A new day was beginning, and the change of season could already be clearly felt. The air was colder than usual, damp, heavy with a sense of warning that needed no words. Gray clouds slowly gathered in the sky, announcing the heavy rains that would soon fall over the city and its surroundings.

  As every day, faithful to their duties and responsibilities, the members of House Sungley began their work early. Nothing seemed out of place… at least on the surface.

  In the main courtyard of the mansion, the sound of steel and moving bodies filled the air. A large number of soldiers were performing physical training to maintain their discipline and endurance. Sweat ran down their faces as they trained, and among shouts, laughter, and heavy breathing, the supervisor could be seen walking along the rows with an overly enthusiastic smile.

  “I think I see some maid uniforms in those crates over there!” Ken shouted, raising a hand to his forehead as if scanning the horizon. “They’d fit you perfectly, gentlemen! Because I don’t see soldiers… I see maids ready to clean.”

  Laughter immediately broke out.

  “Oh, yes!” one of the soldiers replied, exaggerating his tone. “I want the short skirt one, my general!”

  “MY GENERAL KEN!” another added, clutching his chest. “DO YOU WANT ME TO MAKE YOUR BED? <3!”

  The entire platoon burst into laughter.

  “Ahhh…” Ken smiled with malice, crossing his arms. “I see you’re all in a great mood. Perfect. TODAY WE START WITH ONE HUNDRED LAPS AROUND THE MANSION. And since we’re all maids and laughing so much… WE’LL PREPARE OUR OWN FOOD USING THE DIRT FROM THE TRAINING HALL.”

  The complaints were immediate.

  While the general ran among them, hitting and pushing them to keep the pace, a figure approached from the side of the courtyard. Enta appeared with a steady stride, waiting for the right moment to interrupt.

  “Hello, Ken,” he finally said. “Sorry to interrupt the training session, but I need to ask you a few things.”

  “Ufff…” Ken leaned forward, resting his hands on his knees. “Let me catch my breath… alright. What’s bothering you?”

  Enta observed the surroundings for a moment before speaking.

  “First question,” he said. “Did they tell you what time Master Laret and the great lord would return?”

  Ken brought a hand to his chin.

  “Mmm… they were supposed to inspect the area bordering the city, the one that limits with the Indomitable Forest. Apparently, the defensive fortifications needed to be remodeled and the budget had to be reviewed. If I’m honest, given the distance… I’d say they’ll arrive late at night, or maybe tomorrow.”

  Enta nodded slowly.

  “I see… and the last question,” he continued. “What is the number of soldiers guarding the mansion right now?”

  “Mmm… I think this shift has forty soldiers,” Ken replied. “Ten inside the mansion, ten guarding the outer areas, and the other twenty are running like slaves over there… and soon they’ll be running in maid uniforms.”

  “I’ll ignore the last part,” Enta said dryly. “Thank you for the information.”

  “Hey, wait!” Ken frowned. “You made the face of ‘everything is about to go to hell.’ Is something wrong?”

  Enta took a few seconds before answering.

  “I’ve been feeling that this place is being watched for several days,” he finally said. “Different smells… unfamiliar scents. Things that shouldn’t be perceived here.”

  There was no time to analyze the response.

  A brutal explosion shook the rear wall of the mansion’s courtyard. The shockwave lifted dust, stones, and fragments of rock, while the ground trembled beneath everyone’s feet.

  “SOLDIERS!” Ken roared.

  There was no need to say anything else.

  The soldiers were already armed and in formation, moving immediately toward the site of the explosion. From the cracks opened in the rear wall, a guttural roar rose among the dust and stone.

  From the darkness emerged enormous figures, with jet-black fur and eyes glowing like living embers.

  They were Cave Wolves.

  Beasts born in the depths of the mountains, where sunlight never touches the ground and the only law is to devour or be devoured.

  Their thick, oily fur seemed to absorb the light of the torches. Muscles moved beneath their skin with an almost unnatural fluidity, tensing and relaxing as if each creature were a perfect machine made to kill. Their breath left behind a dense trail, heavy with a metallic stench that mixed blood, mold, and ancient death.

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  From a third-floor window of the mansion, two silhouettes descended with force.

  They were Caria and Holley.

  Among the wolves, a human figure emerged, completely covered and wrapped in dark robes. His mere presence gave off a twisted, unnatural feeling. There was no doubt: he was the one controlling and directing that pack.

  “I need ten more soldiers inside the mansion!” Caria ordered in a firm voice. “Protect the residents!”

  As some soldiers pulled back, the hooded man advanced slowly, accompanied by the wolves, who growled with restrained anxiety.

  One of them lunged straight at Caria.

  With a perfectly balanced movement, she struck the beast directly in the chest with the palm of her hand. The impact was devastating. The wolf’s body disintegrated in midair, leaving only fragments of flesh and bone scattered across the ground.

  “Attacking any member of House Sungley,” Caria said, her eyes burning, “must be paid with the same coin. Prepare to die for your actions.”

  “Soldiers! ADVANCE!” Ken shouted.

  And so, without further warning, the conflict began.

  And thus began the clash between the tamer with his pack of wolves and the hero accompanied by her three guardians.

