First QuarterChapter Sixty-One: The Hunting GroundsThe next morning, they met at the end of the camp. Mallory saw her group flocking together like a bunch of excited animals but then scattered the moment she arrived. Mallory ignored the blatant rejection in their eyes and stood next to them. Cyril, who was standing far away, looked at her anxiously.Mallory smiled at him, reassuring him that everything would be fine.It’s been the third day. All these days, she’s been on guard as she doesn’t know if something would really happen, but fortunately, just like Trevon said, nothing did. Maybe it was truly just her imagination, and she had nothing to worry about.Soon, their instructor arrived.“Let us wait for the other to get completed before heading off.” Their instructor is a female beta. She had short hair, almond-shaped eyes, and a powerful, intimidating aura. “We will be exploring the forest at the best we can so you’ll have a better gist of where to hunt and to settle for the ent
First QuarterChapter Sixty-Two: Start of the HuntMallory rushed through the woods, the bun she made for her hair had long been disheveled. Running through the forest would one way or another hurt you, but the low branches seemed to avoid her, leaving no scratch on her skin intentionally.On her run, she could hear various voices in her head. The plants were greeting her, talking to her enthusiastically with something she couldn’t quite catch.When she discovered she was distant from others, she halted to catch her breath. As expected, their voices grew stronger and clustered.[How long are you staying here?][Are you strong?][Can’t you see? She’s weak if she is already panting after that small run.][Why are you not in your wolf form? It’s faster that way.][Stupid.][Stupid. Did you not hear what that man said? Fair competition.][Fair competition?][Forget it, you won’t understand anyway!]Mallory laughed, finding their bickering funny. Then she patiently explained. “I can’t use
First QuarterChapter Sixty-Three: A PuzzleNothing. There's nothing out of the ordinary.Thinking that they were making a fool of her, she turned to them with her eyebrows raised. “What—”[Shh.][Be patient!][It will be anytime soon!]So, Mallory swallowed her words back in her mouth and looked around again. She held her breath and dusted out the window curtains and used it to clean the chair, then sat on it slowly, trying to assess if it not breaking earlier was just a one-time thing.It didn’t break this time either. Mallory relaxed and waited for whatever was about to come.It didn’t take longer than she thought it would.[Wake up!][Stop sleeping and look!]“I’m not sleeping,” Mallory lied, knowing that she almost dozed off if not for the light that was hurting her eyes. She couldn't contain her amazement at what she saw.When the sun
First QuarterChapter Sixty-Four: Another Secret of the WorldHer steps echoed on the silent path of the stairs. She used a glowing crystal to light up her path and supported her every step with the cold wall. The wall was slightly damp, maybe because vines were crawling on it. Despite the lack of light, flowers were growing on the thick, green vines.Mallory stepped, guided by the voices of the plants.[Slowly, you’ll get there.][Just walk down. Everything’s going to be fine.]Mallory was grateful for their reassurance, as the dark scares her. It was a common thing to associate darkness with vampires. But they won’t hurt her, and she knows it. Later, she saw the end of the stairs. It was an arched entrance, with lights spilling out from it.Mallory stopped just steps away from it, clearly perplexed by how it was bright as day when it was already so below the ground. However, her question
First QuarterChapter Sixty-Five: The Guidance of the SoulsMallory finished reading the diary and when she closed the notebook, she didn’t know what to feel about it.After that first sentence, the past Goddess’ Blessed simply disregards it by saying she will be narrating her life in that small notebook. Mallory was skeptical; how can she tell a whole life in this small notebook? Then, after reading, she realized why it only took her this long. The past Goddess’ Blessed wrote this before she set off outside to fulfill her duties as the Goddess’ Blessed. She wrote sentences so short that she summarized ten years’ worth of life in a few sentences.She was just an ordinary werewolf in a small pack living quietly with her fated mate when she discovered that she was the Goddess’ Blessed. Everyone celebrated, thinking that finally, the Goddess would be gracing them with her presence. However, her mate betrayed
First Quarter Chapter Sixty-Six: Two Faced TW: Blood “W-wait! It’s enough—let me rest!” Mallory said shakily, her breathing constrained. She attempted to move, but the wounds on her legs stung and ached so much. She groaned and looked at the blood-stained dagger in her hands. “Damn, if others see me like this, they would think I’m crazy with how I just stab and wound myself…” [Weak!] [Tsk!] [That’s all you got? You can’t even heal four wounds at a time!] Mallory sighed, exhausted. “How can I? It’s only been two hours since our training!” Mallory looked above. The light was getting dimmer; night was coming. [Fine! Rest, then heal yourself!] Mallory could finally sigh in relief, then focused on regaining her energy before healing the wound she inflicted on herself again. She felt a warm energy coming out of her palms. She hovered her palm over the wounds and watched as they healed at a speed visible to the naked eye. Mallory was happy with it, even if the healing speed was a
