Lord Eru arrives with his warriors from side to side. The wolves seem even more tense than the last time. Aleifr directs his gaze toward him and sharpens it.

—"Don't make that face; I only came to claim my Altum oath. But from what it seems, I don't know if I can. It looks like I'll have to take the boy back."

Lord Eru approaches me, but Aleifr stands in the way. In an instant, Lord Eru draws his sword and tries to pierce Aleifr. Aleifr extends his hand, and the blood wrapping his arm molds itself to create a curved sword. He tries to attack Lord Eru, but the latter manages to dodge his attacks.

Lord Eru's golden mark extends in lines down his arm to his right eye. Lord Eru fires with his gun, but Aleifr deflects it with his sword. Both clash swords and begin a rapid exchange of blows. Their skill with weapons is something I've never seen before; both seem to have honed their abilities to the maximum. Lord Eru compensates with speed and reflexes, while Aleifr compensates with reach and strength. After a few minutes, they both step back, and Lord Eru sheaths his sword.

— "That was fun."

Lord Eru gestures with his hand, and the golden warriors go for Aurora's body and take her away.

—"This sack of flesh might serve some purpose."

In a state of shock, all I can do is watch as they take Aurora's body away. A pain in my chest makes it feel heavy. I have let anger blind me completely, as it did in the city of Krystal. Then, my vision becomes blurry, and my legs give way.

I wake up to the sound of commotion in the far distance. I find myself in a rock house. The red light manages to enter through the windows, of what seems like one of the city houses. I feel something wet running down my arm.

I turn and see a beautiful woman with dark hair and green eyes licking my forearm. Her elegant and sharp beauty contrasts with the eccentric tattoos that cover her arms like sleeves.

—"What are you doing?" I say alarmed.

—"Oh! It seems the new wolf has just awakened!" A man with dark red hair appears at the door. A beauty mole beneath his lip and a silver earring in his ear.  I recognize him as the man with the wolf mask.

The woman stands up with elegance.

—"This should heal your wounds. But I can't do much about those scars on your arm. I thought direct contact with my Herencia would do something to at least improve them."

—"Why that face? You should be grateful that my dear Jasmine applies her heritage directly to you."

—"Herencia?" I ask confused.

—"My dear Jasmine has one of the most powerful Herencias of the Lengua Venenosa clan. The liquids in her body can heal any wound. Isn't that amazing? And when I say any liquid, I mean any liquid if you know what I mean—"

Jasmine throws a glass jar at Amator's face. Despite this, he doesn't receive any cuts and maintains his smile.

—"I hope you don't forget the payment for my services, Amator."

—"Oh, come on, aren't we good friends?"

—"No. So give me 100 gold coins or a single Sinabarita mineral. Your choice. Or have you already spent it on the brothels of the Orchid Mantis clan?"

—"It's a joke, it's a joke," he says as he takes out a leather pouch from his pocket and puts it on one of the tables. "And you very well know I don't go to those places. I don't need to pay to get a woman."

Jasmine gives me a flask with a green liquid.

—"Take this, it will help you. It's a potion distilled out of my Herencia."

—"Thanks," I say as I receive it.

—"Well, kid, it's time to go. Normally, new wolves are exploited to fulfill missions. But it seems the boss has other plans for you, so for now, he left you in my care."

—"I don't understand. What do you mean?"

—"It means you passed the wolf trials. Most agreed after you managed to hit me and send me flying. Even got a little bruise. No one has managed to do that in my twenty-five years of life. Well, except for my mother."

I look to the ground tensing my face. If Aleifr hadn't stopped me, I don't know what would have happened. Maybe the same as the day of the catastrophe in the city of Krystal. I had been a hypocrite, getting angry at someone for doing something similar to what I did..

—"I'm sorry."

Amator makes a complicated face, but he finally smiles.

—"Don't worry about that; my Herencia is the strongest in the Adamantita clan. It is specially adapted to withstand the strongest punches of the Puño de Fuego clan. Not even the sharpest sword or the heaviest mace can harm me," he says, putting his hand on my shoulder. "Come on, there's a whole city waiting for us!"

Outside the building, that rose-like scent assaults me again. My eyes widen in surprise as I see the girl with pink-streaked hair and rose petal eyes. She hunches in her hood as much as possible while looking around for any sign of danger.

—"Lilu!" says Amator.

The girl shivers.

—"She's Lilu from the Mantis Orquidea Clan. Maybe you recognize her. She took the wolf trials with you, but unlike you, she's still a wolf cub because she didn't get a red bandana."

—"Nice to meet you; I'm Altair."

I want to apologize for leaving her to her luck back in the forest, but I can't find the words to do it. So I decide to say nothing about it.

Amator takes us through the city. Eventually, we reach a square and enter one of the largest buildings. Inside, we are welcomed by the sounds of jubilation and chaos.

—"Show him who's boss, Rie!"

At one of the tables is a crowd surrounding a woman and a man with a red bandana. Both with beer mugs in their hands and a large number of empty jars on the table.

The man has his bandana over his eyes, but all eyes are focused on the girl who is standing using only her right hand on the table and the other grabbing the mug. A burn scar covers her right eye. Her clothing consists of a type of leather armor that covers only the necessary, leaving her legs and abdomen exposed. 

The girl lifts the mug using her feet and with big gulps finishes the last jar. Everyone present exclaims in excitement and howls. The man falls to the floor and doesn't get up again.

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