At last, the long-awaited day arrived — the day Vayu would officially become the village chief. The entire village was decorated more beautifully than ever before. Everyone wore their finest clothes, laughter filled the air. As the night fell, the central arena shimmered under lantern light. On the raised platform stood a grand chair at the center. The first and second elders were seated at Vayu's right, while the third, fourth, and fifth elders occupied the left. Soon, an attendant approached carrying a tiara woven from wooden branches. It looked old — delicate and almost feminine — and in truth, it once belonged to Seraphine, the first elder. After she helped the village find peace, she vanished without a trace, but the tiara remained as a symbol of her legacy. To honor her memory, every new chief was crowned with it.
When the tiara was gently placed upon Vayu's head, the crowd erupted in applause. Yet amidst the cheers, the second elder's face darkened. He turned slightly toward Shen, gave a subtle lift of his chin — a silent signal. Shen responded with a single nod and a faint, sinister smile crept across the second elder's face. They had already gathered all the men under their command and ordered them to assemble near Mount Asurageha. From there, two groups would be formed — one tasked with killing Vayu and the other with eliminating the first elder. The moment the ceremonial crown touched Vayu's head, the rebels began gathering at the designated spot, one by one, their numbers swelling under the moonlit sky and the second elder too quietly left his seat vanishing in the shadows.
Meanwhile, inside the village, the ceremony continued in full swing. The first elder was addressing the people, speaking about the expectations she had for the new village chief. When she finished, she turned to Vayu and invited him to speak.
Vayu stepped forward and cleared his throat, preparing to say his first words as chief — but before he could utter a sound, a sharp thud shook the platform. A body had fallen from the sky, landing midst of the crowd. Screams and gasps erupted as everyone froze in horror. The man lay motionless — dead on impact — as if someone had thrown him down from above.
********
TWO DAYS AGO
Soma revealed everything he had experienced over the past forty years — how he had accidentally stepped into an isolated space, how he met the villagers and how he had helped them defeat the pursuers who once hunted him. He explained how, over time, he became their guardian. Then his tone darkened as he described how someone had recently tried to kill him. When his father heard this, his eyes turned blood-red with fury. Soma went on to tell him how he managed to escape and return. Finally, he made a request — to lead the mission himself. He said it was his duty to take responsibility now that he had became a prince once again he wanted to prove his worth. Though Soma spoke humbly, his true intention was vengeance — he wanted to find and kill Vayu and Aspen. His father agreed to his request and assigned a small team to accompany him, led by the captain of the royal guard, Kurang — the second strongest werewolf in the entire clan. The team consisted of eleven werewolves in total, including Kurang. Officially, their mission was not to kill but to capture the humans alive. Kurang's role was to ensure that the group followed order and don't kill humans — while keeping a close eye on Soma, the wolf king still doubted his motives.
The group ran without pause, their feet pounding the earth until they reached the slopes of Asurageha. From there, they slowed their pace, sniffing the air — the scent of humans was faint but unmistakable. Soon, a warm glow flickered in the distance. This was the hunter groups camp, with one hand signal from soma they scattered while Kurang sat peacefully on a tree branch watching the scene unfold below him. Soon everyone was dragging bodies in the center while one werewolf started binding them and then everyone was thrown inside the cages made for the animals to be captured. After that they moved towards the village.
It was the same night, Vayu was being crowned as the new village chief. While he stood in the center of the cheering crowd, thinking of how he would lead the village to prosperity, he didn't realize that his actions had already set the wheels of village's destruction in motion.
At the mouth of Asurageha, Soma stepped forward and effortlessly tore apart the iron grate guarding the passage. The werewolves moved like shadows, gliding through the trees until they spotted movement ahead — a cluster of armed men were standing in a group, while two people stood before them, giving them instructions.
It was the group of sixty rebels led by Shen and the Second Elder. They were hiding near the base of the mountain, preparing for their own attack — unaware of the danger that was descending upon them from behind.
The ten werewolves rushed in. In an instant, the area was filled with the sounds of snarls, muffled cries and snapping bones. Within thirty seconds, all sixty men lay sprawled across the ground, unconscious not a single person was dead. Only Shen and the Second Elder remained standing. Shen, trembling drew his sword — Soma blurred forward and in less than a heartbeat, he appeared in front of him and shattered the blade with a bare-hand. Though still in human form, the sheer force of his blow was monstrous. One swift chop to the back of Shen's neck, the young man collapsed, unconscious.
The Second Elder watching this ran without looking backwards. Soma caught him easily, twisting his arm until it cracked.
"Why are you running, old man?" Soma sneered "You're the oldest here, You deserve to die first"
"Please… spare me!" the elder begged, his voice trembling. "I'll take you to the village! I'll lead you there myself!"
Soma tilted his head, amused. So this was the kind of man he was — willing to sacrifice everyone else just to save himself.
Soma, who understood cowardice better than most, smiled faintly.
"Fine" he said. "Lead the way"
Still gripping the elder's arm, Soma let him walk ahead. Soma himself was a sly person like second elder, so he made up his mind to kill second elder the first chance he got. As they reached near the village, Soma loosened his hold, the second elder noticed it and activated his special technique that provided him with agility, he was ready to bolt the first chance he got.
"Stay here, and don't even think about running," Soma said — but he knew exactly what would happen next. He threw this bait on purpose, he wanted the second elder to run, as expected the Second Elder bolted inside the village the moment Soma released his hand, intending to use others as bait to save himself. Soma wasn't surprised — because he had done the same in the past, creating chaos and fleeing until he felt safe. Soma quickly followed behind him. The elder's escape was short-lived, a moment later a thunderous crack echoed through the night. Soma's punch struck second elder in his back, sending his body flying through the air. At that very moment, Vayu stood to give his first words as the new chief — when the elder's body came crashing down into the crowd, blood spraying across the platform and the villagers screamed. The moment second elder touched the ground he died. Soma stepped out from the darkness, his presence heavy and suffocating. He smiled faintly, his voice echoing across the silent arena.
"Quite an entrance, isn't it?" he said — before he started to laugh like a maniac.
As Soma's face emerged from the shadows, the First Elder's eyes widened — her blood drained from her face. Only she and the late hunter squad captain had known the truth: the village guardian was not human. He was a Shapeshifter, a werewolf.
She stepped forward, her voice carrying fear and disbelief "Why are you doing this… village guardian?"
At the mention of that title, Vayu froze. His eyes widened, confusion flashing across his face "Village… guardian?" he whispered. Soma chuckled darkly, his smirk growing wider as he turned his gaze toward Vayu.
"That's a question you should be asking your village chief, not me" he said, his tone laced with mockery.
Vayu stared back, his brows furrowed. "I've never seen you before in my life," he said.
Soma's smirk vanished. His expression twisted into rage as his voice dropped to a low growl.
"Oh? You don't remember?" he said, tapping at his right eye "You don't remember putting a sword through my eye?"
Vayu's face went pale — blood drained from his cheeks as the memory flashed before him.
The First Elder turned toward him, utterly bewildered, her voice trembling.
"Vayu… what is he talking about?".