First QuarterChapter Sixty-Seven: Second DayLiving Souls.During the two hours of non-stop teaching her about her healing ability, the noisiest one of them kept on babbling on and on and naturally spilled what Living Souls are.They were not plants. All along, she thought she could talk to the plants themselves, but turned out, that they were the souls of a plant that lived for hundreds of years that they gained consciousness. As they were already souls, they could move from one ‘unconscious’ plant to another, taking over their ‘bodies’ for a while. It seems convenient, but they can’t stay away from their original area for too long unless they want their real body to wilt. Mallory tried asking them where their original husk was, but they didn’t say as it was equal to saying how to kill yourself.So, Mallory then thought back about the oddity she didn’t notice. ‘Come to think of it, If I talk with them, and then go to another area, it seems like I’m still talking to the same person a
First QuarterChapter Sixty-Eight: Turning[Are you sure you’ll be okay later?][We can always follow you if you want.]“I will be,” Mallory said, despite feeling the throbbing in her head. She pulled her hair into a ponytail and checked the contents of her backpack once again. Confirming that she has most of what she needed, she smiled down at them and said words of reassurance. “Don’t worry.”[Okay, just yell if you need help. We’ll try to crawl you back in.][We will hear you from here. Probably.]Mallory laughed. “Thank you.”[Good luck.][I hope you come back safely.]They swayed lightly and leaned in to touch her legs. Mallory looked at her flawless legs, and again she asked for the third time that day. “Where are my wounds? I don’t remember healing them.”She heard them groan. [Why must you repeat the same question again and again?][Did you forget we already told you about it?][You woke up and healed yourself!]“Well, you did tell me but…” Mallory was still skeptical.When
First QuarterChapter Ninety-Five: RevelationAn urgent meeting was held in the throne room.The elders were present, as well as the two Alphas. Their faces were grim and dark, yet it everyone noticed how pale Leofric was.“How did they know about this place?” Without waiting for anyone to talk, an elder immediately raised his doubts. “How did they break through the barrier?”Another elder mirrored his doubt. “Did they discover it by chance? Or…”He didn’t continue talking, so elder Ester said instead. “Or someone told them.”Her words were like blizzards, freezing the bloods of everyone in the room. They looked at each other suspiciously, their eyes glaring with warning.With the tension in the air so high, the servants and guards held their breaths, wanting to remain invisible all through out the meeting.Alpha Ragnarr sighed. This took their attention, and the tension eased a bit.“Let’s not set ourselves up.” Alpha Ragnarr stood up. He walked down the stairs and stopped just a cou
First QuarterChapter Ninety-Four: FireMinutes before the disappearance of the barrier…Mallory ran like her life depended on it. She never looked back, and before she knew it, the house she used to live in appeared in her eyes. She stopped moving and looked at it when she detected movement inside.Immediately, she frowned. She looked to the west and saw the moon hanging in the sky. It descended slowly, but the morning will surely come.“Is she awake?” Mallory asked herself. After thinking for a while, that was the only plausible explanation she could think of. She looked at the door and finally made up her mind to knock.Knock, knock.The movement inside the house paused, and then after that, she could see a silhouette walking to the door.Then, the door opened.Mallory met Oddny’s surprised eyes. Then, her surprise was immediately hidden. She looked at her up and down, and Mallory couldn’t hide the bags on her side. Just at first glance, one could tell that she had packed up to lea
First QuarterChapter Ninety-Three: Broken Barrier[Mallory!][Wake up!][Pst!]The blessed souls who she talked to earlier to wake her up before the sun rose yelled loudly in her ears. Their voices successfully woke her up.Mallory forced herself to get up. She could feel her body throbbing painfully. She did no strenuous activity, yet she felt like she exercised for a long time before sleeping. But there’s no way one could exercise their heart.Out of everything on her, her heart felt the most painful.Mallory decided to ignore that and forced herself to not think of a certain person.“What time is it?” Mallory asked, her voice slightly hoarse.[Two hours before sunrise.][Quickly, hurry!]Hearing that, Mallory dragged her body out of her bed. She looked below and saw the bag she packed. Mallory took it and then changed into more comfortable clothes. She slipped in h
