some of the men were remaining and wondered what they were still waiting for, and then her attention was drawn to her father. He was pulled off the horse and dragged back mercilessly, preventing him and his guards from interfering with the journey.

Warm tears ran down his cheek as the horrible scene unfolded before him. This wasn't supposed to happen. Just then, one of the young boys passed him a napkin.

"Thank you," he said, collecting it, but didn't use it.

"Why are you here when your father doesn't want you to? You are the prince after all," one of the boys asked.

"It seemed like a stupid decision to me." The boy beside her spoke up.

"I don't think I would have even been here if my parents had at least put up a fight or resisted them. They just put me up like a lamb for slaughter."

Valen continued to listen to them speak one after the other, but was too weak to say a word. Instead, she closed her eyes, her mind wandering around, thinking of the situation her parents would be in. She offered words of prayer to the moon goddess to kindly protect her father against their attacks.

The journey was a long one till he finally fell asleep.

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A few hours later, Valen was woken by consistent taps on his arms.

"Brother, we have arrived." One of the young boys announced, and he squeezed his eyes shut before reopening them. How long did it take? He wondered. He looked out the window, but what he saw instantly made his skin crawl.

There was dark smoke everywhere, and the men that he saw were tall and mighty, including their women too. It was so clear that their world was different from his. They were pushed out of the carriage and asked to stand in a line of ten each. Just then, a man with an eye patch on his left eye and a scar mark across his chin appeared. His eyes were colder than the other men and the weight of his presence could still be felt.

Is that the mad king? Valen thought to himself.

"Welcome," the cold word brought him back to reality. Nothing was welcoming about that.

"All of you here will be tested to show your strength and whether or not you will be worthy of being here. These tests comprise three major ones. The first one is the blood test, the second one is the test of war, and the third one is the Wolf Bane Test. This is also to let you know that you might not survive these tests to the end. You might lose your life if you can not withstand the pressure from these tests. If you end up dying, your body will either be disposed of or sent to your family... if we remember their names," the huge man with an eye patch announced.

"You will all be sent to a room. The three tests will run from morning till nighttime, when the decision will be held. The blood test will be in the morning, the war test will be carried out in the afternoon, and the Wolf Bane test will be in the evening. Failure to prepare yourselves will result in facing the wrath of the king." Another huge man announced, and a loud bell was rung, making the whole place shake. The instructions were finally over, and they were led to a large hall to sleep.

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The night stretched longer, and Valen couldn't bring himself to sleep. Immediately the bell sounded, he woke the boys up so they wouldn't get punished, and they were arranged in a straight line and taken to an open wild field where the tests were to begin.

The Blood Test began as said last night.

In the wild field, the air was sharp and silent, heavy with anticipation. Each initiate was made to slash their palm and drop blood into a sacred silver bowl.

Some of the young boys could not even dare to. They all cried in pure agony as they watched their blood rush out. When it got to Valen's turn, he bore the pain by biting her lower lip hard.

The elders chanted over it, watching for signs of impurity or betrayal in the lineage. For many, their blood burned upon contact, revealing hidden truths and secrets they couldn’t even explain. By the time the test ended, a quarter of the young men were already gone. Some collapsed, while others were dragged away, screaming.

Valen was horrified by what he was seeing.

The War Test came under the harsh sun. Those who passed the first test were thrown into combat. It wasn’t just a test of strength, but instinct, control, and savagery. Blades clashed, bodies crashed against the hard earth, and the scent of sweat and blood thickened the field. Some even transformed into their wolf form. It had already been announced that it wasn't just a mere fight but a fight for survival, so if you didn't want to end up getting killed, then the available option was to kill the other.

They fought in pairs, then in teams, and finally alone against trained warriors. Screams filled the air as the weak were broken. By dusk, only half remained standing. They were either bloody, bruised, and trembling from exhaustion.

Then came the Wolf Bane Test.

As the moon began to rise, the survivors were lined up and forced to inhale smoke from the burning leaves of the wolfbane plant, which was deadly to werewolves. This test was to test their resistance to pain and poison. The moment the bitter smoke filled Valen's lungs, he staggered and his body trembled.

One by one, others began to fall, some foaming at the mouth, others paralyzed by the pain. Valen held on, barely. His vision began to blur, as his knees buckled, but she clenched her jaw and endured. Her eyes began to fade when a figure emerged, and everyone shifted back and bowed their heads.

He could hardly get a clear sight of what the person who entered looked like. The person walked through the chaos and rows of lifeless bodies like it meant nothing to him, his dark aura parting the haze. He stopped before him, tilted his chin up with a single finger, and looked into his weakening eyes.

"This one, he is mine.”

Valen stretched out his eyes and immediately fell to the ground unconscious.