After hearing Vayu's story that what he had done inside the forest, the first elder's eyes burned with hatred when she looked towards him. She had wanted Vayu to help her cleanse the village of corrupt elders and lead it toward prosperity — but instead, he had brought calamity to their doorstep. Still, even knowing death awaited them, if this was fate, she would face it head-on. Her fingers tightened around her spears as she straightened her back, she didn't look old anymore and her voice echoed like thunder "Hunter squad, ready to fight!"
All the members assembled and quickly stood in a formation and unsheathed their weapons "Charge" she yelled and hunter squad charged at the lone figure standing before them. Even though all of them attacked at once, somehow the man dodged their attacks as if he already knew, from where the next attack will come. Soon their expressions quickly shifted from fury to shock, Soma didn't counterattack he simply stood there, lazily weaving between their blows, dodging them as if their strikes meant nothing. As Vayu saw this his anger surged, he activated Overdrive and ran forward, determined to kill Soma. Soma's eyes flashed with a chilling coldness, with a single stomp, he shattered the ground, the shockwave threw every attacker almost ten feet away from him. But Vayu didn't stop. He pushed through the dust, rushing straight towards Soma.
Suddenly, his vision blurred and Soma vanished from his sight. An instant later, Vayu's feet left the ground. A crushing force slammed into his jaw and he found himself lifted into the air before he even realized what had happened. The sheer speed left him stunned.
"You dared kill me… now it's your turn" Soma growled and raised his hand and clamped it around Vayu's face, his fingers digging in with terrifying pressure. Vayu's eyes widened in dread — his skull felt like it would shatter at any moment. But before Soma could crush him, a deep voice echoed from the forest:
"Killing is not allowed, Seventeenth Prince"
Soma let out an irritated snort and flung Vayu aside like a rag doll. Vayu's body shot through the air, smashed into a house, and burst straight through its wall from the sheer force.
"Leave no one behind," Soma ordered coldly.
"Capture them all"
The squad moved the moment the order was given. Some of the villagers tried to resist, but they were forced to confront a brutal truth —they were far too weak to even put up a real fight. In Less than ten minutes, every villager — Vayu included — lay defeated, bound, and completely helpless.
Soma lifted his hand and his hand suddenly went through space as if he was rummaging through something, soon he placed 4 small carts on the ground which suddenly grew a lot bigger the moment they touched the ground, they looked majestic and had a golden aura around them, while on their wheels were embedded blue stone, these were mana stones which released blue light, although from outside it looked liked it could barely hold ten people but the inner space was different, it can increase as much as the user wanted tens of thousands of people could be captured at ones inside it easily. Soma had brought them out from his personal inventory, a privilege granted to him by his father when he reclaimed his status as a prince.
Then Soma ordered them to put them in 4 groups
Those above 60 were locked first cage.
Age between 40–60 in the second.
Age between 20–40 in the third.
And at last those under 20 in the last.
*************
When Vayu finally woke, the sun was already high — light filtering through the canopy above. He tried to sit up, but a sharp pull stopped him. His wrists and ankles were tightly bound. In an instant, the memories of the night before crashed down on him, each one heavier than the last. He forced himself to look around, everyone around him was tied up and they were inside a strange cart, which moved on their own. They had been separated into four groups, small children and women were sobbing softly, while some men sat in stunned silence, unable to process what had happened.
Vayu shifted closer to the man beside him and whispered, "Hey… what happened after I passed out?"
The man opened his mouth — but before a sound could escape, one of the guards standing near the cages turned and stared at him coldly. The man immediately looked away from Vayu, pretending he had never heard the question. Vayu exhaled slowly and lay back down on the cold ground. The caravan continued moving deeper and deeper into the jungle. Strangely, not a single wild animal attacked them — even the fiercest beasts stayed hidden. It was as if they could sense the terrifying aura of the ten guards escorting them. On the third day, they finally reached a large establishment — the same one Soma had come across days earlier.
After quickly meeting members of dog clan, Soma stepped forward and sent a message through a communication crystal and moments later, four massive transfer arrays lit up. They shimmered with blue light, forming gateways connected directly to the Wolf Clan. One by one, the iron prison carriages were rolled into the teleportation circles and flashes of bright light appeared as they vanished inside the circles. Soma stood at the edge, taking one final look at the forest behind him…, it had been his home from last forty years and maybe had continued to be, if Vayu never interfered. Then he turned away and stepped into the array as well.
Most of the villagers collapsed the moment they materialized on the other side. It was their first time experiencing teleportation — their stomachs churned violently, and several vomited on the spot. It felt as if their insides had twisted into knots. A few clutched their chests, certain that if their mouths had opened even a little wider, their hearts might have leapt out.
Soma stepped forward, bowed slightly and said in a respectful tone
"Sir Kurang, the mission is complete"
Kurang gave a slow nod, his expression unreadable.
Soma continued, "What are your orders for the captives?"
Kurang scanned the cages coldly before speaking.
"Start with the children, take them to the battle arena" as he said that Soma revealed a surprised look.
"Have them trained for a month… then make them fight each other, this will be a good entertainment for our clan members"
Soma's eyes widened for a fraction of a second, but he forced his expression back under control and nodded.
Kurang pointed to the next iron cell — the one holding the elderly.
"All those above sixty… will serve as labor slaves, till they die"
He pointed toward the third cell, containing the men and women aged forty to sixty.
"Separate them into two parts, all males will be taken for beta testing and the women… send them to the Clan Leader's palace, they'll be used for breeding."
Finally, Kurang pointed to the cage holding the young adults — Vayu's group.
"And these youngsters… they'll be used for the real experiments."
He didn't bother to explain what "real" meant. Soma repeated Kurang's orders to the squad members assigned under him, and the villagers trapped inside the cages heard every word. The reaction was immediate, women — and even some men — burst into terrified sobs, unable to hold back the despair. Others, desperate for any escape, began slamming their heads against the iron bars, trying to kill themselves before the horrors could begin.
Within an hour, the werewolves had divided the villagers into four groups exactly as instructed — the elderly, the middle-aged, the young adults and the children — each group dragged toward its own horrific fate.
The cries of the villagers echoed across the camp, but no one was their to save and it all happened due to one person, Vayu.