When I wake up I find myself within the depths of the forest. I can see some deer and animals walking around me. I recall the last words of the man with the wolf mask.
I feel a drop running from my forehead to my mouth. It's blood.
"What just happened? Was I knocked out?"
Suddenly, a strawberry-like scent assaults me. For some reason, I find myself remembering the scent of Lilah when she hugged me. I can't help but stand up and walk to find the source of the aroma.
The scent becomes stronger as I reach the edge of a clearing. In the middle is a woman. From a distance, I can only notice that she is gently caressing the head of a deer. With the other hand, she reaches for the deer's horn to grab the red bandana tied to it.
The deer runs away, and suddenly a wolf jumps in, biting the deer and starting to devour it. The girl makes a whimper and tries to escape, but then another wolf emerges from the darkness. Maybe because of the nostalgic scent, I don't hesitate to hurry and run in her direction. The wolf notices and tries to charge at me, but I manage to dodge it and deliver a blow that stuns it. Against animals, my mark will not stop me.
I turn to the girl and extend my hand. "Are you okay?"
"Stay away from me!" She slaps my hand away and closes her eyes in terror.
"It's okay, I won't hurt you."
A howl echoes in the forest. From the shadows, a whole pack of wolves emerges; there must be about twenty. In the center is a much larger wolf with a bandana around its neck. It howls, and they all attack at once.
"Just stay by my side, and everything will be fine!"
But suddenly, I feel pain and collapse to the ground. I look at my legs and see cuts on my calves. The girl has swords attached to her forearms with leather belts, dripping with blood.
I can see her face. Her hair is dark with pink streaks. Dark tattoos surround her neck, and the irises of her eyes have colors and shapes as if flowers were painted on them. In addition to that, I can see a blood mark on her forehead.
Her face is filled with fear, and she starts laughing slightly. "S-s-sorry, only one of us will survive like this."
The girl then runs away, leaving me on the ground.
"Damn it."
I scratch the ground and try to stand up.
"Come at me, you damn wolves!" I shout with all my lungs.
The first wolves that attack receive my punches and stay on the ground. I manage to dodge and land blows on those who follow, but in a few seconds, I find myself overwhelmed by their numbers. Then, one of the wolves manages to pounce on me, and I prevent it from biting me by grabbing its mouth with all my strength.
But then, a thunderous roar is heard, and a gigantic bear appears. As it approaches, the bear succumbs in the clearing. I notice the orange-haired man on top of it.
"Wujuu!" he exclaims, extending his arms upward and pulling out bone swords. Scars covering his arms as if they were tiger stripes.
After smiling with satisfaction, he looks at me.
"Oh, am I interrupting something?" he says, scratching his head. "Oh! I see!" He extends his smile, exposing his sharp teeth.
He dismounts the bear with a somersault, and some wolves attack him. As they reach him, he eliminates them one by one with his swords, displaying a technique that makes him seem like a wild animal.
Then he approaches me, putting his face so close to mine that our foreheads touch. My lack of experience dealing with this kind of person intimidates me for a few seconds. But I tighten my fists and sharpen my gaze.
"I like you. I'll lend you one of my fangs," he says, plunging one of his swords into the ground.
I look at the sword and then at the remaining wolves. It's still dangerous even with fewer numbers, but I accept the challenge.
This time, they all decide to attack at once. I eliminate the first two with the sword.
The largest wolf tries to pounce on me in the confusion, but I see it coming and use the sword to jump and land on its back. Immediately, I grab the sword and plunge it through its neck. We both collapse to the ground.
I end up soaked in blood. The other wolves seem angry, but I raise the sword, and they scatter and disappear into the forest.
" That was great, viejo! Aren't you going to take the bandana?"
"The bandana?"
"You need the red bandana to become a red wolf. Why else would you be here? We have to take it to the wolf statue in the wolf village."
So my suspicions were correct, this was some trial, and Aurora had me enter without me knowing by putting a blood mark on my forehead. The same one in the guy and the girl confirmed it. Why would she do something like that? I thought he decided to spare me.
I look at the wolf's body and grab the bandana. I wonder if these kinds of fights were what I would have faced had I become a Krystallo knight in the exploration division. If I will be forced to do the same to actual human beings.
I extend the sword to return it to the orange-haired man. But then, in the distance, I hear the heartbreaking scream.
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