First Quarter Chapter Ninety-Two: Broken “The Luna?” A glint flashed in his eyes before it settled down. “Why?” Leofric pursed his lips. Why? Why indeed? A small smile unconsciously surfaced on his lips. “… She finally let me see her.” He could feel his eyes on him, but Leofric didn’t withdraw his smile. After staring for a while, Alpha Leofric nodded his head. “Very well. Then, I will find someone for you.” Delight crossed his eyes, before bowing his head. “Thank you very much.” “It’s nothing.” Alpha Ragnarr laughed. “Then go. I’m sure you have a lot to prepare.” - Two hours before the ceremony starts. The moon was slowly rising in the sky. The sky itself was dark, and if not for the stars loitered on it, one would think they were staring at an endless void. The pack was lively. No one rested, as they went back and forth in preparation for the ceremony. Far from the lively celebration, Mallory walked through the dense forest. Her mind kept the direction in her mind, and
First Quarter Chapter 91: Full Moon “—It’s necessary!” The first voice was Harper’s. As usual, her voice was calm and collected, the exact opposite of her twin. “I don’t understand!” Even though their voices were deliberately suppressed, Mallory still heard it thanks to her enhanced hearing. “Why must I hide while you—” Mallory then entered their sensing range. They collectively looked at her, one shocked while the other had unfathomable eyes. Look is not the right word. Containing her shock, Mallory stared intently at Hazen. Her eyes were covered with a blindfold. She only knew that Hazen had turned to her in shock as her mouth gaped open. ‘This might be her punishment before getting freed.’ Mallory concluded; her heart can’t help but feel pity. ‘To not be able to see until says so.’ Her eyes are okay under that blindfold, but she can’t take it off until she controls her blessings. It was a great countermeasure. Her blessing is destructive, after all. She looked at the twins
First Quarter: Chapter Ninety: She's Back Somewhere in the middle of the forest. Night had come, and the moon was hanging high in the sky. Thick clouds glided smoothly into the sky, and the cold wind slowly pushed it forward. Inside a cave, Oddny was kneeling on the stony ground, the pebbles digging into her flesh. “Hmm, did you figure out where they put them?” General Mabel looked at her and a small grin couldn’t be suppressed from her face. “No,” Oddny answered curtly. Disappointment dawned on the general’s face. She sighed, and the sigh echoed throughout the cave. This caused the other vampires to shake on their knees. Even if they were not the subject of her disappointment, their hair still couldn’t help but stand up. “It’s been days.” She said, her eyes looking all over her body, and stopping on her neck. Oddny bowed her head even more. “… I apologize, I find them soon.” General Mabel swatted her hand, placing a palm over her forehead. “No matter. I am in no hurry. Go
First QuarterChapter Eighty-Nine: Mysteriously DisappearingA knock interrupted their conversation. Both turned their heads and looked at the wooden door. It creaked open, and a head peeked out of it. “Is physician Manon here?”“Here!” Manon stood up. “What is it?”The door opened wide, and a man and a boy entered. The boy was clutching his hand, his face showing complicated emotions.“What happened?” Manon asked, then took the boy’s hand. “You broke your hand?”“Yes, he was playing with the others earlier, but he had a bad fall.” The older man, who looked like the boy’s brother, explained. He then sighed. “I don’t know what to do with this kid. He has been causing trouble these past few days.”Manon chuckled. “It’s normal. Sit down—ah!”Manon looked at Mallory and spoke. “It seems l
First QuarterChapter Eight-Eight: Physician Manon “I—”“Hush it, I’m not listening.” True to her stubborn nature, she swatted her away like a fly. Then she took a medicine leaf out of her box and applied it on the arm. Then she covered it with the cloth. “If I see you injured again, I will lock you up in the basement. Try me.”“Okay, I’ll try my best to be careful.” Mallory lied smoothly.But she’s no match for a person who had lived for a hundred years earlier than her. Elder Ester gave her a look and shook her head. “Look, I know that you are eager to develop your capabilities more, but you have to take care of yourself not to get overboard… You might not like the outcome if you do.”“…” Mallory was touched, but that’s the whole reason she wants to develop further.Vampires.She knew that they had been very aggressive in the past few days. And that only fueled her desire to learn and develop even more. The treatment continued, and then Mallory asked a question she’d been itching
First QuarterChapter Eight-Seven: Elder EsterA few days later…“In this month, we already had four casualties. We made the guards stop patrolling individually outside the border and tightened the security inside the barrier.” A man clad in his guard uniform reported with a grim face. “After that, no deaths have been reported.”“Damn it, they’re playing with us for sure!” An elder couldn’t help but slam his hand on the table, breaking it. It wasn’t just him who displayed their anger. The other elders couldn’t hide their emotions as well.“They’ve killed a lot already,” one said weakly. “But we haven’t seen even one vampire at all.”"They’re looking for our pack,” someone said with confidence. “And they somehow knew that it’s near here.”“But we don’t have to worry about them discovering it.” Another one chimed in, looking at the person sitting on the throne. “The Alpha’s blessing will protect us all.”In their heart, they collectively agreed. Hundreds of years had passed, and the Al