The bodies of the unconscious Dorados pile up around me as we fight. Now we are in the middle of the square in front of the bar. 

I find myself breathing heavily. In addition to having abilities that surpass those of the knights, the Dorados have combat and weapons experience.

—"It seems the little wolf has grown some fangs," the shaved golden man whom his lackeys referred to as Makiltu exclaims and prepares his daggers.

The remaining lackeys attack me, but this time, he joins the fight and manages to land some daggers on me. He does this with great precision despite having the others as obstacles. All I can do is make sure to protect my vital points.

I manage to defeat his guards, but by then, he takes advantage and aims for my heart and lungs. I can only block it using my shoulder and forearm. 

I kneel and realize that it's hard for me to move my left arm. I breathe even more heavily. I see where the girl in ragged clothes is. 

—"Don't worry, I'll save you."

The image of Avnir assaults me; just after one of the largest fire incidents in the city, he carries some of the victims on his shoulders covered with burns and wounds,  but on his face is a smile that defies darkness and fear.

I smile and stand with all my strength. I bet on a final attack. I tighten my right fist, and my arm begins to burn as if I were plunging it into a forge. Without waiting for my punch, Malkitu prepares to throw another set of daggers at me, but then an arrow falls and pierces his hand.

I look in the direction from which the arrow came and discover the man with the bandana over his eyes pointing with a bow. The remaining guards rush to attack me, but then Rie appears and defends me and so do the other Lobos. My eyes widen in surprise.

—"Why are you helping me?"

—"Because we are the red wolves the ones that protect the weak," Rie says with a smile.

Without wasting more time I run towards Makiltu. He tries to throw daggers, but Enlil shoots arrows to distract him. Eventually, I reach him and throw my fist. However, just before connecting the blow, golden lines cover his body, and at the last second, with absolute precision, he avoids my punch by taking a sidestep at the perfect moment and then manages to land a blow to my chin.

The last thing I perceive is how I fall into one of the city's rivers.

I wake up with the smell of death. 

—"What happened? Right, that bastard... Damn it."

Before I can think of anything else a nauseating smell assaults me again and makes me look around. Immediately, I can't restrain my nausea and end up vomiting.

Bodies. Piles of them accumulate like mounds through this lake, whose color is between gray and dark.

—"Where the hell am I?"

A whistle makes me shudder. An old man appears, whistling a song. He carries a kind of backpack made of leather. His hair and beard covering his neck are completely gray. He seems to search among the bodies while collecting valuable items from them. I don't feel any threat from him.

—"Excuse me."

—"Damn it," he says without taking his eyes off the bodies and searching in them.

—"Excuse me, do you know what this place is?"

The old man sighs.

—"Where else could it be but the Lake of the Dead? If you don't want to be food for Izkuldar, I suggest that instead of asking questions, you leave at once."

The old man turns to take something from his backpack and throws me some bandages.

—"Here. Use this to cover your wounds. Although if I were you, I'd go to a healer to avoid infections. And please do me the favor of not following me. Dealing with a brat like you is enough."

—"Thank you very much." my eyes widen in appreciation, but still don't understand very well what he means. 

He leaves without looking back. 

When I lose sight of him, I head to a village down the lake. It consists mainly of wooden houses that seem on the bream of collapsing. I realize there are people in this ghost town, but the amount of noise they make is so minimal as if a single noise would mean their deaths. 

Walking, I can see the wolf's forest in the distance. This would be the perfect opportunity to escape from the grasp of the Lobos Rojos, but what Rie said resonates in my mind. Being with the wolves may be my best chance to make amends for what I did.

A harrowing scream envelops the alley I'm walking through. I tighten my fist, preparing for a fight. But then I see it. In the darkness is a creature with long limbs. Its skin is a color that blends with the gloom. Its sharp teeth embed in its victim's skin and tear it off to eat.

I freeze. My whole body trembles. The courage I had summoned disappeared as if from the flame of a candle. The creature seems to realize my presence, revealing the bone mask that covers its face.

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