  “Do you really think some damn dogs will intimidate warriors who have fought the abominations of the Indomitable Forest?” Holley roared, advancing without showing any fear.

  At that moment, she released her magical aura.

  (Taunt).

  An exclusive skill of those knights capable of enduring absurd amounts of damage. Her energy expanded like an invisible wave, heavy and dominant. The wolves reacted immediately: every single one of them focused their attention on her.

  They charged with ferocity.

  Thanks to that move, the blue steel of Taratios, together with the heroine, executed their area attacks.

  The first drew a wide cutting arc.

  Water Slash.

  The second struck with devastating force.

  Rock Fist.

  The combination was brutal.

  The impact point was completely destroyed. The ground cracked, stone burst into fragments, and the air filled with dust and debris. Mangled wolf bodies lay scattered across the terrain.

  The only one still standing, with only a few visible scratches, was Holley.

  Everyone trusted her. Everyone knew that, with her barrier active, she could withstand that hell without taking a single step back.

  While all attention was focused on the chaos of the battle, a figure moved in silence.

  Behind the summoner, without him noticing, a rapier was aimed directly at his back.

  “One strange move and I’ll turn you into a sieve…” Enta whispered, his voice cold as steel. “Now tell me the truth, or you’ll have a cruel and painful death.”

  The hooded man let out a broken laugh.

  “Ajjaajajjaajajja…” he laughed. “What a pity… but you can’t kill someone who is already dead…”

  With an empty gaze, completely devoid of emotion, the summoner turned to look at Enta.

  His head exploded.

  “Enta! Are you alright?” Ken shouted from a distance.

  Enta looked at the collapsed body and, as he approached, noticed something that made his blood run cold.

  “He has a slave seal…” he said with a tense voice. “He came here intending to die. He was forced to do this…”

  “What?” Ken frowned. “Then why would someone come here just to die?”

  The ideas began to fit together like pieces of an incomplete puzzle.

  Enta raised his head in desperation and looked straight at Caria.

  “He came prepared to die!” he exclaimed. “It was a distraction!”

  Upon hearing those words, the magic within Caria’s body ignited to a level that had only been seen once before: when they fought the Demon King.

  Without hesitation, she burst into a run so violent that the air around her warped. The ground cracked beneath her feet, and her speed brushed the edge of the impossible, almost breaking the sound barrier.

  Her objective was clear.

  There was no place more important in all of House Sungley.

  As she ran, a sense of guilt devoured her from the inside. More intense than any pain she had suffered on the battlefield. More devastating than the loss of companions.

  She could not accept having overlooked such a monstrous mistake.

  For her, that moment became the greatest error of her life.

  She advanced at supersonic speed, shattering the mansion’s corridor windows one after another, while the objective became clearer and clearer in her mind…

  .

  .

  .

  .

  .

  Two maids murdered.

  Seven soldiers dead.

  A room drenched in blood.

  The windows open.

  And an empty cradle.

  A surge of energy tore through much of the room, producing a thunderous roar that shook the entire mansion. The scream that followed was not only one of rage…

  It was a heartbreaking cry of pain, sorrow, and despair.

  The result of her greatest victory.

  Of her deepest love.

  Her firstborn had been taken.

  Just seconds later, the guardians arrived at the location, horrified by the scene in front of them.

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  .

  .

  .

  .

  Almost a kilometer away from the mansion, a cargo carriage moved slowly along one of the city’s secondary roads. Inside it traveled two maids: Redda and Tana, who had left early to restock supplies before the rains made travel difficult.

  The constant rattling of the carriage contrasted with the apparent calm of the surroundings.

  “What incredible luck I had,” Tana said enthusiastically, holding a small bag. “I found these fruit candies. The lady will love them.”

  At that very moment, a human shadow passed by the carriage at full speed, so fast it was barely a distortion in the air.

  Redda saw it.

  Her expression changed instantly.

  When she turned her head toward Tana, her eyes were filled with a deadly coldness, an urgency that froze the blood.

  “Listen to me carefully, Tana,” she said in a firm voice. “Tell the coachman to free a horse for you and ride at full speed to the mansion. Spare no effort. If you have to die to fulfill your mission… do it.”

  Tana felt her heart stop for a second.

  “Lady Redda… what is happening…?”

  Redda looked at her with a face Tana had never seen before. It was not anger or fear. It was absolute determination, mixed with a silent acceptance of the worst possible outcome.

  “The future of House Sungley is in danger,” she said. “Warn the guardians to watch the sky. At any moment I will send a signal. Tell them to hurry and be on alert beforehand. There is a chance I may send the signal earlier… if I am dying.”

  She took a breath for a moment, without breaking eye contact.

  “I’m heading to the city center. Hurry, Tana… please. I’m counting on you.”

  For a second, the hardness of her expression cracked, revealing a hint of sorrow. It was enough for Tana to understand the true gravity of the situation.

  “At once, Lady Redda!” she replied firmly.

  The carriage came to an abrupt stop. The roads split—and with them, their paths.

  One moved toward chaos.

  The other, toward a desperate hope to save what could still be saved.

  All with a single goal:

  Save the heir.

  A child who, in a cruel twist of fate, was being forced to pay the price for the hatred and mistakes of past generations.